KGIS Weekly Newsletter 14 September 2023

THE KNOWLEDGE

A Message from the Executive Principal

It has been wonderful this week to see so many students sign up to take part in one of the many extra-curricular activities on offer here at KGIS, and I look forward to seeing the students start these activities from next week. Our dedicated teachers offer a fantastic programme of activities that take place before school, at lunch time and after school. The variety of activities is huge including Performing Arts, Creative Arts, Sports, Debating, Coding and Robotics, Academics and the Duke of Edinburgh International Award All the activities are free of charge and open to all students as per the grade requirements outlined on the timetable. Please take the time to have a look at the activities on offer by clicking on the timetable link on page 3 of this newsletter, and encourage your children to sign up!

By taking part in extra-curricular activities students build long-lasting friendships and connections, meet students from different grades and classes, and gain transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, organisation, problem solving and time management. Doing an extra-curricular activity also improves students’ confidence.

Extra-curricular activities help students to learn about themselves and develop and use their skills and knowledge in different contexts. They will develop a range of skills, personal qualities and experience, which will help them to be more successful in school and beyond Extra-curricular activities give students the chance to develop these by doing things they enjoy! This is the best opportunity to have fun!

I thank you as always for your support!

Ms. Liz Stanley Executive Principal

Key Dates

Please make a note of the following important dates:

Monday 18th September: Parent ‘Introduction to IGCSE’ Evening for all grades (5:00pm)

Tuesday 19th September: Primary Parent Workshop for Science (8:00am and 5:00pm)

Wednesday 20th September: Secondary Parent Workshop for Science (8:00am and 5:00pm)

Monday 25th September: KGIS Community Celebration for the Prophet’s Birthday (8:00am)

Wednesday 27th September: Parent Workshop for University and Careers Guidance

Thursday 28th September: New Parent Picnic (3:30pm)

Sunday 1 October: World Grandparent Day

Wednesday 4th October: Parent Workshop for Supporting Special Educational Needs

Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th October: KGIS Charity Night Market (5:00pm-8:00pm)

Please click here to access the Academic Calendar for this academic year

Clickonthelinksbelowtoaccessthelearningoverview,homelearningexpectationsand assessmentdatesforeachgrade:

KG1 KG2

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Extra-Curricular Activities

a-Curricular Timetable for this term

Extra-Curricular Activities

A reminder that our programme of extra-curricular activities will start from Sunday 17 September for all students. We have a huge variety of activities on offer before school, at lunch times and after school There really is something for everyone! All activities are free of charge and students are encouraged to join as many as possible in order to broaden their skills. Please click on the link above to see the timetable of activities. If your child would like to participate in a particular activity, please ensure that you complete the sign-up forms as follows:

KG and Primary Students should click here to register for an activity

Secondary students should click here to register for an activity

Swimming Lessons for Grades 1 to 9

This term all students in Grades 1 to 9 will have swimming lessons as part of the PE curriculum. Swimming lessons will take place during the school day, and students will need to bring their swimming kit on the correct days. Please click the links below to read the letter from Mr. Sean, Head of PE that outlines what students should bring, and the days/times of the lessons for each grade:

Grades 1 and 2: click here

Grades 3 to 9: click here

KGIS Musical Theatre Production: ‘Matilda’

The Performing Arts Team have been busy this week choreographing and preparing students for their auditions for our whole school musical theatre production of 'Matilda' The team watched some fantastic auditions and the students were absolutely brilliant! We are very excited to get to work and start rehearsals, every Sunday and Monday until 4:15pm. The show will be performed on 19th and 20th February 2024, so get these dates in your diary as you won't want to miss it! Congratulations to the following students who take lead roles following their successful auditions:

Liyana Beach (Matilda)

Shuruq Al Barwani (Mrs Trunchball)

Sofiya Hussain (Miss Honey)

Barseen Talebi (Mrs Wormwood)

Zuhair Hussain (Mr Wormwood)

Olivia Simpson (Mrs Phelps)

Chloe Roberts (Lavender)

Freddie Skeldon (Bruce)

Extra-Curricular Activities

a-Curricular Timetable for this term

Inspired Forte Music Programme

We are very excited to inform parents of a unique opportunity available for students who learn a musical instrument! This opportunity is only available to students in Inspired schools, and offers a series of private instrument lessons with a tutor from the Royal College of Music in London - the world’s number one music conservatory.

In partnership with The Royal College of Music in London, Forte has launched the Pathways to Performance programme exclusively for Inspired students The programme offers a package of private lessons with otherwise inaccessible top music tutors, verified by The Royal College of Music, the world’s #1 ranked music conservatory. Every private tutor currently teaches at or has received music education training at The Royal College of Music, so they are not just excellent Royal College of Music musicians, but they have also been trained by the best in music teaching practice.

The programme caters to students at senior school level who desire to achieve advanced levels in their instrumental abilities and to those preparing for auditions or public performances. Upon completion, students will have the chance to get certificates of attendance issued from The Royal College of Music, further reflecting their hard work.

Further information can be found: https://fortelessons.com/inspired . The following video also offers more insight into the programme: Click here for video

KG Update

What a wonderful week of learning we have had in KG1 and KG2! The children have amazed us with how well they settled into life in the Early Years environment. We have continued to work on building confidence, independence and positive relationships with key adults Lots of friendships are already being forged and the children’s happy faces when they arrive each day speak volumes!

Just a reminder also that school begins at 7.40am for our KG children so please make sure your child is at school by then and ready for learning

Primary News

A Message from Mr. Ian, Head of Primary

It is hard to believe that we have been back at school for three weeks now, time flies when you are having fun! This week and last, in ICT lessons, children have been learning about keeping safe on the internet, when playing games online and how to generally keep safe when using their devices at home and school.

One of the most surprising things that teachers saw was how many children were able to access websites, apps and online games that are rated for older children, teenagers and even adults We have very strict internet firewalls in place on our student network and sites such as YouTube, Discord and Roblox are blocked. Unfortunately, we have learned that when children are using a VPN on their device, they are still able to access sites we have blocked on our network.

Discord is a chat platform where people can chat and communicate when playing games. It has become hugely popular amongst young people and has a 13+ years age rating. Children are accessing the site by using parent email addresses to sign up or creating new ones outside of their school email. Discord will automatically block users aged under 13. School emails are linked to the child’s age and this means that they can’t use their KGIS email to sign up if under 13 years old.

The issue I have been dealing with first-hand is children using bad or inappropriate language with one another, older siblings logging on and pretending to be their younger brothers or sisters and sending abusive or inappropriate messages to friends, as well children reporting that they have been subjected to unwanted contact from people they do not know.

I would ask that you make sure that your child’s device is linked to their school email only. It is also very important to make sure that you check your child's browsing history at least once per week, have access to and knowledge of all of their online apps and platforms and regularly log on and check their activity, including their messages to friends.

For more information about Discord, please see this advice from the UK Children’s charity NSPCC about the dangers of using Discord for younger children.

Finally, if your child has a VPN on their device, please disable and delete it VPNs are a useful software at times but young children do not need to have them installed. VPNs (Virtual Private Network) are a software which allows the internet user to disguise their online identity They can be used to make the user appear that they are in a different country so they can access local television streaming apps, e.g. UK or American television content, but they can also be used to get around internet safety firewalls and blocks They allow the user to get around any parental controls that may be installed on their device also. More information on VPNs and why they are unsuitable for children can be seen here.

The teachers spent this week discussing age restrictions and minimum age requirements for common apps that many of our students and parents access on a weekly basis! We delivered an interesting PowerPoint presentation and I highly recommend that parents look at this by clicking here in order to further understand what children are accessing. You will also educate yourself on what apps are considered appropriate for different aged children.

Primary News

In conclusion, I would highly recommend weekly checks of your child's devices (including mobile phones) Do not allow young children to game or use their device alone. In addition, we recommend that all parents download and install family monitoring software such as Google Family Link or Microsoft Family Safety.

In other news this week we had our Maths Primary Parent Engagement session which was very well attended. Next week on Monday 18th September at 5:00pm, there is a parent presentation about the IGCSE curriculum This presentation is designed to help parents of children in all grades understand more about the curriculum pathway that their child will follow as they get older. On Tuesday 19th September, Ms Kerrie will lead an engagement session on how to support your child’s learning in Science. Two sessions will take place; one at 8:00am in the KG Hall and the second at 5:00pm in the KG hall. All parents are welcome to attend!

Grades 1 and 2

Our Grade 1 students have been busy this week learning lots of new skills and practicing some old skills too! In Science lessons they enjoyed cutting up pictures and sorting them into ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ objects. In Maths lessons they have been investigating skeletal geo sets to create different shapes and improve their fine motor skills as well as learning how to use a bead string to help them count. In English lessons children were learning how to discuss a story by sequencing the animals in ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?’

Primary News

Grades 3 to 5

Grade 3 students enjoyed competing in spelling revision games in their Arabic class They had a lot of fun and it was a great way to refresh their memories after a long summer break!

Grade 4 students enjoyed cutting and pasting features of the map of Oman in the Arabic Social studies lessons.

Over the course of the last two weeks Grade 4 explored the story of the ‘Sunflower Sisters’ which teaches us to appreciate ourselves and others the way they are. We learned about our ethnicity, heritage and race. Grade 4 students were guided in learning how to identify positive attributes and use adjectives to describe ourselves, choose and design a stylish outfit that makes us feel fabulous, and reflect on role models we have in our lives that encourage us to be better people and someone we can aspire to be!

Secondary News

Message from Mr. James, Head of Secondary

Now that we have been back in school for a couple of weeks, it is great to see students slip seamlessly back into their usual study routines. Starting the school year with the right mindset and establishing positive study routines is crucial for students to lay strong foundations for academic success. The beginning of the school year sets the tone for the rest of the academic journey, and it is during this time that students have the opportunity to develop good habits and attitudes towards their studies

First and foremost, having the right mindset is essential for students to approach their learning with enthusiasm and determination A positive mindset helps students overcome challenges, stay motivated, and believe in their ability to succeed. Encouraging a growth mindset, where students understand that their abilities can be developed through hard work and effort, fosters resilience and a willingness to embrace learning opportunities. We don’t expect everyone to be perfect from day one, but we do expect students to try their best!

Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures

I would like to draw your attention to the drop-off and pick-up procedures we have in place to ensure your child's safety. For the morning drop-off, all Secondary students must enter through the back of the school. Parents can drop off right outside the back door For the afternoon pick-up, please note that all students will be brought over to the Car Park and all parents should park in the Car Park. I would also like to remind you that the Front Gate will be locked from 2:30pm - 3:00pm so pick-up from the front of the school will not be possible.

Uniform Policy

I would like to thank you all for helping us and encouraging your child to follow our uniform policy. Another gentle reminder that hoodies are not allowed and students will be asked to take any hoodies off. The uniform shop now has a full supply of KGIS jackets, in all sizes.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Extra-curricular activities form a huge part of student life here at KGIS. All our ECAs will be running from Sunday 17th September and we have a wide range of activities available to cater for all interests, ranging from Football to the first ever Smoothie Club!

Participating in ECAs offers numerous benefits for students and enhances students’ overall educational experience. ECAs provide a platform for students to develop essential skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication, and time management. They also allow students to explore their interests outside of the regular academic curriculum, helping them discover new talents and potential career paths. Engaging in ECAs promotes social interaction, fostering a sense of belonging and community within the school Furthermore, participation in ECAs contributes to a well-rounded education, promoting holistic development in physical, artistic, and creative aspects. Research suggests that students involved in ECAs often exhibit improved academic performance, as the discipline and time management skills developed through ECAs positively impact their studies. Ultimately, participating in ECAs offers students a chance to grow, explore, and develop skills that will benefit them academically, socially, and personally. A full list of what we have on offer is available on Page 3 of this newsletter, together with a compulsory sign-up sheet.

Secondary News

Parent Engagement Sessions

At KGIS, we believe that education is a collaborative effort that involves not only our dedicated educators but also you, our valued parents. I would like to say thank you to those parents who have attended our English engagement sessions. Next week, on Wednesday 20th September, Ms. Tahnia will be hosting the Science Engagement sessions and we look forward to seeing you all there. The sessions will take place in our KG Hall and start at 8:00 am and 5:00 pm

IGCSE Information Evening: Monday 18th September, 5:00 pm

I am very pleased to announce that we will hold an IGCSE Information Evening on Monday 18th September at 5:00 pm in the KG Hall. This is open to parents in all grades. This event is specifically designed to provide parents with valuable insights and guidance regarding the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) programme. We encourage parents from all grades to attend, as it will offer a comprehensive overview of the curriculum, assessment methods, and the benefits of pursuing IGCSE qualifications. We look forward to welcoming you and answering any questions you may have

Teaching and Learning: Maths Spotlight

Grade 7 students actively engage in learning by using mini whiteboards to check for understanding. These versatile tools allow students to express their thoughts and demonstrate their comprehension in a fun and interactive way, promoting active participation and ensuring everyone's learning is on track.

Grade 11 AS and Grade 12 students engaged in a team challenge as they completed square and quadratic equations Grade 11 AS and Grade 12 students eagerly participated in a team challenge, showcasing their mathematical prowess as they tackled square and quadratic equations. This collaborative activity not only reinforced their understanding of these fundamental concepts but also fostered teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. It was a dynamic and engaging experience that allowed students to apply their mathematical knowledge in a practical and interactive way