KGIS Weekly Newsletter 16 March 2023

THE KNOWLEDGE

A Message from the Executive Principal

This month we are thinking about the Universal Islamic Value of ‘Benevolence’ at KGIS This is particularly fitting as we approach the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan. For Muslims, Ramadan is considered one of the most blessed months of the year. This is due to the revelation of the Holy Qu’ran to the Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and Blessings be Upon Him) The Holy Month of Ramadan provides an opportunity for Muslims around the world to reinforce their faith in Allah through the process of self-purification.

During the Holy Month of Ramadan, many members of our school community will fast, will engage in more prayers and acts of worship, and will spend more time with family to strengthen and unify these relationships Ramadan is a time where we should be more concerned about the needs of others. Sharing meals and giving to charity are encouraged as some of the most beloved deeds to Allah that Muslims desire to be accepted by Him.

Fasting, praying and giving during the Holy Month of Ramadan should not affect our daily activities. They mean a greater effort to perform all the usual duties and more. It is important to remember that this holiest of months is like an intense ‘training period’ for life. The intention is not that we fast, pray and give only during Ramadan, but that these are behaviours that we demonstrate throughout our lives This month at KGIS, we will be encouraging all students and families to think about benevolence and how we can give back to our local and international community.

May you all feel the blessings of Allah at this special time

Ms. Liz Stanley Executive Principal

Key Dates

Please make a note of the following important dates:

Wednesday 22 March: Expected first day of the Holy Month of Ramadan (tbc)

Wednesday 29 March: KGIS Community Iftar (6:00pm)

Thursday 30 March: Last day of Term 2

Sunday 2 April-Thursday 13 April: Spring Break (school closed)

Sunday 16 April: Start of Term 3

Please click here to access the Academic Calendar for this year

Learning

Overviews

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

KGISUniversalIslamicValueforMarch: Benevolence

Ramadan at KGIS

We are pleased to share details of how we will be celebrating this very special month as a community at KGIS. Our Universal Islamic Value for the month of March is benevolence, and as a school community we plan to embrace the Pillar of Zakat during this holiest of months in order to instil a joy of giving in all our students. As such we will be starting Ramadan by promoting the following charitable causes and will launch some further initiatives as the month progresses We thank you all in advance for your support of these

Zakat at KGIS

1 Food and Gift Packages for the Underprivileged

As a school we will prepare and distribute food and small gift packages to underprivileged families and groups in the local community during the week commencing Sunday 26 March. Food packages will be distributed to needy families, and gift packages will be distributed to a local orphanage, and to child cancer patients at SQU Hospital. We therefore ask students and parents to contribute dry or tinned food items, small gifts or books for children (new condition), and toiletry items. We can also accept monetary donations which will be used to purchase food items. Students should bring their donations to their Homeroom Teacher from Sunday 19 March to Thursday 23 March. There will be House Points for the Homeroom Group that collects the most items!

2 KGIS Workers Iftar

During the week commencing Sunday 16 April, our Student Council will be preparing and serving an Iftar meal to 50 workers based in the local community each evening. In order to support this fantastic student initiative, we are asking parents to consider if they would be willing to prepare and donate a dish for up to 50 people on one evening This could be an appetiser (samosas etc ), a main dish or a dessert If you would be willing to contribute a dish, and would be happy for the Student Council to contact you, please click here and complete the form.

KGIS Community Iftar: Wednesday 29 March

We are pleased to invite families to our first ever KGIS Community Iftar on Wednesday 29 March at 6:00pm. The Community Iftar gives us the chance to come together as a community to pray, celebrate the Holy Month of Ramadan and break our fast together with a lovely meal The event is open to all KGIS families, and is free of charge, however we are limited to a maximum number of 400 guests, and therefore will be allocating tickets on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. If you would like to join us for the Iftar, please click here to obtain your places as soon as possible. We hope to see lots of you attend!

Ramadan at KGIS

School Hours during the Holy Month of Ramadan

We expect the Holy Month of Ramadan to start on Wednesday 22 March. Once the start of Ramadan is officially announced, we will inform all parents and will operate amended timings for the school day during the Holy Month. The timings of the school day will be as follows:

KG: 8:15am-11:45am

Grades 1 & 2: 8:15am-1:10pm

Grades 3-12: 8:15am-1:40pm

Parents are asked to drop their children at school no earlier than 7:50am, and no later than 8:15am. The school bus service will operate with amended timings as per the above. Please note that the morning pick up will be approximately one hour later than normal during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Please also note that there will be no before or after school extra-curricular activities during the Holy Month of Ramadan. During the Holy Month of Ramadan, the school will operate designated fasting and non-fasting areas at break and lunchtimes. Students will be able to pray during the school day and take part in daily group prayers under the supervision of Mr. Ibrahim and the Islamic Studies Department.

We look forward to seeing you in school to celebrate the Holy Month of Ramadan and thank you for your support!

Extra-Curricular Activities

a-Curricular Timetable for this term

Sports Fixtures: Week Commencing 19 March

Sunday 19 March - U11 Football and Netball at Downe House Muscat

Sports Extra-Curricular Activities and Football Academy - Week Commencing 19 March

Please note that there will be no before or after-school Sports extra-curricular activities next week (Sunday 19 March to Thursday 23 March) The Football Academy will run as normal on Monday evening

BSME Games

Over the last two weekends 47 Primary and Secondary students made history at KGIS by participating in the school's first ever international sports competition, the BSME (British Schools in the Middle East) Games!

Our U11 squads competed in the Small Schools Games, held at the British School of Muscat. The boys competed in basketball, football and athletics whilst the girls competed in netball, football and athletics. The boys did very well in the basketball finishing 3rd and football finishing 6th. Congratulations to Adam Al Bahlani who picked up the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award in the Basketball, displaying his superb talent in the game!

The U11 girls performed above and beyond our expectations as well. In football they battled to finish in 6th place but most impressively the girls managed to be competitive in Netball having only started to play for the first time six months ago! With the expertise and commitment of Ms. Maddison, Ms. Erne and Ms. Katherine they not only learnt how to play netball, but they also managed to give some of the biggest and most experienced British schools in the Middle East a run for their money!

Our U15 squads travelled to Abu Dhabi to compete against 17 of the largest schools in the Middle East. Our U15 girls competed in netball, football and athletics, and our boys in volleyball, football and athletics. As with our Primary squad, our U15 girls only picked up a netball for the first time six months ago, which was unbelievable as we watched their skill in competing! The girls displayed great resilience and determination to ensure they put up a good fight against each team that stepped out on the court. The boys squad put in a great performance in the football reaching the semi-finals and finally taking 4th place. They also had an outstanding result from Elyas Al Khaifi in the 200m sprint as he picked up a silver medal - congratulations!

We could not be more proud of every single student and our PE teachers! Well done!

KG Update

In KG1 we having been learning the story of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and what better time to try all the fruits that he ate? We tried apple, plum, pear, strawberry and orange. We chose our favourites and put them on a graph Strawberry was the clear winner after a lot of debate about what was yummiest! Thankfully, all of the children agreed none of the fruits were yucky!

We have also been playing in the new outdoor provision areas. We had lots of fun playing in the mud kitchen, mixing and making lots of things

This week we enjoyed exploring Maths Week in KG2. We read the story of Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons and thought about what happens when Pete loses some of his buttons!

We were very lucky to have some special visitors in KG2 this week, we met a rabbit, a fish and even a tortoise! The children enjoyed thinking about the animals' different features and learning about their habitats.

Next week, the children would like to invite their parents into school for a special Mother’s Day celebration and tea party. This will take place on Tuesday 21st March from 8am to 9.30am in the KG Garden. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please be aware that the Ministry of Education has instructed that all Grade 1 enrolments for September 2023 must be completed by June 2023. If you are planning to enrol a sibling or new child or have friends planning to enrol in Grade 1 next year, please visit the school or email admissions@kgis-edu com as soon as possible as there are very few spaces left and priority will be given to existing families.

Primary News

A Message from Mr. Ian, Head of Primary

Another week has passed in the Primary Phase with lots happening as usual! We had a fantastic assembly on Wednesday where Ms. Briony reminded us about the importance of being kind to others. We were treated to a reading of the 'Smartest Giant in Town' and learned about the importance of being kind and how kindness is contagious! 1D students did a great job of acting out the scenes as Ms. Briony read the story.

I have spoken to many parents lately who are unsure of when to send their children back to school after being unwell, and how to make sure they do not miss out too much. We have noticed a high level of absence over the past few weeks and whilst it is important to keep children at home if they are unwell, it is also ok to send them in if they are showing signs of being better or if their symptoms are very mild. It is also important to remember that your child missing days for events or travelling can be very disruptive to their education Missing 2 or 3 days per month for example may not seem like a lot but when added up over the school year that can become 20 or 30 days which is the equivalent of 4 to 6 full school weeks. Likewise, if they are 30 minutes late to school every day, this adds up to almost a full day of school for KG children or a half day per week for Grade 1 to 5! Have a look at the advice sheet below if you are unsure on whether to keep your child at home or not.

Primary News

A reminder to all parents that Grade 1 and 2 collection time is 14:20 and Grade 3 to 5 is 14:40. We are unable to supervise children after this time. Please ensure your driver or representative is clear on collection times or if collecting yourself, that you are timely and punctual. Children must be collected from the Car Park. Collection from Reception is not available unless prior permission has been granted by Ms. Liz, Mr. Ian or Mr. James. Security will be denying entry, please do not abuse our staff if denied entry and follow correct school procedure.

Grades 1 and 2

In Grade 1 Maths lessons this week, we read the story “Actual Size.” We discussed the size of some of the animals from the story and together we measured some of them on the floor in our classroom. The children were amazed by how big they are, such as the great white shark being nearly as long as the width of our classroom! We then measured the lines, using our hands, feet and even ourselves The children also drew their own hands as we learnt a Gorilla's hand is nearly the size of a book and measured it using cubes. We also measured snakes using paper clips

Grade 2 have also been introduced to measurement in length and height using non-standard units and standard units of measurement. They were also learning to use a ruler and measure in centimetres. In Arabic lessons, the children had great fun reading stories and dramatising their lesson by acting out the story

Primary News

Grades 3 to 5

In Arabic Social Studies, children were learning about the geography of beautiful Oman They learned about some of the Sultanate's stunning landmarks and her natural beauty. We really are so lucky to live in such a beautiful country! My challenge for you this week is to send me a picture of yourself at one of Oman’s wadi’s, beaches, mountains or famous buildings!

In Grade 4 English lessons, the students have been writing similes. A simile is a type of figurative language that describes something by comparing it to something else with the words like or as. Similes help create a mental picture of what the writer is describing, e.g. Mr Daniel is as brave as a lion. We will be writing these in our Fantasy stories that we have started writing this week See below where we have shared a couple of the opening paragraphs from 4B, and we cannot wait to read the rest!

It was a beautiful morning, until the King heard shrieks and shouting. He ran to the Great Hall and he was terrified at what he saw, blood dripping from the walls like water He screamed in terror! The bravest warriors in the Kingdom are dead!

“He’s alive, the monster is alive!” cried the King. The King always thought that the monster Credualar was dead. However, after he saw the blood, he realized the creature Credular was alive. Yet now he knew Credular was alive.

Asma 4B

The King knew something had to be done, he wrote a letter to the Kingdoms most heroic warriors to catch the monster and protect the Kingdom

The warrior’s arrived at the Grand Hall, waiting for the King to select them, the King said the names of the warrior’s “Sam the Great, Peter the bold…”. The King shouted “These great men will save us from the evil monster!”

Mohammed Al Omairi 4B

Primary News

Grade 5A children have been tackling division this week and our focus has been on developing our maths language and problem solving skills. Children got to be the teacher and devised their own division word problems and shared them with their classmates.

5A were researching and presenting their projects about their home cities. Over the past few days we have visited Romania, England, Thailand, India and Pakistan to name but a few. It was fascinating to learn about different cultures, their foods and sports to name but a few things

Secondary News

Message from Mr. James, Head of Secondary

I hope this newsletter finds you and your family in good health and high spirits. We were thrilled to see that our KGIS U15 Sports Squads participated in the school's first ever international sports event, the BSME Games in Abu Dhabi, marking a historic milestone for KGIS. We are proud to say that all our students performed exceptionally well, with some impressive highlights to celebrate! Elyas Al Khaifi won the silver medal, and our boys' football team made a spectacular run to the semi-finals

Additionally, I am pleased to report that our recent Grade 10 Options Pathway Evening was a resounding success, with students and parents having the opportunity to learn more about the curriculum in Grades 11 and 12. We hope that the event helped to provide clarity and guidance for our students as they navigate their academic journeys. This was an important opportunity for students to begin thinking about their academic and career goals and to choose subjects that will help them achieve these goals. We were impressed with the level of engagement and enthusiasm from the students and we look forward to seeing them excel in their chosen subjects.

We would like to remind parents that Grade 6 and 11 vaccinations are coming up, and letters will be given to students Please ensure that your child receives the necessary vaccinations for their health and wellbeing Letters have been given to your child and need to be returned to their Homeroom Teacher by Sunday 19 March.

Lastly, as we approach the Holy Month of Ramadan, we would like to wish all our Muslim families a blessed and peaceful Ramadan. May this month be filled with joy, reflection, and blessings for you and your loved ones.

Learning and Teaching

As part of their IGCSE Biology course, Grade 9 students were learning about DNA Structure and Protein Synthesis this week. To explore the structure of DNA and understand how it is constructed, the students built their own DNA out of everyday items. Students enjoyed the opportunity to explore Biology in an interactive and meaningful way. As you can see, some of those structures look amazing!

The activity of building DNA models using everyday items not only makes learning fun and engaging but also helps students to visualise and understand the complex structure of DNA. DNA is made up of four different nucleotidesadenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T) - which form a double helix structure. By physically building the DNA s tructure using various materials such as paper, pipe cleaners, o r even candy, students can see how the nucleotides pair up and the overall shape of the molecule. This hands-on activity is a great way to enhance students' understanding of DNA and protein synthesis.

Secondary News

11BD Physics students have been looking at Earthquake Damping this week. To fully understand this concept, they built a model of "Taipei 101", a skyscraper in Taiwan, to test the theory. This building incorporates a 728 tonne steel ball as a tuned mass damper (TMD). This helps to reduce the amplitude of oscillation of the tower and reduce the risk of collapse during an earthquake To further elaborate on the concept of earthquake damping and the role of a tuned mass damper, it's important to understand that during an earthquake, a building experiences strong vibrations and oscillations due to the seismic waves passing through the ground. These oscillations can be dangerous as they can cause structural damage and potential collapse of the building.

A tuned mass damper is a device that is designed to counteract these oscillations and reduce the amplitude of vibrations in a building during an earthquake. It works by oscillating in the opposite direction to the building's motion, thus reducing the overall motion of the building. n the case of Taipei 101, the 728-tonne steel ball is suspended from the 92nd to the 87th floor of the building, acting as a TMD. This heavy ball helps to stabilize the building and reduce the amplitude of its motion during an earthquake Without the TMD, the b uilding's oscillations could be more severe, potentially causing damage and risking collapse.

Grade 6 Arabic students were learning about recycling and sustainability through Blooket. Blooket is an interactive and educational game-based learning platform that allows students to engage with the content in a fun and exciting way. By using Blookets, the Grade 6 Arabic students were able to reinforce their understanding of recycling and the environment by actively participating in the game

Through the use of Blookets, the Grade 6 Arabic students were able to develop their knowledge and understanding of recycling and the environment in a more interactive and enjoyable way, helping them to retain the information better and encouraging them to continue their exploration of environmental issues.

Secondary News

Revision Tip - The Importance of Choosing the right Subjects in Grades 10 to 12

Choosing the right subjects in Grades 10 to 12 is a critical decision that can have a significant impact on a student's academic and career path. It is essential to choose subjects that align with a student's interests, strengths, and career goals to ensure they achieve success in their academic and professional lives Here are some tips on the importance of choosing the right subjects in Grades 10 to 12:

Identify your interests:

Students must identify their interests and passions early on in their academic journey. It is easier to excel in subjects that one enjoys and finds interesting Therefore, it is crucial to choose subjects that align with personal interests and passions.

Consider future career goals:

Students should also consider their future career goals when choosing subjects. It is essential to choose subjects that align with their career aspirations, ensuring that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their chosen field

Seek guidance from school leaders:

School leaders play a crucial role in helping students make informed decisions about subject choices. They have the experience and expertise to offer guidance and advice based on a student's interests, strengths, and career aspirations.

Research and explore options:

It is essential to research and explore different subject options before making a decision. Students should consider the subjects' difficulty level, their own ability, and the opportunities available to them

Don't be afraid to challenge yourself:

Students should not be afraid to challenge themselves by choosing more challenging subjects. However, it is crucial to ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources to succeed in these subjects.

The role of the school in offering guidance and advice to students in choosing the right subjects cannot be overstated! School leaders, teachers, and other academic staff are on hand to offer support and guidance throughout the process. They can help students identify their interests and strengths, explore different subject options, and make informed decisions about their academic and career paths.

By identifying their interests, considering their career aspirations, seeking guidance from school counsellors, researching and exploring options, and challenging themselves, students can make informed decisions about their subject choices.

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