Welcome Booklet 21-22 - Gardens Campus

Welcome from the Principal Dear Students, It is a pleasure to welcome you to our wonderful school and we look forward to you becoming a member of the Raha family.

We are very proud of our achievements and our status as one of only a small number of schools to be rated Outstanding in Abu Dhabi. I am sure that having you join the school will only make us better!

We work very hard to make our school safe, healthy and very happy. We will also try to make your start in school calm and enjoyable. We are very used to new students joining us and the students who are already here will help us to make your introduction to Raha as smooth as possible. We have a fantastic team of teachers who care very much about your happiness and learning. They always put your interests first and are committed to helping you enjoy your studies and to perform as well as you can in school.

Raha is a very exciting place to be! We have many activities outside of our wonderful IB curriculum and our students get involved in various trips, sports, drama, music, and community events. I am sure you will find lots of activities to keep you happy and busy.

I know that you may be a little nervous joining a new school, but once you put your new uniform on, you will immediately become part of our fantastic family and I am sure you will be very happy at Raha.

See you soon,

Ms. Pali

Welcome to Raha!

Dear Parents, We are very excited to welcome you and your family to Raha International School. In the pages that follow are steps on the final registration process. We look forward to your child joining Raha!

Next steps: •

Ensure all required registration documentation has been submitted to registrar@ris.ae (the Registrar will email you with the documents checklist)

•

If needed, make arrangements for Bus Service through our Transportation Department (more information is provided in the following pages).

•

Connect with us: •

For all the most up-to-date information about our activities, photos and videos, ‘like’ us on Facebook at ‘Raha International School’. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

•

To join the RIS Parent Team, please contact: parent.team@ris.ae

•

Our Communications Officer can be reached at communications@ris.ae or (0)25561567 ext. 120

General Information Accounts Tuition fees, due dates and payment information can be found in the pages that follow this guide.

Accounts is open over the summer and can be reached at 02 556 1567 or by emailing accounts@ris.ae.

School Office Hours Raha Offices – including Admissions & Accounts – are open Sunday to Thursday, 8:00am to 4:00pm and Friday, 8:00am to 12:00pm.

School Transport We have contracted Seven Stars Services, an RTA approved company, to offer school bus service.

Please find more information on registering for bus service in the pages that follow.

Uniform Expectations Zak’s are the provider of RIS uniforms. More information is provided in the pages that follow.

PE Kits PE Kits are to be bought through an external supplier. As this has changed, students may come to school with sports clothes from home. Appropriate sports clothes include a sports polo or t-shirt, sports shorts (should reach mid-thigh at least) or tracksuit pants.

Primary will have PE twice weekly and will wear PE kits to school. Teachers will inform parents of PE days at orientation. When your child’s year group is doing swimming, your child will wear his or her PE kit to school and change into swim gear at school.

Secondary students will wear their regular uniforms daily and bring their PE kits to school with them to change into.

BYOD Policy Students in Primary (Grades 1-5) will be required to bring their own Apple iPad to school. iPads must be able to run the latest iOS (iOS 12) and have at least 15gb free storage space available to install the required apps and to use at school for recording and documenting work. Students in EY1 and EY2 will need access to an iPad at home if the school moves to distance learning.

Students in Secondary (Grades 6-12) will be required to bring their own laptop to school. Laptops must be able to run the latest operating system. Students may choose to use Apple Mac or Windows laptops.

More information on technology and devices at Raha can be found in the pages that follow.

The School Day School day timings EY1

7.45am to 1.00pm Monday to Thursday

EY2

7.45am to 2.00pm Monday to Thursday

Primary

7.45am to 3.00pm Monday to Thursday

Secondary

7.45am to 3.00pm Monday to Thursday

On Fridays, school will finish at 12:00pm for all students Pick up and drop off At 7.40am the UAE National Anthem will play, and all students are required to stand and face the flag.

Early Years and Primary students should congregate in their designated areas of the school where at least two teachers will be on duty from 7.30am – 7.45am.

Early Years After the anthem has played, EY1 students will meet at Building B, outside their classroom; EY2 students will meet at Building E outside their classroom; and Grade 1 will meet outside of Building D near the playground.

At the end of the school day, EY1 and EY2 students can be collected from their classrooms using the external doors. For parents collecting children in Grade 1, Building D doors will be opened by staff as soon as the bus students leave for the day. Please do not enter the building before this time Primary After the anthem has played, Primary students will line up according to their class and grade within the Primary Piazza, outside Building L at their designated spot where they will be met by their class teacher.

At the end of the school day, Primary students can be collected outside of Building L. Secondary Secondary Students are expected to be on campus promptly at 7.40am. They will meet in the advisory rooms for registration each morning at 7.45am, after the UAE National Anthem has played.

Late Arrivals and Early Dismissals Students arriving from 7:50am will be considered late and are required to sign in at Reception, before going to class, to collect a late slip or they will be marked absent. School gates close at 8:10 a.m.

Should a parent/guardian wish collect their child early from school, the following procedures must be maintained:

Early Years An email is to be sent 24 hours in advance (minimum 30 minutes prior to collection) to the child’s homeroom teacher and to absent@ris.ae.

The parent/guardian is to check in with the Front Desk Administrator at Reception who will arrange for the child to be brought to the office. Please do not go to the child’s classroom as this can disrupt teaching. Students must be signed out by their parent/guardian in person. The student will be given an Early Dismissal Pass that must be given to Security (please note children may not be released between 2.30pm and 3.00pm).

Primary An email is to be sent 24 hours in advance (minimum 30 minutes prior to collection) to the child’s homeroom teacher and to absent@ris.ae.

The parent/guardian is to check in with the Front Desk Administrator at Reception who will arrange for the child to be brought to the office. Please do not go to the child’s classroom as this can disrupt teaching. Students must be signed out by their parent/guardian in person. The student will be given an Early Dismissal Pass that must be given to Security (please note children may not be released between 2.30pm and 3.00pm).

Secondary An email is to be sent 24 hours in advance (minimum 30 minutes prior to collection) to the child’s Head of Grade and to absent@ris.ae.

The parent/guardian is to check in with the Front Desk Administrator at Reception who will arrange for the child to be brought to the office. Please do not go to the child’s classroom as this can disrupt teaching. Students must be signed out by their parent/guardian in person or the parent/guardian must be able to be reached by phone to verify the early dismissal. Secondary students must have their Early Dismissal Pass signed by their Head of Grade before being released by the Front Desk Administrator. The Early Dismissal Pass should then be given to Security (please note children may not be released between 2.30pm and 3.00pm).

Prompt Collection If children are not collected after 10 minutes at the end of the school day, they will be moved to another location. It is important that young children are collected on time; late collection can cause children anxiety. If a child is consistently being left for late collection a parent conference will be called with a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) or Senior Management Team (SMT).

In the event of a family emergency or change of plan, please try to contact the school office via telephone as soon as possible so that your child and the teacher can be informed of your new arrangements. Please do not leave recorded messages on the answer machine.

Early Years and Primary parents should notify their child’s Homeroom Teacher if another adult is picking up their child to avoid any issues. Older students may collect their siblings in Early Years.

Secondary students (Grade 6-12) and Primary students with a gate pass may collect their sibling in EY at the end of the day and leave campus. Primary students without a gate pass may collect their sibling in EY, but must remain on campus until a parent or guardian picks them up. Primary and EY students without a gate pass may not leave campus unaccompanied. More information regarding gate passes will be sent in September.

Reporting Absence & Sickness Parents are required to report a student’s absence the night before if they know that their child will not be attending school or before 8:30am on the morning of their absence by sending an email, with the name of the student and class, to absent@ris.ae. Please do not leave recorded messages on the answer machine.

When the Front Desk Administrator begins recording the attendance, if she has not heard from the parent/guardian, she will then send an SMS notification informing parents/guardians that their child is absent.

If a parent does not contact the school or Front Desk is unable to speak to parents by telephone the absence will be recorded as unexcused.

Absence All days missed from school for any reason will be reported on the report card as an absence.

When your child is absent from school for three (3) consecutive days or more, you need to provide a letter explaining their absence or provide a note from the doctor upon return to school.

Absences of 3 consecutive days of more will be followed up by the school.

Unauthorized absences cannot exceed 10% of the total academic year and cannot number more than 30 days total (authorized and unauthorized). Absences exceeding this number will be referred to the academic review committee and may result in a student either being retained in the current grade or withdrawn from the school.

There are two types of recognised absences; Authorised and Unauthorised: Authorised Absence: The following types of absences may be regarded as authorised when confirmed by signed letter from Parents/Guardians: •

Illness

•

Medical

•

Appointment

•

Religious Observance

•

Out of school suspension

•

Educational Visit or Trip

•

Approved Sporting Activity

•

Other Authorised Circumstances (i.e. bereavement, mandatory appearance before an official body). Must be approved by Head of School

•

Enforced Closure

Unauthorised Absence: •

Family Holiday

•

Shopping Trips

•

Other types of absences not included in the authorised absences list

Absenteeism disrupts learning and it is not possible to “make up” in full the learning lost during a period of absence. We understand that emergency situations happen, however, the nature of our programme is designed for students to learn within their community of peers. It is not possible to send class work home or for students to complete the equivalent work at home.

If your child has an illness or is recovering from an illness and is unable to participate in physical education or swimming activities a medical certificate should be issued by the child’s physician. The certificate should indicate the period of time that the child should be excluded from certain activities.

Vacations During the School Year The school year includes a generous amount of vacation time and therefore an extension of this time is not encouraged.

Should you choose for your children to be absent from school for a prolonged period outside regular vacation time, parents should send an email to the relevant Head of School (Head of Early Years, Head of Primary or Head of Secondary). The absence will be acknowledged; however, we do not give approval. All days missed will be counted as unexcused absences on the report card. Teachers are not expected to make exceptional lesson planning arrangements for students who miss school because of holidays taken during school days.

Should you family decide to take an extended holiday during school time, parents must inform the appropriate Assistant to the Head of Early Years/Primary/Secondary and they will send you a form to be completed electronically.

Crèche Facility / After School Care Raha does not offer a crèche facility, nor after school care. For health and safety reasons, all students must be collected promptly after school or after ECPs as there is no after-school supervision.

Curriculum Guides Please find our curriculum guides on our website at ris.ae

Helpful Contacts Main Reception frontdesk@ris.ae

ext. 107 or 182

Accounts Department Ceejay Triunfo - Accounts Administrator accountsadmin@ris.ae

ext. 170

Philip Thomas - Assistant Accountant accounts@ris.ae

ext. 104

Admissions & Marketing Department Estée Caplen - Head of Admissions & Enrolment admissions@ris.ae David Raagas - Admissions Administrator admissionsadmin@ris.ae

02 556 1567 ext. 169

Shawna Pope - Admissions Administrator admissionsadmin@ris.ae

02 556 1567 ext. 174

Johanna Latham - Admissions Administrator admissionsadmin@ris.ae

02 556 1567 ext. 125

Nicola Burton - Registrar registrar@ris.ae

02 550 5271 ext. 212

Sehrab Alkilani - Registrar registrar@ris.ae

02 550 5271 ext. 211

Diana Rayyan - Arabic Administrator arabicadmin@ris.ae

02 556 1567 ext. 110

Amii Popple - Marketing & Communications Executive marketing@ris.ae Abigail Alexander - Communications Officer communications@ris.ae School Clinic / Nurses clinic@ris.ae

ext. 106 or 172

School Uniforms The school uniform is to be worn during each school day unless special activity days are announced.

Children are expected to wear the uniform to and from school. We encourage our students to take pride in their uniforms as a reflection of their pride in the school. Clothes worn underneath the shirts must be plain white or natural-coloured.

All school uniform clothing must be purchased from ZAKS clothing shop and Magrudy’s. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Students should be well groomed, with a neat appearance and a wellmaintained school uniform.

From the 2021/2022 academic year, only the new uniform may be worn.

Information on purchasing school uniform from Zaks can be found online at: https://www.ris.ae/our-community/parents/uniform From 11 April, PE kits will be available for purchase through Magrudy’s at Forsan Mall or through their online store. More information will be shared separately.

School Fees & Finance The Accounts office is available from Monday to Thursday, 7:30am to 4:00pm and from 7:30am to 12:00pm on Fridays.

For inquiries about finance/accounts, please contact accountsadmin@ris.ae or accounts@ris.ae Other Charges Uniforms and PE kits are compulsory and have to be purchased from Zak’s and Kukri.

IBDP Examinations: Raha charges additional fees for the Grade 12 IB Diploma Programme Exams Books & Stationery are supplied by the school. Charges may apply for lost textbooks/library books. IBDP textbooks carry an additional charge.

Bus transportation is optional and outsourced to an external provider. The charges of this service may vary from year to year, but are currently priced at AED 5,000 per student per annum.

Field trips and excursion activities are optional and may involve charges from external providers.

Extracurricular activities (after school) are optional and offered directly by Raha (Internal ECPs).

They are free of charge unless otherwise specified. External providers offer a range of sports and other activities at an additional cost in the late afternoon, in the evening and on weekends.

Raha maintains a canteen facility on-site which is optional and run by Slices Students who join Raha may be given an assessment to determine whether or not there is a need for Special Educational Needs Support. If additional support is required then parents will be contacted and the next steps will be outlined, discussed and additional charges may then apply in accordance with ADEK regulations.

Tuition Refund The Raha refund policy is strictly in accordance with the refund policy as per ADEK and is applicable for both Tuition and Transportation fees. All requests for refund must be made in writing to accounts@ris.ae 1.1 Student withdrawal prior to the start of the academic year: If the student has NOT attended ANY classes or has attended only part of week one of the school year, the balance of the first term fee paid is refunded minus any registration fee made for placing the student on the school’s official class list.

1.2 Student withdrawal during the school year: If the student attends school from one week and up to three weeks in a term, Raha may retain the value of one full month of tuition fees.

If the student attends school from three weeks and up to six weeks in a term, Raha may retain the value of two full months of tuition fees.

If the student attends school over six weeks in a term, Raha may retain the full-term fee.

Tech @ Raha At Raha, we have decided to embrace the use and potential of technology in the classroom.

Every classroom is equipped with a digital projector or interactive board and WiFi access. All teachers are provided with a laptop to store and create digital resources. Students and teachers are each given a license and account to Microsoft Office 365, which enables the school community to work digitally and collaborate on tasks and projects. As a result, we strongly encourage all students to bring their own device to take full advantage of the opportunities this can give to the teacher and students. The device is used to support independent inquiry, delve deeper into understanding concepts and skills and to show their knowledge and understanding.

We also use online platforms to document the learning journey. In PYP, students use Seesaw or Toddle on their iPads to record and add annotations to their work throughout each unit of inquiry.

In MYP and DP, students use their device to connect through Microsoft Teams and to upload work to ManageBac for teachers to grade and to provide feedback to support student development.

In order to ensure that technology is assisting the teaching and learning in the classroom, we have decided to use a single platform and therefore recommend only Apple devices.

In PYP (Grades 1- Grade 5) this means an iPad. Students in Grades 3-5 may also choose a keyboard case to assist with typing and a stylus to help with digital creativity. Students in EY1 and EY2 will need access to an iPad at home if the school moves to distance learning.

Students in Grade 5 may choose to transition to a Macbook in preparation for MYP. In MYP and DP we recommend the Macbook Air or Pro, and in DP Art to create digital artwork, we recommend an iPad with pencil.

We have partnered with our Apple supplier to provide discounted prices on Apple products that you can purchase for your family use. Please see the flyer to the right to create an account to check prices for comparison with other providers. We always recommend ensuring the device has a suitable case and that you have headphones for your child to use.

For further information on the systems and devices used, please contact Richard Ballard (Head of Technology and Innovation) at rballard@ris.ae.

How do I buy?

•

Naviagte to www.jtrs.ae

•

Click on ‘Sign Up’

•

Choose ‘Raha International School’

•

Sing in & complete your purchase

https://drive.google.com/file/d/117fkImJp1zPysm7W2a8un5rfYAafdu-c/view?usp=sharing to

download the Purchase Guide to download the Purchase Guide

School Bus Transport Dear Parents, Greetings and Good Day!!

Hoping that you all are doing well and keeping safe We are glad to inform you that Seven Stars School Buses Transportation will continue to provide the school transport services for the students of Raha International School in Garden Campus and Khalifa City Campus for the next academic year. It has been a pleasure to serve the Raha Community for over a decade, and we look forward to continue our dedicated services to you in the future.

Parents wishing to enroll for school transport services can register through www.sevenstarsschoolbus.com.

Parents who had been using our services during the last academic year are requested to complete the re-registration process through the website mentioned above in order to continue using the school transport services.

On completion of online application an email acknowledgement along with the copy of the application form andSchool Bus Transport Policy and Agreement will be sent to registered email ID. Registrations received after 15th August cannot avail the service on the first week of school. Service will be provided based on route and seat availability.

Due to the present pandemic situation and as we are awaiting instructions from the concerned regulatory authority and UAE Government, we are forced to close the Registrations early since we need time to prepare for any updates that we receive from the authorities.

After the registration is confirmed and the procedures are completed, payments will be collected in advance for the entire academic year as per the installments mentioned below: S.No.

Installments

Term Period

Amount

1

Term 1

August-December

AED 2000/-

2

Term 2

January-March

AED 1500/-

3

Term 3

April-July

AED 1500/-

Note: Transport rate charges will be the same irrespective of the shift chosen as 1 or 2 ways.

Payments are accepted in Cash, Cheque favoring ‘Seven Stars School Buses Transportation’, or Bank Transfer. Bank Account details are as follows: Bank Name: National Bank of Fujairah - (NBF) Account Name: Seven Stars School Buses Transportation Account Number: 012001114512 IBAN Number: AE290380000012001114512 Branch: Corniche Branch Swift code: NBFUAEAF Kindly note, that we will not be providing the bus transport services, if the Registration Form and signed School Bus Transport Policy and Agreement are not submitted along with the advance payment on or before 25th August 2020.

Ms. Donabel will be the School Transport Coordinator and can be contacted for any queries or concerns at transportation@ris.ae or at 055-4412710. You may also contact our Customer Service Representatives to assist you any time and they can be contacted on 02-6713131 / ext. 201 / 203 / 204 / 205 / 206 / 207.

We appreciate your continuous support and feedback and assure you of our best services always.

Wishing you all Good Health, Take Care and Stay Safe!!

Thanks and Best Regards

Mohammed Abdulla Operations Manager

School Bus Transport Please read the instructions for registration below.

You may register from 5th July 2021.

Guidelines for School Bus Transportation Online Registration.

•

Visit www.sevenstarsschoolbus.com using Google Chrome browser.

•

Select Register.

•

Select School Name and Campus.

For New Registration: 1.

Enter and complete all required information.

2.

Follow the format as shown in the respective fields.

3.

Emirates ID to be uploaded in .jpg or .pdf format.

4.

Photo to be uploaded in .jpg format only.

5.

Review the information provided and ensure all data are entered accurately.

6.

After review, select the declaration below and proceed to submit.

For Re-Registration: 1.

Select Re-Registration.

2.

Enter the Student Emirates ID No.

3.

If the Student Emirates ID is not updated in the system and shows invalid please contact the School Transport Coordinator or our back-end team for assistance.

4.

Verify the data provided earlier and update the fields and the required informations if necessary.

5.

Follow the format as shown in the respective fields.

6.

Review the information provided and ensure all data are entered accurately.

7.

After review, select the declaration below and proceed to submit.

An automated email acknowledgement along with the copy of the application form and School Bus Transport Policy - Terms and Conditions Agreement will be sent to the registered email ID. For any queries and concerns please feel free to contact Ms. Donabel, School Transport Coordinator of Raha International School, at transportation@ris.ae or at 055-4412710.

You may also contact our Customer Service Representatives to assist you any time and they can be contacted on 02-6713131 / ext. 201 / 203 / 204 / 205 / 206 / 207.

Terms and Conditions Raha International School is regulated by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge and we are required to operate in compliance with all ADEK regulations.

The school reserves the right to place your child in the grade level deemed to be the most appropriate, within the bounds of ADEK guidelines. If your application is successful, you agree to the rules and regulations of Raha International School as set out in the Parent Handbook and the Raha Honour Code. Please contact our Admissions Team for copies of the same.

School Fees Although grade placement is first approved by the school, the final approval lies with the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK). Parents will be contacted and informed of the decision and grade placement by the Registrar. Upon receiving the letter of acceptance, parents are requested to pay, within ten working days, 5% of the annual school fees, to secure the place. Once the academic year has started, full term fees are due. Students are not enrolled until full term fees are paid. The 5% Registration fee is non-refundable but forms part of the annual tuition fees and is adjusted against the first term.

A student may not start the academic year unless the first term fee has been paid in full. According to ADEK regulations, the school reserves the right to withhold the final results and abstain from issuing transfer certificates until settlement of all school fees is made.If during the entrance assessment, we discover a requirement for English language support or Special Educational Needs support, please be advised that there may be an additional fee charged for this service. Parents will be notified of this charge prior to or within 4 weeks of the start of the academic year.

Re-registration for continuing students will not be accepted unless all outstanding tuition fees including the re-registration fee have been paid in full.A re-registration fee of 5% of the school fees will be charged for all continuing students at a date to be advised during the school year. This will be adjusted against the term 1 fees and is subject to the refund policy described below.

Documentation All documentation must be submitted prior to the student joining the school.Incoming students whose documents are incomplete cannot be registered with the Abu Dhabi Education Council which could result in fines. Raha International School will not be responsible for any fines imposed by ADEK.

Existing Students/Re-Registration Fee A school may charge up to 5% of the school’s tuition fees as a re-registration deposit to confirm the return of existing students in the new academic year. This deposit will be deducted from the total tuition fees for the academic year in which the admission is being sought. The school will advise of the amount and due date. Re-registration for continuing students will not be accepted unless all outstanding fees due have been paid in full.

Kindly note that those wishing to transfer to other Taaleem schools will also be required to fill the reregistration form and submit a copy to both schools with the non-refundable deposit paid at the new school.

Registration/Seat Guarantee To register your child, you are required to pay the balance of the term fees at least one month before the beginning of the school year. Term Fee: a student may not start the academic year unless the term fee has been paid in full. Payments will be only accepted via cash, credit card or cheque payable in favour of Raha International School. We cannot accept personal cheques for Term fees, unless submitted at least five working days prior to start of the new academic year if joining the school for the first time. Note: The deposit is only applicable at the beginning of the school year.

School Reports According to Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge regulations, the school reserves the right to withhold any reports until fees have been paid in full.

Final Results According to Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge regulations, the school reserves the right to withhold the final results and abstain from issuing transfer certificates until settlement of all school fees is made

Raha International School Raha Gardens, Khalifa City ‘A’ P.O. Box 34150, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates