Welcome to Raha
Your Raha journey starts here!
This Handbook is here to ensure your experience is as seamless as possible. Please read it carefully and refer to it when you need any guidance.
Here's to a SUPER year ahead!
Hello, From Our Leadership Team
Welcome!
We are thrilled to welcome you to our Raha family. Our school is a vibrant place where fun and learning go hand in hand.
Our aim is to help our littlest learners grow and flourish over these formative years and help develop their natural curiosity and love for learning. We encourage them to inquire, embrace challenges, take risks and become principled, open-minded citizens.
We are extremely proud to be an IB School and offer the PYP Curriculum. Our approaches to learning and Units of Inquiry support the IB mission:
”To develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect."
We look forward to partnering with you to provide your child with the best possible start to their education journey.
Emily Merton Head of Early Years Gardens Campus
Kerry Mesmer Assistant Head of Early Years
Our Mission & Vision
Our Philosophy
The Learner
• We see every child as capable, inquisitive and creative with the right to be nurtured in a safe, supportive environment.
The Teaching and Learning
• Our practice is informed by research which supports our belief that young children learn through investigation, exploration and play in a social context, where they have a sense of agency.
• We view teachers as facilitators in our children’s learning journey. We guide learning through a pedagogy of observing and listening.
• Our learning spaces reflect our belief that aesthetically engaging, carefully planned and purposeful environments significantly enhance the quality of learning experiences.
The Learning Community
• We value the culture and diversity of our learning community.
• We see relationships and connections to be central to learning. There is a shared commitment to maintaining respect, open dialogue and collaboration with families.
Life in the Early Years
Life in EY is a little different to the rest of the school. Think of EY as the foundations of your child's school journey. We take pride in being the facilitators of that journey and we are here to nurture and guide your child through this learning process as well as support you as parents every step of the way.
In our EY classrooms, you will see adults and children working together in Continuous Provision solving problems and children being scaffolded by adults to reach the next step in their chosen learning experience.
We are here to support the holistic development of our students through play and a balanced curriculum. Your child will build confidence, independence, creativity and imagination, so that they are ready to apply these skills in their personal learning journey.
We celebrate diversity and individuality in our school and aim to provide an inclusive environment for all of our students to grow and learn.
The Team
We are a highly experienced and dedicated team from a range of different countries and curriculums. Raha brings us all together through our passion for education.
Gardens Campus
We have 8 classes in both EY1 and EY2. Each class has a homeroom teacher and a Learning Assistant.
We have an experienced Specialist teaching team which includes; Inclusion teachers, PE/swimming teachers, Arabic, Music Teachers, STEAM Teachers and Librarians.
Overseeing the above is our Head, supported by the Assistant Head. We also have our EY Assistant, who is always available to support parents.
HEAD OF EARLY YEARS!
Curriculum
Curriculum
Renee Dansey PYP Coordinator
Throughout the year we will be hosting curriculum information sessions.
These will cover areas such as:
• An introduction to the PYP in Early Years
• What is inquiry?
• Supporting your child with Reading and Writing
• Practical activities to support Mathematics
• Our PYP Curriculum
Our website www.ris.ae is also a great place to find policies and curriculum outcomes and information.
Week 1 in Early Years
Curriculum
To help support the transition into EY1, our students will be asked to join for settling in sessions during the first week of school. Your child will be allocated to a morning or afternoon session in which 12 students will be invited into school to meet their teachers, classmates and become familiar with the new learning environment.
Monday 25th August
Tuesday 26th August
Wednesday 27th August
Thursday 28th August
EY1 Family meetings
You will be able to sign up for a family meeting to meet your Homeroom teacher and Learning assistant
First session – 7:45am to 9:45am Second session – 11am to 1pm You will be notified to which session your child will be attending.
Friday 29th August 7:45am to 11:30am - All students attend
There will be no bus service for EY1 students in Week 1.
We are excited to welcome our new EY2 families as well as our returning families.
Our EY2 parents are invited to attend a 'Welcome back' session in the auditorium at either 8:10am or 11:10am depending on the staggered start group for your child.
Monday 25th August
Tuesday 26th August
Wednesday 27th August
Thursday 28th August
Friday 29th August
Only new Raha students invited to meet Homeroom teacher
Staggered Start:
First session – 7:45am to 9:45am
Second session – 11am to 1pm You will be notified to which session your child will be attending.
7:30am to 2:00pm – All students attend
7:30am to 11:45pm - All students attend
There will be no bus service for EY2 on Monday or Tuesday – bus service will resume on Wednesday 28th August.
Start of the School Day
• EY internal gates will be opened at 7:30am by Ms Emily or Ms Kerry.
• Students can enter classrooms between 7:30am and 7:45am.
• Students will enter the classroom through the external doors.
• Your child will be marked as late if they enter class after 7:45am by your homeroom teacher. From 8am you will need to report to main reception to collect a yellow late slip as teachers' registers will be closed. Late students will not be permitted into class without a late slip.
• EY1 and EY2 bus children will be dropped at class by a Bus Monitor in the morning.
• The National Anthem plays at 7:45am each morning in the school Piazza. If students and parents are outside, they are expected to stand respectfully while this is playing.
Settling in
The first few weeks of school are likely to be unsettling for your child. This is completely normal, and we are highly experienced with this.
We ask that the parents take their children to their class between 7:30am and 7:45am. Our kind, experienced teachers and LAs will take it from here and will contact you, if it is needed, to update you on how your child has settled. We will also have our Student Support Staff and School Counsellor available to support all students throughout the day.
Try to remember that your child is in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people and it will take time to adapt. In the first few weeks your child will build relationships with us and become familiar with the environment. Once those bonds are made, your child will not look back!
Keep the bigger picture in mind and remember the settling in period is just that. If any child needs to follow an adjusted schedule to support their transition, we will speak to parents individually.
End of the School Day
The end of the day
• EY1 - School finishes Monday – Thursday at 1:00pm
• EY2 – School finishes Monday - Thursday at 2:00pm
• EY1 & EY2 – School finishes on Friday at 11:45am
As the whole school finishes at the same time on Friday, EY will open doors at 11:45am to ease the flow of traffic and allow for a smooth exit from school. If you have students in PYP, MYP or DP they will be dismissed at 12:00pm.
EY1 and EY2 students should be collected from the external classroom doors.
Students will not be allowed to leave the campus without a parent or guardian. If someone new is collecting your child or your child is going on a playdate and another parent is collecting, please ensure you have shared this information with your homeroom teacher or Ms Anne araagas@ris.ae .
Students who have not been collected 15 minutes after the end of the day will be sent to the EY Assistant's office. On Fridays, late students can be collected from the Reception at Building A.
Late pick-ups are monitored and if your child is collected late more than 3 times within a half term, you will be asked to attend a meeting with Ms Emily, Head of EY and Ms Kerry, Assistant Head of EY to discuss a plan moving forward.
Pick-up during the day must be arranged through Reception or absent@ris.ae at least 2 hours before the planned early collection. Where possible, appointments should be made outside of the school day.
Parents are not permitted to collect students straight from their classroom during the school day. Please report to building A, collection of your child will be arranged.
ECP pick-up will be from the classroom by the external provider. Please contact the ECP provider to determine the pick-up location.
Our EY1 and EY2 bus children will be taken to the bus by the classroom LA.
Uniform
Uniform
EY1 – EY2 Uniform
School uniform should be purchased from Magrudys at Al Forsan Mall or through their online store.
The Early Years uniform consists of grey trousers/shorts or skort with a green tee shirt. We like to get dirty and wet during our play and it is recommended to buy a few shirts and bottoms.
*Please write your child’s name on the label of each clothing item.
PE Uniform
PE uniform can be purchased from Magrudys Forsan Mall or through their online store. It is suggested to buy 2 PE uniforms, as you may have PE two days in a row.
Footwear – Black or white trainers are permitted. If you prefer to buy shoes which meet the requirements of both general and PE days then your child can wear the same shoes all week. We recommend shoes with velcro straps rather than laces, if your child has shoes with laces they should be able to tie them independently.
Swimming
For the academic year 2025/2026, EY1 and EY2 will swim during Term 3. On swimming days, EY1 and EY2 students may arrive at school wearing their swim clothes and shoes. They will need to bring their uniform to change into afterward. Ensure that every item is clearly labelled with the child’s name and class. Students must have all the required swimming gear to be able to participate.
Please bring the following:
For EY1 – EY2, a twopiece suit like this can be worn to school instead of uniform.
For EY1 – EY2, shorts like this can be worn to school instead of school shorts.
For EY1 – EY2, a swimsuit like this must be worn underneath the full school uniform.
In addition to the items, children will need:
IMPORTANT
For EY1 – EY2, shorts like this must be worn underneath the full school uniform.
These shoes must only be worn at the pool.
Please send your child to school in normal school shoes.
At Raha, we believe that if children are well enough to come to school, then they are well enough to take part in swimming. All children are expected to swim unless a letter from a doctor is provided, with the reason why and the length of time the child must not swim.
Goggles Swim Cap Poncho Towel Drawstring Bag
Be Prepared
There is nothing more important than being prepared for your child's first experience of school.
This information will help you when choosing your child's school belongings. The correct equipment will help your child to be independent within school and will also help them to stay safe around the school campus.
Book bag
Your child needs a Taaleem book bag which can hold their reading book and any treasures they want to bring home from school. This can be purchased at Magrudys.
What to bring to school
Your child will need:
• A baseball cap or sun hat for outdoor play
• A refillable water bottle
• Lunch box (see next page)
• Reading folder on library days (provided by homeroom teacher)
• Labelled spare clothes (see next page)
Be Prepared
BE PREPARED
No hat, no play!
We operate a whole school policy of 'No hat, no play' during outdoor playtime. The children are taught that it is not safe to play in the sun without protection. A Raha hat or any other hat of your choosing is fine! Children without hats must stay in a designated area throughout their playtime, which limits their active experiences. Please ensure your child brings their hat so they can access the full range of outdoor learning.
Water bottles
Every child should bring a refillable, reusable water bottle daily. Children will have access to water stations throughout the day to refill their bottles. We help children to fill their bottles at first, but it doesn't take long for them to do it by themselves. Remember to write your child’s name and class on their water bottle. PLEASE DO NOT SEND DISPOSABLE WATER BOTTLES!
Naming belongings
It cannot be stressed enough just how important it is to label EVERY SINGLE PIECE of your child's belongings. Even names on items wash off over time so it is something which must be checked regularly.
Spare clothes
For our EY1 and EY2 children we will need a full change of clothes to keep at school. Spare clothes are needed for a variety of reasons, including food spills, messy play, toilet accidents, water play. Please label a Ziplock bag with your child’s name and class and place the spare clothes within the Ziplock bag. These clothes will be kept in school until the end of the year. The spare clothes do not have to be a school uniform.
Be Prepared
BE PREPARED
Eating times
Children have 2 opportunities to eat throughout the day. The first is a morning snack time. The second is lunch time, around midday.
We advise you to send ONE lunch bag containing enough food for the day. The lunch bag should be small enough for your child to carry to school.
We allow the children to eat as much as they need during both eating times. We do encourage children to eat their healthiest options first so always pack food which you know your child will eat.
It is helpful if your child has pre peeled fruit, such as oranges and bananas. To help your child identify items that are snack and lunch, it is recommended to label the containers.
Examples of healthy snacks include: apples, oranges, kiwi, grapes, crackers, cheese and raisins. We promote healthy eating so please save unhealthy options for outside school.
Please label all lunch boxes and water bottles. Don’t forget to add cutlery.
Be Prepared
Proud to be green
We strive to be as eco-friendly as possible. This is a mindset we instill in the children from day one, but the impact will be far more powerful if we have all parents and carers on board too.
You can help your child pack their waste-free lunch by using reusable containers, bags or bottles, or sending in loose foods without plastic wrapping, for example, apples.
Please remember the following:
Please include:
• All food in reusable containers
• Whole fruits without packaging
• Drinks in reusable containers
• Reusable ice packs
Please do not include:
• Individually wrapped snacks
• Plastic bags that are not reusable
• Disposable forks and spoons
• Plastic straws
Allergies
If you have a child with an allergy, you will need to disclose this information on your enrollment form and notify the homeroom teacher and clinic.
All information and medications are stored by the school clinic and all teachers are informed of children's medical needs. Staff take allergies very seriously. Children are taught the importance of this in class and are not allowed to share food.
There are alternative nut products available, such as SunButter. It can be difficult to distinguish between a nut product. Please label this item or write a note stating what it is.
We urge you to choose carefully when selecting food for your child's lunch as some of our children's allergies are lifethreatening.
WE ARE A NUT FREE SCHOOL
The following items are forbidden as they contain nuts:
Absences
You are required to report your child's absence the night before if you know that your child will not be attending school, or before 7am on the morning of absence:
• Please send an email to your child's teacher and the absent email – absent@ris.ae
• Please do not leave recorded messages on the telephone answer machine.
• 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.
• The EY team monitor absence throughout the year. If your child’s absences amount to 10% or more, you will be contacted by the school.
• After 21 consecutive absences a student may be withdrawn from school, this will be determined by the Academic Review Board.
• Holidays should be taken during the school breaks to avoid disruption of learning and development.
• Your child’s wellbeing is always our priority, and we do understand that if a child is sick, they are not able to attend school, please keep your homeroom teacher informed.
• Absenteeism disrupts learning and it is not possible to “make up” in full the learning lost during a period of absence.
• Please refer to Raha’s Attendance Policy for clarification on authorised and unauthorised absence.
Clinic Procedures
Vomiting:
• If a child vomits at school or on the way to school on the bus, they must be collected from school immediately and should stay at home for 24 hours. The child will not be able to travel home by bus.
• If a child vomits at home, parents should keep the child at home for 24 hours.
Head Lice:
• If your child has live head lice, the clinic will contact you. The clinic will provide information on the necessary steps to treat the lice. We encourage parents to collect their child and follow the advice given by the clinic.
Infections and Contagious Conditions:
• If your child has any infections or contagious conditions (e.g., hand, foot and mouth disease or conjunctivitis), please communicate with the clinic. It is important that the clinic receives a medical certificate, so the school can deep clean classrooms and inform other parents of the case (a general letter will be sent, and no children or families will be named).
The clinic should always be able to contact a parent, please update contact details when necessary. If a parent is travelling, ensure there is a relative or responsible adult who is contactable in case of emergencies. If the clinic advise your child should be collected from school, you are required to collect them promptly.
Remember to keep the clinic and homeroom teachers well informed regarding allergies and current medical conditions. If your child has an Epi pen or Inhaler it is essential the clinic and teaching staff know, one should be kept in school in case it is needed. It is always useful to share past health conditions e.g. glue ear or prior cases of asthma so everyone can be aware and vigilant.
Clinic details: clinic@ris.ae
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community healthy and safe.
Birthdays
Birthdays are important for many of our families. We are happy to celebrate your child's special day in a small way. We will not host birthday parties in class, but we will ensure your child feels special by singing happy birthday to them.
To make our celebrations fair, consistent, safe and practical we have the following guidelines:
• You may bring one small piece of fruit or fruit kebabs are a great idea for a healthy treat.
• As an alternative to food, we welcome parents to share a small toy as a gift with the class or even a board game for the class to enjoy for the whole year.
• As per the ADEK Healthy Food policy, staff will not be able to distribute any kind of sweets, cake, donuts or fast food etc.
• There are to be no nuts in the food and please check with your homeroom teacher if there are any other specific allergies within your child’s class. Ingredients are to be clearly written on the food items brought in.
• No knives, plates or accessories e.g. balloons.
• If your child has an allergy then you may send an alternative, safe option so they can be included in the celebration – your homeroom teacher will inform you of birthdays in advance.
• Please see our Healthy Food policy on our website for clarification.
COMMUNICATION
Communication in any school can be quite overwhelming at times. We try to keep communication to a minimum. We may email you occasionally with reminders or upcoming dates for events, but the main communication will be in the following ways:
• Teacher Emails
• Raha Reminders
• Newsletters
• SchoolsBuddy
• Skipply app – for trip payments
• Toddle - learning platform
• Rayah parent app
You will receive invitations to download all necessary apps.
Please email your child’s class teacher with any questions, messages or concerns – the class teacher is always your first point of contact.
• Teachers will respond to your email within 24 working hours (Monday – Friday), sooner if they can.
• Please note – teachers are busy with their students and seldom check emails during teaching times. If you email during the day, it is likely they will only read the message during the afternoon. Therefore, do not send urgent emails regarding ECP’s, buses or pick-up as this information may not be received in time.
• For any urgent messages, please call the Reception or Early Years Assistant – 02 556 1567
• Please refer to the Early Years lines of communication for points of contact – click here
Please take the time to communicate all information to your Nanny or other person who may care for your child.
Buses
We use an external provider for our bus transport – our new provider will be STS.
Bus timings for the end of the school day:
Monday to Thursday – EY1: 1pm and EY2: 2pm Friday – whole school 12pm
Please note children will leave the classroom 10 to 15 minutes the end of the school day to ensure they are safely on the bus before parents enter the campus.
Students who attend Aftercare on a regular basis may take a later bus as a fixed arrangement. There will be no bus service after ECP’s.
All arrangements for any changes to children catching the bus need to be communicated directly using the email transportation@ris.ae and your homeroom teacher. It is always advisable to copy in Ms Anne araagas@ris.ae to ensure communication has been seen, especially if you are emailing during the school day.
We advise all parents to sign their children up to the bus prior to starting school to ensure your child’s place is secured.
There is no bus service for EY1 in the first week of school due to staggered start timings.
EY2 students will be able to take the bus from Wednesday 27th August, when the full school day timings resume.
Extra Curricular Programme
We offer Extra Curricular Programmes (ECPs) through paid provider, and we also offer teacher-led programmes.
• Information will be shared with parents about how to sign up for these
• Sign-ups take place termly
• Students need to be collected from the ECPs promptly at finish time by an adult
• We are unable to offer the bus service if your child attends a teacher led or external ECP
• If your child attends Aftercare, please ensure arrangements have been made and a regular bus schedule is set
• All ECPs for EY2 will commence in Term 1
• ECPs for EY1 – external ECP’s commence in Term 1, teacher led commence in Term 2
Our ECP coordinator is the contact person for all ECPs and can be emailed at ecp@ris.ae
