SZPAG November and December Newsletter (English)

SZPAG NEWSLETTER

HONORING THE PAST. EDUCATING FOR THE FUTURE.

OUR MISSION

The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy aims to honor the past and educate for the future by developing confident, responsible and caring young people of integrity who are well educated and prepared to meet the challenges in an ever changing world.

OUR VALUES

To achieve our mission, we will work to our core values which are:

Pursue excellence in all that we do

Celebrate achievement and participation of all Appreciate and foster UAE National Identity

Cherish the community and the environment

Promote Emirati culture and ethical values

Promote respect, responsibility, belonging and caring

Develop leadership capacity and global citizenship

Principal’s Letter

Dear Parents

As term 1 draws to a close, I am thrilled with the successes we have enjoyed National Day was of course a tremendous occasion with the SZPAG community coming together to celebrate everything wonderful about the UAE. Coming from a country that doesn’t have a National Day, I love adopting yours as my own and thank you for welcoming expats from around the globe to join in celebrating the creation of this great union.

As you read through this letter, you will read about the many wonderful trips our students have been on And about how parents have been coming into school for our Parent in Partnership events. We love having you back in school and we can already see your children benefiting from the close ties we are creating between home and school.

But perhaps the thing I am most proud of is the MAP and EmSAT scores of our students. Grades 1 to 11 have sat their MAP exams this term and they have achieved the best results the school has ever had. Similarly, grade 12 students have begun sitting their EmSAT exams and the results in so far are significantly higher than in previous years This is down to the hard work and dedication of the students, of you as parents and of the staff. As you may remember, we have made this the “Year of Academic Rigor” and I see that in action every day as I walk around the school. Everyone’s aspirations and expectations about the academic achievements of our students are rightly very high. Together we are closing the gaps caused by 2½ years of Covid and working with purpose and determination to be the very best school we can be.

I wish you and your family a wonderful winter break. Please try to encourage your children to keep reading, but also to enjoy some much deserved downtime as they need to recuperate, and get ready to come back to tackle term 2 fully refreshed.

Yours in education

Carolyn Bailey Principal

EARLY CHILDHOOD

We have had such a wonderful term with your children. It has been fabulous to watch them grow in confidence and see the improvement in their work as they learn new skills and become more independent. We have so enjoyed having the children move around their classrooms with the opportunity to speak with their friends and learn to take turns and listen to the views and opinions of others. The children have worked so hard, and we are very pleased with the progress they have made. You will be receiving your child’s report at the end of the first week back in January and the week beginning January 9th will be our Student Progress Meetings which will be an ideal opportunity for you to discuss your child’s learning with their homeroom teacher and Arabic staff.

Egg drop!

In Pre-KG B we explored helping Humpty Dumpty to get down from his wall without breaking. We made a small parachute, a large parachute, and Humpty without his parachute. Can you guess what happened? The large parachute fell too quickly and broke when it hit the ground. The small parachute fell slower and still hurt him, but not as much, but when he fell with no parachute it was a disaster. He fell fast to the ground and smashed all over. Poor old Humpty Dumpty. The results were recorded by the children. We love experimenting in Pre-KG B.

National Day Celebrations

We had an amazing National Day and it was a pleasure to have so many of you attend. The children really enjoyed their class parties. Grade 1 had worked so hard on developing their heritage centers and the other children enjoyed visiting them as the Grade 1 children acted as guides. Thank you to all of you who sent food in for National Day. The children had so much fun at their parties and really enjoyed attending the event with you. A huge thank you to our facilities team who worked so hard to set up such a fantastic celebration for the Academy community.

National Day Celebrations

Parents in Partnership The Importance of Physical Development

We ran a session in November on the importance of physical development in early years and how this supports well-being and academic development. Parents had the opportunity to learn hands on and take part in a variety of activities including dough disco and brain gym. Please remember that children learn and copy the behaviors of their parents, so take time out to exercise and encourage your children to do the same Children need to be physically activity and if exercise is part of their lives from an early age, then this will continue into adulthood. Exercise helps children to concentrate in class and with strong muscles they find it easier to write. Many of you asked for the recipe for play dough and salt dough.

Salt Dough

• 1 Cup of flour

• ½ Cup of salt

• ½ Cup of water if the mixture is too sticky, add more flour

• Let your children explore and play with the dough

• When models are made you can cook the salt dough

• Microwave for 1 minute then 30 seconds at a time until hard

Play Dough

• 3 Cups flour

• ¼ Cup salt

• 6 Tablespoons vegetable oil

• Food coloring

• 1 Cup water

Parent In Partnership Children Sharing Their Learning

Thank you to all of you who came t school with your child; it was a wonderful opportunity for them to their learning with you. Children w able to explain the learning center you and what they were learning in them. They were very proud to sha their books with you. They also sha their targets and were able to expl what they were working on in class the next steps in their learning.

Trips and Visits

The children read the story ‘My Mouth is a Volcano’ and they learnt that it was important to wait their turn to speak and listen to other people. Afterwards in their science lessons, they mixed vinegar and baking soda together with food coloring to make their own volcanoes. Our KG2 children visited The Royal Stables and were able to see how the horses were cared for and looked after. They even had the opportunity to ride a pony!

Flag Day

ON Flag Day, our children dressed up in the colors of the Untied Arab Emirates Flag and it was an ideal opportunity for us to all reflect on how lucky we are to live in the UAE. The children as part of their learning celebrated living in the UAE and made their own flags.

Book Fair

Thank you to everyone who supported our book fair. It is important that our children are read to every day and that you share real books with your child. Reading to your child and talking about the pictures as well as giving them the opportunity to touch and turn the pages makes a huge impact on the academic development of the child. Reading helps develop a child’s imagination and this will support them with creative writing.

World Children’s Day

The children enjoyed World Children’s Day and the opportunity to celebrate how lucky they are.

Parents Reading in Class

Thank you to all of the parents who have come into class to share a story with the children. The children are always very excited when one of the parents comes to school and shares a story with the whole class. Please contact your child’s homeroom teacher and arrange a date to come in. You can read a story in English or Arabic

Fairy Tale Ball

We hope you all enjoyed the Grade 1 Fairy Tale Ball, Little Red Riding Hood. The children were so confident on the stage, and we were so very proud of them all. They all really enjoyed the party afterwards which was a celebration of all their achievements and hard work this term.

Elementary

November and December have been months of enriching, sharing, exploring and celebrating. November started with one of the fantastic book fairs that we have invited into school this year. The children could explore new literature and they attended the fair with such enthusiasm that truly demonstrated their love of reading. The Flag Day and National Day celebrations brought the whole school community and the parents and families together, which was wonderful after a time of limited gatherings and restrictions. The Unified Swimming Gala and the themed days celebrated, allowed for the children to think in greater depth about inclusivity and how they are all unique and special. It was amazing to see the students excel in the wider areas of the curriculum. The field trips have supported bringing the learning in class to life and through the Open Classrooms, you as parents have had the opportunity to learn alongside your child, sharing in the Grade level learning. I know the children have loved you joining them in their classrooms, and I hope many more of you will be able to attend those scheduled for next term. The Parent in Partnership (PIP) math and ELA events also enabled parents to learn about what and how we are teaching your children. We hope that you will be able to attend the practical math and ELA fairs with your children after school next term.

Book Worm Book Fair

Our annual English Book Fair was a smashing success The fair was provided by Bookworm Book Shop of Dubai. Our students selected high quality books from a selection of hundreds of choices. Miss Sarah, our librarian, most enjoyed watching the children make their own choices based on their interests and using money to calculate what they were able to buy within their budget. It was terrific that parents were able to return to visiting the fair, as Covid restrictions prevented this last year. Parents visited before and after school browsing for good literature to build their children’s home libraries. We were also able to reward our Summer Readers who completed the summer reading projects and they were able to spend their well earned book vouchers at the fair. Please note that we have two more fairs this year. Our next fair will be the first week of March during our World Book Week. Books offered will be in Arabic and English. Our Arabic Book Fair is scheduled for the 8-12th May. Thank you, parents, for your continued support of our Book Fairs.

Book Worm Book Fair

On Thursday 3rd November, all the children in Elementary joined the secondary students on the school field to participate in the Flag Day celebrations. The Grade 12 students led the proceedings dressed in their military uniforms. One of the students led the Pledge of Allegiance and all joined in. The. Elementary students joined in with singing the National Anthem and enjoyed waving their own flags as the flag was raised.

Grade 4 & 5 Unified Swimming Gala

Grade 4 & 5 students of all levels celebrated their amazing swim progress by competing in their very first swimming competition here at SZPAG. Organized by Secondary Sport Leaders, 226 students showcased their front crawl and back crawl stroke technique under the supervision of Ms Kerry and Ms Shauna A total of 62 races were completed with heats and finals across the two grade levels. Students enjoyed the competitive spirit and showed support and encouragement to all their classmates. The gala finished in celebration with a medal ceremony on the pool deck with Ms. Carolyn, Principal and Ms. Nicola, Head of Elementary presenting the medals. It was such an amazing event, which was well organized and enjoyed by all.

World Kindness Day – 14th November

Kindness was spread around Elementary during the week of 14th November. The students celebrated this day by creating kindness mailboxes in their classrooms and using these to share messages of kindness. We also collaborated with the MRC NEEC school through writing letters, creating videos, and the students produced wonderful artwork to share what kindness means to them. We loved linking up with them and our students reciprocated in the same way.

International Day of Tolerance – 16th November

Students celebrated this day by sharing their ideas about what tolerance means to them. The children followed the theme of hands drawing around their own hands and writing words that reflected tolerance for them.

World Children’s Day – 22nd November

The theme for this year was ‘Inclusion for every child’. In school the students were encouraged to come to school dressed in a bright color of their choice and wear their hair in braids. In homerooms and during the day the children explored what inclusion for all meant and what the importance of this was.

Grade 2 Trip

This month Grade 2 had a wonderful time on their field trip at the Umm Al Emarat park. The students loved being outside in nature and enjoyed exploring. To tie in with the Grade 2 theme, the students had the opportunity to have a “Tree and Flower” treasure hunt, as well as create an art piece with natural materials they found around the park. They visited the animal barn and explored the footprints along the way.

Grade 3 Trip

Grade 3 had a fantastic trip to Emirates Park Zoo. Each student learned about an animal life cycle and how different animals adapt to their environments. Students were able to make connections with their learning in class, which was wonderful to see! It was an excellent opportunity to see Grade 3 students taking charge of their learning outdoors.

Grade 4 Trip to Umm Al Emarat Park

Following the Grade 4 topic this term, the students learned all about national parks, park rangers, and animal and plant adaptations. On their field trip to Umm Al Emarat Park, 4th Graders took their learning outside of the classroom and into the real world. On their exploration, students were guided through the park’s gardens to see plant structures native to the UAE, and visited its petting zoo to observe the external structures of animals. Not only did park rangers make the trip fun and interactive, but students learned more about UAE history and its connection to nature.

Grade 5 Trip to Little World

Grade 5 had a fun science and technology-based trip to Little World Using Augmented Reality software, the students had the opportunity to design and bring to life an active volcano with overflowing lava and thiolava, the world’s only volcano-dwelling bacterium. They also put their acting skills to the test by developing a script and performing an animation for their peers. Allowing the opportunity to teach all about food chains, they had a lot of fun acting!

After their delicious lunch, the students then built a model robot which could enter landscapes prohibitive to mankind. They learned how to programme a range of sensors with feedback loops and conduct their own distance land survey.

It was a great day and everyone had fun being young innovative scientists!

Talk 4 Writing Parents in Partnership Event

We were delighted to host parents for the Parents in Partnership Event on Thursday, 17th November. We would like to extend our thanks to those who attended and contributed to the success of the second PIP event. Parents were provided an informative and interactive guide through the Talk 4 Writing process in SZPAG. Parents had the opportunity to see students performing model texts. Parents also were able to experience first hand the T4W process, as they took part in innovating parts of a story.

Our student council members and some helpers in Grade 3 contributed to the success of this event and did an excellent job performing the story ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and doing some fun activities with parents present. We hope this session enables parents to further experience and understand the teaching and learning taking place here in SZPAG. Furthermore, it is our hope these information sessions lead to many successful conversations and discussions with children about their learning going forward.

Grade 2 Open Classroom

On November 22nd, Grade 2 students welcomed their parents into the classrooms and took over the role as teachers. Students had the opportunity to take their parents through 6 different centers linked to different areas of the curriculum, showing their parents how to complete the activities and showcase what they have been learning in Grade 2 Students loved this opportunity and parents were eager to learn from their very smart children!

Grade 3 Open Classroom

Grade 3 students really enjoyed teaching their parents actions for the fables they have been learning in class. Students got a chance to demonstrate how to draw a story map from a fable to help them learn to write in the same structure following the Talk for Writing process.

PIP introduction to Singapore Math

It was lovely to have so many parents join us for the Introduction to Singapore Math. Parents came together to learn how Singapore Math has been implemented throughout Grades 2 to 5. We explored methods used by students and how mathematical concepts are and have been introduced. Strategies were shared with parents so they could help support their children at home.

National Day Celebrations

We had a wonderful day celebrating the UAE’s 51st National Day as a school on November 29th. Mothers were able to join us this year which made it extra special. Students participated in a variety of activities to honor and celebrate all the UAE has accomplished these past 51 years and to look to the future. They learned about the UAE’s journey to the 2nd December, wrote how they show inclusivity, played traditional games, had their face painted, held a falcon, rode a small train, took pictures with a camel, rode a pony, watched the Ayala Band, were creative at the art corner, and enjoyed a lot of traditional, delicious food. Thank you to everyone that was able to attend and make this year’s National Day the best one yet at SZPAG!

Curriculum Leader Update Science

Grade 2 became Engineers. Th followed the engineering process research, design and build a solution keep a house safe from a landslide. Th were able to successfully solve problem and make suggestions as further improve their designs.

We have been digging deeper into o topics in Science!

Grade 3 became paleontologists! They carefully examined pictures of fossils and were able to identify key traits and draw conclusions about their habitat and diet.

Grade 4 have put away their engineering hats and moved onto studying plants and animals. They have studied the external parts of a plant and are focusing in greater detail how plant and animal adaptations are essential for survival. It was great to see students looking at the flowers in our playground during their breaks and identifying the different parts.

EGrade 5 students have been studying how everything on Earth can be categorized into 4 spheres (biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere). They demonstrated their understanding of the topic by creating a visual representation of how the 4 spheres interact.

Students across all grades continue to go above and beyond our expectations by extending their learning through self-directed projects- keep it up! It is also great to see students challenging themselves with the current STEM homework challenge.

Hessa Ahmed 5A

Hessa Ahmed 5A

Curriculum Leader Update – Math

This month, the students have been excited to use their place value knowledge and apply it to the different operations, including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The Grade 3 and 5 children have been practicing their times tables knowledge by multiplying larger numbers. All grades have been working hard to estimate answers before finding the solution which has helped them understand and check that their solved answer is reasonable and correct.

While learning how to use the different operations, the students have learnt more than one method so they can best select a method that suits their understanding. This has helped the students become more independent in their learning.

Continuing to encourage students to take some time to use Numbots in Grade 2, and Times Table Rockstars in Grades 3, 4 and 5 will support students in continuing to develop fluency in their number bonds and times tables.

Curriculum Leader Update – ELA – Talk for Writing

We have had great success with writing so far this year! All grades have focused on narrative stories this term We have seen wonderful improvements throughout Elementary since the beginning of the year. All classes have almost completed their second unit of work and have learned a new model text. There has been lots of fun and engaging stories being used such as The Gingerbread Man, The King of the Fish, The Tortoise and the Hare, and Elf Road. The students are clearly becoming more confident in innovating and changing details of the model text to create their own stories. We continue to see the positive impact of Talk 4 Writing and look forward to seeing the students’ growth and progress throughout the year.

In Elementary we had our ‘Digital Safety Week’ the week beginning of 26th September. The children had great class discussions on how to be safe online and learnt all about how to protect themselves online. All the children then wrote a way that they can be safe on the internet and shared that tip with their class.

Ms Simone has taken on the Unified Robotics lead and we are looking forward to her team competing this year.

Spotlight on Grade 3 - Math

Grade 3 students have been learning all about multiplication! Students have learnt to draw arrays, equal groups. and are continually practicing fact fluency of the 2, 5 and 10 times table. Grade 3 progressed their learning even further by multiplying tens with a single digit, practicing the vertical colu

ELA

Grade 3 students have been learning how to structure and write fables. First, students created actions to learn the model text of The Hare and the Tortoise. Students then began to change parts of the story to begin creating new fables. After putting all their ideas together, Grade 3 students w fabulous fables including dia paragraphs!

Science

Grade 3 students have been very busy learning about inherited/acquired traits, animal adaptations, and fossils. Students are going to extend their learning even further in the coming weeks by creating their own animal model and explaining how it adapts to survive in its environment.

Spotlight on Grade 5

Grade 5 students ave worked extremely hard this term! They have had many activities linked to their theme ‘Extreme survivors’. For example, they have been reading Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. The girls have been learning all about how the main character, Michael, managed to survive on a deserted island. Alongside this, the girls have been working hard to build stamina in writing. They have written fantastic adventure stories, where they were trying to include new literary techniques to make their writing more exciting. They have worked hard to develop their editing skills this term, remembering to reread, add, change, or remove words or phrases

Editing stations - During reading the girls have been learning how to use RAP. This is where they need to Restate the question, Answer it, and Prove it. They are building on their ability to find evidence in the text to back their opinions. They have also been using collaborative methods such as book clubs to infer characters feelings, make predictions, and comment on the author’s language.

Following the Daily 5 routine

Collaboration to build inference skills

Having discussion in their book clubs.

Word of the Week

Elementary Children are now participating in our “Word of the Week.” Each week, a new word is introduced. The children are encouraged to learn about this word; look it up in the dictionary; use it in a sentence; write it in Arabic and think about synonyms and antonyms. We are nurturing that WORDS ARE WONDERFUL!! Learning and using new vocabulary in our daily lives will help grow our children’s minds. Please encourage your children to complete the Word of the Week activity on Seesaw. You might be surprised that you learn some new words yourselves. We are never too old to learn!

Grade 4 Open Classroom

Grade 4 students enjoyed welcoming their parents to their classroom on 7th December. The classrooms were set up for learning stations that focused on math, reading and science. Students were able to teach parents about animal adaptations, the different habitats animals live in, bar modeling in math, and they played a game that focused on conjunctives. Grade 4 students have been learning so much this term and they loved being able to share this learning with their parents. Thank you. Grade 4 parents for your continued support. We look forward to welcoming you back to our classrooms in Term 2.

Grade 5 Open Classrooms

Grade 5 had a great open morning! It was lovely to have the parents learning with the students and taking part in our science activities. They had fun showcasing the learning at different stations and were experts in explaining all about what they have been doing! It was also fun to test the parents’ knowledge of the science topics!

Thank you, parents, for all your support this term. Our partnership between home and school is strengthening and we are enjoying working with and involving our parents more. On behalf of myself and the Elementary team, we wish you an enjoyable and restful winter break and we look forward to the children returning to school on Monday 2nd January, fully refreshed and ready to learn in Term 2.

A Terrific Term 1

It has been a wonderful first term back in school, with all of our secondary students returning to the building for the first time since 2020. We have had a lot going on, and students have coped admirably with being back in school! The learning environment is excellent, and students are working very hard to meet their MAP, EmSAT, and PSAT goals in their various external assessments. We’ve had reward events, whole school events, Senior events, exhibitions, school show rehearsals, extra-curricular activities, and over 86,000 epraise points earned, with five students already earning their Ruby Head of School Award and over 300 points each on epraise. This is an amazing achievement in only 14 weeks. We are incredibly proud of our students and their energy and focus throughout this term.

We already look forward to what next term will bring.

Thank you, parents, for your kind support and cooperation throughout this term. We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023.

Have a wonderful winter break,

Lyndsey Bryden Head of Secondary

MAP Hype Week

What an amazing half term it has been in Secondary School. I would like to thank all of our students, parents, and teachers for a great collaborative effort in helping our girls settle back into school life. As I walk around our school, I see so many focused, active, happy students who are working hard on their learning. I hope you enjoy reading an overview of just some of the things that we have been doing in October.

MAP Week

This month we were delighted to welcome parents back into school. These events shared information on the curriculum and assessment in Middle School and the curriculum and graduation requirements for High School. It was a pleasure to see parents again, answer questions, and hear your feedback and positive school experiences. We look forward to inviting you into school again next term.

Wellbeing PIP

Ms. Esther, our school counselor, led our Parent in Partnership event by welcoming parents into school to discuss the well being of students and how they can support their daughters at home with school and personal issues that can affect a teenager’s well-being. She spoke of the importance of communication and understanding and how we can work together to support your daughters through their teenage years. It was lovely to welcome parents into school with a very successful event.

The Knowledge Center

Ms Lisa, our lovely Librarian, would like to welcome everyone back to the secondary Knowledge Center! The Knowledge Center has fully reopened this term for classes to visit to complete Socratic Seminars, research work, and to prepare for various reading projects The spaces have been buzzing with students and teachers en

We also have re-opened the Knowledge Center at break and lunch time for all students who have more than 10 ‘Caught your Reading!’ epraise points, and for our Seniors who wish to study. The space is busy and full of life, and we are so happy to see students making the most of this wonderful area again.

The Bookworm Book Fair was an exciting time for the Knowledge Centre as students and parents visited the library to look at and purchase books. The book fair hosted books for all ages across many different genres, capturing the attention of even the most reluctant readers.

SZPAG Career Fair – My Future Fair

As our senior girls get ready to transition to life at University, our Career Fair, led by Ms. Pascale, welcomed 17 universities from all across the UAE to showcase the opportunities and pathways available to our future SZPAG graduates. Our seniors practiced career specific questions to gain information about the application process, pathway options, and insight into university life. The day was a huge success, and students used the day to consider their futures and the pathways to university.

EmSAT Results

Our Grade 12 students excitedly opened the first rounds of EmSAT results in early November. There were cheers of jubilation as our girls got some very high scores! We are so proud of how hard our Grade 12s are working towards these external assessments in EmSAT, SAT, and some students are also working on IELTs.

World Children’s Day

On 22nd November, we celebrated World Children’s Day, with an assembl and breaktime activities organized our Student Council! Our Presid Lamya, gave an assembly to the w school, explaining various articles the UN Rights of the Child, and World Children’s Day is so impor Students wore bright colored t s and donned twin braids. celebrated by playing a variety of g games at break time where they w letters to their younger selves, colo and finger painted. It was a joyful day, thanks to our amazing Student Council.

World Kindness Day

Students celebrated World Kindness Day

on 14th November with an assembly on the importance of kindness by our Social Counselor, Ms Esther, and students created ‘kindness leaves’ that then became part of our trees of kindness around the school.

Math

Grade 11 math students just finished a Mathematics In the Real World project where they researched cars they wanted to buy and calculated the depreciation of value over time using exponential decay equations! The girls quite enjoyed applying their math skills to real world situations and had fun dreaming of their future cars!

Physics

G11 Physics students have been experimenting on Newton’s First Law and inertia, using the egg drop experiment.

Grade 12 Events calendar

Grade 12 Senior Student Leaders, Amani and Shamma, worked with their peers to come up with a proposal for Grade 12 events this year. We had our first outing to Um Al Emarat Park on a Friday afternoon, where lots of Matilda cake and Home Bakery cookies were enjoyed! For Reward Events, all Grade 12 students earned the right to visit IMG World in Dubai as their end of term field trip. Finally, our SSL girls enjoyed an afternoon tea in school, as a thank you for all of their hard work and effort organizing weekly assemblies and supporting students in all Grades throughout Term 1. Our girls are enjoying balancing their studies with some opportunities to enjoy Senior Year.

Term 1 Honors Exams

All students in High School Honors classes sat their Term 1 exams in November. Students in Honors classes have been studious in their preparations and their work ethic and attitude has been commendable.

Senior Interview Day

On Tuesday 6th December, we hosted our Senior Interview Day for the second year in a row. Students had sessions about how to prepare for interviews prior to the event with Ms Sharlene, Ms Esther, and Ms Heather. The event was organized by Ms Pascale in her role as Academic and Career Counselor, and was another great success. On this day, students also heard from Admissions Officers from Zayed University, Abu Dhabi University, and Khalifa University about entry requirements, as well as each student having the opportunity to have a mock entrance interview with a member of our administration team. They were given live feedback on their performance. We ended the day with our Senior Lunch to thank students for their commitment to their studies and our University preparation program this term.

Art Exhibitions

Our Creative Arts department has held a number of mini exhibitions in our beautiful Rotunda this term, culminating in our National Day exhibition that was enjoyed by all parents and students. We have some wonderful, artistic talent in our school, as well as musical talent! Those of you who attended National Day enjoyed the music of Ms Sara’s grade 8 musicians. Thank you to our Creative Arts Team, led by Ms Grainne, for all of the wonderful artistic, musical, and dramatic work that is happening throughout Secondary school.

National Day Celebration

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our first proper National Day since 2019! I am sure you will all agree it was worth waiting for, and a wonderful time was had by all. There was so much to do and see, and students and parents alike had a truly wonderful time celebrating 51 years of the UAE.

Soaring Falcons Awards

On Monday 5th December, we held our Soaring Falcons Reward assemblies. Students were awarded for attainment, progress, and effort across all of their classes. We also gave Attainment awards for MAP testing, and for EmSAT and SAT tests. A huge well done to all of our Term 1 award winners. We are so proud of you.

Term 1 Reward Events

At the end of term 1, on the 6th and 7th December, we had our Reward Events for all students who met our half term epraise criteria. Students visited Yas Waterworld, Warner Brothers, and IMG World for a fun-filled day out. We were incredibly proud that almost 90% of students met our high expectations to attend the Term 1 Reward Events – what an achievement! Everyone enjoyed a fun end to a great term… happy holidays!

Dear Parents,

This volume of our newsletter is so unique and special as it celebrates the special occasion of the 51st UAE National Day. We wish the leaders and people of the UAE a very happy UAE National Day. May Allah protect UAE and may its people live in happiness and prosperity.

As we have always promised to provide you with everything that is new and useful, we are pleased to introduce to you our school news, hoping that you will like it, as the whole UAE is celebrating and enjoying this glorious day.

Best regards,

Jacky Boulos Head of Arabic

“Arabi” Program:

The "Arabi" Program continues to present everything that is new and innovative, as Grade 9 students carried out a variety of activities that enhance basic Arabic language skills. Students enhanced their oral reading skill through a competition named “Dialogic Reading” that in turn enhances the expressive reading standard which shows the beauty of the Arabic language, its eloquence, rhetoric, and distinction from other languages. Students also wrote dialogue texts on various topics, and then performed them in front of their classmates in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and enjoyment of the beauty of the Arabic language. They also read different texts about National Day and Commemoration Day that promote national identity and belonging in their hearts. Each student evaluated her colleague's reading using the reading evaluation card within the international fluency standard. We are looking forward to more distinguished activities and events from our dear students in the "Arabi" Program.

“Arabi” Program:

The "Arabi" Program has been implemented in KG1 in order to enhance students' skills in reading, writing and speaking in fun and exciting ways for students.

Students started reading visual words and putting them in useful sentences consisting of three words to strengthen their vocabulary, and some were able to write the words by simulating the model.

The skill of writing was also emphasized by writing the letters students learnt and writing their names, considering the correct rules for writing, and holding the pen.

Students started speaking out loud, expressing their thoughts and feelings and practicing retelling a story.

LinkingCurriculato “My Identity” Program:

The value of the month “National Identity” has been strengthened and linked to the curricula, as school is one of the most important institutions working to inculcate it. The activities and events performed by students during this month play an important role in improving the learning of national identity, and developing students’ ability to think, work in a team, and self learn.

Educating children to love their country is one of the important goals that teachers must take care of in schools. Hence, we have adopted an approach of providing a lot of different activities and events that aim to enhance loyalty and belonging to the mother country. The curricula were linked to the national identity by allocating a learning center in the classroom for this value, through which students perform various purposeful activities.

Arabic

3-10.

Part of Grade 5 students' participation in the IBT test

FlagDay

Flag Day is a national occasion celebrated by the United Arab Emirates on the third of November of each year. This occasion embodies the feelings of unity, peace, and cohesion among the people of UAE, and it promotes the feeling of belonging to one’s own country. Saluting the flag, taking the oath of allegiance, and chanting patriotic slogans in school have a different meaning and taste, as here the future is built, hopes blossom, and the national songs and chants that children sing become sincere actions that consolidate the love of the country in their young hearts. You can see the promising future of these young people before your eyes when they all say the words of the UAE National Anthem.

WorldChildren’sDay

Many countries celebrate World Children's Day to strengthen family and community relations. World Children's Day is celebrated every year on November 20th, and on this day educational institutions educate children about their rights and duties that we collectively strive to achieve. To celebrate this day, the Early Childhood Department carried out many activities, as some children colored a group of beautiful drawings, and others expressed their right to education and their right to express their opinion Children are the fruit of labor and effort, and they are the promising future, so the more our children enjoy their rights, the more they will feel happy, independent, and loyal to their country. The happier you child is, the more we all reach our ultimate goal, which is the advancement of our nation.

Grade 7 students participated in preparing awareness posters about children's rights aimed at highlighting the need to improve children's lives by discussing issues related to them that threaten the access of children around the world to a decent life. They also showed the role of the UAE in caring for children by drawing the slogan or theme of World Children’s Day 2022 which is “Inclusion, For Every Child”, as this slogan provides children with the full enjoyment of their rights.

UAE 51stNational Day

Homeland is the most precious part of a person’s life, it is not just a geographical spot on which we live, but rather a legacy and a glorious history of endless love and pride. Thus, the love for one’s country stems from the true belonging to it for the great importance this has in our lives. Schools are not just a place for learning; they are rather educational institutions that educate students, raise them with national values, and instill in them a love for and belonging to the homeland. SZPAG celebrated the UAE National Day, and students expressed their great joy on this occasion as it touches their hearts and makes them full of pride, so they held their pens and wrote about their country's National Day which marks the anniversary of the union of the seven emirates

KG is one of the most beautiful stages of life, as it is the stage in which children acquire intellectual maturity and a great ability to understand, which all contribute to the development of reading, writing and merging of words for them, and that’s exactly what we focus on through play based learning.

PreKG:

The “Talkfor Writing” Initiative

Conversation skill is the child's ability to express himself and his ideas in the form of linguistic symbols, words and expressions Speaking is the second component of human communication after listening. The ability to speak grows at an early age in children's lives, and young children learn some simple vocabulary at the beginning of their speech, which qualifies them to communicate with adults, and helps them to speak and express their needs, thoughts, and feelings. As speaking is the first component that leads to the development of the writing skill, the “Talk for Writing” Program was launched to encourage our students to speak classical Arabic, which in turn helps them to acquire the skill of writing and develop it

WorldArabic LanguageDay:

World Arabic Language Day falls on December

18th of each year It is a day to celebrate our Arabic language; that honorable eternal language which sits on the throne of the most widely spoken languages in the world, and which was praised by many Arab poets, as it occupies a special place in their hearts, which made its name shine in every spot on earth. Due to the importance of this beautiful language, we had to allocate a day in our calendar to celebrate it and spread it on a larger scale On this occasion, SZPAG students participated in a range of activities that promoted the importance of the Arabic language.

The “IReadwith MyFamily” Initiative:

The "I Read with My Family" initiative aims to develop students' Arabic language skills, not only in the field of reading, but also in the field of writing, and to give students a space to express their ideas fluently and eloquently. Therefore, students started the stage of writing a complete story (characters, time, setting, and events), through which they work to develop the national identity, and enhance the authentic Emirati heritage, in addition to employing their skills in the field of advanced technology.

You can see here the experience of Grade 7 student Sarah Hamad in writing a short story of her own.

To read the story, please click here.

EncouragingStudentsto PrayintheSchoolMosque

The Islamic Education Department seeks to teach students how to pray in a correct way through theoretical lessons in the classroom, and through practical application in the school mosque where students learn the etiquette that they must adhere to in the mosque, whether it is inside the school or in any mosque outside of the school. Teachers are also keen to teach male and female students to pray in a correct manner, and encourage them to perform prayer on time, whether at home or at school.

TheQuranMemorization Competition – Season 3

The Islamic Education Department announces the launch of season 3 of the Quran Memorization Competition for all grades (KG1-Grade 12). Each grade was assigned a Surah or verse, and all the details of the competition were posted on our platforms: (Seesawepraise Schoology).

You can register by scanning the following code:

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Students presented a wonderful painting in which they designed beautiful posters that reinforce the value of patriotism on the occasion of the celebration of the 51st UAE National Day.

CommemorationDay:

In UAE Social Studies, Grade 4 and 5 Students presented projects on a national occasion dear to the hearts of the Emirati people, which is Commemoration Day, where students recalled the heroism of the nation's martyrs.

TheEmiratiSana’a:

The interest in the Emirati Sana'a (values, manners, and traditions) came to highlight the sublime customs, traditions, and authentic national values, which distinguishes the UAE society from other global societies. The term “Al Sana'a” refers to the general behavior that is characterized by the noble moral nature, and it is the behavior that is practiced by members of the Emirati society in word and deed on various occasions and situations. To enhance this with Grade 8 and 9 students, various technological programs were used to summarize the themes in the form of posters showing the most important of these themes, which are behaviors and habits and how they are applied in their daily lives.

TheUAETopographicMap:

Grade 2 students applied social studies skills by shaping the terrain on the UAE map, using colored clay, so they created a painting of different colors that represented the types of terrain such as plains, hills, and mountains.

Social Studies Department

UsingTechnologytoEnhanceSocialStudiesSkills:

Grade 6 students designed a mental map of the types of atlases and encyclopedias using the Canva program, after identifying their types through research and investigation in many paper and electronic atlases and encyclopedias, and extracting scientific, historical and geographical facts

The mind map helps create new patterns for presenting information, which ensures the success of students in obtaining the largest possible amount of information with the best possible efficiency and opens a wide scope for mastering the basics of self learning, and increasing personal knowledge, whether by taking notes or though using illustrations that suit them in order to understand and simplify the information. It also helps in linking the information to each other easily and smoothly, in addition to the ease of retrieving it when needed.

Grade 7 students also applied many subject skills such as the skill of comparison and finding the similarities and differences, which have an important role in generating, accumulating, and organizing the knowledge of the students in the study of the population of the Arabian Peninsula, among the forms of the population pyramid of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and comparing it with other countries.

ApplicationofHydroponicandAquaponicSystemsin Projects

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Grade 6 students applied the "hydroponic and aquaponic systems" through project learning, and they are called "hydroponic farming", but with a slight difference between them.

In the "traditional hydroponics" system, the plant is grown in a watery medium without soil, so that its veins are in water and it is fed through natural or chemical mineral solutions, or in an inert medium such as mineral wool, perlite, and vermiculite.

In the aquaponic system or "double aquaculture", the plant is grown in an aquatic medium and is fed through fish waste, so that the fish are placed in an independent basin connected to the water channel in which the plant was grown. This system is also called compound hydroponics or animal plant aquaculture. The United Arab Emirates has adopted these two systems as one of the solutions to address the problems of agriculture and to achieve self sufficiency in some agricultural crops. The UAE leads the world in the field of facing natural problems with innovative and unconventional solutions. It found in hydroponics a practical solution that suits the water shortage problem the country faces, as it saves nearly 70% of the water.

TheE-AtlasProject:

Grade 7 students implemented a project entitled "Electronic Atlas" of the Arabian Peninsula, where they initially chose the type of atlas they wish to design among the types of atlas "geographical atlas, historical atlas, economic atlas, demographic atlas, environmental atlas" and then searched for information, maps, photos, graphs and tables suitable for the type of atlas and organized them through the use of various applications and programs such as Canva, Pages, and Keynote, with the aim of enhancing the skill of research and investigation, motivating students to be creative and innovative, and integrating technology into the educational process.

PromotingStudents’ IndependenceintheEducational Process

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Grade 7 students presented their projects and applied the strategy of discussion, dialogue and asking questions. They also evaluated the projects of their classmates according to the criteria of the project through evaluation forms, with the aim of developing self confidence, accepting other opinions, and assuming responsibility.

Digital Safety Week

SZPAG is happy to introduce Ms Lenske Gowes as our cross-campus link for Digital Innovation. Some of you will know Ms Lenske from the Boys School , as she is based there. However, she has now taken on the role of working with both schools to help us drive our integration of technology even further. The close links between the girl’s school and the boy’s school will help share good and innovative practices both ways. Ms Lenske has already been over to visit our use of ipads and technology in our Early Childhood phase and we look forward to having her input as the year unfolds.

A reminder as the holiday approaches to speak to your children about internet safety and safeguarding their digital footprint. Remind them to be careful with what they share and what they post. Our students are well-versed on netiquette, but it is always important to remind them of ‘WHY’ we do want to safeguard them.

Please can I ask that you keep an eye on the maintenance of your child’s ipad. Cracked screens do need replacing and our lovely support staff at the Smart Service center are happy to assist you if you are in need of repairs.

Helping your child to enjoy their successes – whether they are with us in the Inclusion Department or not

Success is very individual. Everybody’s starting point is different and enjoying the little gains along the way is important. With students, who for various reasons face extra challenges with school life, it is even more important to congratulate them as they move forward on their journey. Aiming high is the expectation of all and often with our inclusion students, it is about finding the right tools to assist them to reach those expectations. Technology is a big part of that. Speech to Text, asking Siri, and the use of voice calculators can help students showcase what they know and understand, so their achievements are not held back due to certain tools that they find too difficult to use to communicate their understanding. The use of mood apps can help students to express themselves also.

Tech tools to assist learning and communication:

Inclusion

What you can do at home?

All children enjoy a good story. We encourage you as parents to read to your child. Seeing your language flow; the expressions you use; the deliberate pauses you make; and the enjoyment you have when reading a familiar story are not only cherished moments, but also learning moments. Children mimic language, whether that be spoken language or body language.

Speak with your child and encourage them to express themselves clearly. Avoid questions such as ‘What did you do at school today?’ which usually bring very short answers such as ‘Nothing.’ Instead engage them in conversations that force them to think ‘BIG’. For example, questions such as ‘What would you do if we no longer had access to the internet?’ or ‘ Is exploring space really important?’ or ‘If you had the world’s attention for 30 seconds what would you say?’ all allow an exploration of ideas and can generate some really fun family discussions. It is not about right or wrong, it’s about developing thought, scope, and problem solving thinking. All children have great imaginations, whether they have specific learning difficulties or not, so tap into that.

Keep your child’s IEP goals at the front of your mind. Lots of the IEP goals are things that you can also work on at home. If your child’s IEP involves basic numeracy work, like addition or subtraction, think of practical daily tasks they can do which will help them think using their Math facts. For example, ‘there are only 2 buttons here for my shirt, but I need 4. How many more buttons must I take out of my sewing box?’ If you are cooking, there are endless possibilities for the practical incorporation of Math.

As with all aspects of education, the triangulation of Home – School – Student is the recipe for success. SZPAG loves to work in partnership with our parents so that all our students benefit.

Some Tips for Dealing with Your Children's Teenage Feelings

It has been noticed recently as a result of distance learning and the need to stay on electronic devices for long periods of time that students’ communication skills are weak and that they acquired some negative behaviors, such as getting excited over the simplest things and going through rapid fits of anger and constant mood swings, especially if the student is in adolescence. Some methods of dealing with your teenage son's/daughter’s feelings may be better than others sometimes, and it can help create a kind of calmness and reduce his/her mood swings or their exposure to fits of anger. So, if you have a teenager, you can follow these guidelines to deal with their mood swings:

Some Tips for Dealing with Your Children's Teenage Feelings

Avoid losing your temper and screaming because this will cause the escalation of anger. You can rather try to control yourself and talk to her calmly, while lowering your voice, because feelings are contagious, so your daughter will imitate you in behavior, and this will reduce her anger.

Stop talking if you notice that the matter has worsened, ask your daughter to stop the discussion until things calm down, and allow her to take a break and control herself before speaking again.

Find time, no matter how busy you are, to listen to what your daughter is going through at school, and do not underestimate what she shares with you so as not to make her feel that her voice is not being heard, or that what she is going through is normal and not important. Listen to her instead and verify her feelings and what she is going through. If you are busy, set a time for her to discuss and stick to it.

Some Tips for Dealing with Your Children's Teenage Feelings

Be an example for your daughter on how to express her feelings, give her time and appropriate strategies to deal with her mood swings or anger, but beware if you are nervous and scream a lot or if you are unable to control your anger that this will reflect negatively on your daughter’s behavior. Work first on learning how to manage your tantrums before giving her advice to follow.

Stop dealing with your teenage daughter as if she’s a child, and deal with her as a young adult because this will reduce her tantrums. First, get rid of the tone of domination and control, treat your daughter as a friend, and always discuss matters with her and listen to her opinion. This does not mean tolerating bad behaviors, it rather means setting limits and expectations which will help your daughter acquire skills such as decision making and problem-solving.

Some Tips for Dealing with Your Children's Teenage Feelings

Set limits for tantrums, and make sure your daughter knows that there are unacceptable things such as raising her voice, screaming, insulting, or showing any kind of aggression, and that she will bear the result of her anger and that she is required to apologize to the person she offended or hurt.

Offer her options to control her anger such as deep breathing, writing in a diary, or doing a sporting activity.

Finally, the winter break is approaching, so try to spend quality time with your daughter, play with her, do some family visits, and plan times for the family to meet and do common things, even if they are simple, because your children need such times to build bridges of communication.

We are accepting applications in all grade levels starting from Pre-KG through Gr12. Seats are limited! If you or someone you know are planning to apply for a new child, please hurry up and complete the registration form by clicking on This Link

You can contact the SZPAG _Registrar at Registrar@zayedacademy.ac.ae for more information.