SZPAB February newsletter - English

HONORING THE PAST EDUCATING FOR THE FUTURE

SZPAB NEWSLETTER

February, 2023 volume 5

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

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

Principal's Letter

Dear Parents,

Welcome to our latest SZPAB newsletter. As we reach the midpoint in the school year, this is a good time to reflect on what has been achieved so far and to look ahead to what is to come for the remainder of the year. Students across the school continue to engage in their learning both within and beyond the classroom.

Our range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities continues to broaden and many students are really benefiting from these experiences and opportunities. In recent weeks, our younger students have had the wonderful experience of a touring theater company performing ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Many students have also taken part in a range of local visits including the F1 Project at Yas Marina Circuit, Al Rahba Farm, Masdar City, Qsar Al Watan, Emirates Zoo, NYU Abu Dhabi etc.

The achievement and success of our students is central to everything that we do at SZPAB. I would like to take this opportunity to share some highly positive news in this regard. I am sure you will be aware that students from Grade 1 upwards are required to sit the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) tests in reading, language usage, math and science each academic year. I am very pleased and proud to report that recent analysis shows a significant improvement in student achievement since the school opened in 2015. It is also incredibly pleasing to note that the performance of our students on average is significantly higher than other UAE schools. Well done to our students, thank you to our parents for their support in this and finally, thank you to the SZPAB team for providing our students with the very best education possible.

As March arrives, we look forward to celebrating the holy month of Ramadan which coincides with our Spring Break this year. Further details about our arrangements for this will be coming home in the near future.

Thank you as always for your continued support of our school as we continue to ‘Honor the Past, Educate for the Future’.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Neil Matthews Principal

Early Years

We are excited to share with you our February Newsletter, telling you all about the exciting (and energetic!) things we have been doing and learning in the Early Years Phase of the school this month.

Earlier in February, the youngest members of our school, our Pre-KG children, had their very first swimming lesson The children were so excited, which was lovely to see and they were still talking about it, long after the lesson had finished. We cannot wait for them to experience another session later in the school year.

The Grade 1 children participated in their annual Sports Day on Wednesday 8th February and took part in lots of different events that would test their strength, stamina and balance. The Pre-KG, KG1 and KG2 children had their Sports Day events on Thursday 9th February and enjoyed a variety of activities including running, jumping, balancing and throwing.

It was a great event, made better by the sheer numbers of parents who came to watch their children participate and indeed some parents took part in some of the activities … including the Tug-Of-War ! A big thank you to all of you parents for attending this- it meant a lot to the children and teachers alike.

On Friday 3rd February, all of the children were treated to a special stage show in the school auditorium by a traveling theater company - Little Red Riding Hood The children really enjoyed the show and joined in with the singing and the actions, some of the children even shook hands with “The Big Good Wolf” after the play had finished.

It has been a busy month for our Pre-KG children as they themselves performed a short play for the parents in their classroom, all about The Three Little Fish and The Big Bad Shark.

We have been so inspired by our theater visits and plays, that we have turned a section of the indoor play area into a stage area complete with costumes and props we can not wait to see what the children will perform next.

Miss Nicola Head of Early Years

Early Years PE and Swimming Term 2

This term Pre-KG has been focusing on gross motor skills, moving their whole bodies with and without equipment. Pre-KG students have been learning how to move in different ways, such as walking, running, jumping, and hopping. Students have been exploring PE equipment such as balls and hoops, allowing them to be creative, whilst learning how to be safe when using the equipment

In Term 2 Pre-K also had their first swimming pool lesson. Students had a fantastic time exploring the swimming pool area, and learning how to enter, exit and move around in the water. We look forward to Pre-K enjoying another swimming pool lesson later in the school year.

KG1 started Swimming lessons this term. Students were very excited to start swimming and they settled well into lessons Teachers are very happy to welcome their smiling faces each week to the pool. KG1 have been learning how to stay safe around the swimming pool, by following the pool rules and safely entering the pool. We have been working on water confidence skills, such as blowing bubbles, submerging faces in the water, splashing toes, and walking around the pool independently. Next, KG1 will practice kicking with streamlined legs on front and back.

KG2 have continued with their Swimming lessons this term. In Term 2 students have been focusing on kicking and swimming on their back, learning to kick in a streamlined position on their back, with and without equipment, and starting to use arms whilst swimming on their back. Students have also been improving their confidence underwater, swimming through underwater hoops and collecting sinking toys from the pool floor. Next KG2 will try to swim across the pool without equipment on front and back.

Grade 1 has 1 PE and 1 Swimming lesson a week. In PE Grade 1 students have been practicing their Athletics Students learnt the correct technique and competition rules for Sprinting, Long Jump, Nerf throw and Tennis ball throw in preparation for Sports Day. Students have enjoyed Athletics this term because of the variety of individual events mixed with fun team events, such as Relay. In Swimming, Grade 1 has been practicing swimming on their back, learning the correct arm and leg action to move efficiently across the pool. Students have made great progress so far this term, with students becoming more confident when swimming on their backs and being able to swim further without stopping.

Early Years Sports Day 2023

In February, students in Pre-KG – Grade 1 participated in their first Sports Day at SZPAB, and it was a great success. Students showed enthusiasm and sportsmanship in all events, and it was great to see so many smiling, happy faces.

There was a range of activities for students to try, such as Sprinting, Hurdles, Long jump, Obstacle courses, Football and Tug-of-War. The atmosphere during Sports Day was one of excitement as students encouraged their friends and celebrated their successes.

Thank you to all the parents who came to support our Early Years students at their Sports Day events. It was lovely to see so many parents cheering on the students and joining in our parent's races.

The Sports Day events this year were a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their Athletic skills, work together as a team and have fun in a healthy and active environment. The PE teachers were proud of all our Early Years students at SZPAB, they were all superstars on the day. We look forward to next year's events and encourage all students to continue participating in physical activities and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Dear Parents and Families

Welcome to our fifth newsletter for the year This month we are sharing the class trips form some of the grades as well as The Great Grade Two Sports Day We also have the Arabic team sharing some of the work they are doing in class with the Arabi program

Please enjoy the photos and videos

Mr Rhys

G2 Sports Day 2023

Grade 2 students celebrated their Sports Day event in February 2023 Th years, and both teachers and students were very excited

Each Grade 2 Homeroom class had a team colour, and we are amazed a shirts and making posters and flags to cheer on their team in the events.

In PE lessons students practiced the Athletics events: Sprinting, Long Jum students were able to show their best sporting abilities in these events War, Ninja Training and Football. The last event of the day was the participated. It was fantastic to see students cheering on their friends and

Thank you to all the parents who came to support our Grade 2 student support for our students

The Sports Day events this year were a brilliant opportunity for our stud teamwork and have fun in a healthy and active environment The PE t SZPAB, they were all superstars on the day We look forward to next ye participating in physical activities and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Here are the students from the four House Teams who were awarded certificates for Sporting Excellence

Grade 2 has been learning about time in math. They participated in a variety of activities to share their new knowledge.

Grade 3

In Science, Grade 3 has been looking at plants. We looked at how different fruits have been modified over time to be more sweet or more sour, to become bigger or smaller, and we even learnt why some fruits come in different colors. As part of our investigation, we tasted different varieties of apples. Some were green, some were red and we even tasted an apple which was almost yellow. We ranked them according to their sweetness and decided which was the most scrumptious. We concluded that the Golden Delicious was in fact, the most delicious apple of all! This was completely opinion based - no scientific evidence was found to support our claims! Take a look at us enjoying this science experiment and tasting a few new varieties of apples!

Grade 4 have been visiting Qasr Al Watan learning about Government Organization

Grade 5

The Grade 5 boys set off on a unique field trip to Yas Marina Race Circuit on Monday, February 20th The grade was split into 2 groups so that one group could tour the circuit whilst the other could race against each other using the cars they had been designing and building for the previous number of weeks.

The tour involved being led around the circuit’s car museum to see a mix of vintage and modern racing cars, whilst this was then followed by a lap of the track on the school bus followed by pictures at the finish line.

The race element involved race teams of 3 or 4 students from each class facing off against each other in a miniature drag race which tested both build quality and reaction speed.

Overall, the trip was a huge success with students experiencing facilities that are normally offlimits to the public. We will definitely be making a return trip with next year’s grade 5 cohort.

Unified Champion Schools Awarding Ceremony 2023

A big thank you and well done to Hamad 5D for attending the Special Olympics Awarding Ceremony at New York University on Wednesday 25th January 2023

Hamad was the SZPAB student representative at the event. Hamad was chosen to represent the school because he is a role model to others by being polite and kind, and joining in extracurricular activities such as Interhouse and Fitness Challenges.

The Unified Champion Schools Award is given to schools for demonstrating a commitment to Unified and Inclusive activities in all aspect of school life Having received the award from Special Olympics Hamad then presented it to Mr. Neil in the Elementary Assembly.

Grade 3-5 Sports Day

Here is a small taste of the fantastic sports day out at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. More to come in the next newsletter.

Dear Respected Parents

It has been an excellent start to Unit 2b and we have had many enriching experiences for students during term 2a and taking place already in term 2b. Students have had many opportunities to extend their classroom knowledge and apply it to the real world with trips to the F1 circuit on Yas Island, visits to the Science Laboratories at New York University Abu Dhabi and a visit to Masdar sustainable city in Abu Dhabi to name a few More details on the trips can be found below

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYU AD) Laboratory Tour:

Before the end of Unit 2a, chemistry students went to NYU AD on Saadiyat Island to tour the labs and take part in science at college level. This was done in anticipation of these students studying science courses in college in the near future. The students produced aspirin and compared their sample to commercial aspirin and all managed to produce a product of equal if not better purity then commercial aspirin

Masdar Sustainable City

Mr Kevin's AP Human Geography class and Mr Philips' Business class recently took a successful trip to Masdar sustainable city in Abu Dhabi. The students had the opportunity to learn about the city's unique approach to sustainable urban development and to see innovative solutions for reducing its environmental impact. They were impressed by the city's cutting-edge technology, such as the use of solar power and waste management systems, as well as its focus on creating a pedestrian-friendly environment The students also got to hear from local experts about the challenges and opportunities of building a sustainable city from the ground up Overall, the trip provided a valuable hands-on learning experience for the students and created a wonderful opportunity for the SZPAB students to see how sustainable energy can work in the real world.

PE Off-site Provision

Mr. Neil, school principal, had the opportunity during term 2a to visit our outstanding off-site PE provision for G10-12. Each week, students have the opportunity to develop their sporting skills using state of the art facilities and technology. So far students have been developing their skills and techniques in the sports of Padel Tennis, Football, Volleyball, Cross Fit Gym, Basketball and Badminton. Feedback from students has been excellent as they really enjoy using these excellent facilities.

Grade 12 University Offers

Students are now starting to receive offers from universities across the World. I would also like to congratulate the following G12 students who have recently been accepted into university:

· Mohamed Khamis Al Al Mazrouei who received an offer to study at American University of Sharjah. Hamad Shuhab Al Shehhi who received an offer to study at the University of Southampton - UK.

· Mohamed Abdelbaset Al Khoori who received an offer to study at Penn State University in USA

· Mohamed Hasan Al Zaabi who received an offer to study at Ohio State University - USA

· Hussein Makki who received an offer to study at Ohio State University - USA

· Ali Fahim Al Suwaidi who received an offer to study at New York University – USA/UAE

The school expect to receive more international offers in the coming months. We will announce gradually once offers are released.

Alumni Evening

The secondary school also held our first Alumni Gathering Night where our previous graduates came into school to meet with our current year 12 students. They shared their experience about universities, Majors and admission requirements and they spoke about their experiences about universities and life after school. It was an extremely successful event, and we shall be looking to organize further Alumni events in the near future.

The Arabic Department sharing some of the activities from the new Arabi program.

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From the Inclusion Department

SZPAB Inclusion Week 2023

Last week in SZPAB, we have had a whole school focus on Inclusion. Throughout the week there have been multiple professional development sessions taking place to up-skill teachers in the area, and to refresh their knowledge on special education needs.

Teachers came together to understand learning from the student’s point of view, to experience how The Inclusion Department differentiate lessons and activities for student with a variety of needs, to understand how movement breaks and activities support our active learners and to gain a greater understanding of how to accommodate to meet our student’s needs in the classroom and in assessments. Students took the time to record videos to help their teachers understand how best to support them in the classroom. This insight from the students themselves is invaluable to ensure we meet the needs of all learners.

There has been a wonderful atmosphere around the school, as Inclusion takes center stage We have already seen the impact this has had on teaching and learning throughout the grades. A massive thank you to all students and teachers who have been involved.

SZPAB Inclusion Week 2023

Well Done Hamad!

Congratulations to Hamad for receiving his Special Olympics Award for Unified Champion Schools

This involved creating a poster and discussing his role as a very important member of our school community with guests at the event.

Hamad was chosen as the SZPAB representative because of how his confidence has grown throughout his time in SZPAB. This was summed up during remote learning when he made a personal trainer video for the class as part of our fitness. What a hero!

Hamad is always keen to join in all the inter-house activities and be a part of the homeroom sport challenges We are looking forward to seeing how he does in this week’s sports day

Well done Hamad! The whole school are so proud of your achievements.

Getting Ready for World Down Syndrome Day

As we approach International Down Syndrome Day 2023, which takes place on March 21st, we are spreading the message of Down Syndrome International, ‘With Us Not For Us’. Watch the video below to get a greater understanding of this message. We are looking forward to celebrating the members of our school community who spread this message every day.