SZPAB March newsletter - English

HONORING THE PAST EDUCATING FOR THE FUTURE

SZPAB NEWSLETTER

March, 2023

Volume 6

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 Welcome

Dear Parents,

As we come to the end of Term 2, I would like to start by thanking you for your support of our school community. Our school is an incredibly special place in which your children have new opportunities and experiences every day. After 29 years in education, my belief in the strength of the home-school partnership has never been stronger. In order for each and every student to be successful, it is essential that we maintain an open and trusting relationship our families.

It has been wonderful to see such a positive end to this term in school. Many of our Secondary students enjoyed a visit to Yas Waterworld on Monday as a reward for their positive attitudes and behavior for learning this term. On Tuesday, our Elementary students took time to focus on their wellbeing by taking part in a range of activities focusing on mindfulness and relaxation. In recent weeks, we have welcomed an author into school as part of our Book Month events, celebrated Emirati Children’s Day and we have seen a small group of students take part in their first expedition as part of the Duke Of Edinburgh Award scheme. Thank you as always to the SZPAB team for organizing these events and opportunities.

It has been really encouraging to see the attendance and punctuality of our students improve over this term. There is much research to strongly support the link between regular school attendance, student achievement and academic outcomes. Whilst we appreciate that illness occurs, every day a student is absent or late to school, will have an impact on their success in lessons. Thank you for supporting your child and our school in maintaining high rates of attendance and punctuality.

We now look ahead to the holy month of Ramadan which this year coincides with our Spring break. This very special month in the Islamic Calendar is a time for coming together for prayer and reflection. Our very best wishes to our families at this time and we look forward to students returning to school on reduced school hours for Ramadan on Monday 10th April.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Mr Neil Matthews Principal

Early Years

Wow, wow, wow, we have had the busiest months ever here in the Early Years departments filled with fun, laughter, surprises and of course lots and lots of learning. It has been wonderful to see the journey that your children have been on since they joined us in September … We cannot believe that they have been at school more than 100 days now! The time is going so quickly !!!

Miss Nicola Head of Early Years

PreKG

In PreK, we have been deepening our understanding of clothes through a variety of firsthand experiences that support all areas of our development and learning. Through these investigations, children will discover different types of clothes, how people care for clothes, where people get their clothes, and how to design and create their own clothes. A study of clothes offers meaningful ways for children to use language and literacy, math, the arts, and science and technology to investigate and represent their understanding of important concepts related to physical development, science, and social studies.

We were also busy celebrating book month. For Dr. Seuss Day, we dressed up as our favorite characters from his books. We were also able to purchase books at SZPAB’s book fair. We are looking forward to having our older brothers, who are in high school at SZPAB, come to PreK to read to us.

Our KG1 students have embarked on a journey around the world. During this unit, students learned about different cultures, traditions, and food from around the globe. Throughout the unit, our KG1 students participated in various activities, reading books about different countries, and creating artwork inspired by each country around the world. Students explored different landmarks, activities, and traditions Each student had the opportunity to draw and dictate weekly about what they would like to explore and do in each country we visited.

We have been enjoying working and discussing different seasons and what you can experience in each. We have also been working on our measuring skills by weighing, measuring, and exploring different lengths in the classroom. Our students have been working on a variety of skills in our digital lessons and created amazing mark-up pictures.

This was an extra fun and busy month at school We celebrated Dr Suess's birthday, Hag Al Laila, and the 100th Day of School. We even had the opportunity to see the K9 Police Unit dogs doing a show.

We look forward to the next unit of study and can't wait to see the growth and learning that will take place as our Kindergarten students explore the world together.

Our KG2 students are currently busy with Unit 4 - “Animals In Our World.” Students are enjoying the opportunity to explore different animals from different parts of the world, as well as discussing how they might be the same or different, depending on their body adaptations to survive in certain environments. Students have been given an opportunity to pick their favorite animal and they have been working on a “scientific drawing” based on the details and size of their chosen animal.

We have also been enjoying our weekly Digital/ LEGO lessons with Ms. Lenske - where students are being taught new and exciting skills, all whilst using iPads and learning more about animals. KG2 students have been working on creating a digital book about their animals.

We have also had a few fun celebrations happening at school, with 100 Days of School, Dr. Seuss’s Birthday, The K9 Dogshow and Haq Al Leila just to name a few

We have loved watching our KG2 students become more independent and confident learners

Grade 1 students have been busy growing as scientists through our new unit, The Spinning Sky. Children have been learning all about the sun, moon and stars and how they move and appear in the sky, through our non-fiction reading unit. During science lessons we have also had the opportunity to explore shadows through different light investigations.

We have also had a wonderful time creating animal habitats dioramas during our STEAM lessons and have learnt lots of new creative skills. Children learned to plan each step of the process, were given the opportunity to make decisions on materials they used and explored their creativity through using materials to create fabulous shoebox habitats.

Grade 1 students have had a busy month celebrating special events. We had the opportunity to learn more about UAE traditions during our Haq Al Leila celebrations, we explored the life and impact of a wonderful children’s author, Dr Seuss, on his birthday

Grade 1 students also thoroughly enjoyed our first school trip to the Splatter Rooms. We got to explore color mixing, creating patterns through different objects and throwing paint. It was beautiful watching the children express themselves creatively.

We have loved watching our Grade 1 students become more confident and independent learners, and look forward to continuing on their learning journey with them through our next unit.

Grade 1

In order to enhance our Arabic program, ‘Arabi’ , Grade 1 students performed a play ‘The Sna Al Emirati’ at the parents' coffee and tour morning on March the 7th. The students promoted the customs and traditions of The United Arab Emirates by reenacting a scene of welcoming guests by offering words of welcome and honoring them by offering them coffee and dates At the end of the scene, ‘Nabati’ poetry was recited by a Grade 1 student

Another student read a story that he had written and illustrated in the title of ‘Rashid Loves Football". The Grade 1 students showcased their reading, writing, and acting skills that day

Dear Parents and Families, Welcome to our newsletter for the end of term two.

Mr Rhys

This term Grade Two’s writing program has been looking at Information text.

2D researched different animals to make non-fiction booklets using the Pages app on their iPads. They worked in pairs.

Senan and Theyab Rashed and Mohamed Hazeem Saleh and Zayed Ahmed

Meera and Khaled Mohammed Abdulla and Jouri Mohamed Alzaabi and Saeed

Abdullah Hejji explaining what the class did to make their non-fiction booklets

Abdulla Masoud and Nahyan Hamad Mohammed and Mohamed Saif Hamad Ali and Lulwa

Mohamed Ahmed and Abdullah Bahaa

Khalifa and Ahmed Omar and Maryam

Grade 3 Growth Mindset

3C have been learning all about Growth Mindset this year We held an assembly all about this important life skill, where we explained how everyone can develop a growth mindset instead of having a fixed mindset. We showed examples of how and when we can do this and held a fun quiz at the end to see how much everyone had learnt In 3C, we believe everyone should practice a growth mindset-we can do it!

Ibn Battuta Day

Grade 3 celebrated the end of their Social Studies unit of “The Journey of Ibn Battuta” with an Ibn Battuta Day. The children carried out research projects, dressed up in traditional clothes and performed presentations they practiced - for the rest of the grade and parents It was a fun- filled day and the children enjoyed learning about each country and were very enthusiastic about sharing their findings with their parents.

Grade 4

Grade Four have been celebrating literacy and mathematics international days. Proving that even big kids can dress up and have fun.

On Dr Seuss Day, March 2nd, alongside their normal learning, Grade 4 enjoyed reading and performing the various works of Dr Seuss and using Garageband to turn some of his work into a super cool rap!

Grade 5

Since the beginning of Term 2, the Grade 5 boys have been enthusiastically engaged in trialing the Sheikh Zayed Future Leaders Program This program aims to shape the boys into responsible and ambitious young men through achieving specific tasks on an ongoing basis.

There are 32 tasks in total created around the four fundamental pillars of Character, Future, Culture and Internationalism. Students complete their set tasks both in class and at home, and if they achieve a certain amount of markers, will receive either a bronze, silver or gold award in early June.

5D students showing some of the evidence and tasks they have completed so far for their Future Leaders assignment.

G3-5 Sports Day 2023

This term Grade 3-5 students celebrated their Sports Day event at Zayed Cricket Stadium. This was the first time students had participated in a Sports Day at the Cricket stadium, and both teachers and students were very excited. Students had a fantastic day, competing in Athletic events such as 100m, 400m, Long Jump, Shot Put and Javelin. There was also a mix of fun activities for students to enjoy; such as the High jump, Hurdles, Penalty shootout and 3-legged race. Students also relished the competition in the Tug-of-war event.

The overall Homeroom winners for each grade were:

● 3C

● 4E

● 5B

Thank you to all the parents who came to support our Grade 3-5 students at their Sports Day. It was lovely to see so much support for our students. This year's Sports Day competitions provided our children with an opportunity to show off their athletic skills, and sportsmanship, whilst having fun in an active and healthy setting The Grade 3-5 pupils at SZPAB were all superstars on the day, and the PE teachers were very pleased with the effort shown. We are excited about future events and competitions to keep students engaging in physical activity and living a healthy lifestyle.

Visual and Performing Arts Team News

The VPA team have been working hard all year introducing new creative skills and our students are starting to produce some great art and performances

Grade 2 Music are looking at performing music with instruments. You can see the beginnings of an orchestra here. These creative brains are working hard singing, playing instruments, keeping in time all at once. Well done Grade 2

Grade 3 Drama

Grade 3 have been building their creative brains this term. Working in groups they have been collaborating and creating their own short performances Although their performances are short, the process involves a lot of discussion, cooperation and decision making to be successful.

Grade Five Art

We have also been working on developing our creative skills and we have worked on our attention to detail in our artwork. We have created LEGO self portraits, which required us to think about the details that we were needing to add, using different art mediums

Dear Parents,

It is exciting to report that we are now fully into the college and university offer process. We are starting to see many offers coming in for our students and we expect many more in the coming weeks. Below shows some of the universities where students have been accepted so far:

Book Fair and UAE Reading Month

To kick off our UAE reading month, we gained support from an external company to enable our students access to a week-long book fair. Students across middle school experienced the book fair as part of their English curriculum lessons and activities to celebrate reading were set up in the library for dedicated lessons. Reading month has introduced ‘First Chapter Friday’s’ in lessons and paired reading support where high school students were selected to read to PreKG students in both English and Arabic. The library has been a hub of celebration for all things reading.

Teaching and Learning – Celebrating Best Practice

With marking and feedback at the forefront of what makes meaningful progress in lessons we have celebrated student samples this week in secondary. All departments have shared examples of the progress seen in books, assignments, and digital coursework submissions. Over 20 students were selected to enable the reflection of where we are, and where we want to be across the whole of secondary. Student of the week rewards have gone out to those who have exemplar books, and this is reflected in CCW grades. Outside of the classroom we have also continued to enrich our students’ learning experiences with events and trips such as Sports Day, F1 in Schools, Umrah and the Ski trip.

Ski Trip

On the 26th of February to the 4th of March 2023, the PE team took 24 G7/8 students to Passo Tonale, Italy for our annual Ski Trip. Our students flew into Milan with Etihad and then transferred up into the Dolomite mountains, where they learnt to Ski over 6 days. The trip was a huge success with every student passing their Level 2 Skiing Award, with some groups completing Red Runs. The trip was not just about skiing, the group also visited a huskysledge training camp, took part in ski tubing and night skiing. Watch out for updates for the next Ski Trip in 2024.

F1 in Schools

SZPAB students had the opportunity to visit Yas Marina Circuit for a workshop about F1 in Schools. This was a chance for students to ask questions and get answers from the experts on what makes a successful F1 team. They had a demonstration of manufacturing equipment with an exclusive look at past portfolios and cars. Students also had the opportunity to experience race cars on the F1 in Schools track. Afterwards, a tour of Yas Marina Circuit included a look at a range of race cars to gain design inspiration for the students F1 in Schools cars.

Sports Day

This month we have also held our secondary Sports Day at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. It was a fantastic day for students and staff, and it was excellent to see so many talented athletes (both students and staff). Many thanks to all the parents who came to support the event. Your attendance is extremely valued.

A big congratulations to Yellow Faculty who were the overall sports day winners.

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

:ﻲﺑﺮﻌﻟاﻂﺨﻟاةءاﺮﻗيﺪﺤﺗﺔﻘﺑﺎﺴﻣ

:ﻲﺗارﺎﻣﻹاﺮﻤﺣﻷالﻼﻬﻟاﻞﻄﺑ

From the Inclusion Department

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), 21 March, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. Watch the video below to see how we can change how we support people with a disability.

Unified Sports Day

We were so happy to welcome MRC students back to our sports days this year. It was wonderful to see students of all abilities working together and enjoying their day. Our visitors participated with SZPAB students in many of the events on offer and had a great day. Particular highlights were the tug of war and the 100 meters sprint This partnership is one we really appreciate, and hope to continue long into the future.

Inclusion was at the heart of our sports days this year. We held our inaugural wheelchair race with a selection of Grade 4 students which was a great success. Overall, we were proud of all of our students who competed. We are looking forward to next year’s Sports Day already.

Get Out and About in the Community

Each of the locations below offer free or discounted rates for People of Determination. (Click on each image for more information)

Be sure to set your child a social or academic goal when visiting these locations. For example: encourage your child to ask for and pay for their tickets themselves; ask your child to write about their favorite experience of the day; download the brochure or webpage, read and discuss what you can find there before you make your trip.

Ferrari World Global Village

Louvre Abu Dhabi

Rain Room, Sharja

Warner Brothers

Yas waterworld

Museum Of The Future

The National Aquarium

Make Reading Part of the Routine

Regular routines go out the window when school stops…

But you can still keep a sense of routine, and important daily rituals, all through the holidays

Reading is one of the best forms of learning for all kids (and that includes reading to them) allowing younger kids develop language skills, improve literacy, and put their imagination to good use. While for older kids, fiction books can further support their writing skills. Through non-fiction they can learn about topics that interest them that they may or may not study in the school environment. Reading can also aid relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety, increase empathy, and promote good sleeping habits.

Don’t forget that Abu Dhabi Children’s Library is a wonderful community resource that provides hours of entertainment.

Allow for Some Down Time

This term has been a very busy one, especially for students who have returned to school full time for the first time in over two years Allow your child to rest and to ready themselves for Term 3. Days at the park, the beach and even in the desert will allow them to switch off from overstimulation. Encourage them to sleep, this is the best method of readying yourself for a challenge ahead. Keep bedtime routines as much as possible, while allowing for some extra sleeping time in the morning.

Have a wonderful break!

We are looking forward to seeing you all again in Term 3.