Principal's Welcome

from SZPAB March newsletter - English

From the Inclusion Department

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