SZPAB Newsletter Volume 7.15

The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys

SZPAB Community Newsletter Volume 7.15

Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

table of contents

TABLE OF

contents 3 Message from the Principal 4 This Week in Early Years 8 This Week in Elementary

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14

This Week in Secondary

18

This Week in the Inclusion Department

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A message from the Principal

Dear Parents, Welcome to the final SZPAB newsletter of this academic year. It seems very hard to believe that July is almost upon us and that the Summer break is fast approaching. It has certainly been a busy but, very successful year and there is much for us to be proud of. As the year has progressed and more students have returned to face-toface school, it has been an absolute pleasure to meet your sons and daughters and I continue to be impressed by their enthusiastic attitudes to learning.

This year has seen an incredibly positive ADEK inspection which reflected the progress our school has made since our inspection in 2018. Later in Term 1, we received our re-accreditation is an Apple Distinguished School and were also awarded the Best Blended Arabic Curriculum School in the UAE 21-22 award by SchoolsCompared.com. More recently, we were evaluated by the Council of International Schools and we are very much looking forward to sharing the evaluation report with our school community in the near future.

This year has certainly had its challenges as we have navigated our way through the evolving restrictions as a result of the pandemic. I would like to thank each and every member of our school community for their patience, support and understanding as we have seen a gradual return to normal school life. It has been wonderful to see the return of extra-curricular activities, sports fixtures and school trips and I am excited to see many more opportunities and experiences for our students next year. I very much look forward to all students returning to school when the new year begins on August 29th.

Finally, we look ahead to the end of term. A highlight will be our first ever face-to-face Grade 12 Graduation and we look forward to celebrating the achievements and successes of our graduating students. As is the case at this time of year, we will be saying thank you and farewell to a small number of teachers and students at the end of this term and I wish them all the very best for the future.

Thank you to you and your families for your support this year and I wish you a restful and enjoyable Summer break!

Yours sincerely,

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From the head of early years Dear Parents of Early Years Students, It has been such a fantastic school year. We are so delighted to be ending the school year with all students back in school after two years of the pandemic. So it is only fitting that our last newsletter celebrates our students returning to swimming classes in Term 3, building a healthy lifestyle, and learning with friends. KG students have been so excited to return to the pool, learn valuable life-saving skills, and have fun in the water! We hope that our young swimmers visit a pool this summer and show some of their new skills to their families.

We’d also like to suggest some fun STEAM activities for the summer. Our STEAM Coordinator, Ms. Amanda, has created some fun activities for students to do over the summer. These build on your child’s success in the Early Years STEAM Garden this year and will challenge your child to create, problem-solve, and think critically.

Finally, parents, I would like to thank you for your support this year and partnership in your child’s education. We are incredibly proud of the future leader your child is becoming and all that they have achieved this year. Report cards will be distributed during the last week of the academic year.

Yours in education, Honey Tondre Head of Early Years

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this week in early years

Summer STEAM Challenges The children have thoroughly enjoyed their STEAM challenges throughout the year linked to their year unit topics and the UAE Expo.

We have created fun summer STEAM challenges for KG1, KG2 and Grade 1. Each challenge is linked to aspects of their final unit topic – ‘Dinosaurs’ (KG1), ‘Ants and Insects’ (KG2) and ‘Light and Sound’ (Grade 1). The purpose of STEAM challenges is to help children to further develop their problem solving, innovation, creative, collaborative, communication skills and to think ‘outside the box’ in a fun way.

These challenges will also be posted on your child’s Seesaw and we would like to encourage your child to take a video or photos of their design, describe the materials they used and how they created it.

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this week in early years

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this week in early years This Week in PE This term in PE we have been looking to further develop the children's multi-skills and to encourage social awareness through sport and activities.

It is vital to ensure these multi-skills are in place at this phase in a child’s development so they can be built upon as the child progresses through their life. Without these early building blocks, children will find it harder to achieve more complicated tasks as they progress through their education.

Whilst we work on these in PE lessons in school, it is also important to ensure that these skills are not forgotten and practiced at home.

This is particularly important during the summer holidays.

We have also been doing swimming lessons for KG students and they are really enjoying these.

The students are learning to kick on their front and put their face in the water and use arms to help them swim. We are having great fun seeing the students progress and can’t wait to see more.

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From the elementary principal Dear Parents and Families Welcome to our last newsletter for the year. There have been many positives this year as we have slowly returned to full classroom and the reduction of social distancing restrictions. It has been great seeing our classrooms return to creative and moving lessons with student working together to learn.

I would like to thank you, our families, for all the support given to us this year as we have emerged out from COVID restrictions.

I wish you all a happy and safe summer break and look forward to seeing you all again next year Kind regards Mr Rhys In this final newsletter we have a few pictures of our very successful transition days Grade 3 Boys and Girls Visit their New Campus Early last month the Grade 3 boys from the the Girls School joined us for a morning touring the school, meeting the teachers and engaging with our grade three students. At the same time, our Girl 3 girls ha a trip to the Girls school to see their campus for next year. A successful day hopefully making their transition to our school a positive experience.

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this week in elementary Whole school transition Day This year we also held a whole school transition day with all classes spending a Friday with the teachers of the next grade.

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this week in elementary Assemblies This year with all the restrictions we have only been able to conduct digital assemblies. However in the last few weeks we have started face to face assemblies again. Keeping with the schools mission of educating future leaders, our Grade 5 presidents have the job of running and presenting the assembly.

Here they are working together to organize the program.

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this week in elementary School trips School trips have also begun to happen. Two weeks ago our 2nd grade students were able to experience the magical place of Little World. Little world gave the kids the chance to learn and develop through hands-on play, allowing them to unlock their imagination and really explore the world around them. They were able to show their scientist abilities while creating their own bouncy balls.

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this week in elementary Grade 4 students built a construction that can withstand an earthquake.

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This week in Elementary Grade 2 students looked at the artist Henri Rousseau, and his famous painting of a tiger called ‘Surprise!’. They then created a tiger collage of their own by drawing the tiger and some flowers and leaves and then arranging it onto a black background.

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From the Secondary principal Dear parents, As the year draws to an end it provides the opportunity to reflect on the many successes achieved over the academic year, no more so than the students diligence, resilience and positivity through a very inconsistent year due to COVID 19.

The best schools continue to move forwards in the face of adversity, of which SZPAB has done so. We have achieved reaccreditation for Apple Distinguished School status and CIS accreditation and received a very positive ADEK inspection report all whilst combining face to face and online learning. This is testament to the community, staff and students collaborating and supporting each other.

We are now in the midst of the final exams which are an opportunity for students to showcase their learning throughout the year and celebrate the successes they have achieved. Anxious excitement is often the feeling amongst students, but they should rest easy in the knowledge they have worked hard and will undoubtedly reap the rewards of their efforts.

At the end of the academic year, we sadly see members of staff depart for new opportunities whether this be overseas or within the UAE. At SZPAB we are truly blessed with some of the very best staff I have had the privilege to work, who make a remarkable difference to the life chances of your children. I can’t speak highly enough of the group of teachers we have at SZPAB. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the following members of staff the very best of luck in their future endeavors as they leave us at the end of the year: Ms. Laura Osman (Assistant Principal – Head of Yellow Faculty) Ms. Michelle Sakande (English) Ms. Sabrina Conway (Math) Mr. Eric Billips (Math) As my own time also draws to a close at SZPAB, I would like to thank all parents, students and staff for the gracious support, advice and guidance during the past seven years. SZPAB is a unique school and one that will live long in my memory for years to come. I have no doubt the school will continue to grow and succeed and build on the success we have collectively had..

End of term dates Grade 12 Graduation (rehearsal) – Tuesday 21st June 2022, 10.00am Grade 12 Graduation – Friday 24th June 2022, 5.00pm Monday 27th June 2022 - Grade 6 – 12 Yas Waterworld trip Monday 4th July 2022 - Report cards distributed Monday 5th July 2022 – Final day for students and staff With the warmest regards, Mr. Paul Dallyn Principal – Secondary The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys

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This week in secondary This Week in Secondary PE U19 SZPAB v Repton Volleyball Match: Our volleyball ECA has been tight for space as we have over 35 boys attending each week. We approached Repton as they have three courts to see if we could run an ECA club alongside them. Last night we took 36 students to Repton and actually had more 3x more students at their ECA than them. On the ‘official game’ at the end we won 15-11 with our A team. The other boys were playing themselves as their weren’t enough Repton students to compete with!

U13 SZPAB v Repton Basketball Match: Our U13 basketball A/B team played Repton at our first sports fixture hosted at SZPAB. Our A team lost 19-2 and our B team lost 6-0. This was our first basketball fixture and our students were superb with their attitude and determination.

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This week in secondary Students voted for their 2022-2023 student council.

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This week in secondary Secondary students attended the Abu Dhabi Bookfair.

As part of our college and career counseling awareness sessions , the school has invited our alumni student Tahnoon Ahmed Al Qubaisi who spoke to Grade 11 students on Teams about things you need to know before applying to study in the United States.

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From the inclusion department Celebrate Autistic Pride Day on June 18th June 18th is a special day that celebrates pride for people with autism.

Autistic Pride Day was first started in 2005 and was organised by people with autism demonstrating their ability to advocate for themselves. The primary goal is to raise awareness and celebrate the similarities and uniqueness of people with autism. According to representatives of Autistic Pride Day, people with autism have unique characteristics that provide them with both rewards and challenges. Although many of the difficulties they face are because of their neuro-diversity, another factor is issues in society. Society’s attitude towards autism is often one of pity or a belief that it is a condition requiring treatment. Activists want to shift attitudes away from this and towards acceptance and the realisation that autism is a difference rather than a disability. Autistic Pride Day reminds us of the importance of celebrating diversity in those around us and acknowledging that everyone plays an essential role in society.

The infinity symbol is used as the symbol of this day, representing "diversity with infinite variations and infinite possibilities."

Watch the video link below, Five Questions about Autism to hear some commonly asked questions answered.

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From the inclusion department How to Have Stress-Free Exams It’s never too late to set up good study habits. Here are some helpful ideas: Find a quiet place to study without distractions.

Set-up your study space. Make sure it’s not too cluttered and has everything you might need.

Find out as much as you can about the exam so you can prepare.

Ask your teacher if you’re unsure of what will be tested.

Learn to make ‘mind maps’ and use them to collect ideas and thoughts, use bright colours to help remember important links.

Make a plan of what you want to work on in each study session. Break it down into small tasks and work on one task at a time.

Take regular short breaks – use this time to have a drink, get something to eat or play with a pet.

Ask for help - If you’re having trouble with something you’re studying ask a teacher, friend, sibling or parent to help.

Tips to Help While Studying

Stick to a routine by eating and sleeping at around the same time each day.

Avoid junk food - it will bring a sudden burst of energy and then fall away quickly leaving you feeling worn out.

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Get a good night's sleep.

This gives your brain time to recharge and remember what you've learnt.

Eat a well-balanced diet lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, cereals, grains, nuts and protein are all good for the brain and energy levels.

Give yourself mini rewards once you achieve your study goals - watch a TV show or go for a run.

Allow yourself time to rest try out some relaxation activities like deep breathing, meditation or listening to music.

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Keep focused on your study - don't let other stuff like friendship wories distract you.

Cut back on energy drinks. They can increase nerves. Drink lots of water instead!

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