THURSDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 1
GENERAL
PRIMARY
GALLERY
WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE CEO Dear parents, students and colleagues, I am delighted to welcome you to Dubai international Academy, Al Barsha, as the pioneers of a new school built on the legacy of a world class IB school. Our modest journey began in 2005 with the establishment of Dubai International Academy at Emirates Hills, the first IB continuum school in UAE which rapidly gained the reputation of a premier international school focusing on the holistic development of children. We measure our success by our students’ achievements, and take immense pride in making student development the center of all our school decisions. We deeply value the contribution of our teachers and are committed to supporting them in all their endeavours. The parent community is envisaged to play a vital role in this journey and we look forward to receiving your feedback as we work towards a common goal, which is offering the best possible education to our children. We will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that our students flourish and keep the flame of curiosity burning bright. Best wishes for a great academic year! Poonam Bhojani CEO Innoventures Education
M E S S A G E F R O M T H E P R I N C I PA L Welcome to our very first edition of meDIA – the official newsletter of DIA Al Barsha. The me-DIA title was chosen to reflect the partnership between the child or parent (me) and the school (DIA). We were delighted to welcome our inaugural students and parents to the school this week and to see them smiling on arrival and remaining happy all day and throughout the week. Having spoken to many of you this week I am excited by the opportunity to work with such delightful students and supportive parents. The first week has indeed been a pleasure and I look forward to exciting times ahead as we strive to become a learning family true to our vision of providing a holistic, rigorous, international education for our students. This first edition hopefully captures a few highlights of the first day and the week thereafter. We hope you enjoy! Mr. David Hicks School Principal
Dates for your diary: Sunday 9th September: Full Days begin for pre-K and KG1 students Monday 10th September, 8.15am: Principal’s Coffee Morning in the Primary School Thursday 13th September: School Holiday AL Hijri-New Year Sunday 16th September: Co-curricular Activity (CCA) programme begins Thursday 20th September: Innoventures World Peace Day Wednesday 26th September, 6pm: PYP Information Session Wednesday 26th September, 7pm: MYP Information Session
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PRIMARY
GALLERY
MESSAGE FROM THE HEADS OF SCHOOL On Sunday morning for Secondary and Monday for Primary, bright and early, over 400 students took their first steps into the brand new Dubai International Academy Al Barsha campus. Arriving at a new school is a daunting experience, but for students and their teachers, the excitement soon took over. Students stared in awe and wonder as tutors proudly took them on a tour of the incredible buildings that will become their home for the next academic year and beyond. Smiles were permanently etched on faces as each corner brought a new surprise, from the Sporting facilities on offer, to the huge science laboratories, the wide array of Computer Suites, the fully equipped Technology Workshop in Secondary and the wonderfully colourful outdoor spaces in Primary. Notwithstanding the superb classroom facilities.
After some ‘settling in’ with their Homeroom teachers, students began the first lessons of the year, which for many was their first taste of the IB Primary Years or Middle Years curriculum. Expectations were high from the start, and students at DIA Al Barsha will be stretched and challenged in every lesson, with the development of ‘Independent Learners’ a key focus of both the school and the IB Programmes. There was certainly no shortage of ‘Risk Takers’ (one of the ten facets of the IB Learner Profile), as students willingly volunteered to take an active role in the various challenges that teachers had set for them. On Tuesday, Secondary students took part in the first Co-Curricular activities of the year, as over 50 of them stayed behind after school to take part in the football trials, who will form the first DIA Barsha Sharks competitive sports teams. With the Swim trials taking place on Thursday, the future looks bright for DIA Barsha’s sports teams.
Rob Commons Head of Secondary
Candice Combrinck Head of Primary
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PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS SOME OF HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK
We have been Busy Bees in Pre KG this week! We loved sorting colours and paying at the till! I wonder what we will be investigating next week?
Somewhere over the rainbow! We know that our dreams will come true in KG1 this year! It has been so much fun meeting our new friends and teacher this week. I wonder what adventures we have in store next week?
We can count in threes! This week we have loved spotting number patterns in KG2 this week. Our number squares will help us a lot in Maths this year…15, 18, 21, 24… what number is next?
It’s story time! One of our favourite times of the day in KG1. We love listening and asking ‘I wonder…?’ questions.
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PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS
Choosing our favourite shapes and objects for stenciling was so much fun in Grade 1! We have made lots of new friends this week.
We have had lots of fun this week in Grade 1! We have worked as a team and collaborated on lots of activities. Say cheeeeese!
We are so lucky to have such a fabulous Art Suite! We have so many great projects ahead of us. Coming soon is our Founding Students’ ‘Pebble Project’…! Watch this space!
‘I’m crawling through the tunnel!” Pre KG have challenged themselves to complete obstacle courses this week! They have been excellent communicators when helping their friends.
Thunk of the DIA…
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PRIMARY
GALLERY
IMAGES FROM OUR FIRST WEEK