21 May 2015 Issue 89 Thursday,Thursday 18th January 2018 Issue 137 GENERAL GENERAL
NURSERY
KG PRIMARY
PRIMARY SECONDARY PRIMARY
SECONDARY SECONDARY
PARIS SCHOOL CLINIC
DATE
EVENTS JANUARY 2018
Sunday, 14 - Wednesday, 31 January
School Photographs - Lecture Theatre
Sunday, 21 January Sunday, 21 - Thursday, 25 January
Nursery Green Day FS2 field trip
Tuesday, 23 January Wednesday, 24 January Thursday, 25 January Thursday, 25 January Sunday, 28 January Sunday, 28 January Monday, 29 - Tuesday, 30 January Monday, 29 January Monday, 29 January Tuesday, 30 January Wednesday, 31 January - Thursday, 01 February
SS Career Fair GCSE transitions evening and checkpoint meeting Year 1 Recycling Fashion Show Year 3 Field Trip Beach run Year 3 to Year 12 Innovents Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children - 08:00 am FS2 Math Day FS2 - Year 2 Walkathon Innovents Arabic Writing Nursery Sports Day practice Innovents Quran
Wednesday, 31 January - Thursday, 01 February
Year 1 Math Fun Day
Wednesday, 31 January - Thursday, 01 February
Nursery Sports Day
Thursday, 31 January
Year 11 transition evening
FEBRUARY 2018 Thursday, 01 February Sunday, 04 February Monday, 05 February Sunday, 05 - Thursday, 08 February Tuesday, 06 February Monday, 05 - Thursday, 08 February Sunday, 11 - Thursday, 15 February Sunday, 11 - Tuesday, 13 February Sunday, 18 - Thursday, 22 February Sunday, 18 February Monday, 19 February Tuesday, 20 February Tuesday, 20 February Wednesday, 21 February Thursday, 22 February Sunday, 25 February Sunday, 25 February Sunday, 25 February - Thursday, 01 March
Absent students school photographs - Lecture Theatre Innovents Athletics Years 4 - 12 Author visit Year 1 Field trip Innovents Spelling Bee Year 3 to Year 6 Sports week Half Term Break for students PD Day for staff (No school for all students) FS2 Artist week Secondary School Sports Day Open House - 09:00—10:30 am Nursery Open House IGCSE Geography Field Trip Year 2 Field Trip Year 3 Spelling Bee round 1 Chinese New Year - Secondary School Nursery Orange Day Year 1 Artist Week
Wednesday, 28 February
Innovents Robotics
Message from the Principal Dear Parents, 2018 marks my 24th year involved in international education in the UAE and brings an exciting new development for me: joining Raffles International School as School Principal. Since I first arrived as a young teacher in the early 90’s, I have been a homeroom teacher, Head of Department, Deputy Head of Early Years and Head of Primary. I have also been responsible Primary and Secondary school development in two large international schools and been involved in teacher recruitment for both Primary and Secondary. Joining a new school mid-term can be tricky however many of the organisational structures, policies and practices at RIS are consistent within the Innoventures group and I have been fortunate to work alongside Ms. Zeba both as a Head of School within Innoventures and as teaching colleagues many years ago. My intention is to continue to build on the great work that is already evident in the classrooms, common areas and sports arenas at RIS, with a principal focus on strategic planning and school development. The oversight of and responsibility for the daily operation of the school will remain with the two Heads of School: Mr. Rowlands for Secondary and Mr. Cooper for Primary. The effective and efficient operation of any organisation requires clear structures for communication. At RIS, I ask that curriculum, teaching and learning matters be addressed to the relevant teacher in the first instance. If the question remains unresolved, please address it to the appropriate Deputy Head. Administrative or Leadership issues may be addressed directly to the Heads of School through Ms. Hemlata (Primary) or Ms. Sandra (Secondary). With the education landscape of Dubai constantly evolving, it will be extremely important that RIS continues on its developmental journey, moving ahead of expectations and anticipating our children’s learning needs. We will do this through careful planning, strong communication and a singularity of purpose. I have already met with the whole of the secondary student body to share my view that school development is the responsibility of every member of the school community: pupils, teachers, school leaders and parents. Only by working together can we achieve the potential growth that is here at RIS. In the coming weeks, we will begin our preparations for International Day, an opportunity to engage the whole school in celebrating our diversity while recoginising our commonalities. I sincerely hope that you will find time to join us in the preparations and if you cannot manage that, then set aside some time to enjoy the event. Finally, my best wishes to you for the coming year and I look forward to being a part of this vibrant school community. Sincerely, Tim Richardson School Principal
New initiative from the Library: To Promote and enhance reading
On Sunday, 14th January the school Library introduced a new Reading Scheme for children of Years 4 to 9 in which every child is asked to read one book per day for the next 50 days ending on Sunday, 04th March. This activity should be validated by the parents or their Homeroom teacher in their Reading Log. Students reading chapter books can read 100 pages a day. They are welcome to read books in any language. With a competitive spirit attached to the whole process, this is an exercise for all to join in for reading. They may will feel motivated to read more and may turn into regular readers. On Sunday, 11th March, class winners will be awarded certificates, book vouchers and 50 points for their respective houses.
Kameel’s Little Secret is a heartwarming children’s story with a special message. Written by Emirati Author Mr. Hassan Al Marashi and beautifully illustrated, this book is the latest in the Explorer Kids’ range of story Books. A signed copy will be available to students at a discounted price of AED 35/- when he visits RIS on Monday, 05th February. Susane Joseph School Librarian
GENERAL
NURSERY
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
Dear Parents, Grandparents and Extended Family, Welcome back to Term 2 and Happy New Year to our Nursery families. I hope 2018 brings all of us closer to our dreams.
The first term came to a grand end with a lovely party A warm welcome to the new students that have joined our Montessori Family this term. In mathematics, he children will be working with materials that will teach them how to count, recognise the numbers in their own form and their quantities, as well as relate symbol to quantity. In Language, we will be working through the alphabet and introducing more challenging Montessori Materials incorporated with the programme. Practising the richness of the Montessori Programme, the teachers will be directing the children when they feel each child is ready to progress from one piece of material to the next. January is going to be month of cultural explorations into ‘Space’ for the young learners of our Nursery. The Sun and Solar System will be introduced to the children in the simplest of forms. So much to look forward to! We have a lot of other things planned for January as well: Green Day, the annual school photos and Sports Day for Casas A-D on Thursday, 01st February.
A great number of our little ones get sick at this time of the year. Moreover, the weather has been very unpredictable and we have had some foggy and cold days this year. Although in some ways, getting sick as a child is simply part of growing up, but as parents, you can do a few things to protect your little child from the endless array of germs and viruses she's exposed to every day. These are some healthy habits that will give your child's immune system a shakeup - wake up! 1. Love your fruits and veggies: There are wonder fruits and veggies with immunity-boosting vitamin C, such as like carrots, broccoli, green beans, oranges and berries. Innovate and ‘disguise’, but aim to get your child to eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day. (A serving is about two tablespoons for toddlers, 1 and a cup for older children). 2. Beauty and Healthy sleep time: How much sleep do kids need? Toddlers require 12 to 13 hours, and preschoolers need about 10 hours. Less sleep can make you more prone to illness by affecting the immune system that attacks germs. Bed time routines and adequate sleep are an absolute essential for growing children. 3. Exercise: To get your children into a lifelong fitness habit, be their role model and exercise with them rather than just urge them to go outside and play. Introduce your little one to swimming, cycling, roller skating and if nothing else play catch in the park and run around. 4. Wash away the germs: Make sure your child washes her hands often -- and with soap, paying particular attention to their hygiene before and after each meal and after playing outside, handling pets, blowing their nose, using the bathroom, and arriving home from nursery. When you're out, carry disposable wipes with you for quick cleanups. In the nursery, washing hands is part of the eating and toileting routine, but often parents tell us that children do not follow the same at home. To get children enthusiastic about the hand-washing habit at home, let them pick out their own brightly colored hand towels and soap in fun containers, colors and fragrances. A great tip I once read that if your child does get sick, change her toothbrush right away. Even though a child can't catch the same cold or flu virus twice, the virus can get transmitted from one toothbrush to another toothbrush, infecting other family members. In case of a bacterial infection, such as strep throat, however, your child can in fact get infected again with the same germs. So please change the toothbrush. 5. Danger of using antibiotics at every step: Most childhood illnesses are caused by viruses and not bacteria and antibiotics treat only bacterial infections. Also, often use of antibiotics can make the bacteria ‘resistant’ and they will flourish by not responding to standard treatment. As your child’s doctor if the antibiotic is necessary when it is prescribed to your child. The Nursery team wishes Ms. Zeba Khan all the best in her new role. We know that she will move forward with her usual grit and determination, spreading smiles wherever she is. We wish our little ones lots of smiles and good health. Kind regards, Garima Kapoor Assistant Head Early Years
A child can fully develop by means of experience in his environment. We call such experiences work. Maria Montessori
“Look up�: Observing a helicopter fly by during outdoor playtime
Transferring using a pipette helps develop concentration and fine motor skills
One of our new joiners is busy beading a necklace - developing her fine motor skills
Montessori waters the seeds of independence
New challenges during outdoor play - develop gross motor skills
GENERAL
NURSERY
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
PRIMARY SCHOOL Dear RIS Community, A very warm welcome back to school, and a very Happy New Year to you all. I hope that 2018 brings you great happiness and prosperity. The ‘Autumn Term’, or Term 1, is the longest of our three terms, and once we are beyond the Winter break and into January there is the sense that we are moving towards the end of the academic year. Whilst every day is important for students, Term 2, I feel, is the most important. It is when a lot of the very necessary final preparation for exams take place. In Secondary, students are completing their Mock GCSEs, and in Primary we are building our knowledge back for the Cambridge Checkpoint Exams in April in English, Mathematics, and Science. These are challenging, written papers that are sent off and assessed in the UK. Currently our teachers are looking at our students’ IBT raw scores (the tests that were completed last November), and identifying the best areas to support students going forward.
The New Year brings with it change – we have a new Principal in place, Mr. Tim Richardson, and we are all looking forward to working with him. It was an emotional time for students and staff as we bade farewell to Ms. Zeba Khan – who achieved a fantastic ten-year tenure in various roles at RIS. Students prepared very fitting ‘goodbye’ assemblies on Ms. Zeba’s last day, Thursday, 11th January. We are delighted that Ms. Zeba will be a frequent visitor to our school in her new support role at Innoventures Education. When a change occurs, it is always good when there is time for the transition, and to have someone who knows RIS so well as a highly valuable resource. Looking forward, we of course intend on developing RIS day-by-day. We have the clear objective of raising the school’s KHDA inspection rating. The time from now, to the next inspection (we believe around nine months) will pass, I am sure, in the blink of an eye so we cannot afford to take our ‘eye off the ball’. It is imperative that we work closely with all members of the community on our school improvement projects. No doubt we will in the very near future be communicating to you our plans, and we look forward to your involvement. Kind regards, Edward Copper Head of Primary School
Key Stage 1 News Dear Parents, I hope you all have a pleasant winter break with your friends and family. The FS children came back to school full of energy and eager for more learning and challenges after a long winter break spent with family and friends. The children were enthusiastic to learn about animals, their names, their physical descriptions and their habitats in the new topic of inquiry. This term we have introduced the children to the Pre-Primer sight words in class. This will assist them in reading fluently. The children are enthusiastically waiting to go on their first field trip to Little Explorers which is an Inspiring learning experience full of fun activities where the children will be able to explore, predict and learn while playing in different areas.
The children in Year 1, have come back refreshed and ready to jump straight into their learning. They have been learning how to tell time in Mathematics and are enhancing their reading with phonics during the first period. In Science, the children are learning about what things are made of, in our topic, Materials. They are also learning about how to make new things by recycling. Based on this concept, this month the children will have a recycled fashion show to look forward to. I’m sure they will use their innovation to come up with something special for the show. They are really looking forward to it. They are also looking forward to playing fun games in Mathematics during the upcoming Math Fun Day. As the weather is quite cold in the morning and stays chilly throughout the day, we request parents to please visit the uniform shop at J3 Mall on Al Wasl Road if your child does not have school jumpers or jackets.
Last week we bid farewell to our Principal, Ms. Zeba. The children of Year 1 had an assembly for her, where they said a few words on how Ms. Zeba has touched their lives. She has been a very vital pillar in bringing Raffles International School to where it is and shall be greatly missed by students and teachers alike. We wish her all the best in the new position she has undertaken. The Year 2 children have all settled in nicely after the winter break and are yet again hard at work. In English, we have been learning how and when to use the past tense and now we are working on writing dialogue, using direct speech. In mathematics, we have been exploring different strategies of solving subtraction problems and we have have been working on step by step problem solving, using the CUBES method. In science, we have been investigating different types of rocks. We went on a rock hunt around the school and we have been doing some experiments to see which rocks are waterproof. We are looking forward to a fun filled Term 2. Susie Mcshane Deputy Head, Primary KS1
Key Stage 2 News It has been a pleasure welcoming the children back from the Winter holiday. The school is a place that is buzzing once again with excitement and inquisitive children. There are some wonderful events that are coming up – In a few weeks, all the Primary school will be involved in a beach run for charity. We would request that all children provide their teacher with 10dhms for our GIVE charity. I know this event is very popular with the children and all staff are involved with walking the children to the beach for the walkathon. Please remember to send children with water bottles and sunhats on this day. The date will be on Sunday, 28 th January. May I remind you that meetings are taking place for International Day. This is the most popular event of the year. If you are interested in hosting a stall for your home county please do email Ms. Emma on emmat@rafflesis.com Kindly note that children should be in school uniform at all times. This week a lot of children are wearing different coloured jackets. We have reminded the children during the assembly about the need to remove these jackets once in school. Parents are requested to ensure that their children wear either school sports jacket or Raffles school jumper. I wish you a wonderful term ahead. I know the children will be involved in some great events as well as a holistic and wholesome curriculum. Jasmit Kang Deputy Head, Primary KS2
GENERAL
NURSERY
PRIMARY
PRIMARY SECONDARY
SECONDARY
SECONDARY SCHOOL Welcome back to a busy term in the Secondary School. This is an exciting time in the school calendar. Students have now settled into their year groups and courses, and are working hard to achieve their end of year targets. The Year 11 students have been studying hard for their mock examinations, which began last week. They will be receiving their results in lessons. The Year 12 students will be starting their mock AS examinations on Sunday, 18th February. In order to effectively prepare for examinations and to make good progress in all lessons it is essential that students attend school regularly. Attendance and punctuality play an important role in increasing a student’s chances of academic success. When students are not in class they miss out on learning. One absence can cause a student to miss out on a wealth of knowledge. Too many absences can lead to a great deal of missing assignments and a decline in grades. At RIS we are teaching the students the importance of being present in school. This prepares them for future roles and ensures that all students have the opportunity to achieve their best possible results. If your child is going to be absent please inform their Head of Year and request a Leave of Absence form.
This term sees many key decisions having to made by our students; GCSE and AS options and the University Choices Information Session for students. Our students are continuing to involve themselves In a wealth of opportunities and activities. Next weekend Year 7 and 8 students will be taking part in the Spelling Bee Competition at Curtin University.
A small group of Year 9 students have been working hard to create a Robot for the Innoventures Robotics competition on Wednesday, 28th February. We wish them well and look forward to their final product. On Sunday, 28th January the secondary school will be taking part in the annual Walkathon in aid of the GIVE appeal. Please support the school with this worthwhile initiative. Further information will follow shortly. The Secondary School team is looking forward to sharing our successes with you over the coming term.
Bryony Lynch Deputy Head Secondary School
Peter Rowlands Head of Secondary School
Secondary School English Department A warm welcome back from the English team! There is a lot to look forward to over the term, some of which I will share with you now. Firstly, there is the semi-final of the Spelling Bee competition which will be held on 19 th January at Curtin University, Dubai, starting at 8 am. Our semifinalists, David Farid, Nilanjana Rajesh and Orion Sandeep will compete against students from across the UAE and therefore be under a lot of pressure. You are very welcome to go along and support them, if you can. Should you need further details about this event, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Another upcoming event is the Literacy Soiree to be held at Raffles World Academy. Prior to the winter break, students in Years 7, 8 and 9 wrote either a story or poem entitled “Memories” for the Emirates Literacy Festival writing competition. The top five will now be entered into a competition run by Innoventures, from which three will be chosen to be read out by their authors, at the Soiree. I will share the successful candidate names once they have been disclosed.
Literacy has become a huge focus for the school and this term will involve many incentives aimed at raising standards. I will keep you updated but in the meantime, would urge you to encourage and support your child in his/her reading. Please ensure that your child reads at every opportunity as this will provide the key to higher levels of literacy. Caroline Gaydon Head of English Department
Secondary School MFL Department Curriculum and implementation As Dubai is becoming an increasingly multicultural society, we have a duty to provide our children with an understanding of other cultures and languages. At Raffles International School, we believe strongly in the benefit of this and have therefore begun implementing the teaching of French and Mandarin for all KS2 children (Year 3 to Year 6), although we encourage and support a whole school approach.
We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our MFL lessons. Our principle aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills, and understanding. We aim for a balance of whole class, group and independent learning. Wherever possible we encourage children to use and apply their learning in other areas of the curriculum; ENGLISH, ICT, PE and Music, for example, are particularly appropriate for cross-curricular teaching. The implementation of our French curriculum is supported by an excellent quality of books and resources. There is a strong emphasis on speaking and listening and the children are given many opportunities to speak with each other, in French, during their lessons and around the school. There are also opportunities in class for children to access French beyond their weekly lesson. Instructions are often given in French and Mandarin to extend the children’s access to it and enhance the opportunities they have to develop new vocabulary. In all classes children have a wide range of abilities, and we seek to provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. MFL is a highly inclusive subject, however, and despite our principal aim of developing children’s knowledge, skills, and understanding, the initial focus will be on enjoyment. At our school we will teach MFL to all KS2 children, whatever their ability and individual needs. MFL forms part of the school curriculum policy to provide a broad and balanced education to all children. Through our MFL teaching we provide learning opportunities that enable all pupils to make good progress. We strive hard to meet the needs of those pupils with special educational needs, those with disabilities, those with special gifts and talents, and those learning English as an additional language (EAL), and we take all reasonable steps to achieve this. We are delighted with the progress the children have made so far and will continue to build on this as they move up to through the school and prepare for KS3 and KS4. Maya Yaghi Head of MFL Department
Secondary School Counselling Department Anti-Bullying Last week, the students from Year 9, heard about Ms. Zeba Khan’s involvement in an Anti-Bullying Forum in Toronto. Ms. Zeba shared very empowering stories of adults, who to this day, are suffering due to bullying during their childhood. Following Zeba’s message, the Counselling Department will be holding Anti-Bullying Ambassador Elections, where Secondary students can apply to be part of the RIS Anti-Bullying Group. I mportant skills will be taught and discussed thus empowering the Ambassadors to be instrumental role-models for their peers. Fliers will be going out this week.
Think before you Speak There are times when we let our emotions take over and in some cases we speak before we think. When this happens, things are often said that may offend or hurt another’s feelings. Whether or not we intentionally mean to say things that hurt, sometimes what we say can be taken the wrong way by others who hear what is being said, regardless of our true intentions. That is why it is important to always think before you speak.
“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” ~Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) The most important part of thinking before you speak is to take a deep breath and determine if what you are about to say is relevant to the conversation, appropriate for the conversation and if feelings may be hurt because of what you say. In most cases you should always think twice before you speak, by waiting five to ten seconds, which will help ensure what you say does not offend or upset others within earshot of your words. Upcoming events for all parents: Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children: Sunday, 28thJanuary 2018, 08:00 am – 09:30 am, Dance Studio. Airways Aviation Global Flight Academy: Thursday, 08th February 2018, 01:00 pm – 01:35/02:00 pm, Venue to be confirmed, this is for Year 11 and 12 students (parents welcome). Bridging the Great Divide: Parenting Your Children Through Pre-Teen and Teenage Years: coming in end of February – beginning of March. Lighthouse Arabia. IDP University Enrolment Procedures (US, UK, Australia, India, and many more): TBD. * More Talks will be coming, and emails will be sent out accordingly. I would like to thank all of the students and parents, for being so supportive and welcoming, in my first four and a half months at RIS. Students have inspired me, we have laughed together, but also treaded in dark waters together. You have all shown determination, courage, and grit. I cannot wait to see what 2018 will bring us.
I wish you all a fulfilled and happy 2018. Prisca Toland Secondary School Counsellor