89 Sunday, Thursday 04 October 21 May 2015 Issue 93 GENERAL GENERAL
NURSERY
KG
PRIMARY PRIMARY
SECONDARY
PARIS SCHOOL CLINIC
GENERAL Haj and Eid Al Adha Assemblies: 20 - 22 September 2015
Peace Day - RIS supported World Peace day on 16th September. The students shared their thoughts on how to achieve Peace
IMPORTANT DATES DATE
EVENTS OCTOBER
Thursday, 08 October Thursday, 08 October Sunday, 11 - Thursday, 15 October Tuesday, 13, October Thursday, 15 October Thursday, 15 October Wednesday, 14 October Sunday, 18 - Thursday, 22, October Thursday, 22 October Thursday, 22 October Monday, 26 - Wednesday, 28 October Tuesday, 27 October Thursday, 29 October Thursday, 29 October
Sci-Fest, Grades 6 - 9 Arabic A/B Reading Competition, Grades 4-9 Reading Week, Grades 3 - 5 Courtyard Theatre Field Trip - Grade 9 Pink Day Arabic A/B Grammer Competition, Grades 4-9 Hijri New Year* - tbc Book Fair Arabic A/B Speaking Competition, Grades 4-9 Yellow Day - Nursery Arabic Field Trip - tbc Progress Report 1 due Book Character Dress-Up Day, KG to Grade 5 Holy Quran Competition
NOVEMBER Sunday, 01 November Monday, 09 November Wednesday, 11 November Thursday, 12 November Sunday, 15 - Thursday, 19 November Monday, 16 November Monday, 16 - Tuesday, 17 November Tuesday, 17 - Wednesday, 18 November Thursday, 19 November Thursday, 19 November Thursday, 19 November Monday 23 - Thursday, 26 November
Parent-Student Conference RIS Open Day - 9:00 - 10:30 am RIS Nursery Open Day - 9:30 - 11:00 am Staff Professional Development Day - noon dismissal Anti-Bullying Week Grade 3 Field Trip KG1 Field Trip KG1 Planting Days GIVE Walkathon (Beach Run) Grade 5 Field Trip Blue Day - Nursery Art Exhibition
Tuesday, 24 - Thursday, 26 November Wednesday, 25 November Thursday, 26 November
Grade 1 Field Trip IVEI Academic Olympiad at CAS Dental talk - Nursery
DECEMBER Wednesday, 02 – Thursday, 03 December Sunday, 06 - Wednesday, 09 December Tuesday, 08 - Thursday, 10 December Wednesday, 09 December Thursday, 10 - Saturday, 12 December Friday, 11 - Friday, 18 December Wednesday, 16 December Thursday, 17 December Thursday, 17 December Friday, 18 December - Saturday, 02 January
National Day Holiday* - TBC KG2 Field Trip Nursery Field Trip RIS Open Day - 9:00 - 10:30 am Cambridge World Schools Conference No school for students on Thursday, 10 December Ski Trip KG1 Winter Concert Nursery Reports End of Term and dismissal for Winter Break - Full day school Winter Break
Message from the Principal Dear Parents and Students, As we embark on another exciting year at RIS, I would like to share with you some of the developments that have taken place since the summer as part of our continuous investment programme in school facilities. Key aspects of this investment programme are to ensure the appropriateness of the premises and learning environment in conjunction with extending the quality and range of resources for effective teaching and learning. With the introduction of IGCSE in September we are expanding the number of classrooms with the focus on investment in facilities to ensure our growth is well planned and sustainable. Specifically, our aim is to ensure the premises are of the highest quality with increasing the many specialist facilities that as far as possible, are appropriately designed to allow access for all. Key developments and investments include:
New Classrooms: 7 new classrooms are being built to meet the growth of the Secondary School. Construction is under progress with major work taking place outside of school hours.
Basketball Hoops in Sports Hall
New play equipment for Nursery
Internal Painting: all classrooms/ common areas redecorated.
Blinds in classrooms: Classrooms which are facing to the outside and have direct sunlight have been installed with blinds.
Pool shading replaced.
Pool deck and starting blocks.
Extension of School Canteen: This is to accommodate students more comfortably for the academic year 2015-2016.
Compacting: Compacting of gravel in the KG, Nursery and bus parking area in order to ensure a safe and secure area for dismissal of students. This will now take place twice per year.
Additional lockers for Secondary students
Acrylic Sheets for Washbasins: Acrylic sheets have been fixed behind the washbasins as per Dubai Municipality requirement.
AC Insulation: Rooms that had concerns on A/C water leakage are being reinsulated in phases.
Chiller Maintenance: New and improved chiller coils installed in the main chiller system to ensure better temperature control thorughout the school.
Wash Basins in KG and Nursery: The wash basins height in KG and Nursery have been lowered as per students age level.
Bathroom hygiene: Drip units have been fixed in most of the toilets to reduce the odour after use.
This is by no means a complete and over the year I will continue to update the RIS community regarding our progress in providing premises and facilities that are safe, pleasant and stimulating. In partnership, we are on an exciting journey, “Towards Excellence”.
Council of International Schools (CIS) visit to RIS, 28th September to 01st October Our Vision Providing world class education Our Mission To empower students with a rigorous, holistic and international education for success in an everchanging world Our Core Values Achievement | Collaboration | Integrity |Respect |Responsibility
Dear Parents, This week we hosted the Preliminary Visit by the Council of International Schools. The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a membership organisation serving approximately 665 international schools around the world. It has been accrediting member schools since 1970. The CIS Accreditation Process is highly regarded in many parts of the world. The main purpose of the CIS programme for School Evaluation and Accreditation is to support international and internationally-minded schools in their pursuit of educational excellence by providing a system for periodic self-examination combined with external appraisal. The award of Accreditation also assures both a school's own constituency and the community at large that the institution so recognized has achieved high standards of professional performance with a continuing commitment to their maintenance and to institutional improvement. I expect to receive their full report in four to six weeks. This is the final stage before a full Self- Study (with committees including faculty, parents, students, support staff and Board members) followed by a Team Visit in twelve to eighteen months. In the interim, I am delighted to share with you some key observations from the two peer visitors:
The widespread knowledge, understanding, and application of the school’s core values;
The ongoing development and enrichment of internationalism, inter-culturalism and global citizenship
The strong support provided by the parents and `PARIS’
The courteous and hard-working students and the respect and appreciation they show for their teachers;
The collaborative and purposeful faculty, who show great commitment to the students and their learning;
The hard-working support staff and the great contribution they make to the character and success of the school;
Developing curricula, establishing professional learning communities, implementing personalized learning and extending teaching methodolgies are fundamental to successful teaching and learning based upon our guiding statements. While managing our growth, we need to be able to maintain rigour and relationships. We want to be a school of choice in Dubai by recognizing the power of individual student growth and supporting strong relationships among students, teachers and parents. Institutionalizing a culture among these stakeholders of student responsibility, teacher provided opportunity, and parental support should see a school develop where everyone experiences success. I believe that the process of the self-study, guided by the standards, will aide the school towards improved protocols, procedures, policies, and practices. Taking time to reflect on the standards and implementing well-conceived strategic planning shall see the Raffles International School become a premier school in Dubai. Ultimately, self-review, peer support and membership of the CIS will only further assist us in our journey, ‘Towards Excellence’. Michael William Clack Principal
Author’s Visit - 22nd September Grade 4 and 5 enjoyed a visit with Liliane Van der Hoeven, an expat author whose book “A Key to Dubai” was presented. This book covers Dubai’s fascinating growth and shows an insight into the culture and heritage. She spoke to the students about the fascinating details of her growth as an author and many of the students seemed inspired by her words. There was a book signing session at the end of the session. Susane Joseph, Librarian
ICT @ RIS Primary School Our students have been learning to use various applications to enhance their technological skills. Kindergarten students are learning to control the computer mouse which includes move, click and click and drag through online educational games. Grades 1 - 5 are using technology as a tool for communication, collaboration and to express their ideas by using MS Paint, MS Word, Pivot stick figure, Padlet, Google documents and EDMODO.
Grade 5 students helped parents join EDMODO during the curriculum morning session for Grades 3 - 5. They also showed parents how EDMODO could be useful in keeping track of their child’s homework, applications posted by teachers and other related digital content . We would request all parents of the above mentioned classes to join EDMODO. Secondary School Students have been using digital medium to communicate, analyse and handle data through Web designing, Prezi, Voki and MS Excel. Grade 6 students shared their thoughts on “BYOD in the class” through Padlet. ICT Team
Grade 1 and Grade 2 @ IT
Haj and Eid Al Adha Assemblies The last week has been full of excitement to mark the special occasion of Hajj. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia and is the Fifth Pillar of Islam. It is performed by millions of people every year from around the world in the Islamic month of 'Dhul Hijjah'. On the 20th and 21st September the Students of Grade 1 and 3 respectively chanted the Praise of Allah and enacted the rituals of Hajj in the special Assemblies conducted in the Sports Hall. The students were dressed as the pilgrims in the 'Ihram' and performed the different Hajj rituals starting from the Tawaf around the Ka'ba, Sa'iy between the Safa and Marwa, Seeking Allah's forgiveness on the plains of Arafat and stoning the Jamarat. The Models of all the significant places of Hajj were prepared for the students to have an impression that they were present in the House of Allah. The Secondary students of Grades 6 -9 presented the Hajj Assembly on 22nd September. The students enlightened the audience about the rituals of Hajj and the significance of these rituals in the life of a Muslim . The students acted out the rituals and also presented a video about Hajj. The students were excited to share this information about this once in a lifetime journey which is very special for a Muslim. Mahadeb Banu Head of Islamic Studies
This week has been an exciting time here in the P.E. Department as we are well into the first school term and preparing our sports teams for the upcoming competitions. The RIS PE staff are very determined to improve on last years competitive results.
RIS TS R O P S
The last two weeks saw RIS upcoming squad trials for the following sports; Swimming; Netball; Football and Basketball. Thank you to everyone who took part; we were delighted to see so many students participating and wanting to represent their school. We found it extremely difficult to choose the teams as many of the children showed perseverance and determination, qualities that are essential in becoming part of the squad. U 8s, U9s, U10s and U11 Boys Football trials were completed two weeks ago. The first training for the team took place last week to prepare for the league that will be starting in October. Parents will be notified of these fixtures for the league and cup competitions taking place over the next few months. It is essential that all pupils attend training in their PE kit and have their water bottles with them. U8s & U9s training will take place every Tuesday at 3:30pm sharp. Team photos will take place before training this week. U8s & U10s will be managed by Mr Aeham and U9s & U10s by Mr O' Brien, both are excited to work with these new squads. The RIS PE team are pleased to announce the launch of a new website www.rafflesissport.com. The sports website will act as a key tool in communicating with parents and pupils regarding sporting information in RIS. Some of the key features that will be included will be fixtures for RIS teams, ‘Performers of the Month’ in PE lessons and general information regarding sporting events. The school leagues will commence in October so we encourage those students selected to make sure they have the correct kit and come along to all the after school clubs that they have been chosen for. The RIS Swim team has started to train hard for the upcoming swimming galas. Mr Nolan has been impressed with the dedication and commitment shown by the members of the squad with the early morning sessions before school. Congratulations to those children who have been chosen, and we look forward to working with you throughout the year. RIS PE Department
Learn
RIS
Learning Sup-
with Helping your child with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): What you need to know Children with ADD/ADHD generally have deficits in executive function: the ability to think and plan ahead, organise, control impulses, and complete tasks. That means you need to take over as the executive, providing extra guidance while your child gradually acquires executive skills of his/her own. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Parenting Tip: Establish structure and stick to it Children with ADHD are more likely to succeed in completing tasks when the tasks occur in predictable patterns and in predictable places. Your job is to create and sustain structure in your home, so that your child knows what to expect and what they are expected to do. Tips for helping your child with ADD/ADHD stay focused and organised Follow a routine. It is important to set a time and a place for everything to help the child with ADD/ ADHD understand and meet expectations. Establish simple and predictable rituals for meals, homework, play, and bed. Have your child lay out clothes for the next morning before going to bed, and make sure whatever they need to take to school is already packed in his/her bag the night before and ready to go.
Use clocks and timers. Consider placing clocks throughout the house, with a big one in your child’s bedroom. Allow enough time for what your child needs to do, such as homework or getting ready in the morning. Use a timer for homework or transitional times, such as between finishing up play and getting ready for bed.
Simplify your child’s schedule. It is good to avoid idle time, but a child with ADHD may become more distracted and “wound up” if there are many after-school activities. You may need to make adjustments to the child’s after-school commitments based on the individual child’s abilities and the demands of particular activities.
Create a quiet place. Make sure your child has a quiet, private space of his or her own. This should not be the same place your child goes for a time-out.
Do your best to be neat and organised. Set up your home in an organised way. Make sure your child knows that everything has its place. Role model neatness and organization as much as possible.
Authors: Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. http://www.helpguide.org/ Edited extract from ADD/ADHD Parenting Tips: Helping Children and Teens with Attention Deficit Disorder
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Dear Parents, Grandparents and Extended family, Three weeks into the new academic year and our children are beginning to settle in. With your support it has not taken long for the tears to give way to beautiful smiles of sunshine. We will keep on doing our best to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible and to ensure that each child feels safe and loved. Some children take longer to settle in compared to others. Each child is unique and special. Please do not get anxious if your child is still crying and not yet fully settled. I am always open to suggestions and do understand that these first few weeks can be ones of anxiety. As we move into the second month of school, I would like to stress upon establishing clear and strong communication channels between parents and your child’s teacher. Parent-child, teacher-child, child-child, and parent-teacher relationships are all key to your child's early learning. We know that within All About Me relationships, we need time to build trust, confidence in each other and a safe space to be honest. We want you to have a relationship with us with give and take, where parents and teachers can both feel free to ask questions and give information. We are all very excited and eagerly look forward to a year of learning, fun and enjoyment. We understand that you are leaving your most precious possessions in our care. We will love them as our own. Please feel free to share any concerns with your child’s teacher or me. A FEW GENERAL REMINDERS Just the snack/lunch bag and school book bag need to be sent to school. Kindly do not send trolley bags with your child as it is safety concern and can cause the children to trip and fall. Our classrooms are not equipped to store trolley bags, big or small.
Please remember to label your child’s belongings including lunch and snack items, bottles and spare clothes.
Please remember our healthy eating policy and that all classes are a chocolate, crisps and nut-free environment. It is a good idea to send food that your child is familiar with to the nursery. Introducing unfamiliar food or food that a child has not eaten regularly at home can cause undue anxiety during these initial weeks.
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Please note that the equipment we have in our Indoor Play area and the Out Door Play area is for the use of the children within the nursery hours only 8:00 am - 2:00 pm, under supervision of school staff only.
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Please ensure that your child has regularly attends school. This will help the child to make friends and develop a bond with his/ her teacher, as well as understand and respect the class routine.
You will see me around the Nursery during pick up and drop off times. At all other times, my door is always open and you can also easily World reach me on 044271228 or send me an email on southnursery@rafflesis.com Introducing a love for books at an early age Garima Kapoor Nursery Coordinator
Peace Day Sibling fun-brother giving sister a ride on the bike
The Red Apples of the Casa A
Freedom of choice to work with a task at which he feels he can succeed
Montessori Pouring - develops hand and eye coordination
Montessori waters the seeds
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KG NEWS Dear Parents, At the beginning of each year the children in the Kindergarten take part in a small assessment to help the teacher to understand the childs previous knowledge and starting points. The children in KG1 have started their PIPS assessment on Sunday, 27th September 2015. PIPS Base computer programme asks the children about a series of pictures on screen. The presentation uses storybook style graphics and a friendly voice asking the questions. The child answers by pointing to one of the options or saying the answer. The teacher records the child’s response by touching the screen and the programme moves on to the next page. The questions progressively get more difficult until the child gets a few wrong, then it moves on to the next section of the assessment. The whole assessment takes up only approximately 20 minutes per student Children approach the assessment like a computer game. The children in KG2 will be taking part in a small test of understanding phonetics. Phonemic awareness is literally ‘sound’ awareness. Phonemic awareness is understanding that words are made up of sounds and being able to hear, recognize and manipulate the individual sounds that make up a word. Phonemic awareness is primarily an auditory skill of distinguishing and recognizing the sound structure of language. For example, phonemic awareness is realizing the word ‘puppy’ is made up of the sounds /p/ /u/ /p/ /ee/ or the word the word ‘shape’ is made up the sounds /sh/ /ay/ /p/. Children vary greatly in their natural ability to hear the sounds within words. Some individuals have a definite natural phonological weakness. Research has shown that children with poor phonemic awareness struggle with reading and spelling. Why is Phonemic Awareness Important? Phonemic awareness is important because it is critical to reading and spelling success. A child’s phonemic awareness is a powerful predictor of the likelihood of reading and spelling success. Children who cannot distinguish and manipulate the sounds within spoken words have difficulty recognizing and learning the necessary print/sound relationship that is critical to proficient reading and spelling success. If a child has poor phonemic awareness it is difficult for them to discover the necessary link between print and sound. These small assessments are aimed to provide a tool for the teachers to understand the true starting point of each child. Susie Mcshane KG Coordinator
Message from KG1 It’s hard to believe we are already more than a month into our new school year. After the fun and relaxing Eid break the children of Kg1 have geared back with enthusiasm. The children have settled in and started working with the Montessori materials. They are getting used to the routine and are becoming confident and familiar with their surroundings. During the first few weeks of this semester we will be focusing on Practical Life area, where children will be exposed to various exercises such as pouring, cutting, sorting etc. these activities help the children in their physical, mental and social development, which focus on developing their hand eye co-ordination, concentration and their fine motor skills. We have recently covered our topic “Five Senses”, through which they explored their sense of touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing, providing them with simple explanation about how the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin work and their function. Children have started their specialist lessons such as P.E, Music, Arabic and library. Along with the specialist lessons children also enjoy visiting art and science rooms where they learn different art techniques and simple science. KG 1 Montessori Team
Message from KG2 It is amazing how well the KG2 Children have settled into the daily routine. After the Eid al-Adha break we have seen much enthusiasm from them to get back to work. As you know we have started sending the Weekly Chronicle every week, please check your emails. Homework has already started, and is sent out on Thursday’s; on the Study Ladder. Homework is due to be completed by Wednesday, each week. All the specialist lessons, Arabic, Islamic, Music, ICT, and P.E have started. Children are very excited and eager to learn new things. In science, the children learnt about the topic “All about me”. During this topic, children learnt about body parts and have explored the five senses by doing hands on activities. The children will be exploring other topic, such as; Healthy Eating, Living and Growing, and My city My Dubai, along with many more. Gentle reminder, please collect your children from the relevant classroom after the ASA’s, at 3:30 pm. If you are running late, please inform the school. 044271261. We would like to thank to all the parents for supporting the box appeal and encouraging the children to participate to experience how to help others. KG 1 Montessori Team
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PRIMARY SCHOOL Message from the Deputy Head of Primary School (Grades 3 - 5/Years 4 - 6) Dear Parents and Students of the Primary School, We were delighted to welcome parents from across the Primary School Grade (Year) levels to RIS before Eid Al Adha to discuss the school curriculum in depth. Parents had the opportunity to discover the specific learning outcomes expected of students at their child’s age level. We welcomed visiting speakers such as Mr. Tudor from the Eton Institute who spoke about the opportunity for students to undertake the Cambridge PET and KET exams, both aimed at students who have English as an Additional Language. Mr. Simon Longdon our EAL Coordinator also explained about the provision in the school for EAL students while each Coordinator presented the key curriculum content for their Grade level. Mr. Clack, the school Principal, welcomed parents while outlining the similarities and differences of the English National Curriculum and Cambridge Primary Curriculum. The Deputy Heads of Primary School discussed curriculum matters and towards the end of the upper Primary sessions parents were invited to engage with technology, logging on ‘Edmodo’ with the assistance of some students of RIS. The interest shown in these curriculum information sessions ensures parents understand their child’s education and continue to play the major role in facilitating their child’s learning. Throughout childhood, each child will spend an average of 16% of their waking time in school, this results in 84% of a child’s social, emotional and academic development resulting from experiences outside the classroom. It is therefore crucial that, as parents, we understand what goes on in school so as to further support our children at their level. If you would like more information on your child’s education or if you would like to volunteer to support the learning of students at RIS please do contact your child’s Homeroom teacher. Together we can ensure each and every student at RIS reaches their potential. Matthew Barrett Deputy Head of Primary – Grades 3 - 5 (Years 4 - 6)
A week with technology Analyzing the impact of our BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiative. “I have to say (my child) is very happy with this and she has engaged with her learning.” “(My child) told me that he used Google maps and thoroughly enjoyed trying to find specific places” “(My child) told me we do research and interesting grammar exercises” “(My child) is really enjoying the learning (with and without BYOD)” “I only have positive feedback to give you. My child is much more eager to tell me about what he is doing in school and he can show or explain the topics you are covering in the class.” “Excellent initiative.” Above are the e-mailed feedback comments I received when I sought feedback on the BYOD initiative. In my role as a teacher, I have hugely benefitted from the full introduction of this technology to the class. It has taken the learning and research experience to a new level and creates an exciting educational outlet for the children. Using the devices fostered creative and inquisitive minds and the children showed a real thirst for learning which I have rarely seen before. Being able to teach in different styles with a stronger visual impact for those students who study English as an additional language was a truly rewarding experience. Below is an outline of how the devices supporting learning in the different subject areas: English (Literacy) Topic: Flat Stanley (Fiction text) – On completing their written tasks on Flat Stanley, children were able to carry out research on the author – Roald Dahl. They were asked to find similar books (which many of the children later bought at our school Book Fair) They researched where the author had got his ideas from and researched the alternative endings to the story which the author published online. Reading these articles gave children a range of ideas when they were later asked to create their own alternative ending to the story. Topic: Guided Reading – As part of a rotation group (A group that is learning independently without constant teacher direction and input) children used their devices to check corrected spellings in their written tasks, find alternative synonyms and check technical grammar rules. Mathematics –Topic: Time I felt that this was the learning experience that was the most valuable. Many teachers find the teaching of ‘time’ skills difficult as it can be a complex subject for the children to grasp. Allowing the children to see different types of clocks, moving the hand to different intervals and showing them the spelling of some of the key vocabulary such as ‘half and ‘quarter’ really helped to contextualize the learning. Mathematics – Topic: Multiplication and Division Devices have a range of applications that allow the students to practise their multiplication and division skills. Levels can easily be adjusted as a means of differentiation. Scores are instantly calculated so there is an in-built self-assessment function. A challenge element can be also introduced as children are asked to recognise patterns and sequences for multiples.
Science – Topic: Experiment research and real life application Another hugely enjoyable area where the devices allowed us to investigate our experiments in a little bit more detail. Once children had written their titles and predictions they were allowed to carry out their own research to analyse if their predictions were accurate. Following this research, there were class discussions with the result that, when the children were completing their hands on experiments in the Science laboratory they already had a substantial foundation of knowledge and the experiment consolidated their understanding and findings. Further to this, as a point of extension, children were able to research different ways of presenting their data and linked their learning to real life experiences e.g. the use of magnets in automatic doors, escalators, credit cards etc. Social Studies – Topic: Julius Caesar Ancient Rome Upon completing a standard timeline template which was informed by a PowerPoint presentation, children had the opportunity to research each element of their timeline individually to form a stronger understanding. For example, early in the lesson we learned that Rome split in to two empires in the year 395. With the aid of devices we were able to research what the individual names for these empires were, who ruled them and how they operated. As soon as a new fact was researched, it was added to our display board and shared with the class for their development.
Grade 1 News Grade One have been learning about the food pyramid and healthy eating. We designed our own healthy dinner according to the food pyramid. We studied teeth and focused on foods that are good for our teeth. We did an experiment following the scientific method to find out the effect sugary foods have on our teeth. Firstly we made predictions and guessed what we thought will happen. Then we did the experiment and observed the results. We recorded them and came to the conclusion that sugary food damages our teeth. We enjoyed doing this experiment. Now we will try to avoid sugary foods and eat food that is good for our teeth. Grade 1 Team
Grade 2 News On September 21st the school celebrated International ‘Peace Day’. Students showed great enthusiasm and participated in raising awareness and contributing their thoughts and ideas. Students in Grade 2 are learning about character profiles. The students read and discussed characters using adjectives. The children have had opportunities to explore the different continents, landmarks from various countries and cultures in Social Studies. They have interesting things to share about their home countries. They have
made lovely posters which are displayed in our classes and in the common area. Students investigated how a stem absorbs water from a jar using celery sticks. They are all looking forward to growing their own plants and predicting what will happen under different conditions as we continue to explore Growing Plants in Science. Grade 2 Team
Grade 3 News In Grade 3 during the English lessons, students have been working on a variety of elements. They have been creating interesting characters, using a variety of descriptive words in their creative writing lessons, punctuation and grammar. We are currently introducing Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ as our basis for writing over the coming weeks. In Mathematics, the focus has been on place value and ordering and sequencing of number. Students have become confident in understanding the value of numbers. We have worked on ordering numbers from smallest to largest and vice versa. The students have also extended number sequences and worked with partners to create their own sequences. In Science we have been continuing our work on the skeleton. We have discussed the functions of our skeletons and we have also learned about the major bones in the body. During Science lessons the children have been introduced to Exoskeletons and Endoskeletons. They have also become aware of the importance of the skeleton and thought about how humans and animals may look if they were to be without any bones. Students have submitted some very good projects of pasta skeletons which are displayed in our Grade corridors. In Social Studies, we are focusing on the environment. Students are becoming aware of the need for us to reduce, reuse and recycle. We have also discussed the causes of deforestation and global warming and the negative effects these both have on the Earth. Grade 3 Team
Grade 4 News We have all settled in well in Grade 4 with an exciting cultural project. Grade 4 students began by exploring what it means to be a good citizen. We brainstormed many ideas including, environmentally friendly, respecting the laws, cultures and traditions of the country to which you are a citizen.
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From here as a Grade we decided to educate our peers about our home countries. Each child created their own ‘International Culture Box’ about their home country. We included maps, flags, traditions, festivals, games and so on. Each child then made an oral presentation based on their own culture box. This has given us a huge sense of interculturalism in our Grade and we have learned more about each other and our backgrounds. We have begun reading Roald Dahl in English and are enjoying looking at Roald Dahl as an author and making predictions about the book. We have also selected our Student Council and Learning Council Representatives. I hope you all enjoyed and rest over the Eid Al Adha holidays. We look forward to a great and exciting year ahead. Grade 4 Team
Grade 5 News The past two weeks have very busy for the Grade 5 students. They have been perfecting their classroom routines and working on activities based around the school core values; Achievement, Collaboration, Integrity, Respect, and Responsibility. On 21st September, RIS celebrated Peace Day and students learned about the importance of Peace Day and how they can make a difference. Students made posters and decorated peace logos that were displayed around their classrooms. Students also chose their Student Council and Learning Council members for their class. Well done to all those students who wrote their speech and presented. We also had Ms. Liliane, the author of “Key to Dubai” visit the school. She had a book talk session with the students and discussed how she came to write the book and where she found all her information. The students loved learning new information about Dubai that they can take back and share in the Circle of Culture.
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In English, the children have been working on biographies and autobiographies. Last week they started reading the autobiography of Nelson Mandela and completing activities based on the text. In grammar, we focused on active and passive verbs and how to use these them to make descriptive sentences. There was also some focus on story writing and how to create alternative endings. Students were reviewing their place values and rounding in Mathematics. In Science, students were introduced to the main organs in the human body and were able to refresh their scientific enquiry skills by completing a scientific experiment. In Social Studies, we are continuing our work on mapping skills with a focus on the directional indicator. The students have also been introduced to the “Culture Box� project which they will present in class this week. They are excited to share everything they know about their culture to their peers. Keep an eye out for all the wonderful projects that will be showcased. Grade 5 Team
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SECONDARY SCHOOL Message from Deputy Head – Secondary School We have had a very busy two weeks at RIS, especially with the recent visit of the Council of International Schools (CIS). The visit has provided our students, teaching staff and leadership team a wonderful opportunity to self-reflect about all aspects of our school and look at ways we can continue to improve and grow. Reflecting upon Internationalism throughout the school has once again confirmed how diverse RIS is – not just on the surface level, but much deeper and embedded in all that we do. Grade Assemblies this week have focused on our new assessment structure which is based around four colours (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) and the numbers 1-9. Students will receive lots of feedback from their teachers this year in the form of colours, and hopefully with this simplified system learning and progress will be far easier to measure for them. The new assessment structure is clearly outlined in the student’s Learning Journals. Next week we will begin with Global Citizenship lessons and a more focused structure to Homeroom Time in the mornings. Students will be involved in discussions and activities regarding BBC World News, Circle of Culture and Brain Gym. It is very much welcomed if you can continue to support the school from home and discuss world news as much as possible with your child(ren). Looking further ahead, I am in the process of organising a career day for all Secondary students. At this stage, I am looking for parents who are willing to present to our students about their professions and careers. Should you be interested in this opportunity and can volunteer your support, knowledge and experience it would be very much welcomed. Please contact me at the e-mail address below should you be interested. The Career Day will take place in early 2016 (exact date TBC). As always, if you would like to communicate with me regarding anything related to the Secondary School at RIS, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail, give me a call or stop by the office. Ian Plant Deputy Head of Secondary School ianp@rafflesis.com
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Math Department
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Over all Grades we have been looking at Number, this involved: Types of number, Factors, multiples, roots and powers. For the next week the Mathematics department will be focusing on working with fractions with Grades 6 - 8 and Algebra with the Grade 9. Marie Ryan, Secondary School Teacher
Secondary ICT news Grade 6 Students continued with Prezi inserting videos, music and layout options. They designed Prezi on Science and technology. In the coming week they will be introduced to a different presentation application thinglink. Students designed Prezi on RIS Core Values during their Global Citizenship lessons. Grade 7 Students created data structure using MS Access. They learnt about the various digital data types and how to apply them with data. Grade 8 Students learned to design multiple web pages using Front page. They applied their knowledge by creating pages on the country of their choice. The task was to research on a country and create pages based on general facts, political/economic condition of the country, food, culture and tourist destinations. Some students went a step further and created pages on famous personalities from the place. Grade 9 Students learnt to work with functions like SUMIF(), COUNIF() and their application. They also learned about various automatic input devices used around in the real-time environment. Seema Vinod, Coordinator ICT
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Humanities Department
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Grade 6 Over the past week, the Grade 6’s have been putting into practice the skills they have been learning about History such as chronology, different historical eras and timelines. They produced some excellent pieces of work having chosen their own of historical figures and events from a selected time in the past. This week, they move on from learning historical skills to focus on learning the skills required for geography such as human and environmental geographies. Grade 6 Historical Figures Grade 7 Students of Grade 7 have now concluded the opening section on the Spanish conquest of the Americas but the idea of empire and colonisation is still important as we now begin to look at the British Empire throughout the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries. Understanding the role of slavery is an important part of this section of the course and appreciating the conditions faced on such journeys will be focus this week. Grade 8 Trench warfare and the First World War is a topic the Grade 8 students have really been embracing over the last couple of weeks. The students were asked to produce a letter in the style of a soldier fighting in the trenches. Both the content of the letters and the style chosen to present them was outstanding and highly imaginative.
Grade 8 Letters from the trenches
Grade 9 The new topic for the IGCSE History students has been the League of Nations that develops from the Paris Peace Conference. It was hoped that the League of Nations would solve any further conflicts in the world in 1919 when it was formed but the students are quickly realizing that this would prove to be a difficult task.
On a separate note, the students of this class designed the ‘Who Am I?’ board when other students are asked to guess who famous historical figures are – the theme they chose this time is ‘The Wives of Henry VIII’. This week the IGCSE Geography students are studying population change and various techniques and methods to control growth and decline. China and Russia are the case-studies they will examine and provide some interesting questions from an international perspective. Adam Crossley, Head of Humanities
Who Am I board
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Science Department
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Grade 6 In Grade 6 students have been learning about cell specialization, specific to plant and animal cells. They have learnt how each part of the cell is adapted to perform particular functions. Students are using laptops to do research related to this topic. Grade 7 Students completed Unit 1 Plants and have now moved on to a Chemistry topic – States of matter. Students have been refreshing their knowledge on the states of matter before moving on to diffusion in liquids and gases. This week students investigated how temperature can affect the rate of diffusion (see photo ).
Grade 7 Investigating how temperature affects diffusion
Grade 8 In Grade 8 students have finished building on their previous knowledge of forces and movement to develop their knowledge of pressure and density in solids, liquids and gases; and the principle of moments. They have now moved on to a Chemistry topic, learning about the structure of an atom. Grade 9 In IGCSE Biology students have been looking at how substances are transported into and out of cells, starting with diffusion as the passive movement of a substance from high to low concentration. Particular emphasis is placed on factors that speed up or slow down diffusion. Students investigate the movement of hydrochloric acid though agar blocks of varying volumes. In IGCSE Chemistry students finished looking at various experimental techniques used in Chemistry. Students have now begun to gain further understanding of the characteristic structure of the Periodic Table. Roberta Carter, Head of Science
MFL IGCSE Vocab Express Championship From the 26th September until the 6th October, students taking IGCSE French will be taking part in the Vocab Express Championship. This is a fun opportunity to learn essential IGCSE vocabulary and compete against International Schools around the world. How does it work? The student learning method is based upon a proven algorithm in which words and key terms are divided into blocks of 5-10 items by topic and students must enter either the translation, (repeating those that they get incorrect), until they are then able to complete all items in a row without mistake. All of the words featured are recommended essential vocabulary for IGCSE by the CIE. The more words a student learns and logs through the website, the more points we get for the school, and they will be even more prepared for their French IGCSE examination. Sacré bleu – c’est formidable. Bon courage. Claire Cuthbert, Head of MFL