89 Sunday, Thursday 18 October 21 May 2015 Issue 94 GENERAL GENERAL
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GENERAL The Box Appeal
PARIS SCHOOL CLINIC
IMPORTANT DATES DATE
EVENTS OCTOBER
Wednesday, 21 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
Pink Day 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 Sunday, 15 - Thursday, 19 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 Joint Inspection - tbc 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 RIS Community and Partnership Dear Parents and Students, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your contributions and donations regarding the ‘Box Appeal’. This really is the RIS community at its very best-when parents are engaged and involved, everyone benefits - students, parents, families, teachers, schools and communities – and our school is enriched as a positive place to teach, learn and grow. On a related matter, I would invite all our parents to become active members of PARIS or alternatively, a parent volunteer, a guest speaker, an occasional reader, an avid supporter of one of our many teams- overall, an engaged and positive parent. It is imperative that as a school we continue to develop and improve our relationship with all parents in order to improve the quality of education we provide for all our children. At RIS, students are supported and inspired to learn in a culture of high expectations in which parents: Are welcomed, respected and valued as partners by the school community in their children’s learning and development Have a range of opportunities to enable them to be involved and support student success Are engaged through on-going communication and dialogue to support a positive learning environment at home and at school Are encouraged to support the Parents Association of Raffles International School Project a positive image of Raffles International School externally The RIS community is a diverse one. With over 50 languages spoken and multiple ethnicities, we are proud of our diverse community and seek to celebrate this diversity whenever we can. Our school community is a cohesive one. We will continue to build upon and celebrate our diversity and internationalism whether in the classroom, in the playground, events and through collaborative and enriching partnerships. At RIS our aim is to enhance the partnership and communication between School and parents, Board members, Advisory Council and the local community. Specifically, I have set the following five goals: We aim to strengthen links with our family of Innoventures schools and with other local primary and Secondary Schools. We also seek to improve communication between home and school. To enhance opportunities for parental engagement and involvement within the school. To enhance links with local community and extend partnerships. To encourage students, staff and parents to take a prominent role in the life of the local community and raise the profile of the School. I am delighted to announce that following on from last year, when our Chief Executive Officer was acknowledged as a top innovator by Forbes magazine, I was honoured to accept, on behalf of the RIS community an award from The Asian Education Leadership Awards for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Education’. It is always a pleasure to receive such commendations from external bodies validating all the tremendous achievements of our community and encouraging us in our journey, ‘Towards Excellence’. Michael William Clack Principal
ICT @ RIS Our KG 2 students have started working with MS Paint. In the coming weeks they will be using ICT for creative work and to express ideas using this application. Grades 1 and 2 are learning to use EDMODO to upload files to their backpack and to post assignments. Grades 3 and 4 are using advanced animation features using PowerPoint and Pivot stick animation respectively. Grade 5 created interactive images using the web I CT @ RIS Secondary School.
Grade 6 Students were shown how information could be presented in a different form by using interactive images using think link web application to create interactive images. The assignment was to use the RIS Core Values to design an interactive image .Links to some of the unedited work is given below based application Thing link. https://www.thinglink.com/scene/705357345378533377 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/706042420491452418 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/705360601932627968 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/705358802085478402 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/706044006781419521 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/705430431087984641 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/705359126368092162
Grade 7 Students linked multiple web pages using hyper link created to form a website using front page application. Students completed their project on the country of their choice by linking all the pages together. Some students also used using hyper link with target window option.
Grade 8 Grade 8 learned to create query and to create report on simple search on the basis of table created using data structure in MS Access. They also learned to sort the data in a query while generating a report.
Grade 9 Grade 9 learned about how to work with various applications of Nested IF, and IF with logical operator. They also learned about various types of output devices and its application related to real time environment
Islamic Department : Salah and Wudu Activity Last week the Islamic Studies students of Grade 3 collaborated in the learning of the rituals of Wudu and Salah as were demonstrated to them. They were keen on learning the rituals by practically involving themselves and practising them. The students performed the series of actions involving washing the hands , mouth , face and feet as a means of physical purification preceded by the Salah (The Obligatory Act of Prayer). They performed the Zuhr (Noon) Prayer in the Prayer room which involves a sequence of movements: Standing (Qiyam), Bowing (Ruku), Prostration (Sujud) and Sitting along with recitation of the Holy Quran and prayers taught by the Beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Students were told how Salah is a means of connection with God and a way to show gratitude to Allah the Mighty. The students were happy in practically relating themselves in this fun filled learning activity.
( What I did during Eid Al Adha ) هكذا قضيت إجازة العيد Grade 3 students prepared a nice project in Arabic A subject and this project under was titled ‘What I did in Eid Al Adha’ and their projects was amazing with a lot of pictures and articles … they describe what happened with them during Eid , what they ate , where they went and why the Eid time was so exciting for them. Heba Al Saadi Arabic A Teacher
Arabic News A busy Arabic A week with activities and challenge, This week Arabic A had the free reading competition from Grade 2 to Grade 9, in which students read stories and then wrote about the stories they read. This is Grade 3 students enjoying reading in the library. Grade 2 students feeling happy in this new experience.
Grade 4 students enjoy this competition, lots of challenge to win in this competition, in which some students read more than one story. The goals behind this competition are raising the reading and conversation standards for all Arabic A Grades, especially when students started to speak with their friends about their stories. Not only this, also students should answer two questions about stories they read. We finished this competition with a very good challenge in which students are waiting for the upcoming competition which is ‘’Grammar Competition�.
RIS TS R O P S The boy's football leagues are up and running. The boys U12s Football Team played the first league game against Emirates International School in the first league game. The game was a very competitive in the first half with both teams scoring. The team fought hard but lost 3-2.The U10s Football Team had a challenge game against the local rivals American Collegiate School. The game was a scrappy encounter with some solid defending shown from both sides. The game finished a 0-0 draw but there were some notable performances from Matteo Volani and a man of the match performance from Celeste De Clercq. Yusef Al-Refei also performed well with some brave last-minute saves to keep ACS from scoring in the dying minutes of the game.
The U9 squad that represented RIS; Mckenzie 3G, Mohammed 3B, Antonio 3B, Luigi 3B, Ahmed 3A, Tay Wan, Alejandro 3A, Imran 3F and Mischa 3C. The team showed great character after losing the first game to come back in the second and draw 2-2 against a well organized Horizon Team. The two goals came from Mischa and Miguel pictured below. The U8 team played superbly, being narrowly beaten by a last minute goal which saw the game finish 1-0. Mr Aeham said "the performance was very good and with training, the teams will improve". The next fixture for the U8s, U9s, U10s & U11s will be held at Raffles World Academy will take place on the 18th October.
School Sports Reporter Competition The PE departments are searching for a new Raffles Sports Reporter. The reporter will attend home and away fixtures for RIS and each report on our RIS Falcons. The competition will take place in the next weeks. The candidates for the role will have to submit a match report for a Raffles football game. The PE department will decide on the best report and announce the winner in the next two weeks. The competition is open to all Secondary School pupils. Please see Mr O’ Brien for details about the competition. The U12s Football teams have been very busy with two fixtures over the last couple of weeks — Man of the match was Ammar after a valiant display in the centre of defence. He was one of the outstanding performers in the game and rewarded at the end with the man of the match. Keep up the good work Ammar.
Performer of the Month The PE department has chosen The Performer of the Month. Each of the following pupils displayed the Raffles International Core Values. Respect, Responsibility, Achievement, Collaboration, Integrity. Natsuo Kurita 1B, Sara Omar Osamav 2F, Mackenzie Burrows 3G, Visa Viita 4F, Mateo Soto 5A, Oliwier Stasiak 6A, Suus Van Dan 7AB, Christian Bekhoj 8A, Rose Kappen 9AB. Well done. PE Department
Parent Suggestion Box Welcome to the Parent Association Raffles International School and thank you for your interest in making Raffles International School (RIS) a great place for our children to learn, play and grow. PARIS responsibilities include promoting community spirit between the parents, the students and the teachers at RIS, as well as developing and strengthening community links in line with school policy and KHDA recommendations. We hope you enjoy being a member of the PARIS, and helping to create a school community that is friendly, fun and meaningful to your family. Together we aim to ensure there are highly productive links with all parents which help improve their children’s learning and raise standards. We also recognise that through collaboration, both school and community benefit from strong and extensive partnerships, including those with other schools that effectively support student’s development. In collaboration, we strive, ‘Towards Excellence’ Along with the school administration, the Parents Association is working on ways to optimise communication channels with parents. It is very important that all parents are given the opportunity to participate in the decisions that are made by the PARIS committee on your behalf. We will be placing a “Parent Suggestion Box” in the reception, along with a form which you can fill in and submit. We welcome ideas and suggestions, big and small on ways we can improve our school and the quality of our children’s lives while they are in school. We ask that parents use the box to focus upon promoting community spirit between the parents, the students and the teachers at RIS, as well as developing and strengthening community links. This Parent Suggestion Box should not be confused with providing feedback to the school administration regarding academic and/ or pastoral concerns. For these matters please follow the procedure clearly stated in the Student Handbook/ Diary. We are here to help all our parents if we can, however, the box will only be emptied on a weekly basis. With this in mind, may we ask that you do not use the suggestion box for personal issues that affect only your child. Please refer to the school handbook on the correct and most time effective manner in which to solve an individual case. We will endeavour to respond to your queries directly where possible, or forward it on through the correct channels. Yours sincerely, Parents Association of Raffles International School
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Dear Parents, Grandparents and Extended family, The weather has taken a turn for the better and the children are showing the beginnings of budding friendships. There is an increased confidence in ‘our’ little ones as they exhibit the first signs of concentration and independence. The children are beginning to work in the different areas of the Montessori curriculum, namely Practical life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics and Culture. The Montessori Method is an integrated thematic approach that ties the separate disciplines together into studies of the physical universe, the world of nature, and the human experience. In this way, one lesson leads to many others. Each piece of material isolates one concept or skill that has been specially designed in a way that children are naturally drawn to become absorbed in a lesson with little or no nudging from adults. Each material has also been designed so that a child can normally check his own work; we call this “control of error.” The intention of the materials is not to keep the children dependent on these artificial learning aids forever; they are used as tools to help children work and learn at their own pace, to see abstract ideas presented in a very concrete, three-dimensional way, and to help them grasp and understand what they are working on. Montessori students learn not to be afraid of making mistakes. They quickly find that few things in life come easily, and they can try again without fear of embarrassment. A few points to note:
Attendance Consistent attendance is very important for proper progress throughout the nursery school year. It contributes to a sense of well-being in the children and they settle into a routine quickly when they attend the nursery on a regular basis. Regular attendance also helps the children develop friendships within their environment. Parents are urged to ensure that their children attend the nursery regularly. In order to reduce and minimize the spread of illnesses in the nursery, please refer to our Infection Control Policy which was included in the Welcome Pack you have all received and your support with the implementation of this policy is greatly appreciated. If your child is going to be absent, please call me on 04 4271228 and let me know. If you anticipate a period of extended absence, please notify me in writing on (southnursery@rafflesis.com).
Medical Check up The children will begin visiting our school clinic for the routine height and weight check. We have Dr. Reem with us in the Clinic along with 2 nurses. If there is any medical issue relating to your child that we should be aware of, please let me know.
Arabic We have begun our Arabic lessons on the 30th of September. Classes A-G will benefit from a 30 minute class each week with an experienced Arabic teacher, Ms. Najwa. Classes are scheduled for Wednesday.
Nursery Information Morning Thank you to all the parents who made time to attend the Nursery information Morning on the, 1 st October. If you have any specific questions about your child, please feel free to arrange a meeting with your child’s teacher on the specific Drop in Day (DID)…..And as always my door is open.
Box Appeal A genuine thank you to all the parents who sent contributions with their little ones for the Box appeal. This charity event will go a long way to give some essential items to workers and labourers who build the beautiful city of Dubai.
Festivity Tree We have a Festivity Tree in the nursery. This is located outside the Nursery Office. Throughout the year whenever we celebrate international festivities, the teachers will choose four pieces of work from their class to hang on the ‘Festive Tree’. You can now see some art work that the children have done for Eid. Other festivals will follow, with Diwali being around the corner. If there are any celebrations in your home country that you would like your child’s class teacher to discuss with the children, please let us know. We are working toward building an awareness and tolerance for all faiths and beliefs from a young age. Garima Kapoor Nursery Coordinator
Box Appeal
The Nursery Festivity Tree
Mohammad develops concentration along with hand eye coordination
Practical life—Hrushil works with nuts & bolts
Hamda playing hopscotch
Aryan arranging things For the Box Appeal
Enjoying Monkeynastix
Friendships began during outside play
Avenee and Fareeda working on a puzzle of a boy during our topic “All about me”
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KG NEWS Dear Parents, How do the school’s core values fit into a Montessori classroom? Respect Responsibility Achievement Collaboration
Integrity
After observing in a KG classroom, prospective parents invariably comment upon how civilized it is, how the children get along so well and are so respectful of each other and their teachers. “How do Montessori children know how to wait for a turn, respect someone else’s space, walk in the classroom instead of run, ask politely for help or offer to help someone else?” they want to know. “It’s not magic,” I respond. “They have learned each of these skills, and many more, in the lessons of Grace and Courtesy.” These lessons are a regular feature of the Kindergarten classrooms, especially at this time of year when new children are being introduced to the classroom. In KG, these often happen at group time, first thing in the morning. One of the first skills introduced is simply “How to walk around a rug.” The teacher will unroll a small rug on the floor in the middle of the circle of children, and invite them to watch. With elaborate care she will place her foot just beside the rug with every step she takes. Each time she comes to a corner, she will accentuate going all the way around and not cutting the corner by stepping over it. She will then announce, “Now you know how to walk around a rug,” and invite several children, one at a time, to have a turn. When the group time is over and children are excused to move about the classroom and choose their own activities, she can observe the results of her handiwork, as the children pay special attention to walking around each rug they encounter. If anyone forgets and steps on someone else’s rug, she has only to remind them: “Do you remember when I showed you how to walk around a rug?” It seems so simple, doesn’t it? And yet, consider this — without this one skill, children who knew no better would blunder into and across each other’s spaces, causing disturbance and hurt feelings. Another early lesson is “How to watch someone’s work.” Again the teachers will role play this important skill, emphasizing her closed mouth and the placement of her hands by her sides or behind her back. With the introduction of just these two skills alone, the teacher has eliminated a large percentage of the frictional elements that plague the average “preschool.” In this same way we teach each of the social skills that allow a group of children to function independently but also respectfully: how to excuse yourself when stepping in front of another; what to do when you come to the water pitcher and someone else is already there getting a drink; how to blow your nose; how to walk in a line; how to wait rather than interrupt. The list goes on and on.
Last year as I was substituting in a KG1 class, I noticed a social skill that the children lacked. In one area of the classroom two shelves jutted out, creating a narrow passage between. Children coming from opposite directions would bump into each other coming through. Rather than admonishing these children for their lack of social awareness, I made a mental note instead. The next morning I gathered the whole group around the space in question. The assistant and I role-played what to do in this situation. We each picked up a tray and entered the narrow space from opposite directions. I made a deliberate show of stopping, stepping back, and inviting her to go first. Following this group time, as children went about their independent activities, I noticed any number of them looking for an opportunity to pass through this same narrow space. If someone was coming from the opposite direction one of them would stop, move back, and in a little piping voice say, “Oh, excuse me. Please go through first.” In this way the children gradually build the social skills of a polite society. As they find activities that meet their inner need for self-development and as their space and autonomy are respected, a sense of calm and purposefulness settles over the classroom. Perhaps it is magic, after all. Susie Mcshane KG Coordinator
Message from KG1 The children of KG1 have settled well into their new environments. They are learning to be independent, making friends and getting comfortable with routines in the classroom. “To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.” Maria Montessori. Our aim is to provide a carefully planned, stimulating environment which will help children to develop within themselves the attitudes, skills and ideas essential for a lifetime of creative thinking and learning. The children absorb information from the prepared environment at their own pace. The lessons of Grace and Courtesy are a vital part of our curriculum. We emphasise saying ‘please, thank you, I am sorry and excuse me’; while encouraging listening, showing respect for others by waiting for our turn and following classroom etiquette. Over the past couple of weeks, the children have been exploring the topic ‘Transportation’. They have enjoyed learning about the various modes of transportation, vehicles and the history of transportation. A couple of gentle reminders: We promote healthy eating and we are a chocolate and nut free zone. Remember that we foster independence. Kindly wait outside the classroom during drop off and pick up times. Do encourage your children to be responsible and take care of their belongings. In case of absences during the year please email the teacher at the earliest. The KG 1 Montessori Team
Message from KG2 November is around the corner and we have completed our first few weeks of KG2. Little explorers were busy absorbing information from the prepared environment at their own pace. They all periodically displayed their interests while working with various Montessori materials. They are slowly demonstrating more self-confidence while working independently with the lessons that have been presented to them. In Language, we focus on letter sounds and building phonetic words. In Mathematics we are learning numbers 1 – 20/50/100, Ordinal numbers, sequence, units of time, e.g. minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. All KG2 classes are doing different science topics in each week. Please take the time to look at the children’s work on the display boards outside the classrooms. Homework has been going out weekly in the Study Ladder and please continue to practise the Sight Words at home. Parents can make flash cards with the sight words and use in fun games with the children. Let us make learning a fun experience for the children. KG2 Montessori Team
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PRIMARY SCHOOL Message from the Head of Primary School Dear Parents and Students of the Primary School, Due to my mother’s critical illness and passing away on Sunday 13 September, I have had a troubled and challenging start to the new academic year and have been on emergency and compassionate leave for over two to three weeks, intermittently. I have been in school since after the Eid holidays and have been extremely busy with catch-up work, CIS and INCYTE visits and the usual hectic school days. Being really busy at work and back in the midst of children has helped me in dealing with my personal loss and grief. Thank you for your understanding and support and I hope it explains why I was not up and about and seen on some school days, as queried by many parents. I am pleased to inform you that CIS (Council of International School) visit in September was a very positive experience for the school. As Chairperson of the CIS Steering Committee, I am proud to say that we received an extremely positive feedback from the CIS visitors, Mrs. Christine Bailey and Mr. Alan Scott, who some of you had the pleasure to meet. We are confident of receiving the recommendation to take on the next step, Self- study, of the CIS accreditation process. The school is to receive a formal written report shortly. In response to the feedback from the parent survey, we have introduced additional channels of communication between school and home, in particular information on Teaching and Learning and the Cambridge curriculum. The weekly chronicle goes home every Thursday from the Nursery to the Kindergarten. I have intentionally kept the chronicle concise and succinct. Without doing copious amount of reading, the weekly chronicle gives you nuggets of pertinent information, so you are well informed about the week’s learning focus and activities. The detailed Six Weekly Curriculum Information plan informs you of the more long term learning objectives/content and skills to be taught in both homeroom and specialist subjects. Please do not hesitate to give your feedback and suggestions to teachers at the upcoming Parent student conference. It is always good to hear your voice in the initiatives the school undertakes. I hope you are aware that at every Grade level we have a Literacy and Numeracy club to provide extra support to students who will benefit from small group learning. We have also made sure that these clubs are offered on days other than the days of recreational and sports ASAs. With this arrangement, children can take part in other ASAs as well as take advantage of the Literacy and Numeracy clubs. Depending on space, availability and homeroom teacher decision, students will be advised to enroll in these clubs. Homework is the link between the learning taking place in school and at home. Homework when managed effectively helps children to develop time management, prioritizing and planning skills as well as to be responsible and independent. It is important that children work more than parents do on homework expectations. The earlier children start honing these skills at an early age, the more independent and responsible they will become and enjoy taking ownership of their learning journey. So let us start them young on the journey of independence, responsibility and enjoyment of learning.
This year RIS will go through a KHDA and BSO (British Schools Overseas) joint inspection in November. Parents play a very important role in supporting the school in this process. Firstly, by responding to the Parent survey which will be sent to you shortly and lending your voice to positive and critical appreciation with your informed feedback. I appreciate, that though we make a lot of strides every year and would like to hear about them, nonetheless, there will always be developmental areas which when brought forward with a solution focused attitude will be positively received and taken on board. Secondly, make sure your children come regularly and punctually to school. They are smartly dressed in the correct uniform and are ready for school with the required stationary supplies. Please be up to date with communication from school and teachers. Your input via school diaries, emails, and RIS feedback address is much appreciated. The focus and emphasis on the ‘Circle of Culture’ programme in the Kindergarten and Primary School can be seen in the many aspects of school life. This study is aimed at embedding international mindedness and global awareness and appreciation in our students. Children learn about the culture, traditions, heritage, geographical and demographic aspects, economies and international issues. They critically analyze, compare and contrast their findings with their home country and the country of their residence, the UAE. This helps them to form connections between national and international relationships as well as develop and appreciation of the evolving nature of societies. It is important that such discourses and learning continues in the home environment as well, so our students grow holistically as global citizens in the ever changing world. As you may have noticed, our intention is to make the school’s core values, the guiding principle in all that we do. Our children are very aware of the five RIS core values; Achievement, Collaboration, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility. Please take every opportunity to discuss these with your children and how it relates to every day actions, decision and interactions with others in school and at home. I will leave you with some quotes from the book, MINDSET by Dr. Carol S. Dweck. They are interesting reading and great food for thought on the effect different mindsets have on parenting styles- Enjoy.
Grow your Mindset Every word and action from parent to child sends a message. Tomorrow, listen to what you say to your kids and tune in to the message you’re sending. Are they messages that say: You have permanent traits and I’m judging them? Or are they messages that say You’re a developing person and I’m interested in your development? How do you use praise? Remember that praising children’s intelligence or talent, tempting as it is, sends fixed-mindset message. It makes their confidence and motivation more fragile. Instead, try to focus on the processes they used-their strategies, effort, or choices. Practice working the process praise into your interactions with your children. Watch and listen to yourself carefully when your child messes up. Remember that constructive criticism is feedback that helps the child understand how to fix something. It’s not feedback that labels or simply excuses the child. At the end of each day, write down the constructive criticism (and the process praise) you’ve given your kids. Parents often set goals their children can work towards. Remember that having innate talent is not a goal. Expanding skills and knowledge is.
Grade 1 News Over the course of our first units in English, mathematics and science, Grade 1 have been learning all sorts of fun and interesting things. We created our own lungs in Science, solved one and two step word problems in mathematics and even came up with our own superhero stories in English. The emphasis on vocabulary and punctuation in the superhero stories was embraced by students and outcomes were both exciting and progressive. The Circle of Culture began last week and made for an increased sense of Internationalism in all classes. Students and parents alike went to great lengths to cook and prepare food from their home countries. As teachers, we felt very lucky to hear all the amazing and wonderful facts and we would like to congratulate our students on their confidence and courage to stand in front of their peers and present. The Box Appeal was running for the month of September and Grade One was heavily involved. Thank you for the kind donations which will no doubt put a smile on the face of our construction workers here in Dubai. Your generosity is very much appreciated. Grade 1 Team
Grade 2 News In Grade 2 we are continuing to work hard through our exciting learning journey. In science we are developing our enquiry skills; predicting, observing, measuring, analyzing results and concluding our experiments. We have been focusing on plant growth and the conditions needed for healthy growth. In Social Studies, we are continuing to share interesting facts about our home traditions and cultures. We have been discussing and presenting about the food we eat, the sports we play and our capital cities. In English, we have been learning to add prefixes to root words. We have discussed how the different prefixes change the meaning of words. Also we have been completing our creative stories using plans to help us make paragraphs. In mathematics we have been revising our vocabulary for adding and subtracting and using these to help us solve word problems. For number work, we have been learning about doubling and halving. Grade 2 Team
Grade 3 News In English, Grade 3 are continuing to work hard during lessons based on ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. The children have been completing different tasks and activities related to the movie. Students were able to do character descriptions and have focused on description of settings including Willy Wonka’s fantastic factory and Charlie’s house. They are now able to differentiate between imaginary and real settings. Students have improved their creative writing skills using very good vocabulary to write an imaginary story. In mathematics the students have being working on problem solving in addition and subtraction. They have been encouraged to create their own problem sums and use different addition and subtraction strategies. Children are also working hard in practising their multiplication through the times tables. Last week in Science the classes of Grade 3 were introduced to the importance of medicines and why we need these when our bodies are feeling ill. They have now completed their unit on the Human Skeleton, bones, muscles and medicines and will be completing an end of unit test during the week. In Social Studies, children have focused largely on the environment. Students are aware of the ways in which we can help our environment and avoid pollution. They have also focused on deforestation and global warming. We have now completed the Unit on Environment and will have a written end of unit test. Classes have moved on to their second country in Circle of Culture lessons. A big thank you to all the parents and students who have contributed towards the Box appeal.
Grade 3 Team
Grade 4 News What a busy two weeks we have had in Grade 4. In Science lessons, we learned and experimented about seed germination and healthy growing plants. It was so exciting to see our “baby” seeds germinate and start growing into little plants. Now we have to make sure we give out plants enough water, sunlight and air to help them grow into strong healthy plants. In Social Studies we learned about migration of people and animals. It was very interesting to hear the different reasons why our teachers and classmates migrated to Dubai. Who knew there were so many push-and -pull factors for migrating? During English writing lessons we had to put our creative minds into gear to each create and describe an original character. After that, we had to write our new and exciting character into our own creative story. We had so much fun listening to each other’s character descriptions and stories. Finally, we are excited to be taking part in Word Math Day which is part of the World Education Games. Each one of our Grade 4 students received their log in details to start practising and preparing for the competition which will take place between 13-15 October. Remember, only the first 20 games on the competition day will count towards your score. Students can continue practising their Math skills and knowledge on the website/app until 31st October.
We are very much looking forward to the next two weeks full of new fun activities and lessons to help our minds grow, just like our little plants. Grade 4 Team
Grade 5 News Grade 5 has been busy, busy, busy over the last two weeks. The children have been hard at work across all areas of the curriculum and have adjusted to the pace and organization required for Grade 5 students. We have learned a lot about each other’s culture’s due to the excellent “Culture Box” presentations that the children brought into school. It was great to see the enthusiasm that the children had for their own cultures and to learn about other cultures. The children showed great confidence when presenting in front of the class and provided interesting and clear explanations for the objects they brought into class. We will continue to learn about each other’s cultures through the “Circle of Culture” programme which will involve class presentations and food festivals. In English, the children have continued to focus on the features of biographies and auto biographies and are focusing on improving their comprehension skills. The English classrooms have also seen a lot of discussion on editing and improving each other’s work which is helping the children set targets for their own writing. In mathematics, we have been focusing on some special numbers such as prime and square numbers. The children have used various strategies to find Prime Numbers including one that was invented 2000 years ago. We have also looked at identifying key information to solve word problems and applying our knowledge from lessons to figure out the answer. In Science, we have continued to learn about the human body and have had a lot of “EWWWW!!” moments when learning about the digestive system. The children have really enjoyed learning in more detail how their body works and have been really engaged in finding out more. We are beginning to look at the respiratory and circulatory systems and the classrooms are turning into mini-gyms as children try to increase their breathing rate and heart rate. Grade 5 Team
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SECONDARY SCHOOL Message from Deputy Head – Secondary School Over the past two weeks, Secondary School students have been involved in many exciting activities both inside and outside the classroom. I recently introduced Homeroom activities including Circle of Culture, BBC World News and Brain Gym to ensure that all students start the day with some critical thinking and communication. In addition to this, we have seen our first student led assemblies on the topic of Integrity (one of our five Core Values). Next week the focus is on Responsibility. In PE lessons, many Secondary students had the opportunity to experience golf for the first time. A representative from GOLFDXB kindly volunteered his time to demonstrate the sport and give our students opportunities to swing a club and hit some balls. I was certainly impressed by some of our students and am sure we may have a future Tiger Woods in the school. For more information about this please visit www.golfdxb.com As mentioned in my previous SummaRISe article, I am looking for parents to volunteer their time to talk to our students about their professions/careers. My intention is to hold a career fair in the Sports Hall in early 2016 and would appreciate any support from the parent body. Please contact me via e-mail should you be interested. I will be discussing careers in more depth with the students over the next few weeks, but in the meantime, it is well worth them visiting the http://icould.com/ site for more information. This week we have held the interview process for our new Head Boy and Head Girl. The process has involved a Boys vs Girls task, a group task, 1:1 interviews and will culminate in students presenting to the whole Secondary School in assembly next week. Six students have applied and will ultimately form the foundations of the student leadership team. Upcoming events include the Parent Student Conferences in early November. It is essential that students attend the conferences with their parents to discuss their learning via their journals. Further information will be sent out to all parents regarding these conferences. 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 ianp@rafflesis.com
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Dubai Science Festival 2015
A select few students were given the opportunity to attend the 2015 Dubai Science Festival last week. The aim of the festival is to promote a love for science and a deeper understanding of the scientific method. The day involved students attending shows, seeing exhibitions and participating in workshops. Viewing the planetarium show, “Oasis In Space” was a highlight of the day. Students were transported on a voyage through our universe, galaxy and solar system in search of liquid water – a key ingredient for life on Earth. Another highlight was attending the solar viewing session which allowed for safe telescopic observation of the sun using special solar filters to view sunspots. A great day was had by all students.
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Mathematics Department
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SECONDARY
The Secondary mathematics students sat their October assessment last week. This encompassed work that had been studied in the topic of Number since the start of the term. This week students have embarked on a mathematics project 'Design your own board game'. It will be interesting to see the ideas of our very creative secondary students.
Humanities Department Grade 6 In Grade 6, students have been learning about the different aspects of map-reading and the various forms of information that maps can tell us. This has included making their own versions of maps of Dubai including what students consider to be important aspects people would need to know when exploring the city Grade 7 Students of Grade 7 have been continuing to learn about the struggle for slavery to be abolished within the British Empire and in the Americas. As part of this, they have been preparing their own anti-slavery speeches to demonstrate some of the different methods people such as Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce used at the time to persuade people against the slave trade. Grade 8 The focus of Grade 8 Humanities has shifted slightly away from the Western Front to look at other parts of the First World War which made it a truly ‘world’ war. This has included soldiers from the other parts of the world such as the ANZACs, the role of the navies and battles that took place between Russia and Germany. Grade 9 IGCSE History students have been assessing the successes and failures of the League of Nations in the 1920s. With this being such a contentious topic, some strong debates have been taking place in class amongst the students over the role this organization played. For the IGCSE Geography students, they have been looking at a topic highly relevant in the UAE, international migration. Students have been studying why people move from country to country and the impact that can have on both the place where people leave and the place they are going to.
French News Salut ! Je m’appelle Maya Yaghi et je suis libanaise. Je suis titulaire d’une licence en langue et Littérature Française et avant celle-ci, j’ai eu le DELF 1er dégré et le DELF niveau B2. J’ai décidé d’être une enseignante à Raffles International School parce que à RIS L’enseignant représentait une personne toujours à l’écoute qui avait pour mission de transmettre un savoir, de s’adapter à ses élèves, d’avoir une relation d’échange. Mon but de n’avoir pas simplement un métier, je voulais avoir une passion. Bonne rentrée pour tous.