GC Welcome Pack 2023-24

Welcome from the Principal

Dear Families,

It is a pleasure to welcome you to our wonderful Raha, Gardens Campus and we look forward to you becoming a member of the Raha family.

We are very proud of our achievements and our status as one of only a small number of schools to be rated Outstanding in Abu Dhabi. I am sure that having you join the school will only make us better!

We work very hard to make our school safe, healthy and very happy. We will also try to make your start in school calm and enjoyable. We are very used to new students joining us and the students who are already here will help us to make your introduction to Raha GC as smooth as possible. We have a fantastic team of teachers who care very much about your happiness and learning. They always put your interests first and are committed to helping you enjoy your studies and to perform as well as you can in school.

Raha GC is a very exciting place to be! We have many activities outside of our wonderful IB curriculum and our students get involved in various trips, sports, drama, music, and community events. I am sure you will find lots of activities to keep you happy and busy.

I know that you may be a little nervous joining a new school, but once you put your new uniform on, you will immediately become part of our fantastic family and I am sure you will be very happy at Raha.

See you soon,

Mrs. Pali

Welcome to Raha!

Dear Parents,

We are very excited to welcome you and your family to Raha, GC. In the pages that follow are steps on the final registration process. We look forward to your child joining Raha!

Next steps:

• Ensure all required registration documentation has been submitted to GCRegistrar@ris.ae (the Registrar will email you with the documents checklist)

• Apply for your Parent Badge: https://risabudhabi.typeform.com/to/S3RHXcKo

• If needed, make arrangements for Bus Service through our Transportation Department (more information is provided in the following pages).

• Ensure fees are settled by the deadlines. More information on deadlines can be found in the ‘School Fees & Finance’ section in the pages that follow.

• Connect with us:

• For all the most up-to-date information about our activities, photos and videos, ‘like’ us on Facebook at ‘Raha International School’. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

• To join the GC Parent Team, please contact: parent.team@ris.ae

• Our Communications Executive can be reached at communications@ris.ae or +971 (0)2 556 1567 ext. 120

Important Dates:

• End of Term/School Year – For Overseas and Outside Abu Dhabi Emirate transfer only: Request your child’s transfer certificate from the current school and obtain the relevant attestations. More information is available on our website.

• End of Term/School Year: send us your child’s end of term/year school report

• 29 July 2023: remaining Term 1 fees are due

• 28 August 2023: Orientation Day - More information about orientation plans will be sent in August.

• 29 August 2023: first full day for all students, except EY1 who will have a different timetable to help with settling in. More information about orientation plans will be sent in August.

• 1 October 2023: deadline to present physical Emirates IDs (overseas transfers).

General Information

Accounts

Tuition fees, due dates and payment information can be found in the pages that follow this guide. Accounts is open over the summer and can be reached at +971 (0)2 556 1567, ext 104 or by emailing accounts@ris.ae.

School Office Hours

Reception:

Monday to Thursday 7:30am to 4.30pm

Friday: 7:30am to 12:00pm

Admissions & Accounts:

Monday to Thursday: 7:30am to 4:00pm

Friday: 7:30am to 12:00pm

Note that office hours differ during the summer holidays

Summer Office Hours

Monday to Thursday: 8:00am to 4:00pm

Friday: 8:00am to 12:00pm

School day timings

Attendance Procedures

Attendance procedures will be shared with families closer to the start of the school year. Information will include:

• Pick-up and Drop-off procedures

• Late Arrival and Early Dismissal procedures

• Reporting Absences and Sickness procedures

Crèche Facility / After School Care

Raha does not offer a crèche facility. For health and safety reasons, all students must be collected promptly after school or after ECPs as there is no after-school supervision.

EY1 and EY2 students may enrol in afterschool care. Spaces are limited. Please contact afterschoolcare@gmail.com for any questions.

Official Raha Policies List

This will be shared with parents closer to the start of the school year.

The School Day School Fees & Finance

The Accounts office is available from Monday to Thursday, 7:30am to 4:00pm, and on Friday from 7:30am to 12:00pm. For inquiries about finance/accounts, please contact accounts@ris.ae

Due dates for payment of term fees for 2023/2024 are as follows:

Registration fee - due 10 days from date of invoice or 3 days prior to intended start date

Term 1 fee - due 29 July 2023

Term 2 fee - due 2 December 2023*

Term 3 fee - due 15 March 2023*

*Dates to be confirmed at the start of school year

School Fees & Finance

Other Charges

Uniforms and PE kits are compulsory and must be purchased from Zak’s and Magrudy’s. Books & Stationery are supplied by the school. Charges may apply for lost textbooks/library books.

Bus transportation is optional and outsourced to an external provider. The charges of this service may vary from year to year. Currently bus fees are priced at AED 5,750 per student per annum. Field trips and excursion activities are optional and may involve charges from external providers.

Extracurricular activities (after school) are optional and offered directly by Raha as Extra Curricular Programmes (ECPs). These are free of charge, unless otherwise specified. External providers offer a range of sports and other activities at an additional cost in the late afternoon, in the evening and on weekends.

Special Educational Needs Support: If additional support is required then parents will be contacted and the next steps will be outlined, discussed and additional charges may then apply in accordance with ADEK regulations.

Tuition Refund

The Raha refund policy is strictly in accordance with the refund policy as per ADEK and is applicable for both Tuition and Transportation fees. All requests for refund must be made in writing to accountsadmin@ris.ae and admissions@ris.ae.

1.1 Student withdrawal prior to the start of the academic year:

If the student has NOT attended ANY classes or has attended only part of week one of the school year, the balance of the first term fee paid is refunded minus any registration fee made for placing the student on the school’s official class list.

1.2 Student withdrawal during the school year:

If the student attends school from one week and up to three weeks in a term, Raha may retain the value of one full month of tuition fees.

If the student attends school from three weeks and up to six weeks in a term, Raha may retain the value of two full months of tuition fees.

If the student attends school over six weeks in a term, Raha may retain the full-term fee.

Tech @ Raha

At Raha GC, we use technology as one of our tools to enhance learning. These devices are used to support independent inquiry, delve deeper into understanding concepts and skills and to show their knowledge and understanding.

We have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy from Grade 1 to 12. This means students need to bring their own device to and from school each day. As we are an Apple school, we strongly recommend Apple devices as it helps with compatibility of the digital resources used by the teachers. We also ask that students have headphones and a sturdy case to protect the device.

In PYP (Grade 1-Grade 5) this means an iPad. Students in Grades 3-5 may also choose a keyboard case to assist with typing and a stylus to help with digital creativity.

Students in Grade 5 may choose to transition to a Macbook in preparation for MYP.

In MYP and DP we recommend the Macbook Air or Pro, and in DP Art to create digital artwork, we recommend an iPad with pencil.

We have partnered with our Apple supplier to provide discounted prices on Apple products that you can purchase for your family use. Please see the flyer to the right to create an account to check prices for comparison with other providers.

Students use Toddle as an online portfolio.

For further information on the systems and devices used, please contact Richard Ballard (Head of Technology and Innovation) at rballard@ris.ae

How do I buy?

• Naviagte to www.jtrs.ae

• Click on ‘Sign Up’

• Choose ‘Raha International School’

• Sign in & complete your purchase

https://drive.google.com/file/d/117fkImJp1zPysm7W2a8un5rfYAafdu-c/view?usp=sharing to download the Purchase Guide

School Bus Transport

School bus registration will be sent out to families at a later date when the system opens.

Helpful Contacts

Reception - +971 (0)2 556 1567 frontdesk@ris.ae ext. 107 or 182

Absence Reporting: Send an email, including the name of the student and the class, to absent@ris.ae. Please do not leave recorded messages on the answer machine.

Gardens Campus - +971 (0)2 556 1567

Jane Savimaki - Executive Assistant to the Principal jsavimaki@ris.ae ext. 103

Nivashne Joshi - Assistant to the Vice Principal njoshi@ris.ae ext. 181

Anne Raagas - Assistant to the Head of Early Years araagas@ris.ae ext. 141

Shawna Pope - Assistant to the Head of Primary risprimaryreception@ris.ae ext. 176

Beca Clarke - Assistant to the Head of Secondary secondaryassistant@ris.ae ext. 162

School Clinic / Nurse clinic@ris.ae ext. 106 or 172

Accounts Department Philip Thomas - Accounts Assistant accounts@ris.ae ext. 104

Admissions & Marketing Department

Estée Caplen - Head of Admissions & Enrolment

Nicola Burton - Registrar gcregistrar@ris.ae ext. 125

Karoline Danzinger - Admissions Administrator gcadmissionsadmin@ris.ae ext. 169

Nour Almasri - Admissions Administrator gcadmissionsadmin@ris.ae ext. 174

Abigail Alexander - Communications Executive communications@ris.ae ext. 120

School Uniforms

The uniform is an important feature of our school as it provides our students with a sense of community, pride, and unity as members of our GC family. Our school uniform is to be worn each day unless special activity days are announced.

Zak’s are the provider of Raha school uniforms. PE Kits and Hoodies are to be bought through Magrudy’s. Shoes must have a closed back and a closed toe, not sandals.

Early Years and Primary students may wear PE kits to school on PE days. Teachers will inform parents of PE days at orientation. We recommend that all uniforms items be clearly labelled with your child’s name.

Secondary students must come in uniform each day. They will change into PE kit or swimming gear at school. Sports shoes are to be worn for PE.

Zaks - Main School Uniform

Zaks is located in Raha Mall in the Raha Beach Area.

Find the full guide for purchasing uniforms here: https://www.ris.ae/our-community/parents/uniform

Uniforms can also be purchased online by visiting https://www.zaksstore.com/shop/ris/en/.

Magrudy’s - PE Kits & Hoodies

Magrudy’s is located in Al Forsan Central Mall in Khalifa City. You can find them here: https://goo.gl/maps/SgAJ2WpomHpvuKMG8

PE kits & hoodies can also be purchased online by visiting https://magrudy.com/uniforms/RIS/

School Calendar

Find our calendar online here: https://www.ris.ae/our-community/parents/term-dates

Important dates:

Terms & Conditions

Raha International School is regulated by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge and we are required to operate in compliance with all ADEK regulations.

The school reserves the right to place your child in the grade level deemed to be the most appropriate, within the bounds of ADEK guidelines. If your application is successful, you agree to the rules and regulations of Raha International School as set out in the Parent Handbook and the Raha Honour Code. Please contact our Admissions Team for copies of the same.

School Fees

Although grade placement is first approved by the school, the final approval lies with the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK). Parents will be contacted and informed of the decision and grade placement by the Registrar. Upon receiving the letter of acceptance, parents are requested to pay, within ten working days, 5% of the annual school fees, to secure the place. Once the academic year has started, full term fees are due. Students are not enrolled until full term fees are paid. The 5% Registration fee is non-refundable but forms part of the annual tuition fees and is adjusted against the first term.

A student may not start the academic year unless the first term fee has been paid in full. According to ADEK regulations, the school reserves the right to withhold the final results and abstain from issuing transfer certificates until settlement of all school fees is made. If during the entrance assessment, we discover a requirement for English language support or Special Educational Needs support, please be advised that there may be an additional fee charged for this service. Parents will be notified of this charge prior to or within 4 weeks of the start of the academic year.

Re-registration for continuing students will not be accepted unless all outstanding tuition fees including the re-registration fee have been paid in full. A re-registration fee of 5% of the school fees will be charged for all continuing students at a date to be advised during the school year. This will be adjusted against the term 1 fees and is subject to the refund policy described below.

Documentation

All documentation must be submitted prior to the student joining the school. Incoming students whose documents are incomplete cannot be registered with the Abu Dhabi Education Council which could result in fines. Raha International School will not be responsible for any fines imposed by ADEK.

Existing Students/Re-Registration Fee

A school may charge up to 5% of the school’s tuition fees as a re-registration deposit to confirm the return of existing students in the new academic year. This deposit will be deducted from the total tuition fees for the academic year in which the admission is being sought. The school will advise of the amount and due date. Re-registration for continuing students will not be accepted unless all outstanding fees due have been paid in full.

Kindly note that those wishing to transfer to other Taaleem schools will also be required to fill the reregistration form and submit a copy to both schools with the non-refundable deposit paid at the new school.

Registration/Seat Guarantee

To register your child, you are required to pay the balance of the first term fees at least one month before the beginning of the school year. Term 1 Fee: a student may not start the academic year unless the first term fee has been paid in full. Payments will be only accepted via cash, credit card or cheque payable in favour of Raha International School. We cannot accept personal cheques for Term 1 fees, unless submitted at least five working days prior to start of the new academic year.

School Reports

According to Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge regulations, the school reserves the right to withhold any reports until fees have been paid in full.

Final Results

According to Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge regulations, the school reserves the right to withhold the final results and abstain from issuing transfer certificates until settlement of all school fees is made