1. Al Yasmina School Primary Newsletter
22 November 2012
Issue 10
Dear Parents,
Dates for your Diary
Sunday 25 – Tuesday 27 November Bookworm Fair
Monday 26 November - Next FOY Meeting at 8am
Monday 26 November - Individual photos
Tuesday 27 November - Individual photos
Thursday 29 November - National Day Celebrations
Thursday 29 November - Music Recital at 2.45pm
Thursday 6 December - Year 3 Ancient Egyptian Day
Saturday 8 December - Festive Fayre
Monday 10 December - Al Yasmina Festive Concert
From The Music Department
Well done to this week‟s Musicians of the Week
William Vandy (Key Stage1) and Ahmed Saif (Key Stage 2).
William (Year 2 Spoonbills) gave a very fine performance of “Ode to Joy” on
the cello for the whole class and Ahmed (Year 6 Falcons ) was super-
successful when he displayed his vocal ability. He sang “Born this Way” by
Lady Gaga for his class. Well done to both of you!
The primary children got a sneak preview of things to come this morning
when Sophia Meshal performed one of the songs from The Wiz. She
sounded amazing! FS2 – Orange class also performed in assembly this
morning. They sang „Ain‟t no mountain high enough.‟
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2. We have several dates for your diary:
Thursday 29 November –Monthly Music Recital at 2.45 in the Recital Room.
Thursday 6 December - Year 3 Ancient Egyptian Day
**Saturday 8 December - Festive Fayre. The following primary groups will be performing at the
following times:
11.20 Junior Choir
11.40 Intermediate Choir
12.00 Flute Choir
12.40 Brass Ensemble
**Monday 10 December - Al Yasmina Festive Concert
**If your child is involved in the above groups, please email cknapton@alyasmina.sch.ae stating
child‟s name, group, and whether they are able to attend the above 2 events. Many thanks.
From the Library
Bookworm Book Fair
Al Yasmina Primary Library is once again pleased to host its 5 th annual book fair with the popular Abu
Dhabi children‟s book shop Bookworm.
This year FS to Year 6 will be given the opportunity to visit the Book Fair during school time to look at
the excellent range of books available. The children will also be able to buy books during their class
visit if parent wish them to do so. Pre-printed Bookworm envelopes will be sent home with children
on Thursday 22nd November. Parents of those children wishing to purchase books should send money
to school in these envelopes. The average cost of a book is 50Dhs.
Please note that the teacher takes no responsibility for any money sent into the school with pupils.
Parents are also invited to visit the book fair during the hours mentioned or with their children after
school. Book Fair hours are: Sunday 25 – Tuesday, 27 November 7.30am -3.30pm
In Al Yasmina Secondary Sports Hall
Sunday 25th November Monday 26th November Tuesday 27th November
Blue Red White
Gold Jade Robins
Green Amber Sparrows
Yellow Cuckoo’s Flamingos
Orange Herons Buntings
Purple Sandpipers Terns
Ruby Curlews Ravens
Larks Pipits Cormorants
Doves Wheatears Swallows
Storks Sandgrouse Falcons
Spoonbills Nightjars Ospreys
Warblers Sunbirds
Wagtails Kestrels
Parakeets Owls
Mynahs
Eagles
Friend of Al Yasmina (FOY)
FOY Hamper Request
Just a reminder re donations for the Hamper stall, Tombola and decorate a Jar. Your child should
bring home a flyer today to jog the memory - as donations have been slow in arriving, we have
extended the deadline to Monday 26th November. Thank you to those who have already sent in
items.
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3. Children will receive 2 house points for each item brought in, so have a look in those cupboards over
the weekend.
FS1 and FS2 - Spa products - body wash, scrub, lotion, shower gel, hand cream, cuticle cream, nail
polish, nail file, aromatherapy candles or oils
Year 1 and Year 2 - Gourmet food - (nothing that needs to be refrigerated) - coffee, specialty teas,
fancy biscuits or crackers, nice jars, oils
Year 3 and Year 4 - Toys/items for children - board games, cards, small books, crayons, colouring
pencils, stickers, yo-yos, small puzzles, bubbles, balloons
Year 5 and Year 6 - Outdoor/garden - vases, candles, lanterns, small garden tools, seeds, hand scrub
and cream, gardening gloves
Cake Stall
Calling all bakers – we would like your help with baking for the Festive Fayre. Details on bake drop off
points will follow closer to the time. goodwins.uae@gmail.com
Second Hand Uniform Sale
The next Second Hand Uniform Sale will be held in the atrium on Wednesday 28th November from 1 -
3pm. We have plenty of winter jackets available!
Next FOY Meeting
The next FOY meeting is Monday 26th November at 8am in the Conference room. We are still in
desperate need for someone to take on the role of Secretary for FOY. It is not a very hard position at
all and Karen is only too happy to explain the role to anyone interested. Perhaps if you are thinking
of it, but not sure, you could come along to the meeting on Monday and have a try.
The Agenda is as follows:
* Secretary?? * Treasurers Report
* Charities - Decide on Local Childrens charity * National Day
* Festive Fayre * Christmas Concert
* Other Upcoming events * Wish list
* AOB
FOYVEG
FOY is considering a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Farmers' Services Centre that distributes food
from local farms. Similar to last year, Al Yasmina families could submit weekly (or monthly) orders (with
cash payment) for fresh vegetables (pure or mixed); or a soup or salad mixed box in either 2kg, 5kg
or 7kg weights. Produce is fresh and prices reasonable, with all funds received used to benefit local
farmers and FOY for the benefit of our students. At this point, we do not have enough interest to
make it a worthwhile venture. If you think you may be interested in receiving fresh, low-cost
vegetables at the school, please email Lisa Wall at foyveg@hotmail.com.
From the School Nurse
Head lice is a common problem amongst school-age children and, as well as being passed on to
other children at school, can also be picked up from home, play-dates, play-grounds, brownies,
karate club etc.
We do not routinely check for head lice within the school, as it has been proven to be ineffective, for
the following reasons (as per Health Protection Agency UK):
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4. “- Lice are taken into school from the community and not the other way round.
An effective head inspection requires damp hair and takes approximately 10 –
20 minutes to do – it is not possible to do this in a school environment.
- Lice move rapidly when disturbed and can go unnoticed during routine
school inspections.
- Early light infection will usually not be easily visible to the naked eye and will
easily be missed by routine school inspections.
- A child who is louse free at the time of inspection can pick up infection later
in the day.
- Routine inspections often provide parents/carers with a false sense of
security”
Head-lice are tiny wingless insects. They do not fly, jump or swim, but can climb from one hair to
another and are spread through close head-to-head contact. It is a common problem amongst
school-age children, because of the close contact through play. An infestation with head-lice does
not indicate poor hygiene or dirty hair. To detect head-lice you will need a fine-toothed detection
comb, which is combed through wet hair. This is made easier if you use lots of conditioner. Treat an
infestation (if live lice are seen) with either: a head-lice medicated shampoo, lotion or spray; or by
the wet-combing method. It is important to only treat if you see live lice, as it is known that the head-
lice can become resistant to some of the medicated treatments. Nits are the empty egg shells left
stuck to the hair shaft, when the lice have hatched. Nits can often be seen further down the hair
shaft, as the hair grows longer, even after successful treatment of head-lice. If your child has head-
lice please inform the school nurse or teacher, so that we can advise other parents to check their
children‟s hair. It is recommended that parents check their child‟s hair on a weekly basis, even when
there is no report of head lice within the year group.
Please look at this link for further information:
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice/Pages/Introduction.aspx
From the PE Department
House Swimming:
On Sunday, Year 6 children represented their house in the annual house swimming event. As always
the races were very well competed with each house winning a number of races. In the end the
overall positions were 1st – Voyager, 2nd – Endeavour, 3rd – Challenger, 4th – Discovery.
Well done to all the children involved who swam so well for their house!
Year 5 children took to the pool on Wednesday to compete in the house swim. The enthusiasm
displayed by all children was fantastic, they chanted for their house and swam their hardest in every
race. The result came down to the final relay as points were so close. Final standings were: 1st –
Voyager, 2nd – Discovery, 3rd – Challenger, 4th – Endeavour. He next House swimming event will be
in term 2, Year 4 on 19 March 2013 and Y3 on 20th March 2013.
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5. Swim Squad:
This week the Al Yasmina swim squad competed in the Al Muna Swim Gala. The squad swam
superbly to dominate and win the competition overall.
Our swimming stars for the event, who each got a medal were as follows:
Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
Luke Gillroy Hayden Woodrow Thomas Clifton Alexander Darling
Sidney Venus Rebecca Gillroy Isabella Palmer Tanami Loftus
From the Arabic Department
Year 2 Native enjoy building palace from sands and wood which is
related to the Arabic lesson the group called
(Al Farawla) won the trophy in Arabic class. Well Done!
‫في إطار األنشطة اهلادفة إىل تعزيز املهارات اللغوية املختلفة ، مت تنفيذ مسابقة بني طالب الصف الثاين‬
‫لبناء أمجل قصر من الرمل واخلشب واملكعبات ...إخل... فازت فيها جمموعة الفراولة اليت أمتت بناء القصر‬
‫.يف الوقت احملدد بفضل التنسيق والتعاون بروح الفريق فحصلوا على الكأس‬
...‫...فهنيئا جملموعة الفراولة هذا الفوز. وأطيب التمنيات للجميع‬
Science Challenge
Congratulations to our science challenge winners this week, Ishtanetra
Siva and James Kay. Both children showed they are on their way to
becoming mini scientists. James presented his results in a fantastic line
graph and Ishtanetra was able to make her own hypothesis.
Check your emails on Monday for the next Science Challenge. I look
forward to seeing your entries.
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6. Foundation Stage 1 (FS1)
FS1 have had an extremely busy week this week learning all about the food and culture of Italy. We
have enjoyed making pizza dough, using spaghetti to form letters in our name, counting out pizza
toppings accurately and talking about healthy eating. We even had a chance to showcase our
talents and visit Year 2 to show them our beautiful sunflower paintings from the previous week, yes we
are definitely future Van Gogh‟s! A big thank you to all of the parents who sent in food for the
children to taste. Also thank you to those parents who came in to talk to the children about their
native country. This is valuable learning for the children and we appreciate it very much.
Next week we are looking at the theme „Food from the UAE‟. This is a fantastic opportunity for the
children to learn more about the local culture and customs for which we are going to have a fun
filled week of UAE activities leading up to the UAE National day celebrations. We will be tasting
different foods from the UAE, talking about the national dress and the UAE flag amongst lots of other
things. We just can‟t wait for the celebrations to begin! We would welcome any kind of input or
talks about the UAE from parents, thank you in advance for your support.
Congratulations to last week‟s
„Stars of the Week
Last week the stars of the week were:
Tamika Heath from Yellow Class, Ahmed Al
Magboul from Green Class, Archie Woods
from White Class, Salma Al Riyami from Blue
Class, Zeineldin Said from Red Class and
Ioannis Pavlou from Gold Class (individual
photo).
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7. Foundation Stage 2 (FS2)
This week FS2 visited Italy! They made their own Italian skewers using
mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and cucumber-the colours of the Italian flag!
All the children enjoyed tasting what they had made, they then made
menus to illustrate the lovely food they had tasted.
FS2 also made Italian flags using pasta which they painted green, white
and red. Luckily, there was lots of pasta left over, so the children decorated
it in their favourite colours and made necklaces!
Our budding artists studied Leonardo Da
Vinci‟s Mona Lisa. They recreated the famous
painting using different mediums with
amazing results! Look out for our artwork in
the classroom.
After learning about the volcanoes in Italy,
FS2 created their own volcanoes using
bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. It was
really exciting seeing the scientific reaction
when the ingredients were mixed together
and it was even more authentic when we
added food colouring and liquid soap too!
FS2‟s mathematicians looked at 3D shapes this week.
They investigated which shapes roll and which shapes slide, and which ones
do both! They also learned the names of 3D shapes and made their own 3D
shapes using construction materials.
Next week FS2 will be visiting Asia to learn about the sights, sounds and tastes of the region. They will
be tasting exotic Thai food and looking at the differences and similarities between Abu Dhabi and
Asia. The children will also be learning about time and sequencing events in their lives. They will be
thinking about the sequence of events during their day, from when they wake up to when they go to
bed! Knowing how busy our FS2‟s like to be, there will be lots to remember!
FS2 will be using their imagination to write a story about flying in an aeroplane. Will they be the pilot or
the passenger? Where will they fly?! We‟re sure there will be lots of exciting adventures being
recorded.
You can help your child at home by talking about things they may already know about Asia and
finding out a few new facts. Also take time to talk about the things they have to do every day, and
the sequence in which they do them. Keep encouraging your child to read to mum, dad and other
family members as often as possible. It is fun for them to practise their handwriting skills by writing out
the words from their reading books!
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8. Phonics focus. Phase 3 sounds- ch, th/th, sh, ar, or, igh, ur. Phase 2 tricky words- said, put, was, went
Reminder- Thursday, 29th November, National day. Remember to dress in the appropriate colour for
your class to help create a human UAE flag!
Helpful websites http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/numbertime/
Congratulations to last week‟s „Stars of the Week
Youssef Mikhail-Jade, Amelia Broderick-Orange, Khalid Al Mutawa-Purple, Paulina Maluck-Ruby,
Bayan Khraisheh-Amber. Well done guys, we‟re proud of you!!!
Year 1
This week we have been very excited about planning and writing our own
version of Handa‟s Surprise story. We have been practicing writing a
question using a capital letter, adjectives and a question mark using the
phrase from the story “Will she like the ….?” . We have also thought of
making our own creative version of the story. In maths, subtraction and
doubling have been introduced and more activities on this topic will be
planned next week to consolidate learning. Science was also blast as
children had to investigate what materials attract magnets. We have
discussed how magnets are useful in our daily lives.
Children also learnt lots of facts by learning about historical house hold items from the Victorian age.
Children learnt to appreciate the technological advanced they had at home compared to the past.
Next week we will read „Hump‟s Travel‟. In the story, Hump the camel travels around the UAE. So we
will be learning lots of facts about the UAE heritage and geography as well as camel facts which will
be linked to literacy lessons. Hence, lots of our learning will built on UAE heritage as the National Day
is coming up.
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9. Reminders
Please send in a signed trip form for the Heritage Centre Trip as well as a contribution of 30 AED. The
last date for handing this in is the 4th of December however earlier is
always appreciated. Please note children who do not have the
completed form by the due date will not be allowed on the trip and
they will be given work to complete at school.
Congratulations to last week‟s „Stars of the Week‟
Back: Shreenah Kindi – Doves , Ateeq Abdulla Al Hosani –
Larks and Mohamed Khoori - Sparrows.
Front: Ahmed Al Ketbi – Cuckoos and Munashe Chinengo- Robins
Year 2
Well, what an exciting week we've had in Year 2 this week! We
have been busy making a time machine and do you know we also
learned that our time machine actually works! On Monday Mrs
Chumley came all the way from 1666 where she had just escaped
the start of the Great Fire. Mrs Chumley was very shaken but was
reassured by the children's thoughtful questions and key facts they
shared with her about what happened during the Great Fire.
We then thought the time
machine had used up all its
powers until, the next day, the
one and only Mr. Samuel Pepys
came to visit us too! Mr. Pepys
was very shocked to have
arrived in 2012. The children had
some interesting questions for
Samuel such as „How did you
feel when you first saw the fire?‟
and „How many people died?‟
Some note takers used their
quills to note down what Samuel told us.
Next week we will begin to create a newspaper article describing the Great Fire as it happened!
In Maths the children have been introduced to solving multiplication word and number problems
using repeated addition and arrays. An array is a display of objects or symbols used to show a
multiplication number sentence.
For example 2 rows and 3 columns(2x3)
Next week in Maths the children will begin to learn about division using sharing and grouping.
For science the children have been continuing learning about materials by describing materials and
their properties. Next week we will continue learning all about properties through and investigation.
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10. Congratulations to last week‟s „Stars of the Week‟
Last week‟s Star of the Week in Year 2 were Morgan Pharoah from Sandpipers, Ayesha Salam from
Flamingos, Aiham al Braik from Storks, Abdulla Ali from Spoonbills and Mia Greene from Herons.
Year 3
This week in Literacy the children were learning to include dialogue in their
stories. We looked at the use of speech marks. Next week we will be looking
at writing instructions for different purposes.
In Math we have been learning different methods to measure. We have
been learning to estimate length and measure accurately. Next week we
will begin to look at fractions of groups and numbers. In Science, we potted
our plants and talked about what plants need to survive. We have been
thinking about different things we could find out ie what
happens when a plant is given no light. Next week we will be
writing up our experiments to see what we found.
In Art we have finished off our canopic jars. We will start to look
at using different water colour techniques to paint pictures of
pyramids.
In Topic this week we compared Modern and Ancient Egypt.
We found similarities and differences. We will look at the
Aswan Dam next week and discuss positives and negatives.
Congratulations to last week‟s „Stars of the Week
Omar Abu Saleh - Buntings, Hamad Al Reyami – Curlews, Luke Banaghan – Cormorants, Zayaan
Siddiqui – Terns and Juan Moreira Ponce- Ravens.
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11. Year 4
In Literacy this, week Year 4 have been getting their noses into
some information texts. We‟ve learnt all about how to use the
key features of an information book to find facts. Not
„content‟ with that (see what I did there?), we also learnt how
to skim and scan for information and make notes. All this was
so we could construct some fantastic information displays
about famous buildings. Thursday morning we were treated to
a talk from ex-Australian Channel 9 News reporter, Kellie
Curtain. See next week‟s newsletter for all the info.
In Maths we‟ve been dividing our attention between fractions
and decimals. No quarter was given as we discovered all
about equivalent fractions and fractions of shapes. We then
got straight to the point when it came to decimals. Who knew how important they were? Money,
measurements, disappointing iPhone OS updates… those decimals get everywhere! Luckily we
weren‟t half bad at them. In Science we are continuing to explore the properties of solids and
liquids and are moving on to separating materials. Pipits class even fried an egg in their lesson to
demonstrate and „irreversible change‟. How egg-citing! Sorry.
Degrees of separation, courtesy of Sandgrouse
Next week in Literacy, inspired by the National Day celebrations, we will be
making an information leaflet about national celebration days from our
own countries. In Maths we will continue our fraction work by looking at
fractions of amounts (at least I thought that‟s what Miss Phillips said, it might
have been fractions of a mouse – eek!) And of course, we will be getting
ready for a fantastic day of fun and celebration for National Day!
Congratulations to last week‟s „Stars of the Week
Zach Aker (Sandgrouse), Hayei Al Hameli (Wheatears),
Harriet Hughes (Pipits), Wren Hutcheson (Wagtails) and
McKenzie Venus (Warblers).
Year 5
It has been yet another jam packed week in Year 5 with the children particularly enjoying finding out
about Formula 1; its history, future and impact on our local community. The children‟s mood boards
for their personalised F1 cars are also really starting to take shape and convey a strong image of their
unique personalities.
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12. „Instructions‟ have been the focus of
Literacy this week. On Sunday we
made Fruit Kebabs by following a
recipe and on Monday we played
card games following instructions
which we then had to evaluate,
depending on how effective they
were. We also came up with
instructions on how to make the
perfect teacher – this
could be tried out at
home!
In Maths we have
continued to explore
measure – of time, length
and mass. Did you know
that horses are measured
in hands?!
Our learning in Science has been excellent as we have looked at the science behind night and day.
We have investigated time zones, why we have these and learnt the basic facts about the Earth‟s
rotation and orbit around the Sun.
Next week In Maths we embark on fractions and equivalent fractions. In Literacy we will develop our
skills in writing different types of instructions with the end of week aim being to write instructions for a
U.A.E themed board game. In science we are looking at how the Earth‟s tilt and orbit effects the
seasons. For ICT we will learn how to include formulae within cells on a spreadsheet in order to
master short cuts and appreciate the usefulness of spreadsheets. History will involve further
international research on the host countries of F1. We also have, of course, our National Day
celebrations to look forward to on Thursday. We will base the majority of our learning that day on
U.A.E themed tasks and activities... it‟s sure to be red, green, black and white!
Congratulations to last week‟s „Stars of the Week
Well done to Faisal Elias (Mynahs), Ty Power (Parakeets),
Nicole Mueller Arboleda (Sunbirds), Abigail Thorpe
(Nightjars), & Daniel Blake (Swallows)
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13. Year 6
What an exciting week Year 6 has had this week. It has
been full of fun and interesting learning. This week in
Literacy the students have been looking at debating!
Children have debated such issues as „Should Children
Wear School Uniform?‟ and „Should mobile Phones Be
Banned in Schools?‟ There have been some heated
debates! We have been looking at writing balanced
arguments and the skill of rebuttal!
In Numeracy, children have been examining number and
calculations. They have used fractions, including improper
fractions, mixed numbers, denominators, fractions of
shapes, numbers and percentages. They have also been
practising formal written methods of addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division.
Science was “forceful” again, as the students tested their
understanding of air resistance. They tested their
parachutes and, working in groups, the students
conducted an investigation to see who could make the
most effective paper aeroplane! In our topic, we have
been learning more about The Aztecs and preparing for
our chocolate day!
Well done to our stars of the week this week!
Rinki Gubta (Eagles), Jaimy Vlassenbroek (Kestrels), Abdulla
Mazroie (Owls), Adam Tlemsani (Ospreys), Trinidad
Carrasco (Falcons)
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