1. Al Yasmina School Primary Newsletter
31 January 2013
Issue 16
Have you Downloaded the D6 Communicator? 25 days to go!
This will be Al Yasmina’s main form of communication. Follow this link to download
this program on you PC. http://www.six-delta.com/schools/communicators.html
Dear Parents,
Dates for your Diary
Thursday 31 January - Music Recital at 2.45pm
Tuesday 5 February - Next FOY Meeting at 8am in conference room
Thursday 7 February - House Athletics for Year 1 and Year 2
Tuesday 12 February - House Athletics for Year 3 and Year 4
Sunday 10 Feb-13 Feb - Secondary performance “Chicago” at 6.30pm (dhs20/ticket)
Wednesday 13 February - International Day
Thursday 14 February - House Athletics for Year 5 and Year 6
Thursday 28 February - Aldar Olympics
Wednesday 20 March - Spring Concert
Assistant Head – Students – Mrs. Watkins
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself in my new role using
my „new‟ name for those of you who knew me prior to September 2012.
Having been a member of the Al Yasmina team since the school opened in
September 2008 I have been fortunate to experience a variety of roles within
the school. From Classroom Teacher to Year Leader and now as Assistant
Head Teacher, responsible for Students in the Primary, the variety has allowed
me to develop strong relationships with staff, pupils and their families. This is
something that I cherish about working within the school environment and I
feel very privileged to have had these opportunities.
Previous to joining Al Yasmina I was brought up in the South West of England where I began my
teaching career. I soon realized my passion was working with the lower Primary age range and I was
fortunate to be able to link my enjoyment of sports, to my teaching, by becoming the Primary Link
Teacher for my school and Subject coordinator for PE alongside my role as KS1 classroom teacher.
Having experienced the wonders of a round the world trip during my „gap‟ year I then made the
decision to enhance my teaching career further making the move to Abu Dhabi.
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2. My current role as a Primary Assistant Head is to focus on the well-being of the students within the
school. This includes behavior for learning, child protection, Specific Educational Needs linked to
English as a second language, Gifted and Able and Special needs. Within the curriculum I will be
monitoring the inclusion of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) alongside Every Child
Matters and global citizenship awareness.
I am the line manager for the SENCo, teachers of intervention support and supply cover and for the
Teaching Assistants. This allows me to work with a wide range of teams across the primary section
including the School council. I am very excited to have been involved with the planning of the
International Day being held later this term.
I am also a parent of one 2 year old boy and you may have noticed I have another little one on the
way. Whilst I am looking forward to my new arrival soon after the mid-term holiday, my plan is to
return to Al Yasmina following the Spring break to resume my position and continue with the projects
that I have already begun.
I am thoroughly enjoying my new role at Al Yasmina especially being able to meet so many pupils
and parents each morning as you arrive for school. I look forward to continuing to establish myself as
a member of the Leadership Team during this academic year. Should you need to contact me, my
email address is: PWatkins@alyasmina.sch.ae.
International Day - Wednesday, 13 February 2013
To celebrate the vast array of nationalities at Al Yasmina, we will
holding an International Day celebration. Children are being asked to dress up in their national dress
or in clothes that represent the colours of the flag of their country. The day will commence with a
parade of nations and then continue with international but educationally based activities in the
classroom. Parents are welcome to stay and watch the parade from 8.15 – 9am. Seating will be
made available and we ask that all parents stay within the allocated area.
Lessons will resume after the parade, however the international theme will continue
throughout the day. Children will also be given the opportunity to visit an
international showcase, provided by a group of volunteers. This will be a great fun
and educational experience for the children. No money will be required at the
showcase. Specialist lessons will also continue as normal so please ensure your
child comes equipped with their PE kit etc if required.
Friend of Al Yasmina (FOY)
The next FOY meeting is this Tuesday, 5 February at 8am in the Conference room - all welcome. The
Agenda is as follows:
* Treasurers Report
* Ball Committee - Charity?
* International Day
* House sports days helpers
* Aldar Olympics helpers
* Confirm Dates on the Calendar - put on communicator/website.
* Any other business
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3. FOYVeg
Don't forget to check the website/communicator for new products available and February orders
are due in today, Thursday with payment by Monday 4th Feb.
Volunteers
Once again, if anyone is available on the 7th or 12th February to help out with Tea/Coffee Stands at
the House Athletics Days or on the 28th February for the Aldar Olympics to help with the BBQ, please
email janineloftus@hotmail.com.
From the School Nurses
Dr Mushtak (school doctor) will be visiting the school clinic on Monday, 4 February at 8am. Please
contact the school nurses on 02-5014722 or nurse@alyasmina.sch.ae if you have a medical concern
regarding your child which you wish to discuss with Dr Mushtak.
From the Music Department
The Abu Dhabi Festival will this year celebrate its 10th edition, celebrating a decade of distinction,
and runs from the 3rd – 31st of March with a calendar of classical music, theatre and performing arts,
jazz, ballet and visual art. There is a special offer to teachers and staff, a 25% ticket discount (upon
presentation of a valid staff ID) and students a 50% ticket discount (upon presentation of their
passport and the attached flyer)on every 2 tickets purchased or student passport at the Abu Dhabi
Festival Box Office at Emirates Palace. Noting that each staff member or student can purchase a
maximum of 2 tickets per event. The Box Office opens daily from 1:00pm - 7:00pm.
Well done to this week‟s Musicians of the Week:
Since we have so many lovely singers and promising musicians in
Foundation Stage, we have decided to celebrate an FS Musician of
the Week as well from now on. Well done to this week‟s Musicians of
the Week: FS1 Gold: Mahra Al Mahairi performed the song “I‟m a
Giraffe” for the entire class. She sang perfectly in tune with a beautiful
singing voice.
KS1 Year 2 Flamingos: Yasmin Harris played a simple tune on the
glockenspiel from memory for her class and performed it perfectly.
KS2 Year 3 Cormorants: Ethan Duruba performed a song from the
Caribbean. He picked up the tune so quickly and then performed it for
the class very musically.
Mahra Al Mahairi (front), Yasmin Harris (left) and Ethan Duruba (right)
In assembly this morning Mr Gale presented certificates to some very special musicians, who have
recently passed their ABRSM practical exams. They are:
Yasmin Gaby, flute Grade 1 with a Merit;
Annabelle Harrison, clarinet Grade 1 with a Merit;
Christine Simon, piano Grade 1 with Distinction;
Jade Mclean, violin Grade 1 with Distinction;
Leila al Qaimi, violin Grade 3 Pass;
Emmanuelle Vuileumier, violin Grade 3 with a Merit;
Shanaya Fernando, violin Grade 1 with a Merit;
Elisa Vliegen, violin Grade 1 with a Merit;
Noemie Queromain, violin Grade 1 with a Merit.
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4. We also had a musical treat from the cast of The
Wiz, who performed one of the songs “Ease on
down the Road”. It was lots of fun – well done to
the cast!
Dates for your diary:
Thurs January 31st Monthly Recital
Wed March 20th Spring Concert
Wed/Thurs May 29th and 30th The Wiz!
For any information about primary music activities,
please contact cknapton@alyasmina.sch.ae
From the Arabic Department
‫تَعرف األَطْفال على قصة الالم القمرية والشمسية من خالل استخدام أسلوب التعلم باللعب حيث تم تطبيق لعبة للتمييز بين الالم الشمسية‬
َ َ ََ
.‫والقمرية َكِتابَتِهما، وقدحصل الفريق الفائز على المسابقة‬
َ َ ‫و‬
Sport - Abu Dhabi Schools Touch Rugby Series
The U9 series got off to a great start with nine schools involved in the inaugural series. The two Al
Yasmina teams (named the reds and the whites) played with great enthusiasm and team work, even
though there was a mix of experience between the two teams. They all performed extremely well
given the short time they have been training for the sport and really enjoyed themselves! They
finished 4th and 5th in the tournament but this was definitely a team that will go from strength to
strength as the series goes on! The next tournament is here at Al Yasmina on Monday 11th February.
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5. Reception – Lost property
Please note that all school items should be clearly marked with your child‟s full name. All lost property
received, that is clearly marked, will be taken to your child‟s class. All unmarked items will be
donated to charity each Thursday afternoon after 3pm. All collections can be made on weekdays at
1.30pm.
Playground water fountains
Please encourage your children not to play with the water fountains in the primary playground
before and after school. There have been several occasions where children have been splashing
and spitting water at each other. This is unhygienic and a waste of water. Thank you for your co-
operation.
Foundation Stage 1 (FS1)
We are going to the zoo, zoo, zoo! What a fantastic week it
has been in FS1! We all enjoyed visiting the zoo this week and
meeting the animals that we have been learning so much
about. The week started with a special visitor, Malcolm the
Zookeeper. He talked to us about all the different animals we
would see at the zoo and more importantly how to behave at
the zoo. Thank you Malcolm!
Once we got to the zoo we enjoyed feeding and stroking some of the animals at the zoo who were
so friendly and gentle. We loved watching the sea lion show and were amazed by all the cool tricks
they can do. As this was our first ever school trip we tried hard to remember the rules that keep us
safe, but the teachers did not need to worry as we all behaved impeccably and made our school
very proud of us.
After seeing all the animals and reading the book „Dear Zoo‟ each class has had a go at making
their very own lift the flap „Dear zoo‟ book. Please come and read our fantastic book, we thought of
the sentences for each picture too!
Next week we will continue to explore another category of zoo animals – reptiles. We will be doing
looking at how reptiles move, where they live and making paper snakes to help us learn about
length. In phonics we will be learning the sounds - r, d, g, u and consolidating all the sounds we
have learnt over the last few weeks. We have started to blend simple CVC words and we would
appreciate it if you could reinforce this learning at home.
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6. Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Last week the stars of the week were: (from the left) Yazan
Ameed from Yellow Class, Stella La Gona from White Class,
Isabella Hewitt from Gold Class, Chiara Shuttleworth from
Green Class, Tala Samarah from Red Class and Natasha
Willsher from Blue Class. A big well done from all the teachers,
we are all really proud of you!
Foundation Stage 2 (FS2)
What an exciting week it‟s been for FS2! We all loved our trip to the Emirates Park Zoo, where we saw
lots of animals, learnt about where they live and we even got to feed some of them including the
giraffe!!! We were so well behaved and our teachers were VERY proud of us!! We would like to thank
our parent helpers, who did a wonderful job looking after us; we hope you enjoyed it as much as we
did! When we were not being kissed by the sea lion, we were working hard in school. We showed our
teachers how clever we are with our sounds and we tried really hard to write about our adventures
to the zoo.
Next week our mini focus is „Reptiles‟. We have got some GREAT activities planned including writing a
letter to Achilles‟ Mum (they are crocodiles), persuading her to allow him to eat a child and making
healthy crocodile courgette cupcakes. In Maths we will be counting aloud in ones, twos, fives and
tens and measuring reptiles and putting them in order by length.
You could help at home by:
• Talking about different reptiles, where they live, what they eat etc.
• Look at the similarities, differences, and patterns of reptiles and how and why they might
change.
• Practice counting in ones, twos, fives or tens
• Measure items from home and order them from longest to shortest.
Phonics Focus: Revision of Phase 3 sounds: air ure
Tricky words: you, this, that, they, then, them
Helpful websites: http://kids.nationalgeographic.co.uk/kids/animals/creaturefeature/
http://www.ictgames.com/counting.htm
Underwear amnesty
We are in desperate need for girl‟s underwear. If you have any spare that your child has grown out
of, please can you pass them on to your child‟s class teacher? Thank you.
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7. Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Kirsty Pollock from Jade class, Alexandros Markou from Amber class, Ferdinand Maluck from Orange
class, Khushil Govind from Ruby class and Harrison Dealy from Purple class. Well done guys, we‟re so
proud of you!!!
Year 1
Down in the jungle,
Come if you dare…
Yes, Year 1 are still boogie woogie-ing and stepping into the layered world of the rainforest. We have
learnt about an Emerald tree Boa lounging in the canopy, and of the monkeys swinging through the
emergent layers!! We have been presenting our facts in a table using very specific words such as
habitat, diet and appearance. Then telling our partners what we have learnt. Tough work! Ask your
child about bonds to 10 and 20! Can they tell you yet which pairs total these numbers? We‟ve used
songs, cubes, bus problems and fingers to make sure they can!
Our Jungle masks look cool – have a sneak below only as we want to
surprise you on Thursday 14th February when we will be singing to you
from 1.15-2.00 in the Dance Studio!
Next week we will be looking a Measuring in Numeracy, specifically…
What is longer or shorter than a metre?
Explore what is heavier or lighter than 500g.
Find out what holds more or less than one litre?
Literacy will see the continuation of information writing and expecting the children to use bullet
points, headings and clear factual sentences to present their findings. We will also build a mini
rainforest but will investigate which materials would best block out the light and create a fabulous
canopy - hence the request for cardboard rolls last week – thank you all those who sent them in!
Reminders: please fill out your letters for the trip as soon as you get them!
Request: Are there any green-fingered parents out there who would like to
come and talk to our children about plants and caring for them, or show us
some plants that they have grown?
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8. Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Omar Khalid – Sparrows, Khaled Al Shamsi- Larks, Zeyad Saleh – Robins, Noah Lambeth – Cuckoos,
Ayeh Al-Yazdi - Doves
Year 2
Year 2 set off on their Click Tour this week and managed to take some fabulous pictures of some very
famous Abu Dhabi tourist destinations. We do not want to spoil the surprise but here is a sneak
preview of some of their snaps.
This week in Maths we have been learning how to estimate, compare
and measure lengths using standard units. We have been using a
variety of different resources including rulers, metre sticks and trundle
wheels. We had to estimate and then measure how far we could
jump. Ask your child at home to tell you the length of their jump. Next
week in maths we will be learning how to estimate, compare and
measure weights using non- standard and standard units.
Our Harris Burdick stories were so wonderful that we decided to
spend time this week editing them and adding in extra details.
Next week in literacy we will be looking at the use of persuasive
language and learning how to write „persuasively.‟ We will be
creating our own slogans, adverts and trying to persuade some
friendly aliens to let us stay at school!
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9. In Topic we have been designing a new area in Abu Dhabi. We had to think carefully about what
we would include in our area and we had to justify our answers. We decided to include hotels,
supermarkets, a beach, a waterpark and houses. If you had to design a new area in Abu Dhabi,
what would you include and why?
In Art this week we have been looking at the work of Andy Warhol and creating
our own Pop art pictures. We had to think of an iconic Abu Dhabi image and
then recreate it several times using different colours. Can you guess what the
image is?
Reminder- Once again this we have had many children not completing
homework or handing it in late. Homework is expected to be done each week and is to be handed
in every Monday. It is vital that you support your child in completing their homework on time.
Request- Do you have any old or unwanted clothes you could donate to our new and fabulous role
play area? If so please send them our way! They must be clean and appropriate for the children to
use.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Sandpipers – Amelie Ansell, Flamingos – Molly Fox, Storks –
Alannah Griffiths, Herons – Mohamed Al Shekaili, Spoonbills –
Greorio Angel Velasquez
Year 3
The children have been enjoying finishing and editing their stories based on Australian myths. It has
been wonderful to see them develop as writers and use similes and word choice to create effects
and build atmosphere. We also looked at the rhyming story „Wombat Stew‟, and used this to write
definitions of new words as well as re-visiting instructional writing skills. If you dare, ask the children
about some of their ingredients for Wombat‟s stew!
Next week in Literacy, we will be concentrating on word-work: punctuation, comprehension and
grammar, as well as investigating anagrams and palindromes. In Numeracy this week, we have
been practicing mental strategies and addition and subtraction methods, by using what we know to
add/ subtract larger numbers together (i.e. by looking for number bonds, partitioning numbers and
using empty number lines on whiteboards to make jottings and secure accuracy ). We have also
been balancing number sentences by using the equals sign and writing alternative sums to solve
simple equations.
Next week in Numeracy, we will be focusing on weighing, comparing masses and reading scales.
Please could you bring in an item from your kitchen cupboard to weigh? This could be anything from
a packet of crisps to a tin of beans to a packet of pasta or a bag of sugar. It would be great to have
a range of different items to compare. Thank you!
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10. In Topic we have been finding out more facts from Australia‟s past and thinking what it must have felt
like to discover…GOLD! Ask us what we have found out so far and how the discovery of gold
changed people‟s lives and places.
Reminder: Please sign the „Sleep Over‟ letter and return to school by Tuesday 5th February. We are
really looking forward to this and it would be wonderful if every child would be able to participate in
this exciting, fun experience.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Omer Shakeel - Terns, Rayan Mahmoud – Buntings, Mackenzie
Kenyon – Ravens, Abdulla Al Ali – Cormorants . Apologies to
Curlews, the long weekend caught them out but Mrs Hargrave
has rewarded the class in another way.
Year 4
In Literacy this week we have continued to look at stories set in a historical setting. We have very
nearly finished the story „The Roman Invasion, My Story‟ and we have enjoyed it so much, we are
hoping to write our own story in the same style next week! The book has given us lots of information
about the Romans and it has raised many interesting questions that have really made us think. We
have therefore spent a lot of the week exploring how we feel about the Romans and whether we
think it was right for the Romans to invade Britain. Our class debates have been so much fun and we
have really enjoyed getting the chance to debate our views and opinions about The Romans.
Our work on the Romans has not just stopped at speaking and listening activities. We have also been
working really hard to learn new „Exciting Sentence types‟ and have been using these to describe
Bran‟s character and to explain how he might be feeling at different points in the story. These
sentences are really helping us to make progress with our writing skills and are helping us to use
commas effectively.
In Math‟s we‟ve been continuing to use written methods for calculations. All of us have tried really
hard to become familiar and confident with „Chunking‟ and most of us are really happy to say we
have conquered the Chunking method! We have now moved onto looking at number sequences
and will be working hard on this in the week to come. We are also excited about starting a new
Math‟s set this Thursday, where we will take part in Mental and Oral activities and investigate lots of
different open questions to help us apply all of the methods we have learnt recently for addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division.
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11. The Roman Wheatears (far left),
debating why they think the
Romans SHOULD have invaded
Britain and have taken over the
country!
The Side of The Britons (left),
debating why The Romans
SHOULDN‟T have invaded Britain
and they SHOULD have left their
people and their tribes alone.
Us as Romans, (left) with our fantastic homemade Roman Artifacts and Writing Exciting Sentences
about our main story character „Bran‟.
Important Key dates in Year 4:
Tuesday 12th February: Years 3/4 House athletics Competition
Wednesday 13th February: International Day
Thursday 14th February: Year 4 Roman Day
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Congratulations to Archie Backhouse (Wheatears),
Grace Lewis (Wagtails), Albert Jarman (Sandgrouse),
absent Mishkat Usama (Warblers).
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12. Year 5
The school week began with a Year group assembly in the shared area. The assembly gave children
an insight into the exciting week we had planned. We introduced our Ancient China topic and
children have been really excited about this topic. In Literacy the pupils have been creating their
own story using elements of Michael Morpurgo‟s style of writing. They have completed a final piece
of writing that covers different sentence types, punctuation, sentence variation and specific
vocabulary.
In Numeracy the pupils have been looking at symmetry and translation. They have worked really
hard on drawing the reflections of shapes and patterns, sometimes involving two lines of symmetry.
The children have also been working really hard on learning their times tables, please can you test
your child on a weekly basis.In topic the children decided on what they knew already about Ancient
China and what they would like to find out too. They used the internet and books to source and
identify some of the questions created. They looked at the History of Ancient China and the different
dynasties over the years.
Do you know who the first Emperor was and how the name China came about? Maybe your child
will be able to help you out. We have also been looking at what life was like in Ancient China and
how the roles of women may have been different. The children were also told a traditional Chinese
tale which gave children an understanding of the Chinese New Year. This was told by our very own
student Edmund Chung, what a star!
Next week we will be starting our new topic in Literacy called „Persuasive Writing‟. We will be focusing
on different aspects of persuasion and concentrating particulary on the advertising aspect, looking
at leaflets and promotions that persuade potential customers. In Numeracy the pupils are learning
about the likelihood of events occurring and the words associated to probability such as: impossible,
even chance, certain.
Next week for our topic of „Ancient China‟ children will be concentrating on the geographical
aspect of China, looking at the region of China and the geographical features that are apparent.
We will also be looking at the different rivers in China and their importance to China. Finally we will be
focusing on the key cities in China.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Swallows -James Kay, Parakeets-Mousa Pirzada, Mynahs-Natalia Ponce, Nightjars-Iman Mohd Husni,
Sunbirds-Morgan Dennett.
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13. Year 6
Year 6 have continued to work hard this week and have maintained an excellent attitude towards
their learning. During Literacy this week the pupils have been learning about the features of non-
chronological reports. They will be using these skills and the homework they have researched, to
create a non-chronological report on a topic of interest to them! In Numeracy the pupils have been
applying their knowledge of numbers to real-life situations. Some classes have been handling data
while others have been measuring distances and converting between mm, cm, m and km. Children
have also looked at Probability and Mean, Median, Mode and Range.
In Science we have been continuing to study
evaporation. This week, children will be
investigating how to vary the speed at which
materials dissolve. They have been able to
identify the variables and constants and are
excited about recording the results over the
week. Continuing on with our topic, „Freaks
of Nature‟, the pupils have been learning
how volcanoes are formed and the impact
that they have on the world. We will be
starting to investigate tornadoes next!
Solving the problem of designing and making a seismograph!
Next week we shall start the week with „Sunday Fun Day.‟ Though I do not expect a day of fun will
make up for the disappointment the children are feeling over the cancellation of the Oman
residential, I do think that it will lift their spirits and add a silver lining to a somewhat dark cloud.
The following days we shall be looking at Securing number facts, and understanding shape. In
literacy the children shall be looking at developing the children‟s understanding of imagery and the
use of personification and metaphors to help heighten their writing.
May I please remind all of the pupils that their natural disaster projects are due on Monday 11th
February.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Layla Jawhari, Jimin Kim, Ahmed Al Belooshi, Eoghan
Cumbers, Klara Suleiman
Al Yasmina School
Tel: 02 501 4888
email: jhupalo@alyasmina.sch.ae
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