Book Exchange

Our Christmas party is tomorrow! 

I hope you will be able to join us for some festive fun!

Here is the email that Stephanie shared on Dec. 11, in case you didn't receive it: 

Our Christmas party will be on Thursday from 11 am - 12 pm (early release day) in class 3LN. We will not have enough time do a craft, but we will have time for a book "exchange." 

We would appreciate it if each child that will be in class on Thursday December 19th will bring a new/unused, non fiction and age-appropriate book to class in the morning (wrapped in paper) for maximum AED 50. Each child will put his/her shoe in the middle of the class room and the child whose shoe is picked can take a wrapped book. It is very important that the books are NON-FICTION and age appropriate!

There will also be time to have food; I will send an email through sign up genius. If you havent received an email tonight please check your spam as it may end up there. If you still cant find it please let me know and I'll sign you up for an item. Click here to access the link. 

I hope to see many of you on Thursday next week. If I don't see you I wish you all a merry Christmas and all the best for 2014!

Kind regards,

Stephanie

Business Pass Reward Party Info.

By now, many of you have heard of our Business Pass system. It's a fun, positive way to encourage personal responsibility and effective time-management in the classroom. 

Here are the "regulations," that we have set forth as a Grade 3 Team: 

Business Pass Regulations:

• Each student receives 5 business passes the first day of each month and each class has a different color so we can keep track!
• Students can use business passes when they:
• Need to go to the bathroom during lessons/independent work time – other group bathroom times should be arranged during the day (transitions, snack, etc.)
• Have forgotten homework/reading material/etc. in their cubbies and need it during a lesson.
• Have forgotten their water bottle or lunchbox during recess and must return to their cubby to retrieve it.
•  If students run out of business passes, they may be given more, but the following month they will receive less than the five they were originally supposed to get.
•  It is the students responsibility to keep track of their business passes – if they lose them, they lose them!
•  Students may exchange/give each other business passes at their own discretion – however not between classes.

At the end of each trimester (which is now), we will celebrate a “souk day” where students will bring in something to sell in exchange for business passes. Each student will bring in approximately 10 items to sell. These items are low cost items such as stationary or baked goods. It’s a super day for students and we are looking forward to having a great time! 

So, if you could please send in 10 small items (toys, home-baked goods, pens, pencils, anything your own child would enjoy) by Wednesday, we will have our special "souk" day on Thursday, Dec. 12. 

Thank you so much for your support! 

News for the Week

I'm looking forward to seeing most all of you over the next two days as we have our Trimester 1 Parent Conferences. Thank you for signing up online. It's always such a treat to be able to sit with you to discuss your child's progress without the distractions of everyday school life surrounding!

As each conference is only 20 minutes long, we will need to maximize the time. I will do my best to be mindful of the time and I kindly ask you to do the same, so we can all stay on track. If one parent or set of parents is late, then unfortunately, many others are affected. Thanks in advance for your help with this. :)

Also, as we have had many events happening over the last two weeks and still have many more coming in the next two, I wanted to share the master calendar. The 10-day cycle can throw us all for a loop, including me!

Tuesday, December 10, is our Sing Along! Students are to “Dress to Impress” and can choose to wear their holiday festive clothes all day or change into their school uniform. (Please refrain from allowing your child to wear any large head items, such as antlers or Santa hats.) The event will last only 30 minutes. You are encouraged to come and be ready to celebrate music and singing with the students. For more info, click here.

Tuesday, December 10th

8:15-8:45- KG1RL, KG2NK, KG2JN, 1ED, 2MM, 3AG, 4BK, 5HM
9:30-10:00-  KG1HR, KG2ES, 1BJ, 2BG, 3LN, 4KS, 5KM
10:45-11:15-  KG1SW, KG1YA, KG2JB, 1RK, 2DC, 3OP, 4BL, 5ML

Also, I wanted to apologize as I did not create an Assignment Sheet and News for the last couple of weeks. They have been a bit abnormal with special holidays and happenings, so I opted just to communicate verbally with the children each day about what we were learning and doing. I hope this didn't cause too much confusion. The days of the cycle have been available at the bottom of the home page of the blog, so hopefully, you referred to that (as well as our 3LN schedule) when needed. Thanks for your understanding and flexibility. (I will have this week's plan up by Monday afternoon.) 

Just for your planning purposes, we will be going on a field trip on Jan. 14 to the Dubai Mall Underwater Zoo (from 8:00-10:30). This will provide a great opportunity for us to culminate our learning on animal unit in Science. We will specifically be discussing animal adaptations as they relate to marine animals. Mark your calendars! More info. will be forthcoming.

Message from ES Music

The Holiday Sing Along is just around the corner and the students are so excited to share the music they've been learning with their family and friends. 

We truly value the sing along experience at DAA because it is also one of the only times we get together as a mixed primary and elementary community to spend time together and feel like a family. 

To help families feel more prepared to sing along this year, we have included all of the songs on the ES Music Blog. Please feel free to listen at home, in the car, or just ask your students to teach you one of the songs they've been learning at school; if you don't have time to listen at home, don't worry!

We'll have students both on stage and in the audience this year helping to lead the community in song. Below is the link to the blog.

Happy listening and we look forward to seeing you at the party!

ES MUSIC BLOG

esmusicrich.blogspot.ae

THE COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Tuesday, December 10th
8:15-8:45- KG1RL, KG2NK, KG2JN, 1ED, 2MM, 3AG, 4BK, 5HM
9:30-10:00-  KG1HR, KG2ES, 1BJ, 2BG, 3LN, 4KS, 5KM
10:45-11:15-  KG1SW, KG1YA, KG2JB, 1RK, 2DC, 3OP, 4BL, 5ML

Wednesday, December 11th
8:15-8:45-  KG1JH, KG1LB, KG2PL, 1LS, 2CA, 3LR, 4NB, 5JO
9:30-10:00-  KG1AP, KG1SM, KG2EW, 1RA, 2CL, 3JC, 4CM, 5AV

Thursday, December 12th
8:15-8:45-  KG1TA, KG2NH, 1LH, 1MD, 2SP, 3DC, 4VW, 5AM
9:30-10:00-  KG1SS, KG2TG, KG2AD, 1JM, 2MH, 3TD, 4JC, 5SM

Thanks!!!

Holiday Music Practice

A Message from ES Music: 

The Holiday Sing Along is just around the corner and the students are so excited to share the music they've been learning with their family and friends. 

We truly value the sing along experience at DAA because, not only is it a low-key developmentally appropriate musical experience for our students, but it is also one of the only times we get together as a mixed primary and elementary community to spend time together and feel like a family. 

To help families feel more prepared to sing along this year, we have included all of the songs on the ES Music Blog. Please feel free to listen at home, in the car, or just ask your student to teach you one of the songs they've been learning at school; if you don't have time to listen at home, don't worry! 

We'll have students both on stage and in the audience this year helping to lead the community in song. Below is the link to the blog. Happy listening and we look forward to seeing you at the party!

Sign-Up Info. for Parent/Teacher Conferences

You are invited to parent/teacher conferences. Please visit School Bookings. 

The activation code is ASDP7

For more information please visit gemsdaa.com and look at the front page for the parent teacher conference info.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

PS. If you have any questions feel free to ask about the system feel free to ask. 

MAPS Test Results

Great news! The MAPS test results have arrived and should have been sent home today...but I forgot. My apologies! I put them in a safe place last week (i.e. a place where no little eyes would see them) and, alas, I overlooked them today. Lovely. 

Please rest assured that I will send them home tomorrow. Thanks so much for your understanding and patience. 

As an additional resource, please avail yourself of this Parent Toolkit when you receive your child's score tomorrow. 

*Book Fair*

Dear Parents,

Our Fall Bookworm Book Fair is almost here!  We had a great time with the Book Fairs last year. The students are looking forward to the opportunity to enjoy more wonderful books. 

Each KG2-G 5 class will have a scheduled time, so if you would like to attend the book fair with your child, please do so at their class time, or before or after school.  A money envelope will be sent home with each child so that they can purchase books even if you do not attend.

PreK and KG1 parents are encouraged to come with their students at pick up time, and 11:50-12:30 has been reserved exclusively for you on Wednesday andThursday.

The Book Fair will be open as follows:

18-21 November:

• Monday 11:00-3:30
• Tuesday 7:30-2:00
• Wednesday & Thursday 7:30-3:30

Bookworm has stated the average cost of a book is 45DHS.  Some books are more, and some are less.

If you have any questions, please email Deborah Knight <d.knight_daa@gemsedu.com>

Happy Reading!

Deborah Knight

ES/PS Librarian

KHDA Parent Survey

KHDA Parent Survey

Last week you should have received a small card that was given to your child. Inside was a KHDA Parent Survey that you can complete online. If you haven’t already, please take the time to complete the survey over the weekend. Each family's opinion is very valuable and we appreciate your feedback.

Thank you!

ExCELLent Plants

The class thoroughly enjoyed sculpting and shaping a model of a plant cell today. They squished, squeezed and pressed each step of the way as they learned each specific part/name. 

I hope you'll come take a look at their exCELLent work, which is on display just outside of our classroom. Also, thank you to those of you who were able to make the dough. That was a huge help! You did a fine job and may be tickled to know that other teachers commented on our beautiful, vibrant dough colors! Well done. :) 

Strategic Readers Share Their Thinking

 

*Measuring Fun*

~ Math Lesson 3.3 in Action ~

Students measured various classroom items in inches and centimeters after making reasonable estimates.  We discovered that many of us have large heads, myself included! :) 

       

                            

 

Halloween Pictures!

We greatly enjoyed our Halloween celebration on Thursday and you, parents, were a  huge part of our fun. Thank you so much for taking the time to engage in the festivities, share the excitement with your sweetie and also contribute items for the party. 

A very special thank you to Stephanie as she organized all the details, right down to the delegation of food, classroom decorations and the preparation of some really creepy games! 

I hope you'll enjoy these pictures, which capture the fun. Please feel free to download and/or share your favorites. :) 

Happy Halloween!

Everyone loves a little fun, so I hope you'll enjoy this selection of Halloween amusements: 

• 17 Frightful Facts 
• Pets in Costume 
• Really?! (more interesting facts) 
• The history of Halloween (short 2-minute movie)

**Updated Schedule**

Here is the latest and greatest 3LN schedule with just a few minor changes. Please print it out and refer to it as needed and let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for your flexibility and support! 

Let there be pumpkins!

Pictures Posted!

~ 3LN Photo Corner ~ 

A little pre-celebration for Eid was good fun! We are especially thankful to Yasmin (Alia's mom) for coming in to teach us about the significance behind this important Islamic holiday and leading in some engaging related activities. Be sure to check out the album under the "Photos" tab. 

I recently added a few albums of our lovely 3LN students, so be sure to click the tab "Photos" to the right and then click on the link to view them. Also, if you prefer to see them as a slideshow, then once you open the link, you'll see a little down arrow on the far right at the top. Simply click and the slideshow will start.

Saving images to your computer is as simple as a right-click on the image you wish to save. 

I hope this method of sharing, viewing and saving our class pictures will be easy and efficient, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know. 

Breast Cancer Awareness Day

Thank you for sending in contributions for our Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The students and I had a good discussion (yesterday) about this serious disease and ways we can help. I explained terms like "awareness" and a few children shared stories of women they know who were battling this disease and had lost their hair. 

I'm very impressed with how maturely the class handled such a sensitive topic and hope that we in 3LN will always be mindful that we can make a small difference. At the very least, our class is more aware of this disease and now know a few ways to show compassion and empathy. 

This is a great video to view with your child and discuss. If you want to make a bracelet, I will collect them and then send them to this organization in Michigan once I have a few collected. 

Thanks in advance. Even one really can make a difference. 

{Sewa Day News}

The class really enjoyed learning about Sewa Day this morning and especially enjoyed making a list of things we can do to show kindness. We also viewed a great short movie about the reciprocal effect of kindness. (It even made a few of us get tears in our eyes, but I won't name names. Lol.) The students actually wanted to watch it twice, so we did as they worked on their thank you notes for the various helpers around the school. 

Funnily enough, in the middle of our discussion, one of our own helpers, Mr. Swamy, came in to fix our broken blinds. They were all very excited to see him walk in and immediately thanked him! Needless to say, he was touched that we were so thankful. It was very sweet.

This year we in the Elementary School will celebrate SEWA by ‘bringing a bit of joy’ to our workers as they do so many things to help keep our school looking its best.  

To name just a few, they provide support to us on a daily basis in the form of: 

• monitoring buses
• making copies
• repairing things
• delivering desks and chairs
• painting walls 
• cleaning our cafeteria, bathroom and classrooms

We will engage in a year-long project of service and gratitude in order to show our workers that we appreciate their work in and around the school on a daily basis. This will also underscore our emphasis on building a “Culture of Kindness” in the Elementary Division that includes the people whose work can seem to go unnoticed or under-appreciated.  

Our mission is to begin with a simple note of thanks to workers and eventually build relationships with them as they become part of individual class communities.  Over the course of the year, we will also create projects, activities and events that will allow students to interact with our support staff, and at the same time, enable them to become more selfless and service oriented young people.

We hope to keep this spirit of kindness and unconditional love going for the whole school year and not just limited to one day or week. 

 “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

*For more info. about this special day, go to the SEWA website. 

News to Note

Happy Thursday! It's been a very busy week as ASA's began, I was in a training, we began MAPS testing and we gained a new student, our dear Soyeong. Thankfully, everything went very smoothly the weekend is here. (And all the teachers said, "Ahhhh...") :) 

Here is the plan for next week. It's going to be another full week of good learning and activities and then we will enjoy our Eid al Adha holiday. Please review this Assignment Sheet and News and let me know if you have any questions. 

One more thing, Sunday, Oct. 6th will be the kick off for something called "SEWA Day." Sewa (a Sanskrit word) is a commonly used term in South Asian cultures to denote a service that is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it. It is pronounced as Se-Va (‘Se’ as in ‘se’llotape and ‘Va’ as in ‘va'se). 

This is important day for all of our students and is a great opportunity to bring a little joy to others and grow in their appreciation for the work people do in our building. This is the presentation I will be sharing with the class: Sewa Powerpoint 

We will be writing thank you notes to express our gratitude for the work that goes on day in and day out in our school to keep it clean, safe and lovely. What would our school be like without all of their hard work? 

Please keep this spirit of gratitude alive at home over the course of the next week, in particular, by modeling your appreciation for those in your life who help you (housemaids, nannies, drivers, gardeners, etc.) 

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful support at home and have a restful weekend. :) 

A few items...

I hope your week is off to a great start! I wanted to mention a few important items: 

• Be sure to read all about what we are learning this week here. 
• Our internet here at school this week has been a bit sporadic, so please forgive any delayed email replies. 
• The Reader's Workshop training we Gr. 3 teachers are receiving is going very well and we are gaining so much valuable information and teaching tools. 
• We would like to extend a warm welcome our new student, Soyeong Yoo, who joined our 3LN Class Family today. 
• The following students have been requested to kindly submit a copy of their Emirates ID to the registrar's office as soon as possible : Alia, Mariam, Beril, Zeina, Haris, Yousef, Ali, Maxim, Oliver, Soyeong 
  
• Please kindly let me know if your child is involved in an After School Activity, so I can keep better accounts of where they should go at dismissal time. 
• The culture quiz has been postponed until next week. Stay tuned. 

~ Thursday News ~

Dear Parents, 

A very happy Thursday to you each. It's been another very productive week, full of great learning, happy smiles and plenty of flexibility. 

As some of you may be aware, we faced two challenges this week: MAPS testing was delayed and we have had some school-wide difficulty with the Internet over the last couple of days. These are always terrific opportunities to model adaptability, patience and a positive attitude in the classroom as bumps in the road will always be part of life. The good news is that it looks like we are back online and, secondly, MAPS testing will start next week. 

Here is the updated schedule: 

• October 2 (Day 4): 8:30-10:30 ~ Language 
• October 7 (Day 7): 1:00-2:30 ~ Reading
• October 22 (Day 3): 10:30-12:00 ~ Math 

We Grade 3 teachers rolled out Words Their Way with our students and they seemed to really enjoy it! We explored different ways to sort our words (short and long u, as well as an "oddball") and refreshed different spelling patterns (CVC, or consonant-vowel-consonant, and CVCe, consonant-vowel-consonant-e) that they may have forgotten from Grade 2. WTW (Words Their Way) homework will not begin until after the Eid holiday. 

After School Activities (ASAs) will start next week. The children are very excited! 

Just as an FYI, Grade 3 teachers will be attending a training on campus next week. It will be in the afternoon (12:30-2:30) from Sunday through Wednesday. We are excited to welcome a small team from The Teacher's College at Columbia University who will be teaching us more about Reader's Workshop. Our TA's will be our substitutes.

Also, I want to extend a special thank you to Stephanie Nooren who has graciously offered to be our 3LN room mother. This entails a great deal of time, energy and effort, so I hope you'll all express your appreciation to her, as well. Additionally, Lamia Bibi has offered to assist Stephanie in her role, so I am very grateful to her also. Thank you both in advance!! I know you be a huge blessing to our sweeties and to me, especially as we approach the holiday season. Please know I'm very grateful. 

To facilitate better communication for planning class parties and events, we would like to put together an email database (exclusive to our class) that Stephanie and Lamia may use. If you are agreeable to share this information with them (and other classroom parents), please just check yes on "Get Connected" form that I will send home on Sunday. This will make future planning much easier. 

That's all for now. I hope you each have a happy, restful weekend! 

Ms. Laura 

Cycle Schedule

To make it easier to follow along with our 10-Day Cycle, I have created a calendar, which you'll find at the bottom of the home page. I completed the rest of September, as well as October. I hope this helps keep us all on track. I know it can get confusing! 

** MAP Testing Update **

Due to some difficulty uploading student data for the MAPS test, it has been delayed until Wednesday at the earliest. Stay tuned for more info. I will post the updated schedule as soon as it's released. Thanks for your patience and flexibility. 

MAPS Schedule for 3LN

Here is the schedule for our MAPS testing. Please remember that this is not a test you must study for, but a measure of how much your child knows at this point in the year in the areas of Language Arts (Spelling, Grammar), Reading and Math. 

I shared part of a prep Point Point with the class this afternoon in an effort to lower their test anxiety and give them an idea of what to expect. We will finish it on Sunday morning, set some testing goals, then begin the first test at 10:30 AM. 

Simply click on schedule to enlarge

Back to School Night Power Point

For those who were able, thank you for coming to our Back to School Night. I really enjoyed meeting a few new faces and also sharing a little about what we do here everyday. 

If you were unable to attend, know that we missed you, but we understand that it's not always easy to get out at night, especially with other siblings, absent spouses or other responsibilities. 

To help you feel more in the loop, I would like to invite you to view the Power Point I created. I hope it will serve to clarify any questions or simply give you a good overview. 

Looking forward to a great year ahead! 

Math Test Date Update

Dear Parents, 

On the Sept. 15 Assignment Sheet and News, I indicated that the math test would be this Thursday, Sept. 19. This is an error.

We will actually be testing on Chapter 1 NEXT Thursday, September 16. Please forgive the mistake. 

Also, I will send home a review sheet by the end of this week or by Sunday, so your child will have at least a whole week to review and prepare. 

Many thanks, 

Ms. Laura 

A Message from Robyn Hoyt

Dear Parents, 

If you did not receive ASA information or a Spots school newsletter by email, the school does not have your current contact information. Please see Robin Hoyt, Parent Relations Executive, to update your information if you are new to the school or changed details over the summer. 

Thank you, 

Robin Hoyt
r.hoyt_daa@gemsedu.com

Parent Relations Executive

Week 2 News

Dear Parents, 

I'm very pleased to report that it's been another successful week in 3LN! Students are really falling into smooth classroom routines and procedures and learning my expectations. They absolutely LOVE happy sticks and have accepted reminders as a way of life, at least while I'm their teacher. :) Actually, I have found that students like reminders as they provide clear guidelines about what's acceptable and what's not. 

Many went to the treasure box and those who didn't have a chance to go, will go on Sunday. I love giving immediate praise and recognition to those students who are making wise choices, working diligently and showing kindness. I really believe that we all are so much more successful when we receive frequent praise, encouragement and enthusiasm. 

I will be using the Assignment Sheet and News to communicate all that we are learning as it relates to the subject areas (math, reading, writing, social studies, etc.) Please refer to this, which will be sent every Sunday. I will also post it online here as well. Also, please note that there has been a change in that I will be sending homework on an "as-needed" basis. There will be many nights when all your child needs to do is read for 20 minutes. 

The goal for homework is to provide more practice for those who require it, not to give extra work for those who understand the concept/skill. So, please allow for a little time in your afternoon or evening schedule for your child to read for 20 minutes and spend about 10 minutes of other homework, such as math, but again, only if needed. (Children may have different homework depending on their needs.) I will have your child specifically indicate what he/she needs to complete in the passport.  I hope this is clear, but if not, please feel free to inquire further. 

Next week, students will be getting their individual pictures taken. Our scheduled time is Wednesday, Sept. 18th at 9:00 am. This is Day 4 in the 10-Day Cycle. Please be sure your sweetheart is dressed in his/her formal uniform and looking tidy and smart! 

Also, please be sure you click on the tab to the right called After School Activities. It contains info about ASA's and will include the clubs and activities available very soon. 

For Social Studies, please send in a photo of your child in front of your house as we will be including it in our Dubai Book. Also, please continue collecting photos of your national flag, dress, food, language (written), celebrations and landmarks. Do not paste these anywhere as we will be putting them in the Dubai Book. Simply send them in to school in an envelope or folder (already cut) by next Thursday, Sept. 19. 

Lastly, I want to thank you for all of your support during these first days of school. Your smiles, conversation in passing, warm notes and emails have all been the wind in my wings. 

Have a very restful and relaxing weekend. From the sounds of the class' "Happy News," there will be many fun things happening! I hope that all those trying out for swimming give their very best effort!! 

Sincerely, 

Ms. Laura 

Week 1 News

Dear Parents,                                                                           

Happy Thursday! J I wanted to update you on how our first week and give you some news to note.

Our class has had a fantastic start to the school year!  Thankfully, everything has gone very smoothly and there have been no tears or mishaps. We have been working very diligently to establish new procedures and routines, form bonds as a class family and get to know our new students, all of whom are just lovely. We even celebrated a birthday. Ha Eon, turned 8 and had a very happy day with students sharing verbal “gifts” of kindness. Next week, we will celebrate Louis-Phillip and Mariam’s birthdays, as well.

The “Me Bags” were a big success as children shared their interests and things they love. It was truly a pleasure to see their personalities shine through and make connections to each other through shared interests, experiences and passions. What an impressive bunch!

Next week, we will dive into the real meat of our curriculum and the academic rigor will increase a bit. (Sunday is Day 6 on the schedule.) I have no doubt that this group is ready to jump right in. I’m already looking forward to the great things they will produce and achieve. 

That's all for now. I wish you a very pleasant weekend! 

Ms. Laura 

Welcome to Ms.Laura's Third Grade Class

Welcome! I'm very excited to welcome you to my class. We are going to have a wonderful year, full of good learning, plenty of adventure and a happy class community.