Parent Engagement Opportunity

ES Parents, 

Have you ever struggled to find good books for your child? Please mark your calendars for our next Parent Engagement morning in the library on Monday, December 14 from 8:00-8:30, ES Librarian Sarah Mollenkramer will talk with parents about resources, perspectives, and tips for building a home library for your child. 

Please join us! 

Winter Carnival

Dear Parents,

The Winter Carnival is fast approaching. (3LN will be going first thing on Wednesday morning.) As always, there will be a photo booth to capture the spirit of the season. This year there will be an elves backdrop and holiday props where the children can take pictures with their friends. There can be up to 4 children per picture. The photo will be set in a frame.  

If you wish to order a picture, please return this form to your teacher along with the payment by Monday morning, Dec. 14th. The cost is 15 dhs. (Exact change, please.)

Looking forward to seeing you there!

DAAPA 

Winter Carnival Committee

Class Party

As 2015 comes to a close and we prepare to have time off with our friends and families, we would like to celebrate the holidays together in 3LN. 

Please view this invitation and mark your calendars to join us, if possible. The invitation also includes important information about our class gift exchange. 

We are looking forward to a special time of festive holiday fun as a class family! 

Winter Concert

I want to thank those of you who were able to come to our ES Winter Concert yesterday. The children did a truly remarkable job and demonstrated such excellence, professional performance behavior, and of course, plenty of cuteness! 

It was a treat to see so many of you there. I just feel remiss that I didn't have the time to personally welcome and greet each one of you; however, with all of the picture-taking, movement, and excitable children, it just wasn't possible. Please know that I appreciate you coming and hope that we can connect at our class party next week. (Details on that coming in the next blog post.) 

Here are some truly beautiful pictures that one of class mothers, Mikyung, captured and shared. I'm so appreciative of her talent and willingness to help, as it frees me up to focus even more on the children. 

I hope you'll enjoy these precious memories and give your sweetie an extra big squeeze for a job very well done. 

Front Row and other Apps

Today, I sent home some personalized log-in information for a fantastic program called Front Row Math. I'm excited to try this as it's designed to help students practice Common Core aligned mathematical skills at their own level, which ensures that every student improves his/her math skills or is challenged in a greater way. The program quickly learns what your child needs and tailors the activities accordingly.

You can use the instructions and codes I sent home today to sign up for a parent account. There is also information at the bottom of the sheet to sign up your child.

It would help if you download this free app onto the device your child uses most often. Also, please send in this device to school on Wednesday as we'll get some practice using it. (If your child will not be bringing a device, we will provide one for him/her at school. No worries!) We will also be using devices next Sunday and Monday.

I want to recommend some other great apps, as well, but please remember that they are only suggestions. (There's no need to feel any pressure to purchase them.)

• Cursive Wizard You can use this with a finger or a stylus (Daiso sells them for only AED 7.)
• Xtramath
• Math Slide (FREE)

Also, as we are now taking weekly times table tests, please feel free to print any extra copies of the fact tests your child needs by visiting this great website, which is where I got them.

Thanks so much for your support. It's my hope that the class will enjoy and benefit from these terrific resources. 

Souk Day

What: "Souk Day" This is a great day for students to use their business passes to purchase items. 

Why: To be rewarded for excellent work, self-control, time-management, and behavior 

When: Thursday, December 10th (Each Souk Day is at the end of each trimester.) 

How you can help: Each student should bring in 10-12 small items that would be worth about 1 business pass each. (These can be homemade or store bought and anything from cookies, to pencils, to bookmarks, to... you name it!) 

Please let me know if you have any questions and thanks so much in advance for your support. The children always really love Souk Day. :) 

Candy Cane Sale

To help raise money for Dubai Cares, our ES Student Council will be selling candy canes. Each one costs just 1 dirham and the maximum number of candy canes each student may purchase is five. 

Our Student Council Representative, Omar, will making announcement on Sunday to explain the details to the class. 

Thanks for your support!   

Innovation Day

Last Monday, our students stretched their thinking and demonstrated their creativity during our Innovation Day, since it was just Innovation Week in the UAE. 

Using just a few simple materials (boxes and tape, as well as recycled materials brought from home), they constructed some truly amazing and innovative projects! Students drew inspiration from a wonderful, true story about a very clever boy named Caine, who set up his own "Arcade" by using cardboard boxes. Watch it here. 

Students first planned their design, then began constructing it (alone or in a small group). After about 40 minutes, Ms. Jamie's class came to observe, test, and play what our students had created, and then we visited her classroom to get some inspiration of our own. 

After making a few minor revisions to their projects, students put their final touches on them and then we voted as a class to select which ones we liked best. 

First place went to Yihyun who worked very diligently to create an exciting game called "Ball Shooter." 

Second place went to Hafsa and Andreea, who created a fun vending machine. 

And, Lyn and Nia received third place for their creation, which was a gamed called "Basket 5000." 

All of the students did a really great job and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be innovative. All of our projects will be on display (on top of student's lockers) throughout the coming week with the winners on display in the foyer. To see all of the pictures and a few short videos, please click here. 

Well done!! 

Happy National Day!

A note from music

Notes from Music Class

Our music concert is approaching very soon. It will be held in the DAA auditorium on December 8th at 9AM. 

All students are to wear the following for the concert:

Anyone can pick to be a snowflake or a snirt, unless you have a specific line or part that states you are specifically one or the other.

Snowflake Attire: White collared shirt or blouse with black pants/skirt. A white dress may be worn as well for the ladies.

Snirt Attire: White/grey dirty collared shirt or blouse with black pants/skirt.

The students have worked very hard to put on an amazing concert! I am sure you all will enjoy it! 

Thank you so much!

Miss Wyse

jeannie.wyse@gemsdaa.net

Thanksgiving Brunch

You are invited to join us 

for a 

Thanksgiving Brunch

Wednesday, November 25th

8:30-9:30 AM

(in the cafeteria)

I know our wonderful room mothers have been in touch with you, so this is just a formal invitation, in case you weren't already aware of the brunch. 

It will be a day for the children to enjoy some of the traditional Thanksgiving Day food, which the early Americans enjoyed for their feast back in the autumn of 1621 at Plymouth Plantation, Massachusetts. 

Also, please be advised that it will be standing room only, as all of the Grade 3 classes will be enjoying their brunches simultaneously. Thanks for your understanding and I hope to see you there! 

PS. If you're interested in knowing more about this special holiday, please click here. And, you can also enjoy a virtual field trip by visiting this site. Enjoy!! 

UAE Day Celebration

DAA will be proudly celebrating UAE Day on Monday, Nov. 30th. Students are encouraged to come to school dressed in UAE national dress or they may wear the colors of the UAE flag (red, white, green, black).  The day will also be celebrated with a number of special activities.

Dec. 1-5: No school! Enjoy your holiday! 

This is one of my favorite UAE National Day videos. Enjoy! 

Character Counts Feature Week

Dear Parents,                                    

On Sunday November 22nd, students at DAA will begin their participation in a Character Counts Feature Week. This week will focus on caring and citizenship.

While we are going to work with students to make in school connections, we also want to give them a chance to take pride in the specific ways their families show a caring spirit and/or how they demonstrate that they are good citizens when reaching out to other communities in or outside of the UAE.

Kindly send in pictures that clearly tell such stories with your child by Monday, November 23, or at the latest, Nov. 24. They will then be displayed on the bulletin board outside our ES office. Please write your child's name and class on the back of any pictures you send it and we'll be sure to return them to you.

Many thanks for your help,

The Character Counts Committee

Here are a few of my personal pictures from various outreaches to children of the world. I hope they will inspire our students to get out there and make a difference in someone else's life by showing kindness, care, and by being a good world citizen.

Bolivia (2005, 2007)

Objective: Visit the Bolivia Life Center to spend time with orphaned boys, improve the property through construction, and teach lessons

Albums: 1, 2, 3

Ukraine (2008)

Objective: Visit state, private, and church orphanages to teach, deliver materials, and encourage the children and workers

Albums: 6, 8, 5, 7

  

Haiti (2009)

Objective: Build bookcases for local school, teach lessons to children, visit orphans

Albums: 2, 3, 9

 

New Horizons Service Dogs (2008-2010)

Objective: Raise and train a puppy to become a service dog to someone with a disability 

Album 1 (too many others to share) 

And, here is Kobe today, happily serving an author named Frank Caceres

France (2011) 

Objective: Build a stone wall in Cavalaire-sur-Mer, which will ultimately protect and help develop the natural and cultural resources of the region.  

Albums: 1, 2

One of my favorite poems is called Success by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It's one worth memorizing.

Array Fun

Unit 4 in math is all about multiplication and division. Arrays are an important visual/method for children to understand how multiplication actually works.

This 8-minute clip of a marching band performing during the half-time show at an American football game between Ohio State University and Michigan State is a creative and fun real-life connection using arrays that the class thoroughly enjoyed. I hope you will, too. 

UN Day

We enjoyed a fantastic UN Day on Thursday and the rain only added to our fun! 

Here are some fun pictures of our day, as well as a lovely photo recap that Yvonne put together. 

I also thought this short movie was perfect for UN Day. 

Enjoy! 

Winter Concert Practice

As the winter concert quickly approaches, Ms. Wyse has requested that the students get some extra practice at home on singing these two songs: One in a Million and Nothing Special. 

Here is the link to listen at home and we'll also practice a little at school as time allows. 

Thanks so much for your help! 

Pizza Day is coming!

DAAPA will be having the first pizza day of the year next week on Thursday, November 19, so please look for the form in your child's file/folder tomorrow. 

Please note that the maximum number of slices has been reduced to 3, a decision which was based on teacher feedback.  Also, this year students must pre-order and the order forms are due back on Tuesday morning with exact change. There will be no sales on the day.  

Thanks for your support and we look forward to a delicious day! 

Character Counts field trip

Dear Parents,      

The DAA Pillars of Character are in full swing this year at DAA! Our focus this trimester is on caring and citizenship. We are excited to share that this year we have chosen to give our students an authentic experience by volunteering outside of the school premises.

Sometime in the next 7-10 days, a group of DAA students will be given the unique opportunity to work with students at Inspire Nursery, an award-winning early learning center here in Dubai. The children who attend this nursery are between the ages of 3 months and 4 years old, some of whom have significant learning and developmental challenges.

The fruitful experience this holds for our students is that it allows them to demonstrate genuine care and compassion towards these students as they interact with them, read to them, and take part in learning activities alongside them. Students will also demonstrate citizenship because they will be out in the community, working closely with others, and striving to make a positive difference in their lives.

If you feel that this is the kind of experience that your child would be interested in, he/she will need to fill out an application, which each homeroom teacher has made available to students. The due date for these applications is Wednesday, November 11th. Teachers will then review these applications and randomly select one student from each class.

Students who are chosen for this activity will receive permission forms, which should be returned by a date yet to be determined. (Stay tuned as we are finalizing the date of our visit.)

The event will take place during school hours and students will be transported by bus, just like any other field trip. Your child will be chaperoned by Ms. Lama and me. Rest assured that we will ensure they are well taken care of in every sense.

This is a meaningful learning opportunity for our students and we are looking forward to a positive, impactful, and inspiring experience.

The Character Counts Committee

UN Day

Thursday, Nov. 12, will be United Nations Day in the ES. 

The ES UN Day is an opportunity for us to celebrate our cultural diversity at DAA, something we are truly proud of! ES students may come dressed in their country’s traditional dress or the colors of their country's flag.

The morning will begin with a Parade of Nations (similar to the parade that starts the Olympic Games) around the track. All children from grades 3­-5 will be walking in the parade in groups with other children from their same country.  

Parents are invited to join us on the main field between 8:05am and 8:30am to watch the Parade of Nations. We ask that you please stand on the inside of the track to watch. 

Hope to see you all there cheering on the many United Nations of DAA!

PS. Students, we will be having an assembly from 11:20-11:50 in the auditorium. To prepare for this, please practice this song during the week. (We will be singing it as a whole division.) 

Field Trip Reminder

By way of reminder, on Monday, Nov. 2, we will be going on a field trip to Tee and Putt Mini Golf in the Wafi Mall from 9-11:30. 

This will be a great opportunity for students to learn more about force as they see that an object in motion (ball) will stay in motion unless another force, such as friction (or in this case, golf grass) slows it down or causes it to stop. They'll also see that an object at rest will stay at rest unless another force acts upon it, such as a good whack to the ball with a putter! :) 

Kindly take note of the following: 

• Students will need to bring a snack and a lunch from home. 
• Students should wear their PE uniform as it will be more comfortable for golfing. 
• Students are encouraged to bring a jacket as we've heard that the room in which we'll be eating is rather chilly. 

We're looking forward to a great time of hands-on learning! 

FYI regarding Reading and Writing

A note from ES Admin...

Reading and Writing Workshops:  As you know, we use the Reading and Writing Workshop approach in our literacy instruction.  This approach effectively supports the teaching of our literacy standards and requires students to apply skills learned through lessons to their own reading and writing.  The nature of this work requires students to work at deeper literacy levels, which frequently requires time beyond a 40 minute period in the school day.  Therefore, to better support your child's learning in reading and writing, shortly we will begin to alternate the reading and writing workshop lessons from one day to the next. This will provide the necessary time for students to delve more purposefully into their reading and writing work.  This only applies to the formal Reading and Writing Workshop lessons, and other reading and writing activities will still occur in other forms throughout the school day.  

Halloween Fun!

We enjoyed a "fang-tastic" parade and party today as the children were dressed in their costumes, excited to partake in the activities, and hungry for fun! 

The classroom mothers organized three thrilling games, which included guessing what food items were supposed to be the dead body parts of Mr. Brown, wrapping mummies, and dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller (but stopping to make a scary face when the music stopped). Needless to say, the children shrieked, cringed, and laughed wildly! 

After the games, we ate the delicious (and creatively prepared) food, which parents sent in. (Thank you!! Everything was so great!) 

I hope you'll be amused by these fun memories and, thank you, again, for those of you who were able to make it to the party. It was so nice seeing you! 

PS. Grade 3 teachers all dressed in a Star Wars theme, which was something we decided over the summer. (This allowed teachers to purchase things at home or have the time to make their costume.) I was so impressed by how fantastic everyone looked. Check us out: 

Our fabulous EAs made very believable students!! 

Don't forget to click on the blue link above to view all of the pictures. :) 

Fall Parade and Halloween Party

DAA will be celebrating the fall season through the annual costume parade. Students are invited to come to school in costume (no scary costumes, masks, blood and gore, or weapons) and all will participate in a fall costume parade around the school track. 

Parents, Middle/High School staff and Grade 5 students are invited to line the track and clap for the great costumes. All PS and ES students will make one lap around the track (with their classes) and return to class. 

Here is the schedule of how grades levels will walk around the track: 

Grade 5's will go first through the front foyer and walk around the track. Then...

• 8:10 ~ KG1 (exit: foyer and they will walk on outside lane of track)   

• 8:15 ~ Grade 1 (exit: glass doors close to middle of track and they will walk on inside lane of track)

• 8:20 ~ KG2 (exit: foyer and they will walk on outside lane of track)

• 8:25 ~ Grade 2 (exit: glass doors close to middle of track and they will walk on inside lane of track) 

• 8:30 ~ Grade 4 (exit: foyer and they will walk on outside lane of track)

• 8: 35 ~ Grade 3 (exit: glass doors close to middle of track and they will walk on inside lane of track)

Grade 5 will remain on the far end of the track and clap for all the other classes.

Immediately following the parade, please join us for our class Halloween party. We should arrive back into our classroom around 8:50 and will promptly begin some fun activities, which have been organized by our class mothers. Then, we'll enjoy some yummy food, creepy music, and socializing. 

Looking forward to seeing you then!! (Don't forget your camera.) :)