Oops!

Dear Parents, 

I thought I should let you know that I made a very minor mistake when I sent you the first email of our year together. Please allow me to explain. 

In our Outlook Mail, it is difficult to find the BCC (blind carbon copy) option, so I was showing my colleague, Tami Huey, exactly where it was when I decided to just send her a "sample" email. Little did I know that all of your email addresses were already saved in a draft email and this was the one that was sent. 

The only reason I share this "oops" with you is so you don't feel the need to copy my colleague, Tami, on our email correspondence. :)

Thanks so much for your understanding! 

Kind regards, 

Ms. Laura 

A few items...

What an exciting time it is as we on the cusp of a brand new school year! I want to warmly welcome you to my class, once again, and reassure you that your sweetheart is going to be very well-loved, taught and cared for over the next ten months. I feel that teaching is a special calling, one that I take very seriously. Know that I will give you and your child my very best and look forward to a great year together! 

Here are a few brief items worth noting: 

• Schedule: Sunday, August 30, will be our first day of school and Day 1 on our ten-day cycle. Please refer to the schedule tab to the right as it's remained unchanged from last year, or click here. 

• Communication: I will send home a few important papers early in the week, which will provide you with our class schedule, my classroom expectations, as well as a few forms to be completed by Thursday, Sept. 3. Thanks so much in advance for reviewing those. (Since some of info being asked is redundant, please feel free to skip questions.) 

• Healthy Snacks: Please be sure to send your child to school with a healthy snack right from Day 1. Our snack and recess time is from 9:30-9:50. The nurse will monitor the weather and if it it is too warm, we will eat and play indoors, not to worry. 

• Transportation: Kindly inform me of your child's intended regular transportation, so I can make a note of it for my records. (This is the purple form I sent home.) If anything changes, please be sure to update me via written communication (passport/agenda, email, note). If your darling says that he won't be taking the bus, unless I have a note, I will have no choice but to put him on the bus. Also, please note that I am not always able to check my email at the end of the day as I may be teaching. Therefore, please try to communicate any last-minute transportation changes by 1 pm. After that time, you may try to contact me, but please also inform Ms. Rene in the office, so they can get the message to me ASAP. 

•  Arrival and Dismissal Procedures: As we will be working towards independence, please encourage your child to walk upstairs, unpack his/her backpack and begin class without any assistance. (I will be there to ensure a smooth start this week, don't worry.) Likewise, in the afternoon, you can pick up your sweetheart from the foyer. If there is an alternate location where I should allow your child to go, please just let me know by providing it on the transportation form listed in the bulleted point above. I realize that this first week is a bit chaotic, so please bear with us patiently as we work out any kinks. We'll get there, not to worry! It actually does become much easier with time and practice.

• Uniform Change: With the weather still so warm, ties will not be required until after our Eid holiday in October. Enjoy this small break in the uniform policy. :) 

• Assignment Sheet and News: Please read our weekly Assignment Sheet and News to learn about what we will be doing in class. This is also a great way to engage with your child as you know exactly what kinds of lessons, activities, and events are happening in school. 

• Activity: We will begin the week with "Me Bags" to introduce ourselves. Simply have your child collect 3-5 items that best represent his/her favorite things. For example, I enjoy traveling, so I have included a copy of my passport picture. I also love seahorse, so I included a little wooden figurine of one. You get the idea. :) They can be in any bag (plastic, paper, etc). Your child will share a bit about each item, so please prep him/her for this if needed. These can be sent in any time this week. 

I think that's it for now, but please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or concerns. I'm happy to answer any question, regardless of how minor you think it might be. 

Once again, I'm thrilled to be your child's teacher. Thank you for your kind support as we work towards your child's academic and personal success! 

Welcome to 3LN!

I'm pleased to be your child's teacher for the next school year and want to wish you a warm welcome! You should have received an introductory email with an attached letter, but if not, please let me know by emailing me at l.nossal@daa@gemsedu.com, so I can cross-reference your email address with my notes for future communication. 

As you may be aware, there will be a New Student Orientation on Thursday, August 27, from 11:30-12:30 in the Auditorium. Afterwards, you will have the opportunity to come visit me in our classroom, so I'm looking forward to meeting you and your darling then! 

One last post...

Dear Parents and Students (of 2014-15), 

I hope you've each had a relaxing, fun, and memorable summer! It always goes so quickly, doesn't it? All of a sudden, we are on the cusp of a new school year and we left wondering what it holds. (See, even teachers are curious and sometimes nervous!) Rest assured, however, that terrific things are in store. I just know it. 

I enjoyed a fantastic summer full of traveling (Denmark, Iceland, Orcas Island, Pittsburgh), relaxing, swimming, snorkeling, hiking, shopping, reading, sewing, and spending quality time with friends and family. One of the highlights was learning how to scuba dive with my sister, Julie. It was all so refreshing and I feel like my cup is full after so many wonderful experiences. I'm feeling extremely grateful, happy, and excited and hope that your summer memories invoke the same emotion. :) 

As we begin a new year, I want to say how much I will miss our delightful class and all of you parents. It was truly a special year together. I hope you make the effort to stay in touch with each other and arrange play dates, even if your children are in different classes in Grade 4. The friendships we've built in Grade 3 are certainly ones that can last for many years to come if you take the time and effort to nurture them, which I would encourage. Such international friendships are one of the joys that an expat life in Dubai affords each of us, so let's treasure them. (Here are pictures from our June fun, by the way. Thanks for your patience!) 

As Sami has moved to California, Kiek to the Netherlands, and Lehar to Switzerland, know that we are really going to miss seeing your sweet smiles around DAA and hope that you'll stay in touch. I have no doubt that you'll each thrive in your new homes and bloom where you're planted. We'd love to see pictures when you have time to share them. (You can share them in the Google chat for 3LN.) 

I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of you next week, so please swing by for a hug, if you have time! 

Warmly, 

Ms. Laura 

PS. If you're interested in some pictures from my summer, I hope you'll enjoy these fun memories: 

• Pacific Northwest (still have about 500 pictures to add, but this is a small album)
• Snorkeling the Jupiter Inlet, one of our favorite spots just 10 min. from home
• First solo dive with my sister
• Second solo dive 
• Seahorses!! 

I have more pictures to upload from Iceland, Denmark, and FL, but this is a good start. :) You might get tired of the fish pictures though! Consider yourself warned. Lol. 

It was fantastic to be able to spend such quality time with my friends at home! 

Very thankful for my wonderful parents, who have been married 47 years. They are coming to visit in late September for 2 weeks. Can't wait! 

Getting together with my cousins and extended family and church friends

Scuba Diving fun! 

Keebler was as fond of this fabric as I was. :) 

Exploring the beach in the Pacific Northwest was very different than Dubai or FL beaches

Waaaaay up near Hekla (an active volcano) and a glacial lake. Iceland is aptly nicknamed the land of fire and ice. Our driver was hoping the volcano would erupt. I wasn't!! 

Beautiful Copenhagen

A unique experience relaxing in a thermal pool in Iceland with some teacher friends...Amazing!

Thanks for taking the time to peruse these pictures. :)