External ASA Registration

External ASA registration will be available on Saturday, January 7th, from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM in the the PS/ES lobby and on Sunday, January 8th, from 7:30 AM until 9:00 AM in the PS/ES cafeteria.

Additional information about External ASA program dates, times, costs, and contacts can be found on the PS/ES External After School Activities Website. All providing groups will be at the sign up session to provide you with information about their program.

If you have any questions, please contact Beth Swartz (External ASA Coordinator) at e.swartz_daa@gemsedu.com.

News from Student Council

The Candy Cane Charity Drive Continues! 

The student council still has candy canes left from their recent candy cane drive, so they will be selling them for charity. 

You may purchase them (while supplies last) in the ES Foyer from Dec. 12-15th. The times are 7:15-7:45 AM and from 2:45-3:15 PM.  

Please consider purchasing candy canes and supporting Dubai Cares. Thank you! 

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: Monday, December 12th (Each Souk Day is at the end of each trimester.) 

How you can help: Each student should bring in 10-15 small items. (These can be anything, from homemade or store bought cookies, to pencils, new or gently used toys, bookmarks, etc. Basically, anything that a child might enjoy.) 

We will be sharing our souk with 3JT's class, so children will have plenty to choose from! 

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. :) 

An Invitation

As 2016 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! 

ASA Registration for Trimester 2

Dear Parents and Students,

Trimester 2 Online Internal ASA sign-ups will be open on Sunday, December 11th from 7:00 AM and will be closed on Tuesday, December 13th at 5:00 PM. Please use this website to view the offerings for Trimester 2 and for Internal ASA online registration.

For answers to frequently asked questions, please view the Internal ASA Q&A document.

External ASA sign-ups will be available on Saturday, January 7th from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM in the PS/ES lobby and Sunday, January 8th from 7:30 AM until 9:00 AM in the PS/ES cafeteria.

Additional information about External ASA program dates, times, costs, and contacts will be sent out electronically next week. All providing groups will be at the sign up session to provide you with information about their program.

Trimester 2 Important Dates:

• Internal Online Sign-ups: Sunday, December 11th (from 7 am) to Tuesday, December 13th (until 5 pm)
• External Sign-ups: Saturday, January 7th from 11 am - 1 pm in the PS/ES lobby and Sunday, January 8th from 7:30 am - 9 am in the PS/ES cafeteria.
• Start Date: Sunday, January 15th
• End Date: Thursday, March 9th
• Make up Days: Sunday, March 12th - Monday, March 13th

Thank you for supporting our ASA Program.

For any questions, please contact the ASA Coordinators:

Mandy Gintaut (PS Internal ASA Coordinator) amanda.gintaut@gemsdaa.net

Laura Sarmiento (ES Internal ASA Coordinator) laura.sarmiento@gemsdaa.net

Beth Swartz (External ASA Coordinator) e.swartz_daa@gemsedu.com

DAAPA Annual Winter Carnival 🍭

Dear Parents,

The Winter Carnival is fast approaching and we are very excited to see all of the students having fun at our winter wonderland.  As always, there will be a photo opportunity to capture the spirit o the season.  

This year the photos will feature the children in an amazing candy house.  The cost of photo with card matt is AED 15.  If you wish to order a picture of your child and his/her friends, please return the green form sent home in your child's take home folder along with exact change to your classroom teacher by Wednesday, December 8th.  

We would love volunteers to help at the Carnival.  If you can spare an hour or two the week of December 11th,  please shoot us an email at Nadia.p.sheikh@gmail.com or n.elahalbi79@gmail.com, we will be happy to give you all the details. 

Your DAAPA Winter Carnival Committee

The Hour of Code is Coming!

The Hour of Code-Anybody Can Learn!

Primary and Elementary School are kicking off the International Hour of Code with an after school activity on Sunday, December 4, from 3:00-4:00 pm. 

Parents are welcome to come and join the student coders.  This activity will be for students in grades 3, 4, and 5. Please note there is a limit of 25 students total, so please make sure to sign up quickly if you are interested.

Please sign up with this Hour of Code form.

Why is coding so important?

"We live in a world surrounded by technology. And we know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly hinge on understanding how technology works.  Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path."

Source: code.org

News from the Library

Dear Parents,

The library will be getting new carpet over the winter break. This means the library will be closed to the DAA community as of December 4th. Library lessons will be held in the classrooms during this time; however, students will not be able to check out books. Please feel free to come to the library this week to check out books to read in December, but please remember to keep them in a safe place at home, and not to take library books with you when you travel. We will reopen the library as soon as possible in the new year.

Kind regards,

DAA PS/ES Library Staff

UAE Day

Tuesday, November 29th is our day to celebrate the UAE!

The ES will proudly celebrate UAE Day on November 29th. 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, including a variety of classroom and recess activities and a school assembly. 

Maker Day

On November 22nd, ES students will be participating in their first Maker Day of the year. This Maker Day is inspired by the Rube Goldberg Machine Challenge. A Rube Goldberg Machine is a contraption that uses chain reactions to perform a simple task. Examples include moving a ball into a cup, ringing a bell, and turning on a light. (Here's a complex, yet inspiring example that we'll watch in class next week: Ok, Go video)

This will be a very exciting day for students, but we need your help!

In conjunction with the Maker Day, we will host a “Beautiful Junk” Drive. Students are asked to bring in old “junk” that can be used for creating, making, and tinkering. A list of materials is provided here. Please note, any materials brought in will not be returned. Students will use these materials to create Rube Goldberg Machines and any left-overs will be used in future Maker Days, MakerSpaces, and class projects.

Please send in materials by Monday, November 21st.

Thanks so much for your fantastic support! It's going to be an innovative, creative, and thrilling day!

Mark your calendars...

UN Day Festivities

As we celebrated UN Day today, there was no shortage of colors, smiles, cheers, and movement! 

Students proudly walked with their country in our Parade of Nations, then we gathered to form a human friendship bracelet, holding up "beads," so a picture could be taken from above. (We are excited to see it soon!) Then, we enjoyed a creative assembly put in by Student Council, which kept us laughing as we learned more about countries of the world. When students viewed this video, which featured all of the countries represented in the Elementary School, the loud cheers and clapping was a great indication of just how patriotic our students are...and how happy they are to be part of such a diverse student body. 

In the classroom, students wrote messages of friendship on their "beads" (balls). We are curious to see how they will be used in an artistic display in the lobby sometime soon. We also viewed this fun video, called Tour the World, and again, there was no shortage of enthusiasm. 

I tried my best to capture our day of international fun through these pictures, so I hope you'll enjoy them. I always just love seeing our students dressed up in their national costumes. Somehow, it always makes me emotional. 

On that note, I think it's safe to say that we all feel so grateful to be part of such a dynamic international community here in Dubai and at our special school, Dubai American Academy, in particular, where children not only accept each other's difference, but truly embrace and celebrate them. We know that this makes us a rare jewel in a world that seems to be facing increasing division and challenges. We hope that our students will be among those ones to make a lasting difference in the years to come. ❤️

Here are just a few pictures from our fun, but be sure to check out the link above with all the rest! 

A few items...

Learning is in full swing as we have now wrapped up our first reading, writing, and science units. Our class has worked very hard in the last few days as they've written assessments, done "on demand" writing, and have shown me what they have learned in these units. I'm very proud of them. Well done!

As we enter this new week, please be sure to check out our latest "Assignment Sheet and News," which now looks slightly different. In an effort to save time, I've put two weeks worth of lessons onto one document. I'm hoping that it'll reduce the time I work during the evening and weekends and it will also give you an even farther look ahead into what your child is learning. Our lessons may change slightly, but we are very good at adapting and being flexible. If anything major changes, I'll be sure to let you know. Not to worry.

Thursday will be an important day at DAA. Please take note of the following:

Thursday, November 10th, will be United Nations Day in the Elementary School. 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 8:05-8:30 am 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! 

Pictures!

To see some fun pictures of our mini-golf field trip and our fall costume parade and class party, please click here and you'll find both links under October. I hope you enjoy the memories!

IT News

Please click here to learn more about the great things your child is learning in IT with Ms. Claire.

News to Note

A very Happy (belated) Diwali to you 

&

Happy Halloween! 

I want to thank those of you who were able to make it to our fall parade and/or party this morning. We had a fun time guessing the body part of poor Mr. Brown's shriveled corpse ("Ewwww!"), dressing up like mummies, listening to spooky music, and eating delicious treats. I have many good pictures to share, so stay tuned as I'll be posting those soon. 

Here are a few things to note: 

• If you haven't already checked, please be sure to read our latest Assignment Sheet and News, which I posted on Friday. 

• Thursday, Nov. 10th, will be United Nations Day in the Elementary School.  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 8:05-8:30 am 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! 

• From the Library: The fall Bookworm Book Fair will be held November 6-10th in the ES Conference Room. Parents are welcome to shop with their children before or after school, or during their child’s scheduled class visit.  Labeled envelopes will be sent home next week with students if parents would like to send money so their children can purchase books. The average cost of a book is 50 dirhams.   

          Here are the times it's open to everyone: 

• Sunday, Nov. 6 -- 11:00-3:30 pm
• Monday, Nov. 7 -- 7:30-3:30 pm
• Tuesday, Nov. 8 -- 7:30-2:00 pm
• Wednesday, Nov. 9 --7:30-3:30 pm 
• Thursday, November 10 -- 7:30-3:30 pm 

• Swimming starts this Wednesday! Here's what Mr. Luke wants you to know: 

• Students' need to bring a swimsuit (one piece), goggles, swim cap (mandatory), flip flops, and towel.

• If a student cannot participate for medical reasons then they need to bring in a doctor's note. Doctor's notes can only exempt a student if it's for one of the following: stitches, ear infections, fever, or broken bones. 

• It is recommended that students bring their swim equipment to school daily, even when they don't have PE, as this will minimize the chances of a student forgetting it on PE days. 

• Finally, students will be given one mulligan (or "free pass") if they forget their swim gear.  If they forget their swim gear twice in the ten day cycle, then they will go down one grade level. (Students will have to sit out and watch if they forget their swim gear.) 

Swimming has always been an enjoyable activity for Grade 3 and they always look forward to getting into the pool. Thanks for your support! 

• Coffee Morning!  Doaa, our class mom, would like to invite you to come to 3LN's first coffee morning! It will be next Thursday, November 3rd, after the morning drop-off (around 8:00-8:15), at the Starbucks in the Mall of the Emirates. (It's the Starbucks upstairs near Ski Dubai.) I hope you'll be able to join in the fun. I wish I could go!! 

Looking forward to a great month of November! 

A Few Items...

I hope you each had a lovely long weekend!  I know a few of you went to Wild Wadi on Friday night and it sounds like it was a fun evening. While you may have been sliding down the Jumeirah Sceirah, about 12 of us teachers rendezvoused at the Westin to visit with our former ES art teacher, Lauren Williams was in town from Norway for a conference. We had a really nice time and I hope you did, as well, wherever Friday night found you in Dubai. 

I want to take a moment to say thank you for making the time to come to school last Wednesday and Thursday to meet with me for our Hopes and Dreams Parent-Teacher conferences. Our 3LN family is made up of 22 students and I was thrilled to see each and every child's parent(s) come. One of the things that struck me most when I began teaching at DAA was just how supportive and involved the parents are at our school. Having 100% attendance for parent-teacher conferences just doesn't happen in my school district at home, so please know that I am very thankful that you care so much and make the time to get involved in your child's education. It really makes such a huge difference. I also so enjoyed having some one-on-one time to get to know you and your child better! You are truly such fantastic group of parents. 

I also wanted to let you know that you can read all about what your child is learning by clicking here or the tab over to the right called Assignment Sheet and News. I have also just posted some pictures of our most recent science investigations. Learning about forces and interactions through inquiry, testing hypotheses, and pushing experiments to the point of failure are all such important aspects of our hands-on science lessons.  Hopefully, the pictures and videos will reflect some of the great learning that occurred. 

Here are some other important things to note: 

• We took our final MAP test today, which was the math test. It went well pretty well, overall; however, some children felt discouraged by how difficult the test was. I reminded them that the nature of this test is that they will NOT know how to do everything and that's perfectly OK. Please reassure your child that as long as he/she did his/her very best, then they did great!! 

• On Wednesday, we will be going on our field trip to play mini-golf in the Wafi Mall. Please be sure you send a packed lunch and water bottle to school with child. Student should also wear their PE uniforms, as they will be having PE later in the day. We will be there from 10 am-noon. Students will eat their lunches there before returning to school. 

• October 31st is the Fall Costume Parade: The traditional fall costume parade lives on in the ES!  Students are invited to come to school in costume on Monday, October 31st (no scary costumes, blood and gore or weapons) and all will participate in a fall costume parade around the school track shortly after drop-off. Parents as well as the Middle/High School staff and students are invited to line the large track and watch. PS/ES students, with their classes, will make one full lap of the track and return to class. Please come and join the fun (feel free to participate by wearing a costume)! We look forward to seeing you there! Afterwards, you are welcome to come to our classroom to join us for our class party. More details will be shared soon. 

• We have a new class mother!!! A very sincere thank you to Doaa El Gamel (Mariam's mother) for taking on this role. She will be contacting you in the next few days with some important information, so please keep an eye on your inbox. 

• Thursday, November 10th, will be United Nations Day in the Elementary School. 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 8:05 am and 8:30 am 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! 

• Next Sunday, we will enjoy a noon dismissal in honor of Diwali. We will be learning more about this holiday on Sunday morning, so if your child would like to share something he/she knows with the class, please let me know by email and I'll allow them to speak to the class. (This is a perfect opportunity to get practice public speaking.) 

That's it for now. Thank you, once again, for all of your wonderful support!! 

Front Row Math

Dear Parents,

We are using a computer program in the classroom called Front Row. With Front Row, your child will be able to practice math concepts at his or her own ability level. The program is designed to continually assess your child’s mathematical skills and present questions to reinforce secure skills and provide practice with developing skills.

You and your child can access the program in a couple ways:

1. Access the program online at https://www.frontrowed.com/ using Google
   Chrome as your browser, selecting “Student sign in” at the top of the page. 
2. If you have access to an iPad or other types of tablets, you may download the free app, which looks like this: 
   
   

Your child will login using their first and last name as well as our class code nossag. (This is an odd code (very similar to my last name), but it's what Front Row generated.

Once they have logged in, they may practice any of the domains. It is very important that this practice be done independently, without any help at home. If they are having difficulty with a concept, and the video tutorials on the site do not help, your child may either stop or go on to another domain. I want the information that I gather from Front Row to be a true picture of your child’s math skills.

I'm looking forward to having our class use Front Row for extra reinforcement, practice, and enrichment at home and anticipate the fantastic growth that they will make while practicing on the program. (There is also an ELA--English Language Arts--option in Front Row, which your child is also welcome to use!) Using Front Row is not a requirement, but simply a wonderful resource that I wanted to share with you.  

I want to sincerely thank you for supporting your child’s education at home. It make such a difference! 

Sincerely, 
Ms. Laura 

A Note from Music

Dear Third Grade Parents:

Your child will be studying the recorder (a flute-like instrument) every year throughout Grades 3-5. grade. An integral part of the music curriculum, the recorder helps students learn to read music and provides an instrument for solo or ensemble playing.

Students are required to have a recorder for use this year. We will be pre-ordering the recorders for AED 45. This money is to be given to the account department located on the first floor of the elementary school.  A receipt will be given to you, and your child’s name will be marked off on our list. He/she can then collect the instrument from me in January.

ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE TURNED IN BEFORE DECEMBER 1st.

Thank you for your continued support of the music program at DAA.

Sincerely,

Miss Wyse

Jeannie.wyse@gemsdaa.net

Goal-Setting Option for Your Child's Conference

Dear Parents,               

We are looking forward to seeing you for our Parent-Teacher conferences on October 19th and 20th! The first conference of the school year is always such a great time to reconnect and discuss the hopes and dreams that you have for your child's year in Grade 3.

We would like to invite you to bring your child with you to the conference. The purpose for including your child is so that he/she takes an active role in identifying a reading, writing, and math goal for the year. Research shows that student achievement increases when students know what the learning target is, where they are in relation to the target, and what they need to do to meet the goal.

This type of conference is optional. If you would like to include your child in our conference, we will spend the first 10 minutes all together, listening to your child share his/her goals, then we will ask your child to wait outside in the hallway for the remaining 10 minutes, so we may privately discuss the hopes and dreams feedback you provided us last week. (If you have not yet filled out this form, you may access it here. Kindly email or send it back to school as soon as you're able.) 

As an FYI, students will have already completed a goal-setting sheet at school, which each teacher will have ready for your conference, so there is no need for you to prepare anything else in advance.

Grade 3 is trying something new and will be the only grade level that uses this approach, so please keep that if mind you have other children in the ES.

Once again, we are looking forward to seeing each of you and trust that this will be a meaningful and reflective time for all of us,

Warmly,

The Grade 3 Team

Pumpkin Patch Sale

Pumpkins Pre-Sale - Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th October, in the PSES Foyer.  Pumpkin carving is an American tradition that brings the whole family together for an evening of fun. Pre-order your pumpkins at drop off or pick up time.  AED 35 per pumpkin. When ordering, please note that pumpkins are locally grown and vary in shape and color.  Pumpkins are not allowed on the bus. 

Pumpkins Handover: Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th October, in the PSES Foyer.  Collection of pumpkins from the Pumpkin Patch. Please remember that pumpkins are NOT allowed on school buses and receipt is needed for pick up.  ADULT pick up ONLY with RECEIPT.