A Message from DAAPA

Grade 5 will be hosting a hot dog lunch on Wednesday, May 4, in support of our year end Grade 5 completion ceremony celebrating 5th graders as they "graduate“ from Elementary School. 

If you would like to purchase this special ES lunch, please complete the order forms which were sent home with your child and return the form along with exact change by Monday morning, May 2, at the latest. 

You must pre-order! There will be no sales on the Wednesday.

Thank you very much for your support,

The DAAPA Grade 5 Completion Ceremony Team

This Week...

Here's the Assignment Sheet and News for this week. My apologies for the delay.

Thanks for supporting your darling at home. It really makes a difference! :) 

Music News

Dear DAA Parents and Students,

Music reading is part of the music curriculum in all grades and one of the most effective ways to learn is through a solo instrument. The recorder is a woodwind instrument ideal for elementary students. In grades 3-5, recorders will be included in the instruction.

Our 3rd grade recorder unit will begin the week of May 18th. We have a classroom set of recorders to use at school; however, students will benefit from practice at home with their own recorder.

Recorders come in many brands and can be purchased for AED 25-45. Here are some of my recommendations and where to buy them:

Good Brands:

• Aulos (my recommendation) 
• Yamaha
• Harmony
• Angel

Where to buy:

Times Square Mall, Music Chamber, off Sheikh Zayed Road (04-346-8046)

The Beach Center, The Music Room, off Jumeirah Road (04-344-8883)

Souk Madinat, Sadek Music Center, (04-368-6570)

Ibn Battuta Mall, Thomson Music (04-366-9385)

Dubai Mall, Sadek Music Center

Arabian Ranches, Brooklyn Melodies, next to Burger King

The Meadows, Brooklyn Melodies

Learning to play the recorder can be a struggle, so this is the perfect opportunity for parents and students to have some conversations about how to persevere and not give up. I am sure students will be excited to have everyone involved and share in their success! Please keep up the positive encouragement, try your best, and success will happen!

Thank you for your continued support of the music program!

If you have any questions, please contact me at jeannie.wyse@gemsdaa.net

Thank you,

Miss Wyse

Swimming

It's that time again, which is perfect timing as the temperatures are starting to slowly creep up again. 

Our class will have their first swimming class on Day 3, Thursday, April 28th. 

Mr. James has spoken to all of his classes about being fully prepared for the swimming classes by bringing all their appropriate swimming gear, which includes the following items:

 1. swimming goggles and cap
 2. swim attire- boys (swim shorts) and girls (one-piece suits)
 3. flip flops
 4. towel

 As Per Ms. Kit:

All students will participate unless they have a medical note that states they have the following conditions:

 1. Fever
 2. Ear Infection
 3. Broken arm
 4. Stitches

All other inquires should kindly contact  Ms. Kit regarding any exceptions or emergencies.

FYI: The water temperature and PH level is suitable for the children, as we are monitoring it to ensure it’s safe and acceptable.

 Thanks so much for your ongoing support! 

MAP Testing

The spring session of MAP testing for students in grades 3-5 will take place from April 25 through May 2.

 

Students take the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) tests in the areas of Math, Reading and Language Usage. These tests are used to determine individual instructional levels and to measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year. The tests are completely computerized.

MAP tests are unique in that they adapt to be appropriate for each child¹s level of learning.  As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing.  A parent letter will be coming home with your child soon to provide you with additional details.

Here is 3LN's testing schedule:

• Reading: Wednesday, April 27 from 7:50-9:30
• Language Usage: Monday, May 2 from 7:50-9:30
• Math: Monday, May 9 from 7:50-9:30

*Please make every effort to have your child to school on time, as all of our tests begin quite early. If your child misses a test (due to an absence), we will schedule a make-up test for him/her.

Thanks so much!

Assignment Sheet and News...and pictures, too

As promised, here is the Assignment Sheet and News for this week. I hope you'll take the time to read about what we are learning, especially because we are starting many new units. 

Today, our Zayed University student, Ms. Maryam, taught the class a review lesson about fractions. Though this is only her second lesson (ever!), she did a very good job and the children seemed to enjoy it, especially because she brought in edible fraction pizzas. Here are some fun pictures:

Then, a little later in the day, the children worked in groups to analyze weather data to determine various climate zones around the earth. Though this is pretty sophisticated information, the class was generally able to identify some patterns and make a few good observations. 

And, lastly, here are just a few pictures of my spring break holiday, since a few of you have asked. The fun began at the World Cup on March 26th, then it continued as my sister, Julie, and I traveled to Zanzibar, Nairobi (briefly), and The Seychelles (Pralin, La Digue, and Mahe). Needless to say, it was an EPIC holiday with picturesque scenes, rich culture, delicious food, and many unique experiences! 

This is my third year enjoying the Dubai World Cup. It's always such a treat! 

My friends, Ryan and Sean Penny (also known as "The Wellness Brothers"), enjoy a friendship with His Highness, Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, so it's always an honor and privilege to see him every year. He always makes the same joke about me being so tall that he should've worn heels. :)

My dear friend, Bronwyn 

The races are always so exciting!! 

And, here are some from our African adventure...
(in no particular order)

It was totally surreal to be in a place that I have only seen on glossy calendars pages.✨

Giving this ancient tortoise a little love...🐢💛 (By ancient I mean that it could be 30-100 years old.) This type of tortoise can only be found here and in the Galápagos Islands. Special!! ✨And, by the way, as soon as I started softly touching its neck, he fully extended it, closed its eyes, and actually seemed to smile. ☺️

"Out of the six accommodations we've enjoyed over the last 11 days, this just might be our favorite.✨It's tranquil, affordable, and absolutely idyllic. 🌺Tomorrow afternoon, we will say "au revoir" to these gorgeous islands 🌴🐢and return to Dubai, where Julie and I will enjoy just one more day together. 👭 We've packed in so much that it seriously feels more like a month together. My heart is full...and so are my memory cards."💓 📱📷🎥😁 

"The tides here are quite extreme, but as a low tide lover, I was thrilled because it meant plenty of sea life, wading in the cool water, as well as making new friends." 🌟

Scuba diving in Mahe, Seychelles...

Anse Lazio was one of the best places we've ever snorkeled. We saw two eels, a nurse shark, a turtle, red coral, and hundreds of gorgeous tropical fish. It was even better than the scuba diving we did in Zanzibar! Very thankful to God for protecting us, giving us beautiful weather, and just for the enormous blessing to be here. 🐠🐢🐚💖 

Glorious water!! Julie and I loved just being able to bike around the island and stop off wherever we wanted to snorkel. 🐠🐟 A.maz.ing.✨

"Today @jlnossal I had two fantastic dives (22m & 12m) on the southeast side of Mahe. 🔱 We saw two white tipped reef sharks, an eagle ray, an enormous Napoleon wrasse, a few nudibranches, two rather large and menacing barracudas, and so many other beautiful, vibrant tropical fish. 🐡🐠🐟🐚And, amazingly enough, some of our fellow divers were also expats living in Dubai and the two boys are students at DAA! What a small world. 🌍 We had a great time discovering that we shared many mutual friends and also discussing life in Dubai and our favorite places to travel. What a sweet blessing this entire day was...um, right up until we returned to our beach chalet this evening and realized that the power on this side of the island was out, which is apparently a normal occurrence. 🔦 No worries. Our prayers were answered in about two hours. 🙏🏼💡My heart is filled with such gratitude for such incredible and fascinating experiences."

"Habari ya asubuhi, which means "good morning" in Swahili. ☀️🌴 After a very long day of travel, Julie and I arrived to Zanzibar last night and woke up feeling refreshed...and just a bit sweaty. 😁 The mosquito nets kept us itch-free and we could hear the waves as we drifted off to sleep, both such blessings. While it's very rustic/primitive, we are already enjoying the local culture and look forward to a very leisurely day on the beach." 🐠🐚

While on Praslin in the Seychelles, we visited the UNESCO site of Vallee de Mai, home of the world famous coco de mar. 🌴 It is the largest nut and grows no where else in the world! 🌍 The palm fronds are absolutely enormous and we loved our two hour hike through this mini jungle, listening to parrots, seeing skinks slide through the undergrowth and in the lookout for chameleons. #awesome #cocodemar

Yesterday, we had a lovely sensory 👃🏼experience visiting the Spice Garden, which required a steep drive up into the mountains. 🙈 First, we ate a yummy silver snapper and rice lunch, infused with herbs from the garden. 🌿🐟🍚To finish, we decided to try their homemade ice cream (cinnamon and nutmeg).🌰🍦Wow! Light, fresh, and bursting with flavor. 😋Next, we began our tour and accidentally interrupted some tortoises 🐢💖🐢enjoying a special moment.😳 The rest of the tour was interesting and full of incredible plants, many of which I've never heard of. But, how many plants can you really see in one day? So, we may or may not have deviated from the path to end the tour early. 😁 All and all, it was a worthwhile experience, but mainly because of the ice cream. 😉

Biked about 75% of the island yesterday 🚴🏼 and loved feeling the breezes, riding through jungles so thick that they were dark during the middle of the day, and hearing all of the sounds of God's creation: bats, parrots, geckos, cows, chickens, morning doves...and loud island music from the locals. 🎶 What a beautiful experience.#iwillbesosoretomorrow (in La Digue)

I have thousands more (really), but for now, these will do. :) 

Warm Greetings!

Welcome back! I hope you each had a wonderful spring break! 

"But we've already been back in school for a week now." Um, yes. (insert awkward smile here) I think I was so relaxed from my holiday that it's literally taken me a whole week to get back into the swing of things, so please forgive this delayed post and update. We also had a very busy week back at school. Just ask your sweetheart. I think I may have actually overworked them...that, or they, too, were trying to adjust to a post-holiday life. :) 

So, now that I'm back up to normal-life speed (but still trying to salvage my tan), I thought I should let you know a few things that are happening this week: 

• Pizza Day is Thursday, April 21. Forms were sent home on Thursday, so please be sure to return those (with money) by Tuesday. Pizza slices will not be sold on Thursday. 

• The Little Mermaid is almost here! Be sure to get tickets soon, if you haven't already. Tickets are available at the MS/HS Reception Desks for AED 25. Showtimes are Wednesday, April 20, at 3:30 and 6:30 pm and Thursday, April 21, at 3:30 pm. 

• ASAs for our last trimester are now in full swing. Please let me know if there are any changes or if you decide not to take part in the ASA you chose, as there is a waiting list for some ASAs. Here are some sweet pictures from my Art Club last trimester, if you're interested. We had a great time!
• Photo orders were sent home on Thursday. Please email YvonneY.SIDANI_DAA@gemsedu.comif you did not receive what you ordered. 

• Save the Date: PS/ES Bingo Night will be next Thursday, April 28, at 6:30 pm. 

Also, I want to take a moment to recognize those students who met or exceeded their March Madness Reading Goals: Andreea, Rakaan, Lyn, Eita, Yihyun, Emre, Gabriel, Almera, Nia, Iskander, Omar, and Gavin. Well done!!! I'm very proud of you! 

To celebrate all of the fantastic reading, we enjoyed a pizza party on Thursday and the children were delighted. For those who met or exceeded their goal, they ate up to 3 pieces of pizza, received a piece of my homemade Chocolate Pistachio Fudge Tart, and a certificate. 

We also enjoyed a class reward party on Thursday, as well. (Busy day!) Children enjoyed bringing their device to school and chewing some yummy and very chewy bubble gum. (I have to confess that I really love these days as I'm a huge fan of blowing enormous bubbles.) So, hopefully, you're darling came home very happy on Thursday. :) 

Lastly, stay tuned as I'll be posting the weekly Assignment Sheet and News tomorrow night...and some pictures of my spring break. For now, though, it's time for bed.