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! 

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!! 

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! 

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.) 

UN Day News

Our UN Day Parade will be on Tuesday, February 24 at 8:30 on the large track. 

This is an opportunity for us to celebrate our cultural diversity at DAA, something we are truly proud of!  The Parade of Nations (similar to the parade that starts the Olympic Games) will take place on the track at approximately 8:30 am.

All children from grades 3­-5 will be walking in the parade in groups with other children from their same country.  ES students may come dressed in their country’s traditional dress or the colors from the flag of the country they indicated they would like to walk with on the slip returned to their teacher.  

Parents are encouraged to come and find a spot around the track to cheer on the many United Nations of DAA!  At the end of the parade there will be an opportunity for parents to join our large group photo in the center of the field.

We are looking forward to this great day to celebrate our many cultures and hope to see you there! 

❋ Flags, Food and other Festivities ❋

Our UN Day today was fantastic! Thank you, dear parents, for coming to join in the culture, bringing in delicious food from your home country and for making the parent engagement activity so meaningful for your sweetie. The children truly had a wonderful day. I even heard one of them say, "This is the best day of my life!" Needless to say, the day was a huge hit! 

Please avail yourself to these pictures capturing all the fun. Also included in this set of photos are two short video clips of our assembly. Be sure to view those as they capture the festive feel of this special day. 

And, just to recall some special numbers that we learned in our assembly: 

506 students

71 nations

1 DAA Community 

(ES Division, Grades 3-5) 

This is a great iMovie (made by Miss Amanda, 3AG), which beautifully captures all of our ES nations. It was so touching to see the children cheer for their country, or in many cases, their countries.  Their patriotism was truly profound. A few of us even got tears in our eyes...(sniff). 

A partial shot of the class on our way to the auditorium

 It was such a treat to gaze across the classroom and see so many parents so engaged with their child. 

Using prepared information, which was researched at home, students compared their home culture's past and present dress, homes and monuments, as well as other general information. They will use these same skills when we compare the UAE's past and present culture. 

*More Important UN Day Information*

Next Thursday, January 30th, we will be celebrating UN Day in the ES.  This is an opportunity for us to celebrate our cultural diversity at DAA, something of which we are truly proud!  

This year the format for United Nations day will be different than previous years. The morning will begin with a Parade of Nations (similar to the parade that starts the Olympic Games) around the track at approximately 8:15 am. All children grades 3–5 will be walking in the parade in groups with other children from their same country. (This country will be based on the information you provided the registrar when you came to the school.) 

Students may come dressed in the traditional dress or colors from their home country’s flag, as in the past or, the colors of the country they will be walking with (if they differ).  

Please come and find a spot around the track to cheer on the many United Nations of DAA. Following the parade, from 9-10 am, you will be invited to join your child back in his/her class to take part in a United Nation themed parent engagement activity.

Looking forward to a wonderful celebration!! 

UN Day News

Don't forget to bring your camera on Jan. 30th!

We are excited about our upcoming UN Day at DAA! Your participation is part of what makes this day so special, so please take a look at this important info and let me know if you have any questions. 

Our parade of nations around the track will commence at 8:15 am, then we will return to the classroom around 9 am. The classroom activities (with you, dear parents) will be for approximately one hour. Then, we will say good-bye to you and head to the auditorium (students only) at 10 am. 

Also, if any of you would like to share any interesting cultural items from your home country (stories, crafts, traditions, games,recipes, photographs, etc.), I would warmly welcome your participation! Kindly inform me via email and we will organize a time for you to come in on a different day during Parent Engagement Week (January 26-30). 

Looking forward to a fantastic week of great learning and connecting cross-culturally!