Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school! I hope you each enjoyed a wonderful spring break. It was interesting to hear reports from the children about all the fun they had. Holidays do a world of good for us, don't they?

It's obviously taken me a few days to get back into the swing of things, so please forgive the delay. I've been communicating everything to your darling at school, but have neglected our class blog. I'm so sorry...

My sister and I had a fantastic time together in Australia and the South Pacific! We met in Sydney on Friday, Mar. 24, then boarded a cruiseship (right across from the Sydney Opera House!!) on Sunday afternoon. Our cruise took us to the stunning islands of Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia and had to keep pinching ourselves to make sure we weren't dreaming. The beauty of this little corner of the world is just incredible! We snorkeled, hiked, explored, swam, read, shopped, rested, met locals, and so much more. Here's one picture for now, but I'll post some more soon:

Arriving on the little island of Tivua, Fiji! 

Now, that we are back in school and in our final stretch of Grade 3, I wanted to touch base about a few things: 

• ASAs began last Sunday, April 9, and seem to be going smoothly. 

• Pizza Day is on Thursday, April 20. (Thank you for sending in your money.) 

• There will be no school on Sunday, April 23, on the occasion of Israa & Miraj. 

• MAP testing is coming soon. Here are our specific dates, if you want to make a note: 

• Wednesday, May 3, from 8:10-9:40 ~ Math 
• Monday, May 8, from 8:10-9:40 ~ Language Usage
• Thursday, May 11, from 8:10-9:40 ~ Reading 

• A second round of Morning News will resume soon. I'll be posting a new schedule next week. Start chatting with your child about what he/she might like to share. Students learned so much from each other, while further developing their public speaking skills. Well done! 

• Don't forget to purchase your tickets for Pinocchio! (I'll post all the details in a separate blog post.) The Grade 5 students have worked so very hard to make this performance stellar! 

• And, finally, here is an overview of what we're learning at the moment: 

• Reading: We have wrapped up on our character unit and are starting a new unit called "Research Clubs." Students will be working in groups to research various animals and become experts on them. After surveying the class, we have formed the following groups, which are based on interest: cats, dogs, penguins, snakes, frogs, and whales. (I will finalize the groups by the end of the week.) Please continue reading every night at home for 20 minutes and log what was read. Students may read fiction or non-fiction (or a combination of both) during this unit. 

• Writing: Last week, I allowed the class to finish publishing their fractured fairy tales. Now, we are reading to dive into our last writing unit, which is called "Changing the World." This focus of this unit is knowing how to write persuasive speeches and essays. Students will use what they learned about opinion writing in Grade 2 to strengthen their thoughts, feelings, and arguments. 

• Math: We are continuing to work through Unit 7, Multiplication and Division. Students are learning various strategies to solve complex story problems, estimate the cost of things using extended multiplication and division facts, learn more about factors, products, square products, as well as products of tens. We are currently on Lesson 7.7 and will have a test on Unit 7 on Tuesday, April 25. 

• Social Studies: We are nearly finished with our unit on International Trade and Globalization. I will be sending home an assignment tomorrow, which your child should have complete by Tuesday, April 25. Thanks so much for your support at home with this. 

Lastly, I want to thank you, again, for all of your wonderful support. I am so very thankful to have such loving, helpful, and encouraging parents.  :) You make my job so much easier!! 

Happy Spring Break!!

As we are just hours away from our spring break holiday, I want to take this moment to wish you all a very happy, safe, fun, and refreshing break. The students have worked very hard since January 2 , so I want to commend them. Well done!! 

Also, trimester 3 ASAs will begin on April 9th, as soon as we return from break. 

Have a wonderful rest and we'll see you April 9! 

Welcome 2017!

A very warm "Happy New Year" to you each! I hope you enjoyed a restful and refreshing time with your family and friends over the holidays. Based on what the children shared with me, it sounds like most everyone had a really great time and I'm so glad. 

My holiday was just wonderful, as I went home to Florida to visit my parents and sister, Julie. (Unfortunately, I didn't get to see my brother, Peter, and sister-in-law, Melissa, but we were able to Skype as a family on Christmas morning, at least.) 

After landing in Miami on Friday, Dec. 16, my family picked me up from the Miami Airport and then we checked into the lovely and retro Miami Beach Hilton. The next morning, we set off for a week-long cruise to the Western Caribbean and Central America, visiting Mexico, Honduras, Belize, and Grand Cayman. We had a fantastic time and our days were spent swimming, scuba diving, resting, reading, eating, sight-seeing, and so much more. I even got a haircut while at sea, which was a first. 

We returned home on Dec. 24 a little bit rounder, a little bit tanner (even with sunscreen), and a little bit concerned about who was going to be cooking our dinners now that we were on land again.  (It's all too easy to get spoiled on a cruise and come home completely lazy.)

It was nice to still have another week at home and I spent it seeing friends, walking the dogs (and burning up all of those extra cruise calories), going to the beach, more diving, and enjoying many long chats around the Christmas tree with our dogs surrounding us. It was all so lovely and I feel thankful that I was able to go home. As a bonus, on my return flight, I was upgraded to first class on Qatar Airways, so even though it was a quick 50-min. jaunt to Dubai from Doha, I was one happy camper. In fact, I think it was the first time I actually wanted to stay in the air longer! 

The children seemed to be very happy to return to school, though they seemed just about as tired as I was on Monday, our first day back. (Was it just me or did that alarm sound louder than usual?) It was a very calm, quiet, and easy-going day as we spent time sharing our happy news, holiday highlights, and getting back into the general swing of things. 

As the week is progressing, their energy seems to be return and things are getting back to normal in our classroom. I just posted the latest Assignment Sheet and News, so please avail yourself of that, so you are in loop of what your darling will be learning for the next two weeks. 

I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for the generous Christmas gift you gave me as a class. The Arabic tea set is just beautiful and will be a treasured and practical cultural memory for many years to come.  I will also greatly enjoy the large box of Patchi chocolates, although I may share some with my colleagues, so I don't end up carrying around the chocolate permanently. (I'm still working on individual thank you notes for those of you who shared personal gifts with me.) I feel so grateful for your kindness and generosity and I sincerely thank you each. You really blessed me and it feels good to be appreciated. 

Lastly, I wanted to add that I have some pictures to share from our December fun; however, I'll post those this weekend, as jet-lag has made my eyes so heavy. (I know many of you can relate.) 

I think that's it for now. Thanks for all of your wonderful support and I hope to see you soon. :) 

Looking forward to a fantastic 2017! 

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! 

Welcome back...again!

I hope you each enjoyed a lovely Eid holiday. What a nice surprise to get a whole week off!  Now, let's see how we all do getting back into the school routine, once more...

Just by way of reminder, tomorrow (Sunday) is Day 3, so the students will have PE. Also, please remember that students will not have school on Tuesday, as it will be one of our first Professional Learning Day (for staff).  To find out what we are learning in 3LN this week, click here. 

Also, we will be having our individual class pictures on Wednesday, Sept. 21, so kindly remember to have your child wear his/her formal uniform (not PE), including the tie. I can't wait to see how crisp and cute the students each look. I always smile when I see their hair extra slick and sleek when they waltz in the classroom on Picture Day morning.

If your child is interested in joining an after school activity, please refer to my last post regarding the registration. There are some terrific activities being offered this trimester!

Our class will be choosing a Student Council Rep on Wednesday, so if your child is interested in this leadership opportunity, please be sure to return the application by Monday (Sept. 19) and have your darling prepare a little speech, which he/she will present to our class on Wednesday.

As an FYI, I will be attending a growth mindset conference in Bangkok, Thailand, from Sept. 22-25, so I will not be at school on Thursday and Sunday. Not to worry, though. Your child will be well cared for and well taught in my absence. I'm already looking forward to imparting what I'll learn in our classroom!

Lastly, on a personal note, below you'll find some pictures of a very last minute trip to Norway with my mom and sister, Julie. (Dad stayed home with the dogs, so it was just us girls.) We met in Oslo last Saturday and I just flew back to Dubai today (Saturday). It was a wonderful trip in every way as we relished in each other's company, laughed, learned new things, met new and old friends, explored, breathed in the cool, clean mountain air, ate interesting local food, like brown goat cheese, reindeer, whale, and moose. We made about a thousand new happy memories to treasure for a long time to come. I hope you will enjoy the pictures. :)

So thrilled to meet in the Oslo Airport! I had to wait a couple of hours for them to arrive, but time passed quickly with a pumpkin spice latte, reading, and people watching. 

While we were in Oslo, we were able to see Lauren Williams, who some of you may know as our former ES art teacher. She moved to Norway in August, so it was fun and interesting to hear about her new life there. She's doing great! 

We loved the cooler temperatures. (The Royal Palace is behind us.) 

Ha! Mom sneaked this candid of me reading. So enjoying this good book! 

We took in all of the gorgeous scenery while riding the Flam Railway. 

Somewhere near Finse...

The cultural museum in Oslo was so interesting. This church dates back to the year 1200! 

A must-do if you're ever in Norway. 

I was so happy to see a true autumn after so many years. 

We were surprised to see a glacier! 

Norway is so stunning and we feel so grateful to have had the time off and opportunity to visit such a beautiful country. My mother's side of the family is actually from Larvik, Norway, so it was special to learn about my heritage firsthand. I have about a thousand more pictures, but I'll spare you. (Plus, I'm just a little tired.)  I'm looking forward to hearing all about your child's week off, as well! 

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. :) 

Happy 2016!

A very Happy New Year to you each! I hope you had a lovely holiday, whether you were able to travel or have a "staycation" here in Dubai. 

I had a wonderful time at home with my family and friends in Florida and feel so grateful for my time there! My brother, Peter, and sister-in-law, Melissa, were able to come down from Pittsburgh for about 10 days, so we were all together as a family. 

We had fun swimming, shopping, diving, baking, playing board games, watching cheesy Hallmark movies (and Star Wars), playing mini-golf, resting, walking the dogs at sunrise and sunset, going to the beach, and so much more. Everything was just perfect and my cup of happiness is definitely full. 

On that note, it is my sincere hope that this next year of life will be one of your happiest and healthiest ones yet. I look forward to seeing you sometime soon!  


PS. Here are some pictures of my holiday, if you're interested. 

Our Christmas Eve candlelight service is a special and meaningful tradition. 

Being with family is the best gift of all. xoxo

I just couldn't resist adding some holiday flair to our Golden Retriever, Keebler. Isn't she regal? 

My mom taught me how to bake an apple and pecan pie on Christmas morning, all before opening presents! Yum. 

Star Wars with the family...VIP style. It was first time enjoying a luxury theater and I'm now spoiled! 

Mini-golf as a family is one of our favorite things to do. I actually got 2 hole-in-ones! :)

Holiday Party Fun and more

For those of you who were able to make it, thanks so much for coming to our holiday party on Dec. 15. It was truly a fun, festive, and happy occasion, which everyone seemed to enjoy.

I always love it when we can all get together and I know the children do, as well. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful class (that's including you, parents), one which has truly become a true school family.

I want to thank you for the thoughtful and generous gifts you gave me, both as a class, and individually. (Once my jet-lag subsides, I will be writing my thank you notes.) I felt so very loved and appreciated, so thank you!

Please be sure to enjoy these pictures, which Mikyung so lovingly took, edited, and shared. They so beautifully capture the love, joy, and fun of our time together.

And, here are some fun pictures of our Grade 3 Team. We always have such a great time together! 

Holiday Staff Party in the Marina

I couldn't do it without her! 

Boating fun in mid December!