🌟 Talent Show Recap and Gratitude🌟

To those of you who were able to make it, thank you so much for coming to our end-of-year talent show. It was so great to see the students beam with excitement and pride (and some embarrassment, too!) as they shared their talents and hard work. I was seriously impressed to see so many well-developed skills. I commend all of your hard work, grit, and perseverance to keep pushing yourselves further and further, as you do the things you enjoy. I hope you'll continue, as well! 

So, here are the students who presented, if you didn't get a chance to come to the party...

Shared in class with a picture: 

• Jordan--his creativity through art 

• Aly--football 
  
  
• Sofiya--art (displayed on white board) and figure ice-skating
  

And, you can view these, which were sent in via email: 

• Ali--skiing in France
• Zoya--playing tennis 
• Anita--playing the piano
• Leo--playing football
• Mariam--performing basketball skills and karate 
• Woochan--Minecraft (consider subscribing to his channel!) 
• Zayd--demonstrating squash (age 4 and now) 
• Yehia--snorkeling in Bali
• Isabella--swimming 
• Zunyi--playing the piano
• Julian--stand up paddle-boarding 
• End of Year Powerpoint (Thank you, Anita and Afshan!) 

I would also like to thank you, dear parents, for giving me the generous Mall of the Emirates gift card. It was so nice to use the money to purchase what I really wanted, which was an iPhone 7!  (I feel like a new woman with all of this storage...128 MB!!) 

Ms. Csilla is also very grateful for her gift card, as well, and was especially surprised that the class remembered her summer birthday. Here are some fun pictures: 

Lastly, I want to thank Doaa one last time for all of her tremendous help this year as our class mother. She truly lightened my load, eased a good deal of stress, and was such a joy to work with! (I know you parents have also appreciated her!) 

I also want to thank each and every one of you, dear parents, for all of the countless ways that you supported me this year. I saw it played out in so many ways...from the way you read with your child at night, encouraged him/her to homework, practiced math facts, and read the blog, to your kind and encouraging emails, hugs, warm smiles in the hallway, donations to souk day and treasure box, and for the way you entrusted your child to me. That's the biggest one of all. For all of these, I sincerely thank you. You've all truly been so fantastic. (This is one of every teacher's dreams, by the way.) 

End of Year Party

• Please mark your calendars for our End-of-Year Party on Tuesday, June 13, from 12:15-1:30 in our classroom. The theme will be "3LN Has Talent" and an opportunity for our cuties to showcase their unique gifts and abilities. So, start preparing, students! Singing, acting, dancing, paper plane flying, impersonations, story-telling, fashion, drawing, comedy, horse-riding, tennis? What can you do well?! 

• If you have a talent that is not easily performed in the classroom, please pre-record it and send it to me as a file or on a flash drive by June 11, so I can have it ready without any glitches. 
• Please be cognizant of the time and keep talents to less than 4-5 min. max. 
• Children may do an individual talent, as well as a partner/group one; however, please limit it to two maximum due to time constraints. 
• Also, if there are any who do not wish to participate, that's no problem. We want to make your party as fun and stress-free as possible. :) 

• Library books and textbooks: The time has come for us to return all of our beloved borrowed books back to their homes. This includes both library books and the Everyday Math Student Reference Book, which have all already been returned, thankfully. Thank you in advance!

• As we starting to have more indoor recesses these days, we are starting to enjoy a fantastic series called Wild Arabia by BBC. We started watching the first one a few weeks ago, since we studied so much about the Bedouin this year (as well as animal adaptations, climate, weather, and dependent relationships in ecosystems), and the class was mesmerized. Here are the episodes if you'd like to view them at home: 
• Episode 1: Sand, Wind, and Stars 
• Episode 2: Jewel of Arabia
• Episode 3: Shifting Sands 

Academic News: 

• Reading and Writing: We have just finished our Reading for Research and Persuasive writing. Overall, the class did a very good job and I'm pleased with the amount of time, effort, and accuracy that has been put in these two last literacy units. For the last two weeks, students will be reading fiction books, doing Reader's Theater, and preparing for debates (using their newly gained persuasive writing skills).

• Math: Since our last official unit (9) is complete, we are working through Unit 10, which is about measurement. There will not be a test on this unit. Don't worry. :)

• Science: As you know, we are ending our unit with the animal project. I'm excited to see the students' creations on Wednesday or Thursday morning at the very latest! 

I think that's it. Thanks so much for all of your wonderful support. With only about 2 weeks left, I'm really starting to feel sad about saying good-bye to "my" precious children! 

PS. This is a pretty funny article, which describes how a few of you may be feeling right about now. I was thinking one of us teachers should write one from our perspective. :) 

With Gratitude...

I want to thank you for coming to our End-of-Year Party and Talent Show on Sunday! It was so nice being together, one last time, as a whole class family. The talents presented or performed were truly impressive and I so enjoyed watching your sweetheart in action. (I was actually so mesmerized that I only took a few pictures, unfortunately. Thankfully, Mikyung was with it!) 

Please view this wonderful short movie that Mikyung made for us. She continues to shine as our photographer and videographer!!!

Here the students who presented, if you didn't get a chance to come to the party...

Happened LIVE in class: 

• Lamis--danced professionally to a cha-cha song 
• Taylor--sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (acapella!!) 
• Lyn--demonstrated tae kwan do
• Emre--played the guitar 
• Almera--showed her artwork (painting)
• Gavin--showed magic tricks with cards

You can view these:

• Rakaan--playing the piano
• Gabriel--playing the piano and sketching (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)
• Nia--sketching 
• Eita--performing Japanese martial arts 
• Andreea--showed her skiing pictures 
• Hafsa--made a short movie (Thank you, sweetie!!) 

I would also like to thank you, dear parents, for giving me the gorgeous Swarovski chain and pendant. It is really so elegant and I so appreciate your generosity! The flowers were also such a treat, especially here in the desert, where they are so pricey. So, thank you very much. Everything was so special. And though she couldn't join us for the party, Ms. Csilla is also very grateful for her gifts, as well. She was very touched.

Lastly, I want to thank Birey, Mikyung, and Fadia one last time for all of their tremendous help this year as our class mothers. They truly lightened my load, eased a good deal of stress, and were such a joy to work with.  Ladies, please know, once again, that all of your precious time, picture-taking, organizational efforts, and planning was a true gift to me. I really don't know how I would've done it all without you, ladies, so thank you, again!!!!!   

PS. To see more pictures from other events in May and June, please click here. 

Talent Show Participation?

We are all getting excited about our upcoming Talent Show on Sunday, June 19! 

Please indicate your participation by clicking here, even if you are not going to be performing. This information will help us know how much time to allow and if there is time for other activities. 

Thank you so much! 

News to Note

• Please mark your calendars for our End-of-Year Party on Sunday, June 19, from 12:15-1:30 in our classroom. The theme will be "3LN Has Talent" and an opportunity for our cuties to showcase their unique gifts and abilities. So, start preparing, students! Singing, acting, dancing, paper plane flying, impersonations, story-telling, fashion, drawing, comedy, horse-riding, tennis? What can you do well?! 

• If you have a talent that is not easily performed in the classroom, please pre-record it and send it to me as a file or on a flash drive by June 18, so I can have it ready without any glitches. 
• Please be cognizant of the time and keep talents to less than 4-5 min. max. 
• Children may do an individual talent, as well as a partner/group one; however, please limit it to two maximum due to time constraints. 
• Also, if there are any who do not wish to participate, that's no problem. We want to make your party as fun and stress-free as possible. :) 

• Library books and textbooks: The time has come for us to return all of our beloved borrowed books back to their homes. This includes both library books and the Everyday Math Student Reference Book. Most of these SRB's have been kept in the classroom, however, please note that these books must be returned in order for students to end the year with a clear account and receive their report cards. Please send the book in with your child as soon as you are finished with it, if you happen to have yours at home. Thank you in advance!

• As we starting to have more indoor recesses these days, we are starting to enjoy a fantastic series called Wild Arabia by BBC. We started watching the first one a few weeks ago, since we studied so much about the Bedouin this year (as well as animal adaptations, climate, weather, and dependent relationships in ecosystems), and the class was mesmerized. Here are the episodes if you'd like to view them at home: 
• Episode 1: Sand, Wind, and Stars 
• Episode 2: Jewel of Arabia
• Episode 3: Shifting Sands 

Academic News: 

• Reading and Writing: We have just finished our Reading for Research and Persuasive writing. Overall, the class did a very good job and I'm pleased with the amount of time, effort, and accuracy that has been put in these two last literacy units. For the last two weeks, students will be reading fiction books, doing Reader's Theater, and preparing for debates (using their newly gained persuasive writing skills).

• Math: Unit 10 is now complete, so we will be working through our last unit, which is Unit 9, Multiplication and Division. Students will continue to have homework throughout the next two weeks, just to keep a sense of normalcy. 

• Science: Our unit on Extreme Weather has now concluded and we will move into doing some hands-on engineering activities in our remaining time.

I think that's it. Thanks so much for all of your wonderful support. With only about 2 weeks left, I'm really starting to feel sad about saying good-bye to "my" precious children! 

PS. This is a pretty funny article, which describes how a few of you may be feeling right about now. I was thinking one of us teachers should write one from our perspective. :) 

*News to Note*

News to Note

I want to thank you for being so flexible last week as I was absent for 3 days due to laryngitis and bronchitis. It hit me pretty hard, but thanks to plenty of rest and antibiotics, I'm almost good to go now. A big thank you to Ms. Csilla, who cared for and taught the class while I was away. It felt so good knowing that the class was in such good hands. 

Here are a few other newsworthy items to share: 

• Congratulations to Kiek's twin sisters and Lucia's brother who graduated from Grade 5. Well done! We're so proud of you! 

• The ES Library will be hosting a Book Souk on June 9. This will be a great way to clear your shelves, and stock up on some free reading material for summer! Students have until Monday, June 8, to bring in "gently used" books. Students will receive a credit for each book brought in to select a different book at the souk. Please send books appropriate for grades 3-5, and no more than 10 books per student.

• Please mark your calendars for our End-of-Year Party on Wednesday, June 17, from 1:30-2:30. The theme will be "3LN Has Talent" and an opportunity for our cuties to showcase their unique gifts and abilities. So, start preparing, students! 
• Singing, acting, dancing, paper plane flying, impersonations, story-telling, fashion, drawing, comedy, horse-riding, tennis? What can you do well?! 
• If you have a talent that is not easily performed in the classroom, please pre-record it and send it to me as a file or on a flash drive by June 16, so I can have it ready without any glitches. 
• Also, if there are any who do not wish to participate, that's no problem. We want to make your party as fun and stress-free as possible. :) 

• Library books and textbooks: The time has come for us to return all of our beloved borrowed books back to their homes. This includes both library books and the EverydayMath Student Reference Book. Most of these SRB's have been kept in the classroom, however, please note that these books must be returned in order for students to end the year with a clear account and receive their report cards. Please send the book in with your child as soon as you are finished with it, if you happen to have yours at home. Thank you in advance!

• As we starting to have more indoor recesses these days, we are starting to enjoy a fantastic series called Wild Arabia by BBC. We started watching the first one today, since we studied so much about the Bedouin this year (as well as animal adaptations, climate, weather, and dependent relationships in ecosystems), and the class was mesmerized. Here are the episodes if you'd like to view them at home. 
• Episode 1: Sand, Wind, and Stars 
• Episode 2: Jewel of Arabia
• Episode 3: Shifting Sands 

Academic News: 

• Reading and Writing: We have just finished our Reading for Research and Informational Writing, so that means that most all of the students books have been published!! Overall, they are outstanding and I'm pleased with the amount of time, effort, and accuracy that has been put in to each one. We will now be moving back into fiction reading and starting poetry. 

• Math: Unit 9 is now complete, so we will be reviewing on Monday (June 8) and testing on Wednesday (June 10). I'll be sending home a review packet tomorrow, which is very comprehensive and challenging. (If you can do the review, the test will be a piece of cake!) On Thursday, I will be giving the End-of-Year Assessment, which requires no studying or preparation. It's just a way for me to evaluate how much your child remembers from all of the many skills we learned this year. (Many of these kinds of questions are reoccurring on math tests anyway, as part of our spiral curriculum.) Finally, we will start Unit 10 next, Measurement, which will be our last unit. We will study length, volume, and weight. 

• Science: Our unit on Extreme Weather will be concluding soon and we will move into Forces and Motion, which connects nicely. I will be giving the class a kind of open response assessment at the end of the week, but again, this is not something that you need to study or prepare for. Rather, it's an application of the knowledge and concepts they have been learning in class. PS. Hopefully, your child brought home his/her anemometer today. These have been fun for measuring wind speeds! 

I think that's it. Thanks so much for all of your wonderful support. With only about 3 weeks left, I'm really starting to feel sad about saying good-bye to "my" precious children! 

PS. This is a pretty funny article, which describes how a few of you may be feeling right about now. I was thinking one of us teachers should write one from our perspective. :) 

Teachers doing normal stuff: Here's our lovely Grade 3 Team (minus Ms. Tami and Ms. Rashmi) having breakfast on Saturday at the Pavillion downtown. Delicious and fun! 

DAA Staff Talent Show

For those of you who were able to make it to the talent show, it looked like it was a truly memorable (and hilarious) evening of fun! 

If you weren't able to attend, please enjoy these clips, which capture just a little of the amusement: 

• DAA Staff Talent Show: Problems
• DAA Staff Talent Show: Dance 
• Trouble in Grade 2 (since my class LOVED watching their former teachers...again!) 
• Teacher Jammies (Grade 2 Teachers in 2014-15) 

Hopefully, next year you will see Grade 3 Teachers up there, too! 

Staff Talent Show!

It's that time of year again!  The talented staff of DAA are putting on a Talent Show for one night only!  

Join us May 29th at 6pm for a night of fun and ridiculousness!  Tickets can be purchased with a donation to go to a good cause.  Tickets go on sale in the ES, MS, and HS lobbies before and after school on Monday, May 26 until they are sold out.  Come and see many of your favorite DAA staff in the performance!​​