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aBu DHaBI Issue 12012/2013

AL YASMINA SCHOOL STRIVES TO BE AN OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL, MAXIMISING THE LEARNING POTENTIAL OF ALL

THE PRIMARYPARTNERSHIP

al yasmInasCHool

Contents

welCome From tHe HeaD oF sCHool 3

Key FoCus: CurrICulum CHanGes 4

BooK weeK BuZZ 5

water weeK 7

year 2 ClICK eXHIBItIon 8

year 5 In FoCus 9

snow wHIte stars 11

alDar olymPICs 12

sPorts rounDuP 13

Bsme swIm suCCess 14

Welcome to the first issue of The Primary Partnership for the 2012/2013 academic year. The Primary Partnership is the publication for Al Yasmina's primary school.

It gives Al Yasmina School the chance to celebrate progress and achievement and provide more in depth information to parents on a wide variety of subjects.

We welcome your feedback. communications@alyasmina.sch.ae

The first Primary PARTnership for this academic yearTopics, trends, updates, views and news from the Al Yasmina Primary Department

welCome

Pictured on the cover: Students celebrate Book Week2

Welcome to our first edition of the Primary PARTnership. I would like to take this opportunity to explain how this publication will work.

Each month we will publish this new look newsletter which will complement our other publication, the Secondary PARTnership. Each edition will have a theme. The Primary PARTnership will form another invaluable platform from which we will communicate with our community.

The aim of the Primary PARTnership is to celebrate the achievements of our students at Al Yasmina. The publication will have a common feel. Each monthly edition will feature:

- Editorial - Key focus - Year group in focus - Subject specialist in the spotlight - General page – interesting snippets

In some ways I have the easiest job in the world. Each day, I am amazed at the achievements of our students and the extent to which the staff support and engage learners.

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL, MR GALE

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself” - Henry Ford

There is so much to celebrate about the primary school and this new look publication is an ideal platform to tell our story in greater depth. The year groups and features will be spread across the course of an academic year, matched to the calendar of events wherever possible. This will enable us to give a greater depth of information rather than featuring everything all at once.

We will continue with the parent weekly sheet and the week in photos. This will be issued through the School Communicator. I appreciate there have been a number of changes in the primary school. New leadership inevitably means change, but it has been well planned and well executed to the benefit of all.

Change also brings opportunity and I hope you enjoy this, our monthly ‘opportunity’ to read, share and understand what makes the primary school such a dynamic, vibrant and happy place to learn.

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This term marks the beginning of subtle changes to the primary curriculum which will offer students a more creative and skills-based approach to their learning.

The focus is moving from subject-based learning to working with themes which can be incorporated in innovative ways across a number of subjects. Some subjects, such as maths, science and certain components of literacy need to stand alone and will continue to do so, but wherever possible subjects will be linked to a common theme and explored from different angles. Miss Davies, Primary Assistant Head of Curriculum, says the thematic-based approach has been proven to be very effective elsewhere, driving up academic standards. It is known to be popular with students and, obviously, happy students make better learners. “As students progress through primary school using the creative curriculum, they should be armed with the skills they need to transition into Year 7, whether it is here at Al Yasmina or in their home country.”

Each topic starts with a “hook”, or exciting event, to awaken the students’ interest in the subject, and then they are given the “big picture” of where they are going with the topic. Teachers will establish what students already know about the topic, and what they want to know. They will incorporate these questions into their learning, helping them to gain essential skills and knowledge.The learning is student-led, but with structure, Miss Davies says.

Students will be encouraged to do their own research, to think about diverse and practical ways of approaching the topic. The advantage for teachers is that, with occasional exceptions, they can devote more time to “topic” spanning a number of the lesson slots. “It is a less fragmented approach. It encourages immersion and passion.

Students investigate a theme from all angles and understand how subjects and topics are always connected.” Each topic must have a purpose to the learning and a definite realizable outcome, such as a theme day or exhibition. This will vary depending on the age group. Year 2's recent Click topic is a great example. The students learned about the history of the camera, the importance of setting in a picture, and who the key character is, how photos are developed, and what can be done with the end product. The result was the Click exhibition at which their framed work was displayed and staff and parents purchased their photos.

In December Year 6 had its chocolate-making project, with more of a business slant. They had to divide into teams, buy their ingredients, create a chocolate recipe, plan the packaging and marketing, keep to a budget, and then sell their product to the rest of the school. They had to price the product so they could pay back parents who had advanced a loan to cover costs but they also had to make a profit for their chosen charity.

Miss Davies says the curriculum team leaders will ensure that the breadth of the curriculum is correctly taught and that students progress through primary school with academic standards strictly maintained. “If subjects are linked in a logical and meaningful way, students learn how to apply the knowledge they learn in one lesson across all their studies.” She points out that the approach is particularly effective for students who have English as a second language. “If they are motivated and having fun then the hurdles of learning in another language appear less daunting.”

The students get to give feedback at the end of the topic and what they have to say will be taken into consideration for next year. “We want the children to know that they are part of this process.”

CURRICULUM BECOMES MORE CREATIVE

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READATHON RAISES ALMOST 8000DHSWhile the primary school celebrated Book Week with numerous exciting activities, the flagship event was the Readathon which raised almost 8000Dhs and will be spent on books for World Challenge’s Jjezza School in Uganda.

The Readathon ran from February 14 to March 4 and involved students getting sponsorship for every book they read, or lump sum donations. More than 60 students got involved, earning a total of 7964Dhs. Each participant received a certificate, with a special one reserved for the student who read the most books in each Key Stage. These were presented at an assembly on March 7.

“The Readathon was a huge success,” says Year 4 teacher and event co-ordinator Miss Phillips. “All the proceeds will go directly into the purchase of books for Jjezza School and will make a huge difference to the children there.”

The Year 12 World Challenge students will travel to Uganda in June to continue the work begun at Jjezza by last year’s World Challenge participants.

BOOK WEEK BUZZ Activities included:Book character parade – each year group chose a winning costumeWeird and wacky places to read photo competitionDonate a book for a local hospitalYear groups writing their own story booksMystery readersArabic lessons linked to stories and readingMake your own story sackStaff reading to other classesCross-year reading sessions Assembly on the final day to celebrate the week and give prizes

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BEST DRESSED ON BOOK CHARACTER DAY: Back: Tom Goodwin (Y3), Stella Venus (Y1), Alex Rashed (Y6), Seb Rossiter (Y4), Poppy Smith (Y5)Front: Fatima Salam (FS2), Fergal Mitchell (FS2). Not Pictured: Mark Hart (Y2)

BOOK DONATION TO HOSPITAL: Year 3 Terns class present Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Children`s Ward with more than 500 books.

STORY SACK WINNER: Alex Markou

READ-A-THON WINNERS: Zack Toye and Leena Safareeni

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BOOK DAY PARADE

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SAVE WATER: Year 3 Buntings students show their ‘Save water’display. From left is Shaikha Al Ali, George Worth, Kaitlyn Strika, Yousef Al Nowais

WATER SCIENCE CHALLENGE WINNERS: Back: Christy Arkieh, Haroon Hanashi, Hashem El Nadi, Poppy Smith and Sandali Weerasekera. Front: Amaya Sanchez and Tien- Hom Woon

CYCLE FOR WATER: Joost Notenboom & Michiel Roodenburg visit Al Yasmina after their 20 month bicycle journey from the North to the South Poles to raise awareness of a global water crisis that is leaving more than 1 billion people around the world without access to safe drinking water.

WATER WEEK A WINNERPrimary students spent five days celebrating Water Week, with the aim of raising money for a school in Ethiopia to enable it to build its own water harvest tanks.

This was a project run across Aldar Academies, with all six Aldar schools taking part in their own way. It coincided with World Water Day on March 22, established by the UN as a means of focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating its sustainable management.

At Al Yasmina, the students enjoyed monitoring the amounts of water used both at home and at school by completing a water diary. During the week, they learned about the importance of water and how lucky we are in Abu Dhabi to have clean water readily available. They also researched various ways to conserve water in our daily lives and created fantastic posters advertising their “water saving” ideas.

Student scientists had the opportunity to enter the Water Science Challenge, with the winners announced in the Water Assembly at the end of the week. On March 21, the primary school held a “Blue Day” to celebrate water conservation, with every student wearing blue and contributing 10Dhs to this worthy cause. The children raised more than 7000Dhs.

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What the parents had to say“Great event, very innovative, looking forward to seeing more of it.”

“Well done Year 2. Very professional work from the budding photographers.”

“Can’t believe the photos were taken by Year 2 students.”

“Well done to all the pupils and teachers involved. Didn’t expect to see such wonderful and creative photos taken”

“Fantastic work by all. The standard of the work and the excitement of the children says it all! Well done from a very proud parent!”

“Very impressed with the high standard of work”

CLICK PROJECT PUSHES ALL THE RIGHT BUTTONSYear 2’s Click project kicked off with a visit to Manaraat al Saadiyat to open the children’s eyes to what an exhibition is. From this, they then began planning their own exhibition.

The children were given the challenge of creating brochures for tourists visiting the city. Contact was made with Etihad to allow us to place our leaflets in the seats on their planes. The children loved this idea as it really gave them a purpose for writing! Once the leaflets were complete the children were thrilled to see the photographs of the cabin crew and passengers reading their leaflets.

In order to create the leaflets the children had to plan what they wanted their focus to be. They chose a select number of landmarks in Abu Dhabi which lead on to our Click Photography Safari.

Photo taken by a Year 2 student, Zane Dooley Cullinane

For this, we planned where we should visit and then took a day out, armed with cameras, to take snapshots in the city. Once this was complete we could begin our leaflets.

We learned all about using persuasive language to help us advertise what Abu Dhabi has to offer. The children also began editing their photos to add to their showcase for the exhibition. Each child chose and edited two favourite photographs they had taken on the tour and these were then developed and framed.

The exhibition was a huge success, with children selling their framed photographs to parents while also exhibiting all the work they had produced throughout the topic. It was a great event and everyone was very impressed by what the children had achieved.

By Year 2 Leader Miss Phillips

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Without doubt, the highlight of the term for Year 5 was the long-awaited three-day camp at Dibba.

The students challenged themselves, supported each other, and generally had a fun time tackling outdoor adventure activities – many for the first time. They tested their skills at mountain biking, rock climbing, archery, GPS orienteering, and an assault course. They went on a torchlit wadi walk one evening and wrapped up their stay with a talent show by the campfire on the last night. “The children were so excited, they had been waiting for the camp since the school year began,” says Year 5 Leader Mr Makda.

When it came to the activities, the students worked together to help each other overcome any fears. “It was really good to see them motivating each other. Some children were quite daunted by what they were asked to do but they were cheered on and encouraged by their classmates, so there was a great sense of accomplishment for them all.”

The camp was linked with the year group’s topic Changing Coasts and the students could see for themselves how the coastline had changed over the years, with the high tide line receding.

There was also a cultural component to the trip, with a visit to an ancient coastal mosque and fort. “For the village there, fishing was the primary source of income and we saw how the fort was used as protection from marauders. We all squashed into the fort and tried to recreate what it would have been like for villagers if they had been attacked and looked at why they built the fort in that particular way.”

Mr Makda says the trip was a huge success, both in terms of what the students achieved in the outdoor education activities and in gaining a “hands-on” understanding of the Changing Coasts topic.

While 100 students went on the Dibba trip, there were 25 students who remained at school and had fun activities organised for them linked to the latest Year 5 topic of Ancient China. They had lessons such as Chinese cookery, calligraphy and painting, and fun PE sessions. “We found the same sort of teamwork and support going on with this group as we did at Dibba.”

The Ancient China topic kicked off with Chinese New Year in February and ran until the end of the term. Students looked at the history of China, including some of the ancient dynasties, its geographical location, the rural/urban divide, and the importance of the sea to China. They also studied Chinese art and made beautiful silk paintings, elaborate kites and colourful Chinese dragons. At the beginning of the month the students visited China Court at Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai, where they perfected their chopstick skills at a Chinese restaurant , and got to see some Chinese architecture and a traditional junk, which they sketched beautifully. It was a great day out !

When Book Week arrived, Year 5 dressed up as their favourite book characters, and each class created their own unique book. This involved planning and writing the story, adding illustrations and editing the story. The remaining highlight of the term was International Day and Mr Makda says the students loved it. “They saw how diverse the Year 5 cohort is, and it was fantastic to see them in their traditional dress.” The year group followed up the school parade with a buffet lunch of their own, where students brought food from their home country. “It was good seeing children trying foods they have never tasted before.”

The students also made a small speech to their classmates about their home country. “The children are really proud of where they are from.”

DIBBA TOPS THE TERM FOR YEAR 5

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DIBBA FUN

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Iona “Sneezy” Pollock who played the orange dwarf and Abigail “Lazy” Stanley who played the yellow dwarf.

ABIGAIL AND IONA STAR IN SNOW WHITE PANTO

Year 6 students Abigail Stanley and Iona Pollock were the only primary students in Abu Dhabi to land star roles in the recent pantomime production of Snow White at the National Theatre.

Visiting British company H2 Productions auditioned the girls, and they were given key roles as the dwarfs Lazy (Abigail) and Sneezy (Iona). Not only did they take on these demanding parts but they also performed in two other minor roles at each show. The rest of the cast were either secondary students from other Abu Dhabi schools or adults from the UK.

The girls belong to Fusion Dance Group and their names were put forward for the show by their teacher. They have both been dancing for three years, but only joined Fusion in September. The girls managed to juggle three weeks of rehearsals followed by twice daily performances for a week and attended school in the afternoon for important assessments.

Abigail’s mum, Beverley, says the pair had a great time and they have been asked to audition again when H2 return to Abu Dhabi to produce Peter Pan later this year.

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The competition was tough but the victory was sweet as Al Yasmina took the Aldar Olympics trophy for the second year running.

Al Yasmina hosted the Aldar Academies primary schools’ hotly contested annual athletics tournament on March 7. The Pearl, Al Muna, Al Mushrif and Al Ain International School all sent squads of 32 of their best athletes. The event is seen an opportunity for each school to progress their talented children, providing them with competition beyond their usual PE setting, says Al Yasmina Head of Primary Physical Education, Miss Oliver.

The event requires each athlete to compete in eight disciplines on the day. These include the field events of high jump and long jump, javelin and shot putt, and track events consisting of the 75-metre sprint, hurdles, 300-metre race, and team relay. Each student scores points for their team depending on their performance in each event, first place scoring the most points and awarded the overall individual event winner.

The Year 5 and 6 children took to the track events first, while the Year 3 and 4 teams started on the field events. Al Yasmina students were ready to defend the title they had won at last year’s event. Some were part of that 2012 winning team, for others it was a new experience.

Nerves and anticipation were clear to see from their faces as they began the competition.

It didn’t take long for Al Yasmina to make its mark on the hurdles event, recording a number of first places and fastest times for their team. As the results from the field events came in, the standings began to take shape.

As the afternoon progressed it became apparent that Al Ain International School was Al Yasmina’s only real threat for the trophy. However, much credit must be given to the other schools whose enthusiasm and dedication in each event really shone through.

As the tournament came to an end, the schools gathered together eagerly for the results. Mr Gale presented the awards to the winners. Many thanks went out to all those who had made the event possible through their support: FOY, the parents, the PE department and, of course, all the competitors. The results were announced… Al Yasmina had successfully defended its title to become undisputed champions in 2013! Not only did they defend the shield but each year team had also won their age groups outright.

“What a great day for our athletes and for Al Yasmina school sport,” says Miss Oliver. “All the children involved received medals which will hold fantastic memories for them in years to come and hopefully they will have the opportunity to defend their crown in 2014. We look forward to next year and building on sporting successes as the year continues.”

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AL YASMINA TAKES ALDAR OLYMPICS TROPHY

PRIMARY SWIM TEAM UNBEATEN SO FAR

SPORTS ROUNDUP

The Al Yasmina primary swim team remains unbeaten after the first five inter-school swimming galas this competitive season. March 11 proved to be another victorious meet.

“Our swimmers yet again proved to be outstanding by winning against Al Ain International School, Pearl and Al Muna primary schools, and The British International School of Abu Dhabi,” says swim coach Mr Todorov. “Our swimmers dominated the event and demonstrated great skill, technique and physical abilities. They are a great pleasure to work with and make us all very proud.”

Fourteen members of the primary swim team also qualified to take part in the BSME swimming championships in Muscat last week (see report on page 14).

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Year 1 and 2 Sports Day is always a special event on the calendar for the children. They spend weeks looking forward to the day and use their PE lessons to practice those all important skills! This year’s focus was on multi-ability stations where children could try out different skills such as sprinting, hurdles, obstacle courses, golf, football and much more. With guidance from our Year 10 Junior Sports Leaders Awards students, the children had heaps of fun and competed with great sportsmanship.

YEAR 1 AND 2 SPORTS DAY

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I remember getting on the bus at the end of last year’s British Schools in the Middle East swimming championships and saying to the kids, “You have done it guys. Al Yasmina is no longer a participant, Al Yasmina is a contender. I had my confidence in the team but little did I know how right I was.”

We are back from the same competition a year later and my words seem to be carved in stone now. Sixty medals – 11 gold, 25 silver, 24 bronze, six BSME records and memories for a lifetime. All our swimmers achieved personal best times. This was the most successful swimming event yet. Our school swim team is in the top five teams in the GCC region.

Our swimmers provided some of the most exciting races of the competition. From close races and battles to the last stroke to record-breaking swims, they elevated us with great excitement and pride.

The achievement of those results has not been without sacrifice. Swimmers have committed time and effort in pursuit of goals and dreams. Early mornings while most people are still in bed, our children are covering an average of 4km in the pool, late afternoons another 4 -5km, weekends training, and competitions. Hard work, discipline and team ethos have been at the core of our success. We aim to achieve excellence and we can only do so by been excellent every day, every practice, every stroke and turn.

Congratulations to all swimmers. We are very proud of you.

By Al Yasmina Swim Instructor Mr Todorov

Record holders are:

Isabelle Darling (Year 4) – 50 Freestyle 37.59 and 50 Butterfly 43.19

Hayden Woodrow (Year 4) – 200 Freestyle 3.00.34

Cameron Oliver (Year 10) – 50 Backstroke 28.94, 100 Backstroke 1.02.51 and 200 Freestyle 2.04.51

TALENT, DISCIPLINE, HARD WORK, PAYS OFF FOR SWIMMERS

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TOUCH RUGBYWith the support of UAE Touch, Al Yasmina has this year helped to form the Abu Dhabi Touch Rugby Series, aimed at developing the game of touch at school level. Al Yasmina has played host to numerous schools from around the city who have been coming here each week to compete in both the U9 and U11 mixed age group categories. With the help of touch rugby being delivered in PE lessons and an ECA programme also catering for the sport, the Al Yasmina teams have had a successful series.

U11 FinalThe Under 11 teams entered the final tournament of the series with confidence and excitement. They had finished 2nd to only Brighton College in the previous tournaments so this was the day they wanted to leave their mark. Putting all their skills to the test the teams took to the field. The B team played well but slipped to 4th position after results didn’t go their way. The A team won all their group games, qualifying for a final showdown against Brighton. It was close and tense, 0-0 at full time, golden try extra time was played with 3 vs 3 on the pitch. In the fourth minute, Al Yasmina made a break with Nicolas Vorster sprinting down the wing. The game was won, Al Yasmina were the tournament victors! Despite finishing the season on a high, Brighton took the overall league title due to previous results but this winning finish was a very positive and significant result to build on for next year’s series.

U9 FinalThe Al Yasmina A team went into the tournament ahead on points, needing to reach the final to win the league outright. It was an anxious start with a draw against Brighton 0-0. They then went on to secure wins against BISAD and Al Yasmina B team to reach the final showdown against Al Muna. It was a must-win game, as Al Muna trailed Al Yasmina by just 2 points in the league standings. Despite a close and nervy game, a try by Daniel Cooper secured a 1-0 win. The team was

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The Friends of Al Yasmina (FOY) have been able to contribute to several exciting school activities this year. These have included providing refreshments at functions such as the various sports and swimming days, the Year 2 Click Exhibition, welcome coffee mornings, and the Aldar Olympics. Putting the funds raised by FOY to a good cause is what we are all about and fortunately this month we are able to donate quite a bit.

We have also been very lucky this term to have been helped by a very enterprising young lady in Year 6 - Layla Jawhari who has raised the huge amount sum 1200Dhs on her own, and has very kindly donated it to FOY. This will be added to an amount at the end of the year that will be donated to charity.

FOY Veg has been getting some assistance with the vegetable boxes from the World Challenge team, so the funds raised this month have been donated to them to help with their Uganda fundraising. This month amounted to 1255Dhs. Further proceeds from FOY Veg will also go towards the World Challenge fundraising.

A total donation of 2000Dhs was distributed by FOY to all of the stalls participating in the hugely successful International Day. The Primary drama production of The Wiz will benefit from the donation of 5000 Dhs. Funds will help with props, costumes and lighting.

The Al Yasmina Spring Ball is a major event on the calendar next term and the funds raised will go towards Operation Smile, the charity which helps improve the quality of life for children with facial disfigurements. Make sure you get some friends together and organise a table or come on your own and meet some new people for a great night out.

We are looking at further ideas to assist the primary and whole school and will have an update as soon as it's available. Come along to the next FOY meeting on Thursday, April 18 at 8am. It is a great way to be involved with your child's education and contribute to some really worthwhile fundraising.

LATEST NEWS FROM FRIENDS OF AL YASMINA

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