Dear SIA Community, I hope this letter finds you all in good health and enjoying your weekend. I am writing to express my profound appreciation for the incredible couple of weeks we have recently experienced here at SIA. These weeks have showcased the strength and unity of our school community, and I am delighted to share some of the remarkable highlights with you. First and foremost, our school has been a beacon of support and awareness for Breast Cancer since before I become the Principal and we continue to be. Through various initiatives and events, we came together as a community to raise awareness about this critical issue. It is heartwarming to see how our learners, staff, and parents have embraced this cause wholeheartedly. Witnessing the great empathy of our learners and being concerned citizens raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness! We had a fabulous bake sale with delicious goodies made by our talented staff and learner. There was also exciting games and activities for everyone to take part in. We raised money help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. We came together as a school community and had a blast while supporting a great cause! It was an absolute privilege to have our very own CEO, Ms. Verma, visit our school to deliver an inspiring and powerful talk about her personal journey and challenges with cancer. Her message of remaining positive about never giving up resonated deeply with all of us, leaving us with a sense of hope and determination. Her presence was a shining example of leadership, strength, resilience and empathy which is at the heart of SIA. Please click here to watch the video. To follow up this incredible talk, we were treated to a captivating performance by our sister school, Dubai Scholars, which showcased the life journey of Ms. Verma. The performance was not only touching but also a powerful reminder of the real-life context of the values we hold dear at SIA, such as empathy, agility, and hard work, our VAA’s. I want to extend my gratitude to all who attended these events and to the remarkable support we received from the ‘Friends of SIA.’ Your presence and contributions make our community stronger and more connected than ever. We truly are an awesome community, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of it. In addition to these enriching experiences, I had the distinct honour of representing SIA at the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) last week alongside Mr Danny. We delivered a presentation on ‘How to nurture and build a climate of trust and school development.’ This was a truly engaging and enlightening experience, and I am deeply passionate about giving back and making a difference within our educational community. At SIA we continuously strives for excellence, and the recent weeks have showcased our commitment to sharing best practices and supporting schools on their journey to enhance learner outcomes. These excellence days are essential in helping us to reflect on our strengths and consider the next steps in our development. Please click here to watch the video. This week in secondary we have had lots of amazing news. Our learner leaders supported our new house captains with their first task, creating a music video to go along with our brand new HPL rap! This was a huge success and showcased the creativity and collaboration of our learners. It was great to see them send out the advantages of our HPL style of learning in a medium that makes sense to our whole school community. Our secondary learners have also been hard at work completing half term assessments and studying hard to ensure they showcase the efforts and progress they have made over the first weeks of Term 1. It was great to see our learners focused on doing the best they can and working in conjunction with their teachers to put the next steps of their learning journey in place. In conclusion, these past few weeks have shown us what can be achieved when we come together as a community. I am grateful to each and every one of you for your dedication, support, and unwavering spirit. Together, we can overcome challenges, spread awareness, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those around us. Thank you for being a part of the SIA community. I look forward to more incredible moments and initiatives in the future as we continue to grow and learn together. With gratitude and warm regards, #empathy #makingadifference #positvity #highperformancelearning #learnerleaders #preppy.principal Mr. James | Principal Read More

Dear SIA Community, I hope this letter finds you all in good health and enjoying your weekend. I am writing to express my profound appreciation for the incredible couple of weeks we have recently experienced here at SIA. These weeks have showcased the strength and unity of our school community, and I am delighted to share some of the remarkable highlights with you. First and foremost, our school has been a beacon of support and awareness for Breast Cancer since before I become the Principal and we continue to be. Through various initiatives and events, we came together as a community to raise awareness about this critical issue. It is heartwarming to see how our learners, staff, and parents have embraced this cause wholeheartedly. Witnessing the great empathy of our learners and being concerned citizens raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness! We had a fabulous bake sale with delicious goodies made by our talented staff and learner. There was also exciting games and activities for everyone to take part in. We raised money help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. We came together as a school community and had a blast while supporting a great cause! It was an absolute privilege to have our very own CEO, Ms. Verma, visit our school to deliver an inspiring and powerful talk about her personal journey and challenges with cancer. Her message of remaining positive about never giving up resonated deeply with all of us, leaving us with a sense of hope and determination. Her presence was a shining example of leadership, strength, resilience and empathy which is at the heart of SIA. Please click here to watch the video. To follow up this incredible talk, we were treated to a captivating performance by our sister school, Dubai Scholars, which showcased the life journey of Ms. Verma. The performance was not only touching but also a powerful reminder of the real-life context of the values we hold dear at SIA, such as empathy, agility, and hard work, our VAA’s. I want to extend my gratitude to all who attended these events and to the remarkable support we received from the ‘Friends of SIA.’ Your presence and contributions make our community stronger and more connected than ever. We truly are an awesome community, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of it. In addition to these enriching experiences, I had the distinct honour of representing SIA at the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) last week alongside Mr Danny. We delivered a presentation on ‘How to nurture and build a climate of trust and school development.’ This was a truly engaging and enlightening experience, and I am deeply passionate about giving back and making a difference within our educational community. At SIA we continuously strives for excellence, and the recent weeks have showcased our commitment to sharing best practices and supporting schools on their journey to enhance learner outcomes. These excellence days are essential in helping us to reflect on our strengths and consider the next steps in our development. Please click here to watch the video. This week in secondary we have had lots of amazing news. Our learner leaders supported our new house captains with their first task, creating a music video to go along with our brand new HPL rap! This was a huge success and showcased the creativity and collaboration of our learners. It was great to see them send out the advantages of our HPL style of learning in a medium that makes sense to our whole school community. Our secondary learners have also been hard at work completing half term assessments and studying hard to ensure they showcase the efforts and progress they have made over the first weeks of Term 1. It was great to see our learners focused on doing the best they can and working in conjunction with their teachers to put the next steps of their learning journey in place. In conclusion, these past few weeks have shown us what can be achieved when we come together as a community. I am grateful to each and every one of you for your dedication, support, and unwavering spirit. Together, we can overcome challenges, spread awareness, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those around us. Thank you for being a part of the SIA community. I look forward to more incredible moments and initiatives in the future as we continue to grow and learn together. With gratitude and warm regards, #empathy #makingadifference #positvity #highperformancelearning #learnerleaders #preppy.principal Mr. James | Principal Read More

Dear SIA Community, I hope this letter finds you all in great spirits, good health and looking forward to your weekend. I wanted to take a moment to share with you what an incredible week it has been here at SIA this week. It’s been filled with exciting opportunities to celebrate learning, connect with our wonderful parents, and recognise the remarkable achievements of our school community. This week has been a true testament to the vibrant and nurturing environment that SIA provides for our learners. The weekly “I in kind,” was as always a real privilege as our learners demonstrated kindness, empathy, and compassion toward one another. This week, I had Mr. Andy, our Assistant Head in Secondary, join me, and we both reflected on how heartwarming it was to witness the genuine care and support our learners have for their peers. Please click here to watch the video. The EYFS Phonics parent workshop, hosted by Ms. Heather, was not only well attended but I was impressed with the level of interaction and learning that occurred. It was a fantastic opportunity for our parents to actively engage in their child’s education and gain valuable insights into our phonics curriculum. We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is essential for your child’s success, and events like this reinforce that partnership. This week in EYFS it was great to see our learners so excited about our HPL assemblies that take place every week. We have a ‘Scholars Shining Star’ from each class who has shown a VAA or ACP toward their peers. What was truly amazing was hearing the learners explain why they are the shining star and using words such as ‘Empathy’ and ‘Hard Working’. Our learners are so proud of each other for being their class ‘Shining Star’. We celebrated World Teachers Day, a day dedicated to expressing our thanks to our teachers who make a significant difference in our learners’ lives every day. Our teachers work tirelessly to inspire, guide, and develop our HPL learning ‘ecosystem’ for our learners, and I, for one, am very grateful because making a difference is what drives me as an educator. Thank you to our lovely teachers for their unwavering commitment to our SIA community. We also had a little role reversal to celebrate Teacher’s Day, where our Learner Leadership and Sixth Form Learners taught some classes for our teachers to give them a well-deserved break! It was great to see our learners take on these responsibilities and they even dressed up as particular teachers for the occasion! This was another learner-led initiative that saw our community come together to celebrate one another on a very special day. Huge thanks as always to Ms. Fareeha and Mr. Andy for supporting the learners with their plans! Please click here to watch the video. Last but certainly not least, our Primary Book Look was a resounding success. It was heartening to see parents and learners exploring the learning world together, and fostering a love for reading that I hope will last a lifetime. Ms. Tanita and I were discussing how our learners build fluency which is so important to help with all their skills across the curriculum. It also helps expand their imagination and vocabulary skills. Myself and Mr. Danny witnessed some fantastic decoding skills and blending using their phonics. Keep reading and watch those reading skills soar! I personally had the privilege of meeting and interacting with many parents this week, and the positive feedback and comments about SIA’s development and progress were both uplifting and motivating. Your support and involvement in your child’s education are invaluable, and it reinforces our shared commitment to providing the best possible learning experience for our learners. In closing, I want to express my gratitude to the entire SIA community – learners, parents, teachers, and those staff members that support behind the scenes – for making this week a truly remarkable one. It’s moments like these that remind us of the extraordinary potential that exists within our SIA community, and I am excited to continue this journey of growth and HPL learning together. #bethebestyoucanbe #worldteachersday #HPL #wearescholars #preppyprincipal #learningecosystem #loveforreading Take care Mr. James Batts Principal Read More

Dear SIA Community, I hope this message finds you well and looking forward to a lovely weekend. I wanted to take a moment to express how much I’ve missed being at SIA this week due to illness. Seeing all of you come into school in the morning is truly my favourite part of the day, and I can’t wait to be back with you all on Monday. Don’t forget to give me a high five and tell me about what you got up to over the weekend. I’m also excited to share that Mr. Danny has kindly promised me the opportunity to spend some time reading with our Primary learners in the new corridor reading space next week. This is something I’m really looking forward to and is a testament to the collaborative and imaginative spirit of our HPL learning ‘eco system’. Speaking of imagination, I was so impressed with year 5 and their exploration of the stars. They created solar systems and were given the chance to ask those burning questions as they explored and learnt about space. I was so impressed to see the Year 5 video that showed great collaboration and opportunities for feedback, which we know has a great impact on how we learn and progress. To view the video, Please Click here. I have to let you in on a little secret – I’m a Star Trek fan! Yes, that’s right, your Principal is a Trekkie! It’s also wonderful to know that our CEO, Ms. Verma, shares a love for sci-fi and enjoys watching Star Wars movies. We both believe in the philosophy of “shooting for the stars” and never giving up until we reach our goals. This is what HPL is all about as we work hard and persevere until we reach our goal. You may have noticed the “Apollo Thinking” stickers on the walls around the school, which reflect this mindset. I can’t help but wonder if we have some future astronauts among us at SIA. In our culture of high expectations, I believe we certainly do. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll receive an invitation to join one of our learners on a journey into outer space! We were thrilled to be able to announce the incredible learner leaders who will be guiding us through the academic year. The Head Boy and Head Girl have been chosen, along with our esteemed HPL ambassadors and deputy roles. Our learner leaders were truly inspiring last year and I am certain we will see the same level of dedication this year. Mr. Andy tells me that we have already begun integrating our learner leaders into various projects that will link to sustainability, charity and supporting our empathetic culture. I am also pleased that we have entered the next stages of our internship program. Our learners will have the opportunity to showcase their unique skill sets and express their interest in specific roles by submitting videos. This initiative provides a valuable platform for our learners to gain practical experience and model what an HPL learner looks like at SIA. I would like to thank all our parents for taking the time to attend the various daily meetings we have been holding at the school. The attendance across all year groups has been fantastic, and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing our parent community become more involved in various aspects of school life this year. I received some lovely emails about both the Primary and Secondary parent meetings, as well as our iGCSE and A Level-specific coffee evening with Secondary parents. Fostering a strong and supportive sense of community is super important to us at SIA as we aim to continue to nurture and empower our learners through the VAA’s and ACP’s on their journey to become global citizens. I would like to commend our learners for the continued dedication to learning, exploration, and creativity as we move boldly into this academic year. #bethebestyoucanbe #highperformancelearning #preppyprincipal #parentengagement #shootforthestars #wearescholars Take care James Batts Principal Read More

Dear SIA Community, What a truly wonderful week at SIA! I hope this message finds you enjoying your weekend and finding some time to relax. This week, we embarked on a heart-warming journey as we initiated our weekly ‘I in Kind’ building on from last year. This endeavour allows our learners to express why they are the ‘I in Kind’ as we continue to nurture our empathetic learning community. I always look forward to meeting with our learners and hear from them about the ways in which they demonstrate empathy and make a positive difference in the lives of others. Their stories and reflections reaffirmed the strong sense of compassion and kindness that runs through our SIA community. Please click here to watch the video. Moreover, I am delighted to share that this week held a special significance as I had the opportunity to meet some of our remarkable scholarship learners. It was an honour to be part of the process of awarding the Principal’s Scholarship. Witnessing the dedication and potential of these learners was a heart-warming experience. What made this week even more exceptional was the chance to invite the parents of the scholarship recipients into SIA. Together, we had the chance to have a ‘cuppa’ whilst sharing some proud stories and thoughts. It was an absolute joy to have them attend our celebration assembly and capture those moments in photographs. These are memories that will undoubtedly be cherished for a lifetime. I would like to draw your attention to our new provision, Early Explorers Nursery, which is now open and taking admissions. This is our lovely purpose-built facility that will act as a feeder into our EYFS following a learner-centred and curiosity-based approach. For more information, please see the newsletter below and click here. As we continue to foster a learning environment where empathy and kindness flourish, I am deeply grateful for the collective efforts of our Learners, parents, and staff members. Together, we are creating a community where each individual can thrive, learn, and grow both academically and as compassionate human beings. Thank you for being an integral part of the SIA community and for your unwavering support in our mission to inspire empathy, kindness, and positive change in the world. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. #loveforreading #bethebestyoucanbe #welcomeback #preppyprincipal Take care James Batts Principal Read More

Dear SIA Community, Welcome back after the summer break! It is truly a pleasure to have all our learners back in school, and if you are new, a warm welcome to you. We are excited about the upcoming school year and getting to know each and every one of you. Another year full of exploration, possibilities, aiming to ‘shoot for the stars’ as we strive to build on the successes of last year’s incredible BSO and SPEA inspection outcomes and securing our High Performance Schools Award. Now, we are focusing on achieving the High- Performance World-Class Award and setting the standard in Sharjah. Those of you I met in the mornings have expressed that the summer break was a time for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation, and an opportunity to enjoy some well-deserved time off. As we begin this new academic year, we are filled with enthusiasm and optimism for the learning and growth that lies ahead, which includes further investment into our facilities and online provision. For example, we have given the library a face lift, grown our reading provision in the years 3 and 4 corridors, created a new ICT suite due to growing demand for Computer Science in secondary and to support out GL assessments. We continue with those programmes that were having great impact such as Read-Write-Inc., Century Tech and we have now incorporated Accelerator Reader into Secondary. This truly is a sign of our continued commitment to developing our learning ‘eco system’ and aiming to develop a love for reading. Last week, we had the pleasure of celebrating International Literacy Day. This day serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of literacy in our lives. We came together as a school community to celebrate the joy of reading and the significance of developing strong literacy skills. Literacy is not just about reading and writing; it’s about empowering individuals to access information, express themselves, and participate fully in society. During our International Literacy Day celebration, we engaged in various activities that highlighted the magic of storytelling, the thrill of exploring new worlds through books, and the profound impact literacy can have on our lives. We were reminded that through reading, we can broaden our horizons, ignite our imaginations, and deepen our understanding of the world around us. As we kick off this new school year, let us remember the crucial role that literacy plays in education. It is the foundation upon which all other learning is built. Developing strong reading and literacy skills not only enhances academic success but also empowers learners to become critical thinkers, effective communicators, and lifelong learners. At SIA we are committed to fostering a culture of reading and literacy. We have a well-stocked library with a wide range of books to cater to diverse interests and reading levels. Our dedicated educators will continue to inspire a love for reading in our learners and provide them with the tools they need to excel in their literacy journey. As we embark on this new school year, let us remember that literacy is a gift that opens doors to endless opportunities. Let’s make it a priority to develop strong reading and literacy skills, not only for academic success but for personal growth and a brighter future. Our school thrives when we work together as a community. Parents, guardians, teachers, and learners, we are all part of this wonderful learning adventure. Let’s support and uplift one another, fostering an atmosphere of respect, kindness, and collaboration. I really enjoyed meeting all those that dressed up for International Literacy day – what an incredible effort and such good fun. In secondary, there are exciting opportunities coming such as internships and headship applications which begun. Our learners are eagerly exploring various internship options and submitting applications for leadership positions within the school. In addition, our meet and greet sessions with parents were extremely successfully and it was great to see them so well attended. Furthermore, the school officially announced the recipients of scholarships across secondary, recognising and rewarding our learners who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, or unique talents. Academic excellence has been celebrated as secondary learners continue to excel in their studies, supported by teachers and parents alike. It is great to see everyone back and we are excited for the Term ahead. Once again, welcome back to school, and here’s to a fantastic year of learning, growth, and the joys of reading and literacy! #loveforreading #bethebestyoucanbe #welcomeback #preppyprincipal Take care James Batts Principal Read More

Dear SIA Community, I hope this letter finds you well and filled with the spirit of empathy and togetherness. I wonder who put the ‘I’ in Kind this week? Please CLICK HERE . Today, I want to emphasise the importance of empathy in our school culture and express my gratitude to all the parents who recently participated in the EYFS ‘around the world’ morning. At SIA, empathy, which is one of our VAA’s, holds a special place in our hearts because it shapes the way we interact, learn, and grow as a community. It is more than just a value; it is a guiding principle that fosters kindness, understanding, and compassion towards one another. We believe that empathy plays a vital role in creating a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. By celebrating empathy weekly, we aim to highlight its significance and reinforce its practice among our learners, teachers, and staff. We firmly believe that empathy is a skill that can be nurtured and developed, and by dedicating time to appreciate and discuss it, we cultivate an atmosphere of empathy within our school community. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the parents who took part in the EYFS ‘around the world’ morning. Your active involvement and presence in our school are invaluable. The event was a resounding success, not only because it provided an opportunity for our young learners to explore and appreciate different cultures, but also because it showcased the power of empathy in action. When you our parents actively engage in your child’s learning experiences, it sends a powerful message that education is a collaborative effort between SIA and home. Your presence demonstrates the value you place on your child’s education and their overall development. Moreover, it allows us to create stronger bonds and partnerships, fostering a sense of belonging and unity within our school community. Some learners in Year 5 were excited to show me the video they created with regards to Carbon Footprints, which was absolutely fantastic! They confidently performed a little skit in the video to show ways in which to reduce carbon footprints and were able to articulate what they had learned in both Science and Humanities to be able to produce the video; they were also able to state that their video was an example of concern for society, which is part of our Empathy VAA. Moving forward, let us continue to celebrate empathy as a cornerstone of our school culture. By fostering empathy in our learners, we equip them with a fundamental skill that will serve them throughout their lives. Empathy enables them to understand and embrace differences, resolve conflicts peacefully, and contribute positively to the world around them. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend filled with empathy and understanding. #bethebestyoucanbe #wearescholars #hpl #preppyprincipal Take care James Batts Principal Read More

Dear SIA Community, I hope this letter finds you all in good health. I wonder who put the ‘I’ in kind this week? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV9vEk4B9Uo My absolutely favourite thing that happened in school this week was the Year 6 podcast that I was invited to take part in. It was truly a pleasure to be asked to be a part of this remarkable initiative, where we delved into the topic of high-performance learning (HPL) and its profound impact on our school culture and learning experiences. The Year 6 podcast provided a platform for an engaging and insightful conversation among these amazing learners and our special guest Ms. Vicky who was here supporting our accreditation process. It was a collaborative effort aimed at shedding light on the transformation that has occurred at SIA as we create learning experiences aligned to our HPL VAA’s and ACP’s. I was so proud of our Year 6 podcasters had planned the session and the questions they asked. The podcast was a celebration of the growth and accomplishments we have achieved together. During our discussion, we explored various aspects of HPL, ranging from the implementation of effective teaching strategies to the importance of fostering a growth mindset. We shared our personal experiences and how they as learners and myself as the Principal have embraced challenges, set ambitious goals, and developed resilience throughout our journey. The Year 6 podcast served as a powerful reminder of the collaborative spirit that defines our SIA community. Together, we have created an ‘Eco System’ that values excellence, fosters a love for learning, and encourages everyone to reach ‘to be the best they can be’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r56lxGsv9_w We have been extremely proud of our learners who worked hand in hand with our staff to showcase our HPL journey over the last two years during our accreditation visit this week. They were amazing as they held meetings with the inspector, took her on a tour of the school, and explained the impact that HPL has had on our school. We also had our Year 12 learners return to classes this week as they have completed their External Board Exams. They have now started back to the hard work and have started focusing on the Year 13 course in preparation for next year. Our parent workshops continue to be well represented and this week we learned about Early Literacy. Parents learned how our learners mark make before writing and the importance of pre-phonics before learning sounds. Ms. Heather and Ms. Daisy are running workshops throughout June along with many exciting events being held in the Foundation Stage. #bethebestyoucanbe #proudprincipal Take care James Batts Principal Read More

Dear SIA Community, I hope this letter finds you in good health and I am sure we are looking forward to seeing who put the ‘I’ in kind this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlFd-u8J1pM As you will be aware our learners are currently taking a number of assessments and exams and this can often be a challenging time to navigate. I wanted to take a moment to express my utmost admiration and appreciation for our learners’ remarkable level of determination, resilience, and commitment to personal growth. I am genuinely impressed by the way our learners have risen to the occasion, staying focused and motivated. The unwavering dedication to their learning and the pursuit of excellence aligns perfectly with our HPL values, attitudes, and attributes. It is clear to me that our learners embody the very essence of what we strive to embed across the SIA community. Furthermore, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the invaluable support that our entire SIA community has demonstrated during this time. The level of encouragement, collaboration, and camaraderie that I have witnessed within our community has been nothing short of extraordinary. It speaks volumes about the strength of our wonderful culture and the genuine care we have for one another. One of my favourite developments at SIA is our Learner Led podcast which I will be honoured to be a part of next week. Please see below the latest podcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY-1CGwOgws There have been so many highlights this week and I certainly enjoyed the FS1 tea party! A big ‘Thank You’ to all the parents who attended it. It was so lovely to see so many excited learners showing their parents their classrooms, friends, and all the hard work they have done over the academic year. It has been fantastic for our Secondary Leadership Team to be able to get into so many lessons this week to see our learners in action. Watching them analysing texts, researching historical data, and thinking about the possible outcomes of experiments shows how far they have come on their journey to becoming global citizens. It has been amazing to see the learners taking ownership of their own education and pursuing the topics they want to explore deeper. This is a credit to their learners and the teachers who work together to make such a wonderful learning ecosystem here at SIA. Speaking with Ms Tanita this week she was raving about how empathetic our learners truly are. ‘The kindness that learners are demonstrating towards one another and their concern for their school community has been fantastic to see; our younger learners have been independently thanking their peers for keeping a door open and for help given without prompting from an adult, while our older learners in Primary have been coming up with ideas to make their school environment better’ I wish you all a wonderful weekend! #bethebestyoucanbe #proudprincipal Take care James Batts Principal Read More

Dear SIA Community, I hope this week’s newsletter finds you in good health and high spirits as we head into the weekend. I wonder who has put the ‘I’ in kind this week? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJW7nyqTU-c At SIA growing our provision beyond the classroom supports learning through collaboration, focus, and a provision that continues into the central learning areas. I have seen our FS learners have been exploring water, making a prediction about how colour can be changed and why the water level rises at times. Year 1 learners have been busy carrying out a variety of Science experiments, following on from their trip to the Science museum and year 2 had the chance to use all the skills they have learned in school at KidZania on their trip. I was impressed with how the language was being developed and the learners were providing explanations of what they were experiencing or seeing within their experiments. We regularly change our display boards around the corridors as we develop themes and move on to different topics. I can certainly say they are looking fantastic and the learners’ work displayed demonstrates the significant progress they have made this year and their ability to comment on their learning through the VAAs and ACPs – this is truly awesome. Across the school we have started our GL assessments and the SLT has been popping in to see how the learners are getting on during these assessments and seeing them engaged with the task at hand. For example, we have started our NGRT Assessments in which tteststs the reading abilities of our learners and help our teachers to support learners with how their lessons are delivered to ensure that every learner can access our lessons and further their learning. As the scorching heat of summer in the UAE approaches, we at SIA feel compelled to address an important matter concerning the well-being of our learners. Living in the UAE, we are all familiar with the intensity of the summer heat and the potential risks it poses. The health and safety of our learners are of utmost importance to us, and as a community, I would ask that we work together to ensure that we are a ‘Sun Safe’ school. Today’s celebration assembly was wonderful as always and I had a chance to visit with one of our lovely young learners, Mathew Yr8A, who competed in the UAE open badminton tournament finishing runner-up in the under-15 boys. What an amazing achievement! To address this concern, we have a comprehensive heat policy that outlines the necessary steps we will take to safeguard our learners during the hot weather. The key points of this policy include: Restricted Outdoor Time: It is essential that we minimise learners exposure to the intense heat during peak hours. Therefore, we will be limiting the time spent outside and conducting activities indoors whenever possible. This decision aims to reduce the risk of heat-related ailments among our students. Sun Protection and the wearing of hats: Sunscreen and hats play a crucial role in providing children from harmful UV rays. We kindly request your assistance in providing your children with sunscreen and hats to ensure they are adequately protected while they are outdoors. Please ensure that you apply sunscreen on your child before they arrive at school. Daily Temperature Checks: Our vigilant staff will conduct daily temperature checks to monitor the ambient conditions both indoors and outdoors. This will enable us to make informed decisions regarding outdoor play and adjust our activities accordingly. We understand that our learners also benefit from spending time outdoors, and we will continue to strike a balance between their well-being and their need for physical activity. Our dedicated team will closely monitor the weather conditions and make timely decisions regarding outside play, always keeping the safety and comfort of our learners in mind. Thank you for your ongoing support and trust in Scholars International Academy. Together, we can ensure the well-being of our learners as they continue to thrive academically and holistically. #bethebestyoucanbe #proudprincipal Take care James Batts Principal Read More