Dear SIA Community,
Say it with me ‘Rain, Rain go away, come again another day’ Coming from the UK rain would disturb our days regularly as you can imagine. I remember as a child saying this over and over again with a big smile on our faces as we planned what to do as the rain had stopped play. This is exactly what we did this Thursday as the rain created challenges getting to school for the whole community but we remained resilient and pulled together as all good communities do. I would like to thank my colleagues, our learners and you our parents for supporting us to get online and continue our learning.
I have really enjoyed seeing so many of parents from our SIA community coming into our school to listen to our learners read. Our learners showed how they practice and how ‘hard working’ they are through their reading skills, using their phonic knowledge of blending and segmenting. If you would like to become a parent reader contact hfrench@sia.ae and please remember to come say hello to me whilst you are in.
In upper Primary our learners became teachers as they presented their research of soil found in the UAE; they linked their prior knowledge of learning about soil for this. Watching them present with confidence and enthusiasm was a treat and real example of how our learners’ skills have developed over time. While we had some learners becoming teachers, we had some of our learners that became electricians this week; it was fabulous to see them working collaboratively to explore and construct circuits. Learners in Year 5 had the amazing opportunity to visit the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library; reading came to life as they read along with a robot and interacted with a motion picture book. Reading is something we promote heavily at SIA as it is so important to be a good reader if you are to be able to access a range of learning materials and progress. Please do practice reading at home and sign into bug club, literacy planet and century tech to support.
In Secondary it was all good, as we had several exciting highlights that contributed to the education and well-being of our learners. Firstly, we organised a trip for our Year 12 and 13 learners to Mamzar beach as a way to unwind and relax after their exams. This trip provided them with an opportunity to enjoy the beach, bond with their peers, and de-stress after a busy exam period. Secondly, our business learners had an opportunity to participate in an internship trip, gaining real-world experience and learning about different aspects of the business industry. In addition to that, we also started our internal internship programme, providing our learners with hands-on experience and the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals. I am really looking forward to gaining feedback from our internship programme.
Our PE department was busy this week with fixtures for U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18 learners, giving our learners the opportunity to showcase their athletic abilities and compete against other teams. It was a great way for all involved, with an opportunity to build those all important VAA’s such as teamwork skills and develop a sense of sportsmanship.
I am super proud of the provision in school and the holistic opportunities our learners engage with daily. It was busy and productive week with many opportunities for our learners to learn, grow and develop towards being global citizens. We are looking forward to continuing to provide our learners with a well-rounded education that promotes their physical, emotional and social well-being.
I wish you a lovely weekend.
#bethebestyoucanbe #proudprincipal
Take care
James Batts
Principal