1. Al Yasmina School Primary Newsletter
7 February 2013
Issue 17
Have you Downloaded the D6 Communicator? 17 days to go!
This will be Al Yasmina’s main form of communication. Follow this link to download
this program on you PC. http://www.six-delta.com/schools/communicators.html
Dear Parents,
Dates for your Diary
Tuesday 12 February - House Athletics for Year 3 and Year 4 (8.30am-11.30am)
Wednesday 13 February - International Day
Thursday 14 February - House Athletics for Year 5 and Year 6 (8.30am – 11.30am)
Thursday 14 February - Valentine’s Day Cake Bake Sale
Thursday 14 February - FS2 Zoo dress up day
Thursday 14 February - Year 1 Jungle dress up day
Thursday 14 Feb - Year 4 Roman dress up day
Week 17-21 February - HALF TERM
Sunday 24 February - School starts
Wednesday 27 February - Year 2 Click Exhibition from 5pm-6.30pm
Wednesday 27 February - Second Hand uniform sale
Thursday 28 February - Aldar Olympics
Thursday 28 February - Music Recital at 2.45pm
Tuesday 12 March - Parent Teacher Consultations
Wednesday 20 March - Spring Concert
Message form Mr. Gale
It has been a challenging January, but the support from many parents has been greatly
appreciated. There is so much to sing and celebrate about our school. We will not lose sight of that.
I have enjoyed the Year 1-2 sports day today. It was a moment of great pride for me watching the
secondary students lead and support the primary children. (Please view the photos on the School
Communicator).
I also write to inform parents that the primary newsletter will be phased out in the comings weeks. It is
envisaged that the ‘new look’ weekly parent newsletter/sheet will be released on Thursday, 28
February. This weekly primary newsletter will be called the ‘Parents Weekly Sheet’. It will still contain
key dates, key events and will have a précis of what happened in the week. Photos will be available
on a weekly basis to view on the School Communicator.
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2. We will also introduce the Primary PARTnership as a monthly publication, giving you an in-depth focus
into all the exciting and innovative practice in the Primary School. Edition 1 will be released at the
end of March.
We also say farewell to Ms Saif next week. Her contribution to the school has been appreciated.
Unfortunately Ms Wood’s father passed away on the weekend. She will return to school on Sunday,
3 March.
Mrs Sharpe is recovering well. She sends her thanks to the school community for their gifts, thoughts
and best wishes.
Valentine’s Day cake bake sale please support
Please support our World Challenge students with their Valentine’s Day cake bake sale.
All funds raised will be for their Uganda expidition. Please donate cakes on the morning
of 14 February by placing it in the atrium. The cake sale will start at 2pm in the atrium.
International Day - Wednesday, 13 February 2013
To celebrate the vast array of nationalities at Al Yasmina, we will holding an International Day
celebration. Children are being asked to dress up in their national dress or in clothes that represent
the colours of the flag of their country. The day will commence with a parade of nations and then
continue with international but educationally based activities in the classroom. Parents are welcome
to stay and watch the parade from 8.15 – 9am. Seating will be made available and we ask that all
parents stay within the allocated area.
Lessons will resume after the parade, however the international theme will continue
throughout the day. Children will also be given the opportunity to visit an
international showcase, provided by a group of volunteers. This will be a great fun
and educational experience for the children. No money will be required at the
showcase. Specialist lessons will also continue as normal so please ensure your
child comes equipped with their PE kit etc if required.
From the School Nurses
As good role models to our students at Al Yasmina School, staff have been
looking after their health and wellbeing, through the implementation of staff
wellness events. On Sunday 3rd February the school nurse organised for a
team from Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy to come to the school. They set up
outside the school clinic and checked blood pressures, blood sugars and
cholesterol levels. Staff (including administrative, maintenance, security,
cleaning and kitchen staff as well as teaching and support staff) visited the
health check stand. Such was the keenness for staff to check their health that
there was a long line at the stand all day.
Research has shown that if a child grows up in a healthy, active environment
they are more likely to carry on these habits into adulthood, minimizing the risks of many medical
conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity related problems. Let’s all be good role
models!
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3. From the Music Department
Congratulations to Natalia Moreira Ponce, who also recently took her ABRSM Violin exam. Natalie
passed Grade 1 with a Merit – well done!
Congratulations to this week’s Musicians of the Week:
Khalid Al Mutawa from FS2
Purple, Thomas Hodgson from
Year 2 Storks, and Edmund
Chung from Year 5 Sunbirds.
Khalid has recently found his beautiful singing voice, and this week he sang all by himself in front of
his class. He always works really hard in music - well done Khalid!
Thomas has worked extremely hard this term on his note-reading skills. This week he played a tune on
the xylophone for the rest of his class without a single mistake! Super stuff, Thomas!
Year 5 have been learning about Blues music, and have been playing a class piece. This week the
children had a go at improvising in a Blues style, and it’s really tricky! Edmund did a great job, and
has shown real skill and hard work throughout the entire topic. He also sang and danced with so
much enthusiasm in this week’s Wiz rehearsal. What a superstar!
Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival (ADMAF)
Our primary brass players have been given a very exciting opportunity to take part in this year’s
ADMAF Festival. They will be performing with brass players from the Secondary School in the Young
Musicians’ Concert on March 9th, which is to be held in the Abu Dhabi National Theatre. The 30
children are busy preparing for this event with Mr Hudson, and are sounding fantastic! Further details
to follow.
If your child is interested in learning trumpet, trombone, French horn or euphonium, Mr Hudson will
now be teaching full-time at Al Yasmina and does have a limited number of places available. Please
contact nhudson@alyasmina.sch.ae for details.
Dates for your diary:
Thursday February 28th Monthly Recital – the brass group will be performing too!
Saturday March 9th ADMAF Young Musician’s Concert
Wednesday March 20th Spring Concert
Wed/Thurs May 29th and 30th The Wiz!
For any information about primary music activities, please contact cknapton@alyasmina.sch.ae
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4. From the Arabic Department
.‫قام األطفال يف الروضة الثانية بكتابة حرف السني مع صوته القصري على سيارات صغرية ، وقد استمتعوا هبذا النشاط‬
Sport - Abu Dhabi Schools Touch Rugby Series – U11 Tournament
Another great week of touch rugby for Abu Dhabi Schools, particularly Al Yasmina. Entering only their
second tournament the children are already showing a greater understanding of the game and
improved team work. Monday’s hard fought fixtures saw Al Yasmina Greens win their pool only to be
defeated in the final by Brighton, a narrow 0-1 loss. The Al Yasmina Whites performed very well but
results didn’t go their way, however they won their playoff game to finish 7th in the tournament. Next
week it’s the U9’s competition on the 11th February. The U11 competition will resume after the half
term break on Monday the 25th February.
Collection of foreign money for The Pearl Primary’s Assistant Registrar’s daughter.
“I would like to thank all the children, parents and staff at The Pearl Primary School and other Aldar
Academies schools for the amazing fundraising towards my treatment aftercare. Words cannot
express what I feel towards the love, care and support I have seen from all who cooperated in
making this happen. Many thanks again to each and every one of you.” - Sara Saad, daughter of
Amani Naseef, Assistant Registrar - The Pearl Primary
Lost Property
All lost property is held at the main reception. Students & parents can view items from 1.30pm daily,
but after 3.30pm every Thursday afternoon, all unmarked items that have not been
claimed/collected, will be donated to FOY/charity. Please view some of the items on the School
Communicator’s gallery.
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5. Foundation Stage 1 (FS1)
It has been a scaly week in FS1 with slithers and slides all over the place; we have been learning
about reptiles. We have been listening to clues and using our thinking skills to try and guess what
animals our teachers have been hiding. It has been fascinating to find out how many different
colours reptiles can have on their scaly skin by investigating different skins and creating our own
magic scratch pictures. Ask us to find you something long or short at home this weekend, we have
made long and short snakes in class and are experts at identifying the longest and shortest. We have
also been discussing our zoo topic so far and talking about the animals we liked and what we have
learnt about them. We are very proud of how much we have learnt!
Next week we are going to be swinging through the Jungle towards the end of our topic. To
celebrate how much we have learnt we are going to be monkeying around and having a zoo dress
up day, on Thursday 14th February, a separate letter will come to you with the details.
All the FS1 teachers would like to say a special ‘Thank you’ to all the parent helpers who came to the
zoo with us last week. We had a great time, your help was essential and we all very much appreciate
you giving up you time. To support your child’s learning at home this week please continue to help
them practice writing their name including the correct letter formation and blend and segment CVC
words such as cat, pin, sit, tap.
A quick reminder that all PE and swimming lesson are an essential part of the curriculum and it is
important that the children are prepared with the correct kits, on the right days. This includes
swimming hats for swimming. If for some reason you child cannot take part in a lesson for medical
reasons please could you pass on a note to the child’s class teacher, thank you.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
You should be very proud of yourselves for the hard
work you put in last week. Last week’s stars were:
Green Class- Tien-Hom Woon, White class-
Mohamed Al Hashemi, Yellow Class- Shamsa Al
Khaili , Gold class- Abdulla Al Hammadi, Red Class-
Nael Mahmoud, Blue Class- Albin Deblom.
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6. Foundation Stage 2 (FS2)
FS2 have had a wonderful week learning all about different reptiles! We have read all about Achilles,
the little crocodile who only wanted to eat children despite his Mum & Dad trying their hardest to
persuade him to eat other foods. Luckily Achilles realized he needed to eat his bananas to grow
strong so this inspired FS2 children to write a menu of all the food they would try for their parents! The
top foods your children would like to try are:
 Tomatoes
 Olives
 Tuna sandwiches
We would love to see some photos of the children trying these new foods, just like Achilles.
Continuing with the idea of food FS2 made Crocodile Courgette Cupcakes! We decided against
using actual crocodiles so instead the children had to decorate their cupcakes to look like Achilles.
The FS2 teachers also joined in and are now considering a career move to Official Cupcake Makers
of FS2! 
We have also put into practice our number skills and have
measured each other to try and find out who is the tallest. The
children have assured Miss Gaywood that as long as she
continues to eat her bananas like Achilles she will be the tallest
soon! Next week we will be rounding off our topic by learning
about Jungle animals. We will be going on a jungle adventure,
making our own rainforests and discussing how we can save
the animals that are becoming extinct. In Maths, we will be
counting repeated groups of the same size.
You could help at home by:
- Researching information on jungle animals
- Practice writing sentences about jungle animals
- Put the same number of objects into groups and count them
Phonics Focus:
Phase 3 sounds - revisit igh ur ow oi ear
Tricky words- they, saw, all, you, are
Helpful websites:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/actiongames/rainforest-rescue/
http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/kentict/content/games/maths.htm
Zoo dress up day
We would like to remind you that it is dress up day next Thursday, 14 February. The children will take
part in a variety of fun activities linking to the animals and enclosures they have been learning about.
At lunch time we would like to celebrate the end of the topic with a zoo themed tea party.
We would be very grateful if you could contribute some food for the party - please see the table
below regarding what to bring in:
Item FS1 FS2
Sandwiches Blue Purple
Savories Gold/Green Amber
Fruit Red Orange
Cakes/Biscuits White Ruby
Sugar free juice cartons Yellow Jade
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7. Please remember, there should be no foods containing nuts, or any pork products since the snacks
are being shared
Request
Next week we are looking at Jungle animals and all children need to bring in either a shoe box or a
cereal box. If you have any extra boxes please send them in too!
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Well done to our Stars of the Week, Stelios Charalambides from Jade Class, Zayed Alriyami from Ruby
Class, Charlotte Holden from Orange Class, Moustafa El Zeftawy from Purple Class and Salem Al
Mazrouei from Amber Class. The FS2 teachers found this week very hard to award just 5 stars of FS2 as
all children were so amazing on the school trip! Who will it be next week?
Year 1
Year 1 are continuing to make super progress with their jungle learning this week. In literacy we have
been using all of the information we have gathered over the last few weeks to create our own
Jungle Animal non-fiction books. Ask your child to tell you an animal fact; they have blown us all
away with their knowledge. Watch out David Attenborough!
In Numeracy we have been learning exploring
measures involving capacity, length and weight. The
children have ordered items and used
mathematical language such as lighter, heaviest,
longer, short, holds most and holds least to compare
and order objects. They have also been using non-
standard units (cubes, pencils, paper clips etc) to
measure and compare. Take a look at some of
Cuckoos investigating who is the tallest member of
the class (it wasn’t Miss Wells!)
Year 1 will be continuing to investigate measures
next week. To support your child further at home this
weekend can they explore the following questions?
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8. Who is the tallest member of your family? What can you use to check?
Can you order three things in your fridge from heaviest to lightest?
How many times does it take to fill different containers/drink bottles using your favorite cup?
Reminders and upcoming events:
Trip
On Monday 11th February Year 1 are setting off on their trip to Emirates Zoo. If you have not yet
returned the consent form and 50AED please can you do so asap.
Reading fans.
Your child will be bringing home over the next week a question fan. These questions are used during
guided reading sessions by staff to extend and develop children’s knowledge of texts. Please support
your child at home by asking some of the questions when they share their reading book with you. The
reading fans do not need to come back to school and can remain with you at home.
Jungle projects
We are looking forward to seeing the children’s finished jungle projects. Please note deadline for
projects is Sunday 10th February. Please make sure your child brings in their project by the deadline so
they can share their achievements with the rest of the class.
Performance
Year 1 have been practicing hard for their ‘Jungle Song’ performance to parents on Thursday 14th
February. This will be held from 1.15pm in the Dance Studio. Please come along and see your child in
jungle action!
‘Dress up days’ don’t forget…
International Day- Wednesday 13th February. Children are invited to dress in the flag or colours of
their home country.
Jungle Day- Thursday 14th February. Children can come dressed as a jungle animal to celebrate their
efforts with this half term’s topic. Children can also bring in a jungle game (no Ipads or valuables
please)and/or a jungle cuddly toy. If a toy is particularly special or sentimental however we would
encourage them to keep it safe at home!
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Nazli Kamel – Cuckoos, Moza AK Darei – Larks, Piper Donald – Doves, Eissa Al Hammadi - Robins
Hessa Saeed – Sparrows.
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9. Year 2
Year 2 had great fun on their Click Trip around Abu Dhabi last week. The children took some
fantastic photographs which they are all now in the process of editing on the computers. The
photographs will be printed and framed for our wonderful, ‘Click Exhibition’ which will be held in
School On Wednesday 27th of February from 5pm – 6:30pm. A formal invitation will arrive home soon
from the children, but so you don’t miss out add the date to your diary!
In literacy we have been looking at persuasive language. We
watched adverts to help us think about the language used to
persuade people to buy things. In groups the children had to come
up with their own advert and slogan to sell a piece of fruit, the
children had great fun doing this! We also read the story, ‘Don’t Let
the Pigeon Stay Up Late’. The children then had to work in pairs to
come up with a short play to persuade their parents to allow them
to stay up late…so listen out for any excuses at home this week!
This week in maths we have moved onto weighing. We have been
using the balances to help us estimate, compare and measure
different objects using standard units such as kilograms.
Challenge Area - This week the children have started to use the
shared area which is now our ‘Challenge Area’. There are
challenges set for the children to work on. This encourages them to
think creatively, solve problems and also gives them the chance to
work with children from other Year 2 classes.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Rosie Wood – Spoonbills, Nina Schippe – Sandpipers, McKenzie Coetzee – Herons, Oliver Fiddler –
Storks, Dana Hasan – Flamingos
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10. Year 3
We are all very excited in Year 3 this
week because as you know it is out
Aussie Camp out on Thursday! We
have been studying measure and
capacity in maths in preparation for
baking our Anzac Biscuits on
Wednesday. Thank you to all of the
parents who sent in food from your
cupboards to be weighed. Next week
we are investigating shape and angles.
In Literacy we have been learning to edit and proofread our work as well as challenging each other
with anagrams and palindromes. We have also been focusing on reading comprehension and
answering higher order questions about our reading books. In Topic we have been learning the
words and the story behind the popular Australian song, ‘Waltzing Matilda’. We will be singing along
to this and other famous Aussie songs at the sleepover.
Next week we will be making cross-curricular links between Topic and Literacy by making a fact file
on an Australian Animal. This will help us develop our research, writing and presentation skills.
In Science we have moved on from rocks to soil. We have been learning the process of how soil is
formed. Next week we will be investigating different types of soil and their components.
Notices:
Please be aware that due to the Aussie Sleepover, we will not be giving out any homework this week.
Children should revise all spellings in their book and we will be having a random test of 20 words on
Monday.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Lily Fowler, Matthew Hile, Omar Kamel and Vinuth
Mudiyanselage, Farida El Ogueil (Absent from picture)
Year 4
In Year 4 this week we have been doing some time travelling in our writing. The
children have been writing some amazing stories set in the Roman Era. The
have been looking at the structure of stories and the functions of the different
parts as well as creating some magnificent descriptive sentences.
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11. In Maths this week we have been doing some investigating using a Roman banquet as the theme
and have begun to look at some data handling, where the children have been interpreting data
from graphs and charts.
We continued to look at a bit of maths in our topic where we
looked at how children learned in Roman times. Year 4 or should I
say Year IV have been learning to write numbers the way the
Romans did. Wagtails had a bit of fun making sums for each other
using Roman Numerals. The children discovered that school
nowadays is a little nicer than Roman times. The children have also
created some amazing Roman mosaics.
Next week is a very busy week in school. We start off with Sports
Morning on Tuesday, children should come into school wearing their House T- shirts with their PE shorts.
On Wednesday we have International Day where children are invited to wear traditional clothes
from their country or the colours of their national flag. Finally we have Roman day on Thursday where
the children are asked to wear a Roman costume. Could we ask if you have any spare thick card at
home e.g. packing boxes or veggie boxes from school that you do not need, could you send them
into school as we are going to make Roman shields on Roman Day. Thank you for your continued
support.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Zaynab Boustique (Warblers), Zaina Ahmed (Pipits),
Patrick Carter (Wheatears), Dana Al Shukeily
(Sandgrouse) and Olivia Williams (Wagtails).
Year 5
Another jam packed week of Ancient China. Having studied the role of women in society and the
routines of the emperors, we have started to look at the natural and man-made geographical
features of China. In particular, they have examined the importance of the two main rivers on the
expansion of China, and the building of the Great Wall of China. We are also looking at the major
cities within China. During Literacy we have been looking at the features of persuasive writing and
putting together our own advertisements. We have been looking at the elements of ‘bias’ and
‘exaggeration’. In Numeracy the focus has been data handling and the variety of ways in which
information can be displayed without too much writing. Once we have represented the data in a
particular chart, we can then analyse it and make deductions. We have also been looking at the
probability of events occurring.
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12. Next week is extra special! We have a fantastic residential trip to Dibba which both staff and pupils
are really excited about. During the visit there will be many interesting activities for the children to
take part in, such as navigational skills and orienteering, exploring and studying the local UAE culture
of the region and furthering our topic work of this term by examining the effects of coastal erosion
upon the Dibba coastline. In addition, the children will gain greater independence, learn to work in
collaboration with each other and as a result, will develop greater friendship and respect for each
other.
We had a Year 5 assembly at which pupils will have the opportunity to air any questions about Dibba.
Those pupils not going to Dibba have got some lovely activities planned which will test both their
culinary and creative skills!
After Dibba the fun doesn’t stop. On Wednesday we have International Day and on Thursday…Sports
Day! For International Day, we would like children to give a brief talk about their country of origin,
they may want to bring a photo or picture with them. The Talent show at Dibba is optional, however if
your child would like to share a particular talent, they will have the opportunity to do so.
As most of the children have got a busy weekend preparing for Dibba and ensuring they have all
their essentials, there will be no homework this week. However the Kite project is ongoing and we will
be looking forward to seeing them after the half term.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Mohammed Al Hosani -Sunbirds, Layla Hasan -Mynahs, Sarah
Priestley -Nightjars,Holly O’Sullivan -Parakeets and Gabby
Loftus-Swallows.
Year 6
As always the children in Year 6 have worked incredibly hard this week and the enthusiasm shown,
especially during the hands-on practical activities, has been noted by all the teachers.
The week kicked off with a fantastic Fun Day Sunday! A day packed full of team games, outdoor
play and a very welcomed yummy pizza lunch! The children’s disappointment over Oman was
pushed aside (for one day at least!)
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13. During Literacy the pupils have been working on a range of grammar and punctuation tasks to help
develop their ability to construct detailed and lively sentences in their written work. In Numeracy the
focus has switched to securing number facts and the properties of shape. Some classes have been
looking at quadrilateral shapes whilst others have started with number investigations for example,
prime factors of numbers etc.
In Science the children are currently working on their skills of scientific enquiry as they continue to look
at, and analyse the results of their experiments and the rates at which different materials dissolve.
The children have particularly enjoyed their D & T experience as they have been given the
opportunity to work in the secondary wood work shop on the construction of the wooden frames for
their earthquake houses. In our ‘Freaks of Nature’ topic, the pupils have been learning how an
anenometer is used to measure wind speed.
Eagles busily working on their frames in the wood work shop!!
Next week the focus in literacy will be on comprehension skills. We will be looking at developing the
ability to infer and interpret meaning from texts, which is not always directly obvious from what is
written. In maths the focus will be on using and applying mathematical knowledge and skills to
problem solving. On Wednesday it is International Day and the children will have the opportunity to
engage in a range of fun and exciting activities which aim to develop their appreciation and
understanding of countries in the world and the cultural diversity that exists amongst them.
Further reminder – the deadline is drawing near!! Natural disaster projects are due on Monday 11th
February.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Tanami Loftus (Owls) Nor Asyraf Nor Azhar (Kestrels)
Matthew Wood and Yarrow Ansell (Eagles) Adam
Tlemsani (Ospreys) Sandali Weeraseker (Falcons).
Al Yasmina School
Tel: 02 501 4888
email: jhupalo@alyasmina.sch.ae
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