1. Al Yasmina School Primary Newsletter
23 January 2013
Issue 15
Have you Downloaded the D6 Communicator? 32 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
Wednesday 30 January - Second hand uniform sale – 1.30pm in atrium
Thursday 31 January - Music Recital at 2.45pm
Thursday 7 February - House Athletics for Year 1 and Year 2
Tuesday 12 February - House Athletics for Year 3 and Year 4
Sunday 10 Feb-13 Feb - Secondary performance “Chicago” at 6.30pm (dhs20/ticket)
Wednesday 13 February - International Day
Thursday 14 February - House Athletics for Year 5 and Year 6
Thursday 28 February - Aldar Olympics
Wednesday 20 March - Spring Concert
Assistant Head – Teaching and Learning, Staff Professional Development – Mrs. Barber
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and to thank the
whole Al Yasmina Community for making me and my family so welcome
during our first few months in Abu Dhabi – we have already made lots of
friends and feel very much part of the school.
When I left university, I completed a childhood ambition of becoming a
real teacher, just like Mrs. Bradley, my first teacher and first inspiration. Even
at age 4 I knew I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. My aspiration
now is to provide the best start for all children in my care, so that they too
are determined to achieve their goals.
Previous to joining Al Yasmina I have worked in many Primary schools in the
UK with my most recent position as Head Teacher of an Infant School with onsite Preschool provision.
Having reached Headship in England, I decided I needed a new challenge and the opportunity
came to join Al Yasmina and experience life in another country.
My current role as a Primary Assistant Head is to focus on developing the teacher’s skills and ensuring
that their continuous professional development enables the children at Al Yasmina to have the best
possible education and learning experience during their time with us.
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2. I am the line manager for the Heads of Year and I work closely with them to ensure that they are well
supported in their role and communication lines are kept open across the school as well as within
each separate year group.
I am also a parent of the school and have been thrilled with the range of activities and opportunities
that our move to Abu Dhabi and Al Yasmina has afforded us; we are now doing things that before
we could only dream of and are appreciating every moment.
I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know all the children and their families at Al Yasmina, I
particularly like the informal conversations before and after school on the playground, as my
personal challenge is to learn the name of every child! I look forward to continuing to establish myself
as a member of the Leadership Team and if you have any questions, my email address is:
KBarber@alyasmina.sch.ae.
Al Yasmina teachers in golf competition
Last week, the Al Yasmina
staff, holders of the STAGS
trophy, took part in the
STAGS golf competition
against Al Bateen School
and The American
International School of Abu
Dhabi.
It was a very competitive
day, with Al Bateen
narrowly defeating Al
Yasmina by 5 shots! Sadly,
we had to hand over the
trophy to Mr. Kilding, who
was a very proud Al Bateen Al Yasmina staff (in turquoise shirts) were: Ms. McLoughlin, Mr. Hetherington,
captain. Ms. Davies, Mr. Ward (Captain), Mr. Eaves, Mr. McNaught, Mr. Dunne,
We’ll win it back next year. Mr. Davies, Mr. Stanley and Mr. Cantrill
International Day - 13 February 2013
On Wednesday, 13 February, Al Yasmina will be recognizing
and celebrating its diverse, international community.
We are currently planning an International Showcase for all students to enjoy. This would involve
parents from as many different countries as possible, spending the day running an “exhibition stand”.
The stand would help the students understand what different countries look, taste, feel, smell and
sound like. The children will not be asked to bring money in therefore there will be no opportunity for
stands to sell items. It is simply to promote cultural understanding and to give students a “flavor” of a
range of countries.
If you would like to find out more or offer your support, please contact Miss Merrick –
missmerrick@alyasmina.sch.ae for further details or come along to our planning
meeting, Sunday 27 January at 8am, G78 (DT Secondary room).
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3. Lost Property
Please note that lost property is only available to view at 13.30 weekdays.
Friend of Al Yasmina (FOY)
FOY are looking for volunteers to help with Sports days, Aldar Olympics and the Annual Ball!
• The annual ball is to be held on 3 May 2013 and we are looking to form a committee to
organise it. If you are interested in getting involved in the organisation of the ball this year.
• House Athletics days are coming up in February –
7 February - Year 1 & 2,
12 February - Year 3 & 4 and
14 February - Year 5 & 6 and we would like to have a tea/coffee stall on these days.
• The Aldar Olympics will be held this year on Thursday, 28 February and FOY would like to hold a
BBQ etc. on this day.
If you are able to help out at all at any of these events please contact janineloftus@hotmail.com.
Second Hand Uniform Sale - the monthly second hand uniform sale will be held next Wednesday
30 January from 1.30pm in the school Atrium.
FoyVeg - don't forget to collect your boxes on Wednesday after 1.30pm from the Primary Entrance
Gate. For further info email Lisa at foyveg@hotmail.com.
From the School Nurses
Residential school trips
If your child is going on a residential school trip (Hatta/Oman/Dibba) and will need to take
prescribed medication with them, please could you contact the school nurse on 02-5014722 or
nurse@alyasmina.sch.ae.
The school nurse prepares a list of medical conditions and medical needs of pupils and needs to
know who will be required to take medication while on a trip. All medications should be handed into
the school clinic PRIOR to the trip (not the day of the trip). All medications will then be handed over
to the teacher with accompanying instructions.
There is no need to give your child over-the-counter medications to carry, as the teachers will be
given a complete first aid kit, which will include basic medications such as oral pain-relief (calpol),
oral anti-histamine, oral throat lozenges and topical anti-histamine cream.
From the Library
The Baker Book club leaflets have been distributed to all Primary children this week. The book club
gives you an opportunity to buy a range of popular and exciting, age appropriate books for your
children. Please follow the instructions as per leaflet and return the order form in a sealed envelope,
clearly marked with your child’s name and class, to Mrs. Morris or Mrs. Stanley (Librarians) who will be
in the Primary playground area each morning from 7.40am – 8.00am.
(see flyers attached).
REMINDER LAST DAY FOR BOOK ORDERS IS MONDAY 28TH JANUARY
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4. From the Music Department
Well done to this week’s Musicians of the Week:
Faris Abusinn (Key Stage1)who is in Year 1 Larks, demonstrated an excellent
understanding of pitch and how the notes were moving in a song. He was so
good he was able to conduct the rest of his class as they sang!
Grace Lewis (Key Stage 2), who is in Year 4 Wagtails, has a very lovely singing
voice, and this week she sang solo a part of the Roman song that the class
are learning. It was fantastic! Well done to both of our talented musicians!
Dates for your diary:
March 20th Spring Concert
The Wiz:
Dates have now been confirmed so put them in your diaries and reserve that date! They are as
follows:
Tuesday, 28 May All day Full dress rehearsal
Wednesday, 29 May 12.30pm Matinee Performance to Primary
Wednesday, 29 May 6pm Evening Performance to public
Thursday, 30 May 12.30pm Matinee Performance to Secondary
Thursday, 30th May 6pm Evening Performance to public
If your child is in The Wiz, please look out for an email which will be coming out very shortly containing
important information!
For any information about primary music activities, please contact cknapton@alyasmina.sch.ae.
From the Arabic Department
Year 4 non-native: The Year 4 students
enjoyed our topic “Around the World” this
week. They made presentations and spoke
of different countries such as Malaysia and
Spain, their people and their cultures.
Useful website:
http://tutor.lootah.com/main.php?langid=0
1&catprntid=01
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5. Sport - UAE Touch Rugby Series
Thank you to everyone who competed in the U11 Abu Dhabi Schools Touch Rugby on Monday, the
first of the Series. It was a very positive experience. What a super atmosphere with all children
playing and families watching with a smile on their face. The standard was excellent considering for
many children and schools it was their first time playing in a competitive environment. Hopefully with
a week off, they can continue to improve before returning for the next U11 tournament on Monday,
4 February.
The Al Yasmina team results were as follows. The reds came runners up to Brighton in the Cup
competition. The whites were the plate playoff winners over Belvedere. A fantastic achievement for
our school!
Foundation Stage 1 (FS1)
This week we have been learning all about life under the sea. We’ve been looking at all sorts of sea
creatures like octopus, crustaceans, whales and much more. We’ve been listening to whales and
dolphins singing and chatting about the differences of sea life, polar life and life on the savannah.
We’ve been busy making some super fish from shapes and different materials talking about how they
feel and look. We are going to hang some in our Aquarium in the Shared area so everyone can see
them. Thank you to parents who brought in books to read and toys to play with.
In the shared area we loved sticking legs on our octopus, tentacles on our jellyfish and teeth on our
sharks with play-doh. We took a virtual trip under the sea in our Aquarium hut where we could see lots
of different creatures. We’ve been having super fun at the pool too; everyone is getting used to the
water and enjoying our weekly splash around. In phonics, we have learnt 4 new sounds o, r m and d.
Please continue to practice these sounds at home with your child encouraging them to point out any
word beginning with these sounds. Don’t forget to help your child learn a special or interesting fact
that they could share with their class!
Next week we will be going on our Zoo trips. Don’t forget to send in your forms if you haven’t already
done so. We will be looking at all the areas of the Zoo talking about all the amazing animals we will
see.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Our super stars of the week are (from left to right): Zaid
Basbous Gold Class, Mira Al Hammadi Blue Class, Mila
Jabsheh Red Class, Aaron O’Connor Green Class, Andrew
Matta Yellow Class and Miles Broderick White Class. Well
done to all of you!
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6. Foundation Stage 2 (FS2)
FS2 have been on an Aquarium Adventure this week! We have been exploring all the different types
of animals that live there and their patterns. We felt the different patterns of shells and used wax
crayons and paper to do some rubbings of them. In our writing, we imagined the things that we
would see if we were a diver and worked really hard to write all about them. Come to our classrooms
and see our wonderful artwork too! We have created jellyfish, 3D fish and crabs. FS2 have been very
clever whilst looking at non- fiction books. We discussed what they are used for and what is inside
them. Then we were able to find out some information about creatures under the sea. We also had a
great time learning the song, Under the Sea from the little mermaid and dancing to it as well!
In our number work we have been learning about symmetry. We talked about how symmetrical
things look the same on both sides and we practiced drawing lines of symmetry on different shapes.
After that we were able to make some symmetrical fish!
Next week
All of FS2 are very excited to be going on our Zoo Trip! Here is a reminder of when each class is going:
Sunday, 27 January Amber class
Monday, 28 January Ruby class
Tuesday, 29 January Purple class
Wednesday, 30 January Orange class
Thursday, 31 January Jade class
Please remember that the children will need to wear their school uniform, and to bring a separate
snack, water in a plastic disposable water bottle and a healthy lunch (not nuts or chocolate) as
normal. We will be back in school in plenty of time for a normal pick-up. Whilst our friends in other
classes are at the zoo, the rest of us will be doing lots of activities linked to our trip including some
writing about the things that we saw. We will be going over lots of our phonics and tricky words;
making sure we can read and write them. In Maths, we will be consolidating what we have learnt
over the last few weeks – weighing objects, sharing objects into equal groups and finding the line of
symmetry.
You could help at home by:
- Practicing letter and number formation at home with your child. This can also be done in dry
sand, wet sand, shaving foam or even icing sugar! Have a go 
- Please make sure you are going over your child’s sound walls, word walls and reading books
at home too.
Phonics Focus:
Phase 3 sounds - revisit igh ur ow oi ear
Tricky words- big, put, but, see
Revisiting - he, she, we, me, be, was, my, you, her, they, all, are
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7. Helpful websites:
Phonics game - http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/kentict/content/games/soundsea_v3.html
Numbercise! Number formation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flb1KA7XYl4
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Laila Zeidan from Purple class, Mariya Mubashir from Ruby class, Joyce Elias from Orange class,
Maryam El Barky from Amber class and Joshua Coetzee from Jade class. Well done guys, we’re so
proud of you!!!
Year 1
Year 1 this week were getting deeper into the jungle topic
with great enthusiasm. In Science, our camouflage
investigation was very interesting…hide and seek with
chameleons is certainly different! We have also used web
links to explore the jungle and we became the four layers of
the rainforest also!!
Here a great one which the children loved:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfA3A5bLvjs
Children have been making noticeable improvement with their writing with their repeated language
stories. Well done Year 1!
Next week in Literacy, we explore the animals and jungles further. Our aim is to develop our skills to
write a piece of non-fiction writing by the end of this term. We will be looking at the contents, glossary
and index in these books, and finding out lots of facts! Home reading books will reflect this next
week.
We are striving to stretch our little brains too through different questions which make our readers work
beyond a yes or no answer. So, look out for some helpful questions that we will send out next week
for you to try with your children.
In Numeracy we will focus on recalling number facts, especially doubles to 10, as well as exploring all
number bonds to at least 10 and extending to 20. Some may go so far as to apply this to some
complements to 100! (5 + 5 = 10 so, 50 + 50 = 100!) Yes, we are looking for some real Mathemagicians
now!
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8. Remember, remember…
On the last day of this term, Thursday 14th February, we are having a Jungle day in Year 1. Please
allow your children to come as jungle animals or dress in the colours of the jungle. We will be making
masks for them to add to any costumes they wear.
Year 1 will perform to you some songs that they have learnt but the date is to be confirmed shortly.
Another date for your diaries is our trip to the Emirates Zoo on Monday 11th February to see the
animals but also to look at our new topic : Growing. The letter will come to you shortly, as will the
request for some parent helpers for the trip please.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Shahad Alahi (Doves), Mariam Al Braiki (Cuckoos), Mikaail Achmat (Sparrows), Tiana Kamel (Robins),
Molly Wagner (Larks)
Year 2
We have been trying new ways of learning our spellings in Year 2 this week. We have been making
words out of playdoh, using counters to form the letters and writing them in the air with ribbons! It was
so much fun that we didn’t even realize how much we were learning! In literacy we met a mysterious
character by the name of Harris Burrdick…….he drew lots of pictures and took them to a publisher.
He told the publisher that he had written
stories to go with the pictures and that he
would bring them in the next day……. The
publisher never saw him again!
Here are some of the pictures that we used
as a stimulus to write our stories.
Here is an example story written by an 8yr
old….why don’t you ask your child to tell you
their story?
http://www.hmhbooks.com/features/harrisburdick/readers_story_popup_GGervasoni.html
In maths we have handled data that we gathered
from our questionnaires last week by completing Venn
diagrams. We sorted pictures of key landmarks in Abu
Dhabi according to different criteria. The children
could choose their own criteria and they had to justify
the decisions they made.
Here is an example of places in Abu Dhabi that are
suitable for adults, children or both.
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9. In topic we have been learning about the history of cameras and what the parts of a camera are
called. Did you know that the first successful photograph 1827 by a French scientist using a wooden
box, a metal plate and tar!
Can you tell what it is?!
We have also been using our viewfinders this week to help us
practice finding a good image to take a photo of. This will help
us next week when we will be using real cameras!
Next week we will be learning to write ‘persuasively’, a skill we need to develop if we are going to
create leaflets which will encourage tourists to visit Abu Dhabi! In science we will be exploring circuits
and trying to make a bulb light up. We would also like to investigate toys that require batteries. If you
have any toys that you could send in for us to look at we would be very grateful. Please make sure
they are named so that we can return them to you.
In Year 2 we are very excited about going on our Click Tour next week! We will be travelling around
Abu Dhabi to take photos of interesting landmarks…..wait till you see what we will do with them then!
Trip dates are as follows:
Sunday 27th January – Flamingos, Monday 28th January – Sandpipers, Tuesday 29th January – Storks,
Wednesday 30th January – Spoonbills, Thursday 31st January – Herons.
Reminder! The Click Tour is a full day so children must bring lunch in and snack in a plastic bag. The
school will be providing a number of cameras for the Safari, however if you wish to send a camera or
ipad in from home for your child to use, then feel free to do so on the day of your Safari. If you decide
to allow your child to use a camera or ipad from home, your child will be responsible for the camera
and the school will not be taking any responsibility for any
damage that may occur.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Alicia Lopez – Sandpipers, Talie Aker – Storks, Pippa Kelly –
Herons, William Vandy – Spoonbills, Oscar Willsher –
Flamingos.
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10. Year 3
In Literacy this week the children have read
some Aboriginal myths and legends. We
created story plans then wrote our own myths
to share with the class. In Numeracy we have
been looking at rounding numbers to the
nearest 10, 100 and 1000. We also looked at
place value and partitioning.
In Topic, we wrote some fantastic ‘Letters to
Polly’ from the convict fleet and colony in
Australia. They are so sad, you may need a
tissue after reading!!!
Next Week’s learning focus will be:
Literacy - We will be reading ‘Wombat Stew’ and then writing our own revolting recipes!!!
NOTICE *** Can children please remember to bring their reading books and reading records to
school everyday.*** Numeracy - We will focus on addition and subtraction – mental calculations and
solving problems in practical situations. Topic – We are learning about the Gold Rush in Australia and
about the changes it made.
Aussie Sleepover Requests
We are looking for some outdoor/camping lights which we could use on the night of the Aussie
Sleepover. If anyone can donate one for the evening we would be very appreciative.
We are still looking for some volunteers to help out with our Aussie Sports – Cricket, Soccer and Aussie
Rules Football. This session will run from 3pm- 5pm on the night of the sleepover (Thursday 7 Feb) If
you are interested, please get in touch with your child’s teacher. Again, many thanks in advance for
your help.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Well done to Neil Galea – Terns, Mohammed Al Khaili – Buntings,
Mohammed Al Nahyan – Ravens, Abdulaziz Al Hammadi –
Cormorants and Zohaa Chaudary – Curlews.
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11. Year 4
In Literacy this week we have been looking at stories set in a historical setting. As we are studying the
Romans in our Topic work, we have chosen an exciting story about Roman Britain as our study text.
As well as being literary detectives and finding historical clues in the story, we have also written a
diary from the point of view of the main character, Bran – a very wholesome chap! This will lead to us
writing our own historical stories next week.
In Math’s we’ve been continuing to use written methods for calculations. This week we’ve been
concentrating on division. Some parents, I’m sure, still have nightmares about dreaded division but in
Year 4 we have been learning some sneaky shortcuts and helpful hints, enabling us to cross the great
divide. It’s time to get chunking!
In Science we have been carrying on with our electricity topic and conducted some fantastic
experiments that the children planned themselves. They were given a number of different objects
and asked to find a way to find out which were conductors and which were insulators. Our bright
sparks soon found out why wires are made of metal wrapped in plastic and also learnt how to stay
safe around electricity.
Amelie and Bernadett from Pipits making Noora from Pipits shows off her
their own Roman Roman mosaics in Art. own soldier, complete with
authentic (paper) armour.
Next week in Literacy we will be seeing if Bran can remain a regular kid despite being imprisoned by
the Romans and writing our very own historical story. In Math’s we will be revisiting and extending our
knowledge of polygons and 3D shapes. (Will we need special glasses?) Nothing dull in science next
week as we try and find out how we can change the brightness of a bulb. Should be enlightening!
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Saif Fakhroo, Kiri Simpson, Erinn Ashdown, Jana Al
Ramahi and Shaikha Al Thabahi
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12. Year 5
The school week began with a Year group assembly in the shared area. This gave us the opportunity
to celebrate the previous week’s Stars of the Week. We also celebrated the winning Formula one
team, Viperz, and the pupils with the quickest reaction time. In Literacy the pupils have been
introduced to ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’. This is another Michael Morpurgo novel which tells the story of a
young boy and his parents who decide to follow their dreams. They take a year out and sail around
the world. During their voyage there is a life changing event and the main character { Kensuke} takes
centre stage!
In Numeracy the pupils are learning about 2-D and 3-D. They will be learning their mathematical
names, such as; Hemisphere, tetrahedron, triangular prism and square-based pyramid. They will also
become familiar with their properties ,including; number of vertices, faces, edges and lines of
symmetry. During Science they have discovered the reversible change of matter from a gas {water
vapour} to a liquid {water} and then back to water vapour through the processes of evaporation
and condensation.
Next week we will be continuing with ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’. At the end of the week, all pupils will be
planning and writing their own narrative which will follow a similar theme to the Morpurgo books we
have studied.
During Numeracy we will build on this week’s work of shape, consolidating the naming of their
properties and classifying them. We will then investigate symmetry and symmetrical patterns.
Next week we embark on our new topic, China! We have decided to focus on the history of China
next week. This means that, apart from Literacy, Numeracy and specialist subjects, we will
concentrate on the history of China in the other periods. This is called ‘blocking’. The following week
we will tackle another aspect of China. If you have any interesting pictures, artefacts or stories from
China then please share them with your child so they can share them with their class.
Have a peaceful time celebrating the Prophet’s Birthday.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Mynahs - Tom Clifton, Swallows - Abdullah Al Hamadi,
Nightjars - Ryan Pretorius, Sunbirds - Youssef Saragawa-Okba
Year 6
Year 6 have continued to work hard this week and have maintained an excellent attitude towards
their learning. During Literacy this week the pupils have displayed their commendable peer and self
assessment skills. They have revisited the newspaper reports that they wrote last week and have
identified how to improve them. This is a key skill that the children must develop, in order to take
ownership of their own learning, which will advance their ability to edit and improve their own work
as their educational careers progress. The children have also been applying their knowledge and
understanding of writing reports to focus on how to write non-chronological reports.
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13. In Numeracy the pupils have been applying their knowledge of numbers to real-life situations. Some
classes have been handling data related to statistics of natural disasters, while others have been
measuring distances and converting between mm, cm, m and km.
In Science we have been
studying evaporation. The pupils
have hypothesized what will
happen if beakers containing
Abu Dhabi seawater, Dubai
seawater, pool water and tap
water are left on a windowsill for
a week. They have been able to
identify the variables and
constants and are excited
about recording the results over
the week. Setting up our evaporation experiment
Continuing on with our topic, ‘Freaks of Nature’, the pupils have been consolidating their learning of
why earthquakes occur and how we measure them. They have also been beginning to understand
how volcanoes are formed and the impact that they have on the world.
Next week in Literacy we shall be continuing to write non-chronological reports. In Numeracy lessons
we will be continuing with data handling, measuring and converting measurements. Also, in order to
create our earthquake proof houses we will have access to the DT rooms in the secondary school
and the technician will be helping us to create our structures using wood and tools! Very, very
exciting!
May I please remind all of the pupils (especially those going to Oman) that their natural disaster
projects are due on Monday, 11 February.
Congratulations to our Stars of the Week
Yousif Al Marzooqi, Mette Den Haese, Stella Wheatley, Ayshe
Korkmaz, Nandini Bhalla, Jade-Anne McLean.
Al Yasmina School
Tel: 02 501 4888
email: jhupalo@alyasmina.sch.ae
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