As part of our continuous commitment to providing the highest quality education for all students, I am communicating, again, an important update about the direction of our Elementary School program taking place for the 2025/2026 academic year. 

Beginning this academic year, our school will transition away from the Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework and move toward a deeper, more intentional alignment with the American curriculum standards. This decision has not been made lightly and comes after considerable reflection, data analysis, and focus on excellence. We know that this news may bring mixed emotions, especially for families who value the philosophy of the International Baccalaureate (IB). Please know that we deeply honor the strengths of the IB and the rich foundation it has helped us build.

At the heart of this transition is our desire to enhance clarity, consistency, and rigor in teaching and learning across the Elementary School. Anchoring our curriculum more directly in American educational standards allows us to sharpen our focus on explicit instruction, knowledge building, and the progressive development of academic skills in a structured and supportive environment.

This does not mean we are stepping away from the values that matter most to our community. On the contrary, we remain deeply committed to fostering student agency, global mindedness, and inquiry-based learning—principles that are embedded in excellent educational practices worldwide. These will continue to shape our daily classroom experiences, ensuring that learning remains meaningful, student-centered, and connected to the real world.

What will this shift look like in practice?

• Clear Learning Progressions: Students will follow a well-mapped journey in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, built on American standards that promote depth of understanding and skill mastery at each grade level.

• Explicit Teaching: Teachers will provide direct and intentional instruction that builds students’ background knowledge and supports the gradual release of responsibility—helping children become independent, confident learners.

• High-Impact Instructional Strategies: Our classrooms will emphasize structured, evidence-based teaching practices that are responsive to the diverse needs of all students.

• Inquiry and Curiosity: Inquiry will continue to thrive in classrooms—not as a framework, but as an approach. Students will explore big ideas, pose questions, and make connections across content areas.

• Global Citizenship: Themes of empathy, perspective, and international understanding will remain a cornerstone of our school culture. We will continue to nurture character development, intercultural awareness, and student voice.

This evolution allows us to streamline curriculum design, strengthen assessment practices, and provide targeted support and enrichment where students need it most. It also helps us better integrate national and international benchmarks, ensuring our students are well-prepared for both local and global opportunities.

We are confident that the best aspects of inquiry, reflection, and international mindedness will remain a vibrant part of our identity—just delivered through a new lens that places even greater emphasis on academic growth and student outcomes.

Leia Kraeuter

Elementary Principal

The Undeniable Role of Parents in Guiding Children's Digital Lives

In today's digital age, smartphones and social media have become integral parts of our children's lives. While these technologies offer numerous benefits, they also present potential risks that necessitate careful management. The primary responsibility for guiding children through this digital landscape unequivocally lies with parents, not the school system.   

It is crucial to understand that monitoring and setting boundaries for children's social media and cell phone usage is fundamentally a parental duty. Schools play a vital role in education, but their mandate does not extend to managing a child's personal technology use outside of school hours. Expecting educators to constantly address issues stemming from unsupervised online activity or excessive screen time at home is an unfair burden and detracts from their core responsibilities.

Unfortunately, some parents appear to abdicate this crucial aspect of raising children. They may be hesitant to engage with technology themselves or find it easier to rely on schools to deal with the consequences of unfettered access. This "hands-off" approach can lead to children being exposed to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, online predators, and the negative impacts of excessive screen time on their mental and physical well-being.

It's time for a firm but polite reminder: parents must step up and take control. This involves actively engaging with their children's online world, understanding the platforms they use, setting clear rules and time limits, utilizing parental control features, and fostering open communication about online safety and responsible digital citizenship.   

While schools can certainly support these efforts through educational programs and guidelines, the consistent and personalized management required falls squarely within the realm of parental responsibility. Laziness or avoidance in this area can have significant consequences for a child's development and safety.

By embracing their role as the primary guides in their children's digital lives, parents can empower them to navigate the online world safely and responsibly, rather than expecting schools to constantly clean up the digital messes that originate at home. 1 This proactive engagement is not just a suggestion; it is a fundamental aspect of responsible parenting in the 21st century.

Douglas Sherrill

Upper Elementary Vice Principal

Our PreK -B students enjoyed an engaging literacy and cooking experience inspired by the classic tale The Enormous Turnip. After reading the story together, the children rolled up their sleeves to help make homemade turnip soup, bringing the story to life in the most delicious way!

We were honored to welcome Dr. Ethan, our new Head of School, who joined us for the reading and stayed to enjoy the soup made by our young chefs. This special experience was made even more memorable thanks to our wonderful partnership with Slices, who helped support our cooking activity.

It was a beautiful blend of storytelling, teamwork, and hands-on learning, an unforgettable day for our little learners!

Welcome back! We are excited to return after our two-week Spring Break. The children have come back with plenty of stories and are eager to reconnect with their friends. It's been wonderful to see their enthusiasm as they jump back into school life.

The children are settling back into their routines, and our youngest learners have made a smooth adjustment to the longer days and earlier mornings. They’re doing a fantastic job getting back into the swing of things.

As we look ahead, we’re ready for another exciting term filled with learning, growth, and fun activities. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to make this term a success.

Here’s to a fantastic term ahead!

4B Explores Natural Disasters and Celebrates Mother’s Day!

Over the past two weeks, Class 4B has been diving into the fascinating world of natural disasters. As part of their science unit, students created their own volcano models and simulated eruptions to observe how overflowing lava can cause damage to the surrounding environment. Did you know that when molten rock is still inside a volcano, it's called magma, but once it erupts, it’s called lava? The students loved getting hands-on and messy while learning! In addition to their science work, 4B also took time to show appreciation for their families by creating heartfelt cards to celebrate Mother’s Day. It’s been a fun, creative, and explosive couple of weeks in 4B!

Grade 5 PYP Provocation Days Begin

This Thursday, April 10, our Grade 5 students kicked off their PYP Provocation Days, marking the exciting beginning of their journey toward the PYP Exhibition—the culminating project of the Primary Years Programme.

Provocation Days are designed to ignite curiosity and inspire inquiry. Through a variety of thought-provoking activities, students are encouraged to explore real-world issues, ask meaningful questions, and begin identifying topics they feel passionate about.

We look forward to seeing where their curiosity leads as they take their first steps in this student-led, inquiry-based learning experience!

Check out the photos below!

Reading Challenge Inspires Students Over the Break

Over the recent school break, our students were invited to take part in a fun and engaging reading challenge. The goal? To find the most interesting or unusual place to enjoy a good book—and send us a photo to prove it!

While we didn’t receive a large number of entries, the ones we did get were full of creativity and heart. From cozy gardens, to trains, even a few adventurous outdoor spots, it was wonderful to see our students making reading a part of their holiday.

Encouraging children to read for pleasure has lasting benefits. Studies show that children who read regularly outside of school tend to have stronger literacy skills, broader vocabularies, and greater empathy. Reading also helps build concentration and imagination—important tools both in and out of the classroom.

We hope to see even more entries next time and encourage families to continue making reading a part of their everyday routine. Whether it's five minutes before bed or a quiet moment during the weekend, every page counts.

Keep reading and exploring!

اللّغة العربيّة لتلاميذ الصّف الأوّل والثّاني : 

يَحْرِصُ قِسْمُ اللُّغَةِ العَرَبِيَّةِ فِي المَرْحَلَةِ الاِبْتِدَائِيَّةِ عَلَى تَقْدِيمِ تَعْلِيمٍ مُتَمَيِّزٍ يُلَبِّي اِحْتِيَاجَاتِ الطُّلَّابِ، وَيُسْهِمُ فِي تَطْوِيرِ مَهَارَاتِهِمُ اللُّغَوِيَّةِ، وَتَعْزِيزِ قُدْرَتِهِمْ عَلَى التَّوَاصُلِ مَعَ بِيئَتِهِمُ المُحِيطَةِ.

خِلَالَ الشَّهْرِ المَاضِي، كَانَتِ الأَنْشِطَةُ وَالفَعَالِيَّاتُ الَّتِي نَظَّمْنَاهَا مِحْوَرًا أَسَاسِيًّا فِي تَحْقِيقِ هَذَا الهَدَفِ. فَقَدْ شَارَكَ التَّلَامِيذُ فِي فَعَالِيَّاتٍ مُتَنَوِّعَةٍ بِمُنَاسَبَةِ "يَوْمِ الطِّفْلِ الإِمَارَاتِيِّ"، وَالَّتِي سَاعَدَتْ عَلَى تَعْزِيزِ التَّوَاصُلِ بَيْنَ التَّلَامِيذِ وَأُسَرِهِمْ فِي جَوٍّ مِلْؤُهُ المَحَبَّةُ وَالأُلْفَةُ .كَمَا تَمَّ تَنْظِيمُ فَعَالِيَّاتٍ مُتَنَوِّعَةٍ اِحْتِفَالًا بِشَهْرِ القِرَاءَةِ، مِنْ خِلَالِ أَنْشِطَةٍ تَفَاعُلِيَّةٍ فِي الصُّفُوفِ وَفِي مَكْتَبَةِ المَدْرَسَةِ، شَمِلَتْ قِرَاءَةَ القِصَصِ وَتَمْثِيلَهَا بِاسْتِخْدَامِ مَسْرَحِ العَرَائِسِ، إِلَى جَانِبِ مُشَارَكَةِ بَعْضِ الأَهَالِي فِي تِلْكَ الفَعَالِيَّاتِ؛ مِمَّا أَضْفَى جَوًّا مُمْتِعًا وَمُلْهَمًا لِلتَّلَامِيذِ .وَقَدْ شَارَكَ التَّلَامِيذُ أَيْضًا فِي فَعَالِيَّاتٍ خَاصَّةٍ بِـ"يَوْمِ الأُمِّ" تَكْرِيمًا لِدَوْرِهَا العَظِيمِ وَعَطَائِهَا اللَّامَحْدُودِ، حَيْثُ قَدَّمَ بَعْضُهُم أُغْنِيَةً مُمَيَّزَةً لِأُمَّهَاتِهِمْ، وَأُتِيحَ لَهُم فُرْصَةُ التَّعْبِيرِ عَنْ مَشَاعِرِ الحُبِّ وَالِامْتِنَانِ مِنْ خِلَالِ تَصْمِيمِ وَكِتَابَةِ بِطَاقَاتٍ جَمِيلَةٍ وَمُعَبِّرَةٍ.

Arabic for Grades 1 and 2 

The Arabic Language Department in the Elementary School works hard to give students a strong and meaningful education. We aim to help them improve their language skills and communicate better with the world around them.

Last month, we held several events to support this goal. Students joined in the celebrations for Emirati Children’s Day. This event helped build stronger connections between students and their families in a happy and loving environment. We also celebrated Reading Month with fun activities in classrooms and the school library. Students read stories, acted them out using puppets, and enjoyed the company of some parents who joined the fun. In addition, students took part in special activities for Mother’s Day. They sang a lovely songs for their mothers and had a chance to show their love and thanks by creating and writing beautiful greeting cards.

Grades 3, 4 and 5 (boys) have been learning some Track and Field skills this week in their Athletics unit. Students practiced their Javelin and Tennis ball throws, balanced on wobble boards and performed both Long jump and the Triple Jump – where they were chasing the World Record of 18m. Sadly no one beat the record this year so it remains the same since 1995! 

• April 18 - Spring Fair and Movie Night by GAA Parent Association, @5PM

• April 21-25 - Book Fair

• April 25 - Book Character Day (Dressdown day)

• May 1-June 11 - MAP Testing