GPS Newsletter

13th September 2024

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents

Another great week at GPS! All baselines have been looked at and the teachers now have a better understanding on the best way forward with your children. Friday was our first (of many) activities. We marked Roald Dahl by learning about his books, dressing up as characters and participating in special activities. I so enjoyed being Miss Trunchbull the "evil Principal" 😁

Monday we will celebrate Prophet Mohammed with a special assembly (parents welcomed).

Save the Date:

Monday 16th September - Celebration of Prophet Mohammed assembly (parents invited)

- Student Council elections

Friday 20th September - Year 5 and 6 Assembly on "Friendship" (parents invited)

Friday 27th September - DHA Health Screen eye test for children Year 3 and above

Monday 30th September - Friday 4th October - External international standardised testing for all students (nothing to study for 😁)

Tuesday 1st October - Phonics workshops for parents with Ms Chloe (FS, Year 1 and Year 2 parents)

Tuesday 8th October - FS field trip to the Fire Station

Thursday 10th October -FS dress up - "What I want to be when I grow up"

Friday 11th October - Year 3 and 4 Assembly on "Courage" (parents invited)

Saturday 12th October - Sunday 20th October - Half term break (yes, there is school on Friday 😀)

Thursday 31st October - "Spooks and Sparkles" day (fancy dress)

Have a lovely weekend

Ms Jan

Wellbeing

Dear Parents,

I hope this message finds you well. As we embark on this new academic year, I want to take a moment to emphasize the importance of recognising and embracing each child’s unique learning level. Every child develops at their own pace, and it's essential that we support and plan for their individual growth in a way that aligns with their current needs and abilities.

I am pleased to share that the recent Baseline Tests have provided each teacher and our leadership team with valuable insights into your child’s current level of understanding and skill. This information is instrumental in helping us tailor our approach to better support their educational journey.

Understanding your child's current level will help us create a more customised and effective learning experience for them. By acknowledging their starting point, we can work together to set realistic goals and implement strategies that will foster their development and keep them engaged. Equally important is our commitment to their overall wellbeing.

Here are a few key points to consider for your child's academic and emotional development and well being :

Celebrate Their Progress: Recognise and celebrate the progress your child makes, no matter how small. This positive reinforcement will encourage their continued growth and motivation.
Set Personalized Goals: Collaborate with us to set achievable goals that reflect your child’s unique learning path. Tailored objectives will help them build confidence and competence.
Provide Support: Encourage your child to ask questions and seek help when needed. Open communication about their challenges and successes will be crucial.
Stay Flexible: Be open to adjusting learning strategies as your child evolves. Flexibility will ensure that their educational experience remains responsive to their needs.
Foster a Positive Attitude: Maintain a positive attitude towards their learning journey. Your support and encouragement are key factors in their academic success.
Prioritise Wellbeing: Beyond academics, it’s vital to support your child’s emotional and mental health. Encourage healthy habits, balance between school and leisure, and open discussions about their feelings and concerns. A well-supported child is more likely to thrive both in and out of the classroom.
Monitor Stress Levels: Be mindful of any signs of stress or burnout. It's important to address these concerns early and ensure that your child has the resources and support they need to manage their workload and maintain a healthy balance.

Together, we can create a nurturing environment that supports both your child’s academic growth and overall wellbeing. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if there are specific areas where you feel additional support may be beneficial.

Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education and wellbeing.

Have a restful weekend

Warm regards,

Ms Jikku

FS 1 & 2

What we've done

What a great week we have had! The children have been using a lot of their new vocabulary all about emotions in play, we have been using our whole body to express and explore emotions too. In Science the children took part in different experiments and explored materials to represents emotions. We had exploding angry volcanoes, rainy day sensory bags for when we feel sad; filled with things that make us smile, scary slime with strange objects hidden inside and we created calm down bottles for when we need to relax. Some of our older children have been building on their vocabulary and looking at new words that have the same meaning. In writing we wrote all about how we feel and why, making links to current and past events. In phonics we learned the sounds i and n as well as the high frequency words it, is, in, as. the children have been doing well with their letter formations and we have seen some great progress already. In mathematics we have continued our sorting activities, building on our current knowledge of sorting by size and colour and delving deeper and looking at different attributes such as patterns and texture. We have also been looking at multiple attributes in our sorting rules.

Year 1

What we've done

What a fabulous week we've had in Year 1. In English we have been exploring the vocabulary used in our class story 'We're going on a bear hunt', the children have been coming up with great ideas and engaging well in class discussion. We went on a sensory walk through the hall, representing the different areas crossed in the story. The children thoroughly enjoyed it! In maths, we continued with place value within 10. We have been representing numbers in different way, exploring 1 more and 1 less and recognising numbers as words. In IPC, we have been writing questions to ask the members of staff in our school, to find out more about their role within our school community. Lastly, in Science we have been looking at plants needs and will be caring for our own plants.

We have finished off a great week celebrating Roald Dahl day. The children all looked amazing.

Year 2

This week in year 2 we’ve been having a fantastic time exploring a variety of engaging activities across different subjects! In English, our role play activity brought the classic tale of The Gingerbread Man to life. Students took on the roles of characters from the story, practicing their speaking and listening skills while re-enacting the adventurous chase. In Maths, we’ve been working with number lines to strengthen our understanding of numbers to 100. Meanwhile, our Science lessons have been all about habitats. We discussed different types of habitats and their unique characteristics before heading outside to observe and explore a real life habitat. The children were excited to share their findings. In IPC we have been continuing to look at different job roles and this week the children designed uniforms the different job roles. In MSC we have been looking at the importance of friends and family and what it means to be fair and unfair. We ended the week with a fun and engaging activities to celebrate Roald Dahl day and it was wonderful to see the children dressed up as their favourite characters.

Year 3

What we've done

Great week for Year 3! This week in English we continued to read our class story 'Matilda' and explored the key themes, characters and settings in more depth. We finished the week off with a 'Roald Dahl Day' which was packed with activities on different books written by the famous author, the children had lots of fun! In Maths the children gained a deeper understanding on place value by partitioning and focusing on each digit within a 3 digit number and also adding and subtracting 1,10 and 100. In Science we continued looking at human skeletons and compared them to animal skeletons to see which bones are similar or different and explain the importance / significance of why the bones are needed.

Skeletons - Science

Place Value - Maths

Lots of fun for Roald Dahl Day...We had a class filled with Matildas and Mrs Wormwoods !

Year 4

What we've done

What an incredible week of learning jam packed with creative activities and fun, as always!

In English this week, we have been honouring our creative writing skills, focusing on descriptive language and features of a diary to plan and write our diary entry in the perspective of James and a Giant Peach. This linked perfectly with MSC where we spoke about feelings, emotions and showing empathy towards on another.

In Maths, we continued to master our multiplication skills with quick mental maths starters at the beginning of each lesson before moving onto partitioning numbers up to 10,000 and placing them on a number line.

Science was very exciting for us this week. As you are aware, we have been learning all about electricity, therefore this week children were given multiple components to try to build an electrical circuit on their own. They tried using multiple items through trial and error and it was fantastic to see their curiosity and perseverance skills shine! Next week we will learn what components are needed.

On Friday we celebrated Roald Dahl day as a school. It was fantastic to see them all dressed up and participating in hands on activities making peach oobleck, chocolate clusters and frog scrotal!

Please see Ms Jan’s post above for key dates and keep an eye out on Seesaw for any announcements.

Have a lovely weekend!

Ms Nimra

Year 5

What we've done

This week in Year 5 was packed with exciting learning experiences. The children had a wonderful time celebrating Roald Dahl Day, with dressing up as a character from any Roald Dahl book. The fun and creativity of the day brought extra energy to the week’s lessons.

In English, we focused on the features of diary writing. The children practised writing their own diary entries, paying close attention to using past tense verbs to recount their experiences. This activity allowed them to improve their narrative writing skills while exploring a new form of expression.

In Mathematics, we continued to explore place value, working with numbers up to 1,000,000. The children learnt how to read and write these numbers in words, building confidence with large numbers. Towards the end of the week, we shifted to Roman numerals, where the children enjoyed learning about the historical significance of these symbols and how they represent different values.

In Science, we identified the parts of a flower and discussed the function of each one. This led to a fascinating exploration of plant reproduction, where the children deepened their understanding of how plants grow and reproduce, enriching their knowledge of the natural world.

Year 6

What we've done

What a great week we have had ending it with lots of activities on Ronald Dahl day! Our students all dressed as different characters while also being involved in some interactive activities like making slime, liquids and chocolates! ECAs have also begun this week, do register if you have not already.

During English this week we looked into features of a diary and learning our grammar aspects, while in maths we learnt powers of 10 and using a number line. Science had seen a further enhancment to our heart learning and building a 3D model of how the heart works. Humantieis we started our new topic on Ancient China and lastly during MSC we looked at Empathy and compassion towards others. Next week we are looking forward to our assembly on friendship and our hot task in English and Math!

Arabic and Islamic

Arabic A

ماذا تعلمنا

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

يشرفني التعاون مع فريق المعلمين المتميزين في مدرسة الغاف لتقديم أعلى مستويات التعليم في مواد اللغة العربية والتربية الإسلامية، بما يساهم في تعزيز الهوية
.الثقافية والدينية لطلابنا. نسعى دائمًا إلى تنمية مهارات الطلاب في القراءة والكتابة والفهم، وتعزيز قيمهم الإسلامية بما يتماشى مع رؤيتنا التربوية
.الأستاذة أسماء عبدالظاهر الشربيني، رئيسة قسم اللغة العربية في مدرسة الغاف

:خلال الأسبوع الماضي، تم تقديم العديد من المواضيع والأنشطة التعليمية الشيقة للطلاب في الصفوف التالية

(الروضة: لقد كانت بداية رائعة لدرسنا للتدرب على بعض العبارات العربية ليقدم الطفل عن نفسه بشكل سليم مع شخصية راشد ونورة (مرحبا، اسمي.....، كيف حالك؟). كما قضينا وقتاً ممتعاً في تعلم الألوان من خلال "أغنية الألوان" وقمنا بعمل مراجعة للألوان (أحمر - أصفر - أزرق) وقمنا بالتعرف على لون جديد (أخضر)ولعبنا بعض الأنشطة والألعاب الممتعة

الصف الثاني عربي للعرب: في صفنا الثاني، تعلمنا درس "الأرنب الأكول" وتعرفنا على صوت الهمزة وكيفية كتابتها على الألف مع الحركات المختلفة. تعلمنا أيضاً كيفية نطق وكتابة الكلمات التي تحتوي على الألف بشكل صحيح، استمتعنا كثيراً بقراءة قصة الأرنب الأكول وتفاعلنا مع أحداثها المشوقة، حيث ساعدتنا على تعزيز مهارات القراءة والنطق بطريقة ممتعة. نطلب منكم الاستمرار في التدريب على قراءة القصة في المنزل بصوت عالٍ، مع التركيز على نطق الحروف بشكل صحيح واستخدام الحركات، لتطوير مهاراتكم اللغوية وتحسين أدائكم في القراءة.

الصف الرابع عربي للعرب: تعلمنا في درس "ملك الحكايات" قراءة فقرة قصيرة من القصة، وركزنا على فهم معاني المفردات الجديدة ووضعها في جمل مفيدة لتوسيع مهاراتنا اللغوية. استمتعنا بأحداث القصة وشخصياتها المميزة التي أضافت الكثير من المرح والتشويق إلى الدرس. سنتابع في الأسبوع المقبل قراءة القصة وفهم باقي أحداثها، وسنستكشف معاً المزيد من الدروس والعبر القيمة التي تحملها. أطلب منكم الاستمرار في التدريب على قراءة الفقرات بتركيز وتأنٍ، ومحاولة استخدام الكلمات الجديدة في الحديث اليومي لتقوية مهارات القراءة والفهم لديكم.

Arabic B

KG:It was a great start to our lesson to practice some Arabic phrases so that the child could introduce himself correctly with the characters of Rashid and Noura (Hello, my name is....., how are you?). We also had a fun time learning colors through the “Color Song.” We reviewed the colors (red - yellow - blue), got to know a new color (green), and played some fun activities and games.

Y1:It was a great start to our week as we began our lesson to practice some Arabic phrases so that the child could introduce himself correctly with the characters of Rashid and Noura (Hello, how are you? My name is....., which class are you in?). We also had a fun time learning colors through the “Colors Song.” We reviewed the colors (red - yellow - blue - green - black - white - brown), got to know the Arabic numbers from 1 to 10, and played some fun activities and games.
We also learned about the three forms of the letter Alif أ ( أَ أُ إِ ) with short vowels and some words that contain the letter Alif, such as (lion - rabbit - head - door)( أسد'asad - أرنب'arnab - رأس ras -bab باب )

Y2:It was a great start to our week as we began our lesson by practicing some Arabic phrases so that the child could correctly introduce himself to the characters Rashid and Noura (Hello, how are you? My name is ....., this is a girl / this is a boy - which class are you in?). We also had a great time learning colors through the Color Song. We reviewed the colors (red - yellow - blue - green - black - white - brown - pink),We played some fun activities, worksheets, and games. We also learned about the three forms of the letter alif, with short vowels and long vowels, and some words and sentences that contain the letter alif, such as this lion.

Y3: In grade 3 for Arabic B we started our lessons with greeting students and teaching them how to greet each other in Arabic by saying hello and good morning in Arabic. we continued lessons by learning the basics of Arabic language starting from the letters names, shapes and sounds. we had funny time learning the letters sounds. we studied some letters and are going on forward. we are going forward with students teaching them colors, numbers and body parts.

Y4:In Y4 Arabic B, we started our lessons by greeting the students and teaching them how to greet each other in Arabic by saying hello and good morning and also how to introduce themselves in Arabic. We also learned colors during the week (red - green - yellow - blue - white - black). We continued the lessons by learning the basics of Arabic, including the names of the letters, their shapes, and their sounds, along with short and long movements. We had a great time learning letter sounds. We practiced writing a lot of words and short sentences. We even created a country flag activity and an identification card for the student.

I am happy with the remarkable progress in the development of reading, writing, and speaking skills that students have achieved in a short period

We move forward :)

Y5: In grade 5 Arabic was so funny as we started studying recognizing the Arabic letters. this week we went up alittle bit through using small words and learning the body parts and colors. students read comprehension skills through regular reading practice. We focus on enhancing their ability to understand texts and grasp the finer details of phonetic structures. Building up on the fore rules students learnt we are completing our work. students good at practicing and understanding and we can help them a lot.

Y6: In our wonderful class, we learned the letters "Daal" (د) and "Dhaal" (ذ), and we explored how to write and pronounce each letter at the beginning, middle, and end of a word. We also learned several words containing the letters. We used these words in sentences of our own creation to enhance our understanding and correct usage. Additionally, we learned how to use Arabic greetings in different situations and how to respond appropriately. Please practice reading the words and sentences, and use these greetings regularly to improve your language and communication skills.

What we've done
Islamic A

ماذا تعلمنا

الصف الثاني: في صفنا الرائع لمادة التربية الإسلامية، تعلمنا تفسير وفضائل سورة الفاتحة، وركزنا على أهمية معانيها وكيفية تطبيقها في حياتنا اليومية. قمنا بتدريب الطلاب على تلاوة السورة مع التركيز على مخارج الحروف والحركات لضمان التلاوة الصحيح. كما سلطنا الضوء على ذكرى مولد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وضرورة الاقتداء بأخلاقه وصفاته النبيلة في حياتنا، مثل الصدق والتسامح والصبر. نرجو منكم مناقشة الطلاب في معاني وفضائل سورة الفاتحة، وتحفيزهم على تلاوتها بخشوع، وفهمها بشكل أعمق لتكون جزءًا من سلوكهم اليومي، والتأكيد على أهمية الاقتداء بالنبي الكريم.

الصف الرابع: في الصف الرابع لمادة التربية الإسلامية، تعلمنا تلاوة الآيات من 1 إلى 8 من سورة العلق، وركزنا على تحسين مخارج الحروف والحركات أثناء التلاوة لضمان النطق السليم والمعبر عن معاني الآيات. سلطنا الضوء على ذكرى مولد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، وأهمية الاقتداء به وبأخلاقه الكريمة في حياتنا اليومية، مثل الصدق والصبر والإحسان. نرجو منكم مناقشة الطلاب في معاني وفضائل سورة العلق، وتشجيعهم على حفظ الآيات من 1 إلى 5، وتذكيرهم بأهمية العلم والقراءة التي تحث عليها السورة، ليكونوا قدوة حسنة في التعلم والتخلق بأخلاق الإسلام.

Islamic B

Y2:In year 2 this week we also started greeting students and teaching them how to reply to this greeting in Islamic it was so fantstic to start our lesson with revising and learning surat al-Fatihah and the meanings of the key words therein. We are working diligently and actively on reviewing Surat Al-Fatihah, Al-Ikhlas, An-Nas, and Al-Falaq, as we encourage students to review and practice them at home to enhance their memorization and mastery. We are currently discussing the pillars of Islam. We are keen to create an atmosphere of interaction and dialogue to simplify ideas and deepen students’ understanding of Islamic teachings. In the coming period, we will contiue studying surat al-Fatihah and we will continue to build a deeper understanding of the surahs and verses through simplified explanations and activities that help students relate to their daily lives.

Y3: In year 3 we as usual started with teaching students to greet others with Islamic greeting and to reply to it. We have reviewed Surahs Al-Fatihah, Al-Ikhlas, An-Nas, and Al-Falaq, this week we continue studying surat alasr and we are currently working on memorizing and contemplating it, as we encourage students to practice them at home to enhance their memorization and mastery of their recitation. We studied the story of the revelation, which added a deep understanding of the meanings of the verses and made the students live with the moments of the revelation of the Holy Quran to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. We use interactive activities and open-ended dialogues to simplify concepts and enhance students' understanding of the values learned from the lessons, helping them to relate deeply to the teachings of their religion and apply them in their daily lives.

Y4: In Islamic year 4 it is fantastic to see these good students. this week we started revising pillars of islam and pillars of Iman. We have reviewed Surahs Al-Fatihah, Al-Ikhlas, An-Nas, and Al-Falaq, and we are currently working on memorizing and contemplating verses 5 to 7 of Surat Al-Alaq, as we encourage students to practice them at home to enhance their memorization and mastery of their recitation. We studied the story of the revelation, which added a deep understanding of the meanings of the verses and made the students live with the moments of the revelation of the Holy Quran to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. We use interactive activities and open-ended dialogues to simplify concepts and enhance students' understanding of the values learned from the lessons, helping them to relate deeply to the teachings of their religion and apply them in their daily lives.

Y5: : this week we started this year revising some important islamic concepts like pillars of islam and pillars of iman and prayers. We have reviewed Surahs Al-Fatihah, Al-Ikhlas, An-Nas, and Al-Falaq, and we are currently working on memorizing and contemplating verses 7 to 12 of Surat alBuruj, as we encourage students to practice them at home to enhance their memorization and mastery of their recitation. We studied the story of the revelation, which added a deep understanding of the meanings of the verses and made the students live with the moments of the revelation of the Holy Quran to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. We use interactive activities and open-ended dialogues to simplify concepts and enhance students' understanding of the values learned from the lessons, helping them to relate deeply to the teachings of their religion and apply them in their daily lives.

Y6: this week we started this year revising some important islamic concepts like resources of shari'ah, pillars of islam and pillars of iman and prayers. We have reviewed Surahs Al-Fatihah, Al-Ikhlas, An-Nas, and Al-Falaq, and we are currently working on memorizing and contemplating verses 7 to 10 of Surat al-Ifitar, as we encourage students to practice them at home to enhance their memorization and mastery of their recitation. We studied the story of the revelation, which added a deep understanding of the meanings of the verses and made the students live with the moments of the revelation of the Holy Quran to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. We use interactive activities and open-ended dialogues to simplify concepts and enhance students' understanding of the values learned from the lessons, helping them to relate deeply to the teachings of their religion and apply them in their daily lives.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Mr Desoky, Mr. Gamal
Ms: Asmaa Elsherbiny
Arabic Head

ESPAÑOL

What we've done

Hola todos,

This week in Spanish students learnt about Saludos (Greetings) with short sentences like Me llamo ....... (My name is ....) , Estoy bien, Gracias (I am fine , Thanks) and Adios (Good Bye) in Year 1 and Year 2 with song based on Saludos (Greetings) . In year 3 and Year 4 students learned and discover about Spanish countries and continents in Spanish along with their capitals . Students did peer assessment which makes them confident and understand the spellings and pronunciation in Spanish , Apart from which students learnt about short introduction in Spanish with new vocabularies in Spanish which they will use in their daily life and in Spanish lesson as well . In Year 5 and Year 6 students understand about different kinds of basic phrase which can be used in the Spanish lesson and in their daily life for example : ¿Puede repitir porfavor ? (Can you repeat please ?), ¿Puedo ir al baño ? (May I go to washroom?) , Escuchame porfavor (Listen to me please ) Muchas Gracias (Thank you so much) and De nada(Your Welcome) . Every friday homework books will be sent and student will bring it back on Monday along with that every week there will be Spelling test in Spanish which improves their vocabularies in Spanish . Gracias for your support and keep encouraging your child which improves them in Spanish .

STREAM

What we've done

It's a fun week for everyone in our STREAM class in GPS! The children in FS enjoyed painting as they learned about the primary colours. Years 1 and 2 had lots of fun exploring the five senses. This week, years 3 and 4 have been busy constructing their project and applying the components of STREAM. Years 5 and 6 have been busy building structures about the UAE culture and heritage using recycled materials that apply STREAM components.

Have a lovely weekend.