PDO School Newsletter
1st September 2022
Dear Parents
It has been a very busy week! Many parents have been able to come into school to meet their child's teacher. These have been very informative sessions, and it has been lovely to see so many parents attending, making the school once again a vibrant place in our community. In addition to the new teachers mentioned in the newsletter last week, we have been joined by two further members of teaching staff. Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with our new teachers below.
Class pages will commence in Week 3 (next week) and you will be able to view these on Sunday. Class pages are an invaluable source of information, where you will find your child's timetable which includes swimming and PE days. Please see the photos below from your child's phase about their learning this week.
Welcome to our new teachers!
Hi, I am Miss Amy and I am from Ireland. I am new to PDO School, but not to Oman. I moved here after studying in University in Dublin and teaching in London. I have a passion for travel, countryside hiking and I enjoy caring for my horse and dogs. I am looking forward to my time at PDO School and meeting you all.
Hi, my name is Mr Mohsin and I am from England. I enjoy playing a range of sports, with football and cricket being my favourites. I like hiking and snorkelling and have been told for that reason I will love Muscat. I am a ‘foodie’ and love trying different cuisines and finding any excuse to try out new restaurants!
My name is Miss Iftin and I am honoured to be starting as a Year 4 teacher at PDO School. I am from Canada. I most enjoy getting lost in fiction books and epic series, as well as exploring new places. You will always find me towing the balance between challenging the students to reach their potentials, and having loads of fun with them!
Hi, my name is Miss Arlene and I am a new teacher here at PDO School. I have taught in both Oman and London. I love tennis, Formula 1 and Liverpool Football Club. I enjoy travelling and reading, as well as watching Marvel films. I am passionate about children's' learning and fostering their curiosity of the world around them. I look forward to being part of the PDO family!
Hi, my name is Mr Neil. I am from the England. Before moving to Oman, I was teaching in Hong Kong. I love sports and keeping fit. My favourite sport is rugby, which I have been playing since I was 5 years old. In my spare time I enjoying hiking, running and going to the gym. I also love food! I’m really excited to try lots of new dishes here in Oman and am looking forward to getting to know all of the wonderful children here at PDO school!
Hello everyone! My name is Miss Kirsty and I am from England. I love acting, dancing, going to the theatre and the cinema, hiking through wadis and swimming with my children. I feel extremely privileged to be teaching Computing at PDO School this year. My two children have also joined me at PDO School in Year 1 and Year 4 and we are very excited and happy to be here.
Hola! I am Miss Iveth and I will be teaching Physical Education and Swimming at PDO School. Originally from Costa Rica, I have been teaching in International Schools for 18 years. I enjoy keeping healthy and active. I love all the sports, but my favourite ones are football and basketball. I like to workout in the gym and also love running, cycling, swimming and the outdoor lifestyle as well as walking my dog. I look forward to becoming part of the PDO community.
Hello. My name is Miss Khadija. I am part of the Learning Support team and am also completing my Degree on Mental Health Counselling at Auckland University of Technology. I love art and enjoy museums. Aside from my love of cooking and writing poems, I enjoy spending the time with my lovely cat James. I am very excited to be part of the PDO School family.
Early Years
Messy Room
Construction Room
Role Play
Children have continued to explore each of our themed continuous provision rooms this week. Our new playdough area in the messy room was very popular and children enjoyed rolling, cutting and pressing the dough to make cookies. In the construction room, children played in a group to build a den and used a range of skills, for example gross motor and communication.
Early Years Library
Our library has been revamped this week. Children will access the Early Years Library from next week. Details about your child's library day will be shared by class teachers. Red library bags can be purchased from the uniform shop at a cost of 2.5 OMR or children may use a suitable alternative.
Phase 1
Planes, Trains and Automobiles!
This week in Year 2 we began our new IPC topic, From A to B. This topic focuses on different ways to travel.
We started our topic by exploring the different modes of transport we could see on and around our school grounds.
Phase 2
It has been a busy week for Year 3N as they have begun their first IPC unit, 'Dinosaurs'. For our Entry Point, they took part in different activities, including 'Sketchosaurus' where they took a picture of a single dinosaur bone and created a whole new dinosaur from it. They sketched what they thought the dinosaur would look like. Then in 'Drawosaurus' they learnt how to plot coordinates in order to reveal a dinosaur!
Phase 3
This week, Year 6 began our IPC topic 'Ancient Greece'. The children made timelines of significant events from the three different periods of Ancient Greece. In Art, they produced some sketches of sculptures from the Hellenistic Period focusing on how artists portray emotion.
We also started working on our text for this term 'Skellig' by David Arnold. The children have been using their inference skills to explain how the main character 'Michael' was feeling in the opening chapters of the story.
PDO School Enrichment - Sunday 4th September
Welcome back to the new academic year everyone and to the start of Term 1 Enrichment. The Term, 1 programme commences on Sunday 4th September and runs until Thursday 8th December. A big thank you to all the teachers who have offered their services again and to Miss Zoe for organising.
As the safety and welfare of your children is extremely important to us, can I just remind parents that courses finish at 3.10pm, so please be ready to collect your children on time from the course leader. Also, children will only be handed over directly to parents and not to those waiting in cars. For safeguarding reasons, if you need to allocate another parent to collect your children, please notify the course leader or school reception prior to the start of the activity.
Finally, for safety reasons, can parents please park in the area along the side of the wall (turn left immediately as you pass through the security gate barrier).
We look forward to another successful and enjoyable enrichment term at PDO School. If you need further information, please contact me at gruston@pdoschool.com
Gary Ruston
Nurse Munira - medical update
Dear Parents, we are so delighted that you are part of our amazing learning community. We welcome and value your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education, and look forward to working with you and your children. I need to to remind you again about your child's vaccinations, please be aware that we are targeting DT
(Diphtheria and Tetanus) and Polio vaccine at PDO School, in accordance with the Ministry of Health school requirements.
Please be aware that you can contact me by 'phone or send me an email, if your child is due to receive a DT vaccination.
DT vaccination for children aged 6-8 years
DT vaccination for children aged 10-12 years
Please ensure that you review your child's vaccination record, prior to scheduling. We will contact you as soon as possible. If you need any support, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
nursemunira@pdoschool.com
Gentle reminder - hats and bags
School hats, book bags and library book bags are available to buy at the main school reception desk.
School Hats 4.5 OMR
Green Book Bags 3 OMR
Red Library Bags 2.5 OMR
Your child should wear a hat to school every day.
Parental Concerns:
At PDO School we acknowledge that, from time to time, parents may wish to express concerns about specific aspects of their child’s education. We are always happy to investigate and respond to these concerns. Please note that, for the Class Teachers, it is important that even informal discussions take place outside of their teaching time.
What do I do if I have a concern?
Please make the Class Teacher your first point of contact if your concern is not successfully resolved, please contact the school via notices@pdoschool.com to make an appointment with the Headteacher, Cheryl Fox, or the Deputy Headteacher, Ms. Kath Morgan.
Mr. Hamed, our School Manager, is also happy to listen to any parental concerns that have not been resolved successfully.
Dates for your Diary:
Year One - Exit Point TBC
Year Two - Exit Point
"From A - B"
18th October @ 10:45 am
Year Three - Exit Point
"Dinosaur"
18th October @ 1:20pm
Year Four - Exit Point
"Active Planet"
19th October @ 1:20pm
Year Five Exit Point TBC
Year Six - Exit Point "Ancient Greece"
17th October @ 12:45 pm
