PDO

School Newsletter

11th September 2024

Dear Parents,

Many thanks for the positive feedback we have received below. Last year as a school we were focused on bringing stability to the school but also planning for the year ahead and ensuring that we listen to all of our stakeholders. We have implemented several new projects for the start of this term and are pleased to see the positive response to these.

Road Safety.

We are constantly reminding the children about road safety use. We also require parental support with the points below.

All children should wear helmets on a scooter or a bike, and please check the fitting of the helmet. We often see helmets sitting on top of the head, the forehead is completely exposed. I always indicate that if you look up with your eyes you should just be able to see the front of your helmet, this should help to protect your forehead.

Please explain to children the need to dismount when approaching a crossing, a green light does not guarantee it is safe to cross. Drivers can and do drive through red lights for a number of reasons, if not paying full attention. If you child has a scooter that has rapid acceleration I would strongly reinforce this point.

And finally as parents please be positive role models, please wear helmets and make a point of walking across the crossings.

If you have younger children, start ensuring that these safety habits are normalised. Thanks in advance for your support.

PTA AGM Election

We have postponed this meeting to provide the opportunity for several of our new families to become involved, we still have new families arriving and we want to ensure that we involve as many families as possible in school life. We will update you with the date of the meeting.

All the positions for the PTA are to be elected; if you are interested in supporting the school and you are interested in any of these roles ( Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer or Secretary) then please contact a member of the School Leadership Team via email. If we have several parents interested then we will need to hold an election. We will keep you updated on the election process in the coming weeks. Please note that if you held a position last year then you will be required to reapply for the position.

The closing date for all positions is Wednesday the 18th of September at 9.00am

Tim Robinson

Headteacher

Home-School Partnership

Thank you to all parents who submitted a response above, we are delighted with the positive feedback received. We have certainly felt a buzz in school over the last couple of weeks and children have settled well into their new school year, a great start!

We are in the process of reviewing our home/school communication and would appreciate you taking a minute to answer the following questions in this short survey. Thank you in advance.

PDO Leadership Team

Enrichment

We are pleased to announce that our Term 1 Enrichment programme will start next week. Y1-Y6 allocation emails were sent to parents yesterday. Please contact clubs@pdoschool.com if you have any queries. Where there is availability, changes can be accommodated before clubs commence next Monday. Except where there are clashes of days, we have so far been able to allocate both first and second preference for every child by adding additional adults to the most popular activities.

For parents who are new to our enrichment programme, the pupils will remain at school and meet in the Learning Souk. They will have a short time to eat a snack before being collected and taken to their chosen activity.

Our pupils will be ready to collect at 3.10pm from the following areas:

Children in Year 1-2 - Collected from the Year 2 end of school collection area.

Children in Year 3-4- Collected usual year 3/4 pick up location.

Children in Year 5-6 - Collected from the main reception entrance.

Swim squad - all ages will be collected from the main reception entrance.

Please be aware we do have some clubs that span multiple mileposts and the pick-up areas for the youngest children will be the ones used.

Early Years

In Reception we had our Entry Point for our topic Animal Rescuers. The children came together and read the story Dear Zoo, but our version had a twist. Instead of the story ending with a puppy, ours incorporated Chunk the tortoise who paid us a visit. The children were extremely excited to meet Chunk, pet him and even feed him a cucumber! We then had lots of fun impersonating the different animals in the corridor, from slithery snakes to cheeky monkeys.

Milepost 1

What is learning?

This was a complex discussion that took place in our Milepost 1 classrooms this week. The children amazed us with their deep thinking skills and ability to communicate their thoughts so articulately.

Here are just a few of the comments:

"Learning makes your brain get stronger." (Devguru Y1J)

"Learning is when you're about to know something but you don't know it yet." (Shriya Y1J)

"Learning is when you have to do the same thing over and over again so you get better at it." (Jude Y2H)

"Mistakes help you learn." (Rhoda Y2H)

"Learning can happen anywhere!" (Krishiv Y2H)

We are so proud of all the super learners in Milepost 1!

Milepost 2

Our planet is ACTIVE!

This week Year 4 began their new IPC unit 'Active Planet'. The whole year group came together with a focus on developing and demonstrating their Personal Learning Goals as they were tasked with building a model village for 100 people, situated at the foot of a volcano.

The children generated a checklist of necessary resources and services such as a school, housing and a muster point. On Tuesday morning our seismologist warned us of an imminent eruption and the children observed and recorded the impact.

We spent some time reflecting on our designs and considered how effective they were before moving on to a 'big question', why do people live near volcanoes?

Milepost 3

In a display of teamwork and creativity, a group of Year 6 boys transformed their lunchtime into an impressive showcase of domino engineering. What began as a simple idea quickly became a collaborative masterpiece, with each student contributing to an intricate and expansive domino line.

Working together with remarkable coordination, the boys laid out their sections, ensuring each piece was perfectly aligned to create a seamless, flowing pattern. Communication was key; they discussed strategies, made adjustments, and supported each other to achieve a shared vision.

To prevent any accidental disruptions, the team implemented a 'circuit breaker' system, strategically placing barriers to protect their hard work from unintentional bumps and knocks. This clever precaution proved successful, as their domino line remained intact and ready for the grand finale.

Their collective effort culminated in a spectacular chain reaction that captivated the whole Milepost. Teachers and students alike gathered to watch the dominoes fall in a mesmerizing cascade, illustrating the power of teamwork and planning.

Well done boys!

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Student Council

Firstly, we would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to all of the children who ran for election. We are so proud that so many children are becoming active global citizens and want to make a positive change to the school, local community and make our world a better place.

Last week, classmates voted for their student council representative via a secret ballot and we are so excited to announce our newly elected Student Councilors for this academic year. Congratulations to:

Devguru and Lucas - Year 1

Pippa and Lisy - Year 2

Landry and Tasnim - Year 3

Alman and Reem - Year 4

Eshal, Sofiia and Ashton - Year 5

Balqis and Devsaran - Year 6

Music Room Happenings

There are many things happening in the Music Department, and I would like to share what the children are learning during class time, information about lunchtime clubs and also dates for later in the term.

Y1 Exploring Sounds

We are looking at the Elements of Music and Exploring Sounds. We have started with fast (Allegro) and slow (Adagio) and will learn about Loud (forte) and Soft (piano). The children have also learnt how to follow simple rhythm patterns using crotchets (tea - 1 beat ♩), quavers (coffee - two half beats ♫) and minims (milk - two beats 𝅗𝅥). The department uses words to describe the rhythm patterns.

Y2 Recorders

We are learning how to play the recorders as well as recognising and remembering crotchets and quavers. There is a recorder set aside for each child so that they are not sharing instruments. The children have learnt the notes B and A and are already starting to play G in preparation for ‘Hot Cross Buns.’

Y3 Keyboards

We are learning about how to play the keyboard as well as how to read the notes. The children have used their Thinker skills to work out the notes on the keyboard and are learning how to relate that to the notes on the Music Stave. They are also learning how to use the correct hand positions on the keyboard.

Y4 Clarinets

All children are learning the clarinet this year. They are each allocated an instrument in school so which is wonderful for our children. They are learning how to put the instrument together as well as learning how to play notes on the clarinet. The children will revise the rhythm patterns using staff notation that they have learnt in previous years and will be playing simple pieces on the clarinet.

Y5 Guitar Skill up

The children are studying the Guitar and later on in the term will create a band to play their version of ‘Smoke on the Water.’ This will include some sessions on the keyboard as well. They have been using high level Thinker skills when playing two-part pieces on the guitar.

Y6 Guitar Skill up

The children are revisiting the Guitar after playing them a year ago. They will have some keyboard lessons later on in the term and then get into groups to play their version of ‘Jigsaw Blues.’ They will also learn some history about the Blues.

Lunchtime clubs

These clubs are from 11.30- 12.00:

Sunday: The PDO Consort - recorder group. Miss Rachel has organised this group and it is for intermediate and advanced players. This is an invite-only group.

Monday: The PDO Knights Band. Children are invited to this Band where they will be playing pieces for Clarinet and Trumpet.

Tuesday: Cantus Y1 and Y2 Singing group - anyone can sign up.

Wednesday: Cantamus Y3-Y6 Singing group anyone can sign up.

Wednesday: The Bagshots: Beginners’ recorder group with Ms Arlene. Please see Miss Rachel or Ms Arlene if you are interested.

Wednesday: Ms Dawn’s Y5 and Y6 Flute Loops. Having auditioned for this group this week, Ms Dawn will be letting the children know who will be joining the group.

Important Music Dates for your diary:

Choir performance at the Grand Hormuz Wednesday 11th December

Winter Concert at PDO School Wednesday 18th December

PDO Club 5th December TBC

Miss Rachel

Music Teacher

Choose-day update!

Across the school, students took part in their chosen activities: cooking, marble run creation, den building, jigsaw puzzles, lego creations, archery, obstacle course, crochet and karaoke. It was wonderful to see the children collaborating across year groups and classes - the buzz around school was palpable. The students will take part in their chosen activity until the October holiday.

Congratulations to our Learners of the Week

Home Languages Questionnaire

Being fluent in more than one language is a wonderful gift that we can give our children. At PDO School, we really want to support and encourage children to become fluent in their home languages across the 4 skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

A Google Form was sent out to parents towards the end of the last Academic year. Thank you to all of you who responded to show an interest and also to those of you who offered to support in the teaching of your language.

The intention is to hopefully reintroduce the teaching of some of these languages as part of the Enrichment Program. Therefore, I would really appreciate it if you could complete this form again at the start of this new Academic year to confirm your interest and support. For those of you who did not respond last year , please complete the form below as this will help us to know the numbers of people interested and which languages we may be able to offer.

Thank you again for your support.

Miss Becky

Road Safety

This week the students have been discussing how to cross the road safely, whether they are on a scooter, bike, skateboard or on foot. They have also discussed how they travel to school and hazards they see that are unsafe. In the next few weeks, you will see some staff taking photos of the school arrival and departure to use as teaching points and to form part of our road safety displays in the Mileposts. If you do not want to be photographed please let us know or the staff member taking the picture in the moment.

Please continue to send in photos of your children practising road safety.

Many thanks,

Ms Amy, Ms Arlene and Mr Mohsin.

Open Sail Day at RAHRC

Please see the poster for information.

Please note this a non- PDO School event. We are unable to verify any HSE or child safeguarding procedures. Please ensure that you are comfortable with all HSE elements.

Children meet with Ms Khadija

This week, we had wonderful "Meet the Counsellor" sessions with Ms. Khadija. She introduced herself and shared with us about her role as our school counsellor.

Ms. Khadija is here to support us to explore and understand our emotions, as well as to provide support in overcoming any challenges or difficulties we may face. Her role is to guide and assist us to manage our feelings and navigate any distress or confusion.

Dates for your Diary

15th September-School closed
16th September - Enrichment activities start
20th October - Half term holiday begins
27th October - Return to school
19th December - Last day of term

Wishing you a pleasant weekend,

The PDO School Team

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