PDO 

School  Newsletter

  17th January 2024

Dear Parents,

School operating systems, the philosophy of education and other related educational issues are complex. As a school we understand the complexity of our role, our primary focus is always our students and we make 'learning-focused' decisions that we believe provides the most positive learning platform for students. We have a  larger group of stakeholders that we work with and all support the school; parents play a crucial role and we want to involve you more. Ultimately, if you are involved in our school then you develop an enhanced understanding of school life and our learning-focused approach. Over the next few weeks we are looking for additional support in school for a number of curriculum areas, we appreciate the support and we can see first-hand the impact it has on learning in our school.  Many thanks to all the parents that already dedicate significant time and energy to the school.


Road Safety- 2 of our students were involved in a scooter incident this morning, both students are in school and have been checked by our nurse. We are now working with the PDO road safety team to investigate the full details of the incident.

At the start of a New Year as parents, it is a good time to review a number of points regarding your child's journey to school.

This is not a comprehensive list, but provides some areas for you to consider.


Thanks for the support and the number of responsible students who demonstrate a clear awareness of safety.


Tim Robinson

Headteacher

Early Years

This week, our little ones had a blast outdoors! We explored 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' story through activities that integrated with Maths, communication, creative arts, as well the Connecting and Transporting schemas. The children hopped on a large number line, enhancing their understanding of sequence. Later, the children practiced communication skills while enthusiastically shopping for fruits and vegetables in a pretend market and expressed their creativity through painting. 

It's been a week of dynamic learning and play! 

Milepost 1

Milepost 1 enjoyed working collaboratively with our friends from Early Years in our Continuous Provision area. It was an opportunity to share, be creative and use our imagination in the junk modelling area. The 'Calm corner' is proving popular and Year Two enjoyed identifying feelings from the book 'The Colour Monster'. 

Milepost 2

NEW BOOK!

This week Year 4 have begun reading a wonderful new book called 'The Day I Was Erased'. The children have enjoyed making predictions about the story as well as reading the first few chapters. As the children have been reading, they have made a list of the characters, identified some of their traits and found evidence within the text to validate the impressions they have made. During our lessons, the children answered VIPER (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explain, Retrieval and Summary) questions. 

The children's first impressions of the book include, "awesome, page turner, funny and mysterious".

Milepost 3

This week we have been exploring the language of emotions. Starting with the primary feelings, children discussed which subsequent emotions could stem from these core states. This provocative activity not only broadened the children’s exposure to emotional vocabulary but sparked a lively yet thoughtful discussion. Indeed, it was wonderful to see the children reflect on the complexities of feelings and be comfortable in sharing personal experiences to support where on the wheel they felt certain feelings should be placed. This task also promoted critical thinking and empathy as children considered how different situations could evoke specific emotions which also led to key connections being made with the characters in our class book. 

International Day

Dear Parents, 

We are very excited to confirm PDO School's International Day will take place on February 29th, making this leap day extra special! This will be a learning-focused day where children will be given the opportunity to gain a greater insight and appreciation of the diversity of nationalities and cultures represented by our school community. This forms a key aim in our curriculum. 


A part of the day will be dedicated to activities and experiences from different regions and continents around the world. The theme of this is 'Around the World in 80 Minutes' where a carousel of stations will be set up around the Learning Souk for the children to visit and complete an activity at. We would love for any parents who wish to to involved in the decoration or running of these activities to please express their interest by completing this form by Sunday 21st January. 


Many thanks for your continued support. 


Munira - IPC Leader for Learning

Computing Update

We have a had a very busy week in our computing lab. We have extended our learning space into the storage area adjacent to us, providing a spacious, bright and airy work space to maximise our children's learning. 

We have also upgraded our computers,  keyboards and headsets. Upgrading the  computers will provide our students with access to the latest educational resources, interactive multimedia content, and online research materials. Improved hardware capabilities, such as faster processors, larger memory capacity, and high-resolution displays, will enable more engaging and immersive learning experiences. This investment will help us maintain our commitment to providing a high-quality education that prepares our students for the challenges of the digital age. 

In MP1, we took advantage of our extra learning space during our programming session. The children were tasked with working collaboratively to write a short algorithm (a sequence of commands/instructions) and programmed them into the BeeBot floor robots.  Using BeeBots and similar floor robots provides a fun and accessible introduction to programming concepts for young children. They are a firm favourite amongst all our children, even our Year 6s!

Year 5 are currently exploring physical computing using Micro Bits (a tiny computer which has an LED display which it uses as an output to send out information). 

Year 5 were tasked with writing two algorithms, one to create a name badge with a smiley face animation and the other, to create a beating heart. Code is programmed using Microsoft MakeCode or Python Editor, we connected the Micro Bit to the computer and downloaded the program to it. The animation then displayed on the LEDs on the Micro Bit. 

The Micro Bit encourages children to learn coding and programming skills to prepare them for today’s tech-savvy world.

SPORTS DAYS

We are pleased to confirm the dates and times for our upcoming sports days this term. Parents are welcome to support our house teams and wearing matching house colours are encouraged.

Our sports days follow a 5 week block developing Athletic skills including; running, jumping and throwing with the new olympic moto being the aim throughout the unit.  

“Citius, Altius, Fortius - Communiter” 

Faster, higher, stronger - Together. The together element is showcased through the house's working together to achieve their best. As in previous years our teams will take part in a carousel of activities to score as many points as possible. We will also have an individual sprint element at the end of the day. 

Our new Pre- Nursery students will have a separate sports day in Term 3. 

Family Charity Quiz Night 

We are happy to announce that we have a new date for our Family Charity Quiz night that was postponed back in October 2023.

MONDAY 29TH JANUARY 5.30 - 7.30pm

Over 120 tickets were sold! All these tickets will be honoured. There are a few tickets left so if you would like to join us please go to PDO School Reception. 

We still have all the prizes up for grabs on the night: Cinema tickets, Trampo Tickets, Ice cream for your class....and many more!

Year 6 Students

How will IPC help my child pass exams?

IPC is focused on the development of core skills that can be applied to any subject matter. Rigorous and thought-provoking units of study stimulate students to become critical thinkers as well as both independent and passionate in their pursuit of answers. Furthermore, at PDO School, our aim is to cultivate competency from within. The key aims embedded within our Personal Learning Goal agenda, once achieved, will ensure your child has the mindset required to face the challenge of external examinations. 


Ms Munira - IPC Leader for Learning

PDO Vs Southampton Academy

This week we played an U9 and U11 fixture against Southampton Academy. Our U9's played indoors and our Under 11's outside to celebrate ABQ's new Astroturf pitch. All teams played incredibly well with great team performances and some star individual performances including a Hatrick for Seb McCurrach for the U11's. It was a great warm-up game in preparation for our tournament next week at MISO School. Go Scorpions!

Results:

5 - 0

PDO U9 Green v Southampton Academy


8 - 0

PDO U9 Scorpians v Southampton Academy


4 - 0

PDO U11's Vs Southampton Academy


Well done to all the teams, three great performances!! 


Out of School Achievements

Congratulations to Sissi who took part in the Threshers Swim meet last weekend. She competed in the 100m Freestyle event and finished in second place with a new personal best of 1.31:78. Well Done Sissi, a fantastic achievement. 

We love to hear about all of our pupil's achievements. If you have taken part in any events outside of school please let us know so we can celebrate their success. 

email: sdemellweek@pdoschool.com 


PDO School Fire Marshals

We are pleased to inform you that Miss Abeer and Miss Nivine, dedicated members of our staff, have successfully completed the Fire Marshal training and are now appointed as the new Fire Wardens at our school.

Library update

Many thanks to our parent volunteers who have been busy helping us to organise our library and make borrowing books an easier process for our students. This has been days of work and we appreciate all the time that has been dedicated. Ongoing support is welcome in our library as we look to develop it further. If it is an area of school that you are keen to support with please get in touch with either, Miss Amy, or our library parent lead, Shalini, who is Mum to Sophia (Y6N), Liam (Y4E) and Lucas (Whaleshark class).

Mini World Modelling After School Activity

- Making Worry Monsters

In keeping with our whole school IPC wellbeing units, our Mini World Modelling After School Activity students created tiny worry monsters. After reading The Very Hungry Worry Monsters by Lara Ede, they created friendly colourful monsters of their own using plasticine and googly eyes. 

Class Photographs

Tomorrow, Thursday 18th January,  we will take a photograph of each class. Please ensure that your child(ren) come to school in their uniform. Please note if they have PE, they will not require PE kit on Thursday and can come dressed in school uniform.

Each student will receive a free copy of their class photograph by the end of Term 2 Digital copies will be available too. 


PDO School Yearbook - 2023/2024


We are preparing a Yearbook for 2023/2024 which will include photographs of classes, students and special events which have been run throughout the academic year.


We will give each child a free copy of the Yearbook by the end of Term 3.


If you do not want your child's picture to be included in the Yearbook, please let us know by completing the form:


Do not include any pictures of my child in the PDO School 2023/2024 Yearbook


2024/2025 Academic Calendar 

Please click on the link below to access the 2024/2024 calendar.


PDO School Calendar 2024/2025 

This has also been published on the Information tab on the main school website: www.pdoschool.org and also in the Term Dates tab on the Parent Portal: www.pdoschoolparent.com


Dates for your Diary

Wishing you a pleasant weekend,

The PDO School Team