Dear Parents,

 'Learning walks' are a regular part of my weekly schedule, this involves me looking at learning across the school, I engage with students, teachers, LSAs, parents and support staff that we have in the school. 

One of the key points I always observe is the adults (teachers, LSA's) in the school who are engaging with students and the small class sizes that we have; these guarantee personalized interactions. While small class sizes do not always guarantee positive results, they do foster deeper and more meaningful conversations with students which are key to the educational process. It is perhaps a key point of our school that we accept as normal, however, it is a point that we need to highlight as it has a positive impact on our whole learning process.

HSSE- Drop off / Can we please request that parents engage Park (P) when stopping vehicles at drop off.  This ensures that the vehicle will not move when children are exiting from the vehicle.

An observation from a parent this morning who shared a concern about the quiet nature of scooters driven by our students; the parent highlighted the need for bells (similar to bicycles to be installed). We would support and request that parents do consider this as an option.

We held our recent parent connect meeting this week, a recurring theme from some parents was a request for more curriculum information. We would direct parents back to the Meet the Teacher event at the start of the term and we would encourage parents to keep attending our workshops in school.  Finally, as we often promote in the school newsletter please engage/ meet with your child's class teacher if you are unclear on any part of the school curriculum. Given that we have a diverse international community we understand that we may need to explain our learning in school further. Teachers are available at the start or the end of the day. (Subject to meeting schedules)

Tim Robinson

Headteacher

Parent and Children's Voice - Creating a Shared Ethos

Parent Voice

During our parent information morning at the end of Term 1, we took the opportunity to work with our parents to consider what they feel is important in creating a shared school ethos. We would again like to offer all of our parents the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas before we finalise our shared ethos.

Please take a moment to scan the QR code to offer your thoughts and ideas. All words contributed will be used to help create our shared school ethos.

Early Years

Our Early Years Sports Day was so much fun, children had a blast participating in a variety of activities, including the exciting egg and spoon slalom, bean bag throws, hurdles, and a fun-filled obstacle course. It was heart-warming to see the enthusiasm and teamwork displayed by our little ones. Thank you to all of the parents who came to cheer on their little athletes. 

Milepost 1

Year 1 recently visited '360 Green Farm'. Children arrived at school bursting with excitement and loved seeing our big school bus. For some, it was their first chance to see the beautiful countryside here in Oman.  We loved the tour of the Garden Centre and finding out about some of the interesting plants we saw, such as banana trees and henna bushes. Children participated in a range of activities including painting, planting a seedling, feeding the fish and visiting the petting area. Our kind students enjoyed learning about how to care for rabbits and parrots. We would like to commend our students on their use of positive communication skills while navigating the Garden Centre. The next day we completed a "My Feelings Journal" and many students mentioned their awe when seeing the mountains and their adaptability when working with others.  Thank you to the parent volunteers, your support is greatly appreciated.

Milepost 2

We have been learning all about the importance of self worth and how it is vital to be a good friend to ourselves before we can be a 'super-friend' to others. We are so lucky to have lots of new children join Milepost 2 this term and so we spent some extra play time getting to know new people. Around our learning spaces we have created 'affirmation stations' to remind ourselves about the power of positive self-talk and we want our PDO community to be involved too! Over the next few weeks, take a walk around camp and keep your eyes peeled for one of the kindness rocks painted by our fantastic pupils, be sure to share the message with others and keep passing on kindness. 

Milepost 3 - Year 6 Quiz Night

Thank you to all who were able to attend and support the Year 6 Quiz Night on Tuesday evening. As I am sure you will all agree, the event was hugely successful. The children were incredible, performing their roles with confidence in front of a large audience.  Throughout the planning, preparation and delivery of the event, the children have displayed many of our Personal Learning Goals. They collaborated and used thinking skills to create the questions; they used their communication skills in their advertising and hosting; they showed great resilience in performing in front of an audience despite their nerves; and great empathy is supporting each other throughout the whole process.

Seesaw

Wishing you a pleasant weekend,

The PDO School Team