PDO 

School  Newsletter

  1st June 2023

Dear Parents,

We have had another great week of learning in school this week. We are all looking forward to the Year 6 performance of Seussical next week. Please see the article below for more details.

Please take some time to view the Class Pages for more detailed information about your child's learning this week and any class notices here. 

Drinks in school

At PDO School we encourage children to bring in a healthy snack and lunch. The weather has heated up and we are encouraging the children to drink plenty of water throughout the day. However, we have noticed that some children are bringing in unsuitable drinks which contain hidden sugars and sweeteners. Please be aware that popular drinks such as Prime, are not suitable for children. Prime drinks have become particularly popular amongst young children because of social media and YouTube. A Prime Energy drink contains 140mg of caffeine therefore, Prime Energy is not recommended for children under the age of 16. Prime Hydration is also not recommended for those under 15 due to the additives and sweeteners. Studies have shown drinking sugary drinks at a young age can lead to problems with obesity later on in life. 

Please ensure your child is only bringing in water for drinking and talk to them about the importance of hydrating their bodies.


Thank you for your support and understanding.

Miss Emma - Year 1 Teacher

Year 6 - English

This week, Year 6 pupils began their final text of the year, 'Wonder' by R J Palacio in our English lessons - a powerful story about a 10-year-old boy and his own journey into secondary school. The text will explore the themes of: relationships; friendships; dealing with change and bullying; and how we view ourselves and others. 

Mr Neil & Ms Leanne - Year 6 Teachers

Showtime: 

Tuesday June 6th at 6pm

Seussical Jr

The stage is all but set and the children have been rehearsing ready for our long awaited production of Seussical Jr. Parents of the Year 5 choir children and Year 6 children who are taking part are invited to join us at 6pm on Tuesday 6th June in the school hall to watch our fun and lively show. Parents will be sent a link to request seats for the show. Thank you all for your continued support. 

Social Media and Messaging Platforms

Some of our students are accessing and using social media and messaging platforms, such as Snapchat and Discord, to keep in touch with their friends after school and on the weekends. All messaging apps are rated as 13+. It can be difficult to keep up with your child's online activity and the messages that they are sending or receiving. At school, on a termly basis, we focus on different apects of internet safety and we take it very seriously.

Social Media - Parent Monitoring App Webinar

Please join me on for an online webinar where you can learn how to access resources to help with:

You will be recieving an invitation by email, inviting you to join a Google Meeting.

Ms Kirsty, Leader for Computing

Update - Health and Safety Issue

As part of the preventative measures that have been put in place following Tuesday's snake sighting, we would like to inform you that the PDO Pest Control Team treated the exterior of the school buildings/grounds. This is part of the prevention plan to deter snakes and scorpions from entering the school site. The interior of the school will be treated over the weekend. In addition, planned pest control will continue as part of an extra layer of protection.


We would like to thank the HSE team for their swift response to this matter. 


As the temperatures in Oman increase, we would like to remind all members of our school community to ensure that external doors are closed at all times, in order to help us to keep the inside of the school free from any insects, snakes and scorpions.


In order to increase the children’s awareness of snakes, and what action to take if another snake is sighted, either at school or on PDO Camp, a part of this week's assembly focused on talking to the children about how to behave around snakes. 


Thank you for your continued support



Road Safety

Please see some of the concerns and recommendations which have been raised by the PDO Road Safety team:

 If you have any other road safety concerns, please contact notices@pdoschool.com

MPSL S

This week we took part in two more MPSL competitions. Our U11 Boys took part in their second basketball competition of the year. The boys played incredibly well missing out on the final by just one basket. The passion for basketball is growing in the school and we are thrilled to be able to build on this interest and keep providing opportunities to develop our pupils skills. We are looking forward to continuing this next year and enhancing what we offer. 

Following the basketball we took 24 pupils to BSM for a Unihoc tournament. Our under 11 team took part in unihoc enrichment in term 1. We split the group into two teams and both played fantastic. Finishing in 2nd and 3rd place overall. 

Our Under 9's took part in a skills clinic to introduce them to the game followed by a mini mixed tournament along side BSM pupils. It was a great experience and we hope that some of them will select unihoc enrichment next year to be part of our U11's team. 

Next up: 

(The 1st ever) MPSL Waterpolo tournament @ PDO School

21st June 2023

Term 3 Enrichment and Extra Support Activities Finishing Thursday 16th June

Please note that the Term 3 Enrichments and Extra Support activities will now finish on Thursday 15th June this term not Thursday 22nd June as originally specified.  This change in date is due to the Parent Teacher Conferences that will be held on Sunday 18th and Monday 19th June.

School Photographs are ready for collection

If you ordered school photographs, and have not already collected them, you can collect them from our reception desk from 8.00am until 2.15pm during school week.

Payment for the photographs will be deducted from PDO salaries in the same way that uniforms are deducted and will show the uniform payment code on your salary statement.

If you have not already placed an order, you can still do so using the link below:

PDO School Photograph Order Form

Class Photo: 8 inches x 12 inches = 4 OMR

Individual Photo: 6 inches x 8 inches = 1.5 OMR

Individual Photo: 5 inches x 7 inches = 1 OMR


IF YOU HAVE ALREADY PLACED AN ORDER, PLEASE DO NOT PLACE ANOTHER ORDER,UNLESS YOU WANT ANOTHER SET OF COPIES.

Leaving Oman -  please let as know as soon as you can

We request that parents who have plans to move away from Oman, to please provide us with the details as soon as possible by emailing Ms Kath, kmorgan@pdoschool.com or Ms Zoe, zmcintyre@pdoschool.com .  This will allow us time to prepare the Transfer Certificate and other documents your child may require for their application to a new school, as well as to be able to give your child a traditional school farewell.  

Dates for your Diary


Wishing you a pleasant weekend,

The PDO Team

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 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 Acting Headteacher, Ms. Kath Morgan.

Mr Faisal Al Zadjali, our School Manager, is also happy to listen to any parental concerns that have not been resolved successfully.