Elementary Times

Volume 8 Issue 9 21 May 2013

Notes from the Principals Office

We are down to the last few weeks of school and there is so much yet to do Enjoy the photos in this Elementary Times edition from the recent Talent Show. The Music Department, Mr. Rush and Ms. Schuessler, found ways for every student who wanted to be in the Talent Show to participate. It added a lot of work for them, but they just couldnt say, No, to any of the studentsso half of the students in grades 1-6 performed for the other half! Way to go, Katie and Zach!

Save the Date!

May
23
Half-day of school (12:00 dismissal), to allow for teacher training

June
26
Beginning of three days of Arabic Festival

September
11
Half-day of school for students (12:00 dismissal) Last day of classes for 2012-2013 school year Reports posted to Portal and sent home with students

28
PTO Meeting for Elections (6:30 pm)

29
Grade level spelling bees and Final Spelling Bee (1:20)

6
No School

2
First day of classes for 20132014 school year Class lists posted by 7:15 am

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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 9
We have been transitioning our graduating 6th graders to 7th now for several weeks, and we have several more transition activities yet to go. They have spent time with buddies, attending 7th grade classes to get the feel for 7th grade. On Monday, June 10 we will have a recognition breakfast for our 6th gradersto wish them the very best as they pass a milestone in their growth and education. They will be missed in the Elementary next yeara great group of young people we are sending to the Secondary! Several dates worth making a note of are listed in the Calendar. Please especially note the half-days on May 23rd and June 11th, as we find students are sorely disappointed when we have to contact parents who have not picked them up on the half-days. We will be saying good-bye soon to several (fortunately, not many) of our fine UAS Teachers: Janette Emery, KG2 Teacher Akane Nishimoto, 1st Grade Teacher Alison Stoody, 5th Grade Teacher Syma Merchant, 5th Grade Teacher (moving to UAS Secondary side) Ryan Hellmann, ELL (moving to UAS Secondary side) Ola Hamed, Arabic Teacher Kim and Blair Beam, IT and Art Teachers respectively Matt Webster, IT Teacher Tania McPhillamy, Librarian Thank you, departing colleagues, for your many and significant contributions to UAS. We wish the very best in your new endeavors.

Our hiring for 2013-2014 is almost completely finished now (most was completed by Spring Break). We think we have hired a particularly talented entering class of 2013. Here are some names to remember for next year: Lisa Gibson, New Curriculum/PYP Coordinator Stephanie Stone, New Counselor for Primary Grades Rachel Rastin, PreKG Teacher Veronica Jones, KG2 Teacher Judy Fincham, 1st Grade Teacher Jo Sadler, 2nd Grade Teacher Anna Hogan, 3rd Grade Teacher Haddy Allen, 4th Grade Teacher Louisa, Gerlach, 4th Grade Teacher Kayla Buschini, 5th Grade Teacher Nathan Sadler, 5th Grade Teacher Kara Haines, 6th Grade Teacher (returning to UAS after 2 years in Tokyo) Abdulrhaman Alsayed, Arabic and Islamic Studies Teacher Alison Backous, PE Teacher Sarah Jones, Art Teacher [The departures and new hires do not match up completely because we are creating three new classes for next year (one each in PreKG, Grade 5, and Grade 6), and because some returning teachers will be changing teaching assignments.] UAS teachers and administrators had a chance last week to meet and discuss priorities for next year with Dr. Daryle Russell, who will soon become Interim Director of UAS for the 2013-2014 school year. Dr. Russell has an impressive background in administration of international schools and made a good impression on the hundreds of UAS staff members he met and talked with. Eric Webb Elementary Principal
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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 9

Dear Parents,
With another highly successful parent-teacher event, the End-of-Year Sports Day, followed by the Annual Elementary Talent Show, we move closer to the end of a truly fantastic school year. 2012-2013 has been filled with accomplishment, success, and a variety of new and exciting learning experiences. Looking back on the many highlights of 2012-2013 we must thank our creative and enthusiastic students, our highly skilled and dedicated teachers, our amazing support staff, and at the heart of it all, you, our supportive parents. Your role in our community makes UAS an extraordinary place to learn and grow. As we wind down the year, we must also take this opportunity to bid farewell and good luck to our 6th graders moving on to the Secondary School. It is easy to look back at all they have accomplished and all the ways in which theyve inspired us. Theyve inspired us with their inquisitive nature as demonstrated in the Exhibition. Theyve inspired us with their sense of humor and perseverance, so profoundly displayed during camp. Theyve inspired us with their constant display of citizenship around the school. And theyve inspired us in their dedication to being well-rounded students made apparent by their strong participation and leadership in extra-curricular activities. Sixth graders, however, werent the only UAS elementary students highly engaged in curricular and extra-curricular activities. This years Elementary After School Activities (ASA) program included the participation of over 200 students in roughly 35 different activities from painting a school mural to performing in a flash mob, from learning the strategies of chess to practicing yoga. In addition to our many ASA offerings UAS elementary students were involved in a wide variety of activities such as Girl Scouts, the Islamic Quran Competition, the first-ever Elementary MiniOlympics, Student Council, U14 Sports, Oliver the Elementary Musical, the Terry Fox Run, the upcoming Spelling Bee, Arts Alive exhibits, community service projects, and many more activities that foster UASs mission to empower students to be caring individuals, critical thinkers, and responsible global citizens. 2012-2013 was a fantastic year! There is no doubt the partnerships between students, teachers, and parents is what makes UAS a great place to work and learn. Whether you will be staying in the UAE or travelling over the summer holiday, I wish you a fun-filled, adventurous break. See you in September! Jennifer Stockbridge Elementary Assistant Principal

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PYP News
On May 1st 2013, the Grade Six Students participated in the culminating experience of the Primary Years Programme, known as the Exhibition. In PYP IB Schools, the Exhibition is considered a rite of passage from the primary into the secondary school. Recognized and regarded as a forum for inquiry and collaboration, the Exhibition provides students with the opportunity to define and demonstrate what it means to be a PYP student. The Exhibition allows students to apply what they have learned and to showcase the essential elements of the PYP. Thinking, social, research, communication and self-management skills are built within the entire process of inquiry. But most importantly, the Exhibition focuses students towards taking action and making a positive difference in their lives and the lives and world of those connected to them. This year we had a vast variety of student topics for inquiry showcased in the Exhibition. Across the three key areas of social, environmental and health, our students chose an area of interest and inquiry. From here, teams worked over the six-week period to inquire and investigate their topic. Students explored many key issues, some including: depression, junk food addictions, teen suicide, and mangrove destruction in the UAE. From the perspective of the PYP Coordinator, I saw substantial growth in our students, as they learned what it means to take action, to work on a team effectively and to take responsibility for ones own learning.

A big thank-you to all of the parents, teachers, mentors, support staff and administration that worked together to help make the 2013 UAS Exhibition a success. There is a proverb that states it takes a village to raise a child and in the case of the PYP Exhibition, our students success is really evidence of the years of hard work that our UAS Elementary Village has put into our learners. Every teacher, every administrator, every parent, every support staff and every mentor plays a pivotal role in the education process, from start to finish. In education, its not so much the end product or the destination, but the process and the learning journey that students take, including all of the key learnings and mastery of concepts that occur over a course of years. The Exhibition is an excellent summative assessment of many of their transdisciplinary skills students learn over time as part of the Primary Years Programme. Yours truly, Erin Machacek PYP Curriculum Coordinator
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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 9

WHAT IS SECOND HAND SMOKING?

Have%you%ever%heard%of%second%hand%smoke.%% Secondhand%smoke%comes%from%both%the% smoke%that%smokers%exhale%(called% mainstream%smoke)%and%the%smoke%floating% from%the%end%of%the%cigarette,%cigar,%or%pipe% (called%side%stream%smoke).%This%is%really% bad%for%you!%Did%you%know%that%second% hand%smoke%is%worse%than%actually% smoking,%because%when%you%smoke%there%is% a%filter%in%the%cigarette%or%pipes,%also%known% as%Shisha,%but%secondhand%smokers%are% breathing%in%unfiltered%smoke.% SE CO ND HA ND SM O KIN G

Second Hand Smoking

EXHIBITION GROUP

Central(Idea(
Peoples!opinions!and!responsibly!affect!the!impact! of!second!hand!smoking!on!the!body.!

Exhibition Second Hand Smoke U.A.S Secondary Library City, Dubai UAE Team Group Lea Maria Naaman Fahad Kahlifa Ammar Yassar Aikaterini Dagadakis

How$does$second$hand$smoke$ harm$your$body?$ People!who!do!not!smoke!and!who! are!exposed!regularly!to!the!toxic! chemicals!in!second7hand!smoke! can!suffer!serious!and!life7 threatening!health!concerns.!In!the! long!term,!people!exposed!to! second7hand!smoke!have!a!greater! risk!of!suffering!from!lung!cancer,! nasal!sinus!cancer,!heart!disease,! stroke,!and!breathing!problems,! including!increased!coughing,! wheezing,!pneumonia,!bronchitis,! and!asthma.!People!who!do!not! smoke!will!suffer!from!the!effects!of! breathing!second7hand!smoke!right! away.!Even!as!little!as!8!to!20! minutes!can!cause!physical! reactions!linked!to!heart!disease!
!

Children!exposed!to!second7hand! smoke!have!a!greater!risk!of! getting!lung!infections,!such!as! bronchitis!and!pneumonia.!They! also!get!more!ear!infections!and! suffer!more!from!chronic! coughing,!wheezing,!and! breathing!problems.! Second7hand!smoke!can!cause! fluid!to!build!up!in!the!inner!ear,! which!can!cause!an!ear!infection.! Second7hand!smoke!is!harmful!to! children!with!asthma!and!other! chronic!lung!conditions!because! the!second7hand!smoke!makes!the! health!conditions!worse.!Children! who!do!not!have!asthma!are!more! likely!to!get!asthma!when!exposed! to!second7hand!smoke.! Sources(

Ways$you$can$prevent$second$hand$ smoke$ To protect your family from second-hand smoke, make your home and car smokefree. Do not let anyone smoke near your child. Encourage family and friends to create a smoke-free environment. Smoke from 1 cigarette can stay in a room for hours, even with an open window. Many of the toxic chemicals remain in the air and the carpets, curtains, furniture, and clothes. Air purifiers and ventilation systems may remove some of the smoke, but these may not remove all the toxic chemicals
Try!to!make!an!area!for!smoking!in!your! house!

http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile 30a.stm http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/spo rts/secondhand_smoke.html

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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 9

Library News
Calling all library books! We miss you! Its time for students and parents to return all books and other library materials. Sunday May 19-Wed 22nd (student free day Thurs 23rd) is the week that all Elementary library items should come back to their Summer home in the Elementary library. Thank you!
Notices for books still out will be sent home and if books are lost, they can be paid for at Accounts on the ground floor. Accounts will use the amount on the notice sent home to convert the cost into dirhams. Please bring the receipt up to the library (if your child is older, they can do this themselves). If you believe a book has been returned but you have received a notice about it, please contact me and we can check again in the library to find the book. Any other questions about returned, damaged or lost books, please also get in touch with me ([email protected]) Have a safe and memorable vacation! Tania McPhillamy Elementary Librarian

Grade 2 Words Their Way

Grade Two is coming to the end of their first successful year with the Words Their Way spelling program. The teachers split up the grade based on their spelling needs to which they are seeing impressive results. Each class focused on developing certain spelling skills and patterns such as short and long vowels sounds, digraphs and inflected endings. These strategies are taught with hands on activities where the children sort their words into various groups. The children enjoy sorting the groups and by the end of each week they are able to race each other in speed sorts.
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The children have really enjoyed switching classes too and spending time with their other grade 2 peers. "I think its fun. You get to play with the words and sort them" says Mubin. "I like putting the words in ABC order. We get to practice writing the words and I get better in my tests" says Connor enthusiastically. Grade Two looks forward to continuing and further improving their spelling program next year.

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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 9

Two American UAS teachers with over 30 years of international teaching experience.

Personalized instruction in all academic areas Children age Kindergarten through Grade 7 Maintain or improve academic skills or concepts Sessions available 8:00 AM 4:00 PM, Sunday thru Thursday Sessions start week of June 16 thru August 8, 2013 Flexible scheduling dates, times, number of sessions All sessions at Universal American School

To schedule your childs summer tutoring contact: For students in Kindergarten Grade 3: Lois Finney, UAS Teacher Master of Science in Elementary and Early Childhood Education mobile: 056-714-0324 email: [email protected] For students in Grades 4 7: Allen Finney, UAS Teacher, Master of Science in Elementary and Learning Disabilities mobile: 056-714-0325 email: [email protected]

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When scheduling your childs tutoring sessions, please provide the following: Students name: ________________________________ Parents name: _________________________________ Contact information: Mobile number: _________________________ Requested sessions: Session(s) per week: _____________ Preferred day(s): _______________________________ Preferred time(s): ____________________ Areas of focus: home number: ____________________ Grade 2012-2013 ______

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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 9

PTO News
Havent you always wanted to be more involved with your children at the school? Would you like to help shape the direction of the school events and activities? Do you have new ideas for how the UAS PTO can continue on its mission? If so, you might want to consider joining the PTO Executive Committee (ExCo) for the year 2013 / 2014. The mission of the UAS Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is to Promote the learning experiences of our children through participating in support activities and facilitating communication between parents, teachers, and school administration. The PTO purpose is to: v To promote cooperation among parents, administration, staff and students in order to encourage a friendly atmosphere in UAS that is open to the rights and suggestions of all v To promote an open forum on matters of general UAS concerns v To organize non-profit activities and to support volunteers in any efforts for the benefit of students and UAS including fund-raising for approved charitable organizations v To cooperate in the achievement of the educational objectives of UAS This mission and purpose of the PTO can only happen through the active involvement of parents and teachers working together on the PTO ExCo and as volunteers. The PTO ExCo is made up of 7-9 parent members and 2 teacher members. The parent members hold the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Volunteer Coordinator, Elementary member-at-large, and Secondary member-as-large. The PTO ExCo meets once a month along with the administration (UAS Director, Elementary Principal, and Secondary Principal) to discuss the activities for the month and any new ideas for activities and events that can bring the school community together. Some of the events that that PTO held this year included the Eid Al Adha Charity, Thanksgiving Dinner, National Day, International Day, and the upcoming Teacher and Staff Appreciation Day. Being part of the PTO is a great opportunity for parents to make their own mark on their childrens school life. It is a way to be involved with the school and create a much fuller and richer school experience for everyone and, of course, have fun along the way. If you are interested to nominate yourself to the PTO or if you know of someone great to be added to the PTO team, please contact Dima Khatib, Nomination Committee Chair, at [email protected]. Nominations will be accepted until May 25th. Elections for the PTO ExCo will happen on the last week of May.

BUY A YEARBOOK
268 pages in full color Available end of May First come first serve Just pay 150 AED to accounts and give the receipt in the school store when they are available