Thursday, 27 October 2011 Issue 20 - Raffles International School

Thursday, 27 October 2011 Issue 20
GENERAL NURSERY
KG JUNIOR SCHOOL EVENTS CALENDAR
A S A
ARABIC & ISLAMIC
30 October 2011 Nursery - Halloween Art & Craft
31 October 2011 Dress-up Day
1 November 2011 Reading Competition-Grades 3-5
(50 books in 50 days starting 1/11/2011 ad ending 19 December 2011)
6, 7 & 8 November 2011 Eid AL Adha Holidays
13 November 2011 Class Parents - Coffee Morning in the Lecture Theatre at 10:00 a.m.
13 & 14 November 2011 Big Bus Tour—Grade 3
13 November 2011 Buckle up In the Back Dubai-Junior School
15 November 2011
Shindaga Heritage Village-Grade 5
Open Day-School
Art Exihibtion-6:00-8:00 p.m.
16 November 2011 Yellow Day-Nursery
17 November 2011 Movie Night -PARIS
20 November 2011 Bake Sale - Al Noor Centre for Special Needs
22 November 2011 Open Day—Nursery from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.
24 November 2011 PD– Full Day - No ASA - only Paid Activities
28 November 2011 Ice Skating Trip 3-5
29 & 30 November 2011 P/T Conferences-dismissal at 12:00 pm—No ASA on both days

GENERAL NURSERY K G JUNIOR SCHOOL EVENTS CALENDAR A S A ARABIC & ISLAMIC
Dear Parents,
The growing number of participants in the Parent Association is very much appreciated. The PARIS is a group
that everyone belongs to as a parents of students attending Raffles International School South Campus. PARIS
has some very active members who have been meeting since last year to organize events for the students,
teachers and support staff at RISS. Parents may choose to participate in any or all of the events that PARIS
organizes. Each event may have coordinators who volunteer to take on responsibility to see that the event is a
success. PARIS exists foremost to promote a community spirit and provide events to benefit the students of
Raffles International School.
The recent bake sale was an example of the growing participation of parents. The students and staff all found
things that were delicious and enjoyed. Thanks to all who contributed time, effort and “goodies” for this event.
The Eid holiday is approaching soon. While the school does have a break scheduled from November 6th
through the 8 th . The dates are subject to change without much notice from the government. Please check the
newspapers for any announcements and RISS will also inform you if there has been a change in the dates.
Best wishes to all of our families celebrating Eid in the next days.
Eid Mubarak.
Donavon Reinsmoen
Superintendent
Raffles International School, South Campus

Dear Parents,
It has been good to see many of you on assembly days every week. It encourages and supports our students
and helps them to understand the importance of being a good audience as well. Children are very proud to be
presenting at the assembly and it creates a lot of excitement and some nerves as well.
Our “students of the week” award acknowledges the hard work that students put in on a daily basis. It brings
a little healthy competitive spirit, improves self-esteem, and also helps the students to set targets and work
toward achieving them. Student of the week pictures are shown on page 7 of this newsletter.
Class awards are given to classes who achieve school-wide goals and they are decided upon by the concerned
teachers.
Family Learning Day: November 2 nd and 3 rd : This event has been postponed due to the uncertainties
regarding the Eid holidays. We will inform you as soon as new dates are decided.
We will be asking you to provide the school with updated email addresses and phone numbers in order to
update our contact information and the emergency contact numbers. Please be diligent in completing the form
and sending it back to the school promptly.
Our New Dismissal Procedures: We have made some changes to our dismissal procedures. We will
continue to improve and revise until we have the best fit for the school and are satisfied with the safety and
security arrangements of our children. Please note the following changes:
Children will be dismissed from:
Grade One : Classrooms
Grade Two & Three : Atrium near the sports hall (No Change)
Grade Four & Five : Atrium near the staircase
Late Pick-up room : Grade One Activity Room (G 047)
ASA Collection point : Lower Sports Hall
Bus Children Collection Point: Room Number (G 146 – near the nursery room)
All these areas are supervised at all times by the school‟s staff members.
Attendance and Absences:
In order to exercise due diligence in monitoring our attendance and late arrivals, we have put the following in
place.
Dedicated email ID: attendancesc@rafflesis.com
Dedicated Phone Numbers: 04 427 1261/ 04 427 1262
Please email or call on the above address and phone numbers if your child will be absent or late to school.
If children are absent and no information has been provided, then the parents will receive a call from the
school to confirm that children are safe and at home.
Late Arrivals: If your child is late to school, please enter the school via the main entrance. You are required
to register at the reception desk and the child will receive a late slip to be admitted to the classroom.
Continued on Page 4

Early Pick Up: If you require taking your child before the regular dismissal time, please register at the
reception desk to fill in the required form and wait for the child to be brought to the reception by a staff
member.
Likewise, parents of children who are picked up late from school quite often will also be contacted by the school
administration. Please appreciate that teachers are not free after 2pm and are expected to devote time to
planning, attending meetings, running school committees, holding Drop in Days and /or leading an ASA.
Being prompt at dismissal times is most appreciated and it facilitates the hard work that teachers do during
and after school hours.
Drop in Day: Some of you have availed of the opportunity to meet with your child‟s teachers on the drop-indays.
Teachers can also call parents they would like to meet and schedule appointments on DID days as well.
It is important that there is a partnership between home and school- this way we both can do the best for our
children.
I would like to thank all parents for supporting us in making the school a safe and secure place for our students.
The parking areas are functioning smoothly and so is the cafeteria for the use of children and staff
during lunch and snack breaks. As the parents exit the school in the stipulated time, we are able to secure the
gates and the school day begins with minimal interruptions.
I would like to insist on children coming to school on time even in the Kindergarten section. A timely and
organized start to the day is important for children and also ensures the smooth functioning of the classroom.
Teachers love to start the day with all children present at the same time.
I look forward to your support in improving the attendance and punctuality records for South Campus.
Best wishes to all of our families celebrating Eid in the next days.
Zeba Khan
Head of Junior School
Raffles International School, South Campus

NAME OF THE PARENT NAME OF THE CHILD GRADE
RANDA ALAJATI HALA ALAROUD NURSERY-CASA A
SAIRAH CHAUDHRI IMAAN CHAUDHRI NURSERY-CASA B
ROQAYYAH AHMED MORAD AL-
MUHAIRI
HAMDA SAEED MOHD JABIR
MEDHAD ALMUHAIRI
NURSERY-CASA C
UTE SIMONE AGANBI DANIEL ORHOMENA AGANBI NURSERY-CASA D
EMMA VELLA AVA CAMILLE VELLA NURSERY -CASA E
SUZAN KIDESS ZAIN MARIA KIDESS NURSERY -CASA F
MARINA SHIRINOVA IBRAHIM SHIRIN NURSERY -CASA G
SUNPREET KOUR PARINIT KHANIJA KG CASA A
BERNA DALTON SAMUEL WILLIAM FETI DALTON KG CASA B
MAZIA IRFAN MUSTAFA YOUSUF SIDDIKI KG CASA C
ELIZABETH SANCHEZ HIGUERA IKER SANTIAGO DE ALBA
KG CASA D
SANCHEZ
LOMA WASFI DIMA AL-ALI KG Casa E
ANNA MARIA FORVIK ROSEN ESTER MARIA THERESE ROSEN KG CASA F
GEORGINA ELIZABETH ALFARDAN NOAH MAHDI ALFARDAN KG CASA G
WARDIA NEOH KIYAN SHENG HUAN NEOH KG CASA H
MARYAM FAISAL ALI FAISAL SAIFULLAH KG Casa I
MR. NASER GHASEMI RAD RADIN GHASEMI RAD KG CASA J
SHAMIM ISMAIL NABEEL EMTIYAZ ISMAIL KG CASA K
FATEMA ALI MOHAMED HASAN FAISAL USAMA MOHAMMAD
KG CASA L
ALARAYEDH
HASSAN MOHAMMAD ALBASTAK
NEVEEN LABEEB
MACKENZIE KAREEM JULIAN
KG CASA M
BECKWITH
MAJD BAGHDADI
ASAAD TALAL ASSAD SALEH
KG CASA N
TOUQAN
SUZANNE BOYADJIAN
LUNA ANNEKE AZADOUHIE BO- KG CASA O
YADJIAN
JEANNIE MOFFAT
DILANI ABEYGOONAWARDANA KG CASA P
WIRASINHA
MONIREH ALIPOOR SEYED ESMAEILI (ROHAM) KG Casa Q
LAMAYA MOGHETH ADAM MOGHETH KGCASA R
MEHVESH FAROOQI ZAYNAB OMAR FAROOQI KG CASA S

NAME OF THE PARENT NAME OF THE CHILD GRADE
RICA ROMERO OCSIO
ANDRE ROMERO OCSIO
1A
EMMA VELLA
JOSHUA PAUL VELLA
1B
CHAMI VANDORT
JOSHUA KENNEDY VANDORT
1D
ELIZABETH SANCHEZ HIGUERA
HUGO ANDREE DE ALBA SANCHEZ
1E
KAREN DIANE CURRY
SEAN MATHEW CURRY
2A
TESS VIIRA
ALICE TIIU KRISTINA VIIRA
2B
NADIA GHAZAL
ARSH ADNAN CHILWAN
2C
YAMILIA CABRERA SEGURA
GERARD COLOMINAS CABRERA
2D
ALYA AL-TAYER
MOHAMMAD MARWAN SAQER OBAID BIN
GHUBASH
2E
TESS VIIRA
ELLEN VIIRA
3A
CHARMAINE CHETTY SHAIANNE CHETTY 3B
SANA KAYUM SABOOWALA
SARAH AAMIR HABIB
3C
YAMILIA CABRERA SEGURA
BRIAN COLOMINAS CABRERA
4A
EMAN ABDELHAMID KAMEL ALY AHMED GABRY 4B
SRIPRIYA R VENKATARAMAN ANNANYA R VENKATARAMAN 5A
LIDA POMONI
ARIS NIAMONITAKIS
5B

Dear Parents,
The school counselor is delighted to introduce some fun and exciting counseling
initiatives here at Raffles South! Fairly soon (if not already), some parents
may be receiving letters requesting permission that his/her child participate
in small group sessions with me. These small groups are a wonderful
way to teach children various social, emotional, or academic skills, and to
foster wonderful bonds between the children. The purpose of these groups is
to be proactive in promoting a positive school environment through learning
and practicing a variety of life skills. There will be different groups and some of the topics may include: friendship,
self-esteem, study skills, character education, conflict resolution, peer leadership, and responsible
decisions. We hope that you will enthusiastically support these groups by saying “yes” to allowing your child to
participate!
Chasity O’ Connell
Dear Parents,
In ELS this week, Grade 4 and 5 have been learning about occupations and jobs in the community.
They looked at how many people must work together in a community in order to keep us
safe, help us learn and help us to stay healthy. After learning about some of the jobs people
do in and outside the community, the students were asked what they would like to be in
future. Here are some of the answers the student gave:
“I want to be a maths teacher, because I like maths and I can help people
to learn about maths”. Li grade 5A.
“I want to be doctor because I want to help people when they are
sick, and also because I can help my family”. Alejandra 5A
“I want to be a football player because football is my favourite game and I want to
play it all the time”. Aris 5B
“I want to be a dentist to help people have healthy teeth”. Mohsin 5A
ESL Team

Dear Parents,
Our first book fair in south campus had a carnival-like atmosphere
with the atrium decorated with lots of balloons, danglers and streamers.
The opening ceremony was conducted by Ms. Zeba Khan, our
Head of the Junior School and was accompanied by both head girl,
Sarah-Grade 5 and head boy Keanon-Grade 5. The children were entertained
by a stilt walker and a juggler. Everyone benefitted from
and enjoyed the book fair! This fair helped the school by adding more
resources to our library. There were Arabic and Islamic books in English
which was very popular among students and parents.
This book fair was conducted by READ Publishing. It was a huge success among the community. It was also a
learning experience for the students as they learned how to make choices in a responsible fashion.
Susane Joseph

GENERAL NURSERY K G JUNIOR SCHOOL
EVENTS CALENDAR
A S A
ARABIC & ISLAMIC
Dear Parents,
Grades 4 and 5 were lucky to take part in a tennis workshop on the 10 th of October. Instructors from
Mubadala World Tennis Championship came and taught the students new skills and games used when
warming up for tennis. Two lucky students were selected to play other students from other schools, if they
go on to win they will have the opportunity to play on the centre court in December. Congratulations to
Layth and Salma in Grade 5.
Homework club
If your child is interested in joining our brand new homework club every Wednesday starting Wednesday
2 nd November, please email lisab@rafflesis.com
Lisa Butcher
ASA, P.E. & Events Coordinator
This semester, girls from Grade 4 and 5 are learning to make pieces of jewellery like earrings, bracelets and
necklaces. Every Tuesday afternoon they are seen working with tools, wires, and beads, in order to bend,
twist and hook them into a variety of colourful and interesting designs. So far they have made trendy
earrings which the students are quick to sport as they leave the classes on that day. They have also made
earrings to give to their mothers. In the next few weeks we will be making bracelets, necklaces and
pendants as well. So, let the creative juices flow girls ……and kudos for doing a great job during the
activity.
Shabana and Shaf

1 st - Red (1415)
2 nd - Green (1407)
3 rd - Blue (1378)
4 th - Yellow (1228)

GENERAL NURSERY
KG JUNIOR SCHOOL EVENTS CALENDAR A S A
ARABIC & ISLAMIC
Dear Parents,
Wow! Our mid-term break is nearly upon us. Where has the time gone?
‘Time flies when you are having fun.’
We are introducing a new tree to our Montessori environment. This is called our Festivities Tree. Children‟s work will be displayed
on the tree when they do arts and crafts relating to the different festivities from around the world. First to come is Diwali, then
Eid. Please visit the tree; it will be located in the hall outside the nursery office.
The children had a visit on the 20 th October by Ms Lesley Cully, the founder of the campaign Buckle-Up in the Back. It was very
reassuring to see so many hands go up when Lesley asked “How many children sit in a car seats when in their mummies and daddies
car”. Fantastic. If you did not receive your car sticker, and would like one please tell you teacher.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents for your support in making our Nursery Car Park a safer place.
Please read on to see what Casa D and Casa E have been doing the past two weeks.
Susie Mcshane
Dear Parents,
The last couple of weeks have been very busy and eventful for the children of Casa D. The children are doing wonderfully and are
a joy to teach. This month we had a visit from two characters from the book fair, a man on stilts and a juggler. There were many
surprised faces. The children are eager to try and learn new things this term. Practical life has been one of the main focuses; the
children have been busy pouring and spooning; subconsciously developing their concentration
and muscles in their hand and wrist.
Lastly we had a great presentation about BUCKLING-UP which focused on the importance of
safety in the car. It will be beneficial to the children if you also talk about this issue at home
and to reinforce the awareness of what it takes to stay safe. We will be asking the children to
make sure that they are strapped into their car seats during journeys at all times; whether it
is a short journey or not.
Sarah & Lorna
Dear Parents,
Since the end of the phasing - in period we have spent 4 weeks working really hard to establish a good foundation for good
behavior in the classroom. Our board has been titled “The 7 Habits of Highly Charming Children”.
We have been working towards turning classroom rules into everyday habits. Habits such as walking, low voices, listening and
raising our hand before talking. Having these habits in place allows the classroom to become a positive learning environment,
where children are free to explore the shelves, choose their own activities and fully focus on
the Montessori materials.
These habits such as listening are also extremely important during other classroom activities,
like circle time or story time. It is a pleasure to see that story time has become a much
awaited time of the day, especially since we have discovered a story book which is now a
must read. I wouldn‟t be surprised if most parents have already heard plenty about the book
Little Rabbit Foo Foo.
During last week‟s Buckle up in the Back presentation, the whole of Casa E behaved impressively
well, maintaining full attention for the whole duration of the talk. They remembered
every word said by the speaker and even a new song I am little Seat Belt, which they sang
Thursday for the first time.
Well done Casa E, we are now ready for the next challenge.
Susanne and Jasmine

GENERAL NURSERY KG JUNIOR SCHOOL EVENTS CALENDAR CALENDAR A S A ARABIC & ISLAMIC
Dear Parents,
Casa B has had a very busy time in October. I am happy to say that all the
children have settled into the new environment quite happily. They have
become very independent in doing their daily chores like putting water bottles
in the bottle box, placing folders on top of the shelf, and placing bags in their
respective chubby holes. They work like little busybodies all day long. It has
been an active month so far with the book fair, bake sale, fire drill practice
and dental checkup. The class has been very enthusiastic in their participation
in the theme of “Food Pyramid”. I am very proud to say that all of them have been bringing healthy food for
their snack and lunch. They have become very conscious of what they are eating and they love to talk about it.
Looking forward to a wonderful year of
learning and discovery,
Aparna Mitra
Dear Parents,
It has indeed been a lovely start of the new academic year.
The children have settled in very well and seem they enjoy coming to
school. This term, Casa I has learned about the following themes: All
About Me, the Five Senses and the Food Pyramid. In the coming
weeks, we will be learning
about birds and about Dubai.
Children enjoyed visiting the book fair and meeting up with
their favourite characters. We are looking forward to our visit to the
dental clinic and learning about dental hygiene. In a Montessori
environment the children are of different ages and it‟s nice to see all
the children coming along so well and helping each other all the
time.
Maria Montessori often spoke of the enormous potential of the
pre- school child when she stated: “for it is in his early years that a man is made.”
Meneka Bharaj

Dear Parents,
It has been a pleasure spending time with all the children in class this month. The new children have been busy working
in the practical life and sensorial areas. They have been receiving individual and small group lessons, preparing them to
become independent workers. The returning children spent time reviewing their
lessons from last year. All the children seem happy and eager to learn new things.
As a class, we have all been busy practicing a lot of Grace and Courtesy exerciseshow
to walk in the classroom, using a mat properly for floor work, lining up and
walking through the school quietly, and using polite words with each other. By now,
the children know each other by name and lots of new friendships are forming.
In culture, this month our theme was ‟Healthy Eating.‟ The children were introduced
to the food pyramid and were encouraged to have a balanced diet. Dental
health was also discussed in class and was reinforced by the dentist visit.
The Show and Tell sessions are being enjoyed by all. The
children are gaining self confidence while enriching their vocabulary by sharing their show and tell
with the class. This month we demonstrated our first Fire Drill practice. We learned to evacuate
the classroom in a calm and systematic manner. The bake sale was also a huge success! Thank you
to all the parents who contributed towards it. The book fair also went well. There was a show put
up by jugglers and clowns to welcome the children.
I look forward to working with your children a lot more over the coming months. Thank you for all
your support in the initial weeks of school.
Saima and Flordeliza
Dear Parents,
I can count numbers up to 10
“Education cannot be effective unless it helps the child to open up himself to
life”. Maria Montessori
I would like to thank my companion Ms. Olivia and all the supportive parents
of my casa who are making this a memorable year for me. We are all enjoying
our time in Casa K. The year started with our environment offering a variety
of exercises and activities for children at all levels of competence. It is very
rewarding to see the children growing and succeeding in the various areas of
the Montessori curriculum, especially with Numeracy and Language.
Our „work‟ is becoming more complex as the days go by and all the children make me so proud of their amazing
progress. It will be an eventful year with so many exciting occasions
planned; but above all it is the wonderful rapport that we share that
makes every effort worthwhile.) Good job Casa K !
Shaista Siddiqui
Learning Eye hand Coordination
Enjoying snack with my friend

GENERAL NURSERY
KG JUNIOR SCHOOL CALENDAR A S A
ARABIC & ISLAMIC
Dear Parents,
For the past weeks we have been looking at how we grow and how we can be
healthy. We decided that we should eat healthy food, drink water, stay clean,
have lots of rest and get plenty of exercise. We were able to sort out which foods
are „every day foods‟ and which ones are „once a week‟ foods. This week we will
begin to look at how plants grow. In English we listened to the story „Jack and
the Beanstalk‟ because it is about growing as well. In Mathematics we are
learning about the calendar and how to tell the time.
Dear Parents,
On the 17 th of October 2011 the Grade 2B class had their first class assembly. It was with great excitement
and some butterflies fluttering in a few stomachs that the students shared their home country flags with their
audience. The assembly celebrated the international essence of Raffles International School with 14 different
nationalities in Grade 2B.
The Grade 2 students have been learning how to locate different countries on the world map, sharing interesting
facts about their home countries and recognizing flags from all over the world!

GENERAL NURSERY
KG JUNIOR SCHOOL CALENDAR A S A
ARABIC & ISLAMIC
Dear Parents,
In Grade 3, we have been focusing on weekly goals such as walking in the hallway without talking, bringing
your own stationary to school and standing nicely for the National Anthem.
Last week our main focus was on following the canteen rules. The teachers watched the Grade 3 classes to see
who was best obeying the snack and lunchtime rules. This included entering and exiting the canteen quietly,
using small voices when eating, standing up quietly when the bell rang and making sure that the tables were
clean. Last week Grade 3C won the certificate!
This week our classroom goal is swiping ID cards before school starts. We felt that this was an important goal
as most children are forgetting to swipe their IDs in the morning or are arriving late. Next week our goal will
be standing straight during the National Anthem. Students must be at school on time for both of these goals
to win the certificate.
Dear Parents,
GRADE 4 HUMAN BIOLOGY MODULE
In Science, Grade 4A & 4B students have been learning about the human
body. Students enthusiastically showed their interest when learning about the
heart, kidneys and the lungs. As part of the class activity, students worked in
pairs to measure the length of their forearms to compare the different lengths
and present their findings in a chart.
In Grade 4B Helena and Tasneem did
really well in the 10 minute „Growing
Bones‟ quiz; they were able to answer a number of questions correctly and
were awarded extra house points for their team. Grade 4A had such good
fun trying to assemble the 3D „Circuit Board House’, this will be used in
our module about circuits and conductors – Watch this space!

Dear Parents,
Last week Grade 5 visited the Al Noor Centre for Children with Special Needs. The trip was an excellent opportunity
for the students to connect with the community. Also they had
taken gifts bought off their allowances and pocket money and thus highlighted
the spirit of sharing and caring. Afterwards they wrote a report
about the trip which was part of their English writing exercise. It was a
truly enlightening experience for the students of Grade 5.
They also had a tennis workshop where
the students were able to hone their
skills with the experts who were in the
school. We are hoping to see some becoming
the future Nadals, Fedderers
and Kournikovas. Good Luck there!!!
On the academic front, the assessments have begun. Students have sat for
their English and math, and social studies and science will follow in the
coming weeks.
Enquiry activity in science has started, too. This semester the students are working on “The Scientific Method”
to investigate the effect of light (warmth) on the germination of seeds.
They will be able to grow, observe, collect data and consolidate their findings
in a journal at the end of the enquiry.
At present, the unit on Australia is on. The students will make a timeline
on the history of Australia as well as research various aspects of the
country like physical features, territories,
capitals, cities etc. This will surely
keep them busy for the next few
weeks.
We are happy to note that homework is coming in regularly and students
are taking ownership of their work and thus becoming more independent
and self-disciplined. We are so proud of you Grade 5!!!

GENERAL NURSERY
K G JUNIOR SCHOOL EVENTS CALENDAR A S A ARABIC & ISLAMIC
Dear Parents,
Arabic A learning activities
طائرة من ورق(‏ kite) Grade 1 Acting the lesson (The
Grade 1 Students acted their Arabic “A” lesson ( The Kite)
in a different way this time!
طائرة من ورق(‏
They went to the playground, they designed their kites, and they read the
lesson with their teacher Ms. Rouhil. During this exercise, they were able
to act out the lesson, interact with one another, enjoy class and learn, all at the same time. This was a great
experience for the students of grade 1 and a different technique that makes learning fun and a memory
they will not forget.
Rouhil Al Kourdy
Arabic A Teacher