SAIS Stay Connected Newsletter
What's Happening at Sharjah American International School!
A Message From the Principal
Dear SAIS Community,
Happy New Year to you all and a very warm welcome to 2022, which I believe will be a year of increased blessings for all of us.
As we enter a new year, and a new term, we want to appreciate all of our parents for their continued support and collaboration.
January is always about fresh beginnings and positive change. The promise of the New Year, the possibilities that it offers for our students, and the potential for great achievement for the SAIS Shj school community as a whole is inviting and motivating.
Apart from writing to welcome you and all of our students back to school for the new term, I wish to let you know that we at Sharjah American International School Sharjah campus are still fully committed to working with you, our parents and to creating a better future for our children. As part of this process, change is inevitable and we are appealing to you as we work together to improve our school.
In this newsletter you will find a few highlights of forthcoming events this term and an overview of some of the great things that took place at the end of Term 1. The comprehensive calendar for 2021-2022 academic year can be found in the calendar link within the newsletter. Please be aware that the dates and events in the calendar are subject to change from time to time, as outlined much earlier in this message, but be reassured that we will always endeavor to give you adequate notice of impending changes whenever possible.
So once again, it is with the renewed hope and optimism of the New Year and the new season that I welcome you back to school and wish you all a very happy, healthy, successful and prosperous 2022, on behalf of the Management and staff of SAIS Shj.
Thank you for your continued support. Stay safe.
Regards,
Saleh Jadayel
Mark Your Calendar: Important Dates
- School Day for KG 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
- School Day for Grades 1-12 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- 100 Days of School: February 10
- Student Photographs TBD
- MAP Winter Testing Window: February 13 - February 28
- Term 2 Final Exams: March 23 - March 31
- Spring Break - March 23 - April 11th
REGISTRATION is OPEN - KG1 & KG2!
We are pleased to announce that registration for the 2021-2022 academic year is still open for KG1 & KG2.
Now that students will be back in classes at full capacity, we have been approved to increase the class size on KG by an additional 5 students per class. Please use the link below to complete the online application for each student you wish to register.
The registration office is open Sunday - Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
If you have any questions about your application, please contact Ms. Reem at EXT. 124 or by email at registrar@saissharjah.com .
Thank You,
SAIS Registrar
Student Support
Dear SAIS Community,
We are happy to inform you that this academic year 2021-2022, we have reinstated our Special Educational Needs Department under the bigger umbrella of Student Support.
We are excited to share with you information regarding the mission of the SEN department, service offered, resources available, and members of the department we have on board.
Mission
The Special Educational Needs (SEN) department at SAIS aims to promote inclusion and work towards transitioning the school into a fully inclusive one. Ultimately, our goal is to provide tailored support as per every student’s needs while maintaining an inclusive environment for our diverse student population.
Service offered
- Conducting school-based diagnostic assessments
- Creating individualized education plans (IEPs) or individualized behavioral plans (IBPs) with differentiated goals as per student needs
- Provision of one-to-one classes for students who require extensive intervention (Tier 3)
- Releasing regular progress reports to concerned stakeholders (parents, teachers, and student coordinator)
- Possibility to differentiate assessments depending on student’s needs
Members of the SEN Department
Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo): Ms. Hanan El Halabi
Email: hanan.halabi@saissharjah.com
Phone number: 06 538 0000 ext. 110
Office Hours: Tuesdays @8:00 AM – 9:00 AM or by appointment
Mrs. Hanan Halabi is available for virtual as well as face-to-face meetings by previously scheduled appointments.
Sharjah Masters: Congratulations to Our Students!
Congratulations to our students Zayed Tahir (10B), Wissam Samer Al Shami (1C), Osama Samer Al Shami (3B) on their participation in the 50th UAE National Day Chess Competition at Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
Chess is a commendable game that improves concentration, problem solving, critical and creative thinking as well as spatial-reasoning abilities.
We look forward to involving more students in this brilliant game!
Thank you Mr. Samer, PE Department, for sharing about so many of SAIS students being involved in such an event.
It was exciting to watch!
Character Day
Elementary students brought the book that their character is in, and had a parade in the playground.
Middle School and Highschool students had wonderful displays and activities related to their books in the gym. The high school girls put on a lovely play. The drama was top notch. The talent of the high school boys kept us in engaged as well. We even met Macbeth!
The day was a blast! We were cheered and delighted by the creativity, imagination and sheer joy displayed in the costumes proudly shown off by our students.
There is so much creativity and obvious love of reading at SAIS Sharjah!
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island” – Walt Disney.
Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival
The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival is the region’s largest gathering of entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers. Since 2017, SEF has attracted over 13,000+ attendees to the region’s biggest celebration of entrepreneurship. SEF has brought leading speakers from around the world to the UAE, and provided a platform for local and regional success stories to encourage the youth to envision themselves as the future leaders of impactful change.
Students from SAIS – Sharjah Campus attended the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival at the Sharjah Expo with Mr. Nadim Taha and Ms. Nanor Boghossian and got the chance to meet some local entrepreneurs as well as the chance to hear from the minister of entrepreneurship Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi.
The students also participated in the Rising Star competition for two days. The completion is in collaboration with the Sharjah private educator authority (SPEA).
Happy 50th UAE National Day from SAIS Shj
Unforgettable celebrations for the UAE 50th National Day took over the SAIS campus. We celebrated over several days. Students portrayed the spirit of solidarity and unity that represents the UAE.Through a series of activities and lively performances, our students explored the cultural heritage and the achievements of UAE, and enjoyed traditional food, games, and dancing. We loved celebrating with SAIS parents on campus again!
The participation of the Scouts troop and the fifth grade girls at the school, with special offers to film their performances by the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority on the occasion of the fiftieth National Day, was awesome. It was also broadcasted on the program “Together Friends” on Sharjah TV. Thank you to Mrs. Raghda for her efforts and support of our students as they shine on occasions such as this one. Click on "Together Friends" buttons below to view the videos.
PTA participated effectively in the UAE National Day by constructing Dukan Zaman that connects the students to their heritage and helps maintain the cultural identity and the sense of belonging with UAE.
Children of the PTA filmed a video that includes various locations in the UAE, which helped to maintain the sense of belonging to the UAE. Also, members of the PTA helped in decorating the tents and providing the traditional food.
No National Day will be complete without holding the falcon or tasting the luqiamat!
At 11:30, students observed a moment of silence in honor of Emirati Martyrs.
A huge thank you goes to all our students, the SAIS faculty and staff, and Parents’ Committee who planned the activities and decorated for the event.
REading A-Z Support for English Language Learners
English Language Learners face a dual challenge: acquire English and academic content knowledge. SAIS Shj is reducing the anxiety that many of our students experience by providing high-interest books and resources to meet that dual challenge with Reading AZ.
Students in KG2 to Grade 4 and some students in MS have acccess to Reading A-Z resources that support reading, listening, speaking, and writing to ensure that they receive explicit instruction and practice with level appropriate skills and strategies.
Please allow your child to login to the program daily for reading practice. English teachers and Mrs. Hanan or Mrs Nour have shared the login credentials in Term 1.
Check with the English teacher if your need more information.
Junior and Senior Jackets ARE HERE!
Stepping Outside the Walls of the Classroom: Cultivating Independent Learning in High School
Teaching and learning experiences that take place outside of the confines of the classroom walls have a range of benefits for both students and instructors. When students are asked to put into practice “in the real world” what they have theorized about from behind a desk, the result is a student-centric learning experience that enhances learning and fosters personal and social development.
A group of Grade 11 students led a psychology class outside the classroom independently, with no teacher or teacher guidance. They were engaged in learning experiences that recalled the course material more vividly and have improved academic performance in the class. Students were discussing problems they have encountered in life, wherein students, constructed novel hypotheses, tested for real solutions.
Way to Go HS!
The Seniors’ Space
A Wish For You!
The start of school after a significant time away, like winter break, provides a good opportunity to re-establish a focus on school expectations and learning. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will revisit our Behavior and Attendance policies with the intention of supporting our students in continuing to make positive choices.
Moreover, January is the month where we all take time to recognize the things we are grateful for in our lives. A simple habit that can increase optimism is writing in a gratitude journal. The process of writing about your thoughts and feelings can help you understand your feelings more clearly. Moreover, keeping a gratitude journal on a daily basis can help you achieve higher grades and more satisfaction with relationships, life and school. Research shows that writing in a gratitude journal each day can help teenagers keep a sense of calm and center themselves during stressful times!
How to Set Academic Goals
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” —Tony Robbins
Setting academic goals is the first phase of self-regulated learning. Goal setting is an essential component for growth and development in our students for several reasons:
- It personalizes the learning process based on their needs.
- It creates intention and motivation that empowers students.
- It establishes accountability to shift responsibility to students.
- It provides a foundation for students to advocate for their needs.
At the beginning of the day, record in the morning, not only the goals but an action plan, and then reflect on strategies for improvement at the end of the day. Take a few minutes to imagine some task, behavior, or skill you want to focus your intentions on for that specific day. Keep the notes somewhere visible, so you can refer back to the goal throughout the day. It may be useful for you to keep a chart or table of their goals in a logbook. At the end of each week, take time to reflect on your goals for the next week with structured prompts such as the following:
- What do you think about the choices in goals for the week? (Were they realistic and appropriate? Were they the most needed for growth at this time?)
- How did you progress toward your goals? (Did you have clear, actionable steps?)
- What were some of the wins for the week?
- What are some ways you can continue to improve on your development of these goals?
Seniors 2022
This school year has been very entertaining for me personally since I got to experience going back to school and seeing all my friends and teachers, in the first semester I had attended school physically and it was very fun and educational, but since the Covid-19 cases increased now we’re back to distance learning, I’m very excited for this school year since it’s the year of our graduation, and I hope it won’t be online! -
Sokaina Al Shareef, Class of 2022
A part of growing up is realizing that we should look back at the past, and this senior year has taught me most of it. Half of my sophomore year and all of my junior year were all memories during the pandemic, meaning they were online, and since school was online, I was carefree.
But ever since I got back to school physically, I have been facing some difficulties. The beginning of term 1 was really hard to pick up. Everything was stressful since it was my first time going back in a year and a half. I could not follow up with the whole system and I wanted to go back to the online days. But as I progressed and attended school physically every day, I became fully present. I started studying and really handling this term. Teachers were absolutely amazing and helpful towards my issues as they were really impactful to some of my resolutions. I am really glad that I started to maintain all of my responsibilities back again because this year is my last year of school and I am going to take much bigger responsibilities later on in the future.
Since it is my last year, I will really miss my friends and all the times we had together in school and outside school. That is the most heartbreaking part about it as we will drift apart after this year.
Nonetheless, I am really excited for what is about to come for this senior year and my future, knowing that I have to put one foot in front of the other for the rest of the year.
Ahmed Alkayay, Senior 2022
Build Your Own Future
Give yourself enough time to make a decision about your future studies. Seek advice from your teachers, parents and consult your school counselor to know all the information on the institutions available through the orientation and student guidance workshops; Learning more about the programs offered by the higher education institutions which match your study preferences and career interests would help you make the right decision.
The choice of higher education institution and the field of study is one of the most important decisions you have to make in your life. Do not postpone your decision until the last minute. Make sure the decision you make suits you well.
To complete your college application, you can communicate with the school counselor to support you completing the requested document from the university like the recommendation letters, school profile, academic record …etc. The following is the school counselor contact information.
shada.aldbaisi@saissharjah.com
+971-6-538 0000 Ext.: 110
Requirements and conditions to complete the secondary stage for the American Curriculum
NAPO registration
All grade 12 UAE National students and children of UAE National mothers are requested to start the registration and application process for admissions to higher education institutions in the UAE or apply for a scholarship under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Education, for the first semester of AY 2022-2023.
Please follow the steps in the following link to create your own account and make sure to upload all the requested documents.
https://www.moe.gov.ae/en/eservices/servicecard/pages/registrationpublic.aspx
Anti Bullying Awareness Day Nov. 18th
The High school students organized an anti-bullying event to raise awareness among students.
Groups of students decorated booths and organized activities to work together to create a safe environment for each student to learn. Workshops and class visits by high school students to middle school students and to elementary students were organized to promote an anti-bullying environment.
A Message from the PTA Liaison:
The PTA committee met virtually to plan for the leading annual event, National Day. In the absence of many committee members, our PTA has remained highly active by supporting our community and by helping bring our school to life through events. With a renewed focus on creating the conditions for new members to join and reach a wide range of parents to provide the best experience for our students, I am excited to see what we can achieve.
Kindness Day @ SAIS
SAIS celebrated as part of the Anti-Bullying Week to promote the importance of being kind to each other and to ourselves. It is compassion that links us all together.
Students participated in Kindness Day by writing a message to one person who was kind to them. The Arabic and Islamic Departments planned various activities to encourage kindness among our students.
A box was placed in the School Alcove, and all staff were encouraged to write an anonymous message to a kind person. The messages were handed to the kind person at a later stage.
In addition that, the PTA committee had prepared a film about the importance and the meaning of kindness. The video was published in the school media to spread the spirit of kindness among our school community.
Kindness Day at SAIS encouraged us to be kind to others, helping to create a nicer, better world.
No matter where you are, Kindness Day is a chance to change the world with one simple act of kindness.
Middle School Students' Well -Being
Field Trips
Sharjah Book Fair
Book Fairs help implement the reading habit among our students. Grades 5-8 Girls had the chance to visit the Sharjah Book Fair and participate in various activities as seminars, presentations, and panel discussions.
Expo 2020
UAE hosted the world exhibition Expo 2020, and the theme for this year is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.”
Grade 5-8 Girls had the opportunity to visit Expo 2020 and participate in creative activities. They visited many booths, and identified different cultures. Students were inspired to think in new ways to develop solutions for a better future.
Daily Learning Planner: Activities Parents Can Use With Their Kids To Help Improve Their Performance At School
Proud To Be An SAIS Alumni
We are proud to see them enrolled in Sharjah University to pursue their dreams.
We are glad that you decided to visit the school and tell us about your achievements .
We Value SAIS Alumni
On May 30, 2021, the SAIS Alumni Committee released its first SAIS Alumni Newsletter, “WE ARE SAIS" | S'more Newsletters. WE ARE SAIS was the first step in our Alumni plan to bring all SAIS Alumni together.
In the last few months, we have been able to connect with former SAIS students who were proud to share their stories with us. We are in the process of planning our first alumni meeting soon! We hope to see many alumni and hear some more stories of SAIS!
Kindly fill in your information using the following link to keep you updated about our events.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10_EJ_40pGMVEMySpN8sSbCQC7Xsg96BoUpVrpbM3J2Y/edit
Tell Us Your Story
Wherever life takes you, be sure to let us know where you are and what you are up to. Stay connected with your fellow classmates, growing your career network, and helping others. Got a story? Won an award? Wedding bells? New baby? Job promotion? We would like to hear what is happening with you in your life. If you would like to share your story with us for your next newsletter, please email us at alumni@saissharjah.com .
Strategies for Maximizing Engagement
Parent & Student Support Contact Information
Communication between SAIS and our parents is vital. We are constantly monitoring the most effective ways to communicate with our parents. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey that is linked above (only one per household) regarding communication practices by the school. If you have an interest in volunteering or conducting a workshop or activity with our staff and students, inform us in the form as well. Your participation is greatly appreciated.