Message from the Principal
Dear SAIS Shj Community,
November is an important month in the school year. The end-of-term exams usually start in the last week of the month, so students need to plan and prepare early for those exams.
Attached in this newsletter, you will find the Exam Schedule. Kindly, plan your study time accordingly.
November is a month full of activities. So far, we have celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness, Flag Day and career day. Our students have participated in a Math Day at the University of Sharjah and won accolades. Coming up are more activities: Anti-Bullying Week, Tolerance Day, World’s Children Day, our own Math Fun Day, and Character Day.
On November 30, our students will take a break from exams and celebrate the 50th National Day. This occasion celebrates the accomplishments achieved so far and ponders on the planned enterprises for the future. The National Day celebrations will begin at 8:00 AM in the morning and will run until 12:00 noon. Buses will leave at 12:15 PM.
Preparing for Exams – Tips
Parents are partners in their children’s education. We would like to ask them to help our younger students prepare for the End-of-Term Exams. Following are some tips that could help students in all grade levels. (For more details, check www.topuniversities.com)
- Give yourself enough time to study - Do not leave it until the last minute. Set up a timetable for your study. Start with the Exam Schedule and organize your study accordingly. You may want to give some exams more study time than others, based on the level of challenge they present to you.
- Organize your study space - Make sure you have enough space to spread your textbooks and notes out. Try and get rid of all distractions, and make sure you feel comfortable and able to focus.
- Use flow charts and diagrams - Visual aids can be helpful when revising. At the start of a topic, challenge yourself to write down everything you already know about it. This will show you where the gaps lie. Closer to the exam, condense your revision notes into one-page diagrams. This can help you to quickly recall everything you need to know during the exam.
- Explain your answers to others - Explain an answer to a question to a friend or a family member (Mom, brother, etc.). That will help you to get it clear in your head, and to improve your answer.
- Organize study groups with friends - Plan study sessions with friends. You may have questions that they have the answers to and vice versa. As long as you make sure you stay focused on the topic, this can be one of the most effective ways to challenge yourself.
- Take regular breaks - While you may think it is best to study for as many hours as possible, this can actually be counterproductive. Studies have shown that for long-term retention of knowledge, taking regular breaks helps.
- Snack on brain food. Keep your body and brain well fueled by choosing nutritious foods that are proven to aid concentration and memory, such as fish, nuts, seeds, yogurt and blueberries. The same applies on exam day - eat a good meal before the test.
- Plan your exam day - Make sure you get everything ready well in advance of the exam. Do not wait to the day before to check what you are supposed to bring. Check all the rules and requirements a few days earlier.
- Drink plenty of water - Remember that water is essential for your brain to work at its best. Make sure you keep drinking plenty of water throughout your revision, and also on the exam day.
We wish all our students success on their exams. And we hope that November will continue to be a fun month for everyone.
Respectfully,
Saleh Jadayel
School Principal
How to Boost Literacy at Home!
Due to the recent pandemic, many of our students have fallen behind academically. At the root of what most students need is literacy.
Promoting literacy at home can have a huge impact on a child’s learning.
Teaching a child to read can be challenging, but there are some really simple ways to encourage a positive relationship with reading.
Here are some easy ways you can boost your child’s literacy skills at home:
1. READ!
Reading to your child is the best way to help children develop literacy skills. Children who are read to by their caregivers see numerous academic benefits. Kids who are read to have stronger early literacy skills, which makes learning to read easier. Reading to your child also helps them to develop a larger vocabulary. Simply reading books with your child every day will have a huge impact on their literacy skills.
2. TEACH CHILDREN RHYMES AND SONGS
Nursery rhymes are not just cute songs children love to recite. They play a crucial role in language and literacy development. Rhymes help children develop an understanding of the patterns of language and understand the sounds and blends that are the building blocks of words. Teaching and practicing nursery rhymes will lay an important foundation for literacy.
3. MODEL READING BEHAVIOR YOU WANT TO SEE
If you want to encourage literacy at home, make sure to model that behavior at home. Set aside time to turn off distractions like the television, mobiles, or video games and sit down with a good book. This type of modeling will be powerful as children get older and are able to read independently. They’ll see how they can incorporate reading into their daily lives even as other activities demand their attention.
4. TURN ON THE CAPTIONS
Reading doesn’t just have to be with a book. We all watch online videos, television, and movies. Promote literacy by simply turning on the captions. It will help kids make a connection between the words they are hearing and the words they’re reading on the screen. It’s also a great way for them to identify any new vocabulary they hear. Next time they read that word in a text, they’ll be more likely to correctly identify it.
5. TALK TO YOUR KIDS
Speaking to your children is a great way to increase their vocabulary. Many in education point to a “word gap,” or a difference in vocabulary between children when they enter school. There are many causes for this gap, but one thing researchers have found is that children who get regular conversations with adults learn more words. Don’t be afraid to use “big words” when talking to children. You can always explain their meaning, and the more often kids hear new words, the more likely they are to pick up on their meaning through context.
6. PRACTICE STORYTELLING
A simple way to promote literacy at home is to encourage your child to tell you stories. This will help them gain a better understanding of the rhythm of narrative storytelling, which will benefit them as they grow and read more complex fiction. They can tell you real stories about their lives or make up stories and flex their imaginations.
7. CONSUME NONFICTION TO HELP BUILD BETTER READERS
Many adults shy away from nonfiction for young children, believing the topics and vocabulary are too complex for little minds. But creating a strong knowledge foundation is one of the best things you can do for your child. Children who have more background knowledge have an easier time learning new concepts. Since you’re spending so much time reading together at home, mix in nonfiction about history, culture, and science.
8. PLAY WORD GAMES
For younger kids, these games can be informal, like naming a word that rhymes with another word. You can play these kinds of games anywhere, such as riding in the car or while taking a walk. There are also a lot of fun board games that promote literacy for kids of all ages. Some great ones are Zingo, Quiddler, Bananagrams, and Rory’s Story Cubes.
9. MAKE READING EASY FOR YOUR KIDS
The fewer barriers to reading, the better. Make sure books are readily available to your child in whatever spaces they spend the most time. Have books in their bedroom, in the living room, in the kitchen, and even in the car. It’s also helpful to give you child a mixture of familiar and new books. Keeping books accessible at all times will encourage your kids to read.
10. ENCOURAGE ALL FORMS OF READING
Make sure you don’t dismiss certain forms of reading. Graphic novels, comics, audiobooks, and picture books are all valid forms of reading regardless of your child’s age and ability. We know the best way to improve literacy skills is to read more, so families should encourage children to read whatever they like. Favorite picture books long past a child’s “reading level” can provide comfort. Graphic novels can keep reluctant readers engaged. Audiobooks are an accessible way to access the same content as a physical book. Trust that your child is reading grade-level material at school and let the at-home reading be truly their choice.
GO PINK!
Breast Cancer Awareness Day!
The Alcove area at SAIS recently turned pink to raise awareness for breast cancer.
Wear it pink! Students and staff wore pink shirts in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
Throughout the event, ES, MS and HS students were engaged in activities to spread awareness and information about cancer, support the fighters, admire the survivors, and remember the angels.
Go PINK, PINK is the way, wrapped up in PINK, Never Give Up, Never Ever Give Up Hope, and PINK is power are some of the posters and sayings around the school.
TIPS OF SUCCESS in HS
So you are a HS student. Great! High School is a magical time when students have opportunities to learn, grow, work on creating academic habits to carry with them in their future, and most importantly succeed. Here are some tips to enjoy success in HS:
Organization
Can you find your books, your homework? Can you keep your locker organized? If this is a tough area for you, go through your stuff on a regular basis to put loose papers where they need to be. Also, clean out your locker on a regular basis, and take home things you don’t need to store at school.
Time Management
In HS, you will start getting more long term assignments than you are used to. It may help to break these bigger projects down into smaller chunks and use a time map to plan how you are going to complete them. Make the most of your time by accomplishing some work each day instead of leaving it all until the end.
Setting Goals
Do you want to make the honor roll? Are you striving for 90’s in Math? Identify what you want to achieve (long term goal) and make a game plan for getting there. Write down the steps you will need to get to your goal (these are your short term goals). Keeping your goal in mind will help keep you motivated as you continue to make strides towards reaching it.
Find Your Best Study Method.
It is easy to get distracted and not study, or not study effectively with all of your attention. Develop whatever method of study works for you, whether that means rewriting your notes, using a flashcard app like Quizlet, or talking through the concepts with a study group. Figure out what your learning style is before you get to university.
When I was young, I always looked up to the higher grades and thought about how they learned all that complicated stuff that, when looking at, at that time, felt like rocket science. Now that I’m here, in my senior year, where I was always scared to reach but dreamt about, I would like to tell those similar to my younger self that it isn’t what we feared it would be; we simply didn’t know what was going on!
Maitha Al Ahmad , Class of 2022
My high school experience felt unrealistic because I spent the majority of it online, but now that I am in my senior year and we have officially returned to face-to-face learning, it feels surreal because we have begun to experience senior student life. Although I am excited to start the next chapter of my life, it is bittersweet knowing that I will part ways with my classmates and teachers. However I will definitely keep in touch with them, as they have been an important part of my daily life for the past 5 years. My high school years were nothing short of spectacular. I had the best days because I was with the best people. My senior year will undoubtedly be filled with exciting experiences. We are doing things we have always wanted to do at the perfect time. And I'm thrilled about it.
Reem Mohammed, Senior 2022
Class of 2020 Visited Our Campus
On October 26, we had a visit from our Class of 2020. Shaikha Al Muheiri, Anood Al Marzouqi, and Latifa Al Numaimi are enrolled in Sharjah University to pursue their dreams. They took a tour around the building and reminisced about their senior year and memories as they left their classes on March 20, 2020 and never came back to their classes as COVID threatened their graduation ceremony. WE WERE GLAD TO SEE THEM!
Historical Awareness
The Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority visited our school and conducted four workshops to groups of students in Middle and high school. Another workshop is scheduled for the Elementary section in late November.
The goal of the authority was to explain the importance of collecting documents that present sound material about the history of the emirate in particular, and the history of the state through all the ages, in general.
The Center preserves and archives those documents, and facilitates their study.
The workshops that our students participated in increased awareness about the Emirate and also explained to students the importance of archives and documentation as it leads to further discoveries within scientific research and artistic creativity while contributing to the development of human civilization.
Tuesday, Nov. 16th: Kindness Day
The purpose of Kindness Day is to “highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness, which binds us.”
Wednesday, Nov. 17th: Cyberbullying Awareness
The purpose is to raise the awareness of antibullying among the SAIS community.
Thursday, Nov. 18th: Antibullying Awareness
To acknowledge the causes that lead to bullying and, how to stand up against it. As well as, facilitating an environment where students can express their concerns and feelings in a safe environment.
One of the most critical components of school safety is road safety inside the school premises and around the school's community. The Safety Committee at SAIS urges all motorists to drive safely and hopes there will be zero car incidents on or around the campus.
Most recently, we have experienced some irresponsible behavior inside and around the school when it comes to picking up or dropping children.
"We as parents, motorists, and road users must display the safest driving behavior and road behavior around schools. It is all about teaching our children the right and safe behavior and to be role models for them."
We urge all motorists to be extra alert and careful when driving inside or close to the school. We might experience a lot of traffic around the school, especially in the mornings and during dismissal time.
- Watch out for extra traffic guidance and follow the directions of our school traffic guides.
- Drivers dropping or collecting kids must not obstruct traffic. Take care for other motorists.
- Park your vehicle safely, and a few feet away from the school.
- Parents should be aware of time management. Leave early as there are frequent traffic delays around schools.
- Be a role model fro road safety. Parents are requested to educate their kids about proper road safety conduct around schools and in general. Please do not encourage them to walk or run between cars.
- Be mindful of the speed limit around the school zone. In our school zone an appropriate speed is 30 kmph outside of the school's gates unless there is traffic. Inside the school's gate the 15 kmph or slower depending on the flow of traffic.
To help support the guidelines for imploring a safe school community we have welcomed the Sharjah Police Department to the campus in the mornings and during dismissal. We are happy to report that in the few days we have already seen a tremendous improvement.
" We applaud the efforts of all involved stakeholders to raise awareness for safe conduct that will help us to achieve higher levels of road safety in the SAIS Shj School community."
About Us
Email: sais@saissharjah.com
Website: http://www.saissharjah.com/
Location: Sharjah International Private School - Sharjah - United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971065380000