Newsletter Issue 78 – Thursday 7th June

Today’s world is fast paced and ever changing; new technology is almost out of date the moment it is released, social media allows everyone to have an opinion on anything and share it with whoever they like whenever they like, indeed a lot of research even suggests social media comes with a health risk. All of this contributes towards a society that demands instant results and comes with a truck load of pressure.

Dubai is no different. Currently we are a little over half way through Ramadan yet talk is already turning to upcoming Eid celebrations; ‘Will Thursday or the Sunday be called as a public holiday?’ is the sort of question appearing on Twitter and WhatsApp groups. The truth is no one has the answer to these types of questions right now. But yet we are always looking for answers.

What’s also true is that it is not the children asking these questions. Instead they have been busy developing their understanding of the true value of Ramadan. I was privileged enough to be part of three Islamic Education lessons this week, all of which had a focus on Ramadan; the knowledge and understanding of the children, including those in Year One, was a pleasure to see and had me leaving the classroom thinking and reflecting upon what I had learned. The idea of recognising those less fortunate then yourself and putting yourself in their position; the notion of sharing your wealth, however big or small that maybe, with others and spending more time with family and connecting with what is truly important to you and moving away, if only for a short time, from distractions such as television, computers or mobile phones is something we could all embrace.

The children across the whole school have also taken part in mini house days where friendship bracelets and wish cards have been made and sent to schools across the world. All with the aim of developing friendships whilst sending warm wishes and hopes for a positive future. A simple but lovely idea that the children thoroughly enjoyed doing.

So what is the message I’m trying to weave into this week’s newsletter? Well it’s quite simple in that maybe, as adults, we are looking in the wrong places for our information and guidance. Maybe it’s not on Facebook or on our WhatsApp groups but right in front of us in the form of our children. Maybe if we looked at the world through the eyes of a child, it may help slow the pace of life down a little, we might even remove some of the pressure we feel and, who knows, we may even make a few new friends along the way… Enjoy the weekend break!

Tony Clarkson

Assistant Headteacher

Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Tolan on the arrival of their son Noah Patrick Tolan. Noah arrived at 9pm on

Monday 4th June.

House Afternoon

On Thursday 31st May, we had another wonderful opportunity to celebrate the DESS HOUSE system. Each year group hosted a House afternoon with the intention to further develop the friendships and comradery within each House.

Children collaborated within their respective houses to create DESS Friendship Wish Bracelets. Students chose from a variety of designs and colours and began their task of creating their own unique Wish Bracelet. For successful completion of the bracelets, various skills had to be mastered; forward knot, backward knot and braiding to name a few. Through perseverance and determination, many children became experts and supported their fellow peers to create many impressive Wish Bracelets.

Meanwhile in FS1, children were busy glittering and decorating their own special House medals. Each medal shone brightly and was worn proudly, as the children ended yet another week of irresistible learning.

All the wonderful bracelets that were produced on House Afternoon have all been carefully packaged with our special Wish Cards and are ready to be sent to lots of different schools all around the world as a token of friendship; UK, Ireland, USA, New Zealand, Russia and Europe to mention a few. A sincere thanks to all the children for working so well and creating so many fabulous bracelets.

The Friendship Wish Bracelet is a fun and fashionable way to believe in wishes and lifelong friendships. They remind us of positive thoughts on a daily basis. One gives them to another as a token of friendship and warm wishes for a positive future. The bracelet is tied around your wrist while making a wish. You go about life never taking it off and when the bracelet falls off on its own, your wish comes true.

Stars of the Week

We are proud to announce that the following children each received Star of the Week. Each child received a certificate during assembly and a big round of applause from their teachers and fellow classmates. Well done to everyone!

Thursday 31st May Thursday 7th June Isabella Shehryar FS2B Grace Gatfield FS2B Raphael Samuel-Adeigbe FS2G Victoria Pluckrose FS2G Hridhaan Sajnani FS2O Dexter Byrnes FS2O Lyla Achria FS2R Anashe Musonza FS2R Mia Collins FS2Y Erin Umut FS2Y Neer Adhya 1B Elias Souag 1B Jaden Esho 1G Matilde O'Neill-Novais 1G Hamza Jalal 1O William Wingrove 1O Anushka Ahuja 1R Esa Raza 1R Spencer Samuel 1Y Zeina Al Nseirat 1Y Maryam Masomzadeh 2B Eva Challenger 2B Belen Jackson Santa Cruz 2G Alfie Latimer 2G Charlie Stevenson 2O Poppy Lawrence 2O Neel Shetty 2R Laila Araman 2R Portia Collins 2Y Callum Lynch 2Y Florence Hills 3B Vanya Bhatia 3B Freddie Rycroft 3G Ashton Jennison 3G Serena Hussein 3O Lochlan Keifer 3O Rocco Nunn 3R Zander Manning 3R Eshaal Zehra Asif 3Y William Harper 3Y Aden Hadri Khoussa 4B Eleftherios Samios 4B Maisum Asghar 4G Ali Masomzadeh 4G Taran Puri 4O Remi Shehab 4O Maya Al-Hashimi 4R Muireann Rouse 4R Anna Denes 4Y Finlay Tennant 4Y Isaac Hadri-Khoussa 5B Hamza Farzan 5B Jad Al Jayouchi 5G Oliver Wood 5G Leith Al Ali 5O Orrla Merry 5O Mitchell Lynch 5R Raghav Jasuja 5R Phoebe Turner 5Y Dylan Bailey 5Y Elyas Zebadia 6B Simone Ramchandani 6B Caitlin Gowdy 6G Lillian Porter 6G Abdullah Malik 6O Rayyaan Rabbani 6O Alby Hamilton-Marino 6R Nour Dabees 6R James Hitchcock 6Y James Fallon 6Y

Arabic Stars of the Week

Morrison Machado-Mullett Year 1 Erin Winters Year 1 Maryam Masomzadeh Year 2 Charlie Stevenson Year 2 Hirad Hodaei Year 3 Toprak Umut Year 3 Ava Idnani Year 4 Ram Hatem Year 4 George Roberts Year 5 Tristen Stannard Year 5 Lilly Maurmann Year 6 Zak Sanderson-Davies Year 6

Grace Gatfield FS2B

Musical Showcases

The last two weeks saw the culmination of all the hard work Key Stage Two have been putting into their instrumental work this year. We were treated to wonderful performances by Year Three on the recorder, Year Four on the ukulele, Year Five on the violin and Year Six on the guitar. We also had some fantastic solo performances by children playing everything from saxophone to piano and of course the award winning DESS Dance Squad wowed the audience each morning with their energetic routine.

Musical Showcases Continued We are incredibly proud of all the hard work the children have put in this year and it really showed at each showcase.

Next year we will continue what they have started and will be introducing the tin whistle. Recorders and tin whistles will be available to purchase in September from the school and more information about this will be available when the new term starts.

Family Organiser Design Competition

The children across all year groups, submitted some wonderful, culturally aware designs for each month and they made it extremely hard for us to pick just 12 winners. Well done to everyone who entered.

Congratulations to:

January Alizeh Talukfar (1B) July Madeline Delahaye (1O)

February

Olivia Rennie (2R)

August

Hannah Main Garcia (FS1Y)

March

Gavin De Silva (3O)

September

Matilda Dando (5G)

April

Talis Theo (4Y)

October

Sothea Kasparis (4G)

May

Lily Rose Delahaye (50)

November

Ella Rose Korte (6B)

June

Aleisha Lindon (6R)

December

Daithi Walsh (FS2Y)

We cannot wait to see their winning designs transformed into the final printed calendar.

Watch this space to buy your copy soon!

Mini Enrichment League Hartland International School

On Tuesday 5th June two teams representing DESS travelled to Hartland International School for a general knowledge quiz as part of the Mini Enrichment League. Eight children participated from across Years 4, 5 and 6 and we competed against seven Dubai schools. It was a table quiz format with a challenging geography round where the children had to identify flags, world geographic sites and monuments. A collaborative round followed, treasure hunt style, to collect country clues and the quickest to collect got the highest points. Guessing the famous person proved tricky but we know our tennis players, artists, playwrights and astronauts! We rounded off the event with a thrilling Kahoot quiz. The children had a wonderful time and were a credit to DESS.

Arabic Awards Ceremony

On Sunday 13th May, the Arabic Department held its Arabic Awards Ceremony to celebrate the success and achievements of the children across all Year Groups in both Arabic A and B. The event included delightful performances of songs by students of Year 1 and Arabic A students in Year 1 & 2 followed by the play ‘’Ali Baba’’ by Year 4. Year 5 students sang (Jesmi Malikon) and ‘’The Kingdom of The Bees’’ was proudly presented by Year 6 Arabic A. Certificates and awards were handed out to students then Year 5 performed the finale song ‘’Peace in the World’’. Results for the Arabic Reading Competition ‘’Al Doodah Al Qaari’ah’’ were announced and medals were given out according to the highest amount of books read. Native Arabic speakers and Arabic B students were also awarded for their hard work and determination. We look forward to more challenging and fun activities next year!

Arabic Awards Ceremony Continue

Student Leadership – Head Girl & Boy Positions

We are appointing the Head Girl and Head Boy positions for next year this side of the holidays. This is an exciting time for the Year 5 children, as key Student Leadership opportunities are available. The application window opened on Monday 4th June and closes on Monday 11th June. Please be advised that the presentation has been shared with the children and is on the Parent Portal and explains how the children can apply for these roles.

Ramadan Fridges

We would like to thank you for your continued support to fill our Ramadan Fridges so far; the response from our DESS families has been wonderful. This week, we have seen that individual, pre-portioned amounts in a small individual paper bag (containing 2 pieces of fruit, snacks, a water and a laban) have been received successfully. If you have time or would like to collaborate with someone to make this easier, we would like to encourage this again for the next week. Don’t forget the Ramadan Labour Camp Food Drive initiative in association with Dubai Mums Helping Hands. Please see the letter on the portal on how to donate time, care boxes and old clothing.

Upcoming Events

Please note that as the DESS Newsletter is biweekly, please refer to the Parent Portal in the first instance in case there is a date change.

DESC Art Trip Sunday 10th June

Georges Pompidou School Visit Wednesday 13th June

DESS has Talent Wednesday 20th June

New FS1 Parent Presentation Wednesday 20th June (3.30pm – 4.30pm)

Year 6 Leavers Party Wednesday 20th June (5pm – 9pm) Palace Hotel

Year 6 House Day at DESC Sunday 24th June

Sports Awards Assembly Monday 25th June (8am – 9.30am)

FS2 New Parent Presentation Monday 25th June (3.30pm – 4.30pm)

Year 6 Leavers Assembly Wednesday 27th June (8am – 10am)

End of Term 3 Monday 2nd July 2018