riverston school dubai · worked hard and have had lots of fun. years 1&2 riverston school...

I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Riverston School Dubai-the first fully inclusive school in the UAE. It was great to see all the children arriving on our first day full of enthusiasm and excitement for the year ahead. Riverston is already a great school with lots of learning opportunities for you to get involved in and be a part of the action! We have lots of exciting and rich learning opportunities planned for the children throughout the forthcoming year.

It is quite clear to me that we are already a happy and exciting place to learn and work. Every day I witness student-teacher relationships that are positive and mutually respectful. We are clearly living up to our core value; that is, we fundamentally believe that all children can progress in their development and learning when provided with a nurturing, pro-active and communication rich environment. With this in mind, you should have received your personalised curriculums for this term. Please feel free to come back to me if you have any questions regarding your child?s personalised programme. Always remember, here at Riverston School we feel that parents are the key in the success of our students; two-way communication and open dialogue is a cornerstone of our practice.

As we draw to the end of our first half term, I would like to thank all students and staff for such a brilliant start to the academic year. Following the opening of the school, staff have worked hard to put up new and engaging displays and students have embraced our core values and shown excellence in learning every day. I am also impressed how smart our students look in their new school uniforms. Well

done everyone!

As you can see from the content of this newsletter; our students have had a wonderful half term both in class and being part of our wider school life. Our school continues to go from strength to strength and I am very grateful for your support and that of the whole community. I wish you all a very happy and safe half term break and look forward to seeing you soon.

?One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world? Malala Yousafzai. The term continues apace!

Have a happy and successful time

www.riverstonschooldubai.com

A Welcome from the Principal

Riverston School [email protected] / +971 43316400

Individualised learning for life

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FS2 have spent the first half term exploring their environment, forming relationships and learning

new rules and routines.

The children particularly enjoy sensory play and their favourite activities include blowing bubbles in

the water to strengthening the muscles in their mouth, building various towers, homes and castles

in the sand and cooking a range of meals using dry food such as pasta and lentils.

The children have also been developing their

listening skills and they enjoyed taking part in a

listening walk around school where they heard a

range of sounds. The children worked on their turn

taking skills with circle games and activities on the

interactive whiteboard.


FS2



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Following the children?s interests, we have explored stories related to food and

animals such as Handa?s Surprise, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, The Very Hungry

Caterpillar and The Very Busy Spider. In Maths the children have taken part in

practical activities to develop their understanding of numbers and counting and

they especially enjoy using the Numicon in fun and exciting ways.

Well done!



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The children in Year 1 and 2 have settled well into their new school. Across the term they have worked hard and have had lots of fun.


Years 1&2



In English this half term we have been learning to read words and captions and match them to pictures. We also learned how to label a picture and make a poster.

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During Mathematics this half term we have been learning about place value. The children were able to compare numbers using greater than and less than.

Super work this half term Year 1 and 2!

During Science this half term we have been learning about Living things and their habitats. The children were able to match animals to their habitats. We carried out an experiment about how plants and animals keep cool. The children could predict what they thought would happen.



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In Mr. Matthews? class, we have made a promising start to the year. Every day the children are getting more comfortable with our classroom systems and lots of

great learning is taking place.

In Maths lessons, our focus has been on number. The children have been working on trying to recognise the place value of each digit in a three-digit number (hundreds, tens, ones). They have compared and ordered numbers up to 1000. We have solved number problems and practical problems involving addition and subtraction.

Our first science topic of the

year was ?How magnets work?. The children have explored magnetism using a range of magnets. We have discussed the north and south poles and how a magnet can attract and repel. We have conducted experiments to see if all metals are magnetic and explored if magnets of different sizes have different magnetic pulls.

In English lessons, we have been studying fiction. We have used the story ?Aliens love Underpants? by Claire Freedman as our primary text. I am happy to say the children have loved studying this book almost as much as Aliens love underpants! The children

have learned to sequence a story in chronological order. We have worked on using descriptive adjectives and adverbs to describe the aliens.


Year 4



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Issue 6 | Volume 4 | 2015

Year 5

Newsletter | April 21, 2016www.riverstonschooldubai.com

Our Science lessons this half term have been based on our understanding of light. We have been experimenting with

all different objects to find out how light travels and the creation of shadows.

During our English lessons we have been studying the Hare and the Tortoise. We have worked very hard in developing

our knowledge of the characters and being able to describe them to other people. We also have been developing our

independent learning skills by using dictionary skills to find meanings to words we do not understand.

In Math this half term we have been learning all about place value, addition and subtractions. We have really enjoyed

working with large numbers up to 7 digits and playing games to help us remember.



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The students are learning how to

pray in the school prayer room to

help them perform properly in

their home.

The students performed the pillars of Islam by

applying the 21st century skills in education through

innovation, creativity, use of technology and

learning strategies by playing to learn in an easy and

enjoyable way.


Islamic



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Arabic

Students in Year 2 are able to name and label the animals in Arabic.

Year 5 students read the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare," in Arabic, then summed it up in a small booklet.

FS2 students were able to name the colours in Arabic, and differentiated between them as well.

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Year 5 students made a booklet of the non-connected letters. The students then wrote different words with these letters.

Year 4 students were able to form the Arabic letters they have studied with clay.

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During the first half term in Riverston School

Dubai the children have been learning all

about movement. We have been trying a lot of

different ways to travel from one place to

another, understanding contrasting

movements and even how to incorporate

movement to music to create a dance.

Some of our friends have even been

discovering how dance movements change

from culture to culture and how to use

movement to tell a story.

In the pool, the students have started to

develop their confidence in the water and

began to develop skills and techniques such

as gliding and even floating without the use of

flotation aids.


PE



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BOUNCE designed activities for special needs kids and rebound therapy provides proven benefits for people with mental and physical disabilit ies. Engaging with a non-competitive, free-form exercise like trampolining increases muscle tone, posture, balance and general wellbeing for people across many spectrums of disability. Trampolining also has a low level of initial difficulty that encourages gradual improvement and goal setting ? boosting mood and increasing engagement. Absolutely everybody can benefit from the weightless thrill of bouncing.

Al Marmoom is a charitable / non-profit Equestrian education centre where students learn to ride, drive and work on the ground with horses. Through these activities they improve balance, increase muscle strength, learn horse and stable management and above all else increase their confidence and independence. Their complimentary stable management classes cater for those who may not be able to ride but will learn practical skills alongside the interaction with the horses. They welcome ages from 5 years up for all of their sessions. They cater for all nationalities and languages. Any child or adult, no matter the disability (within their safety parameters), can partake in an activity at the venue and benefit from the special

experience Al Marmoom can offer.

As we are moving quickly towards our October break here a few ideas to keep the children

entertained during the week!

The KID?S GYM is fantastic and provides a place for children of all ability levels to play and grow together. As the only kid?s gym that offers an all-inclusive philosophy, all children can benefit from the uniquely designed sensory equipment that is specifically designed to aid children with sensory processing disorders. However, all children are able to benefit greatly from this equipment and by allowing children of all ability levels to play together they are able to learn a great deal from each other and this becomes the best motivation for success on every level.

Keeping them entertained!

Newsletter | April 21, 2016

Newsletter


SENCo



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School news Over the October half term break I will be heading to Prior?s Court near London, UK, for a fun-filled week of training on the TEACCH programme. TEACCH is a programme for individuals of all ages and skill levels with autistic spectrum disorders.'TEACCH Autism Program' is based in North Carolina, USA and provides clinical services, training and research.

WHY USE TEACCH?

The aim of the TEACCH programme is to enable individuals with autism to function as meaningfully and as independently as possible in the community.

TEACCH has developed an approach known as 'structured teaching'. The principles of structured teaching are:

Understanding the culture of autism (i.e. a way of thinking about the characteristic patterns of thinking and behaviour seen in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder).

Developing an individualised person and family centred plan for each client or student, rather than using a standard curriculum .

Structuring the physical environment.

Using visual supports to make the sequence of daily activities predictable and understandable.

Using visual supports to make individual tasks understandable.

Whilst we are already doing many of these here at Riverton School Dubai; after the October break you will see many more strategies in place to support all of our children at school and home.

Get t ing Around!As you will be keeping the children entertained over the half term break getting around could become easier and cheaper with your Card for

People of Determination

Card for People of Determination is a personal card issued by Ministry of Community Development to people of determination. It is considered to be an official document indicating that the holder is disabled to ensure the rights and services established in the Federal Persons with Disabilit ies Law No. 29 of 2006.

The Target Audience

People with disabilit ies: (mental, auditory, visual, physical, autism and multiple).

The Benef it s There are many benefits but one that may be

useful this half term is cheaper taxis.

You can book a taxi in Dubai by calling 04-2080808. Starting fare of this service varies according to the location and time. When the service is ordered from the airport, the starting fare is AED 25. In other parts of the city, the starting fare is AED 6 in the morning, noon and evening; and AED 7 after 10:00hrs.

For more information on how to apply for one

please go to the link below.

https://www.mocd.gov.ae/en/services/

issuing-new-card-for-people-of-determination.aspx




http://www.rta.ae/wpsv5/links/special_needs/en/taxi.html





https://www.mocd.gov.ae/en/services/issuing-new-card-for-people-of-determination.aspx




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2 0 1 8 -2 0 1 9

PUPIL SETTLING IN PARENTS' EVENING 1

Tuesday 16th October 2018

(1500hrs to 1800hrs)

Parents informed on how well

your child has settled in to

school and discuss baseline

data, aspirational targets and

where your child is on the

Riverston Assessment Ladder.

INTERIM REPORT 1 FULL WRITTEN REPORT 2

PARENTS' EVENING 2

Thursday 18th October 2018

Reports will show baseline

information collected from

across this first half term. It

will contain their baseline data

and aspirational targets for

the coming half term.

Thursday 13th

December

2018

Comprehensive written reports

on progress and attainment.

Targets (next steps) set for the

remainder of the year.

Wednesday 16th January 2019

(1500hrs to 1800hrs)

Discuss full written reports,

progress to date, areas for

development and targets set.


REPO RTIN G A N D PA REN TS' EV EN IN GS



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N EW SLETTERSKYLIN E H IGH

INTERIM REPORT 5

Thursday 16th May 2019

A snapshot of where they are at. It

will contain grades for behaviour,

effort and homework, aspirational

targets for the year and current

attainment against the Riverston

Assessment Ladder.

PARENTS' EVENING 3

Wednesday 29th May 2019

Discuss progress to date against the Riverston Assessment Ladder, areas for development and targets set.

FULL WRITTEN REPORT 6

Thursday 4th

July 2019

Progress and attainment for the year and against targets set in December full report. Targets (next steps) set for next academic year.

Thursday 14th February 2019

A snapshot of where they are at. It will contain grades for behaviour, effort and homework, aspirational targets for the year and current attainment against the Riverston Assessment Ladder.

INTERIM REPORT 3

Thursday 28th March 2019

A snapshot of where they are at. It will contain grades for behaviour, effort and homework, aspirational targets for the year and current attainment against the Riverston Assessment Ladder along with a review of progress against targets set.

EXTENDED INTERIM REPORT 4




Have a w onderful hol iday!

riverston school dubai · worked hard and have had lots of fun. years 1&2 riverston school...

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