SPOTS 

NEWSLETTER


WEEKLY UPDATES AND EVENTS FOR OUR DAA COMMUNITY

v. 34 May 31, 2018                                                    

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superintendent's perspective

Middle School Re-design Parent Meeting

Thank you to those who attended the middle school redesign information session this week.  For parents who were unable to make the session, we will have the video and the slides from the presentation to share with you soon!

KHDA Approved calendar 2018-2019

DAA 2018-19 Academic Calendar.pdf

RAMADAN KAREEM!

Ramadan Kareem!

Dear Families,

Ramadan is the time of giving. In Primary we have been talking about how lucky we all are that we have shelter, we have food, we can go to school, we are loved by family and friends. 

We have been thinking about a way of how we can help a big number of people with a small gesture:  

We are asking DAA families to donate scarves for construction workers, who are working so hard in the heat while many of them are abiding by the Islamic traditions of fasting. Scarves protect the workers from the sun, keep them just a little bit cooler and can keep the dust away.

Scarves can be small or large, but they should be made of a light material (cotton and not pashmina). 

From May 20 until June 8, there will be boxes in the PS foyer as well as the atrium, where you can drop off your scarf donations. Student helpers will deliver the scarves to the Red Crescent just before Eid so they can be distributed to the construction workers.

Thank you so much, and Ramadan Kareem

spots of innovation

Innovation Students have been working hard on their badges and learning to code.  They came up with an idea to help teach others how to code so they entered the world of Tynker, one of our coding apps on our iPads.  While in the Space Cadet lessons Lily, Farida, Mira, Aahyl, and Sarah all in grades 2 and 3, entered different puzzles and made tutorials on how to complete them!  Stay tuned for Lesson 2 and 3, coming soon!

Cheryl Haney EdS

Apple Certified Teacher/Microsoft Educator

Innovation Coach

parent connect @ DAA

Parents, we need you!  

We are thrilled to welcome many new families who will be joining us this September. Parents, we need you! Do you enjoy meeting new people?  Would you like to volunteer your time to help our new joiners feel welcome?  Do you want to meet families from your home country and make lasting friendships?  We are compiling a database of those parents who are interested to take part in our Parent Connect program.    There is no mandatory time commitment.  If you are open to meeting new DAA families, please fill out this form.

summer camps are open for registration!

Copy of Summer Camp at DAA.pdf
Copy of Summer Camp Booklet 2018.pdf

A month at a Glance

DAAPA (dubai american academy parents association)

DAAPA GENERAL ELECTIONS

The DAAPA Family includes all of the parents of DAA students! However, there is a group of parents who plan activities and events for the school community outside of the academic curriculum. These parent volunteers are elected for specific Executive Committee positions, so that planning and implementation of events such as the International Food Festival, the Teacher Appreciation lunch, the Winter Wonderland, the Pumpkin Patch, Movie Nights, Grade 5 and Grade 8 Completions plus many other grade-level events, can provide added fun for the DAA community. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet other parents and work alongside each other to provide extra-curricular fun for DAA students, teachers, and parents. The following positions are open and ready to be filled by YOU! 

Executive Committee Positions 

If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else for any of these positions, please email the nominees names, student name and position to daaparentconnect@gmail.com. Elections will be held at the General Assembly meeting on Tuesday, June 5 at 10:00 am in the First Floor Conference Room.

GEMS Rewards is an exclusive rewards program, designed for our community of students, parents and staff.  This is a way of saying "Thank You".   Through the partner network of over 800 establishments, you can avail of offers and discounts that contribute to everyday savings.  Click here for further information. 

On the app, you can also find the GEMS Ambassador program which will offer GEMS Points to parents who refer children into participating schools upon successful enrollment.  Click here to learn more!

Every summer during June, July and August, Ecole des Roches organises its esteemed “French as a Foreign Language” program for students from all around the world.  Ideally situated in historic Normandy about an hour from Paris, the program provides a total immersion in French culture, including visits in ancient Paris, Versailles and the “châteaux de la Loire”, team sports and a great array of social activities to help students achieve exceptional linguistic progress.

GEMS Education is proud to introduce the largest scholarship opportunity in the UAE. It is a new merit-based scholarship programme designed to reward students excelling in Academics, Creative & Performing Arts, Sports, Innovation & Digital Technology or Arabic Studies.  Learn more about the GEMS Scholarships programme.

SLICES MENU

islamic education

During last week The Islamic Education Department recognized the MS and HS winners and  participants in the Holy Qura’n Competition.

Congratulations to all of our students who won and participated in the competitions.

And the Winners from MS and HS were: 


MS:

Hania Inam 1st Level B 

Maria Zia 1st Level C

Ahmad Adnan 2nd Level C 

ALi Rasekh 3rd Level C 

Mustafa Marei 3rd Level C 

Ahmed Moustafa

Abdullah Al-Madani 


HS:

Abdulla Almarzooqi 1st Level A 

Ailiya Jamal 1st Level C 

Sana Hamdan

Shahad Al Raeesi

Nawal

Sima Saleh

As we celebrate the Year of Zayed, and our Culture of Kindness at DAA, our Islamic Department has coordinated a series of activities during the Holy month of Ramadan including a Ramadan Competition.  

Ramadan Competition: (open to all students and teachers)

Share knowledge and have fun with DAA’s Ramadan Competition!

Each week, five questions about Ramadan will be published in SPOTS and the daily questions will be available on the school screens and heard over morning announcements.  You can find the entry forms to submit your answers next the boxes located in each division. The daily winners will be announced in the screens and the winner of the week will receive the gift.

The Answers of the second week questions were:

Q6) What is the Zakat (compulsory charity) paid in Ramadan called? Who should pay it?

a) Zakat Al-Mal (Zakat on wealth). Rich people should pay it.

b) Zakat Al-Fitr (Zakat on breaking a fast). Every muslim should pay it (Any person who has enough to feed himself ).

c) Sadaqah (Voluntary charity). Any person can pay it.

Q7)  What connection does the Qur’an and the blessed month of Ramadan have that makes the month very important and sacred?

a) Muslims should read the whole Qur’an during Ramadan.

b) The Qur’an was revealed in Ramadan.

c) The importance of fasting mentioned in the Qur’an.

Q8) Fasting in Ramadan has many health benefits. What are some of them? 

a) Protects The Brain

b) Lower Blood Pressure

c) Make Your Hair Grow Faster

d) Decreases Blood Sugar

e) Promotes fat breakdown and weight loss

Q9) Which Festival occurs at the end of Ramadan?

a) Eid-ul-Adha.

b) Eid-ul-Fitr.

Congratulations to the daily winners last week:

Day 6 Week 2

PS: Nadine KG1AA

ES: Faris 4EL

HS: Nadine Abdelhalim Gr10

Day 7 Week 2

PS: Qaim grade1 SG

ES : Omar Wali 5 HM

MS: Rabia 6MY

HS: Ailiya Jamal GR11

Day 8 Week 2

PS: Derin 2NT

ES : Hanna 3MLK

MS: Mariam 7RH

HS: Injy Abdulhaleem G10


Day 9 Week 2

PS: Maryam 2 NT

ES : Berke 3RK

MS: Rayana 6 DT

HS: Sima Saleh


Day 10 Week 2

PS: Ali 2GT

ES : Hamad 5 ES

MS: Aryaman Bhatia 6ML

HS: Shahin G10

And the winners of the second week are: (Gifts will be distributed to the weekly winners next week) Congratulations !

Week 2 winners:

PS : Qaim Grade 1 SG

ES: Hamad 5 ES

MS : Aryaman Bhatia 6ML

HS: Shahin G10

Many Thanks for the great contribution in Ramadan competition, and looking forward to the competition next week.

Qura'n Recitation sessions: (open to Islamic students and parents)

Based on the request from parents and students our Islamic team will conduct Quran sessions during Ramadan.  Timing are as follows:

·       Morning (7:30-7:50) for parents in the conference room.

·       Morning (7:30-7:50) for ES Students in the Prayer space.

·       During Lunch for (MS/HS) students in Islamic classes.

Want to learn more about Islamic and Arabic Culture?

Any member of our school community is welcome to ask questions related to the Arabic and Islamic culture through our inquiry box located next to reception. Our Islamic team will collect the questions at the end of the week and our Islamic education students will participate in answering your questions under the direction of our Islamic teachers.

Answers will be posted via a link mentioned on the inquiry box.


Many thanks

Islamic Department / DAA


SUPERINTENDENT'S VIDEO MESSAGES