sultanate of oman website: school year 2013-2014 issue 8 – the pdo school newsletter is compiled...
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School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
Newsletter
Date: 5th December 2013 Issue: 8
Dear Parents,
We hope you all had an enjoyable long weekend in celebration of National Day. There
are lots of photos available on the school website from our own National Day celebrations
but here are just a few! Many thanks again to all the volunteers who helped make this day
so special for the children.
The Milepost 2 and 3 sports days were also a huge success and many thanks to all the
parents that came to support their children, it really does make a difference. It was great
to see a variety of athletic skills being used and a great team spirit being displayed. As you
can see from the following photos the children also thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
PDO School
PO Box 81, Muscat 100
Sultanate of Oman
Website: www.pdoschool.com
Tel: (+968) 24675864
School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
A selection of photos
from the Milepost 2
and 3 Sports Days
Once again you will be able to find these and other photos on the school website:
www.pdoschool.com
We look forward to your continued support with the Milepost 1 concert and the end of
term events.
Kind regards,
The PDO School Team
Christmas Party on Monday 16th of December
Santa is coming to PDO School!! A Christmas party with lots of fun
activities will be organized after school on Monday 16th of
December. Pre-Nursery and Nursery from 11.30-12.30 and P1-P7 from
14.00-15.30. If you would like your children to join the party you need
to buy a ticket in advance!! Tickets are now on sale and the price is
5 OMR, this includes a small present (all children will get the same and
parents don’t need to bring a present!!).
School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
Learning in P2M
P2 are currently learning through the IPC
unit ‘Let’s Celebrate’. We investigated
how Chinese New Year is celebrated and
in Art and Technology we made Chinese
dragon heads. To make the dragons we
learnt how to plan and design our project
using simple words and pictures. We also
had to decide as a group which materials
would work best for our dragons and
which tools would be most effective.
After we made our dragons we had to work in our groups to
make music and dance. We practised together before we
performed our dragon dances for the children in Pre-Nursery.
Pre-Nursery liked it so much they joined in with us!!
School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
“Blue Day - with a swim gear twist!”
This year the student council would like to raise money for WaterAid. This organisation works
in 27 countries worldwide, transforming millions of lives every year with clean water, safe
toilets and hygiene education.
Their first fundraiser event will be held on Thursday 19th December. The children can come
to school dressed in blue that day and accessorise themselves with swim gear. They can for
example wear goggles on their head, floaters around their arms etc. Be as creative as you
like, but do consider the dress code in Oman.
To raise money we kindly ask every child to donate a 100 baisa or more. We will also be
selling water bottles for 500 baisa each at the start of the school day, during break times
and at the end of the day. Please do send some more money into school to allow your
child to buy water and enjoy the luxury of having access to clean drinking water each and
every day.
For more information go to: www.wateraid.org
Celebration Post-box
There is a post box situated at reception if you would like to send a
celebration or festive card to a friend or teacher in school.
Please ensure that the card has a full name and class written on it (Joe
Bloggs P4M). The cards will be delivered each day.
Mum’s English Club
Are you new to PDO? Would you like to learn
English? PDO School offers a club for parents who
would like to learn English. The next club will start
in January 2014. The club is for beginner learners
of English. If you would like more information, or
to register, please contact Jacqueline on:
School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
Exit Interviews
At PDO School we are always striving to be the best that we can be. With
that in mind when your children leave PDO School you will be contacted
by a member of the PDO People & Change team, to carry out an exit
interview. We are then able to use the anonymous feedback to identify
trends and areas for further development. Your support with these is
greatly appreciated.
School Closure
Due to a burst water main yesterday we had to close the school. You should have
received an email informing you of this. You should have also received a text message.
Please note that one number is allocated per child. If neither parent received a text
message please pop into the office to check the information that we have so we can
update our system.
With regards to buses we are unable to send children home on the bus during the school
day without your permission. This is because we cannot ensure that there will be anyone at
home. We therefore ask you to ensure that you keep the number for your child’s bus
monitor with you so that you are able to contact them directly should we need to close the
school again.
Ras Al Hamra International School Update
The new building is making good progress and we are pleased to announce the following
developments.
Both of the Early Years blocks have their lower roofs in place and work is progressing on the
upper roofs. The classrooms for the older children have both the ground floor and first floor
slabs and these are on average 80% complete.
In the administration block and learning souq work is progressing on the ground floor. In
terms of the multipurpose hall the excavation work has also now begun.
We hope to provide you further updates in the near future.
School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
Tonny Holsbergen
This week the children in Milepost 3 were lucky enough to have a visiting artist support them
in their learning. On 6th December she has an exhibition at the Sifawy Boutique Hotel if you
are interested in finding out more about her work.
Children in Milepost 3 developing their artistic skills
School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
Ras Al Hamra International School Project Award
Dear All,
We are proud to announce another win for our project at The Big Project awards end of last week, which was for Best Water Conservation Initiative for the Ras Al Hamra International School Project. For more details on the awards, please visit their website http://www.bigprojectme.com/awards/2013/ or see info. below:
The Big Project Awards
The Big Project Middle East’s Construction and Sustainability Awards of Excellence recognize regional leaders in the fields of architecture, engineering, design, FM, software, materials supply and consultancy.
Every company working in construction in the Middle East is invited to nominate its top employees, initiatives and projects; from infrastructure developments to legal advice, facilities management, IT and environmentally-conscious building projects.
Judged by a selected jury of industry leaders, the ceremony marked the achievements of those leading in innovation and development, it also provided an essential networking platform for those who attended.
Best Water Conservation Initiative
This award recognizes a water initiative that uses technology to provide sustainable solutions for use in residential or commercial buildings, agriculture, manufacturing, through the implementation of an entire system or installation of environmental products/systems.
Thanks & Regards,
Dana Al Sarhani
Pr and Communications Advisor UIR4
Ras Al Hamra Development Project
School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
HSSE Update
Following the HSSE update earlier this term we would just like to keep you informed by
providing you with an outline of the action that has already been taken and the steps that
will continue to be taken in the key areas below:
Light
With regards to lighting, maintenance teams have been through the whole building
and ensured that all lamps have been replaced if required. The lighting throughout
the school is now at the desired standard. We will continue to monitor the lighting
situation and ensure that any issues are resolved quickly.
Air-conditioning
All units have been maintained and are now fully operational. We will continue to
ensure repairs are carried out as and when they are required.
Cleaning (mould)
All areas where there has been a presence of mould have now been treated with
appropriate fungicide. There has been a slight delay in the repainting but this should
happen in the very near future. In addition the ceiling tiles will be replaced with
ventilation tiles to help prevent the reoccurrence of any mould.
Pest control
Action continues to be taken as and when needed and OIG have been very
proactive in this regard.
This information has been provided by Gordon Blake on behalf of Carillion Alawi.
Dates for your Diary
Please find below important dates that are coming up soon. A reminder
that all term dates are available on the school website.
Date Event
12th December P1A Class Assembly
16th December PTA Christmas Party to be held after school
17th December Milepost 1 Concert – parents invited (1pm)
18th December Learning Open Afternoon for parents
19th December Reports out
End of term
13th January 2014 Term 2 starts
8th February International Market Day
School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
Early announcement International Market Day 2014
On Thursday 8th of February the PTA will organize the International Market Day. This is a perfect way
to showcase your country’s special cuisine, arts, dance or games. All the money collected will go
towards charity. So if you visit your home country over the holidays bring the special ingredients to
create your favorite dishes or you might like to sell some souvenirs from your home country. Surprise
us!!! Please contact us if you would like to participate: [email protected] .
School Year 2013-2014 Issue 8 – The PDO School Newsletter is compiled by Claire Bonham
PDO kids Environment Day: Participate, Learn & Win!
Environment Day takes place on 8 January 2014. This is an annual event in the Sultanate
and PDO plans to celebrate the day with a number of activities that recognise its
continuous commitment to conserving the Omani environment. We will provide details
later but for now we would like to announce the following competition:
3Rs Art competition (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).
Calling all PDO kids, especially those with artistic talents
The competition is open from today and will close on 1st January. All the submissions should
be delivered to Said al Saqri EAS4 at the EcOman Centre Tel. 24676375, email:
If you are interested in participating, please send an email to:
with your name, age, category, contact number and email address.
To learn more about waste management please visit:
http://harcroft.edublogs.org/2013/05/27/reduce-reuse-recycling/
The winners will be announced on 8th January 2014.
Good luck!
For any queries please contact Munira Al Balushi EAC11s (24673447).
Category 1
Draw what you think
Age group
6 – 9 yrs
Draw what you know about the 3Rs and
what you would like others to learn
Category 2
Produce an Eco Art Work
10 – 17 yrs Be inspired by what you have at home,
outside your house and beyond