UNIVERSAL AMERICAN SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2015

The International Day celebration on March 7 was my 6th International Day at UAS, and, I believe, one of the best attended. I was very happy to see hundreds of stu-dents, parents, and teachers simply enjoying each other in the rich cultural diversity our wonderful school community brings together. My compliments to the PTO for their extensive organizational work, and my gratitude is extended to every participant, whether they

• supported a country booth, • brought culturally important (and delicious) food for sharing, • paraded proudly with their country’s flag,• attracted photographers with the distinctive attire of their home country, or • simply cheered (and/or danced!) and took hundreds of photos.

Thank you!

PRINCIPAL’S NOTESMr. Eric Webb

Universal American School of Dubai Elementary Principal

NOTES FROM THE ADMINISTRATION

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News you can use:• Spring Break (March 29-April 9) is rapidly approaching. Almost every stu-

dent in UAS Elementary can repeat my three reminders for Spring Break, so I will start working on the parents!

#1 Safety—seat belts/car seats, supervision, etc.#2 Reading—it is so important that students read, read, read for both learningand enjoyment#3 Active play—not just reading, and definitely not just playing with e-devices Help your children have their best Spring Break yet!• After Spring Break the students will again need to be wearing a hat to play

outside during recess times. Help them remember to keep a hat (with their name in it) at school.

• Many grade levels have been, or will be, adjusting the way homework is as-signed at their level. Help the teachers and administrators know how the adjustments are working with e-mail feedback. We are working to “get it right” at every level with the amount and quality of homework.

• Expect 3rd Quarter Progress Reports to be posted on the 16th of April. They are intended to give you either a quick confirmation that things are going well or a quick alert that a follow-up with the teacher would be a good idea regarding an identi-fied area of weakness.

CalendarMarch

24-26 T-Th High School performance of “The King and I” 7:00 pm (see advertisement in this issue) 26 Th Last day of classes before Spring Break (No School March 29-April 9)April 12 S Classes resume after Spring Break16 Th Progress Reports for 3rd Quarter posted to the Portal22-23 W-Th Fine Arts Booster Club’s Broadway Revue23 Th Last day of ASA II29 W Noon dismissal; Student-Led Conferences in the afternoon30 Th No classes for students; Student-Led Conferences as scheduled

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SPRING BREAK… The Perfect time to take a family vacation!

Routines and rituals, like vacations, are important to the health and well-being of families. It's healthy to take a break from the daily demands of juggling work and home. Take a moment to consider the benefits of play and family time together and plan your family vacation!

Play is not just for kids Taking time to play has powerful benefits for children and adults. Play has been said to be the single most significant factor in determining our success and happiness. Play is just as important as sleep! Play involves anticipation, surprise and pleasure. Adults who play can enjoy freedom from time, rules and responsibilities, bringing bal-ance to their busy lives.

Relationships are enriched Spending time together enriches a marriage, which strengthens the family founda-tion. Through traditions and rituals, such as vacations, any relationship can be enriched.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S NOTES

Ms. Beverly Kempley

Universal American School of Dubai Elementary Assistant Principal

NOTES FROM THE ADMINISTRATION

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Vacations and other traditions make memories and are the glue that binds us. Vaca-tion can provide an opportunity to talk with one another, learn new skills or discover new interests.

Children feel love, support and safety Children who witness their parents and grandparents having fun, laughing and enjoying life learn valuable lessons about life. Spending time together as a family pro-vides children with feelings of love, support and safety, which are key components for thriving in today's world.

Vacation time shrinks stressVacation helps shrink stress and anxiety while also boosting the mental and

physical health of the entire family. We need a brain break, a detour from deadlines and a timeout from technology! It takes effort to unplug from the ever-spinning world around us, but one's mind, body and spirit will be renewed by re-plugging into the joys of quality time with family and friends. Isn't it time for you to take a break?

http://advantagebehavioral.org/wellness.php?nId=27

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EVENTS

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Thank you to the PTO and the

numerous volunteers who made

International Day a success!

INTERNATIONAL DAY 2015

EVENTS

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Congratulations to the Grade 3 students and Mr. Z for a job well done at the

Recorder Concert!

GRADE 3 RECORDER CONCERT

EVENTS

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KG2 celebrated Mother's Day with a fun filled concert conducted by Mrs. Jo Sadler. Thank you mom’s for coming to school to celebrate this special day with us!

Universal American School students celebrate their Mother’s with style!

MOTHER’S DAY WITH KG2

The KG2 and Grade 1 students have been working hard this week to make their very own textured habitat art frames. This required lots of determination and creativ-ity to wrap, tuck, twist, turn and fold colored pieces of material and yarn to create a piece of art that represents a habitat. Take a look at the photos for a sneak peak at the start of this art work and watch this space as the children’s pieces are put together to make 5 HUGE wall hangings. Thank you to our amazing bus nannies who worked with us to prepare all of the material and to our maintenance department for helping to build the frames.

KG2 AND GRADE 1 HABITATS ART PROJECT

Jo Sadler

Universal American School of Dubai

Early Childhood Music and Art Teacher

CL ASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS

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Material Prep

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The Habitat Art Frames The Making of the Habitats

The Grassland Habitat The Ocean Habitat

The Polar Habitat

GRADE 2 UNIT OF INQUIRYAnnia Dear

Universal American School of Dubai

Grade 2 Teacher

CL ASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS

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Part of being a Primary Years Program school is the Unit of Inquiry framework where students discover connections pertinent to their lives. In Grade 2, the students wrote about their dream job during the PYP Unit on ‘How we organize ourselves’ and focused their newfound knowledge on their future workplaces. Please enjoy a few samples of writing from our student writers!

GRADE 2 ELLRianne Fox

Universal American School of Dubai

English Language Learning Teacher

CL ASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS

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This month, Grade 2 English Language Learning (ELL) class participated in a King/Queen of the Tenses competition. The children worked very hard to practice their past tense verbs and competed against each other to show off their skills!

The children had a lot of fun competing! We crowned a Queen Margherita Cavagnoli and Princess Arina Sdobnova. Well done Grade 2 ELL!!

GRADE 5 ARTSarah Jones

Universal American School of Dubai

Upper Elementary Art Teacher

CL ASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS

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Art in Perspective! Miss Jones’ Grade 5 students are currently studying one point perspective.  They are using geometrical concepts to create drawings that look three dimensional on a 2-D surface.  Be an angle spotter!  Do you see any right, acute, or obtuse angles in the following pictures?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Register Now!SPRING BREAK DAY CAMP!Do you have any plans for Spring Break yet? If not, join us for the UAS Spring Break Day Camp! We guarantee a great week full of fun, drama, art, dance, music, and silliness!

Quick info:Price: 1000 AED per camper or 800 AED per camper for siblings registeredDays: March 29 - April 2 (5 days) Times: 9:00am - 2:00pmWho: 40 UAS students, Grades 2-6Where: UAS

Pamphlets and registration forms are available in the office, on the Elementary School Blog, and from Ms. Schuessler, Ms. Fox and Ms. Shaughnessy. Please submit the registration forms and payment to accounts under “Spring Break Camp.” Due to limited spots, register early to avoid disappointment.

If you have any questions, please contact us at cshaughnessy@uasdubai.ae, rfox@uasdubai.ae, kschuessler@uasdubai.ae

Have a great week!

Ms. Schuessler, Ms. Fox and Ms. Shaughnessy

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Get your tickets now!THE KING AND I MUSICAL

WHATRodgers and Hammerstein’s

Broadway classic of The King and I

WHENMarch 24, 2015 @ 7pm, March 25,

2015 @ 7pm andMarch 26, 2015 @ 7pm

Tickets are 30 AED From March 24, 2015 through to March 26, 2015, just over 90 students from the Secondary School (including one amazing Elementary student) will be performing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway classic “The King and I.” This show chronicles the complex relationship between a Siamese King and an independent English school teacher, who has been brought over to teach the royal family the ways of the west. As Anna and the King begin to understand one another, they find themselves rarely seeing eye to eye. This family friendly musical has amazing dances, astounding songs, and wonderfully moving scenes. The performances will happen in conjunction with the IB Art Show, allowing ticket holders a special view into the world of the IB Art student. Tickets are only 30 AED, but limited seats are available each night, so get your tickets now! For tickets, email Asha Lynch at alynch@uasdubai.ae with the night you would like to come and how many tickets you require.

Thank you for your support of the ARTS at UAS!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Universal American School rolled out a new look to our website this month.

UAS HAS A NEW LOOK!

The Universal American School website has a new look! The ESOL organization rolled out new websites for all of its schools to provide greater information and a consistent look for our ever growing community. The traditional Portal is still accessible via the school’s website.

Please continue to login from the school’s website to regularly access the portal pages for the teachers of your children.

UAS has a new website!