JPS Weekly - Jumeirah Primary School - Welcome

JPS Weekly
April 16th 2015
Jumeirah Primary School,
Dubai
NOTICE BOARD
DATE
SUN 19 APR
Issue No. 26 - 14/15
EVENTS
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES START
DESS SWIM GALA—YEAR 5 & 6
MON 20 APR
PARENT INFORMATION EVENING—YEAR 5
TUE 21 APR
CURRICULUM PREVIEW MEETING—FS2
1A CLASS ASSEMBLY
CURRICULUM PREVIEW MEETING—YEAR 5
WED 22 APR
CURRICULUM PREVIEW MEETING—YEAR 2
CURRICULUM PREVIEW MEETING—YEAR 1
THU 23 APR
Save the Date - Father’s Day on Sunday 14th June
A message from the Principal
Dear Parents
I hope you and your families had an enjoyable and relaxing Spring break and feel refreshed for the final academic
term ahead.
It has been a very busy first week back at school. Thank you to those parents in Years 4 to 6 who came along and
supported the children in their swim galas. I am always amazed at the talent within school and the children’s swimming ability is no exception. Thank you to our PE department who organized the galas. I’m sure you’ll agree, they
were very well organized and most importantly, the children had a great time.
Today we have celebrated Science Day and it has been wonderful to see our ‘Scientists’ across all the year groups
embracing the activities. The Makers Fair was outstanding, with inventions that we are sure will come to fruition one
day. From slippers that clean floors to pet feeders to water purifiers to butter spreaders, each was wonderfully
created and executed. The rest of the school have been forensics, aging adults, fashionistas and dinosaur excavators. What a buzz and what an amazing day. Enjoy the weekend.
Catherine
Catherine McKeever—CEO/Principal
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POCAHONTAS
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POCAHONTAS
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POCAHONTAS
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POCAHONTAS
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POCAHONTAS
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POCAHONTAS
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JPS NEWS
Mini-Masterchef Courses
As part of the Enrichment 365 program of additional enrichment opportunities, GEMS would like
to give our students an opportunity to access some further skills that they may not necessarily get
a chance to develop within our regular school curricula. We are working with partner organisations to make this possible. One such organisation is SCAFA, the School for Culinary & Finishing
Arts, who are offering cooking classes to our students as part of their Mini-Masterchef program.
These classes would take place on a Saturday at SCAFA in JLT and would prepare students in
basics of food preparation, cooking techniques and etiquette. Courses run for 8 weeks and cost
1500aed. The courses will be offered in two age groups: 7-11 and 12-15. If you would be
interested in finding out more about this exciting opportunity, then please email Grant Smith
(g.smith_jcd@gemsedu.com),
Vacancy : Full time Receptionist at Jumeirah Primary School
An opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic person to join our admin team as a full time Receptionist with effect from 17th
May 2015.
Hours - Sunday – Wednesday 7.30am - 4pm Thursday 7.30 am – 3.30 pm (or 4pm every 3 weeks on a rota basis)
The below qualities are essential but experience is not, as training will be given:
Good interpersonal skills and excellent telephone manner.
Flexibility in working times.
Excellent command of the English language, both written and spoken.
The ability to effectively communicate with pupils, parents and colleagues.
Time management and organization skills.
The ability to acquire further knowledge in order to contribute effectively and within a team.
All applicants need to be available to cover part of the summer leave period –19th July to 6th August.
For further information, to send your CV or to express an interest, please email jane.b_jps@gemsedu.com
Closing date for applications is 30th April 2015.
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JPS NEWS
Safa District Rainbows, Brownies & Guides filled M & M tubes with dirhams in return
for doing good deeds for the occasion of World Thinking Day.
World Thinking Day is celebrated annually on 22 February by all Girl Guides and
Girl Scouts. It is a day when they think about the their "sisters" (and "brothers") in
all the countries of the world, the meaning of Guiding, and its global impact. February 22nd was originally chosen as it was the birthday of Scouting and Guiding
founder Robert Baden Powell and Olave Baden Powell, his wife and World Chief
Guide. Other Scouts celebrate it as B.P. Day or Founders' Day. We collect
‘thinking day pennies’ on this day and this year Safa District donated half the collection to the World Thinking Day fund and half to JPS’s Nepal Charity collection.
Caroline Coleman — Safa District Commissioner, Dubai Division, British Guides in
Foreign Countries, Girl Guiding UK
British Guides in Foreign Countries (BGIFC) in Dubai are always looking for more volunteers to get involved with Rainbows, Brownies & Guides.
Please take a look at our website for more information and for
registering as a volunteer or registering your daughter’s interest in joining us.
www.girlguidingdubai.com
MESSAGE FROM THE NURSES
Temperatures are on the increase again. Please can you continue to stress to your
children the importance of keeping hydrated – water, water, water! We have already
noticed an increase in sore tummies and headaches, usually caused by dehydration.
Also, don’t forget to apply sun cream in the mornings before school … and remember,
NO HAT, NO PLAY.
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JPS NEWS
Movie
night
We are delighted to invite the JPS community to our fundraiser movie night on April
30th 2015. The movie will be Rio 2, and will start at 6.00pm and will be held in the
Sports Hall. The cost to attend the movie night will be AED20. Tickets will be on sold
at reception from 23rd April.
The reason we are hosting the movie night is to raise funds for the year 5 and 6 boys,
who are travelling to Spain in June for a football development tour. We have 29 boys
attending the trip, where they will live like professional footballers for a week, training every day and playing competitive match’s against various Spanish youth teams.
The money we raise will go towards getting the boys various personalized items for
the trip such as hats, polo shirts, hoodies, shorts and travel bags. The boys have already had one fundraiser where they worked very hard to raise funds through a
‘football fun day’ for the year 3’s, where they coached the year 3 children on various
skills and then ran a tournament for the boys.
How parents can help—we would be looking for volunteers to make popcorn
and cupcakes for the evening’s enjoyment and also if you are available to
help to sell the sweet treats on the night, please drop me an email or pop in
and let me know. We would also be appreciate having cartons of juice to
sell .
We hope to see as many of you as possible at the movie night, and we really do appreciate all your support.
Raymond Irving, PE Teacher
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JPS NEWS
Dear Parent
Drawings By Me is an art-based program specializing in personalized printing of your child’s artwork. It reproduces these
treasured masterpieces onto greeting cards, calendars, coffee mugs, notebooks and more. Each product features a full
colour print of your child’s artwork and includes their name and age.
An inspirational confidence-booster for kids – who get to express their creativity and share with pride their very own
masterpieces.
A delight for mums and dads – who will be thrilled with their unique gifts that are beautiful and meaningful as well as
being top quality and great value.
Your child’s artwork will be coming home with them this week. If you are interested in purchasing any of the products,
please complete the Order Form on the back of the envelope and return it, together with your payment, to your child’s
class teacher – by Sunday 26th April latest please.
Important Note: If you wish to provide a different artwork than the one enclosed, please make sure it is created on a
white A4 sized paper, in ‘Landscape’ orientation, and with your child’s complete information written on the back. Please
ensure that you include in the envelope only the new artwork.
For more info please visit www.drawingsbyme.com. Please email any questions you may have to: info@drawingsbyme.com
Thank you for participating!
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JPS SUMMER NEWS
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JPS NEWS
STS Promotional Offer for JPS Non-Bus Users
School Transport Services LLC, in partnership with Jumeirah Primary School, would like to reach out to all students and let them experience the bus ride to school.
Terms and Conditions:
This offer is subject to availability of seats.
This offer is not valid for current STS customers. Valid for first-time bus users only.
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JPS MUSIC NEWS
French After School Activity for Native Speakers
This French ASA takes place at JPS after the school day. It is led by our
French Teacher Mme Villeneuve and the aim is to enable French native speakers to slot back into the French Curriculum should they so wish.
The activity will start in September and the first session will be September 6th
and will continue throughout the academic year for 32 weeks finishing on June
2nd.
Registration and payment for this activity is due on the week beginning May 10th to May 14th.
You will have received a letter from JPS by email with all the necessary information. If you are interested or would like any further clarification please
email m.villeneuve_jps@gemsedu.com.
Marie Villeneuve
French Teacher
JPS and the PTA would like to say a huge thank you to Sairam Ravi Ramani of
5F. At this young age, Sairam has had his book, ‘Spy Quest – Rise of the League
of Monsters’ published in India and he proudly sold copies at our JPS Spring
Fair. He kindly donated 1,000dhs of his book sales to the Dubai Cares Adopt a
School Initiative and his money will go directly to rebuilding a new primary school
in Nepal.
Thank you so much Sairam – and keep on writing!
Elaine Burrell
Parent Relations Executive
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JPS NEWS
CHILDREN’S SAFETY AT SCHOOL
Parents have full responsibility for their children until delivered to class. Similarly, on
collection of children at the end of the day, it is the parents’ responsibility to fully
supervise their children.
Please do not allow children to play on any playground equipment
before or after school.
One of the issues we are facing is where families do not vacate the premises when
school has finished for the day and this is a concern for us all. Please ensure you pick
up your children promptly and supervise them when they are on school premises.
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JPS NEWS
GEMS MySchool Hotline
We are proud and excited to share that GEMS Education has launched a new Hotline
exclusively for its parents.
‘GEMS MySchool Hotline’ has been created to enhance the experience and services
provided to you as a GEMS parent. We encourage you to call the hotline should you
wish to provide feedback, ideas and/or suggestions about your child’s school, your
overall GEMS experience and any other way that we might improve.
Available to GEMS parents in both English and Arabic, GEMS MySchool Hotline is the
first of its kind and is accessible seven days a week, between 8am and 6pm at 800 –
School (724665).
For more information about GEMS MySchool Hotline check your emails or the flyers
and posters around the school. We hope that the school remains your first point of
contact for any concerns you have, but the GEMS MySchool Hotline gives you
another way to share your feedback.
For decades, you have trusted us with the future of your children. By providing us
with honest and direct feedback, we hope that we not only strengthen our relationship with you, but that we are able to find out what we need to do in order to serve
you and our community better.
GEMS MySchool Hotline / To serve you better
800 724 665
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JPS ARABIC & ISLAMIC NEWS
Dear Islamic Studies Parents,
Given the importance of the Holy Qur’an in Muslim life, and its impact on building
character and conscience, the Department of Islamic Education has started a competition for students, in Years 1 to 6, who take Islamic Studies.
The competition, which covers the Thirtieth Part of the Holy Qur’an, will be during
term two and term three, to be completed by 30th April, 2015.
We are asking that you, as parents, please work together with us to encourage your
children to complete the card that is attached to their Islamic Book. YouTube is a very
useful tool – simply type in the name of the Surah.
There will be prizes at the end of the contest for those children who have mastered
the Thirtieth part of the Qur’an.
We thank you and very much appreciate your support.
Yours sincerely,
Hazem Kamel — Head of Islamic
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JPS ARABIC NEWS FOR NON-ARABIC SPEAKERS
Dear Parents,
The Arabic department are proud to announce the Arabic Flipped learning for the
Non-Arabic speakers.
Arabic Flipped learning is designed to expose students to their new learning at home
and uses the class time to apply new knowledge through activities. It will also enhance the children’s learning and help an individual child take his or her next step in
their development plan.
The Arabic Flipped learning will definitely give parents the opportunity to learn Arabic
with their children!
You can find these flips on Weebly:
I do look forward to hearing from you with your feedback.
Yours sincerely,
Ghadeer Adawieh—Head of Arabic—g.adaweih_jps@gemsedu.com
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JPS NURSES NEWS
Head Lice and Nits Prevention & Control
Head lice are spread most commonly by direct head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact. However,
much less frequently they are spread by sharing clothing or belongings onto which lice have
crawled or nits attached to shed hairs that may have fallen. The risk of getting infested by a
louse that has fallen onto a carpet or furniture is very small. Head lice survive less than 1–2
days if they fall off a person and cannot feed; nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week
if they are not kept at the same temperature as that found close to the scalp.
The following are steps that can be taken to help prevent and control the spread of head lice:
 Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school,
and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).
 Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.
 Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Wipe off nits and lice on the comb with a clean
tissue. Run the tissue down the comb and throw the tissue in a plastic bag. Seal and throw
away the plastic bag to prevent another infestation. The lice will die in the sealed bag because
they don't have a food source. Disinfest combs and brushes used by an infested person by
soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5–10 minutes. The hot water will kill any remaining nits or lice on the comb.
 Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in
contact with an infested person.
 Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that an infested person wore
or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the
high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR
sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
 Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However,
spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.
Do not use fumigant sprays or fogs; they are not necessary to control head lice and can be
toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
To help control a head lice outbreak in a community, school, or camp, children can be taught
to avoid activities that may spread head lice.
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JPS UNIFORM NEWS
We would like to remind parents of the correct uniform, which should be worn by the
children at all times whilst at GEMS Jumeirah Primary School.
Foundation Stage:
Uniform as listed below except boys and girls wear JPS polo shirts and no ties.
Boys: Years 1 to 6
JPS shorts
JPS White short sleeve shirt (JPS logo on pocket)
Short blue socks
Black shoes (trainers not acceptable)
Navy blue pullover which has the JPS logo
JPS blue tie
Navy blue trousers may be worn in the colder months
Girls: Years 1 to 6
White JPS blouse
JPS pinafore dress
Short white socks – these should be plain white
Navy blue tights can be worn in the colder months
Black shoes (no heels. Trainers are not acceptable)
JPS Navy blue cardigan which has the JPS logo
No nail varnish
No make-up
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CHILDREN’S BIRTHDAYS BEING
CELEBRATED WITHIN THE SCHOOL DAY
We want to ensure that all children feel happy and
special, especially on their birthday. We do however
encourage a healthy eating policy within the school.
Therefore, we feel it would be more appropriate that,
should you wish to bring something in for your child to
share with all his/her class mates, then a non-edible gift may be brought
in. This can be something like a pencil, stickers, homemade personalized
bookmark, etc. These items can again be left at Reception where they
will be sent up to the class. We hope you agree this is a much more suitable and fun way to help a child celebrate their birthday with the whole
class.
RECEPTION AREA
We would like to remind all parents that once they have collected their
children at 2.15pm, it is important for health & safety reasons, for everyone to vacate the premises, unless you have a meeting with a member of
staff. It is not possible for parents to wait in the Reception area, which is
a working area until 4pm. We would appreciate all parents working with
us to ensure that the school is a safe environment at all times.
LOST PROPERTY
Please ensure that you check the Lost Property bins, situated near to the
Quiet Garden, if your child misplaces anything. At the end of each month,
we will donate any unclaimed items to charity. Please always ensure that
all clothing is named so that it can be returned to the rightful owner if lost.
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