Happy Holidays!!

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you are looking forward to and enjoy and safe and relaxing holiday! Take time to connect with each other, possibly explore new places, and rest and recharge. 

Please be sure to check out the December issue of my newsletter. As things can get quite hectic over the next 2 weeks, I know it can be difficult to manage your child’s behavior as well as the million and one things that you have planned to make the season ‘special’.  So, I hope you enjoy the articles focused on just that as well as ideas for starting family traditions (its never too late), some information on staying healthy as you travel, and tips on transitioning back to school after all the excitement is said and done.

And as always, don't forget to periodically check the personal wellness and parenting tabs as I try to update them as information becomes available to me.

Take care and see you in 2015!!

Parenting Talk

I know this is last minute...but some might be interested.

Thank you

I just wanted to say Thank you! to all of you who volunteered your time and were willing to speak to the various inspectors throughout this week about your experiences here at DAA. Since my previous post was about expressing gratitude and my newsletter about helping our children be more thankful...I would like to take a second to say that I am thankful to be working in an environment that is positive and supportive and YOU as our parents are a big part of that. So THANK YOU!

Enjoy your weekend and I look forward to seeing you in Sunday.

...and just a reminder, be sure to check the personal wellness and parenting tabs every now and again because I am always adding new events that I hear of.

I am Thankful for...

It is that time of year again where we start snowballing through one festive celebration after another. It feels like a whirlwind of indulging, gifts, and special events, and while this is my favorite time of year, it is also the one in which we seem to get caught up in the excitement and start focusing more on things that matter less. We are all guilty of paying more attention to the gifts, food, and fanciness that goes along with holiday celebrations at times. And for that reason, I would like to focus on teaching our children to be more grateful and thankful for what they have as opposed to always pining for what they want. Let’s take some time to reflect on what we are thankful for and all the blessings we do have in our lives.

Please be sure to check the newsletter I have posted regarding helping our children develop gratitude and be more thankful for the blessings in their life.
Have a lovely weekend!

UAE National Anthem

Dear DAA Parents,

On Sunday, 2 November, DAA will renew the practice of playing the UAE National Anthem each morning. While this is now a legal requirement for all schools in the UAE, DAA welcomes the custom as an opportunity to show our respect for the UAE’s independence and sovereignty.

Such a tradition is common in most countries of the world, certainly in the United States. This tradition is not a pledge of allegiance or something similar. Rather, it is an opportunity for those of us who are guests in the UAE (most of DAA’s community!) to show respect for our host nation.

In the Primary and Elementary Schools, the anthem will be played over the public address system system at 7:45 AM each morning. It will be preceded by a brief announcement, after which the anthem will be played, which takes about 60 seconds. Students who are already in class will be asked to stand and listen respectfully, as is required by UAE law. Students, parents, teachers, and guests who are in DAA’s hallways are asked to stop, stand, and wait in silence once they hear the public address announcement and anthem begin.  

Kind Regards,

Jim Hardin

Superintendent

From the music department...

A message from the music teachers:

Dear DAA families,

The Winter Concert is approaching and the students have been practicing for several weeks to prepare an exciting show for our community. "The Big Chill" is an exciting musical about students and teachers both hoping for a snow day! The catchy songs and clever rhyming script make this a show we won't soon forget. All the information you need is on the music blog at www.psmusicdaa.blogspot.ae.

Please take a few minutes to download the song files, movement videos, and lyrics for the show. This is a whole-school effort and the students would benefit from just a few minutes of practicing at home. Play the songs in the car or in your house---this is a great way to talk to your children about music class and to be involved in their learning! they might even teach you the dances!

As always, thank you for your help and support of your child's music education!

Have a "musical" day!

Mr. Andrew and Ms. Fabrizio, PS Music teachers

P.S. - Previous formatting issues with the video files have been resolved and you should now be able to download the videos from any device. 

Happy Eid and enjoy your vacation!

I hope you have a lovely week off! If you're traveling, be safe and have fun and we will see you soon!
Also, please be sure to check out the October issue of my counseling newsletter and updates on both the personal wellness and the parenting events tabs.
Take care and be well!

Parent Presentation Opportunity!

I am so happy that we are able to host a very interesting parent presentation!

Please join us for an informative and eye-opening parent workshop on October 12, 2014 presented by Andalene Salvesen. Andalene Salvesen is an international parenting coach, speaker, and co-author of the book “Raising Happy Healthy Children” and author of “A Brand New Child in 5 Easy Steps”.

Andalene presents her advice in a practical manner and is always to the point. She is renowned for the amazing results she achieves during her famous home-visits, which has earned her the title of “Super Granny”.

Andalene will be discussing Shaping the Will without Breaking the Spirit. ‘Parents have such different styles pf parenting. There are five different styles that are appropriate at different times.’

Talk Topic: Shaping the Will without Breaking the Spirit

Venue: DAA Primary/Elementary Conference Room

Date: Sunday, October 12, 2014

Time: 8:30-10:30am

This talk is open to KG1 and KG2 parents only and there is a 50 person limit. You should have received an email that contains an RSVP opportunity. It is first come first serve. We would like to thank DAAPA for funding this wonderful opportunity!

Please click here for a flyer with more information