We’re really in to the swing of things now and getting immersed in to the new school year. We’re really excited to be launching our #nadeengreen campaign this month and hope that you all join us in promoting environmental responsibility. We are aiming to be a plastic free school by the end of the school year and look forward to achieving this goal with you! In other news, the PTA have had a great start to the year and already have their first parent event planned: the ever popular PTA Bus Trip will be held on 15th October…book your seat! We are also looking forward to the end of the month and Hallowe’en…our annual Hallowe’en dress up parade is in it’s 40th year and we’re looking forward to seeing some creative, home-made costumes this year!

We’re putting together an Eco Team at Nadeen School—it’s time for us all to take ownership of our impact on the environment! Our Eco Team will comprise staff and children who will work together to survey and study our school and our community. The team will also be responsible for driving our eco initiatives further and we’re getting the children to take charge! Our first school survey was conducted on 11th October when we did an audit of all of the disposable plastic items in our lunchboxes! We’ll track this number over the school year and we hope…no, we EXPECT…to see a decrease! Please watch “Drowning in Plastic” as a family and discuss the impact of using of plastic with your children. Keep an eye out for #nadeengreen

Want to know more about what we do? Come to our parent workshops—you’ll learn something new! To sign up please contact Miss Patricia on office.leadership@nadeenschool.com

During our 3 days you will connect with your body through inspirational yoga practices, breathwork experiences, flexibility and callisthenics, and a clean eating approach to help you reach a better and healthier version of you. In this retreat, you will connect with your intuitive spirit in a beautiful beach shore setting through mindfulness yoga practices for all levels, sizes
and shapes! Along with a unique selection of live musical instruments reflecting the visual projections at night to soothe your mind, body and soul.
Here is your chance to unwind, find inner calm, restore energy and renew your life perspective. Take a break from your busy life and listen to your Intuitive Soul

Dates for your diary!

• 15 Oct: PTA Bus Trip
• 18 Oct: Speech Day
• 22 Oct: INSET Day—all children finish at 11am
• 25 Oct: Hallowe’en Parade
• 28 Oct. –1 Nov: Half Term
• 9 Nov: Marathon Relay
• 30 Nov: Festive Fair
• 3 Dec.: EYFS Concert
• 5 Dec: KS1+2 Festive Singing
• 6 Dec: Winter Disco (KS2)

The PTA have had a super start to the new school year with our Welcome Breakfast at The Orangery, very kindly sponsored by Miss Pauline. With our committee up and running we have our first bus trip organised for Monday 15th of October to Emmawash restaurant and some of Bahrain’s best bargain stores. This is an excellent opportunity for families new to Bahrain to meet other parents, enjoy a lovely breakfast, and visit some shops that sell all sorts of essentials for school projects, children’s birthday parties and dress up days. Our next event will be Halloween Bake Sale on October 25th . Get your spooky treats ready for donation. We are raising funds this year for the purchase of gymnastic equipment, sound and light equipment which will be used for our weekly assemblies and school performances, and also STEM equipment. We look forward to welcoming you to our events!

Our leaders of the school council have applied and been selected: Chairperson: Dana Ploss; Deputy Chair: Emily O’Shea; Secretary: Hamdan Husain; Treasurer: Lucy Thate. Class reps are being chosen this week in tome for our first meeting on Wednesday 10th October. Watch this space!

In PE this month we have been learning lots of exciting new things. We have been further developing our gymnastic skills, learning different balances like the ‘T’ balance and frog balance. In Reception, Yr1 & Yr2 we have learnt how to teddy bear roll and how to get into the candle stick position, as well as lots of other counter balances. In KS2 we have been learning how to do a headstand and how to support our partners safely in gymnastics. As we move into the cooler months, we will be able to get outside for our lessons. November sees the beginning of the Primary Sports League for Yr5&6. As such, we will be holding our first football trials in October to select the strongest side to represent Nadeen in the upcoming tournament.

A child’s first term at school always challenges their confidence. Young children have to have confidence to come in to a new classroom with a new teacher, make new friends, be confident enough to ask adults for help, to choose toys or other resources, or simply say “hello” to a stranger. They also need confidence to try new things and ‘have a go’. EYFS staff support children during this settling in period and help them to gain more confidence by providing encouragement and needed support, so that children can start the new school year full of confidence and excitement for new learning experiences. And what a difference we can already see in their confidence! Keep trying new things, everyone!

Confidence in children is really key to children’s learning. Parents can help develop this by giving children lots of opportunities to practise and master their skills, letting them make mistakes and being there to boost their spirits so they keep trying. Respond with interest and excitement when your children show off a new skill, and reward them with praise when they achieve a goal or make a good effort. You could try a “growing confidence tree” activity, where they add new leaves as they develop more confidence, and this will encourage them to reflect on their confidence levels. Targeted questions to discuss could include: What areas are you most confident in? How did you get to be so confident in this area? How can the ways your confidence grew in another area help you grow more confident in the area you wrote on your tree? How can you help other people grow more confidence? What successes could you take from this failure? In KS1 we are always exploring new ways to develop confidence especially as we are constantly exploring and picking up new skills.

Confidence: How can you teach confidence? Are you born with it? Is it affected by your environment? Can it change you? Current research into how we instill confidence in children shows that there are many ways to go about it, but here are a few simple strategies: Create a secure environment by making it safe to get things wrong and showing that success has many faces * Give lots of praise and positive reinforcement – especially for effort and commitment, rather than just for outcome * Set tasks that are initially achievable but become gradually more challenging * Provide plenty of opportunities for independence and taking appropriate responsibility for their own tasks / chores / actions * Abandon all put downs – even accidental ones. All of the above can be developed through a nurturing and stimulating environment (but one that doesn’t mollycoddle children). Our teachers, throughout the school, are working hard to provide this environment and, as a result, we are seeing rapid change in the confidence of some of our young learners. We are seeing children participate more in lessons; answering questions even if they are uncertain of the answer (failure is path to success); children are presenting with more confidence and achieving personal goals in the process. Confidence is an important attribute to have in life and, if we get it right early on and children have the confidence and courage to take on hard challenges, then as Yazz once famously said, “The only way is up, baby”.