Update from the Principal – 7th September

Update from the Principal.

Dear Parents,

Wow.  We have finished the second week of term already! 

Each day seems to be filled with so much on offer for the students, lots of active learning, projects started and opportunities in place. The relationships between the teachers and the students are very strong even after two weeks and I am very impressed by how easily the students have settled into this new campus. They have embraced the new environment and have responded with excitement and enthusiasm as we expected, the staff provide excellent support and we make sure that everyone feels included and happy.

The drop off in the morning has improved with each day and I am very pleased with this. Our students have arrived safely, used the crosswalks and entered the building very well.  It is no secret that it is a highlight of my day to be outside at drop off to welcome everyone. I believe that all students deserve a smile, a ‘good morning’ and to be greeted warmly in the morning as we start a new day with new opportunities ahead. This is something that the team are very proud of at Nadeen School and something we believe creates a caring tone from the start of the day. A huge thank you to the parents at drop off for the patience, calmness and support. You can absolutely feel this positive approach, togetherness and we have no doubt the students pick up on this too. Every small detail we can help with, we do to make the start of each day as good as possible for the students. 

Thank you to all parents who attended the Coffee with the Principal this morning. A monthly informal meeting on the first Thursday of the month and a chance to hear from me any updates, a look forward and mainly a chance for parents to meet, mix and mingle as we welcome new families into the community. We are very proud how new families are invited into these events and this gives everyone a chance to meet people in the same year group and other common factors. I have included all of the points I have discussed at the Coffee morning below. I will do this each month if you are unable to attend, so please do not worry about missing out on any information.

Items covered from the Coffee Morning:

1. First Day/Drop off – routines are becoming embedded, using the crosswalk, driving safely, parking up, dropping off, using the Early Years entrance. Now everyone is familiar with the drop off, we aim to add music (similar to last year) to the drop off system in a week.
2. Bike rack – has been ordered and will arrive soon for cyclists to use. On Tuesday we confirmed the 3 locations that will be placed in school together with another area for larger bicycles and possibly electric scooters in the future.
3. Extracurricular Clubs – Increased from 34 last term to 58 Extracurricular activities this term! We have more companies and external specialists interested to offer more in the coming months. If you have any recommendations or know anyone, please put them in touch with the school.
4. Extracurricular Taster sessions – thank you to everyone that attended!
5. Start of year presentations – 3 presentations (From the first week) and their content included in the Update From the Principal on Meet the teacher, Sports/ECAs/International Trips and Inclusion.
6. E-Safety Presentation – A copy of this presentation has been emailed out to all parents and is also available on the E-Safety page of the website.
7. Fire Drill – yesterday at 9.00am we had a whole school fire drill.  It was very successful.
8. Communication – all parents should now have received weekly emails on a Thursday from the Teacher.  Update from the Principal is sent out on the website on a Thursday. Please feel free to email the teacher in the first instance, arrange a meeting or an appointment to discuss the progress/development of your child.
9. Communication – Teacher Feature: https://www.nadeenschool.com/teacher-feature-miss-lauren/ 
10. Curriculum – overview of the curriculum against the old one (English National Curriculum).  We followed the ENC in the old site by using a range of resources (White Rose, Timetable Rock Stars, Education City, etc.).  We continue to follow the ENC with our resources and also use Cambridge resources as well: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/images/425836-cambridge-primary-and-lower-secondary-curricula-and-the-national-curriculum-for-england.pdf                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

    Nadeen School continues to follow the British National Curriculum (Adapted for our international learners here in Bahrain to follow ministry guidance).  

    We use resources from a wide range of areas to supplement the outstanding delivery of this curriculum (We use White Rose Maths, Oxford Reading Tree, Babcock Spelling Scheme, International Primary Curriculum Resources, Little Wandle, Times Table Rockstars, Cambridge Resources/videos/textbooks, Teacher ‘designed/personalised/created’ activities, Education City, Google Classroom amongst many others).

    With the vast range of resources above, we guide our learners with our approach at Nadeen School. Please click here to read further about ‘Our Approach’.                                                                                                                    

11.  Legacy of the old school – Many items have been brought from the old school (Trees, benches, chairs, books etc.) to help with the transition, many requests were fulfilled, we will talk about these over the coming weeks in how they are used.  The lessons use the same approach of teaching, same assessments and many of the same resources.  Many students are excited to use the facilities and to get involved in the clubs, events and performances. The staff have spent a lot of time talking to the students and helping them settle. The parents have supported this and it has been a good start.
12. Uniforms – an update from Kapes will be sent out to all parents together, we are helping Kapes as much as possible.
13. Coffee Shop – we will ask for feedback about the coffee shop as we continually improve the school.
14. Playtime – We have 8 staff on duty at break and students are enjoying using the 8 zones of play equipment. The training the staff received in August has helped understand how to monitor the equipment, how to spot hazards and to keep children safe.
15. Growth of school – we have moved site, added 8 extra classes across the school and Year 8 and 9 (This includes 3 of the classes). We have increased in size from 420 students to now over 650 students. The school feels busy, has a buzz and a lot of energy.
16. Positive Feedback – thank you to all parents for the continued emails, comments and cards received by staff. It is very much appreciated and the team are working very hard, thoroughly enjoying teaching the students and the new opportunities we now have.
17. Catering companies – we have started to interview companies that offer high-quality fresh food that could be delivered or prepared on site for students to order and then pick up/have delivered.
18. Volunteers – If parents would like to volunteer in helping around the school, please send in an email as we would love to hear from you – info@nadeenschool.com
19. Curriculum – all curriculum plans for all year groups, subjects and for the entire year are available on the website, Early Years click here, Year 1 and 2 click here and Year 3-6 click here, Secondary click here.
20. Early Years – We have 7 classes in Nursery and Reception, 7 teachers, 7 Assistant Teachers and 1 extra assistant teacher, additionally with the Nurse in the Early Years corridor. No extra toilet nannies will be employed at this time.

Questions raised at the Coffee Morning:

• Can my child go outside in the sun if they do not have a hat?

No, we only want children outside with a hat in the direct sun for their safety. Please ask them to leave a hat in school.

• Please can Secondary School ‘target time’ be used for other subjects?

Yes, teachers have planned consolidation work for subjects that are taught elsewhere in Year 7, 8 and 9. These include 1 lesson of French, 1 lesson of English, 1 lesson of PSHE, 1 lesson of Health studies and 1 lesson of Arabic Culture and 1 lesson of Maths. This may change depending on the needs of the students in class.

• Is there a curriculum plan for Arabic in Early Years?

Yes, it is on this page: https://www.nadeenschool.com/early-years-foundation-stage/ 

• Can teachers change Nursery/Reception students if they do not reach the toilet in time?

Yes, we have several teachers trained and qualified to do this along with a full time School Nurse.

• Do Early Years have a way of informing students that someone is in a toilet?

The Nursery students are always with an adult. The reception students are with an adult and they also mention and show that toilets are empty or free as they learn how toilets are used.

• Can students go to the toilet during the class?

Yes they can go to the toilet, furthermore if there is a medical issue. Please inform the class teacher.

• What is the opinion from the school on the recent social media activity on the 3 students who left a private school?

We have seen the statement from the Ministry of Education and continue to completely support the Ministry with our policies, procedures and ways of working. We have an excellent relationship with the Ministry of Education, grateful for all that they do and are spending 100% of our time focused on the students at Nadeen School. Always students first.

• How will ‘pick up’ improve in the future?

There are 5 parts to this to reduce the bottle neck of the volume of people picking up at the same time.   

• Extracurricular Activities start Sunday 10th September (Creates another time for pick up).
• Academies start Sunday 10th September (A later finish time for students).
• An increase of parents using the car park on the plot of land to walk to the school.
• An increase of cycling to and from school.
• A collective effort to drive with consideration and safety (No phones on, giving way to drivers and being patient).

• What are the expectations for Homework at Nadeen School?

We encourage students to get involved in ECAs, to try new activities, sports, Music and performances and to enjoy their childhood. For consolidation work or catch up, extra support can be given from school as and when needed.

• How do we sign up for ECAs? Or change ECAs if we have booked too many?

From the Google form that was sent out by Miss Habiba, please email h.chilwan@nadeenschool.com if you have any questions.

• What is covered in Arabic Culture lessons?

We are extremely excited to have an Arabic Culture lesson, once a week, for all of our students from Nursery through to Year 9. This lesson takes place when our Arab national students attend their Arabic classes. During Arabic Culture, students will have the opportunity to experience some beginner-level Arabic language. We will be covering greetings, numbers, colours, foods, introducing the letters of the alphabet, etc. 

If you have any further questions on Arabic provision please email Miss Kawther k.ali@nadeenschool.com and Miss Kate k.fellowes@nadeenschool.com 

At Nadeen School we are currently monitoring our Arabic provision, this is something that we have improved steadily over the past 12 months. We have hired our first ever Head of Arabic (Miss Kawther) and also hired another teacher and assistant teacher to increase the capacity of the department.

• Arabic lessons are provided for Arabic students.
• Non Arabic students have beginner/foundation exposure to Arabic through the Arabic Culture lessons as mentioned above.
• All students can attend Arabic Extracurricular Activities to further boost their Arabic language skills.
• Non Arabic students who have followed an Arabic curriculum previously, use this language outside of school and families who want their children to have additional lessons should contact the school via the Head of Arabic, Miss Kawther and Miss Kate as above.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the next Coffee morning!

Thank you to our Sports team for arranging the Taster Sessions for the extracurricular activities. We have seen a huge amount of interest and are very proud to have such a wide range of activities on offer for our students.  

Also this week, Mr Gerry hosted our E-Safety Presentation and you can find the presentation here.  Thank you to everyone that attended this very important session. As a google reference school, we take pride in the effective and safe use of technology at school.

Buses

We are looking into organising bus routes from the list of routes that are currently not running and more information will be sent out about this. We may consider using a private company for a smaller bus.

If you have any questions about the private buses please email: H.Chilwan@nadeenschool.com

Main Reception Parent and Staff Cafe

The Parent and Staff cafe in our main entrance is currently Petiole, a plant-based and sustainable provider. You can read more about Petiole and their vision here: https://petiolefoods.com/about-petiole/

Our intent behind the space is for it to be a place for our parents to socialize, meet up, grab a coffee or snack in the morning or at pick-up, and for it to be a friendly and inviting area to wait. 

We are still in the soft opening phase and are looking for your feedback and suggestions. Please feel welcome and invited to share your thoughts with us through this survey: https://forms.gle/BsbxY7tgw1UC4fs16

I want to personally thank all parents for the continued thank you cards, messages and emails that the whole team are receiving in these first few weeks. It is humbling to see the amount of gratitude and appreciation towards this team that I am very fortunate to work with. We have shared these all with staff and will start to put these on our website to celebrate the amazing start we have had in this new campus, thank you. It is very kind and is a great boost for everyone. I will share one of these below that our team received:

“We would like to express our deepest gratitude for everything you have done. Your commitment to Nadeen School is inspiring. You have fostered a positive and inclusive culture to our school. You have created an environment that is welcoming and supportive where every student feels valued and respected. Thank you for everything you have done for our school.“

– Nadeen School Parents 2023

Have a wonderful weekend.

Dr Paul Walton

Principal

p.walton@nadeenschool.com