Dear Parents,
We are fast approaching the end of our first half term as MNS-Dhahran and the pupils have already started demonstrating their love for learning, fun and working together.
We have celebrated the Saudi National Day – for those who celebrated with us and/or provided food, thank you. The weekly assembly has been implemented whereby classes will take ownership of the weekly themes and encourage others to think about skills which help to reinforce the school’s values: easily remembered with the acronym – AWARE – Aware, Wellbeing, Acceptance, Responsibility and Ethics
Extra Curricula Activities (ECAs)
Next week, we are aiming to start our Extra Curricula Activities (ECAs) based on the pupils’ suggestions and votes. These include a wonderful mix of academic, sporting and “hands on” optional sessions which will be split over Tuesdays and Wednesdays (Tuesday for girls and Wednesdays for boys). Please look out for the letter.
School Textbooks
School textbooks, with the exception of the books provided by the Ministry of Education for Arabic and Islamic Studies, are not permitted to be sent home. This decision has been made to best support your child in their learning. If you wish to purchase the textbooks, independently, please ask your child’s teacher for the name, however, we would much rather follow the resources/activities offered as homework by the class teacher. Moreover, if there is a specific area/subject you wish for your child to develop, please speak to the class teacher so they can make suggestions on how best to do this. On a professional note, I am a big fan of reading and encouraging our pupils to read – anything! On any subject or topic, they find interesting. There are also many free educational apps which help to make learning fun, too.
Parking
Many of you may have seen me greeting you in the morning as the children arrive; this is partly due to it being a great way for me and the children to start the day but to also help with the parking. The safety of our children is paramount – please use the parking bays and listen to the security officer. If we work together on this, we will hopefully never experience any accidents.
Attendance and Punctuality
We believe that children cannot learn if they are absent from school. Therefore, we aim to ensure that all our children take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them and to raise standards by promoting regular attendance and punctuality of pupils.
I recognise that some of the exigencies of life in Saudi Arabia create challenges for some families, but, with term dates being published well in advance, we expect family holidays to be scheduled at times when the school is closed.
In line with our Attendance and Punctuality Policy, the role of the parent is to:
- Ensure your child attends school unless medically unfit.
- Communicate with the class teacher or receptionist by e-mail or letter to explain the absence of your child. The note should detail the days they have been absent and the reason and this will be included in the child’s school record. This note upon the child’s return to school and/or whilst they are absent. If a note does not arrive within this time, the absence will permanently remain as unauthorised on the register.
- Seek permission in advance to gain permission for a child to be absent for any non-medical reason by completing a Leave of Absence request.
- Ensure that if they arrive after 7.50 am each day, they record their child’s presence in school at the Reception desk.
- Ensure that if you are taking your child early from school, they are signed out at the Reception desk.
Please note that End of Term and End of Year Awards will not be made to any student who has an unauthorised absence or who starts the term late or ends the term early, due to family travel plans. Unauthorised absences disqualify students from any end-of-term award.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding with the above points. Furthermore, we look forward to showcasing your child’s learning journey at MSN-Dhahran so please continue to view, share, like, love the videos and pictures posted on Facebook and Instagram.
Yours sincerely,
Kelly Wilkinson
Principal
