Letters Of Love and LOYALTY TO BAHRAIN AL HEKMA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL JANUARY 2017 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

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1 Letters Of Love and LOYALTY TO BAHRAIN AL HEKMA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL JANUARY 2017 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

2 2 AL HEKMA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL انه من الروعة أن نبدأ أمس العام الدراسي الجديد ثم فجأة نصل إلى نهاية هذه السنة 2016 حيث أننا دائما ننسى الشعور بقيمة الوقت من كثرة األعمال البناءة وازدحام الحياة وها هو ذا العام يلوح فى األفق وينتهي وأود أن أغتنم هذه الفرصة ألقر لكم سعادتي بمجتمعنا الدراسي المتميز من خال التزام الطاب والمعلمين وأولياء األمور واإلدارة وتميزهم جميعا ولهو شيء عظيم أن نضع كل جهودنا من أجل تعليم طابنا وأبنائنا وسعادتهم. أنا متحمس إلعان انطاق برنامج االباء التطوعي الذي يعطي الفرصة ألولياء األمور أن يشاركوا بشكل فعال وقوي فى المبادرات التربوية التي تدعم العملية التعليمية بشكل عام فنحن نؤمن بمدى أهمية مشاركة أولياء األمور لتحقيق الحد األقصى وتنمية قدرات الطلبة بحسب استعداداتهم الفطرية ومهاراتهم الخاصة حيث أننا نعلم أن طابنا سوف يستفيدون كثيرا من مساهمات أولياء أمورهم. في يناير المقبل 2017 سوف نرسل لكم عدة معلومات تخص الخطوط العريضة للبرامج واألنشطة المتاحة ونتمنى لتوسيع الفرص التي من شأنها أن تسمح لكم المساهمة معنا في التطوير. وأخيرا ونيابة عن ادارة المدرسة وأعضاء هيئة التدريس بها نتمنى لجميع أعضاء مجتمعنا المدرسي سنة جديدة مزدهرة وسعيدة. أ.ماركوس فيريرا مدير مدرسة الحكمة الدولية Dear AHIS Parents, I am sure that many of you will agree with me that it feels like just yesterday we started the academic year and then suddenly, we come to the end We always experience the feeling of time flying by when we have busy and productive lives and our school community is no exception. As the end of the year looms on the horizon, it is with heartfelt warmth that I take the occasion to acknowledge the commitment of our students, parents, teachers and administration. We have an awesome school community and it is a great pleasure to put our efforts in supporting learning and the well being of our loved children. I am excited to announce the launch of our Parents in Action Volunteer Program (PiA) which seeks to provide further opportunities for our parents to be fully involved in the school s initiatives that supports the overall pedagogical, social and emotional development of our children. We believe that parents involvement is essential for the maximum educational achievement of a child and we wish to further expand opportunities that will allow you to contribute according to your talents and skills. We trust that our parents are positive role models and that our students will greatly benefit from your individual contributions. In Janaury 2017, you will receive further information, including the PiA enrollment forms with an outline of available programs and activities. Please note that we will operate on a firstcome-first-serve basis and once you have received the forms, you are strongly encouraged to review and submit it as soon as possible. Finally, on behalf of the AHIS administration and faculty, we wish all members of our school community a prosperous and Happy New Year. MR. MARCOS FERREIRA PRINCIPAL AHISBH Alhekma.bahrain

3 JANUARY 2017 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER 3 Dear Parents, It is a joyous time of the year full of celebrations for Bahrain national day. Wishing all the students and parents a happy national day on this occasion. Winter break is coming soon, during this time students are encouraged to review materials over the holidays to keep their minds refreshed especially that semester 1 final exams are approaching soon. To be well prepared for the exams; students must practice good studying skills. Below are some tips on how to be well prepared for exams: Don t try to do all your studying the night before the test. Instead space out your studying, review class materials at least several times a week, focusing on one topic at a time. Start out by studying the most important information. Learn the general concepts first, don t worry about learning the details until you have learned the main ideas. Take notes and write down a summary of the important ideas as you read through your study material. Test yourself on the material to find out what your weak and strong areas are. You can use the review questions at the end of each chapter. أ. ديما نحولي مساعد المدير للمرحلة المتوسطة والثانوية MS. DIMA NAHOULI (MS/HS) ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL On the other hand, we would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the Core Values selected for MS/HS Helping Those in Need. In middle and high school we will be working on helping people in need within the school community, within the local community and globally. Activities related to this value will be planned and worked upon. Thank you for being an integral part of your child education. أعزائي أولياء أمور الطلبة الكرام يسعدني أن ألتقي بكم مجددا في مناسبة عزيزة على قلب كل واحد منا أال وهي مناسبة العيد الوطني المجيد لمملكة البحرين فكل عام والجميع بألف خير وها نحن مع بداية إجازة شتوية أخرى أتمنى للجميع أطيب وأسعد األوقات دائما وأحب أن أذكر طلبتنا بضرورة استغال هذا الوقت في مراجعة الموضوعات التي تمت دراستها وذلك لتهيئة طلبتنا المتحانات الفصل الدراسي األول. تخصيص وقتا معينا قبل بدء االختبارات بمدة كافية للتمكن من مراجعة كافة المواضيع والتركيز على موضوع واحد خال كل فترة. يفضل التركيز على المعلومات األساسية والمهمة. ركز على المفهاهيم األساسية أوال وحاول أن تعطيها الوقت الكافي ومن ثم تنتقل إلى التفاصيل. حاول أن تفهم المعلومات وال تحفظها الن فهم المعلومة يساعد على استرجاعها بطريقة أسهل. اختبر نفسك بنفسك لمعرفة نقاط القوة ونقاط التحسين. وفي النهاية يسعدني أن أخبركم أن طلبة المرحلة اإلعدادية والثانوية سيقومون بعمل نشاطات خيرية وإنسانية مجتمعية وعالمية تهدف إلى مساعدة اآلخرين وتحمل المسؤلية اتجاه اآلخرين. شاكرين لكم حسن تعاونكم الدائم معنا. أ. مايا حرب مساعد مدير للمرحلة االبتدائية MS. MAYA HARB ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ELEMENTARY Dear Parents, Teachers and Students, We at AHIS, believe that character education is as important as academics; accordingly, we wish to share the Core Driving Value of the Elementary School: We Share We Care. Character education will only be effective if it is embedded in students curriculum and through hands on activities. That is why we planned a range of activities for our student to take part during the Academic year. The student council will organize a campaign to promote sharing where Elementary students will donate toys brought from home to children in need. In English and Arabic classes they will write letters to the children who will receive their toys. In Art classes, they will do a banner to promote their core values, in computer classes they will make videos covering the campaign. So many other activities are awaiting the Elementary students in other disciplines. Parents have a big role in this campaign; they can reinforce their children caring attitude at home through their daily life. There are plenty of examples of a caring attitude such as simply bringing a glass of water to my sibling when coughing. We Share We Care is an expression that you will often hear your child saying this academic year! نؤمن في مدرسة الحكمة الدولية بأن تنمية الشخصية ال يقل أهمية عن التعليم االكاديمي. وفقا لذلك نود أن نشارك قيمنا األساسية للمدرسة االبتدائية: نشارك ونهتم. تنمية الشخصية في التعليم لن يكون فعاال إال إذا تم تضمين ذلك في المناهج الدراسية للطاب ومن خال التدريب العملي على األنشطة. ولذلك قمنا بوضع خطط لمجموعة من األنشطة لطابنا للمشاركة خال العام الدراسي. سيقوم مجلس الطلبة بتنظيم حملة لتشجيع المشاركة حيث سيقوم طاب المرحلة االبتدائية بالتبرع بالعابهم الشخصية لألطفال المحتاجين. وفي قسم اللغة اإلنجليزية واللغة العربية سوف يقوم الطلبة على كتابة رسائل إلى األطفال الذين سيحصلون على ألعابهم. في حصص الفن سيقوم الطلبة بعمل الفتة تعزز القيم األساسية وفي حصص الكومبيوتر ستقوم الطلبة بعمل فيديو لتغطية الحملة. وهناك العديد من األنشطة األخرى التي تنتظر طاب االبتدائي في تخصصات أخرى. ألولياء االمور دورا كبيرا في هذه الحملة. بامكانكم تعزيز هذه القيم في المنزل من خال االنشطة الحياتية اليومية مثل التحدث عن اهمية االهتمام والمشاركة والمساعدة في المنزل ومن ابسطها جلب كوب من الماء لوالدي أو امي أو اخي عند السعال. نرجوا مساعدتكم البناءة في تعزيز قيمة المشاركة واالهتمام حيث ستتردد هذه القيم عند الطلبة خال العام الدراسي!

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5 JANUARY 2017 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER 5 Under the generous patronage of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD), and Shaikha Maram Bint Isa Al Khalifa (Acting Secretary General/ NIAD) who graced us with her active presence in which she also distributed ENO certificates to all students that participated and officially opened the NIAD ENO garden in Al-Areen, ENO Bahrain Coordinator (Ms. Rasha Al Najjar - Science coordinator at Al Hekma International School) and Bnature (Bahrain s first online environmental platform) have partnered together to implement the ENO Program in Bahrain and nurture environmental education in the field. This exciting school event aimed to plant and log at least 200 trees and instill environmental citizenship through engaging schools and growing the connection between students and planet. Al Hekma International School invited all public and private schools to participate in this global activity and provided them with hands-on experience in planting and caring for a tree. The school planting event took place in Al Areen on Saturday المبادرة البيئية الزراعية برعاية مدرسة الحكمة الدولية تحت رعاية المبادرة الوطنية لتنمية القطاع الزراعي وحضور سمو الشيخة مرام بنت عيسى آل خليفة األمين العام بالنيابة واألستاذة رشا النجار منسق قسم العلوم لدى مدرسة الحكمة الدولية والمنسق العام لمبادرة التنمية الزراعية والمدرسة البيئية االلكترونية البحرينية أقيمت المبادرة البيئية الزراعية والتي تعنى بزراعة مئتي شجرة في محمية العرين البرية وذلك يوم السبت الموافق حيث شارك العديد من المدارس في هذا الشاط المميز والذي يهدف إلى تعزيز روح المسؤلية وإكساب الطلبة مزيدا من الوعي حول ضرروة المحافظة على البيئة وجعلها خضراء قدر المستطاع.

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7 JANUARY 2017 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER 7 Messages from our Hearts to Bahrain! AlHekma International School celebrated Bahrain National Day on Thursday 15/12/2016. The theme of the event was Letters of love and Loyalty to Bahrain. The celebration included speeches, poems to show the loyalty to Bahrain and its leaders. The celebration was also filled with fun, music and Bahraini traditional dances. School was decorated with the flags of Bahrain and red and white colors. This ceremony reflects the belief of the school about the importance of the Bahraini National Day and reinforces of values of peace and tolerance among students. في عيدك يا بادي! في عيدك يا بادي! أقامت مدرسة الحكمة الدولية حفا بهيجا بمناسبة العيد الوطني المجيد لمملكة البحرين وذلك يوم الخميس 2016/12/15 والذي انعقد تحت شعار) رسائل للبحرين ( وقد تضمن الحفل كلمات وقصائد جميلة في حب البحرين والقيادة الحكيمة كما أدى الطلبة رقصات شعبية وفقرات فلكلورية من تراث البحرين وختمت بالعرضة والعرس البحريني. وقد تزينت المدرسة بأعام البحرين وصور القيادة في جو وطني بهيج ويأتي الحفل إيمانا من المدرسة بأهمية هذه المناسبة الوطنية في ترسيخ قيم المواطنة والسام والتسامح لدى طلبتها.

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12 12 AL HEKMA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL MS. RIMA KAISSI DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT. D3 CONSULTANTS Focus Groups Feedback Dear Parents and Students, AHIS started a focus group initiative this year in which a third party D3 Consultants company meets with random group of parents and students to discuss concerns and development recommendations for continuous improvement purposes. The following list shows some of the recommendations made by parents and students and the feedback of the administration as well as plans to improve. 01 An issue was raised regarding toilets cleanliness on third and fourth floor. Addressed efficiently and promptly by operations dept. Cleaning company addressed and supervision reinforced. 02 Pricing of food in canteen is considered expensive. A study was done comparing to other private schools and quality of food provided and prices are reasonable compared to external suppliers. Survey was done amongst students and majority are happy with the food provided and prices are reasonable Project materials are recommended to be sold at school. Teachers will inform purchasing dept of the material they need for projects ahead of time and material will be sold in both libraries for interested students. Some parents were complaining that more than one test is being assigned for students on the same day. Exams: There are no records of two exams on the same day at the Elementary school, except, for Civics and Arabic Social Studies when students are given one text. Equally, no evidence of two exams administered on the same day for MS and HS. Exams calendar contains two exams per week. Projects: Elementary school projects are initiated in the classroom and completed at home. Non-core subjects are completed in class in lower-elementary. Homework: Reduced whenever students have test for the same subjects or no homework is assigned the day prior to testing. 05 There is a need for differentiated assignments in spelling homework. The English dept worked on differentiated assignments for students and this will start in the month of Jan 2017.

13 JANUARY 2017 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Some parents recommended putting more focus on multiplication table memorization in Elementary. Math department will integrate multiplication games into learning activities and this will be reinforced weekly. Competition and rewards systems will be in place to encourage students to memorize multiplication tables. 07 Font on weekly agenda is extremely small Issue has been fixed by IT Department. 08 Parents recommended that religion teachers assign a room for noon prayer. Efficiently addressed Parents complained about some lessons not taught while homework is assigned. Noted and addressed by assistant principals. They will follow up with coordinators to ensure this does not take place in the future. Parents commended one of our faculties on the use of flipped classroom approach and recommended that other teachers consider the same approach. Administration arranged for a workshop to teachers in this regard. Outcome of workshop and implementation in classes will be monitored in the future. Parents complained about the length of parent teacher meetings and how difficult for them to see teachers in the time allocated. We are splitting parent-teachers meetings into different days to allow parents with multiple kids to have enough time to meet the teachers. K-5 will be on a different day and week from G Few parents complained that some teachers postpone a test without informing parents Addressed promptly and effectively. Such matters will be followed up by senior admin. 13 Parents recommended having one username and password for all kind of communication between home and school. Recommendation was brought up to IT department s attention and they are working on it to help solve this issue. 14 Some parents complained that Portal Plus information is not always up to date. To be noted that numbers of users of Portal Plus increased to 256 since we conducted workshops during our last PT meeting. Number increased more than 200%. Assistant Principals are following up on Portal Plus entries on weekly basis. Some parents recommended that projects should be worked on at school during class periods and 15 small part at home. Teachers are informed to assign time for students to work on their projects in class. Minimal tasks will be assigned to be done at home to reinforce home-school connection.

14 14 AL HEKMA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Some parents commented that few teachers in elementary are threatening students to send them to 16 KG when misbehaving. Memo was sent to teachers urging them to refrain from using the threatening approach with students. 17 Class dojo to address a child s behavior in private and not public. This is addressed with teachers. 18 Few complaints that some students are being sent out of class due to behavioral issues. They recommended to deal with them in class. Teachers were reminded of the school policy. Students are only removed from class if direct disrespect took place which is disruptive to other students in class. Classroom management reinforced to minimize such behavior from taking place Parents recommended that when assigning group projects, criteria of grading need to be very clear. Rubrics are being used when projects are assigned. A focus on rubrics to be explained in class was addressed. Presenting in class carries also a grade for each student separately even if they worked in groups. IEP plans set for students were commendable, but few parents were concerned that they are not being aware of the progress taking place at school. To be noted that progress with IEP students is not necessarily as evident as it would be with non-iep learners. Issue was addressed with the special educator and she is communicating more often with parents. 21 Parents recommended for more attention during break duty to be exercised. Addressed. Duty schedule revised. A parent complained that Arabic in Grade 2 is not being followed properly. No tests or dictation or 22 reading is being assigned. Class observations, weekly agenda entry and teacher s lesson plan doesn t reflect such concern. Nevertheless, Arabic Coordinator will be following up closely with such concern. 23 Some parents raised a concern regarding amount of notebooks distributed by the school. Due to students not handling their notebooks properly, limited amount of notebooks was handed out with option of receiving more when needed and requested from librarian.

15 JANUARY 2017 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER 15 The International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) AHIS is proud to announce that our Grade 4 students scored at the top 11% nationally in the Trends in The International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), a test that measures competency in Grades 4 and 8. The test is conducted worldwide every four years. We are thrilled to have two of our own beloved students Nasser Mohanned AlAnni and Ali Mohamed Jameel scoring at the top 10 for students in Grade 4. Our Grade 8 students did exceptionally well and came in the second place all across Bahrain schools in Math and Science! Congratulations to all of our students and teachers on this wonderful accomplishment! كعادتها في تحقيق نجاح تلو االخر ولجعل ختامها مسك تنهي مدرسة الحكمة الدولية سنة 2016 باحتال تاميذ الصف الثامن المركز الثاني على مستوى البحرين في مادتي الرياضيات والعلوم في امتحان TIMSS كما حقق ممثلي الصف الرابع و هما ناصر مهند العاني و علي محمد جميل نجاحا كبيرا من خال تتويجهم ضمن العشرة االوائل. كما احتل الصف الرابع النجاح وحقق مرتبة عالية ضمن %11 االوائل على الصعيد الوطني. يتم إجراء االختبار في جميع أنحاء العالم كل أربع سنوات و هو فرصة البراز القدرات العلمية والفكرية للطلبة. وتحرص مدرسة الحكمة على تكوين و تحضير تامذتها على مدار السنة ليس فقط ليشاركون بل الحتال مراكز متقدمة و تمثيل المدرسة خير تمثيل. مرة اخرى هنيئا لتاميذ مدرسة الحكمة بهذا االنجاز.

16 16 AL HEKMA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Another SHARKS Achievement: One of the top 4 teams in BADIR initiative among universities and schools in Bahrain We are very proud to announce that our high school students Badir team Sharks Go Green was selected as one of the top 8 teams among universities and schools in Bahrain and eventually scored the fourth place. Our team consisted of five students: Khaled Alaani,Hareth Al Arayedh,Malak Alkhunaizi,Lucia Boudargham and Hussain Asiri.The youth initiative award Badir is UHH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa. The theme for this year was sustainability and climate change, our students presented and promoted the idea of a green outdoor classroom during the three day Badir exhibition that was held in Seef mall from December 2016.Their project idea was linked to the UN sustainable development goals(sdgs) and Bahrain s vision 2030.The closing ceremony was conducted at 7pm on Monday ,his Excellency Mr. Hisham bin Mohammed Al-Jowder Minister of Youth & Sports Affairs announced the winners and gave out the trophies. Well done sharks