THE BRADENTON BULLETIN 2016 2017 - TERM 1- ISSUE 2 September 8, 2016 UPCOMING EVENTS: September 11-15 Eid Al-Adha Holiday No School Sports Team Try-outs and practices See Calendar September 19th, Parents Assoc. Team meeting 8:30am. Room Rep. meeting 9:30am in Staff Lounge September 19th 6pm Curriculum Night Grades 6-12 September 20th 6pm Curriculum Night Grades K-5 September 26th, Professional Development Day No school for students Teachers work day Newsletter Editor: Lisa Khoury, PRE l.khoury_bpa@gemsedu.com www.facebook.com/ BradentonPrepDubai Twitter: @BPA_GEMS & the Panthers: @BPA_panthers Dear Parents, Everyone is in a celebratory spirit as we look toward Eid al Adha this coming week. A highlight of every day for us is greeting you and your children outside, welcoming you to another day of learning and laughing together. The rhythms of our days are taking shape; it always feels particularly satisfying to settle into the routine of each year after the hustle and bustle of opening days. The newsletter this week is quite full with information about upcoming events; please read it closely. Of particular note are the CAT4 testing for grades 4, 6, 8, and 10, which begins on Sunday, Sept. 18, our first day back from the Eid break; our 6-12 Curriculum Night at 6:00 on Sept. 19 and our K-5 Curriculum Night at 6:00 on Sept. 20. GEMS Music Academy teachers rocked the auditorium earlier this week with their showcase concert. Our students--your children--listened very attentively and participated enthusiastically at appropriate times. It was wonderful to see such terrific performance etiquette from over 700 students!! Music is an important part of any student s education. Studies have shown that actively learning to play an instrument can help a child s academic achievement. (http://time.com/3634995/ study-kids-engaged-music-class-forbenefits-northwestern/). In fact, Playing music is the brain s equivalent of a full-body workout making music also involves crafting and understanding its emotional content and message, musicians also have higher levels of executive function a category of interlinked tasks that includes planning, strategizing, and attention to detail, and requires simultaneous analysis of both cognitive and emotional aspects. (https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/01/29/music-brain-ted-ed/) Playing clarinet and piano as a child, I remember heated arguments about practicing each instrument with my parents, and now I have the same ones with my son who is learning to play the saxophone, but it s worth it. In addition to the cognitive and developmental benefits of studying music, listening to (or playing) music at any age reduces stress and brings people together, each of which gives even greater rewards. We encourage you during these four days of celebration to make music with your friends and family. Eid Adha Mubarak. Warmest regards, Dan E. Young Head of School Katharine S. Vavpetic, Assistant Head of School
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Islamic Holiday Islamic Holiday Islamic Holiday Islamic Holiday Islamic Holiday SCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Varsity Boys Soccer Try-outs (Grades 9-12) Varsity Girls Basketball Varsity Boys Basketball 3:45-5:00pm Under 14 Boys Soccer P.A. meeting 8:30 followed by Room Rep. meeting at 9:30am in Staff Lounge Curriculum Night 6pm Grades 6-12 *Trips meeting follows Varsity Girls Soccer Varsity Girls Basketball 3:45-5:00pm Curriculum Night 6pm K-5 *Trips meeting follows Under 14 Boys Soccer Varsity Boys Soccer Swim Squad Try-outs Advanced Swimming (Grades 4-12) 1:45-3:00pm Pool Varsity Girls Basketball 1:45-3:00pm Varsity Boys Basketball Under 14 Soccer Swim Squad Try-outs Development Swimming (Grades 1-3) 3:40-4:30pm Pool Under 12 Boys Soccer (Grade 6) Try-Outs 3:45-4:30pm BPA Astro Turf Varsity Girls Soccer Varsity Boys Soccer Try-Outs (Grades 9-12) Soccer Try-Outs (Grades 3-5) 3:45-4:30pm 25 26 27 28 29 30 ASA Term 1 starts week 1 of 11 Continued Professional Training for Faculty NO SCHOOL (for students) Workday for teachers Talent Show Auditions 3:45-6:00 Auditorium New Student Council Announced House Spirit Day *Wear Your Colors Talent Show Auditions 3:45-6:00 Auditorium Girls Basketball Varsity Invitational Girls Basketball Varsity Invitational
EID HOLIDAYS: The EID AL-ADHA HOLIDAY BREAK has been scheduled as SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th. There will be no school for students on these days. The administrative staff will be available on Wednesday, September 14th and Thursday, September 15th from 9:00a.m. until 2:00p.m. You will be able to make payments, sign KHDA required documentation, and visit the Registrar s office during this time. NATIONAL ANTHEM: Everyday the UAE National Anthem is played at school beginning at 8:30a.m. Everyone is asked to stand still until the anthem is completed out of respect for the UAE culture. Parents are expected to extend this same respect when on the school premises. Thank you for your cooperation. PARENTS ASSOCIATION: There is a meeting for main team volunteers and active participants in the Parents Association Monday, September 19th at 8:30a.m. (after drop off) in the Staff Lounge (Administration Office). The main team meets once a month to brainstorm, plan, and visualize events for the BPA community. If you missed the welcome session and would still like to join the team, please come! You can e-mail the Parents Association at bpaparents@gmail.com. Room Representative meeting follows at 9:30a.m. ASAs: Sign-ups for school sponsored ASAs will begin Sunday, September 18th. Parents will sign-up using My Learning and will need to know the Parent User Name and the password for this account. If you do not know this information, please see the receptionists or Lisa Khoury (PRE), the Elementary or Secondary Secretaries, or you can email the receptionists at: reception_bpa@gemsedu.com. They can provide you with the Parent User Name and instructions on how to reset your password. ASA programs will begin the week starting Sunday, September 25th. SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS (Grades 1-5): Inspire a lifelong love of reading in your child!! Scholastic book orders are a wonderful way to build your child s home library. Scholastic has a large selection of books organized by age, interest or reading level at very good prices. Browse, choose, order, and pay online; books are quickly delivered to BPA for distribution so simple! 1 st -5 th grade students with bring home information soon. Our first order will be due on September 22, 2016. Their website is http://world-schools.scholastic.co.uk/ bradenton-prep-acadmey-dubai TEACHER PROFESSIONAL TRAINING WORKSHOP DAY: SEPTEMBER 26 TH there is NO SCHOOL for students. It is a workday for all staff and faculty. Curriculum mapping for 2016-2017 underway. CURRICULUM NIGHT: September 19 th is Curriculum night from 6:00-8:15pm for Grades 6-12 and Curriculum night for Grades K-5 will be held September 20 th from 6:00-8:00pm. At the conclusion of these sessions, there will be an informational meeting regarding off-campus, extended school trips for interested students and parents (Grades 4-12). PARENT CONTRACT: Please don t forget to sign the 2016-2017 KHDA Parent Contract. It is mandatory for all students. This contract is to be completed yearly. UNIFORMS: Thanks to students and parents for following our uniform policy. Black shoes, and official Threads clothing are required. Elementary may wear neutral shoes on PE days. Threads Retail Outlets operating hours are 11am-5pm during the Eid Al Adha Holidays at the Motor City and Al Quoz Outlets.
TRY-OUTS FOR SPORTS TEAMS Under 8/9/10/11 Boys Soccer (Grades 3-5) Thursday, September 22 nd from 3.45 to 4.30pm in the Varsity Boys Soccer (Grades 9-12) Sunday, September 18 th from 7:00am-8:00am in (pitches near Champs Café) Swim Squad Advanced Swimming (Grades 4-12) Tuesday, September 20th from 1:45 to 3:00pm in the Pool Swim Squad Development Swimming (Grades 1-3) Wednesday, September 21st from 3:45 to 4:30pm in the Pool Under 12 Boys Soccer (Grade 6-7) Wednesday, September 21st from 3:45-4:30p.m. on the BPA Astro Turf SPORTS TEAMS PRACTICE Varsity Girls Basketball (in the Gym) Sunday, September 18th 7:00-8:00a.m. Monday, September 19th, 3:45-5:00p.m. Boys Under 14 Soccer (at ) Sunday, September 18th 7:00-8:00a.m. Tuesday, September 20th 7:00-8:00a.m. Tuesday, September 20th 1:45-3:00p.m. Varsity Girls Soccer (at ) Varsity Boys Basketball (in the Gym) Sunday, September 18th 3:45-5:00p.m. Monday, September 19th 7:00-8:00a.m. Wednesday, September 21st 7:00-8:00a.m. Wednesday, September 21st 7:00-8:00a.m. Varsity Boys Soccer (at ) Girls Under 14 Soccer (at ) Tuesday, September 20th 7:00-8:00a.m. Wednesday, September 21st Please note there will be no late bus service available for sports team try-outs or practice. Parents must arrange to have their child collected from the school. After the soccer try-outs in, students will be escorted back to the school. Parents of children trying out for a swimming team are kindly asked to wait inside the school building until the children are finished STUDENT LIFE: HEAD OF HOUSE LEADERS Our Head of House Leaders this year are: Red Sharks Janauri Jones (Grade 7), Yellow Sand Cats Tanesha Washington (Grade 1), Blue Gazelles Liam Kirwan (Physical Education) and Green Falcons Nader Hussein (Arabic). We look forward to beginning this year s competition with a HOUSE spirit day on Wednesday, September 28th where staff and students are invited to wear their HOUSE colors for the day!
It s that time of year again!!! If you would like to be a part of the annual talent show, please start practicing your act and watch for sign-up sheets coming soon outside of the music rooms Auditions Round 1: September 28-29 th after school Important: This year, only the top 15-20 acts will be selected. Acts must be fully prepared and polished by the date of audition. Judges will be scoring based on a rubric and looking for: Creativity Memorization Stage-presence Quality of performance Confidence Prizes will be given to the winners of the following categories: Most Entertaining, Most Creative, Best Costume, Best Stage Presence, and Best Overall Act
What is Eid Al-Adha? At the end of the Hajj, which is the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Adha. This holiday is known as the Festival of Sacrifice. In 2016, Muslims across the world will celebrate Eid al-adha on September 12th, and it will last for four days. What does Eid Al-Adha commemorate? This holiday commemorates the day when the prophet Abraham was going to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, but was instructed by God to offer an animal instead. During this holiday Muslims make an extra effort to pray and listen to the Imam (sermon) at a mosque. Often times, they will wear new clothes, visit family and friends and may symbolically sacrifice an animal in an act called qurbani. In Muslim countries, such as the UAE, some families or groups of families purchase an animal, known as udhiya, typically a goat or sheep that would be sacrificed and a meal shared to commemorate the holiday. Sources: http://islam.about.com/od/hajj/a/adha.htm, http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/muslim/eid-al-adha
On September 18 th, 2016, students in grades 4,6,8 and 10, will begin to take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4). The CAT4 test measures four areas: reasoning: Quantitative, Verbal, Non-verbal and Spatial relationships. This information helps us to understand students strengths, weaknesses and thinking preferences. We are excited to introduce this new tool to BPA in order to better serve our diverse student population.
Cub Scout Registration Learn leadership, values, teamwork, citizenship, practical skills Boys from grades 1 to 5 can join without prior experience 2-3 days commitments per month 500 AED per year plus uniform 400AED Cub Scout Pack 813 Dubai * New and returning Den Leader Training and Program Planning 24 September