NEWSLETTER - 21 JUNE 2018

Dear Family,

Welcome to the ninth edition of our newsletter. There are only 72 days left until our school opens to children for the very first time. We hope the friends and families of our school had a very enjoyable and happy Eid break. If you have been in the area recently you will have noticed how different it looks from the outside with the building being painted white and windows installed. This reflects how complete the building feels inside, especially now that internal fittings like bathrooms and shelves are being installed. We really are beginning to get a feel of what the school will be like and really love the bright varied shaped classrooms and different spaces both indoors and outdoors that will be used to support amazing learning.

Feature

Developing a Love of Reading

At The Aquila School we want every child to develop a love of reading and love coming to school. It goes without saying that learning to read is an essential life skill needed for education, the workplace and being able to survive on a day to day basis. Have you ever stopped to think about how many times you read, signs, labels, instructions, social etc on a daily basis. Reading is so important internationally and locally, being a core part of the UAE vision for the future of education.

There is a danger however that schools, keen to ensure that children understand the mechanics of reading, miss out in what for us at The Aquila School is so important- developing a love of reading. We know that children can get so much pleasure and enjoyment from reading that we want to promote this so that reading for pleasure becomes a habit of a lifetime. So, particularly helpful over the long summer break here are our top tips on developing and sustaining a love of reading-

  • Let children choose what they read. There is very little pleasure to be gained from reading a text that is of no interest to the children or that simply requires them to decode words.
  • It is fine to re-read a book that has been read before. We wouldn’t stop a child from playing a piece of music again on the grounds they have heard it before, so why do we sometimes insist everything a child reads needs to be for the first time.
  • A real book or an e-book- both are equally valuable, let children choose.
  • Fiction and non-fiction can be equally enjoyable, again let the children choose.
  • Sharing a book with family members should be a relaxed and pleasurable experience. If neither of you are in the mood or the session is becoming stressful stop and start again when the time is right.
  • Some children enjoy reading stories aloud to their friends or toys, this is a great skill and is to be encouraged.
  • Encourage children to bring their books alive, maybe acting out stories, creating a puppet show, making a presentation or even just responding to the book through art, design and music. The possibilities are endless.
  • Let children know that reading is not just for children. Why not have time when you and your family sit together and read, either sharing a book or pursuing individual interests. This would certainly be time very well spent.

We excitedly anticipate the arrival of the thousands of books we have ordered for The Aquila School as we know these will really help us to encourage every child to develop a love of reading. Have a happy summer of from everyone at The Aquila School.

Staff Update

Ryan Daly – Finance Manager

We are delighted to introduce Ryan Daly our school finance manager.

Ryan joins us from an accounting background in industry and has been in the UAE for several years. Ryan is very much looking forward to being part of a school community. As well as helping keep our finances in order, as a keen footballer Ryan is also looking forward to having football sessions with the children during our weekly golden time.

News

Last week we mentioned in our newsletter our community café. This will be based in our main reception area and will be open all day selling coffee, cake and sandwiches etc. originally we had planned to call our cafeteria The Aquila Noshery (with Nosh being a word used in England sometimes to describe food). Since then some people have made some other suggestions and so, as community involvement and children making choices are a key part of our vision we are handing over the decision of what our café will be called to you. The choices are:

  • The Noshery
  • The Parrot Café
  • The Aquilary

 

To have your say please click on the link below before the end of the weekend. Make sure you look out for the announcement of the winning name in next weeks newsletter.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QHMB8T2

Our uniform has been made, and as we write is sailing over to Dubai. All of our uniform items (apart from socks and shoes (plain black)) will be available to buy from our onsite uniform shop this will be open from 25th to 30th August between 10am and 3pm and every Sunday and Wednesday during term time from 8am until 3.30pm.

Special Offers

Community Bus Offer

Did you know we offer a free community bus for founding students? We have limited spaces available and are subject to confirmation of enrolment and location. Contact our Admissions team on +971 50 788 7207 or
admissions@theaquilaschool.com to find out more.

Recommend us to your friends!

At The Aquila School, we recognise that parents and friends are the best ambassadors for our unique style of learning and community-minded environment.

To support this, we are rewarding all enrolled families with an extra 5% off your child’s tuition fees if you refer a friend to join The Aquila School.

Refer us to your friend

Upcoming Events

Open Day

Saturday, 23rd June
Part of our school is now open for all families to meet our leaders and see our classrooms for the very first time. Children (and ambitious parents!) can test their creative skills by entering our UAE Design Challenge for a chance to win a helicopter flight over Dubai.

Where: The Aquila School, Dubailand. Opposite Sky Court Towers. Enter at the white flags.
Time: 10am – 2pm
Please register here

Save the Date

On Wednesday 29th August at 2.30pm all enrolled families are invited to join us in school to meet our staff, tour our school and sample delicious treats from The Aquila Noshery (or whatever it is called by then!).