Dear Parents and Friends of Clarion,

I hope everyone had a wonderful week as we enter the month of February. Term 2 and 3 are the shortest of the 3 terms in our school year, with only 86 school days remaining, accounting for the holidays between now and the end of this school year.

I would like to request continued support from our parents in ensuring that your child attends school and arrives on time. Thanks to the support of our parents, our student attendance has been very strong. However, we continue to observe a significant number of students arriving after 8:00 AM each school day. The KHDA inspectors noted this during their visit last month, and we have been instructed to address this concern.

Please find below some general information:

1. MAP Assessments: We have concluded the Map assessments for this term, and the results are highly encouraging, showcasing significant progress among our students since the start of Term 1 this academic year. The results will be shared with parents shortly. Additionally, the i-Ready Reading assessments are scheduled for February 14 - 18. Further details will be provided closer to the assessment dates.

2. Random Acts of Kindness Month: February marks the Random Act of Kindness Month, providing a wonderful chance to strengthen compassion and empathy within our community. Engaging in a random act of kindness involves intentionally making someone else's day brighter with a thoughtful gesture for no particular reason. More information is shared below in the Newsletter.

3. Student Drop off and Pick up:

Parent access to corridors after 8:05 AM has been limited, effective Tuesday, January 3, 2024. This is for safeguarding reasons and to ensure that classroom instruction is not interrupted.

- Parents of students from PreK – Grade 7 can continue to drop off their children at their classrooms before 8:00 AM. We kindly ask that parents leave the corridors by 8:05 am.

- Parents and students arriving after 8:00 AM are requested to bring their children to our Atrium area to get a late pass. Our staff members will then escort them to their respective classrooms.

- Grade 1 – 7 students will still be picked up in the designated areas on the street or courtyard. Early years parents can continue to pick up their children at the classroom door. However, we kindly request that parents do not enter the hallways after 2:55 PM (Monday – Thursday) and 11:55 AM (Fridays) to ensure classroom instruction is not interrupted.

- Any materials or items for children arriving after 8:05 AM should be dropped off at our Atrium area, and we will ensure they are delivered to the students.

4. Birthday Celebrations:

We encourage birthday celebrations; however, certain items such as donuts and birthday cakes with high sugar content, nuts, or frosting cannot be permitted. Your support in adhering to this policy is crucial. Like all schools, we have a diverse student population, some with allergies, and we respect families monitoring their children's refined sugar intake. Consider alternative options such as fruit platters, fruit kebabs, dried fruit without added sugar, and low-fat yogurt parfaits. Kindly check with your child’s homeroom teacher before providing food for celebrations.

Clarion boasts an exceptionally engaged and dynamic parent community, a pivotal factor in our ability to offer diverse opportunities to our students. A recent visitor described Clarion as a "Hidden Gem" in Dubai. As we embark on preparations for the next academic year, we invite our parents to play a key role in expanding our student community by sharing the exceptional qualities of our school within their networks.

Wishing everyone a delightful weekend and see you on Monday, February 5, 2024.

Sincerely,

Larry