Clarion Newsletter, January 20, 2023

Dear Parents and Friends of Clarion,

The weather in Dubai is amazing at this time. I would encourage our families to take advantage of the weather and enjoy the many wonderful outdoor opportunities that Dubai has to offer. Our school continues to be a very busy place. Here is some information about events and opportunities of the coming week.

1. MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) - January 23 - February 3:

Students from Grade 1 to Grade 7 will be completing the second MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessment of the year. Please ensure your child is well rested, arrives to school on time and has a well-balanced breakfast each morning. For more information on MAP, please visit the link below.

NWEA family toolkit here: https://www.nwea.org/family-toolkit/

2. No School Day for students - January 25:

We will hold out third parent meetings of the year on Wednesday, January 25th. Your homeroom teachers have sent a link to sign up for these meetings. You will also have the opportunity to meet with Arabic, Islamic and Specialist teachers - Art, Music, Makerspace, Drama, French teachers. A link was sent today to sign up. If you are unable to attend on Wednesday, please reach out to your homeroom teacher to schedule an alternate time to meet. These will be in person meetings.

3. Clarion Commons - January 24, between 8:15 AM – 9:00 AM:

We are very pleased to have one of our parents, Martin Rockstrom present on the topic of “Developing health-focused buildings to nurture human health”. Martin Rockstrom is a sustainability entrepreneur and is an advisor for a US-based sustainable investment fund focused on food and water security, impact technologies and hospitality. Please join us for more information and to discuss this important topic. Additional information on this event is included in the newsletter. You can sign up for this event by completing the following form:

https://forms.office.com/r/Eb5xBRG4VP

4. Lighthouse Arabia Webinar - January 24, between 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM:

Dr. Ottila Brown is a clinical psychologist who is offering an online webinar on the topic “What To Do When You Worry Too Much: Tips on Managing Anxiety”. This opportunity is not organized by Clarion so will have people from outside our school community participating. Additional information is included in the newsletter including the webinar link.

5. CPC Upcoming Events:

Save the date for the upcoming CPC events

· Tuesday, January 24 – Our Clarion parent Ms. Evgenia will be offering a yoga session after school at 3:15 PM.

· Friday, January 27 – We will be hosting a Clarion Souk where individuals can purchase tables and sell items from 7:30 AM – 12 PM.

· Saturday, February 11 – After the incredible success of our previous desert event, our CPC invites you to the second desert event for this academic year on Saturday, February 11. You can see the details and sign up for this fun event using this link: https://sugeni.us/dEAe

6. Student's Individual and Class Photos:

The team from Stu Williamson will be onsite from February 6 – 8. Students will have individual and class photos taken at this time. More information concerning specific timing and details will be shared shortly.

7. Student Afterschool Activities:

Our next round of CCI’s (internal) will commence February 6. Current CCI’s will continue until February 1. The signup sheet will be shared with students and families the week of January 23.

8. Semester 1 Report Cards:

Will be distributed to families on January 23, 2023. Parent Teacher Conferences will occur on January 25 from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Zoom options will be available for those who cannot attend onsite during this time. Just a friendly reminder that students do not attend school on this day and that they are encouraged to attend the interviews.

9. Student Attendance and Lates:

A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn. Chronic student absence reduces even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career. A recent study looking at young children found that absenteeism in kindergarten was associated with negative first grade outcomes such as greater absenteeism in subsequent years and lower achievement in Reading, Math, and General Knowledge.

KHDA has provided us with a standard of having only 2-5% of our students absent. We continue to have 10% -12% of our students absent on a given day. Our student attendance and punctuality are priorities for our school. We are asking for our parents support to ensure that their children attend school and are on time each day.

Student absence for the reason of holiday travel is not considered an excused absence as per KHDA guidelines. Please note that all extended student leaves in excess of 3 days require the submission of a request form. The form is available from at our reception area or email: admin@clarionschool.com.

10. Clarion Sports:

Congratulations to the U10 and U11 Boys Football teams who took part in the Dubai School Games Football tournament. Incredible progress with their attacking and defending skills. The boys enjoyed their matches and a fun day full of football.

Next weeks sports events will include:

. Monday, January 23 – DASSA Football Girls Under 9-Grade 2 and 3- football tournament at Aquila School

. Friday, January 27 – DASSA Gymnastics Girls Under 9-Grade 2 at Nord Anglia School

11. Student Field Trips:

Field trips are an important aspect of the educational program at Clarion school. Just a friendly reminder that field trips are not meant to be optional and that students are asked to participate unless they are home ill on the day of the trip.

This week, the students went for following field trips:

· Wednesday, January 18 – Field Trip to Clarion Neighbourhood Atlas Al Khaleej Shop and Al Quoz Park -K2D

· Thursday, January 19 – Field Trip to Clarion Neighbourhood Atlas Al Khaleej Shop and Al Quoz Park - K2 B & K2 C

· Friday, January 20 – Field Trip - Clarion Neighbourhood Atlas Al Khaleej Shop and Al Quoz Park - K2 A

Next week, the students will be going for following field trips:

· Tuesday, January 24 – Field Trip - Innovation Center - Grade 3 A and B

· Thursday, January 26 – Field Trip - Womens' Museum - Grade 3 A & B

In closing, I wish everyone a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday, January 23, 2023!

Sincerely,

Larry