Clarion Newsletter, September 16, 2021

Dear Parents and Friends of Clarion,

SWIMMING IN ONE WEEK! :

Swimming classes as part of PE will start on the 26th of September. A special email with more information dedicated to swimming will come home to you next week.

Clarion School would like to congratulate Lamya Butt, a 17 year old student at Dubai Scholars, for her achievement of being shortlisted for the 2021 Global Student Prize. Later in the newsletter there is more about this spectacular student and we extend our school congratulations from Clarion School to Lamya. I look forward to having Lamya visit our school later this year to speak to our students about all her efforts and achievements, with the hope of inspiring our students to help change the world and make it a better place as she has done.

Curriculum Night:

Thank you all for your attendance. The classroom teachers passed on only 3 or 4 questions from you as parents, and we will be reaching out with answers. The homeroom teachers did record the sessions for anyone who could not attend, and all you need to do is connect with your child’s homeroom teacher and she will send you the link to watch the video of the curriculum night presentation and parent chat.

September 30th : Dress Up/Down Day:

We will have our first dress up/down day on September 30th. The theme will be simple and connected to learning, and will be sent home next week. As a clue my hint to you is to…

“Think PINK!”

The BOX:

One of the Clarion School supporters is “The Box”. We have a note about them in the news later, but we are pleased at their discount for Clarion families, and their push to be eco- friendly and sustainable. I am very heartened by their effort to plant trees for every client!

MAP Test Assessments:

Last week and next week Clarion students in Grades 1 through 6 are taking a diagnostic assessment called the MAP test. MAP is used to measure a student's progress or growth in school. The testing information is important to teachers because it indicates where student's strengths are and help that is needed in any specific areas. Teachers can use this information to help them guide instruction in the classroom.

MAP stands for "Measure of Academic Progress" - it is a computerized adaptive test which helps teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students and make informed decisions to promote a child's academic growth. From Grade 1 onwards, Clarion students take MAP Assessment three times in a year: one assessment in Fall, one in Winter, one in late Spring.

As a school we use the Fall MAP results to set targets for individual growth for the entire school year. The January “winter” MAP assessment lets us check progress, and then the June “Spring” MAP test is to check on growth over the course of the entire year.

MAP results over one year help us plan for each student. It takes 3 years of data to see clear patterns as a school.

MAP growth for students is not a perfect upward growth line. Students do progress over time, but each student does so in their own way.

Later this Fall Ms. Nada, the Head of Assessment at Clarion, will lead a parent workshop as part of the re-start to “Clarion Commons” this year.

If your Child is Absent:

Part of regulations is to take attendance every day. If your child is absent for any reason- travel, upset tummy, family reasons, sick day, etc. – please inform your child’s homeroom teacher and Ms. Shazia, our Administrator in the front atrium of the school at her email admin@clarionschool.com

Thank you!

Final thoughts:

I am a big reader. Seeing our library open and seeing your children so happy in there to choose books and check them out and take them home is wonderful! A big shout out for Ms. Heena, the librarian and to all the homeroom teachers for how they are managing the re-opening of our library.

Please take the time this weekend to read with your children. Even if silently together, let them see you as a reader and that will role model for them better than we can ever do in school.

Thank you all for your understanding and trust and have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Jim #BooksMatter Pastore