Dear Parents,

Beginning this week, we transitioned to our regular pre-COVID schedules, allowing us to expand our mixed group offerings for World Languages and Support Services. We were very happy to be able to implement our full scope of on-site learning and to maximize instructional time for our students. During COVID and until very recently, students were receiving their World Language instruction via Zoom. A few weeks ago we began to offer on-site World Language instruction once a week to students in separate class bubbles. Starting this week, MSA was offered to KG students in mixed groupings twice a week. MSA, Spanish and AFL were also offered to Grade 1 and 2 students in mixed groupings, twice for all groups and for some groups three times, as we are operating on an alternating basis with students attending these subjects twice a week on one week and three times a week on the following week.

Grade 1 Learning Highlights

Prepared by Mr. Matt Self - Grade 1 Team Leader

Grade 1 students have been working on a Science unit called: Sound and Light. The essential questions of this unit are: How do you make a sound? What happens when materials vibrate? What happens when there is no light? What makes a shadow? What can light shine through? Through these questions, students developed an understanding of the relationship between sound and vibrating materials as well as between the availability of light and the ability to see objects. Students participated in a number of different experiments to understand how both light and sound travel from one place to another. At the end of the unit, students took part in the design process and created an object that could send a simple message by using light, sound or both.

In Language Arts, students have been creating How to Books. Students have been choosing a topic that they are an expert on and creating step-by-step books to help teach someone how to do something; some examples have been: How to Ride a Bike, How to Make Pizza, and How to Read. In reading, students have just completed the unit: Word Detectives. During this unit, students discovered different word solving strategies and worked on their reading foundational skills. Students have also continued to build their reading stamina over the course of the unit. In Word Study, students have been taking part in a vowel boot camp. Students have been engaged in a number of different activities to help improve their short and long vowel sounds. In Math, students have been working to build fluency within 10, while applying different strategies to show their thinking and help them solve complex word problems.

Upcoming Virtual Parent Session

We will be holding a parent session on Monday, November 22 at 10:00 am focused on digital resources. Ms. Jenn McEwan, our Lower Elementary School Technology Integrator, will be presenting information about digital resources that can be used on the homefront to assist students to consolidate and extend their school learning. This Zoom meeting can be accessed on the day by following THIS LINK.

Meeting ID: 963 9570 3403

Passcode: 714374

This session will be recorded and posted on the LES What’s On Teneen page.

We will also be holding a Parent Forum during the second part of this Parent Session. If you have topics, feedback, or questions that you would like to put forth for agenda consideration, please send them to us at LESParentForum@asd.edu.qa by 9:00 am on Sunday, November 21.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lana Al-Aghbar

Lower Elementary Principal