Abs.edu.jo

September 2011
A mile long journey begins with a single step.
Chinese Proverb
Dear Parents,
The s chool year has already begun; and we’re proud to announce that we’ve started our
journey off on the right foot! The children have settled into their routines. We look
forward to an amazing school year filled with magical discoveries.

We enthusiastically welcome back all our returning KG2 students and families; and we
would
like to extend a very special welcome to our new ABS family members in KG1 &
KG2!
Who’s who in the Kindergarten
Mrs. Sandy Abu-Arja Head of Kindergarten sandy@abs.edu.jo
Ms. M aha Ibayyat KG Executive Secretary mibayyat@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. Dima Qubain KG MC/ICT Specialist dqubain@abs.edu.jo
Ms. W esam Ta’amneh KG MC/ICT Specialist Assistant wesamt@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. Razan Fakhoury KG 1A & B Arabic Teacher razan@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. T amara Shawqi KG 1A & B Arabic Teacher tshawqi@abs.edu.jo
Ms. Amira Shawa KG 1A & B English Teacher ashawa@abs.edu.jo
Ms. Yasm
in Nassoura KG 1A & B English Teacher ynassoura@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. Dima Al-Saheb KG 1C & 2A Arabic Teacher dima@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. N
adira Al-Assi KG 1C & 2A Arabic Teacher nadira@abs.edu.jo
Ms. Farah Tahboub KG 1C & 2A English Teacher ftahboub@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. A
ida Taminian KG 1C & 2A English Teacher aidat@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. Mai Tamari KG 2B & C Arabic Teacher mtamari@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. S ahar Haddad KG 2B & C Arabic Teacher sahar@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. Gerorgina Said KG 2B & C English Teacher georgina_said@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. B
ana Yaghmour KG 2B & C English Teacher
Mrs. Mona Faouri KG 1 & 2 Teacher Mrs. Jess
ica Schultz KG 1 & 2 Teacher
Mr. Osama Al Maridi PE Specialist osama_almaridi@abs.edu.jo
Mr. Mazi
n Mansoor PE Specialist mmansoor@abs.edu.jo
Mr. Ahmed Al-Radaydeh Music Specialist aradaydeh@abs.edu.jo
Mrs. Shahnaz Al-Batsch KG Helper
Ms. Areej Swais KG Helper
Mrs. Nisreen Jabriyeh KG Helper
rst Week of School
The first week was spent getting acquainted with each other. KG1 students are still
explor
ing their new home away from home and are starting to bond with their friends and
teachers. Most of the KG2 students have settled into their routine in their brand new
classrooms and have hit the ground running.

Units of Inquiry
KG1 students will soon be right in their element when they start their unit that is near and
dear to a little one’s heart. Their unit will delve into how we use play to express our
feelings
and ideas and in order to come to new understandings.
udents are putting their social skills to the test during their first unit of inquiry that
will revolve around the fact that the way we act affects our relationships with others.

Borrowing Books Procedure
All KG
students will be taking 1Arabic and 1 English book home from the library. The books will
be sent home every Thursday to be returned on Sunday. These books are meant to be read by
you with your children to support their love of and growth in reading.
We hope the children will learn how to be responsible for their books and return them on time.
New books will not be issued until the previous ones are returned. There will be a processing fee
charge of JD 5 for any lost or damaged book plus the original price of the book.

Physical Education (P.E.) & Music
Each week, the KG will be a buzz about the P.E. & Music lessons.

Our young athletes can hardly wait to go to the Sports Complex where they know Coach
Osama & Coach Mazin have prepared fun-filled games and activities for them to
partic ipant in.
Weekly PE Schedule:
Sunda
y 10:00-10:45 KG2A
Monday 10:00-10:45 KG2C
Monda
y 11:45-12:30 KG2B
Tuesday 10:00-10:45 KG1C
Tuesday 10:45-11:30 KG1B
Tuesday 11:30-12:15 KG1A
Please make sure your child is wearing comfortable clothes and gym shoes on the
specified day. For safety reasons, if your child is not in gym shoes he/she will not be
allowed to play.
For hygienic purposes, the school campus’ water fountains have been replaced by water
dispe nsers. Each child is required to bring in his/her water bottle and is welcome to refill it
as many times as needed throughout the day. They will take their water bottles to and
from t
he PE lessons.
Mr. Ahmad Al-Radaydeh’s voice is music to our ears during our music lessons. His
lessons are lively, magical & memorable. Soon the little choir will be belting out the notes
to the songs like true professionals. They will also get a chance to dance to the rhythm of
the m
usic. Before long, they will be playing their musical instruments to the beat.
Weekly Music Schedule:
Tuesd
ay 10:00-10:45 KG1B
Tuesday 10:45-11:30 KG1A
Tuesd
ay 11:30-12:15 KG1C
Wednesday 9:15-10:00 KG2C
Wednesday 10:00-10:45 KG2B
Wednesday 11:45-12:30 KG2A

Open House
We look forward to seeing you all at our annual Open House scheduled for Tuesday 27th
Septem
ber starting at 12:30. Additional details will be communicated prior to the event.
pen House is for parents only. There will not be anyone to supervise the children
after school, so please make arrangements for them to be taken home promptly at 12:15.

Special Announcements & Reminders
School Day Schedule

Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 8:55 am-1:15 pm

Tuesday 8:55 am-12:15 pm
Please b
e punctual for drop-off and pick-up times. We have morning line-up assemblies
on Sunday & Thursday mornings. At the end of the day, teachers are required to be on
active
duty supervising the children, so they are not at liberty to chat about individual
queries or concerns, however, feel free to e-mail or set an official appointment with them.

Notes from Home
Due to
the large number of requests from parents for us to accommodate the change of routine
during pick-up time, we reiterate how important it is that both parties must send in matching,
clearly written, dated A4 size notes with the children involved that include, your child’s first &
family name, his/her class section, who (child’s first & family name) he/she will be going home
with or taking home with him/her and the class section that child is in, as well as who will be
picking
the children up. If ONLY one parent sends a note, then the children will go home as usual
without any change to their pick-up routine. Last minute phone calls, e-mails, voice or text
messages ar
e no longer accepted as they may not reach the KG Team in time during their busy
schedule with the children. We appreciate your support as our top priority is the children’s safety.
Drop-off & Collection of KG Children Procedures
Drop-of
f logistics for KG1 & KG2 –
• Vehicles are to approach the ABS campus from the Sports Complex Gate
• Upon entry, all vehicles are to circulate in a single-lane only, through the Upper
Carpark area, and continuing through to the KG approach road
• Drop-off method is generally “drop & go” only – no parking of cars can be
accommodated from within the queue of vehicles
• The drop-off queue will circulate around the KG carpark circle, with students to
disembark from the vehicle at the KG entrance in turn, with the vehicle leaving
promptly around the carpark circle and back along their entry path
• For those who wish to escort their child(ren) to the KG building: 1. Conductors will
proceed through the carpark to park at the stadium parking area, from where they
will accompany their child(ren) along the sidewalk and running track to the door in
the fence at the KG building
• Upon completing their drop-off, vehicles are to exit the campus following the
external road leading from the Sports Complex to the campus side exit onto the
local roadway
• Pick-up logistics for KG1 & KG2 – see Map B i. Vehicles are to approach the ABS
campus from the Sports Complex Gate
• Upon entry, all vehicles are to circulate in a single-lane only, through the Upper
Carpark area, and continuing through to the KG approach road
• Pick-up method is generally an announced pick-up – no parking of cars can be
accommodated from within the queue of pick-up vehicles 1. The pick-up queue will
circulate around the KG carpark circle, with the vehicle’s family being announced in
advance to the KG entrance, such that the students will be brought forward for
embarking into the vehicle at the KG entrance in turn, with the vehicle leaving
promptly around the carpark circle and back along their entry path
• For those who wish to escort their child(ren) from the KG building: 1. Conductors
will circulate through the back half of the Upper Carpark and proceed through to
park at the stadium parking area, from where they will go on foot to the KG building
to collect their child(ren) and then accompany them back along the sidewalks and
running track to the stadium parking area
Upon completing their pick-up, vehicles are to exit the campus following the external road
leading f
rom the Sports Complex to the campus side exit onto the local roadway
nd Volunteer Mothers Programme
The participation of Class and Volunteer Mothers in the Kindergarten activities is a
traditi on, which has been enjoyed by all involved.
During t
he Open House, interested mothers are asked to complete and return a form.
We randomly draw a name from each class section for “Class Mothers”. Class Mothers
are expected to liaise between school and volunteer mothers. They will also be called
upon to highlight issues of importance to the class as a whole and not with individual
cases. In addition, both the Class and Volunteer Mothers will be involved in carrying out
special activities like the 100th Day of School Celebration, Characters Alive, etc.

Nut-Free Environment
There a
re children in our school with a severe peanut and nut allergy. For some children,
the allergy causes swelling, hives, etc. and in other children it is life-threatening. Some
childre
n react to ingesting the allergen, while others will react by touching the allergen or
inhaling it…so, for the safety of the children, please ensure that the children in your class
bring nutritional snacks that do not contain peanut and nut products.

Also, for birthdays or other class parties, please ensure that treats that are sent for the
entire class are peanut and nut-free. Prepackaged treats and snacks are acceptable as
long as they are peanut and nut-free.

For additional information, please visit the following link
http:// www.calgaryallergy.ca/Articles/English/peanutsoyahp.htm
Please note, we also have children with other allergies. All parents concerned have
educa ted their children as to what they can and cannot eat. The KG Team and I should
support them. We have taken it upon ourselves to suggest a peanut and nut-free school
environment for the safety and well-being of these children.

Change of Clothes
Please send a spare set of clothes including underwear & socks, clearly labeled with your
child’s name in a large ziplock bag, to keep at the K.G. in case of “small” accidents.

Medical Forms
If you ha
ve yet to do so, please return the completed school medical form to the KG no
later than next week. Dr. Fatena Al-Muhtaseb, the school doctor, will compile a list of all
allergi es and special medical cases we need to be aware of.
Passp ort-size Photos
Kindly send as soon as possible, four recent passport-size photographs of your child to
be used in school.

Lunchboxes
Each child should bring in a lunchbox filled with a healthy snack and water bottle. It’s highly
recommended to send in a small plastic plate that will fit in the lunchbox for your child to place
his/her snack on while eating. The plate will come and go with your child daily.
Denim Bags
Each y
ear, we order monogrammed denim bags for each child to carry his/her schoolwork
to and from school. We would like to remind any KG2 students who has yet to send in the
ones
they used last year, so that we do not have to order new ones.
oon as we verify the correct spelling of the KG1 & new KG2 students’ names, we will
place an order for them.

Class Lists
It is a tradition in the KG to circulate all six sections of class lists to all KG Parents at the
beginning of the school year for your convenience. If you prefer that your confidential
information (name, e-mail address, or phone number) NOT be included, please inform Ms.
Maha Ibayyat, KG Executive Secretary via e-mail atprior to Monday
12th September 2011. If that is the case, only your child’s name & birth date will appear on
his/her class list. If we do not receive any e-mails concerning this issue prior to that day,
we plan on sending out the class lists to you all on Tuesday 13th September 2011.
Professional Development
Ms. Amira Shawa, Ms. Farah Tahboub and I had the opportunity to attend the IB PYP
Category 1 Workshops in Paris, France at the end of June 2011 where we had the
opportunity to mingle with hundreds of educators from around the world and attend three
full days of hands-on training about standards & practices and the curriculum model.
As we truly believe in sharing is caring, we have shared our experience in two structured
informative sharing sessions with the entire KG & JS Teams. We have two more hands-on
sessions scheduled in the near future.
ABS Website
To keep abreast of what all is taking place, please visit our ABS website at
We also have a spectacular KG section specifically for our KG families
and friends that can be accessed from the ABS Home Page.

Thanks for your support!
Sincerely,
Sandy Abu-Arja
Head of Kindergarten

Source: http://www.abs.edu.jo/files/KG110911.pdf