EY Parent Handbook 2023-2024

Welcome to Raha

Your Raha journey starts here!

This Handbook is here to ensure your experience is as seamless as possible. Please read itcarefully and refer to it when you need any guidance.

Here's toa SUPERyear ahead!

Our Mission & Vision

Hello, From Our LeadershipTeam

Welcome!

Wearethrilledtowelcomeyoutoour Rahafamily.Our schoolisa vibrantplacewherefunand learninggohand in hand.

Our aimisto helpour littlestlearnersgrowandflourishover theseformativeyearsand helpdeveloptheirnatural curiosityandlovefor learning.We encouragethemto inquire,embracechallenges,takerisksandbecome principled,open-mindedpeople.

WeareextremelyproudtobeanIB Schoolandoffer thePYP Curriculum.Ourapproachestolearningand UnitsofInquiry supporttheIBmission:

”Todevelopinquiring,knowledgeableandcaringyoung peoplewhohelptocreateabetterandmore peacefulworld throughinterculturalunderstandingandrespect."

Welookforwardtopartneringwithyoutoprovideyourchild withthebestpossiblestartto theireducationjourney.

EmilyMerton HeadofEarlyYears GardensCampus

KerryMesmer AssistantHead of EarlyYears

Our Philosophy

TheLearner

• Weseeeverychildascapable,inquisitiveandcreativewiththe righttobenurturedinasafe,supportiveenvironment.

TheTeachingandLearning

• Our practiceisinformedbyresearchwhichsupportsour belief thatyoungchildrenlearnthrough investigation,exploration andplayina socialcontext,wheretheyhavea senseof agency.

• Weviewteachersasfacilitatorsinour children’slearning journey.Weguidelearningthrougha pedagogyofobserving andlistening.

• Our learningspacesreflectourbeliefthat aesthetically engaging,carefullyplannedandpurposefulenvironments significantlyenhancethequalityoflearningexperiences.

TheLearningCommunity

• Wevaluethecultureanddiversityofour learningcommunity.

• Weseerelationshipsandconnectionstobecentral to learning. Thereisa sharedcommitmentto maintainingrespect,opendialogueandcollaborationwith families.

Life in the Early Years

LifeinEYis alittledifferenttotherestofthe school.Think ofEYas the foundationsofyourchild'sschooljourney.Wetakeprideinbeingthe facilitatorsofthat journeyand weare heretonurture andguideyour childthroughthislearningprocessaswellas supportyouasparents everystepoftheway.

Inour EYclassrooms,youwon'tfind mass-produced,identicalpieces ofwork.Youwillseeadultsand childrenworkingtogethertosolve problemsandchildrenbeingscaffoldedbyadultstoreachthe next stepintheirchosenlearningexperience.

Youmayfind onechildwritingindependentlyintheirplay,yet anotherchildlearningto controla pencil.Wearenot drivensolelyby academics.Weareheretoencouragephysical,personal,emotional, socialandlanguagedevelopment.Weareheretobuildconfidence, independence,creativityandimagination,sothatchildrenareready toapplythemselvesacademicallywhenthe timeisrightfor them.

The diversityandindividualityofour childreninEYisthe reasonwe loveour jobsandfindthis groupsospecial.

The Team

Weareahighlyexperiencedanddedicatedteamfromarangeof differentcountriesand curriculums.Rahabringsus alltogether throughour passionfor teachingandbecauseitmatchesourbeliefs andknowledgeofchilddevelopment.

GardensCampus

Wehave8 classesinbothEY1 andEY2. Eachclasshas ahomeroomteacheranda LearningAssistant.

WehaveanexperiencedSpecialistteachingteamwhichincludes; Inclusionteachers,PE/swimmingteachers,ArabicandIslamic Teachers,MusicTeachers,ArtTeachersandLibrarians.

Overseeingtheaboveis our Head,supportedby the AssistantHead. Wealsohaveour EY Assistant,whoisalwaysavailabletosupport parents.

HEAD OF EARLY YEARS! Meet our EY Leadership Team

HEAD OF EARLY YEARS!

HEAD OF EARLY YEARS!

HEAD OF EARLY YEARS! Meet our Specialist Team

Curriculum

Curriculum

PilarAstorga–PYPCoordinator

Throughout theyearwewillbehostingcurriculuminformation sessions.

Thesewillcoverareassuchas:

• Anintroductiontothe PYPinEarlyYears

• Whatisinquiry?

• Supportingyour childwithReadingandWriting

• PracticalactivitiestosupportMathematics

• Our PYPCurriculum

Our websitewww.ris.aeisalsoagreatplaceto findpoliciesand curriculumoutcomesandinformation.

Start of the School Day

• Our gatesopenat 7:30am.

• The NationalAnthemplaysat 7:40ameachmorning.This marks thestartofthe schoolday.Studentsandparentsare expected tostandrespectfullywhilethisis playing.

• Studentswillentertheclassroomthroughthe externaldoors.

• Your childislateiftheyenterclassafter8:00.Our registerswill beclosedandyouwillneedtoreporttomainreceptionto collectayellowlateslip.Latestudentswillnot be permittedinto classwithoutalateslip.

• The firstfewweeksofschoolare likelytobeunsettlingfor your child.This iscompletelynormal,andwearehighlyexperienced withthis.

• EY1and EY2buschildrenwillbedroppedat classbya Bus Monitorin themorning.

Settlingin Howcanyouhelp?

Weaskthattheparentstaketheirchildrentotheirclass,saytheir goodbyesandleavestraightafterthe NationalAnthemat 7.40am. Our kind,experiencedteachersandLAs willtakeitfromhereand willcontactyou,ifit isneeded,toupdateyouon how yourchildhas settled. Wewillalsohaveour StudentSupportStaff andSchool Counselloravailabletosupportallstudentsthroughout theday.

Try torememberthatyour childisinanunfamiliarplace,with unfamiliarpeopleanditwilltaketimetoadapt.In thefirstfew weeksyourchildwillbuildrelationshipswithus andbecome familiarwiththe environment.Oncethosebondsare made,your childwillnotlook back!Keepthe biggerpictureinmindand rememberthesettlinginperiodisjustthat.

End of the School Day

The end of the day

• EY1- Schoolfinishesat1:00pm

• EY2– Schoolfinishesat2:00pm All students finish school at 12:00 on Fridays.

Studentswillneedtobecollectedfromthe classfromEY1and EY2.

Studentswillnot beallowedtoleavethecampuswithoutan adultor oldersiblingandmusthavea priorarrangementwith absent@ris.aeandthestudent'steacher.

Studentswhohavenot beencollected15minutesaftertheend of thedaywillbe senttoEY Assistant'soffice.OnFridays,latestudents canbecollectedfromBuildingA.

Pick-upduringthe daymustbearrangedthroughReceptionor absent@ris.aepriorto thetime.

Parentsare notpermittedtocollectstudentsstraightfromtheir classroomduringtheschool day.

ECPpick-upwillbefrom theclassroombythe externalprovider.

Our EY1andEY2bus childrenwillbetakentothe busbythe classroomLA.

EY1–EY2Uniform

Schooluniformshouldbepurchasedfrom Zaksat RahaMallor throughtheironlinestore.

The EarlyYearsuniformconsistsofgreytrousers/shortswitha greenteeshirt. Weliketogetdirtyand wetduringour playandit isrecommendedtobuyafewshirtsand bottoms.

PEUniform

PEuniformcanbepurchasedfromMagrudysonlinestoreor ForsanMall. Itissuggestedtobuy 2PE uniforms,asyoumay havePEtwodaysina row.

*Pleasewriteyour child’snameon thelabelof eachclothingitem.

Footwear

Footwearformsapartof our uniformexpectations.

Ifyouprefertobuyshoeswhichmeettherequirementsofboth generalandPEdaysthenyourchildcanwearthesameshoesall week.

GeneralSchoolDay PEDay

• Blackshoesonly

• Safeand secure

• Velcrofasteningspreferred

• Whiteor blacksocksonly

• Sportshoes

• Easyfor the childto manage

Swimming

On swimmingdays,EY1and EY2studentsmayarriveatschool wearingtheirswimclothesandshoes.Theywillneedto bringtheir uniformto changeintoafterward. Ensurethateveryitemis clearly labelledwiththechild’snameandclass.Pleasebringthefollowing:

ForEY1 – EY2,atwopiece suit likethiscan be worn to school instead ofuniform.

G1-3students may wear thisforswimming.

ForEY1 – EY2,shorts like thiscan be wornto schoolinsteadof school shorts.

G1-3students may wear thisforswimming.

ForEY1 – EY2,aswimsuit likethismust be worn underneath the full schooluniform.

G1-3students may wear thisforswimming.

Inadditiontotheitemsontheleft,childrenneed:

ForEY1 – EY2,shorts like thismust be worn underneath the full schooluniform.

G1-3students may wear thisforswimming.

These shoes may be worn to andfrom schoolonly on swimmingdays.

G1-3students must wear regularschool shoes.

These shoes must only be worn at thepool.

Please send yourchild to school innormal schoolshoes.

Goggles SwimCap (fabriccapisrecommended)

IMPORTANT

Towel

DrawstringBag

AtRaha,webelievethatif childrenarewellenoughto cometo schoolthentheyarewellenoughto takepartin swimming.All childrenareexpectedtoswimunlessa letterfroma doctoris provided,withthereasonwhyandthe lengthof timethechildmust not swim.

Be Prepared

Thereisnothing moreimportantthan beingpreparedfor your child'sfirstexperienceofschool.

Thisinformationwillhelpyouwhenchoosingyour child'sschool belongings.Thecorrectequipmentwillhelpyour childto be independentwithinschoolandwillalsohelpthemto staysafe aroundthe schoolcampus.

Bags

Your childneedsasmallback-packwhichcanhold their food,waterbottleand hat. Pleaselabeleveryitemwiththe child’snameand class.

PleaseavoidTrolleybagsas thesewillnotfit in yourchild's cubby.

Library Bag

Your childwillneeda librarybagfor theirweeklysessionatthelibrary. Thiscanbe the'Zaks'Rahalibrarybag,or anyotherlightweightbagbig enoughto fit abook inside.Childrenonlyneedto bringthisbagon their libraryday. Ifyourchilddoesnot bringtheirlibrarybag,theywillnot be ableto bringhomea librarybook.

Be Prepared

BE PREPARED

Eatingtimes

Childrenhave2 opportunitiestoeatthroughout theday.The firstis a morningsnacktime.Thesecondis lunchtime,aroundmidday.

Weadviseyouto sendONE lunchbagcontainingenoughfood for theday.The lunchbagshouldbesmallenoughto fitinsideyour child'sbackpack:

Weallowthechildrento eatasmuchastheyneedduringboth eatingtimes.Wedoencouragechildrento eattheirhealthiest optionsfirstso alwayspackfoodwhichyouknowyour childwilleat

Itis helpfulif your childhaspre peeledfruit,suchas orangesand bananas. To helpyour childidentifyitemsthataresnackand lunch,itisrecommendedtolabelthecontainers.

Examplesofhealthysnacksinclude:apples,oranges,kiwi,grapes, crackers,cheeseandraisins.Wepromotehealthyeatingso please saveunhealthyoptionsfor outsideschool.

Pleaselabelalllunchboxesandwaterbottles. Don’t forgetto add cutlery.

Be Prepared

Proudtobe green

Westriveto beaseco-friendlyaspossible.Thisisa mindsetwe instillin thechildrenfromdayone,but theimpactwillbefar more powerfulif wehaveallparentsandcarersonboardtoo.

You canhelpyourchildpacktheirwaste-freelunchbyusing reusablecontainers,bagsor bottles,orsendinginloosefoods withoutplasticwrapping,for example,apples.

Pleaserememberthefollowing:

Pleaseinclude:

• Allfood inreusable containers

• Wholefruits without packaging

• Drinks in reusablecontainers

• Reusableicepacks

Pleasedonotinclude:

• Individuallywrapped snacks

• Plastic bagsthat are not reusable

• Disposable forks and spoons

• Plastic straws

Itemssuchasyogurtpotsor yogurtbottlesarewashedbythe childrenafteruseandrecycledorusedfor junkmodellingduring creativetasks.

BE PREPARED

Nohat, noplay!

Weoperateawholeschoolpolicyof 'No hat,no play'during outdoorplaytime.Thechildrenaretaughtthatit isnot safeto play in thesun withoutprotection.A Rahahat or anyotherhat of your choosingis fine!Childrenwithouthatsmuststayin a shadedarea throughouttheirplaytime,whichlimitstheiractiveexperiences. Pleaseensureyour childbringstheirhatso theycanaccessthefull rangeof outdoorlearning.

HATSARECOMPULSORY!

Waterbottles

Everychildneedsarefillable,reusablewaterbottleeveryday.All childrenhaveaccesstowateratalltimes.Wehelpchildrentofill theirbottlesat first,butit doesn'ttakelongfor themto doit by themselves. Remembertowriteyourchild’snameandclasson theirwaterbottle.PLEASEDO NOTSENDDISPOSABLEWATERBOTTLES!

Namingbelongings

Itcannotbestressedenoughjusthow importantitisto labelEVERY SINGLEPIECEof yourchild'sbelongings.Evennameson itemswash off overtimeso it issomethingwhichmustbe checkedon regularly. .

Spare clothes

Forour EY1childrenwewillneeda fullchangeofclothesto keepat school.Spareclothesare neededfor avarietyof reasons,including food spills,messyplay,toiletaccidents,waterplay.Pleaselabela ziplockbagwithyour child’snameand classandplacethespare clotheswithin.Thespareclothesdonothavetobeaschool uniform.

Allergies

If youhavea childwithanallergy,youwillneedto disclosethis informationon your enrollmentform.

Allinformationandmedicationsarestoredbythe schoolclinicand allteachersareinformedof children'smedicalneeds.Stafftake allergiesveryseriously.Childrenaretaughttheimportanceofthis in classandarenot allowedtosharefood.

Therearealternativenutproductsavailable,suchassunbutter. It canbedifficultto distinguishbetweenanutproduct. Pleaselabel thisitemor writeanote statingwhatitis.

Weurgeyouto choosecarefullywhenselectingfoodfor your child'slunchassomeof our children'sallergiesarelifethreatening.

WE ARE A NUT FREE SCHOOL

The followingitemsareforbiddenastheycontainnuts:

Absences

You arerequiredto reportyourchild'sabsencethenightbeforeif youknowthat yourchildwillnot beattendingschool,or before7am on themorningof absence:

• Pleasesendanemailtoyourchild'steacherandthe absent email–absent@ris.ae

• Pleasedonot leaverecordedmessagesonthe telephoneanswermachine.

• Alldaysmissedfromschoolfor anyreasonwillbereportedon thereportcardasanabsence.

• Whenyourchildis absentfromschoolfor three(3)consecutive daysor more,youneedtoprovidealetterexplainingtheir absenceorprovidea notefrom thedoctoruponreturnto school.

• Extendedabsencesof10daysor morewillbefollowedup bythe school.

• After21 consecutiveabsencesastudentmaybe withdrawnfrom school.

• Ifyourchildhasanillnessoris recoveringfromanillnessandis unabletoparticipateinphysicaleducationorswimming activitiesamedicalcertificateshouldbeissuedby thechild’s doctor.

• The certificateshouldindicatetheperiodoftimethatthechild shouldbeexcludedfromcertainactivities.

• Absenteeismdisruptslearningandit isnot possibleto“makeup” infullthelearninglostduringaperiodofabsence.

Werecommendyoutakeyour holidaysduringthe schoolbreaksto avoiddisruptionof learninganddevelopment.

If youneedto taketerm-timeleave,thenyou mustemailthe Assistanttothe Head.

Birthdays

Birthdaysareimportantfor manyofour families.Wearehappyto celebrateyourchild'sspecialdayinasmallway.

Tomakeour celebrationsfair,consistent,safeandpracticalwehave thefollowingguidelines:

• You maybringone smallpieceoffruit, cupcakeorcookieperchild. Fruitkebabsareagreatideafor ahealthytreat.

• Thereareto beno nuts inthe food andtheingredientsaretobe clearlywrittensothatifchildrenhaveallergies,weareawareof whatisin thefood.

• No knives,plates,accessoriesorindividualgiveaways/giftbags.

• Ifyourchildhasan allergythenyoumaysendan alternative,safe optionso theycanbeincludedinthecelebration-wewillinform youof birthdaysinadvance.

• Wewillsinghappybirthdayto your childandtheywillpresentthe cupcakestotheirclassmates.Thiswillbedone attheend oftheday.

COMMUNICATION

Communicationinany schoolcanbequite overwhelmingat times.Wetry to keepcommunicationtoaminimum.Wemayemail youoccasionallywithremindersorupcomingdatesfor events,but themaincommunicationwillbeinthefollowingways:

• TeacherEmails

• RahaReminders

• Newsletters–Thesearea celebrationofthelearningand highlightcurriculumoutcomesthatwearecovering.

• Noticeboards- Atthefront ofthebuildingsthere arenoticeboardsdisplayingtheweeklylearningoutcomesand our currentIBinformation.

• ISAMSiParentApp/Portal

• SchoolsBuddy

• Toddle -youwillreceiveaninvitationtodownloadthisappto yourdevice.Youwillthenseepostsindividualto yourchild whichwillcontainphotosandinformationregardingtheir learning.

Pleaseemailyourchild’sclassteacherwithanyquestions, messagesorconcerns– theclassteacherisalwaysyourfirst point ofcontact.

• Teacherswillrespondtoyour emailwithin24workinghours (Monday– Friday),sooneriftheycan.

• Pleasenote– teachersarebusywiththeirstudentsand seldomcheckemailsduringteachingtimes. Ifyouemailduring theday,itis likelytheywillonly readthe messageduring theafternoon. Thereforedonot sendurgentemailsregarding ECP’s,busesor pick-upasthisinformationmaynot bereceived in time.

• Foranyurgentmessages,pleasecalltheReceptionorAssistant totheHead– 025561567

PleasetakethetimetocommunicateallinformationtoyourNanny orotherpersonwhomaycareforyourchild.

Buses

Weuseanexternalproviderfor our bustransport.Allarrangement for anychangesto childrencatchingthebusneedtobe communicateddirectlyusingthe emailtransportation@ris.ae

Weadviseallparentstosigntheirchildrenup tothebusinthe weekpriortoschoolstarting,otherwisestudentswillbewithoutbus transportfor thefirstweek.

Extra Curricular Programme

WeofferExtraCurricularProgrammes(ECPs)through paidproviderandwealsooffer teacher-ledprogrammes.

• Informationwillbe sharedwithparentsabouthow tosignup for these

• Sign-upstakeplacetermly

• ForEY1,ECPsbegininOctoberon SchoolsBuddy

• StudentsneedtobecollectedfromtheECPspromptlyatfinish timebyanadult

• Foralternativearrangementsforchildrenwhocatchthe bus,pleasespeakdirectlytothebuscompanyandarrange, thenletthe ECPproviderknowas well

Our ECPcoordinatoris thecontactpersonfor allECPsand canbe emailedatecp@ris.ae