The WellSpring Private School

Dear Parents,

Last week was a great time of parent, staff and student interaction. The Parent Teacher conferences were a very positive experience overall, and we appreciate the effort from both our parents and teachers for this time.

The Family Fall Festival was a hit! Thank you to all the families who came and made it such a fun and festive experience. We are keen to do more events like this in the future.

This week our Netball girls played in the EISSA sports tournament. It's almost the end of the first of 3 terms for our co-curricular activities – make sure to sign up for next term’s clubs and athletics by Friday this week.

Please read the announcements carefully and be sure to diarize all the important upcoming dates, including the details for our National Day celebration next week.

National Day Celebration

We are looking forward to our National Day celebration as a community next Thursday, November 23rd! Please note that it’s an “Early Dismissal Day”. Students departure will be at 12:45.

All families are invited to join in the festivities and to come watch their students’ performances.

Our parents are also welcome to help set up booths representing the Emirati culture and providing Emirati food for the occasion. To be a part of the families who are coordinating together to bring food and help in decoration, please join this WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GFCPymVCSskEF6HvAHeUOs

The food and booths will be set up outside. The performances will be in the auditorium, times as follows:

EC/Elementary: 8:45-9:45am in auditorium
Secondary: 11:30am - 12:30pm in auditorium

Please make sure to be seated 5 minutes before to secure your spot.

Clubs and Athletics

Co-Curricular Sign Ups

We are very excited for Term 2’s Co-Curricular Activities, made up of Clubs (formerly called ASA) and Athletics. Find the programs or activities that your children would like to join, and sign up using this form. Note that sign-ups are open now and will close on November 17.

Please look on Canvas for more details about our co-curricular activities.

If you have any questions feel free to contact Ms. Rachel (rachel.graeff@tws-rak.org) or Mr. Luke (luke.johnson@tws-rak.org). We are excited to serve and invest into your children’s lives in this way.

Family Fall Festival

The Family Fall Festival was a success! It was a great opportunity for parents, students, and staff to get together, connect and enjoy quality time together. We would like to say a big Thank You to our Parents Council and volunteering parents and staff who contributed to the success of this event. Also, a special thanks to our parents who arranged for decorations, food stalls and presenting the program. Another thanks goes to our student council who assisted in all games, dances, and organization. We look forward to more community events to come.

Bullying Awareness Week

November 18th - 24th is declared as the National Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week by the Ministry of Education in UAE.

Bullying is defined as the repetitive, habitual and intentional use of force or aggression in order to control or exercise power over another person. There are 4 major types of bullying – verbal, physical, social and cyber bullying, plus other forms of harm that fall into these categories.

As parents, it is always encouraged to ask your child about bullying, encourage them to reach out and speak up, find ways to build their self-confidence and awareness of whom to approach if they feel targeted or unsafe. It is also integral for parents to identify early signs of bullying behavior in their child (stubborn, aggressive, demanding excessively, threatening) and seek help. Often bullying is an outward expression of emotional chaos within.

At WellSpring we have zero tolerance for bullying. We teach students about what bullying is, what can they do about it and how can they be Upstanders! Stay tuned to learn more about how you can raise your child to be an Upstander.

If you have any concerns, please contact any of our Child Safety leads:

Ms. Mai - mai.abozaid@tws-rak.org
Mr. Hyun - hyun.lee@tws-rak.org
Mr. Remond - remond.matthee@tws-rak.org

30x30 Fitness Challenge

The Dubai Fitness Challenge kicked off last Saturday, October 28th. This initiative challenges everyone to complete 30 minutes of exercise each day for 30 days. We at Wellspring would like to encourage all students and their families to participate in this challenge and commit to getting active this November. Tag us in your pictures on social media of you engaging in exercise using #wellspring30x30.

Family Fun Fitness Ideas for the Week:

Run or Walk the RAK Terry Fox Run on Saturday, November 18: https://rakez.com/en/Media-Centre/Announcements-Detail/ArticleID/426/you-are-invited-to-join-the-rak-terry-fox-run-2023
Make your own 4-square court and have a family tournament
Go to a local park to play

EC/ Elementary Library

The EC/Elementary library is open, and some of our Elementary students have already checked out books this week. Please remind your child to take good care of their library books, and that they need to return them before they can check out new books. Happy reading!

Important update from the MOE:

A Safe School Environment

This week the Ministry of Education has requested that schools partner closer together with parents to help ensure a safe environment for the children.

The MOE has reminded schools to help foster a positive moral environment valuing national identity. Additionally, schools are to refrain from discussing political events while ensuring classrooms remain free from any political discourse.

We want to promote unity and tolerance regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, or religion. Furthermore, the MOE encourages the school and parents about topics such as tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and respect for all people whether in person or online.

If you have any concerns with your children, desire for counselling or other support, please reach out to the school as our team is ready to assist.

Have a look at the highlights of the week here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

WellSpring Administration

WellSpring Weekly