WellSpring Weekly

We are coming to the end of week 4 and we’re in full swing! Our Clubs and Athletics programs have all begun - we are committed to providing these extra curricular opportunities for our students to grow and develop their talents and skills.

Next week we begin our first round of MAP testing for the year, more information on that below. We have some all-school and elementary news, plus dates and events to diarize. Please make sure you have signed the Parent/Student handbook and other forms, also detailed below.

Enjoy the highlights of the week at the end of the newsletter.

This year all our students are using IXL which is an online skill building program.

Each week Elementary students are expected to reach proficiency (Smartscore of 80) for two English skills and two Math skills. This will help them practice the skills taught in class and extend their learning

Grades 6 to 9 will practice skills in Math, Science and English. Grades 10 – 12 will practice Math and English.

IXL helps to provide targeted plans based on each student's learning level. Students work on IXL skills during school, but are also expected to use it after school as a regular practice.

Students in KG2 to Grade 10 will take the Fall MAP test starting next week. This is a computer adaptive assessment students take three times a year to measure student achievement and growth of math, reading, science, and language usage skills. This means students get a unique set of questions based on their answers to previous questions. The purpose of this assessment is to help teachers understand where students are ready to start learning, how they are growing over time, and the strengths and areas of improvement.

To support students during the assessment, please ensure they arrive to school on time, well rested, and properly nourished. This helps them remain focused during the day and increases their stamina during the test. Test results will be shared with parents once the testing is completed.

We are delighted to offer an exciting range of co-curricular activities (Athletics and Clubs) for your children to participate in.

Clubs: Began this week, but you can still join up! For Club descriptions, please look in the ‘Lunch’ course on Canvas. Find the programs or activities that your children would like to join, and sign up using this form.
For more information regarding Clubs please contact Mrs. Rachel at rachel.graeff@tws-rak.org.

Athletics: Below are the upcoming EISSA tournament dates and venues for Term 1A:

• 7 October: U14-U16 Netball @ Victoria International School (Sharjah)
• 9 October: U14 Boys basketball @ Victoria International School (Sharjah)
• 21 October: Xcountry @ Australian International School (Sharjah)
• 25 November: U14-U16 Girls Basketball @ Victoria International School (Sharjah)
• 26 November: U18 Boys and Girls Basketball @ Victoria International School (Sharjah)

Here are dates for our “Friendlies” (friendly/non-tournament matches against neighboring schools):

• 26 September: U14 Boys Basketball vs RAK American Academy
• 1 October: U14-U16 Netball vs RAK Academy
• 2 October: U14 Boys Basketball vs RAK Academy
• 30 October: U14-U16 Girls Basketball vs RAK Academy

Come and support our athletes! For more information on Athletics please contact Mr. Luke at luke.johnson@tws-rak.org.

Please note that our National Day celebration has been moved to November 20th due to a clash with an EISSA sports event that our students are participating in. You can find the updated calendar on our website and at this link.

Thank you to all parents who have settled the first installment fees already. A payment reminder was sent on Monday for those who still have a balance for the first term.
We encourage you to immediately contact finance@tws-rak.org or at 054-4614640 if you are having any financial issues and would like to arrange a payment plan.

All parents have a Canvas account that has been created for you to observe your children’s classes and to communicate with their teachers. If you haven’t yet, please follow the link below for instructions on how to set up your Canvas account:
Canvas for Parents

Please contact our IT team if you have any questions at IT@tws-rak.org

A message for our Arabic parents: Please note that parents are welcome to message teachers in Arabic on Canvas. We will translate the message on our side.

We have a signature page for ALL parents (Pre-K to G12) and Secondary students to sign. The signature page is an acknowledgement that you have read and agree to the guidelines laid out in the Parent/Student handbook, including the Attendance Policy, the Acceptable Computer Use policy and the Code of Conduct. This page should be signed and returned as soon as possible. Thank you to all parents who have already done so.

We also have a Media Consent form – if you have an objection to your child’s picture being used in our social media or marketing, then please sign the Media Consent form. If you have no objection, there is no need to sign.