Dear Parents,

As we complete our first week of the school’s New Year, I’d like to say welcome back to a busy second term. Whether you were in snowy or sunny climes I hope you had an opportunity to relax and enjoy time together. The classes at ISD were all quickly into their stride, and our first recess echoed with children eagerly talking about their adventures over Winter Break.

We also welcome families new to ISD, and I know the children have been keen to befriend their new classmates.  For the benefit of our new parents, this Elementary School bulletin is posted in the Jaguar Journal every two weeks (click here to see old postings from the school year). It is a reflection of what has been going on at ISD, and a look ahead to upcoming events.

Other notes:

1.       New Students: We welcome the following new students to the school:

-          Pre 4 (pm): Rayan Jasem

-          KG B: Darwisy Hanizam

-          KG S: Ibrahima Hendrix

-          1B: Natasha Watters, Lise Fanchini

-          1T: Valentina Monterrubio, Emilee Acosta, Joshua Cave

-          3C: Cayleigh Maclear, Anthony Reid, Hasya Hanizam

-          3D: Laura Watters, Dalila Manebhi, Musaed Jasem

-          4S: Ethan Reid, Gabriel Fanchini

-          5R: Angela Yungu

 

2.       Returning Families: For those who were away, thanks for being prompt with your return to Dakar. It is always good to see the classes full on the first day. Bleary eyed, yes, but it makes such a difference when we all can get back to work day one.

 

3.       After-school pick-up: A reminder that pick-up for ES is at 3:20 and 4:10 if your child is doing an after-school activity.

 

4.       Assemblies: Ms. Thomas’s class entertained Grades Pre 3 - 2 with a wonderful assembly on plant life cycles yesterday (see below):

 

 

Today’s assembly with Grades 3 - 5 was an introduction to playground games, and inspired by the Student Council and Mr. Ramsay’s double-dutch skills, quite a few kids tried them out at recess, as you’ll see below:

 

 

We have the following class assemblies coming up through the year:

Early Childhood:

-          February 3: 2S

-          March 10: 1B

-          March 31: Pre 4 (am)

-          May 5: Pre 4 (pm)

-          June 1: Pre 3

Upper Elementary:

-          February 4: 5K

-          March 11: 4M

-          April 1: 3C

-          May 6: 4P

-          June 3: tbc

Parents are welcome to attend these assemblies, and are notified beforehand by the class teachers. At the gatherings we celebrate our birthdays, the current projects of the class and we give out certificates for achievement and effort in a variety of areas. We ensure that each child receives a certificate throughout the year.

5.       Recess Games: So many of our students love soccer every recess. However, in an effort to encourage more participation in non-soccer games (not that there’s anything wrong with soccer!), we have introduced the children to the delights of 4-square, hopscotch, jump rope and elastic. We have a box of equipment the children can use on the back playground, and we hope these will become popular. Along with other games the children might bring to school.

 

6.       Construction: If you enjoy seeing fast moving trucks, you may wish to click here, as Santha Kumar, our tech director, is developing a collection of time-lapse photos of the construction site for the new MS/HS building.

Regards,

Ian Clark Ed.D.

Elementary School Principal

International School of Dakar