02

ISSUE

17.12.2013

The Westminster Reflex

This issue
PRINCIPALS MESSAGE P.1 EVALUATION AS PARENT P.2 PARENTS CORNER P.3 READING, WRITING IN DIGITAL AGE P.4

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE :
I look forward, full of hope that each and every child will be successful and productive members of the TWS family. But we as educators, (the teachers and support staff) will need your help and partnership as parents to make this happen. Children benefit greatly when parents/guardians take an active role in their childs education. Students attitude and perception of school improves as they develop more self-confidence in their road to becoming lifelong learners and solid contributors to society. Parents who help their children succeed academically gain a sense of pride in their children as well as in themselves. Being an involved parent demonstrates to your child that you sincerely value their Education. I strongly believe that all parents want the best for their children and I believe that all parents want their children to be successful in school. However, because of work and family With best wishes and kind regards, Kingston Gilbert Executive Principal/C.E.O demands, often there is little Free Time for many parents to spend with their child once the school day has ended and children return home. TWS is committed to continuing the family support while your child is here at school. We seek to provide a safe and welcoming environment that is conducive to student learning and student success. The first step in this process is to build and to maintain a working partnership with you by keeping the doors of our school open for parent conferences and school visits. We anxiously look forward to sharing more information with you through our upcoming newsletters.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela

Joke :
A little girl comes home from school and said to her mother : Mommy, today in school I was punished for something that I didnt do. The mother exclaimed but thats terrible. Im going to have a talk with your teacher about this. By the way, what was it that you didnt do? The little girl replied My Homework!
PRACTICAL TIPS EVERY PARENT CAN FOLLOW :
Talk to your children early and regularly about school and
community safety, cleanliness, discipline, etc.

EVALUATION AS A PARENT :

Honestly evaluate whether you as a Parent are doing your part in making the school safe?

When you talk with children, BE HONEST. Damage can

be done by minimizing or exaggerating points than by simply providing children with facts and telling the truth.

Do you follow parking, visitor and other safety procedures school? at your

Teach them to respect and be polite to elders irrespective

of who they are.

Do not assume that your child knows even the basic

facts about safety and other risks. Kids absorb a lot of information but unfortunately, much of it is inaccurate or from questionable sources.

Do you support teachers and administrators with safety initiatives, including asking the above questions in a supportive, nonblaming manner?

Let your child get all the information the correct information from you as a Parent. And give it to them in a non-threatening and non-embarrassing time, place and manner. Do not wait until a problem gets out of control and then look for professional help.

Parents must provide order, structure and consistent discipline. Although you love your child realize that she or he is still a child and will test the limits of your patience. Ask probing questions where are you going, who will be with you? And follow up to verify the an-

Do you talk with your child about personal issues safety violence and considerations, prevention

Intelligence plus character that is the goal of True Education

swers you get.

Inspect your childs room from time to time. Unfortunately,

some parents falsely believe that they should not or legally cannot go into the childs room. It is your house and your child. Check both regularly. It is not only your right, but your responsibility.

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self - confidence Robert Frost.

PARENTS CORNER :
The popularity of the Westminster School, Du- topped the UAE in 13 subjects in the internabai, can well be gauged from the fact that a pall tional examinations. of gloom had descended upon the students and parents in particular and on Dubai in general when GEMS Education decided that the school will be closed in June 2014 on account of fee Kristina Prilepchanska of Cambridge International School for IGCSE Drama; structuring issues in the recent past, but the decision was reversed keeping in view the pop- Bushra Ali of the Westminster School for AS Level English Language; ular demand by parents and students. Dubai heaved a sigh of relief! You will not find another school like the Westminster School, Dubai, across the UAE which years with an affordable fee. The school is nothing short of a blessing for parents with limDilawar Zainab Zohar of Cambridge International School for AS Level Travel and Tourism and The four students who topped the world in their examinations are:

has been providing excellent education for Swetha Sabu Gaesan of Cambridge High School in Abu Dhabi for A Level Business Studies.

ited income and who want the best education A ship no matter how rough the weather is (Im for their children. Again, it was nothing short of not referring to the current unstable weather in a miracle as I was one of the thousands of the UAE these days) sails across deep and lucky parents to get my son admitted to the turbulent seas and can reach its destination if school this year in the 7th grade. its captain happens to be an experienced guy Excelling beyond belief and reaching the top and knows his job well. In the case of the Westhas not been an easy task for the school in this minster School, right from the beginning, some cut-throat world of competition but, over the of the best Principals remained associated with years, putting in place the best and wise poli- it. Among the lot, former captain, Mr. Neville cies, maintaining a strict and high standard of Sherman and the current Principal, Mr. Kingeducation and the untiring hard work of selfless ston Gilbert as and when I had the honour to teachers, has brought the school to a level en- meet them, gave me an insight into their passion for education in general and their deep vied by all others today. I don't know the entire history of the school, but a look at the recent past gives me an enormous sense of satisfaction as a number of students from the school have made their mark internationally. GEMS students received a total of 30 Outstanding Learner awards which is a third of all award winners in the UAE. GEMS students commitment for the betterment of the school in particular. With such persons at the helm, the school is going to go places and accumulate more accolades for sure in the days to come. All the best and warm regards, Nasir Mahmood

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all - Aristotle

Inviting all parents to comment and discuss on READING, WRITING AND RESEARCH IN THE DIGITAL AGE . . .
. . . The internet revolutionized-how people find information, and now the rising popularity of both e-books and mobile devices is transforming our reading habits. The impact of this constantly evolving digital landscape on educational institutions is mixed, as libraries try to keep pace while still serving the needs of traditional patrons and educators offer conflicting reports on technologys effects on students research habits. From the early days of internet use and home broadband adoption to the rise of mobile devices and social networking sites, many of us especially parents of school going children have tried to answer questions exploring technologys impact on our young ones lives. How does the shift from desktop connections to mobile devices affect how we interact with long form content? How do teens and young adults conduct research in the age of Google and Bing? And what do these changes mean for educational and cultural institutions? In this talk, we parents will be able to suggest and exchange, surveys as well as rich qualitative materials that let individual stories enlighten us how well we could balance and set an example to our children on the this use of technology. Let this discussion explore not only how libraries, schools, museums, and other organizations are dealing with the changing technological environment.

Priya, mother of Hari of year 4H, said;

We have all done and more to expose our children to technology. 95% of the parents use smart devices at home and operate them in front of our young ones. We buy books but how many parents actually sit and read, show it as a habit so our children see it they reflect our acts, right? How many of us actually value writing skills? our text messages and even our email messages contain such lazy grammar. So now Ive opened a topic to discuss so please fellow parents kindly respond to this article critically / favorably lets keep it move. P.S : I wonder while there is so much happening with digital this and that in our school these days what happened to the Reading Champ assignments that were held last year ! ! ! By Priya Kitnasamy (Hari Jashwanth 4H) November 2013.