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The Pelican SPRING TERM 2 • 22nd March 2018

My sincere thanks to all those who supported our first Spring Fayre last weekend. We were delighted with the outcome and will put the magnificent 30,000 QRs that were raised towards worthwhile projects around school that will benefit all our students. We will, as with all events, look to improve this where possible in years to come, but certainly strong foundations have been laid, on which we can build.Congratulations also to our Pre-School and Reception children for their Spring Performances today. Their interpretation of traditional tales gave us a many smiles and plenty of reasons to be proud. It is easy to forget that many of these children have only been with us for a relatively short period.I would be grateful if parents could note that from next week we will be starting shading structures at the back of school on our sporting areas. These should be completed, we are hoping, early next term. Have a wonderful weekend.

Mr. Nicholas Gunn

First Aid Training for Parents (pre-booked)

Sunday25th March

7:30 - 11:00 am

First Aid Training for Parents (pre-booked)

Monday26th March

7:30 - 11:00 am

Class AssemblyYear 5A

Monday26th March

2:15 pm

Wake ‘n’ Shake Wednesday28th March

7:15 - 7:30 am

Last Day of Term Thursday29th March

All children will finish at 12:30 pm

In this busy term, Music continues to play an important role in the development of the school, and especially in the overall educational experience of the children.

From EYFS, the children learn and develop a wide range of skills through their experiences with music. Through listening, responding, performing and creating music, they develop so-called ‘soft skills’ such as teamwork, discipline, confidence, creativity, problem-solving and performance. Performing is a skill we all use throughout our lives, whether it is presenting our ideas to others, going for a job interview, or even performing music in a conventional sense. It is that level of confidence and experience we aim to give all children at KCD, something we know is highly valued by parents and teachers in preparing children for an ever-changing world, where they will need skills in the future that we don’t even know about yet!

This term’s Music curriculum has been even more geared towards performing, as we prepare for concerts, competitions, and the first ever House Performing Arts competition next week. All children in Years 1-5 will take part in their House performance, and in addition each House will present a programme of their very best performers on all disciplines and instruments. This has really enthused the children to come and audition to represent their House. As well as further embedding the House system in our school culture, the children are excited about performing together as a team. The best acts will be presented to parents in our Year 1-5 concert in May.

Extra-curricular music has also been moving forward this term, with the exciting addition of violin lessons starting with Mrs Granger. Piano continues to be popular, as well as guitar and singing. Our first ABRSM exams in Piano will take place in May, with many more to follow later in the calendar year. Sadly this term, we are saying goodbye and ‘bon voyage’ to our piano teacher Dr Wei, who is leaving with her husband and children for new jobs overseas. She has been a highly professional and valued member of staff, and we thank her very much indeed for the huge contribution she has made to the progress of her students. Her students will be taken next term by Mrs Fernando, a talented and experienced piano teacher, who will be able to continue the good work in this area without disruption to their learning.

The Senior Choir have also been working extremely hard on their competition pieces for the Qatar Primary School Choir of the Year event in April. We are very proud of the commitment and enthusiasm the children have to show their skills and talents. I very much look forward to sharing the successes and achievements of the children with you in all of these exciting upcoming events next term.

Mrs. Stacey McMorran

I could not have anticipated just how successful our first ever Spring Fayre would be. I am sure those of you who attended would agree that a good time was had by all. I had the opportunity to wander around the many stalls and loved watching the children’s faces light up as they tried to ‘hook a duck’ or ‘spin the wheel’. We were treated to some very accomplished performances by many of our pupils and even some of our staff. I would like to thank every single person who attended and contributed donations and to particularly our ‘Friends of King’s College Doha’ who worked tirelessly in the weeks running up to the event and on the day itself to ensure its success. I am delighted to announce that we raised the grand total of QR30,000. Please be assured that all of this money will be used to purchase things for the benefit and enjoyment of our students in consultation with the Friends of KCD and with student representatives. We will keep you informed of how it is spent as the year goes on.

As the term is nearing an end, the pupils’ enthusiasm is showing no signs of waning! This week they have all worked extremely hard doing their assessments, the results of which will be shared with you along with their reports at the end of next week. (If you are travelling next week, you will need to collect your child’s report next term). Today we were treated to two excellent performances by our youngest children, Pre-School and Reception, who shared with us the wonder of stories. I find it incredible how children as young as three years old can stand on that stage in front of so many people and perform with such confidence and joy.

After an incredibly busy term, everybody, staff as well as pupils, will be ready for the break next week. We have an early finish on Thursday and all children will need collecting at 12.30pm please. Years 1-5 will not need to bring lunch on that day, just snack.

Mrs. Marie Sibley

Events Week 25th - 29th March 2018

The Photography & Animation Club has been exceedingly successful this term. The children (in Years 3-5) have learned about the history of photography from the first ever camera known to mankind, to the first ever photo taken, and its evolution. To improve our photo-capturing skills (portraits and landscape shots) we learned and executed “The Rule of Third” during our first few weeks. The pupils have worked as a team while practicing taking photos of each other to enhance their skills and techniques. More recently the pupils have enjoyed working on Stop Motion Animation, in particular using different kinds of props such as clay, Lego, and paper. They have also honed their drawing skills. Stop Motion Animation is an enjoyable activity for children of all ages and it is an easy skill to learn with a few basic techniques. It is a transferable skill which is great for students’ self-esteem. The pupils have created various types of Stop Motion themselves and have come up with unique concepts using dominoes, shoes, clay and self-filming. They have thoroughly enjoyed themselves learning an exciting new skill and they can easily share their animation and creation with family and friends giving them a great sense of confidence, pride and sense of achievement in their work.

Ms. Maria Saeed

Club News - Animation

Head of School

Academic Life Curriculum Corner - Music

Year 5 children enjoyed their first residential camping trip this week, held at Sharq Village and run by the brilliant Blue Pearl. They had an excellent time and all returned to School exhausted on Tuesday afternoon. The children learned about Water Safety, used the SUPs, kayaked, toasted marshmallows, solved riddles, built rafts out of recycled materials found washed up on the beach and enjoyed an egg drop challenge. The list is endless. On the food and camping, one child said “The food was delicious. We had to clear away our plates and organise our tents when we arrived. We packed everything up in the morning so we were able to play for a bit longer before the buses came to take us back to School. It was awesome!”

Mr. Jamie Hughes

Year 5 Camping 2018

Year 3 QNL Field Trip

Year 3 visited Qatar National Library on Wednesday. They had a tour of the library, which has 1 million books and they then had time in the junior library. Afterwards, they went to Oxygen Park for some snacks and games, before returning to School. The children's behaviour was excellent and they thoroughly enjoyed their morning in Education City.

EYFS PerformancesOn Thursday, 22nd March the EYFS children shared their Spring performances with parents, grandparents and carers. All performances were chosen to fit with the theme The Magic Storybook, with a focus on traditional tales from around the world.

Pre-School had been practicing for some time to become familiar with the story and songs, and you could certainly tell that they were confident in their various roles! With amazing speaking voices, the children narrated, dramatised and sang their way through, showing how thrilled they were to share their stories with the audience. Entering and leaving the stage in a very professional manner, and ending with a wonderful finale song, it was over too soon before going back to the classroom for juice and photographs with some very excited families.

Reception were also focusing on loud voices and eye-contact with the audience as they performed their stories. With a range of roles for everyone, the singing, narrating, dramatisation and chorus were full of eager participants who were ready to show the audience what they had been working on. The choice of stories reflected the diverse backgrounds of the children that we have in Reception, with familiar favourites and some new tales that we have been listening to this year.

As always, the wonderful EYFS team have worked round the clock on props and costumes, and the Teaching Assistants in particular have given their free time generously to complete the amazing backdrop scenes that made the stories come to life. We have also had some wonderful parents assisting with lots of things behind the scenes, so our warmest thanks to everyone who helped make the day such a success.

Mrs. Vanessa Temple

King’s College Spring Fayre 2018

www.kingscollegedoha.com • Al Thumama, Doha, Qatar • +974 4496 5888 • info@kingscollegedoha.com

IMPORTANT MESSAGES

PASTORAL CARECo-Curricular ClubsNext week there will be no Co-Curricular Clubs (apart from Choir on Monday who will rehearse for their impending Choir Competition). Clubs will resume next term on Sunday 15th April and run for 4 weeks until Thursday 10th May.

Uniform (lost and incorrect)Please ensure children arrive at School wearing the correct uniform. The Store is open throughout the week to assist with any queries.Too many children are wearing non-uniform trainers, socks, tights and hair accessories etc. Please support us in supplying the appropriate uniform for your child.

Hats & SunscreenThere are a number of hats in the Lost Property boxes that need a home. As the weather warms up, our ‘No Hat, No Play’ rule is now very much enforced at playtimes. Children without a hat can only play in the shade. We recommend applying sunscreen to your child before they come to School, particularly if they are due to have PE/Games outside.

House Shirts on TuesdayAll children in Years 1-5 are required to wear their House Shirt on Tuesday for the Inter House Music Competition.

Mr. Myles Granger

Stars of the Week