Information for all children starting

Dubai British Foundation (DBF)(Parents... please share this information with your child)

Please come to school wearing your special DBF school uniform everyday.Please also bring….• Your book bag (available from ZAKS)• Your school hat• A water bottle• A healthy snack ( no nuts please )• Velcro-fastening shoes to help you to put your shoes on and take them off yourself

Please ask your parents to ensure everything has your name on it, so it can be found again from Lost Property if you misplace it.

A Typical School DayEvery day is special and different at DBF, but you will have your snack and lunch at the same time every day. The school day is from 8:00am to 1:30pm Sunday to Wednesday and 8:00am to 1:00pm on Thursdays.

Session 1: 8:00am-9:00am 2 hours uninterrupted learning

Session 2: 9:00am-10:00am

Morning Break: 10:00am-10:30am

Session 3: 10:30am-11:30am 2 hours uninterrupted learning

Session 4: 11:30am-12:30pm

Lunch: 12:30pm-1:00pm

Rest Time: 1:00pm-1:30pm

You will learn so much whilst you play at DBF.

Sometimes you will play inside the classroom.Sometimes you will play outdoors.Sometimes you will play in the shared areas. Sometimes you will play in the specialist activity rooms.Wherever you play, you will be learning through play.

Your mum, dad or carer will bring you safely into your classroom each day. Be there, ready to meet your teacher and friends at 8:00am, for your school day starts then.

You will hear the UAE National Anthem at the beginning of every day. Sometimes your mum or dad might stay a little while in your classroom, for they’ll enjoy being there too.

Your school day will end at 1.30pm on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesdayand Wednesday.

On a Thursday you will finish a little earlier at 1:00pm.

You must wait patiently with your teacher every day until your parent or carer comes to your special classroom to collect you so you can be taken home safely.

You will love using the outdoor area, with three different leveled areas to choose from and a fabulous bike track. There will always be teachers and teaching assistants there to look after you and they will help you fully enjoy all of the outdoor equipment.

You will also have a wonderful time when you use the outdoor swimming pool.

Everywhere outdoors has lots of shading to protect you from the sun.

Since your mum and dad will want to know about everything you do at school, you will get special newsletters to take home. Please help your mum and dad to understand what you’ve been doing so they can be proud of your achievements.

You will have your very own, personalised Record of Achievement in FS1 and in FS2. It will include examples of your work, photographs and your teacher’s notes about your achievements. Your parents may look at these any time they wish.

I hope your parents appreciate how important play is and that learning through play is not just for children. Try to get your parents to play board games with you, for this will help you to learn all sorts of important things. Show them these very clever words written by George Bernard Shaw: "We do not stop playing when we get old, we just get old when we stop playing".

I’m sure that you will love learning at DBF, for your teachers will encourage and support you to do all of the things you and your friends like doing best such as:

Exploring, investigating, discovering, creating and practising lots of things to get better and better at everything.

At DBF, your teachers use The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework to plan learning opportunities for you that are just what children of your age need. There are 7 special areas of learning that they cover to make sure that all of your needs are addressed:

1. Communication & Language 2. Physical Development 3. Personal, Social & Emotional Development 4. Literacy 5. Mathematics 6. Understanding the world 7. Expressive Arts & Design

These seven areas of learning link with Key Stage One of the National Curriculum, so your special learning through play in The Foundation Stage prepares you for Year One.

See you soon at Dubai British Foundation!