“i believe that education is the most powerful tool for...
TRANSCRIPT
“I believe that education is the most powerful tool for
change and that every child has a right to it. We all have a
responsibility to do our part to ensure that children are in
classrooms.”
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser quoted in the independent article by
humanitarian photojournalist Paddy Dowling.⠀⠀
Page | 2
Contents
School Principal’s Message ......................................................................................... 3
Head of Early Years (EYFS) Message ........................................................................... 5
Head of Primary Message ........................................................................................... 7
Head of Secondary Message ....................................................................................... 9
Page | 3
School Principal’s Message
Dear Parents and Guardians, Assalamu Alaikum
I hope that you all had an enjoyable summer holiday and feel recharged and ready to start the new academic
year.
I am delighted to join Al Maha Academy for Girls and look forward to a productive and exciting year ahead; a year
filled with optimism, enthusiasm and success. I welcome and value your support in ensuring that your child receives
an excellent education embedded with Islamic values, and I look forward to working with you and your children.
Al Maha Academy for Girls has a skilled, committed and conscientious staff who have worked hard to plan an
amazing year for your child. Be assured that our staff will work tirelessly to ensure that your child is happy, safe
and successful.
I am very pleased to introduce you to our Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
Staff Name Position School Email
Ms. Jeanette Azouz School Principal [email protected]
Ms. Gail Aston Head of Early Years and Foundation Stage [email protected]
Ms. Nadia Waja Head of Primary [email protected]
Ms. Farhana Ebrahim Deputy Head of Primary [email protected]
Ms. Kushwant Bains Head of Secondary [email protected]
Ms. Margaret McArthur Deputy Head of Secondary [email protected]
Ms. Amel Atif Head of Support Center [email protected]
Ms. Sofia Elotmani Admin Officer [email protected]
I look forward to meeting and speaking with you soon, Insha’Allah; please note that we operate an open-door
policy; if you have any concerns, you are more than welcome to speak with our Senior Leaders.
Page | 4
Parent Coffee Mornings
Please take the opportunity to meet our Senior Leaders at our upcoming Coffee Mornings on:
Early Years Department: Tuesday 10th September,2019
Primary Department: Wednesday 25th September,2019
Secondary Department: Monday 30th September,2019
I am confident that together we will make this year one of growth and achievement for your child.
Warm regards
Ms. Jeanette Azouz
School Principal
Page | 5
Head of Early Years (EYFS) Message
Dear Parents,
A very warm welcome to the new academic year here at AMAG. I hope that you, and your families, have all had
a lovely summer and that you are relaxed, recharged and ready for the school year ahead. I feel privileged and
excited to join Al Maha Academy for Girls as Head of Early Years this year and I am looking forward to meeting
all of you very soon. I will be supported in continuing to ensure a positive and purposeful learning environment,
and excellent outcomes for your daughters by, our English Coordinator, Ms. Leonie, our Arabic Coordinator, Ms.
Samah and our wonderful team of Early Years teachers and assistants.
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL
Please remember that school starts at 06:45 daily and finishes at 12:30 Sunday to Wednesday and at 12:00 on
Thursdays. Parents, please support us by making every effort to get students to school by 06:45 and collecting
them on time at the end of the school day. The card system used last year will continue so, please ensure that
exit cards are given to nannies, or anyone else you are authorising to collect your child. Fathers are not permitted
to enter the Early Years Department but may collect their children from the Early Years gate: please report to
the Receptionist in the main lobby area if you are unsure of the location.
UNIFORM
We encourage all our girls to take pride in their school by wearing the correct school uniform. The uniform shop
is opened daily so please pop in and purchase what is needed. Please keep a spare change of clothes in your
daughter’s bag at all times; if they become dirty, please send a replacement.
BOOKS
Student copy books are available on the first floor so please ensure that you purchase a set of books and hand
them to the class teachers.
MEDICAL
The health and safety of our girls is a top priority so, please ensure that you inform the school nurse immediately
of any medical concerns that your daughter might have and the school nurse will then communicate this
information to your child’s class teacher.
LUNCHES AND SNACKS
Most Early Years students bring a healthy packed lunch to school, however you may purchase cafeteria meals
for your children which will be delivered to them daily at lunch time. Please visit the Accounts Department to
arrange this as coupons or money to purchase food cannot be given to the teachers. Please be reminded that
the school follows a Healthy Eating Policy. Food and drinks that are not healthy will be returned so please support
us in providing the best possible start for your daughter by sending her with a healthy lunch.
WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS
You will be kept up to date with what is going on in school via our weekly newsletter which will be sent out each
Thursday with details of upcoming events and activities.
Page | 6
COMMUNICATION
It is compulsory for all parents to have the SIMS Parent App downloaded onto their smart
devices in order to access reports and other important school information. Should you experience a problem,
please contact Ms Dayana, our VLE Coordinator ([email protected]).
STUDENT PLACEMENT
A great deal of time, effort and thought has gone into the process of student placements for 2019-2020. Careful
consideration was given to input from staff as well as student learning styles. All our classes have been balanced
academically and socially and class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each year group level.
Moving students around causes imbalances and inequities. Our aim is to make school a positive experience for
ALL students. Thank you for understanding that it can take a few weeks for your child to acclimatise to a new
class, peer group and teacher.
Plentiful opportunities will be provided for you to work in partnership with us to support your daughter’s
educational journey and you will be kept up to date throughout the academic year. Our aim is to build positive
and constructive relationships with all our parents for the benefit of the students here at AMAG. To facilitate
this, we operate an open door policy and are always happy to meet with you should you have any questions or
wish to raise a concern. I am very much looking forward to working with you this year.
Kind Regards
Ms. Gail Aston
Head of Early Years
Page | 7
Head of Primary Message
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the start of a brand-new academic year. I hope that you have all had a good summer and
that you are relaxed, recharged and ready to start a new school year. I am delighted to join the Al Maha Girls
learning community as Head of Primary and look forward to meeting all of you soon. I welcome and value
your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education. My Primary Senior Leadership Team, Ms
Farhana- (Deputy Head), Ms Jillian ( Lower Primary Coordinator), Ms Helen( Middle Primary Coordinator) , Ms
Bibi ( Upper Primary Coordinator) , Ms. Ayda (Arabic Coordinator) , Ms. Amelia (PE Coordinator) , Ms. Dania
(Islamic Coordinator) , Ms. Doaa (Qatar History Coordinator) , Ms. Ayat (Primary Social Worker) and I look
forward to another incredible and productive year at AMAG.
NEW STAFF
Each year brings positive change -this includes a few new additions to our staff. We are delighted to welcome:
Ms Iram
Ms Andrea
Ms Thekrayat
Ms Ibtisam
Ms Sara
Ms Ayat
Ms Kenrita
Ms Desiree
Ms Zara
Ms Rachel
Ms Taahira
Ms Yasmeen
Ms Habiba
Ms Salma
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL
A reminder that school starts at 06:55 daily and finishes at 13:25. We request parents to make every effort to
get students to school by 06:50. The card system used last year will continue so, please ensure that exit cards
are given to nannies. A reminder that dads need to collect students from the auditorium and not directly from
classes.
UNIFORM
We encourage all our girls to take pride in their school by wearing the correct school uniform. The uniform
shop is opened daily so please pop in and purchase what is needed.
STATIONERY
Our girls need to be ready and prepared for learning from day one. Each student is required to have the
following basic stationery:
• Blue pen, pencil, eraser, sharpener, ruler, scissors, glue, coloured pencils
MEDICAL
The health and safety of our girls is a top priority so, please inform home room teachers of any medical
concerns that your daughter might have.
Page | 8
LUNCHES
Students from Year 1-3 MUST bring a packed lunch from home. We encourage healthy snacks
and no fizzy drinks. Carrying a bottle of water is essential!
WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS
Homeroom teachers will continue to communicate with parents through the weekly newsletter which will be
circulated every Thursday. We will be moving towards emailing weekly home learning letters so do ensure
that the school has updated contact information. Newsletters will be published on the school website as well
as on TEAMS (Year 4-6)
COMMUNICATION
It is compulsory for all parents to have the SIMS Parent App downloaded onto their smart devices in order to
access reports and other important school information. Should you experience a problem, please contact Ms.
Dayana, our VLE Coordinator. ([email protected])
PRAYER TIME
In keeping with the Islamic ethos of our school, provision has been made for prayer on the timetable. We
encourage all our students to pray. However, girls not involved in prayer time, will be required to participate
in values-based activities during this time.
TABLETS
All Year 4-6 students are required to have a school tablet. This is an essential teaching and learning tool that is
fully utilized across subjects. Tablets may be purchased from the school IT department.
STUDENT PLACEMENT
A great deal of time, effort and thought has gone into the process of student placements for 2019-2020.
Careful consideration was given to input from staff as well as student learning styles. All our classes have been
balanced academically and socially and class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each year
group level. Moving students around causes imbalances and inequities. Our aim is to make school a positive
experience for ALL students. Thank you for understanding that it can take a few weeks for your child to
acclimatize to a new class, peer group and teacher.
I will be excited to share wonderful news about our progress and achievement throughout the year, however,
it is the face-to-face interaction that I value most. Please know that we have an open door policy, and
welcome any opportunity to meet you. I am looking forward to our collaboration in providing a safe and
nurturing environment for your daughters to thrive in.
Kind Regards
Ms. Nadia Waja
Head of Primary
Page | 9
Head of Secondary Message Dear Parents, I am delighted to be joining Al Maha Academy for Girls as the new Head of Secondary at such an exciting time and wanted to welcome you all back after what I hope has been an enjoyable and relaxing summer break. I look forward to working with you all in the coming weeks and months; and to celebrating further successes that build on those achieved earlier this year in internationally recognised examinations. In my 20 years of teaching in the UK, I have been fortunate to build positive relationships with my students, parents and wider community through a shared desire to see children and young adults succeed. This has been done by setting high standards for students and staff, and placing importance on mastering keys skills in communication, literacy and numeracy. I want lessons to be engaging and students to be active in their learning, developing their own understanding of the world and the global issues they may face in the future whilst adhering to the framework of Islamic values that underpin the vision of Al Maha Academy for Girls and Ta’allum. New staff names As Al Maha is continually endeavouring to be an academy of excellence, incorporating mastery of best practice techniques from the UK, we are pleased to announce the addition of the staff below to our secondary team of outstanding professionals:
Deputy Head Ms Margaret McArthur
Maths Ms Fatima Member
English Ms Fatima Mohammed
Science Mrs Komal Nadeen
Humanities Mrs Sharifa Abdulrahman
Maths Ms Elizabeth Sikora
Science Ms Hina Tariq
Maths Mrs Sabah Bou Afia
Social Worker Ms Khoulod Mahamoud
1. Attendance and Punctuality
Good attendance is a basic requirement for effective learning. Punctuality for school and at lessons is also key to
success. Please ensure your child is on time for the 06:55 start to school. Being late and missing learning has a
detrimental effect on students’ progress and their attitude to school. Students who miss learning time without
good reason will be placed in detention to catch up with work missed. In cases of absence, parents are requested
to inform the admin team via phone or email.
2. Uniform As Al Maha Academy for Girls belongs to the Ta’allum Education Group, it is accountable for the policies produced by Ta’allum and their adherence. As a result, we encourage all students from Sunday, 1st September to adhere to the school uniform policy below. Most things can be purchased from the school uniform shop. The secondary school has been addressing the issue of uniform this week by reminding them of expectations. However, on Sunday, students who turn up to school, wearing an incorrect uniform will be sent home to change.
Page | 10
We thank parents in advance for their support. For further information regarding the uniform, please refer to our school uniform policy. http://girls.almahaacademy.com.qa/About-Us/School-Policies
3. Basic Equipment, Tablets, Textbooks and Exercise Books
We will publish and forward to parents a brief weekly overview of what your child will be studying in the week
ahead with details of learning content and aims in all subjects. This is part of our intention to ensure you as
parents are provided with good information to support your child’s learning.
School textbooks will be distributed to students this week and copybooks can be purchased in school.
Students should have all basic equipment including pen, pencil, ruler and other stationery at every lesson.
Tablets must be brought to each lesson. We are eager to use them more regularly to access the wonderful range
of ‘e’ learning resources which will have a positive and potentially transformational impact on your child’s
learning. Increased use of the tablets will increase your ability to know clearly what is going on with your child’s
education. We also ask that every student has a reading book with them at all times. Further guidance will be
provided to students in school about reading material and how the book will be used. Improving Literacy will
accelerate students’ learning.
4. Mobile Phones - Mobile phones are not permitted for students around the school. There is simply no need for
mobile phones during the school day. If found, staff will confiscate them. If you have particular concerns that
your child needs their phone on the way to school or on the way home, students can present the phone to be
signed in at reception for safekeeping before the start of the day and collected at the end of the day.
5. Behaviour Expectations - All students are reminded of our high expectations for good behaviour. Our Reward
Policy puts the emphasis on positive reinforcement. The vast majority of our students behave in a courteous and
respectful manner which is the basis of being a positive member of our learning community.
6. Healthy Eating - Al Maha Academy for Girls encourages Healthy Eating and I would like to ask for parents’
cooperation in this matter. Please note, students should not at any time bring sweets or cakes into school or order
fast food.
Finally, we are committed to continue building on the significant improvements in the Secondary School this year.
These will be best achieved through positive partnership with you the parents. We would greatly value hearing
your constructive thoughts and opinions about the school and the further improvements you would like to see.
This will help us to be more effective by developing a closer understanding of parents’ wishes and priorities for
their children’s education. We thank you again in anticipation of your support throughout the year and look
forward to meeting you.
Yours faithfully
Ms. Kush Bains
Head of Secondary
Page | 11