Primary Parent Handbook

Welcome to WSO Primary Phase

We are delighted to welcome you to the Primary Phase at GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis (WSO). You will be pleased to know that you have joined an outstanding community of learning. Our commitment is to provide the best possible education for your children.

Our Academic results continue to exceed international averages year on year. GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis’ unique approach to learning enquiry means that we provide a breadth and depth that equips our students with the skills they need to be highly successful in the 21st Century.

Our Sports and Performing Arts provision is exceptional and this year we have continued to add to our growing list of national and international awards and accolades.

Our Enrichment Programme offers a holistic and nurturing approach to individual students talents and interests, and promotes the well being of each and every student.

Our Pastoral Care is outstanding and our students consistently state that they feel safe, secure and happy in the Academy.

GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis has an exciting future ahead. We guarantee to provide the very best education for your child.

Sarah O’Regan – Primary Principal

The WSO Commitment

In order to achieve the best for our students’ education, moral development and welfare, we as teachers, parents and students enter into the following agreement:

In working together, we will help students to: • develop self-respect • develop tolerance for diversity • develop an appreciation for Islamic Values and how these influence their own lives • have concern for their Family, School and Community

As an Academy, we will show this by: • treating each student as a unique individual, ensuring that your child is valued • creating a positive support environment for the students to work in; • by setting high expectations for work and behaviour to ensure that your child reaches their

maximum potential • by building positive relationships through sharing common goals and expectations with each other • by being a welcoming place providing a safe and secure environment where children can grow and

develop • providing a variety of opportunities for students to develop their individual talents by; • setting accurate targets • recognising and building on each child’s strengths • keeping you informed of your child’s progress and achievements As a Family, you will: • make sure that your child attends school regularly • support the Academy Home Learning and Behaviour policies • attend Academy meetings and events where possible • ensure that your child wears full and correct school uniform • ensure that your child abides by the Internet and Mobile Phone policies • notify the Academy of any change in circumstances that may affect your child by ensuring that up-

to-date contact information is on file

Contacting Us

At GEMS Wellington Academy - Silicon Oasis, we pride ourselves on our close contacts with students and their parents / carers. Your child’s form tutor will be your main point of contact. All form tutors will formally introduce themselves to you via email during the first week of the new academic year. You will then be able to contact them by email or via the VLE whenever you require assistance.

There will also be an opportunity for you to visit the Academy on the first day of term in order to meet your child’s form tutor. Below we have provided you with some information you may wish to keep – this will assist you when you wish to contact other key members of the Secondary Team:

Telephone: +971 (0) 4 515 9000

Email: contactus_wso@gemsedu.com

Website: www.gemswellingtonacademy-dso.com

Main Academy Rules

GEMS Wellington Academy - Silicon Oasis has high expectations of all those who work and learn within the Academy. Our ethos at GEMS Wellington Academy embodies GEMS core values and key school rules which are:

• We will act with courtesy and consideration to others at all times. • We will strive to always achieve our best in our learning. • We introduce new children and staff to each other. • We support each other in every way possible, particularly in the first few weeks. • We always speak politely to everyone. • We say ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and excuse me’ when it is necessary. • We do not use bad language. • In class we make it as easy as possible for everyone to learn and enjoy school. • This means listening carefully, following instructions, helping each other and being sensible at all

times. • We move gently and quietly around the Academy. This means never running, pushing or shouting,

being ready to help by opening doors, standing back to let people pass. We will always keep to the right hand side of stairs and corridors.

• We keep our school clean and tidy so that it is a welcoming place of which we can be proud. This means putting all litter in bins, keeping walls and furniture clean and unmarked.

• Taking care of people’s work and belongings. • We learn from our mistakes. • We take care of our outside environment such as wildlife, trees and plants.

‘MATILDA’, 2016 Primary Production

Code of Conduct

We expect our students to demonstrate high standards of good behaviour. They will be encouraged from the first day they enter Wellington Academy, to be cooperative and responsible individuals. We seek to praise good behaviour in order to foster their self-esteem.

Our Main Academy Rules play a key role in ensuring that our students show respect for one another and the environment thy work in. The rules emphasise the importance of consideration for others and the need to strive to do our best at all times.

Class and form teachers are largely responsible for the behaviour of children within the classroom and will formulate a set of ‘ground rules’ for their own class. This forms the basis for acceptable behaviour, within the Academy’s overall code of conduct that is described as our ‘Main Academy Rules’. The high standards of behaviour we expect at GEMS Wellington Academy require self-discipline and an understanding that the atmosphere we wish to create demands mutual respect and is the responsibility of all of us involved with the Academy. We encourage the children to develop sensible attitudes and to think about others as they learn within the class room, move about the Academy and playground.

Where there might be cases of misbehaviour, we will ensure that the student understands why their behaviour is unacceptable. The staff are guided in their dealings of misconduct by the Academy’s behaviour policy. Parents are informed if behavioural problems are causing concern, and are asked to work together with us so that any problems may be resolved as soon as possible.

Academy Timings

Bus timings

Bus service start dates: If you have registered for STS (School Transport Services), they will advise when the service can start for your son/daughter. If your son/daughter finishes school ahead of their Bus Departure time, they will automatically be looked after in ‘Bus Club’ until their bus leaves the Academy.

Timings of the bus service: From the dates mentioned above, buses will ensure students arrive at school between 7.30am – 7.40am. Buses will leave at the end of the day at the following times:

o Trip 1: Leaves WSO by 1.40pm, taking FS1 & 2 students to selected locations o Trip 2: Leaves WSO by 2.10pm, taking FS and Year 1 & 2 students to selected locations o Trip 3: Leave WSO by 3.30pm, taking all remaining students

Exact times and locations covered by each trip must be confirmed by STS – please email our STS Manager here at WSO on syed@stss.ae

Students who miss their bus: Please note, the driver will not wait for ‘missing students’ who have not arrived by the bus departure time. Due to students frequently being collected during the day for appointments, going home sick, staying at school for squad training etc, if STS were to spend time checking if a student was still in the Academy, all other students on the bus would be delayed arriving home and Trip 1 and 2 buses would be delayed returning for Trip 3.

FS – Year 2 children are taken to the bus and older children need to take responsibility to ensuring they get to the bus on time. Please advise your child that if they miss the bus, they must come to the Reception desk so parents can be contacted to come and collect.

Bus and Sibling Clubs

This is the means by which we can offer after school care for children who need to wait for their STS bus to depart or wait for older Siblings to finish school. There is no charge for these services.

Bus Club: All children who need to access these facilities due to catching the Academy transport, will be able to do so without the need for signing up. However, a student must catch the first bus home

available after their finish time - we cannot allow a child to wait for a later bus when an earlier one is available, unless they are waiting to travel home with an older sibling.

FS1 – Year 2 children will be taken from Bus Club to the bus at the departure time and Year 3 and older children will make their own way to the bus from Bus Club.

Sibling Club: The time that children should be in Sibling Club needs to be limited for their own well-being; we cannot allow an FS1 child to wait beyond the Year 1 & 2 finish time of 2.00pm for example. Sibling Club offers some structured activities (colouring, cartoons, small group games etc), but this is mainly a means of safeguarding children until they leave the Academy – this is not intended to enhance the curriculum, so families who do not chose to use this, or children without Siblings, are not missing any value added service.

Families who need to access Sibling Club due to travel times making multiple pickups impractical, will be invited to sign up for this service during the summer, with strict cut off dates, so please respond to this email on time if you need this service.

Academy Timings

Beginning of the Day

‘Drop off’ by car is available from 7.00am around the back of the building. Students must wait in the main Reception area or Canteen until the corridors are opened at 7.30am. The Academy gates are open from 7.25am for all other students.

In order to fulfil health and safety requirements, parents are not permitted to park their cars in the drop off zone, one of the two designated car parks should be used, or the marked bays on the roadside.

End of the Day

The Academy canteen is open from 2.00pm for Parents to wait to collect their children. The Academy canteen is also a recommended meeting area for parents to meet children who are dismissed directly from class - the main Reception area should not be used as a meeting point for parents and children. Children waiting in the main Reception will be directed to the ‘Late Room’, where the parents will be contacted by the Head of House. Parents collecting their children late will be asked to sign to say they have been collected. This information is then put onto a database for reference as students should be collected on time. If the child has still not been collected by 4.00pm the Academy will no longer be responsible for the child. For children travelling to and from the Academy on bicycles: bike racks are available and helmets must be worn at all times.

School Transport Services

STS Vision - To be the world’s leading transport service and transport management solutions provider, earn their customers’ enthusiasm through integration of technology and operations, continuous improvement, quality, sustainability, safety, commitment and innovations.

STS Commitment - committed in providing the best transport service with highest safety measures and comfort to each passenger. They strive to provide their passengers with the best travel experience in a safe and clean environment. Latest research, development and implementation of state-of-the-art equipment guarantees world class quality and travelling comfort. Customer satisfaction and enduring clientele is their goal.

To find out more, visit their website at www.stss.ae

There is a Customer Care Executive of STS available in every school to support students and parents, and also the representatives at the central office are always available to support you - 800STSS (8007877) or by mail to complaints@stss.ae.

IMPORTANT: There are no School Transport Services home after clubs have finished. Parents will need to make alternative arrangements on days their children take part in after school activities.

Incentives

A wide use of incentives will be introduced at GEMS Wellington Academy - Silicon Oasis including:

Celebration Assemblies Award Certificates House Points Positive communication to parents (e.g. phone calls, emails, messages in student planner) Students being sent to a Key Stage Coordinator, in recognition for a good piece of work

Houses

All students and staff are allocated to one of 4 houses, and their whole class (Primary) or tutor group (Secondary) will belong to the same house. The houses and their colours are: Onyx (Black), Emerald (Green), Diamond (White) and Ruby (Red) - the colours represent the colours of the UAE flag.

Ruby House, Sports Day

Points are gained for good work in any aspect of the Academy curriculum and positive aspects of social/personal behaviour. Sporting events and other inter-house competitions are organised to engender a spirit of belonging and build relationships between students from different year groups.

House points are totalled and the winning house applauded at the end of the week, term and year. We aim to place siblings in the same house, but there may be times when this is not possible.

Summary of Methods of Communication:

• Home Learning book • A weekly newsletter is published electronically. Its purpose is to communicate with parents on

Academy organisational matters and to share the many positive experiences and successes of WSO students.

• Academy screens display a lot of useful information about upcoming events and reminders. • GEMS Oasis, ISAMS and the VLE (see separate section) • Two interim reports and one full report are sent home to each year group • Each year has Academic Review Days and Parent Consultation Evenings where parents meet with

the Class Teacher to discuss overall student progress • Parent Engagement Sessions are held for different year groups on a rotating basis. They are an

opportunity for parents to meet with the Leadership Team and other relevant members of staff to discuss teaching and learning related issues.

• Parents Handbook

Communication

There is a clear line of communication within the Academy. First contact your son/daughter’s class teacher; if the issue requires further discussion the Head of House will be the next link in the chain of communication. Following this, the relevant Assistant Principal will be involved.

Good communication between home and school are vital for the smooth running of the Academy. We ask parents to use email, the VLE/MyLearning or the Student Planner to communicate with us. Staff members will acknowledge receipt of your communication within 24 hours.

Parents are very welcome to contact class teachers if they are concerned about something. Discussions are most valuable when appointments are made in advance with the teacher. If you need to see a teacher, please request an after-school appointment either via VLE/MyLearning or email. Emails are a very good method of contacting staff. The staff email addresses are made up of the teacher’s first initial.Surname_wso@gemsedu.com - email is encouraged!

Please remember that our teachers are very busy before school preparing for the day ahead. After school appointments, allow teachers to give you their undivided attention.

Policy on Mobile Telephones

The Academy recognises that there may be genuine reasons for some students to have a mobile phone at school. However, students are discouraged from bringing their phones to school. As a working community, we do need to have regulations governing the use of mobile phones in order that lessons are not interrupted, and students do not use the phone unnecessarily.

We are asking for a common-sense approach to the use of mobile phones and so we are issuing the following guidelines:

• The Academy does not accept any responsibility for mobile phones. Students must take full responsibility for their safe-keeping, and they bring them into school at their own personal risk. If

phones go missing, we cannot be expected to take time to search for them. May we suggest that parents take out insurance cover for mobile phones that are being brought into school.

• It is advisable to protect phones with security markings and codes, and keep them locked in a locker during the school day.

• Mobile phones must be switched off at all times during lessons and in the corridors. If a phone rings or is visible during lesson time or on the corridor, members of staff are instructed to confiscate them.

• Mobile phones may be used at break and lunchtimes in the Canteen and outside areas only. • All confiscated items can be collected from the Head of House at the end of the school day. If a

phone is confiscated for a second time, the Head of House will telephone parents to ask them to come and collect the phone in person.

• If parents need to contact students in an emergency, they should do this via the Reception by telephoning the main number. All emergency messages will be passed on.

• Mobile phones must never be taken into examinations. • The Academy will not accept any responsibility for lost or stolen items.

These rules form part of the Academy’s Code of Conduct and are non-negotiable.

Absence

Regular attendance and punctuality are a pre-requisite for pupil achievement and a vital preparation for adult life. Absence is monitored carefully and all unexplained absence will be followed up. Parents should not automatically expect that leave will be permitted by the Academy. The Leadership of the Academy will carefully consider a parent’s request, and take in to account their child’s current educational needs and attendance record. If a child is absent for any reason parents should email their child’s class or form teacher before the start of school or telephone the Reception. The Form or Class teacher will amend the register for the day.

Enrichment: Writing Club

Planned Absence

Planned absence from the Academy is actively discouraged. Medical appointments for example should happen outside of school hours. Applications for absence should be made to the following email address: leaverequest_wso@gemsedu.com. • The email should state your child’s full name, class/tutor group and the dates that you are

requesting, along with the reason you are taking your child out of school in term time. • The application must be sent two weeks prior to the leave dates as the process can take up to two

weeks. Until the notification has been received and reviewed, it will be considered as ‘unauthorised absence’.

• The absence will only be recorded as ‘authorised leave’ for valid reasons such as a serious medical issue or a family bereavement. Other notifications will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

• A student’s attendance record will be monitored closely and included as part of the interim and end of year reports. If a student’s attendance record falls to an unacceptable level then the Head of House will arrange an appointment with the student’s parents. WSO and the KHDA expect attendance to be above 98%.

• Notification of absence does not guarantee it will be ‘authorised’. Absences may be recorded as ‘unauthorised’ if there are existing high levels of absence, either sickness or other types of absence, as regular attendance at school is of vital importance.

Sickness If your child is unwell, please keep him/her at home until they are fit enough to cope with a busy school day. This is particularly important to prevent the spread of communicable disease and a good rest will speed up recovery.

Parents should email their child’s class or form teacher as soon as possible on the first day of absence and then each subsequent day they are ill, followed by a written note in the home learning book or planner on your child's return. If a student is at school they should be doing P.E. unless there is a medical reason for missing out – if so, a doctor’s note should be provided. They should still change and take part in the lesson assisting the class teacher with coaching and officiating (where possible). If the parent feels they should not take part at all, they should provide a note in the communication book for the P.E. teacher or by email before the beginning of the Academy day.

Emergency Leave & Appointments If you need to collect your son or daughter in an emergency, please contact the Academy and you will need to collect a permission slip from Reception before your child can be collected from class. Our Security Team will not allow a child to leave the premises without a signed slip.

If your child will be out of school for more than one day for unforeseen reasons (i.e not ‘planned absence’ as mentioned in section 19.1), notification should be sent to the class teacher as soon as the absence in known by email. The email should be dated and a contact telephone number provided, along with the reason your child needs to be out of school during term time. Notification of the absence does not guarantee it will be ‘authorised’; absences may be recorded as ‘unauthorised’ if there are existing high levels of absence, either sickness or other types of absence, as regular attendance at school is of vital importance.

Early departure from school Regular attendance and punctuality are required. Early departure from school is not acceptable without a valid reason, due to the disruption to not only your child’s learning, but those of their peers.

Process: All requests for an early departure must be emailed to Reception and the class teacher at least three days in advance, with details of the valid reason. In the event of an emergency, an email must still be sent to Reception and the class teacher, even if after the event, to confirm the reason.

On the day, you must complete a ‘Sign Out Form’ with Reception before your child can be taken from school. Our Security Team will not allow a child to leave the premises without a signed slip.

Planned Early Departure • FS1 – Year 2: Please allow enough time for a member of staff to collect your child from class. As

your child may not be in their classroom (playtimes, P.E lesson, library etc), it may take a while to collect them and their belongings and bring them to you in Reception, so please give us sufficient time to do this for you.

• Year 3 and above: Please tell your child to come to Reception at the required time. The departure time should also have been notified to the teacher in the email you sent to notify them in advance. If your child does not arrive on time, a member of staff will then collect them, but this may delay your departure time, so it is important you stress the promptness to your child of them coming to meet you in Reception, and give the teacher the notice they also require.

Unplanned Early Departure that your child will not be aware of:

All students:

Please allow enough time for a member of staff to email your child’s teacher, so that they may send your child from class to reception. This is particularly important for older children who move around the Academy more for lessons.

It may take a while for the teacher to respond during lesson times and for the child to collect their belongings and meet you in Reception, so please give us sufficient time to do this for you.

Late Arrivals

We expect students to arrive punctually at school and we place importance on developing punctuality as a sign of respect towards others in the community. Persistent lateness will be followed up by the Academy. We understand that there may be infrequent situations when you are unavoidably delayed.

If your Primary child arrives late at school, he/she must go to the Reception desk to collect a ‘Late Note’ before going to join his/her class. This will then ensure the Reception Team mark the child as ‘present’ in the Register to ensure that we always know how many students are on site in case of an emergency. If the child arrives at class and does not have this ‘Late Note’ from Reception, the teacher will ask them to return to Reception to complete this essential safety process.

GEMS OASIS, iSAMS & My Learning

GEMS Oasis Parent portal is our secure parent website that can only be accessed by enrolled parents, and a unique username will be issued to you.

OASIS – this holds all your personal information: • Upload a photo of your child for use on their Student ID Card • Pay/view on-line fees • Change personal contact details

ISAMS is a secure parent portal that again can only be accessed by enrolled parents and a unique username/password will be issued to you.

ISAMS – this holds the following information: • Students school reports • Timetables Attendance

My Learning/VLE is an online secure student and parent website. The student will receive a username/password from their teacher to sign in to their account. The parent uses the same username/password as their OASIS Parent Account.

My learning/VLE – this is where teachers post communication to parents/students • Home Learning for each year group • Announcements • Learning Resources and Useful Links • Weekly Newsletters • Photos of students taking part in activities

Break and lunchtimes

All students have a mid-morning break, during which time they may wish to eat a nourishing and healthy snack. Students then have a second break later in the school day for lunch. Please ensure any drink brought into school is in an unbreakable container. Water is always available to the students throughout the day to re-fill their water bottles.

Lunchtime arrangements

Foundation Stage through to Year 2 Pupils will always picnic in their class groups to develop the social aspects of mealtimes. Every day, please provide packed lunches, snacks and water bottles for your children. Lunchtimes will always take place in either the Classroom or the Primary Canteen. Children have an allocated time for eating and an allocated time for lunchtime playing. There is no benefit in a child rushing their meal to be able to play sooner, so rest assured that your children will have plenty of time to eat the food you send. Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 Pupils will always eat in their class groups to develop the social aspects of mealtimes. Lunchtimes will either take place in either their Classroom; another designated eating area or the

Primary Canteen o Canteen - on designated days, the Class Teacher will take their students to the canteen where they can have the option of buying lunch, or eating their own packed lunch. Students should still bring their own snack and water bottle on these days. o Classroom/Other designated eating area - On the other days in the week, children should bring their own water bottle, snack and lunch from home. Food Restrictions and Healthy Eating • Nuts (including peanut butter) are not allowed in school, as we have a number of students with

severe allergies. • If you chose to bring pork as part of a packed lunch, please be respectful to other cultures. For both of these reasons, Students will not be allowed to share 'snack' with a friend. We encourage a healthy eating policy and consequently do not permit chocolate, sweets or fizzy drinks in school. Thank you for supporting us in this approach. We believe that good habits learned early will benefit the students throughout their life. Younger students will come home with uneaten food in their lunch box so you know what has been consumed. The box will not be emptied by supervisor/teacher.

Student and Parent ID Cards

At WSO we operate an identity card system for students, parents and teachers. ID cards should be worn and visible at all times on the Academy site. A GEMS ID card is a single means of identifying those people who are permitted to be on the school site and forms a key part of our safeguarding strategy. Student ID cards will be issued once students start at the Academy. Each family is eligible to receive two parent ID cards with lanyards. These will also be issued once your child starts at the Academy. Additional adults who need to visit the Academy must sign in and obtain a visitor pass from the Security Gate.

Our Security Team will challenge any person on site who is not displaying an ID card / lanyard. Parents with ID cards are welcome to visit the Academy site during the working school day. Please note however that parent access is limited to the Phase 3 Reception area and Parent Café unless accompanied by a staff member. We politely request that parents do not accompany their children to classrooms in the Secondary Phase.

Student Identification

A GEMS student ID card contains information such as the students’ name, photograph, year group, class details and transportation details, as well as parent contact information. The card also contains a barcode unique to each student which can be used to access school facilities such as transport, the Library and catering (where applicable).

Each student will be issued with a GEMS ID card, pouch and lanyard (with safety release).

Library

The Academy Libraries have an impressive collection of over 23,000 books. All students have the opportunity to visit the Library as part of their curriculum time, to peruse the collection and borrow books. When going on extended leave, we request that students return their library books before leaving the Academy. Parents are requested to ensure that their children handle library books with care.

Lost, overdue or damaged books Please encourage your children to respect and care for the books. The correct handling and usage of a book contribute to its longevity. However careful we are, there will be instances of loss or damage. For those occurrences we have created the following procedure for replacing lost or damaged books.

Book Return Procedure When students enter the Library, the loaned books will be handed to the Library Assistant. The books will then be inspected for damage and returned in the system. Books that are not returned on their due date will be considered overdue. Overdue notices will then be generated and handed to the students. When a book is three weeks late, the Library Assistant will assume that the book is lost. An invoice will then be prepared and presented to the student. The student will not be allowed to borrow a new book until the book is returned or the invoice paid in full.

Invoicing for lost or damaged books The invoiced amount for lost and damaged books will be calculated as follows: The price; RRP (Recommended Retail Price) noted on book + AED 15 Administrative Costs. If the RRP is absent, an internet search will be done to find the current price of the book. This will then be converted to local currency.

Payment to Cashier The parent or carer must present the invoice and payment to the Cashier. The original receipt must then be taken to the Library to allow the staff to reinstate borrowing privileges. If, however, a book deemed lost is found, the book and the invoice must be presented to the Library Assistant, to reinstate borrowing.

To collect a refund for a book that has been found If the lost book has already been paid for and is found, you may be refunded. Present the book and the original receipt to the Library Assistant who will then endorse the receipt for presentation to the Cashier for a refund.

Basic Equipment Requirements