DHA News & Updates
Friday 13th January 2023
Week 16
Congratulations to our newly elected Student Council members, who were introduced in today's assemblies after being voted for by their peers to act as representatives of the student body here at Dubai Heights Academy. We are very proud to offer leadership opportunities such as these as it is important that our students are given the chance to work to amplify the voices of others, improve school life and promote the welfare of the student body.
After taking your feedback on board about school catering, we are extremely pleased to announce that we will soon be launching a lunch and snack catering service on a pre-order basis, with Taste Studio, the company that runs our coffee shop, starting Monday the 30th January 2023. You will be able to find out more details about meal options and how to place an order further down this newsletter. We hope that you will find this new service helpful for making your busy morning routine a little less stressful.
Being a school with 59 nationalities, it is important to celebrate our differences and share our unique cultures with our wonderful community. For this reason we will host an International Day event on the 24th of February and we would love to see lots of our parents get involved in representing a country stall, details of which are further down this newsletter. We hope that many of you will want to participate in making it a wonderful event for our students!
Dates for your diary
January
Tuesday 17th - Maths workshop for parents - Primary
Monday 23rd - Arabic workshop for parents - EYFS and KS1
Wednesday 25th - Years 3 - 9 Sports Day
Thursday 26th - Paediatric allergies talk for parents by King's College Hospital London
Friday 27th - FS1 - Year 2 Sports Day and This is Me Day
February
Friday 3rd - World Cancer Day
Monday 6th - Friday 10th - Children's Mental Health Week
Thursday 9th - Safer Internet Day
Monday 13th - Friday 17th - Half Term Holiday
Monday 20th - Wednesday 22nd - Year 4 - 9 Residential Trips
Friday 24th - International Day
Don't forget you can keep up to date and access our calendar online via our website or by using the following link and adding it to your own calendar:
Student Lunch and Snack Catering Option
We are now delighted to offer a new catering service, providing pre-ordered lunches and snack options on a weekly basis. This new catering option will be provided by Taste Studio, the same company that runs our new coffee shop, who will offer a healthy menu with several lunch and snack options for you to choose from each week, starting Monday the 30th January 2023.
In the initial stage of the rollout, parents will be able to view the menu and place an order for the upcoming week directly with Taste Studio through their WhatsApp Business Account: 0528303172 and make a secure payment on their website, with last orders for the following week having to be submitted before 4pm each Friday. In a few weeks’ time parents will be able to place an order directly through the Taste Studio website. There is no minimum order, therefore you may choose to order for the full week or just on certain days. Taste Studio will prepare the orders fresh each morning from their main kitchen and students will receive their food at break time and/or lunchtime.
We would like to share with you a sample menu below, to give you an idea of the kind of meals or snacks that are available along with their prices, which we feel provides excellent value for the portion size and quality. We hope that this new catering provision will be beneficial for many parents and will ease the pressure of you having to prepare and pack meals for your child every day.
Home Language Survey
International Day
To make this a successful occasion, we would like to ask for your support representing your country with a stall; where our students, staff and parents can learn facts and information through posters and decorations, get a taste of your local cuisine and participate in traditional games, activities or dances. We plan on hosting this event in the courtyard outside the main reception and students will drop by at designated times to visit each of the stalls. You can see in the photos below what the country stalls have looked like in the past, where parents have worked together to create a country stall. These events have always been hugely popular with the students and creates a wonderful sense of community and cultural pride.
If you are interested in representing your country with a stall, please complete the form below before Friday 27th January 2023. We will then collect all of your information in order to identify parents of the same nationalities and put you in touch with each other so that you can plan your activities together. More details about the event will come at a later date.
Swimming ECA with Apex
PE and Swimming
Sports Day
We are excited to announce that our annual Sports Day(s) will take place during the below dates this term. Parents are invited to come along and show their support! More information to follow closer to the time:
Years 3 - 9: Wednesday 25th January, 8:30am - 12:10pm
FS1 - Year 2: Friday 27th January, 8:30am - 11:15pm
Primary Maths Parent Workshop
We are delighted to invite parents of Primary students to attend a Primary Maths parent workshop on Tuesday 17th January 2023. The workshop will be led by Matt Craze, our Primary Maths Lead, who will give you more insight into the Primary Maths curriculum at DHA and how we have adopted a Maths Mystery approach to support your child's learning.
The workshop will be held in the Community Lounge, accessible via main reception Gate 3 and will begin at 8:30am. Parents who arrive early are more than welcome to wait in our newly opened cafe before the workshop starts.
If you wish to attend this workshop, please complete the form below before Monday 16th January. We would also like to remind parents that you should always wear your parent lanyard every time you visit school. We hope to see many of you there.
Arabic For EYFS and Key Stage 1 Parent Workshop
On Monday the 23rd January, our Arabic team will host a workshop for parents of EYFS and Key Stage 1 students highlighting Dubai Heights Academy's Arabic provision and how students are supported in learning Arabic at school.
The workshop will be held in the Community Lounge, accessible via main reception Gate 3 and will begin at 8:30am. Parents who arrive early are more than welcome to wait in our newly opened cafe before the workshop starts.
If you wish to attend this workshop, please complete the form below before Friday the 20th January. We would also like to remind parents that you should always wear your parent lanyard every time you visit school. We hope to see many of you there.
School Winter Uniform Options
Stitches Details
Location: The Stitches Shop, Street 10, Al Quoz (off First Al Khail Street) Telephone: 04 348 6110
Email: info@stitches.ae
Opening Times: 9.00am – 6.30pm (every day)
Further information can be found on their website: https://www.stitches.ae
Residential Trips for Years 4 - 9: LAST CHANCE SIGN UP
With the residential trips coming up in just a few weeks time, we would like to remind you to complete the sign up form and make payment with our Finance Department as soon as possible to secure your child's spot on the trip.
Students not participating in the residential trips may be required to remain at home.
This will depend on the number of students and staff attending the residential trip.
This will be confirmed closer to the time.
Year 4: 20th - 21st February / 1 night, 2 days
Cost: AED 905 per student
Sign up: https://forms.gle/7kqYdMYkVcp8QVPr8
Year 5-6: 20th - 22nd February / 2 nights, 3 days
Cost: AED 1,490 per student
Sign up: https://forms.gle/hKBaTBZeiyMzCfdbA
Year 7-9: 20th - 22nd February / 2 nights, 3 days
Cost: AED 1,805 per student
Sign up: https://forms.gle/geoixwArT7B8Tw1b8
These trips to Ras Al Khaimah are run by Challenging Adventure, a reputable British outdoor adventure activity provider in UAE and overseas. The students will stay overnight in the stunning mountains with friends and enjoy a number of exciting age-appropriate activities like abseiling, low ropes, climbing walls, archery, rock climbing, kayaking, paddle boarding and more. Please find attached the information packs for the trips for further information.
Siblings Enrolment for Academic Year 2023-2024
Our registration for the next academic year is now open for students to join Dubai Heights Academy in August 2023. You may submit your child’s application via this link.
https://www.dubaiheightsacademy.com/admissions/application-forms
Please note that your child must be 3 years old by August 31st 2023 to be eligible for FS1 and 4 years old by August 2023 to be eligible for FS2. While preference is given to siblings of students currently enrolled in DHA, we cannot guarantee a place for late applicants in case the respective year group is full. Once the applications are received, we will arrange for an assessment for your child and notify you accordingly.
Parents can also benefit from our friend’s referral scheme programme whereby a payment of AED 2,000 will be made towards your child's tuition fee for every new enrolment we receive as a result of parent referral. Please note that the referral rewards are NOT applicable for siblings of existing students.