OOW Newsletter-2 Vol 11

Disseminating Educational Excellence since 1968

Issue 2 Vol 11 OOW NEWSLETTER

11th April 2021

Green Flag Award

Our Own High School was awarded the Green Flag award for the year 2021 and 2022,
in the Green Flag Award Ceremony conducted on 1st March, 2021, by Environment
Center for Arab Towns. Amongst the 36 schools that participated in this award cere-
mony, Our Own High School was highly appreciated for its commitment in imple-
menting sustainable practices to reduce water and energy consumption. It was an
added glory for our school to be selected as the only school to share the best practices
and guide other schools in eco-friendly initiatives.
Ashwin Rejikumar, School Head boy, Akhil Biju, School Environment Captain and Aayush Sandeep Kumar, School Deputy Environment Captain, rep-
resented the school and presented various initiatives for a sustainable future.
Our Own High School will continue to inspire and nurture the message of a greener earth for a safe environment.

Congratulations ‘Our Own’ for retaining the GREEN FLAG for the fifth year!

Ms. Supreet Kaur the English Coordinator of Grades 4 and 5 Ms. Sangeetha K. Regunath is a very passionate, enthusiastic and committed Educator
has been awarded TEACHER OF THE MONTH AWARD for the who has been awarded TEACHER OF THE MONTH AWARD for the month of FEBRUARY.
month of January; for being a dedicated, sincere and a hard- She always ensures that no day goes by without the students learning something new
working teacher. She uses varied strategies dur-
and with her focus on the attainment and progress of every stu-
ing lesson transactions to ensure maximum
dent in her class. As the Middle School Co-ordinator for ME, she
student progress. During the last academic year
made sure that all the tasks were planned and conducted effective-
she was involved in conducting various virtual
ly. A strong quality that makes Sangeetha unique is her readiness
events in Grades 4 and 5 like the Spell Bee, Inter
to be of help and assistance not only to her colleagues and stu-
House English Elocution. She was also one of the
dents but also to parents with whom she shares a strong rapport
editors of the Grades 4 and 5 Newsletter – The
for the well-being of their ward.
Chronicles.

Professional Learning and sented the PD Bouquet at different levels. 3 Sobha Rajesh
The teachers who completed KHDA mandatory 4 Sala Elogail Ali A
Development Programme courses (WAVE 3 Batch 2) were also felicitated 5 Mubeena Kausar
virtually. 6 Valsamma Gerard
In order to light the fire and ignite the students for 7 Sameera Siddiqui
a successful future, Our Own High school always The list is as follows: 8 Lakshmy P Ramachan-
encourages and motivates teachers to develop 1 Sabitha Martin dran
their skills by not only sending them for profes- 2 Briji Mary Alex 9 Rani Elizabeth John
sional development training programmes but also 10 Sarbjeet Kaur
gives opportunities to conduct training pro- 11 Rangitha
grammes at school. 12 Bindu Manojkumar
The PD Team initiated an Orientation Session on 13 Asfia Siddiqui
the 31st March 2021 for the teachers. The Session 14 Anitha Priscilla
began with an inspirational message given by Ms. 15 Deepa Mary John
Bindu Manoj Kumar (Teaching & Learning Supervi- 16 Joseph John
sor) mentioning the purpose of professional devel- 17 Renu B Chandran
opment which is to improve teaching standards to 18 Udaya Prakash B
ensure learning needs of all learners are met. Ms. 19 Elsayeda Mohamed Ali M
Lavina Chauhan (PLDL), explained the objectives, 21 Reena Chaturvedi
the professional development process and the 21 Lavina Randhir Chauhan
rationale followed by Mr. Mevil (PLDL) who pre-
https://www.facebook.com/oohsaw
OOHS always focuses on holistic development of and assess students’ readiness for the year ahead.
https://www.instagram.com/oow.dubai/
the children. In pursuit of equipping the children Indeed, the SEEP activities gave the opportunity to
https://twitter.com/OOHSAW1
with 21st Century Skills, the school advocated the the students to think, reflect and get an insight. It
Support us on social media and help us
Student Empowerment and Enrichment Pro- gave the right start to the students and teachers to to serve you better!

gramme (SEEP) to increase critical-thinking and embark on the exciting journey for the new Aca- Send us your suggestions to,
Ms. Premalatha, Editor
problem-solving skills and most importantly rein- demic Year.
[email protected]
vigorate a student’s passion for learning. SEEP activities conducted in Grades 1 to 5 includ-

To foster student's understanding and help them ed: Know more about me sessions – where the

to formulate academic and social goals, student introduced himself to his friends and

all grades had planned a plethora of activities for teacher, Covid awareness sessions, target setting,

SEEP. Day 1 began with special introduction and Netiquette, Cyber safety, Counsellors’ session with

interaction among teachers and students followed parents and another session conducted for stu-

by setting up of Class rules. The next three days dents on Happiness…

focused on reiterating the importance of good Introductions to their respective teachers, the

health and habits . The students thoroughly en- heads of the school and knowing their friends a

joyed the Counsellor’s session wherein she little better was the first part. Line of contact in

stressed on happiness and well- being of the stu- case they need any help or have any doubt was

dents. The most enriching part of the programme reiterated to the students. We received a good

was Target Setting wherein the students set their response in terms of students coming in campus

short-term Academic Goals, life skill and personali- for their learning journey. A thorough overview of

ty goals. The program also allowed students to safety and hygiene was given to these students.

ponder upon the Cyber Safety Rules and neti- Students by the end of the week created their own

quette. They gathered information regarding hand washing videos: https://bit.ly/3mvzYol, set

online manners and rules for their sessions ahead. their targets and gave us their feedback about the

Entry level tests were also conducted to review wonderful Counsellors session on Happiness.

My first day in School troduce ourselves in Arabic. She really inspired me My First day on Campus Learning
It was a very cold Wednesday morn- to take a keen interest in learning Arabic. I waited for the day to go to school
ing, I was so excited cause I was going Finally, we all lined up to get into our buses back
to meet my class teacher and class home, keeping a safe distance from each other we anxiously to meet and greet my
mates. When I entered school I felt happy and moved in a line towards our buses. friends. So finally when the day
thought that today is going to be an amazing day Nathaneal – 5C arrived, I was very nervous but as I boarded the
since I was attending school after a long time. I bus, I was greeted by my bus driver with a beam-
was absolutely right, the schools looked so spot- I love being on campus ing smile. I felt relieved and all my feelings of anxi-
lessly clean and safe. On entering my class room I For the first time when I came to school I ety disappeared.
came to know that my English Teacher was Mr. was a little afraid because of present situ- When I entered the school, my teachers greeted
Gomes. He instructed me on how to maintain my ation but after coming to school I realized me with a big ‘Welcome’ poster on the white-
note books and also about the netiquettes of that learning is fun. All the teachers are board. I was happy to see four of my friends from
online learning. We also had lots of wonderful very kind and caring towards the students. All grade 3 along with me in school and felt really
SEEP sessions. Then, we had library, instead of safety measures are followed in the school. I am happy. During the break I was allowed to move
going to the library we had the teacher to come to really happy to be an on campus student. Coming around the school for a while with the help of my
us. The librarian had an app which allowed us to to school is better than staying at home. I think all teachers and noted that it was a very big school.
read books, encyclopaedia, magazines etc. After students should come to school so that once again I liked everything about the school, the teachers
that class we had math and in math we had an we can study. I pray to God that things get normal are so polite and I like their way of teaching too. I
entry level test which was very interesting. After again. Humaid Khan 5-F wish that this academic year will be a better year
that Aya mam our Arabic teacher asked us to in- compared to the previous year.
Arsh Arafath. Y- 4C

I would like to share my experience on my
first day at school. I was nervous and excit-
ed to go to school, when the bus arrived.
The bus conductor checked my tempera-
ture, and I entered the bus. After reaching
the school, I went to my new classroom
which has tables that are 1 meter apart
from each other and I sat at my assigned
seat. During the break I went outside and played. Then I came back, and my
other classes started. We met our new teachers. After some time for the sec-
ond break, I went out to play. When classes ended it was time to go home we
lined up while keeping a safe distance and went to our buses. AARON JERRY-6H

Back To School one class is 15, they have put many stickers in the learning. I do not even worry about covid spread-

Back to School is amazing! I got to floor to tell us where to walk, we have thermal ing in the school because it is taken care of by tem-

SEE MY FRIENDS after one year of Remote Learn- cameras installed to check temperature and they perature scanning before you get on the bus and

ing. We have fun enjoying regular classes and play have also added a dustbin for mask and gloves. thermal camera scanning when you enter the

out during break time, following safety There are sanitizer dispensers everywhere. All safe- school. We always social distance, playing is not

measures and cherishing about our school trips to ty measures are in place. Therefore, I like going to allowed in break so we are safe in break.

Warner Bros and IMG. I also feel glad to meet new school. Canteens are also closed, assemblies do not func-

students and make new friends in other classes as Dheer Jain – 7 E tion, no other vast group meetings function too.

well. The teachers are kindhearted and helps us to Campus learning is Great! Also, teachers and the STS team always monitor

stay safe during this Pandemic. I love Campus learning because the outer school and inner corridors. We have a

Mohamed Sinan 7C it feels more like we are in class bubbles in which students are suggested to sit

I’m glad I’m back to school school than doing school online inside if possible unless you must go to the toilet or

I feel very happy coming back to school as I could by teams. wash your hands or some other necessary need.

meet 3 friends (Huzayl, Rehan and Ibrahim)and We also feel-good waking up I highly recommend you come to school / send

also a new boy named Hrishinath. I am having a lot early in a hurry, wearing our uniform and getting your son / daughter to school because....

fun talking to my friends, playing with my friends on to the bus. Also having breakfast in break in- It is better for learning as teachers can monitor you

during break time. I feel strange wearing the mask stead when a period is going on in teams and all better. It is more like regular school than online

all day but I am getting used to it. The school has the other differences. learning. It is very SAFE!

changed many things like the maximum students in Teachers can also monitor us better than online AbdulQadir Aziz -7H

Back in school, it really feels great to be in my that it is very dangerous to go to school during the When my parents first told me that I am going to

classroom with my teachers and friends around pandemic time. Anyway, as I wanted badly to see resume on-campus classes, I did not like the idea

me. Last year when I was studying from home I my friends and I came to know that our class had one bit and I tried all possible excuses to avoid it,
used to sleep or cook food for myself whereby I broken the record for the number of students but my parents did not listen to me. When I finally
gained a lot of weight. But now, coming to school I coming for Blended Learning, I decided to opt for arrived at school I wanted to run away as far as I
became more active. I get to interact with my
teachers and friends and share my feelings and the same. In the school bus, all the students strictly can, until I saw an entirely new look of our school. I
thoughts with them. I believe my academics will maintained social distancing and other necessary started to see things from a different perspective, I
improve as, in the classroom, I can focus only on precautions which were needed during Covid-19. It got to see what only on-campus students can un-
my studies without any distractions. Now I am was nice to meet my new teachers and the teach- derstand. My next worry was about safety, but the
under my teachers' guidance, and they will clear ers of last year at school. And I hope more stu- school has all the safety measures in place. I

my doubts straightaway. In grade 7, I was badly dents will come to school. thought I was going to be alone but school was
missing the face-to-face interactions in class, the Alan Xavier 8-O very active and engaging with many students. We

whole year. Now I am enjoying the good moments Coming back to school was fun since all this time can move around strictly maintaining a social dis-

of being in the physical classroom with my friends being at home and not attending school made me tance. Let me share some tips for people who have

and teachers. Resuming the routine of coming to school-sick. But now that I am in school, I do realise plans to come back to school: i) always carry a

school helps us to maintain a positive as well as that it is fun to learn face to face than through de- backup safety kit that contains an extra mask,

disciplined way of life. At school I can play, run, vice because that way we will have more interaction gloves, and sanitizer; ii) keep social distance from

jump, and do a lot. As I was told by my elder sib- than a screen to stare at. I think that coming to everyone; iii) always be a bit early for anything; do
lings, teachers, and guardians that Grade 8 is the school is very good for even our health as I could not wait until the last moment to do anything; iv)
base of Grades 9 and 10, I believe that resuming on feel the fresh air and become more active. I believe I always be respectful to teachers; that will put you
-campus classes will be a better and beneficial have taken my studies more seriously now, sitting in on their good list; v) always follow the golden rule -
choice. MUHAMMAD ADIL HANIF- 8 C
front of teachers and doing activities. So, I am very treat others the way you want others to treat you
I have been coming to school from the beginning happy to be back in my school classroom
of Blended Learning this year. Initially, I had feared Jaiwant-8Q because “What goes around, comes around.”
Shayan Sutharya (8-M)

“You can start the next chapter of your life if you school after a whole Academic year simply feels classes are nothing but a medium to adapt to an

keep re-reading the last one.” amazing yet unfamiliar. Getting up early in the ongoing pandemic but one that can never replace

The CoVID-19 Pandemic has wreaked havoc on morning, catching the bus and coming to school is the experience in school.

almost everyone around the world. With many something I never thought I'd miss a whole lot. Neil Biju Koshy -12 D

schools switching to Remote Learning, it was a new Entering the class, the very first morning inter- Blended learning has certainly created a difference

experience for all of us. Being back to school in acting with your friends and teachers for the very for us. Learning and understanding is way easier

April 2021, after an entire year of Online Learning first time even after knowing them for a whole year and better compared to learning from home. Since

brings a nostalgic feeling to us. Students running in was uncanny but felt delightful. Hoping to continue we are not at home there's not much online dis-

the hallways, as well as teachers laughing in the the original way of learning with traction. We all are determined to continue coming

staff room, reminds us of life before CoVID, the safety measures and self- to school as we want to learn instead of sitting at

simpler life. Lessons have also been easier to un- responsibility. Overall, it was a home. Compared to online learning, we can defi-

derstand because teachers are right here to guide really great first day full of new nitely say that offline is much better in terms of

and assist you if any mistakes are made. Although experiences and challenges that learning and engagement in the class, as the clas-

we aren’t allowed to be within six feet of one an- we were prepared to face. ses are offline we don't face any technical difficulty

other, classes continue to feel more lively and hap- Aashish Dinesh-12 I which can hinder our learning process. In contrast

pier with our friends and classmates. The ambience “From what was to what is’ to online learning, Onsite classes has helped us a

of the school such as the fresh air and outdoor From adapting to a new normal to returning back lot in our learning and helps us connect with our

spaces like the football field has given me an im- to what once was a daily routine. An evening of teachers more. The aura and memories that on-site

mense amount of satisfaction. Overall, returning to searching and preparation followed by the realiza- learning gives us is irreplaceable. On-site learning

OOW has been a wonderful experience for every tion that I have grown, quite literally were the high- in our school abides by all the Government and

one of us.Hamza Parvez-12G lights of the day before school. The very possibility KHDA defined protocols that create a comfortable

Its been almost a year on remote learning, while to meet teachers and friends both old and new was and safe environment for both the students and

we got through the pandemic together, by being nothing short of an experience and one that touch- the teachers.

away from each other, frontline workers knuckled es the heart while the walk to my class was a jour- “A sense of collaboration and communication is

down to get our lives back together and back to ney down memory lane. A day in school after truly possible when we meet face to face’’. -12B

normal and that's why right now, we spending about a year at home attending online

are “back to school”. Coming back to classes was indeed an unforgettable. Indeed online

First time when I entered the Grade ‘’ The 5 ingredients to a flourishing life’’.
3 classroom, I felt very excited and
could not wait for the classes to A session to enhance the wellbeing of the parents and their child
start, our Grade 3 class teacher gave was conducted by the school Counsellor Ms. Pooja Harikumar.
us information about many things What is the PERMA model ? And how it represents the five core
and online classes and the netiquette elements of happiness and wellbeing was explained.
for the class. We had may wonderful Ms. Pooja spoke about the 5 building blocks for wellbeing: using the
SEEP activities too. I was very happy to meet few of PERMA model’. Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationship.
my friends in school. Meaning and Accomplishment. Strategies to go about and help
-Nived Kishore Nair 3C cultivate and strengthen these 5 major building blocks in a child
was given. A lot of questions were asked and examples given.
It was indeed a very enriching session.