“Mathematics is one of the essentials emanations of human spirit, a thing to be valued in and for itself, like art or poetry.”

Intent: ‘Math Week’ was intended to cultivate the love for math by the means of various activities. Besides the ‘Math Fashion Show’, ‘Lulu Trip’ and ‘Dubai Aquarium Trip’; the ‘Inter House Math Quiz’ for the students of KG 2 and Grade 1 was conducted on 30^th October 2018 in the school auditorium.

Experience: 18 students from the 9 classes participated in the quiz. There were 9 teams in all, comprising of 2 grades; KG 2 and Grade 1. Selection of the participants was done in a fair, planned and systematic manner by conducting a written selection round. Selected candidates were prepared rigorously before representing their respective class. It created an opportunity for the children to bring out their talent on a common platform. The competition was conceptualized under the guidance of Ms. Dhanalaxmi who was the Quiz master for the Quiz.

The quiz comprised of four rounds:

1.      Question Round

2.      Activity Round

3.      Buzzer Round

4.      Rapid fire round

The competition was quite challenging and tough. At the end, we had 6 winning teams.

·         From KG 2 we had KG2 C (First), KG2D (Second) and KG2A(Third)

·         From Grade 1 we had Grade 1E(First),  Grade 1 A (Second), Grade 1 C(Third)

Insight: The audience took lot of interest and thoroughly enjoyed the quiz. This was an attempt to prepare young minds for a journey to the world of mathematics.

Intent: Kindergarten 1 students have been learning about the sea creatures in this month and the same was combined with the math week. As an extended learning experience and a cross-curricular activity, a visit to Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo in Dubai Mall was planned.

Experience: Led by the tour guide while treading through the underwater tunnel and getting up close to various species of fish at the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo painted a beautiful experience of learning about the sea creatures on the mind of KG 1 toddlers. Relating it to math, children engaged in counting the number of various types, number of fins, shapes of patterns, different sizes of fish and many more.

Intent: A simple trip to the super store turned into a new learning experience for our young learners. As part of extended learning during ‘Math Week’ program and offering real life experiences, we took children of Kindergarten 2 and Grade 1 to visit Lulu Hypermarket on Monday, 29th October 2018.  

Experience: The children become aware of the different sections of the supermarket (fresh produce, meat, dairy, frozen food, bakery and canned goods) as well as investigated edible plants available in the supermarket. It was an ideal way to get children responsible as well as reinforce the knowledge of edible plants when they carried their own money to buy fruits and vegetables for their families. The exchange of money for receipts and change was a hands on experience for children to learn about addition and subtraction. The learning was not just confined to Lulu market but back in the class, children stuck the bills in their math book and worked on the concepts of addition and subtraction based on the amount they spent. Beyond the math boundaries, children also involved in art activity when they sketched the Lulu Hypermarket and also enhanced their speaking skills when they narrated their shopping experience and importance of money to eat healthy and stay fit.

Insight: Children were thrilled by the whole experience of visiting a supermarket and it was an excellent way to involve children in daily chores to learn life skills.

“Eat well = feel well”

Intent: The Fruit salad making was a fun filled day in Grade 1 on October 28, 2018. The event was used to teach the students the health benefits of eating fruits – one of Mother Nature’s most amazing foods, the colourful variety present in abundance and the benefits of sharing and pooling resources.

Experience: Children were then engaged in ‘Creative Writing’. Students wrote the recipe and the method of preparing FRUIT SALAD. Yummy fresh fruits like strawberries, cherries, kiwis, pomegranate, apples and bananas were some of the fruits that were mixed with delicious ingredients like jelly, custard, condensed milk and cream to make a scrumptious and delectable fruit salad.

Insight: It was perfect hands on experience for Grade 1 students to learn about the various fruits and creative and tasty ways to relish them.

“Mathematics – an exercise for left brain”

Experience: Students dressed in creative ways as per the themes assigned to their class like Grade 1A in 2D Shapes, Grade 1B in 3D Shapes, Grade 1C in Addition and Subtraction, Grade 1D in Fractions and Time, and Grade 1E in Numbers and Number Bonds. The children confidently walked down the ramp with their props and were excited to talk about the significance of the numbers, shapes and operations they represented. We believe and appreciate it took in a lot of effort and time for the parents to prepare the props.

“Staying fit and staying healthy is the best blessing.”

Experience: All the students as well as the staff members came dressed in pink and showed solidarity. Contributions were made by one and all and the proceeds were sent for charity to Dubai Cares. Students engaged in various activities and discussions like yoga, exercises, healthy eating, etc. to understand the importance of staying fit and healthy. While the students of Pre KG to Grade 1 enjoyed tattoo painted on their hands, the higher graders tacked pink ribbons in pride.

Insight: Wellbeing of every student and staff member is always a priority and the Pink Day was one such effort to promote happy living amongst all.

“One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value”

Intent: Caring for someone and getting cared for in return are the ultimate needs of a human soul. This emotion has its roots in the love that an individual gets as an infant and we at Credence believe that as children grow, they develop to care more about other people and their feelings. To build the same relationship and make them understand how words and actions affect others, we had conducted a Special Assembly on Monday, 22th October 2018 where in our Little One’s from ‘Grade 1 D’ took over the stage to showcase their talent.

Experience: They were at their best in terms of talent and confidence and spoke impressively well in front of the crowd. Students role played and spoke on how we should be taking care of ourselves and others around us. A stunning and outstanding dance performance on the song “Tell me why” left us all mesmerized. Various placards on the wrong doings were carried by children which made us all realize the present need of the society and what better way to attain peace and happiness which is by loving and caring for each other. It was a great experience for the children to perform on stage in front of their parents, teachers and friends and vice a versa for the parents it was a pleasure to see their child perform on the stage.

Insight: Building a brighter future backed by responsible citizens is the aim of our school and this was yet another opportunity provided, while grooming the children towards betterment.

“Education is like a lantern which lights your way in a dark valley”

                                                                                                                 -          Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Intent: The year 2018 marks 100 years since the birth of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE. To commemorate this historic national occasion, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates has declared that 2018 will officially be known in the UAE as the ‘Year of Zayed’. The Year of Zayed features a series of events and initiatives in the UAE, designed to commemorate the memory of the late Sheikh Zayed, and showcase his impact and legacy, and promote the values that he displayed throughout his life in creative and interactive ways. At Credence High, we are positively aligned to the visions of the country and it was reflected in the Special Assembly ‘Al Qaid – The Leader’ put up by our students of Grades 1 to 9 on Wednesday, 17^th October 2018.

Experience: The 4 values of the leader-‘Wisdom’, ‘Sustainability’, ‘Respect’ and ‘Human Development’ were key features of the assembly theme. A completely student led assembly, began with our ritual of reciting the Holy Quran (with translation) followed by the ‘thought for the day’ and ‘NEWS headlines’. Students were also made aware of the importance of the ‘Year of Zayed’. A melodious performance by the students based on the value of wisdom got the audience swaying with the music, thereby a skit by the children depicted the importance of sustainability. Following that, was a graceful dance performance centered on the song of respect for the nation and finally moving to the next value, the human development, was the art work of the children. Concluding the assembly with school song and national anthems of U.A.E. and India gave the patriotic touch and the assembly ended to rousing cheers.

“Pink October :  Pink of Health”

Intent: Credence is going places! In solidarity with Pink October, Credence High participated in the Pink Friday Market at Al Khail Gate Community on Friday, 5^th October 2018. Educating the community is a prime responsibility of a school, and so we took up the drive of creating health and specifically ‘breast cancer’ awareness among the people in the region. A special mention for the parents who supported us equally to carry out this noble cause.

Experience: It was an energizing experience of having participated in an event where the staff, parents and students worked hand-in-hand to spread the message and reached out to the crowd who visited the event. As a gesture of love and care for health, small favours were distributed to the women out there. Our attractions also included, quiz questions prepared and asked by the students and also paining a tattoo for the young visitors.

Insight: We uphold the basic values of love and care as an imperative step towards progress and will keep following the same.

“Smiling is contagious; it spreads Happiness”

Intent: Happiness is a sign of healthy, successful and prosperous living and we vouch for the same. With every smile one spreads, one ought to gain positive vibes of love. Spreading happiness is not just a short-term campaign but an ongoing process where the intention is to get it into the system.

Experience: We shared a happiness ‘mantra’ every week through social media and reached out to the community aiming to take along everyone with us, on the path of happiness journey. These little words were words of worth and had a simple yet a strong message to it.

Insight: We urge everyone to be aligned to the same feeling and keep smiling and spreading happiness, anywhere and everywhere they go while anything and everything they do.

“Safety first”

Intent: Continuous and consistent efforts to acquaint and prepare the students for the possible emergencies like fire, assists in greater awareness and alertness to handle crises. Third time in this academic year, the Fire Drill was conducted for the students of all grades and staff members; also having the Civil Defense Team to train the children extensively.

Experience: Students were familiarized with the evacuation process and dousing the fire using the hose assisted by the civil defense team. The staff members were briefed about the drill on the day prior, to have a recap on the procedures of handling emergencies. The evacuation action began immediately after the fire alarm alert. Students were guided at every point by teachers and staff members until everyone was safe and outside the school building at the assembly point. The headcount was then tallied with the attendance of students and staff by the respective teachers and marshals to ensure that all are safe.

Insight: This is the way, such imperative information seeps in the system and is followed with vigilance.