Happy Mother's Day - A message from our Headmistress

We are blessed to be surrounded by all the beautiful and powerful feelings that mothers instill to our existence. We are all products of mother’s love and dedication, and they have helped us become whatever we’ve wanted to be and reach wherever we have wanted to reach until now.

They’ve given us wings to fly, and let us fly far and go beyond the limits of their own world, so that we may conquer our own.

They’ve inspired us to find our way by encouraging and supporting our efforts with unconditional love.

They’ve felt that we deserve the best that life has to offer just because they always see us as special and unique.

They’ve motivated us to disclose our talents and pursue our goals further than we could imagine.
We feel privileged to have been raised by loving hearts and for being instructed by fruitful love, and this is the love we wish to share with our children at Second Home Nursery School.

I’d like to personally thank all the mothers for opening up their hearts to our school community because the love they offer has the power to improve a whole world by raising one generation.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.


Mrs Xenia Giannaki
Headmistress at Second Home Nursery School

Fire safety training and awareness at Second Home Nursery School

Safety first is safety always! On 29th February 2016, we had evacuation plan training for everyone at Second Home Nursery School courtesy of Al Rasheediah Safety & Security. Staff also attended a session about fire extinguisher types and usage in case of fire. It was an enlightening session and now all of us—kids and grownups—are fully prepared for any kind of emergency.

Welcome to a world of wonder at Second Home Nursery School

Our little toddlers at Second Home Nursery School explore and discover a magical world during school time.

Coming to school is like entering a fantasy land filled with a multitude of colours and a variety of creative activities that fuel the children’s imagination.

Most busy families nowadays need further support and service in addition to basic needs and care that they provide to their children—they want to ensure that a safe and happy learning environment is secured for them.

Great and nurturing teachers help create this world.

Let us have a glimpse of this amazing space for learning and you will note that in the eyes of these children which are full of joy and laughter is a change for us to build a brighter future.

- Ms. Melanie, Teacher at Second Home Nursery School

Nursery school: Where life skills are built alongside ABCs and 123s

Besides academics, developing children’s social and emotional skills is a priority at Second Home Nursery School.

You’ve been with your baby from the moment they entered this world. You’ve been by their side constantly – holding them, comforting them, feeding them, and playing with them. So understandably, when you consider enrolling your child at a nursery school, a number of questions and doubts may arise in your mind. While anxiety and sadness are unavoidable feelings when it comes to being separated from them, starting nursery is the start of a new and exciting stage in your child’s life – one that will enrich their lives academically, emotionally and socially.

Not only does it lay the foundation of learning that will take place at kindergarten, but going to a nursery school gives young children an opportunity to play with other children, to learn how to share and to follow simple instructions, in groups as well as individually with a staff member. Being in this nurturing and enabling environment will also help your child develop confidence and boost their social skills.

Second Home Nursery School is dedicated to providing a supportive environment for children to experience different methods of learning.

So don’t worry about having to choose between protecting your child’s play time and focusing on academic skills to prepare them for kindergarten – a high quality early childhood education (such as the EYFS programme) will ensure that your child is offered the best of both, because staff are trained to understand the unique ways that young children learn and develop. Time, space and activities are organized in such a way that they are suited to children’s cognitive, social, physical and emotional capabilities, thereby putting your child on the path to success.

Enviro Spellathon & Environmental Awareness Activities at Second Home Nursery School

In association with the Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Second Home Nursery School conducted the ‘Enviro Spellathon’ test on 14th February 2016. All of our students, who participated at the Junior level, received an ‘Excellent’ grade.

  

We are very proud of our children and we are so happy to see them take such a keen interest in protecting our environment at this young age.

What do Daycare Channel, Safety First Medical Services, Slices UAE and Second Home Nursery School have in common?

We all got together to host the first Coffee Morning for parents at Second Home Nursery School!

Second Home Nursery School hosted its first coffee morning for parents of our children here at the school premises on Thursday, 4^th February 2016. In addition to some opening words from the Headmistress and teachers, a number of presentations were scheduled during the event from experts at the Daycare Channel, Safety First Medical Services, and Slices – the catering company.

The event began with an introductory message from Headmistress Xenia Giannaki outlining the nursery’s agenda for the new term. She also presented a short video showcasing a typical day’s activities at Second Home Nursery School from the time the children walk in through the gate until the pick-up time.

The first presentation for the day was about the Daycare Channel application being introduced at Second Home Nursery School. With this app, a live communication channel is established between parents and staff, providing customised access control system, generated reports from the portal, as well as planning and organization of daily, weekly and term activities.

Next, an expert from the Safety First Medical Services Centre spoke to parents about the importance of First Aid, and provided them with more information about the upcoming workshop being conducted at Second Home Nursery School in First Aid Training. This is a course designed for anyone with limited or no medical training who needs a course completion card in Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED to meet job, regulatory or other requirements.

One of the highlights of our coffee morning event was the insightful presentation by Slices about the need for children to eat healthy. Slices is the homegrown food and beverage catering company based in Abu Dhabi with a mission to transform eating habits across the UAE through providing wholesome, nutritious meals for students, and they will soon be serving meals right here at Second Home Nursery. Executive Chef Matt Thompson opened the presentation with a few words about the standards of cookery, presentation and recipes used by Slices, followed School Food Program Director, Louise Du Plessis, who shared some expert advice on nutrition for young children.

Finally, Headmistress Xenia Giannaki concluded the event, and there was a food tasting session courtesy of Slices with an assortment of samples that were pleasing to the eye as well as to the taste buds. Everyone enjoyed the delectable items on display, and it also provided a wonderful opportunity for parents to mingle with the teachers and have one-on-one time with them.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our parents, guest speakers, staff and well-wishers for their support and cooperation which made this event a successful and memorable one for us all.

Stay healthy and bright, maintain a balanced diet

Health is wealth, and regular exercise and a balanced diet are the keys to healthy living. We’re sure your little ones have no trouble getting regular exercise – they’re so energetic and lively. But the most important aspect of healthy living is maintaining a balanced diet. When it comes to getting children to eat healthy, we know that buying and preparing healthy meals is not the difficult part – it’s finding a way to make them actually eat those nutritious foods that’s challenging! To make this easier and to ensure that your child is getting enough nutrients, they need to take in a balanced amount of protein, fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy. Also, added sugars need to be avoided, along with saturated and trans fats.

Some strategies to encourage healthy eating habits and improve nutrition include: serving a variety of healthy foods and snacks, having regular meals as a family, getting kids involved in the process, ad being a role model by eating healthy yourself.

Bear in mind that bargaining or bribing kids so they eat healthy foods in front of you is not going to work in the long run. A better strategy is to give kids some control, but to also limit the kind of foods available at home.

   

(Note: If you have questions about nutrition for young children or specific concerns about your child's diet, please talk to your child's doctor or a registered dietitian.)