Mr. James’ Weekly Reflection – 8 January 2025

Dear Nadeen Family,

Happy New Year and welcome back to school! I hope the festive break offered time for rest, connection, and reflection. At the start of every new year, I find myself wondering, what might your New Year’s resolutions be? Perhaps kindness, curiosity, perseverance, or simply being present and making the most of each day.

Over the holidays, my daughter and I took some time to talk about what matters most to us as we begin the year ahead. We agreed that we would be even more plant-forward with our nutrition, take five minutes each day to be mindful, and go to bed each evening sharing what we are most thankful for. Simple intentions, but powerful ones, and a reminder that small, consistent actions can make a meaningful difference. You will hear Mr. Jack in Secondary say this regularly to the learners. 

It has been a true joy welcoming our learners back this week. As it is every morning, the smiles, hugs, and high fives at the entrance remind us just how special the Nadeen community is. These moments never lose their magic. One of the personal highlights of my week came when Kennedy in Year 1 came to visit me to share her writing about Rapunzel. Not only was her writing wonderful, but she read it so beautifully and with such confidence. This moment was, without doubt, the very best part of my week and a perfect reminder of the joy and purpose found in learning.

It has been a busy and exciting first week back. Our Year 9 learners took part in highly successful iGCSE taster sessions, experiencing GCSE-style lessons ahead of making their option choices. The engagement, maturity, and enthusiasm they demonstrated were wonderful to see. We are also incredibly proud of Camila in Year 9, who achieved 2nd place out of 165 schools in the COBIS KS3 Art Competition, an outstanding accomplishment and a testament to her creativity and dedication.

As we look ahead, our Year 11 learners are ready for their iGCSE mock examinations, which will take place over the next two weeks starting Sunday. We wish them every success as they approach this important milestone with focus and resilience.

January is a special month for us as we celebrate Nadeen’s birthday, 48 years of learning, growth, and community. This weekend will also mark a truly historic moment for Nadeen School as we host a BSME sports competition for the very first time. On Friday, we will welcome 10 schools from across the GCC for a fantastic day of U11 Netball at the Rugby Club. This is a real milestone that we are immensely proud of.

There have been many other wonderful moments to celebrate across the school:

• Ebrahim (Class 2LA) won a silver medal at the Bahrain Taekwondo Open Championship, competing against international participants. A remarkable achievement!
• As part of their Enquiry Learning, our Year 1 learners created a collaborative art piece exploring how we can better care for our planet. After learning about plastic pollution in the oceans around Bahrain, they took meaningful action by participating in a beach clean-up at Sama Bay. Inspired by this experience, they produced a powerful artwork encouraging our community to reduce plastic waste and dispose of it responsibly in the recycling cages in our car park. This plastic is collected by Nidukki, recycled into chips, and repurposed by companies in meaningful ways, a wonderful example of learning leading to action.
• We were also delighted to see some of our Year 1 learners assisting Ms. Shanee and Mr. Mohsan with harvesting the crops grown at school, preparing them for our farmers’ market later today. A lovely example of hands-on learning, responsibility, and sustainability in action. 

• For those interested, we also have the best seats in the house available for the upcoming Wicked show, not to be missed!

Finally, I am pleased to announce that admissions are now open for Post-16.  If you have any questions or would like to explore pathways further, please do come and speak with our Secondary team, who will be delighted to support you.

Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership and support. It has been a wonderful start to the year, and I very much look forward to all that we will achieve together in the weeks ahead.

Kind regards, 

James Batts

Principal, Nadeen School