Lolacat | ExpatWoman.com
 

Lolacat

Lolacat
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Latest post on 28 May 2015 - 11:25
Never use olive oil for cakes! Sunflower or one of the lighter oils that does not have much taste. I wished I asked here before I started.... Hope my frosting can disguise some of the olive taste :-( No idea why I never thought about it. LOL, chuck it out and start again.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 28 May 2015 - 11:23
http://www.ibo.org/en/programmes/primary-years-programme/
Lolacat
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Latest post on 28 May 2015 - 11:19
Sunflower oil Or...butter where I can (yes i know I know...but it's a cake, it's not meant to be diet food) I also made an "Olive oil cake" once...even the kids wouldn't eat it :) Yes I don't mind butter, as it's not every day I bake cakes. Would it be ok to swap the oil for melted butter? Anyway thanks I will get a bottle of sunflower oil for my extremely occasional baking ? No use normal non salted butter and not melted. Butter is good for you, if you really want to push the boat out use organic Rachel's butter. Melted butter will not work in a cake mix, you can do half sunflower and half butter, but again don't melt the butter.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 28 May 2015 - 11:11
I would love to know more about PYP program and what they are giving for example in the first Grad. Is it more like british or US or Montessori … I was looking at Uptown and it seems majority of the teachers are British! PYP is part of the IB system, which would be more like a US primary system. British teachers who are IB trained.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 28 May 2015 - 11:10
Never use olive oil for cakes! Sunflower or one of the lighter oils that does not have much taste.
Lolacat
2738
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Latest post on 28 May 2015 - 11:07
Why would you live so far aware form the school? It will easily take twice the length you predict each way, every day, I would re think where you are going to live!
Lolacat
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Latest post on 14 May 2015 - 17:41
What about the Reform at the Lakes club? Good food, play area and nice atmosphere.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 14 May 2015 - 17:32
Ask the nursery to make the invoice for FS1 that should help.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 14 May 2015 - 17:25
I think what you do with your own money inside your own home is up to you. There is the Emirates Red crescent taking donations as well.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 14 May 2015 - 17:15
Purple, just out of curiosity why have you chosen these three schools? All are very very different, in fact you could not have picked three more different schools if you tried. Don’t worry about the assessment they all have places, as long as your child does not have any major issues she will be fine. Hi lolacat...I've contacted many schools & these are the ones that have spaces which I'm "ok" with...also, there fees are within my budget too. What do you suggest? Well you know the answer to that question! Seriously though the whole finding a school thing can be a nightmare when coming from abroad so you need to narrow down your choices on what sort of education you are looking for. The established schools will probably be full for this age range, but may be worth a quick email just in case they do have a space come up. Some of the newer schools may have places and I would not write off a newer school yet, which is why i mention them below. I would use your time wisely and visit a few schools. You mentioned a strong language program, well some schools do not have that. You need to ask yourself if a big school is right for your child, where have they come from, will they cope. What sort of nationality mix is the school made up of? You asked so I will answer, the Hartland discovery centre, meet the Head, Safa community school, Kings Nad al Sheba/Al Barsha, Dubai British Foundation and Foremarke (if budget allows). Try to meet with a Head at these schools. These are all quite small schools at the moment. It may be worth popping into NAS to get a feel for the place, they may have a place last minute. There are a few other new schools opening as well. GEMS have quite a few new schools that will probably have places. Re Budget, you may not be aware that schools can raise their fees based on their KHDA inspection results, this can in some cases be yearly. So be aware you may have budgeted for what is advertised but the fees may well go up from that figure, not all schools have released their increases yet. New schools have to fix their fees for a few years and do not come under inspection for a few years, which is why they come in on the higher end at first but it soon evens out after a few years. Also ask how the fees are collected, some schools take a small deposit and it comes off the first terms fees and fees are paid termly, others require a large deposit with cheques for a year. If you are paying your own fees these things can make a difference. Good luck with your search, I'm sure you will find a school that you will be happy with. HTH ;)
Lolacat
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Latest post on 14 May 2015 - 14:19
Purple, just out of curiosity why have you chosen these three schools? All are very very different, in fact you could not have picked three more different schools if you tried. Don’t worry about the assessment they all have places, as long as your child does not have any major issues she will be fine.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 14 May 2015 - 12:04
What happened?
Lolacat
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Latest post on 13 May 2015 - 02:00
Would love to get any feedback on Gems World Academy or Gems International School al Khail. They are both IB schools, but which is the best? GWA has been in operation far longer and one of the more expensive schools in Dubai the other one is new (Sept 2015) so you may not find much feedback on the newer one.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 13 May 2015 - 01:43
Dubai London Clinic on Al Wasl road.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 13 May 2015 - 01:39
You dread receiving your DEWA bill more than the MIL annual visit LOL Brilliant
Lolacat
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Latest post on 13 May 2015 - 01:33
Or is it my computer? Seems a different lay out.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 13 May 2015 - 01:33
Hello, We are planning a visit to Scotland this summer and just wondering a good family hotels or resorts ..Apartment! Activities to do and places to visit!! Thank you Gleneagles is lovely.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 13 May 2015 - 01:32
Lolacat - why are you always so negative, you are continuously trying to throw Repton under the bus and promote Hartland. As a parent of 2 very happy children and soon to be 3rd child at the school, I am very happy, they are making changes for the better. If you child is not at this school - don't comment. If you child is at the school - it clearly is just not the school for them - end off! Any school that gets outstanding is always going to put up the fee, this is life. What? urm, Daza actually made that comment re fees jokingly, great you are happy. :cool:
Lolacat
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Latest post on 13 May 2015 - 01:24
Can anyone explain why Safa Community hasn't been rated yet please? Because it is a new school and new schools have to be operational for a few years before they come under inspection.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 11 May 2015 - 08:43
Leave it well alone.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 11 May 2015 - 08:41
Someone needs to explain about basic conformation (did you see the teeth?) and point out genetic disease and breed standards. I hope someone enlightens in depth the dangers of breeding these two dogs. You want to buy a dog of a certain breed go to an ethical breeder and import one. No doubt he thinks its Eastern European passport is enough lol. Bad move all round. Watch a surge in “Bulldog looking ish puppies” being bought now from the ever so accommodating pet shop industry. Tragic. When will those is the public eye learn that they are judged by their actions.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 15:44
Have spoken to his teacher after seeing his report how aggressive was highlighting his writing !! after long chat with her i knew that she wanted to give him a private lessons which consider one to one after school !! If she write such a report no school will except him. I will speak to the head of primary and see!! its the first time i see such a report !! So are you saying this is the very first time your attention has been drawn to the issue? Seriously? Term 3? So are you saying that for two terms the teacher and school have not recognised a problem and involved you in any form of concern? *alarm bells going off* So the teacher is suggesting with a little extra help your child will be fine? Therefore, not identifying there is a learning issue? There is nothing the teacher can do that you cannot at home. I think you need a meeting with a more senior member of staff to identify what the issues actually are and why holding your child back will be of any benefit. Also whether you or they have picked up anything that could possibly be a learning issue. Don’t worry about entrance into other schools, most schools will do their own assessments based on potential.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 15:36
It’s tricky because some schools seem to make money on this service (a lot) and often the shadow is not a teacher at all or holds any learning needs qualifications. Perhaps ask for a meeting with the school and work out when your child will actually require help and see if you can go in and out of the school during those times if you do not work.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 15:34
You have to use a company like Borderlinx, Borderfree or MYUS.com, or a parcel forwarding service that has a US concierge service. They buy for you and charge a small commission (%). I’ve done this a few times and it’s worked out fine. Take a look at those sites, some have stores attached to them. The prepaid cards often will not work for US shops.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 15:31
The last few weeks of summer term are a waste of time in my experience anyway, so many leave early, exams for the rest of the years are over, reports written and videos and parties seem to take over!
Lolacat
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Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 09:22
Hi everyone, I would love to have some information on these 2 schools in Dubai please. Gems is too big and with state of art facilities which some young kids would not be able to use them. DBS is a much smaller school with only 3 classes in one grade.... How would you evaluate these 2 schools and what is best for your child please? Thank you. You just said that one school is too big, so surely this is a concern you have. I think you answered your own question tbh. <em>edited by Lolacat on 10/05/2015</em>
Lolacat
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Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 09:21
KHDA will be able to advise you about this, just email them and ask the same question as to which year group she has to enter. Take a place based on your child not on what is avilable.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 09:18
You will find a school, don't panic. Have you looked up the US curriculum schools in Dubai and contacted them? There are quite a few, try which school advisor or google US schools dubai for a list.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 09:12
Go to DSO headquaters Visa section and ask there what the exact procedure is. They will know, you do not need a PRO for this you just need the correct information. https://www.dsoa.ae/en/services/inhouse-services/
Lolacat
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Latest post on 09 May 2015 - 20:35
Do you know you are the first poster I have ever seen put a pretty realistic family budget up. Yep that’s about right. After school activities would be one to add, membership/classes for you or DH as well. Electric could be more as Housing fee monthly is 5% of rent added in. Food will go up and down from that depending here you shop and how you eat. Uniforms for school is quite expensive at first and school shoes best to get from UK. Don’t forget medical and life insurance. Medical you quite often have to pay a certain amount (50dh eg) per visit and some dental as well is often not covered.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 09 May 2015 - 20:23
DHA may be interested in the use of psychological testing without the correct licence and qualifications. At the end of the day though this Gym has received more publicity than it could ever wish for.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 09 May 2015 - 20:20
Hmm, no more feedback.........
Lolacat
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Latest post on 09 May 2015 - 20:16
Personally I do not think having a five year old’s IQ tested is needed at this point nor the answer from what little has been posted to date. The teacher must have been saying more over the year and based her point of view on some form of criteria. I can’t believe a teacher has just suddenly come out with this information. If that is the case it’s not very good. I really do think you need to arrange a meeting as soon as possible with the teacher and the Head of the department and listen to what they have to say and ask why they feel his reading is weak. Having a high IQ is irrelevant if there are other issues that are not being identified. I would have a meeting see what is being identified and take a look yourself and ask yourself some questions. Are you reading every day with your child? How often is he being read with at home, with who and who and how much at reading is happening at school? Can he decode letters? What have you done at home to support his literacy? Many teachers are not trained to identify if there is a specific learning issue. If you really feel there is a learning issue then you need a proper assessment done by an Ed Psych. The school may also have a learning support team you can ask to assess him. However, from your posts it is also perfectly reasonable to believe that the fact he is young for the year and not a native English speaker could well be something that has maybe not been allowed for. Without a correct diagnosis (if there is even one) and further meetings I don’t think you should agree straight away. Keeping him a year back could just delay recognition of a learning issue that could, with the right qualified support be addressed without keeping him back. <em>edited by Lolacat on 09/05/2015</em>
Lolacat
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Latest post on 08 May 2015 - 19:14
Do you have family in the UK? Who looks after your children or helps out? I don’t think this is an option unless you have a large pot of money from somewhere else. Have you researched how much such technicians get paid here, the hours they work and their packages? And whilst a hoilday in Atlantis is great, there is a big difference between being a tourist and a resident.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 08 May 2015 - 18:57
It's a very sensible idea to lease for a bit. Superprice- Dubai has an office in the Pineapple building (central building of DSO) in DSO. If you contact their DSO branch you can find out more. You can negotiate a price for a 4 wheel drive per month or longer. They have Pajero's which are fine and will deliver to your house in DSO and pick up for service etc. You will find that there are always sales in the dealerships every couple of months for a new car, it’s worth waiting for one of these before you buy. http://www.superprice-dubai.com/
Lolacat
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Latest post on 06 May 2015 - 20:04
Gigi, with the best intention in the world I don’t think anyone can answer that question easily for you as every child is so different. Some children may stay behind and be fine, others may not. Do you know why your child’s reading is behind? You have older children so you as a mum should be having a good gut instinct about whether it is, or whether your child is struggling in some other area of his learning? Mums normally know. Then there are so many questions that need to be answered before such a big decision is made. What sort of school he is in, is it IB or NC? Who reads with him? How much? Which phonics program is he on, how often does he do phonics? How much literacy does he do at home? Does he read every night with you? Is he a bilingual or trilingual child? Is English the language spoken in the home environment? Does he struggle in other areas of learning? Does he have full letter recognition? How is his decoding? Is he a late summer baby? Was he a preemie? Did he crawl? Is there any history of learning issues (Dyslexia) in the family? Has he reached all his developmental milestones? Has he had his eyes and ears tested? Has he suffered with ear infections or had long periods of sickness? Has his attendance at school been good? Really there are so many questions that need answering. I don’t think children of this age fall behind, they are just not learning (for whatever reason) at the perceived same speed as others in a certain area. That needs looking at as to why, sometimes the answer can be very simple, that some children just need a little more time to process and allow their brains to mature. Many children in the world do not even start learning to read until they are older than KG2. The point is, not having reached the level for reading is not a reason to hold a child back a year, there has to be more and just holding a child back does not always address the issue if there is one. JMHO, but I think you require more information in order to make such a descion and therefore need to speak to the teacher in greater depth about your son and his learning. <em>edited by Lolacat on 06/05/2015</em>
Lolacat
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Latest post on 06 May 2015 - 16:25
Lolacat you are clearly an employee for Hartland No i'm not, but are you one for another school?
Lolacat
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Latest post on 06 May 2015 - 16:10
There's a fair amount of ex-Repton parents at Foremarke. Most moved because Repton got too big and also lost it's "British" identity. How did it lose it's British identity?
Lolacat
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Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 14:38
To the OP you will have to visit all the schools to get a feel for them. They all have pros and cons and also were you will be living will play a big part where it's most suitable. The only one I wouldn't bother at all with is Emirates International School on your list. Check the KHDA reports as well. Why would you not bother with EIS?
Lolacat
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Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 13:38
Lola - thanks for the link, I managed to e-chat with the GDRFV and it seems that Sourskittle, you are indeed correct!! Apparently since hubster is in UAE, I can't sponsor my son!!! Who knew...apart from sourskittle!?!?! Lola, yes I do work in a school although it only opened in Sept. There was an issue with Visas as they could only process 15 at a time (apparently standard for a new business venture!) until they hit a certain threshold. Due to the fabulous (ahem) organisation of the whole debacle, I had to visa run with my son until Feb due to my lack of residency visa as this meant there was no way of sponsoring him. Now I'm to understand (from my e-chat) that my son can only be sponsored by my husband and only if both of us have RVs! Now over to hubbie to handle this...I'm off for a bottle of grape juice!! LOL, well done at least you have found out what is required! I'm sure it will actually be quite easy from here forward, always best to go directly to the right channel as information can change from year to year. Good luck .
Lolacat
2738
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Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 13:22
Try Nad al sheba vets (they may also offer advice), DKC or posh paws.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 13:04
I'm not sure. I've just spent another 20 minutes on the phone with them and they "seem" to be saying I can have it paid back as cash or into bank/credit card. I've sent the email they told me to send so hopefully I'll get the money transferred to my account within 15 days (working days, I think). I'm not holding my breath... Let us know how it goes SD, interesting info.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 12:50
Does anyone know if they moved or closed down? Does anyone know where else might have temporary live in maids? What about the Housekeeping company? Or Howdra? Oh dear is that going to be deemed as advertising as i have mentioned them previously? <em>edited by Lolacat on 05/05/2015</em>
Lolacat
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Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 12:48
Interesting SD, can you transfer the credit to someone else and have them pay you for it, unless you can get it back of course?
Lolacat
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Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 12:45
No valid residency as yet as we only moved in August. My visa was not completed until late Feb and then due to personal circumstances, I had to fly home during Spring break so couldn't start the process for my son. Here are some more questions then, just to clarify for my own sanity: As I have the accommodation provided by my employer, I thought it would be easier to sponsor our son. My hubbie has no documentation relating to our property as my name (or rather my employers name) is on everything. Thoughts on this please? Does anyone know of a company that will provide health insurance for a child without residency as this seems to be a requirement? Sourskittle - is it perhaps because your husband original sponsored your child that there was a problem? Not sure but it could have made the difference?! Thanks as always edited by trish82 on 05/05/2015 edited by trish82 on 05/05/2015 The company took a long time to set your visa up, was this a school? You have to have your RV in place and/or your DH before you can sponsor your child. Best to go to DNRD and speak to them directly about what they require for paperwork.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 12:45
No valid residency as yet as we only moved in August. My visa was not completed until late Feb and then due to personal circumstances, I had to fly home during Spring break so couldn't start the process for my son. Here are some more questions then, just to clarify for my own sanity: As I have the accommodation provided by my employer, I thought it would be easier to sponsor our son. My hubbie has no documentation relating to our property as my name (or rather my employers name) is on everything. Thoughts on this please? Does anyone know of a company that will provide health insurance for a child without residency as this seems to be a requirement? Sourskittle - is it perhaps because your husband original sponsored your child that there was a problem? Not sure but it could have made the difference?! Thanks as always edited by trish82 on 05/05/2015 edited by trish82 on 05/05/2015 The company took a long time to set your visa up, was this a school? You have to have your RV in place and/or your DH before you can sponsor your child. Best to go to DNRD and speak to them directly about what they require for paperwork.
Lolacat
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Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 11:18
I would like admin to say how they sourced their info as nowhere can i find that children have to have a medical exam, even the DNRD they do not state a medical for children. Really the best advice is to visit a DNRD and ask to speak to a supervisor, they are always ever so helpful and will give you the correct advice. OR email them, link attached. Your DH should sponsor your child, the process is simple. http://dnrd.ae/en/Services/ServicesGuide/Pages/AudianceService.aspx?ServiceId=233&AudianceId=3
Lolacat
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Latest post on 04 May 2015 - 19:19
Yes, that what i meant!! DESC, DESS, JESS AR and DC and a few other schools still have waiting lists and have done for years..........hmm. DESC and DC have waiting lists because there are fewer quality schools for the upper years. Believe that will change as the new upper years schools get established. Yes consistent quality..............
Lolacat
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Latest post on 04 May 2015 - 19:17
Thankgoodness it's not something with a lot of K's Y's and a hyphen. KY's? lol
Lolacat
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Latest post on 04 May 2015 - 19:15
I've seen these lists before. It may seem funny, but it doesn't make the British very nice people does it?? Why not just say what you mean? Because we leave that to other nationalities! lol
 
 
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