Ali Al Habsi
As parents, there are many decisions that we make that will influence our children’s lives. One of the most important is their education. We wanted a school that not only develops academic potential but also their social and emotional well-being.
Why did we choose al sahwa?
We chose Al Sahwa Schools so that our children will be immersed in a bilingual environment, offering the International Baccalaureate Programme. We also chose this school because it upholds Omani culture and traditions. My children have the opportunity to share their voice and ideas surrounded by staff who care about all aspects of their development.
Robin & Dawn Kleinveldt
Of our 16 memorable years in Oman, 14 of those years were spent teaching at Al Sahwa Schools. Below are some reflections of our time there.
We arrived at Al Sahwa School in 2008 having spent 2 years at Muscat International School and were warmly welcomed into the Al Sahwa Family by the students and our colleagues, some of whom are still close friends to this day.
Dawn was a Senior Biology Teacher and I was appointed as the Head of the Business Studies Department. Our daughter Roxanne attended the school from Grade 6 and completed Grade 11 here before leaving to complete her A-levels. During her time at Al Sahwa, she made lifelong friends and became fluent in Arabic, thanks to the personal attention she received from the Arabic Department.
Five Directors led the school for various periods of time while we served the Al Sahwa community namely Simon Head, Peter Zeitoun, Peter Coles, Michael Chapman and Terry Storer who is the current Director. We always felt supported by the leadership and were particularly thankful for the strong leadership and protection offered to the staff and students during the difficult CovidOVID years.
We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the parents and students of Al Sahwa and the respect and support from them have left an indelible impression on us. What was particularly heart-warming for us was the steady stream of our past students, graduates and undergraduates, some married and some married with children, who took the trouble to visit the school to bid us farewell or to invite us to spend some time together, after they heard of our imminent retirement. During this time, we were deeply moved by the numerous letters of appreciation we received, and to hear how we positively impacted their lives during their time in our classes.
We are now happily retired in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa but we do miss teaching, we miss our students and colleagues who have been an integral part of our lives for well over a decade. We are still in touch with our now ex-students and colleagues, some of whom have threatened to visit with us sometime in the future, such are the familial bonds which were created during our time at Al Sahwa School.
Our time at Al Sahwa and in Oman has been a blessing to us and our family.
