Alssonian

Issue 12

December 2014

E l A l s s o n S c h o o l

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El Alsson’s Architect's Drawings of the New Campus @NEWGIZA

Welcome to the new issue of the Alssonian, El Alsson’s newsletter. The Alssonian keeps you informed of what’s going on

at El Alsson in both the American and British Schools. It is termly snapshot of what we do during our year. Please take

a moment to browse through it.

Quote of the Issue: “Give yourself credit for loving your child & doing what you need to do to make

things better” Janet Lehman, MSW

Mark Your Calendars

Dec. 15-16: Upper school production: The Nutcracker Dec. 16: Y2 Trip to Fagnoon /G1 Kidzania Trip / G4 Concerts Dec. 17th: Senior School Christmas Concert Dec. 18th: Primary Parents Day (No School for Primary) Dec. 21-27: Ski Trip

Dec. 22: G2 Concerts / Parties and finish early Dec. 23-January 8th: Xmas Break Jan. 11-15: EY Science Week Jan. 14: Yrs 11/12/13 Parents' Even-ing Jan. 14-18: Seniors BSME Games Kuwait Jan. 19: Coptic Epiphany Jan. 20: Options Evening Yrs 9/11 Jan. 25: 25th of January Jan. 26: Monday Fun Club Starts

Jan. 27: Tuesday Fun Club Begins

Jan. 30: Varsity 7s Rugby – BISC Feb. 2: FS2 Trip to Pyramids Feb. 3-5: Y6 Desert Trip Feb. 4-5: Y2 Concerts Feb. 10: Library Quiz Feb. 10-12: Y5 Luxor Trip (tentative date) Feb. 11: KS1 and G1 Sports Day Feb. 17-19: G5 Luxor Trip (tentative

date) Feb. 18: FS1 and 2 Sports Day Feb. 19: G3 Concerts Feb. 20-26: Y11 trip Iceland Feb. 20-26: Yrs 11/12/13 New York Trip Feb. 22-26: Yr 13 Biology Trip Wales Feb. 22-26: Half Term Break March 3: Senior British Parents' Day (No School for Seniors) March 12-14: Primary School BSME Games

March 18-19: G2+Y3 Wellspring Trip

March 19: FS1 Concert March 21: Varsity 10s Rugby – NCBIS March 24-26: Senior School Science Fair March 25-26: FS2 Concerts March 29: Book Fair March 29: Primary Parents' Day (No School for Primary) March 30: American Parents' Day (No

School for Seniors) March 31-1: Lower School Production March 31-2: G4 Alex. Trip April 2: Autism Awareness Day / Char-ity Day / EY Easter Egg Hunt April 4-9: Yr8 French Trip April 5-16: Easter Break April 19-23: Environment Week April 25: Sinai Day April 28-30: Y4 Alex. Trip April 30: Appreciation Day

El Alsson School will be moving to NEWGIZA. The New Campus in NEWGIZA

will be built to accommodate FOUR classes in the British School and FOUR

classes in the American School over the next 10 years. From the first year,

the American section will have an Early Childhood Department(3-6 year

olds), similar to the British School. So in New Giza you can choose between

American and British education from day one. We will also get to use some

of New Giza’s superb facilities including their Olympic Pool, Stadium, Track

and eight Tennis courts as well as their parks. The School will be on 14

fedaans and our facilities will include three main buildings; the British

School, the American School and main Administration Offices. There will

also be a Sports Hall with indoor pool, fitness centre and multi-purpose hall

and a Performing Arts building with a 220 seat theatre, drama studio, radio

and video rooms and music

rooms and practice rooms.

The multiple surface courts,

playgrounds, student cafes,

Sports Hall and Performing

Arts facilities will be shared

between both the American and British Schools. El Alsson then be-

comes a community school in the afternoons and evenings and during

holidays offering a range of sports activities for all ages; performing

arts, adult education and enrichment classes.

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Saturday 1st of November was the opening of El Alsson’s annual art exhibition, show-

casing the work of students starting in Early Years all the way up to Secondary. The

reception was well-attended by parents, students, teachers, artists and various mem-

bers of the general public who showed great admiration for the abundance of student

work on display. The hall was filled with art work from the ceiling to the floor, as well

as some art hanging from the ceiling itself. Sculpture and interesting 3D work filled

the central corridors of the hall. Through the students’ artwork, different cultures

came alive, such as the Greek, Roman, Mexican, Nubian and others. The students’

artwork reflected a diversity of artistic influences from both Western and Egyptian art-

ists. El Alsson has always prided itself on its students’ creativity and artistic talents,

and this year’s exhibition was no different. A special thanks from the Art Departments

to all those involved and who helped make the 2014 exhibition a success. We are very

proud of everyone who took part; their hard work, effort, and creativity is really what

has made El Alsson’s 2014 exhibition yet another vibrant and exciting event for all. We

look forward to sharing more art, design, and colour with you next year!

El Alsson Annual ART EXHIBITION, 2014

The Digital Alsson: URGENT TO READ BY PARENTS

Below is a little review about our digital services and tech-

nological progress:

SOCIAL MEDIA: You can like us on Facebook / Page

name: El Alsson School - Official Page. You can follow us

on Twitter: @elalsson or perhaps you might want to join

our You Tube Channel or watch our pictures on Flickr. An-

other alternative is to simply log onto www.alsson.com

where we have integrated You Tube and flickr and ena-

bled embedding the videos and photos on our website’s

Media Centre directly. You can find our Media Centre un-

der ‘About’ on the home page.

ONLINE UNIFORM: As part of our efforts to continuously

improve and innovate services for our parents, we

launched the ‘Online Uniform Service’. You can order all

the summer and winter uniforms on-line from the comfort

of your home and have it delivered to you the same day

or a day later. El Alsson has partnered up with ‘Kids Ave-

nues’ who are market leaders for online products. Log

onto Kids Avenues at www.kidsavenues.com and find

us under schools. The uniform shop in Mohandeseen will

continue to function as normal for those of you who opt to

go there.

ONLINE PAYMENTS: 0ne of the features that we would

like to highlight is ‘online payments’, which is the first of

its kind for any school in Egypt. The accounts department

will email you an invoice with the requested fee install-

ment and you can simply click "Pay Now" and get redi-

rected to the secure Arab African Bank site and pay

online. No one wants to drive around carrying large

amounts of cash these days, so the on-line payment sys-

tem takes away that problem. You can, of course, still

come and pay in person, in cash or by credit card and you

can still use the HSBC and CIB facility along with the new

on-line payment feature . Please make sure your email is

updated on our database. If you have changed it, send a

mail to preception@alsson.com

MOBILE APP.: We have also launched our own El Alsson

Mobile App., which can be installed and used on almost

any smart phone, so if you do not have a smart phone

yet, now is a good time to grab one. El Alsson mobile app

will only be accessible to parents and staff of El Alsson

School. The app is currently linked to the website and is

synchronized with all its announcements, news and arti-

cles, letters and calendar items. It features a push notifi-

cation function by which additions to the before men-

tioned areas will be instantly pushed to your mobile phone

so you are alerted when this happens. Model types and

numbers are disclosed in details on the users manual on

the website along with frequently asked questions.

How to get the app?

If your updated mobile number is on our records, you

should have received an sms with an activation code and

a link to download the app. already. If not, then you need

to email marketing@alsson.com with your name, number,

and child’s name to update our records and send you an

activation code. If you haven't received the sms, lost your

activation code or faced a problem with the app., you

need to contact Ms. Malak from the Marketing Department

or via email: marketing@alsson.com

Pancake Making and Halloween Writing

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Kenda and Taymour make it to the GIZ Exhibition

Year 3 have been writing instructions in Literacy! So to help us write our instructions, Miss Radwa helped us to make pancakes and showed us how it is done! Thank you Miss Radwa! In Year 6 they have been studying ‘Cirque Du Freak’ – a hor-ror novel. So when it came to Halloween Miss Taylor planned a horror activity to inspire our descriptive writing. She blind-folded us and made us touch and feel fake eyeballs, ears and teeth! Then we had to eat worms – eew!!! Not real ones!

G5 Trip to ABDEEN PALACE

On Monday October 27th,fifth graders went on a trip to the 6th of October Panorama. They were very impressed to see the real jet fighters and tanks that were used in this great war.They then went to Abdeen Palace where they saw a collection of weapons and armoury as well as antique golden swords and medals. It was a really interesting trip and we are looking forward to the next one.

GIZ operates throughout Germany and in more than 130 countries world wide. GIZ art collection encompasses more than 170 contemporary paintings, drawings, prints & sculp-tures by 90 artists from Africa, central & south America, Asia & Eastern Europe & its neighbouring countries. The aim of this collection is to showcase all the cultural diversity of GIZ's partner countries. The company holds a large annual art exhibition, displaying contemporary works produced by artists from around the world. Each exhibition is organized around a region or theme. This year’s exhibition theme was " Solid waste in Egypt" where Kenda El Tawil & Taymour Sultan in Year 5

have won. Congratulations to the little artists!

Eid Galabeya Day...

Book Week...Story Teller... & Book Character Day

Book Week was super busy this year with events, special guests, and all the extra special activities that took place in the entire primary school. Year 3 read to Year 1. Various activities took place in KS2 & Elementary School, Stop Drop & Read, Arrest a Teacher, Extreme Reading Classroom displays and other year group activities. The year 1 teachers dressed up & performed a mini play of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears for the children. We focused on "Charlie Cook's Favorite Book" and completed various related activities. Children brought in and discussed their favourite book. They discussed their favourite place to read and wrote about it.

Book Fair Story Teller, Giles Abott Y3 read to Y1

Extreme Reading Reading with Y6

During Book Week, we also had a special visitor; Giles Abott. Giles is a brilliant and talented storyteller of the ancient oral tradition. “Very cinematic, and a tremendous ability to get under the metaphor of a story!” Alssonians in both Primary and Senior Schools enjoyed the story telling of Giles Abbott.

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A Presentation Given by EY Reps. To Wataneya NGO

Early Years’ representatives have given a presentation to Ms. Asy Girah from the Wataneya NGO early this year since

they have managed to fundraise 19,000 LE from last year’s activities and wanted to present to her their efforts and

activities in raising this money. They also asked her questions about orphans and about what the NGO does exactly.

Ms. Girah was more than impressed by the students, their

awareness, and their keenness on learning more. She even

presented them with a thank you folder and showed them how

El Alsson’s support makes a huge difference to the organiza-

tion’s work.

Friendship Week in Early Years was a wonderful success. The children were involved in lots of

lovely activities and the general atmosphere around the school and in the garden was very

positive and friendly. New friendship bonds were formed and the children got to know their

new classmates very well through different games and activities. The children in FS1, FS2,

Year 1 and Year 2 learned new songs about friendship and sang them during our Early Years

Assembly on Thursday morning. The teachers read stories throughout the week with the

theme of Friendship, like ‘The Rainbow Fish’, ‘Giraffe’s can’t dance’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ and

‘The Bear who wouldn’t share’. The children discussed the stories during Literacy lessons and

Circle-Time. The children in FS2 and FS1 made friendship cookies for their friends and the

children in Year 1 made Friendship Certificates and photo frames, which they presented to their friends. They made a

big banner with their handprints, which is displayed in the Early Years’ Courtyard. Children who were extra special

friends during Friendship Week received Kindness Cupcakes and special certificates at the end of the week.

Friendship Week for Early Years

Have you ever seen a volcano erupt? Year 1 students have! Check out how they made

their own volcano with red magma finding its way up to the surface. See their cute,

curious eyes as they wait with excitement for the volcano to erupt. During the first

term, one of the topics covered for Y1 students was volcanoes. They all witnessed a

volcano erupt as they mixed baking soda to vinegar and water.

Year 1 Students Build a Volcano

Little Alssonians Spend a Happy, yet SCARY HALLOWEEN...

Recently, our Year 5 & Grade 4 students went on a trip to Old Cairo on two different days; a section of Cairo that embraces the remains of Fustat, the former capital city, in addition to several churches, mosques and Roman fortifications. Visiting Fort Babylon, the Roman Fortress was particularly remarkable to them since they felt they were facing a section of History they had read about in their books at school! Coptic Cairo was another unique experience where our students visited The Hanging Church. Climbing the steep stairs, the children said, “They’re 24!” as they approached a church dating back to the 3rd Century A.D. Students finally settled at Amr Ibn El‘As Mosque, originally built from 641–642 AD at a centre

of Fustat. They listened intently to the story of both the construction and location of the mosque. As always, their trip will be a memorable experience that they can relate as they grow older and feel proud that they’ve roamed around the streets of Old Cairo!

Y5 and G4 Walk Through History

The Year 6 classes participated in an exciting workshop at Andromeda Labs. The students had the opportunity to develop their computational skills by learning the basics of game programming and got hands-on experience creating their own racing game. Their critical thinking skills were also put to work while customizing their game. The students needed to ensure that all their chosen functions and options worked

smoothly together in a fun game that they could later play at home. Various other

year groups and grade levels will also experi-ence this and robotics during the year.

Y6 Visit Andromeda Labs

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On the 30th October, 2014, we finished school early and travelled in the

school coach to Cairo American College to play in a basketball tourna-

ment. We had 4 teams; the Year 5/6 boys and girls and Year 4/5 boys and

girls. The other schools were NCBIS, MES and of course CAC. We were

confident about playing and were determined to do well and have fun. The

tournament was played in a good spirit and fairly. The year 5/6 girls and

4/5 boys came 3rd, the

year 4/5 girls came 2nd

and the year 5/6 boys

finished first overall. We

would like to thank the

P.E. Dept., Mr. Mostafa

and Miss. Sam for their

support during the tournament.

Written by: Hana El Far & Yasmeen Tamer.

Basket Ball Tournament @CAC

On Saturday the 22nd November, 2014, El Alsson School went to a basketball and netball friendly match at MES. We

had 2 teams for basketball and 2 teams for netball. It was a fun match and the players from MES were good

competitors. In the basket-

ball, we won one and lost

one. In the netball, we lost

one and drew one. We made

some good friends at MES

and look forward to playing

them again.

We would like to thank Mr.

Mayfield, Mr. Mohtady and

Miss. Maria for their coaching

and support.

Written by: Danya Danish

MES Basketball and Netball Friendly Matches

And... MEMPHIS Made It :)

El Alsson School held its annual

sports days last week. The theme

this year was ‘working together’.

Students competed in small teams

to earn points in order to crown the

house champions. Every student in

years 3, 4, 5, 6 and grades 2, 3, 4,

5 earned points for their team. The

events included rugby passing,

football dribble, skipping race, bas-

ketball shoot out and tug of war.

The event was a huge success helped massively

by the lack of rain that we experienced the

week before. There were a number of outstand-

ing achievements throughout the day and huge

enthusiasm shown by pupils and staff. Overall,

it was a very successful and exciting week, with

parents attending on multiple days.

We received some excellent feedback and

crowd participation. The result could not have

been closer, with Memphis being crowned

champions by just 5 points. Well done to all

those involved and thanks to the parents who

made the days very special. We look forward to

seeing you next year.

With the first term/Semester coming to an end, El Alsson

have made an excellent start in sport so far. The PE de-

partment is proud to announce:

26TH Sept – VARSITY Boys and Girls Football 11

Aside tournament at BISC: SECOND PLACE

26th Sept – Middle School Boys and Girls 8 Aside

Football Tournament at ISC – 6:

Girls Champions - Boys Champions

17th Oct - Varsity Girls tournament at ISC-C:

SECOND PLACE

18TH Oct – Varsity Boys tournament at ISC –C:

Champions

24th Oct – Varsity Boys and Girls 8 A-side Football

tournament AT ISC- 6: Champions / Boys SECOND

PLACE

24th Oct – Varsity Girls Volleyball tournament at

CAC: THIRD PLACE

31st Oct – Varsity Boys Volleyball tournament at

CAC: THIRD PLACE

14th November Junior Varsity Girls Basketball tourna-

ment at BISC: Champions

A big THANK YOU and WELL DONE to -

Girls Football team

Nadine Fayed, Nadia Zein, Zeina Gaber, Zeina El Safty,

Mariam Mosleh, Malak Fahim, Hana Azab, Habiba Fouad

Alia Habib and Mariam Ramy

Boys Varsity Football team

Mostafa Omar, Ham-

za Osman, Ahmed

Garhy, Ibrahim Yas-

sin, Hassan Ghanem,

Hani Garana, Omar

Ihab, Hussein

Helmy,Ibrahim,

Ibrahim Salamony, Hussein

El Saad.

Boys MS Football team

Omar Hosny, Abdallah El

Shorafa, Karim Tabarek,

Aser Kenen, Alii Elshihy,

Hussein El Deeb, Ibrahim Salem,

Omar El Wahsh, Ali Hassan, Ibra-

him El Sherif, Karim Agua, Omar

Gamal, Hassan Yehia, Amir Sorial,

Mahmoud Roushdy, Ali El Eshiry,

Ibrahim Soliman, Ahmed El Kateb,

Seif Raouf, Mohamed Yehia, Yehis

Asal, Mostafa Omar, Hamza Os-

man, Ahmed Garhy, Ibrahim Yas-

sin, Hassan Ghanem, Hani Garana,

Omar Ihab, Hussein

Helmy,Ibrahim, Ibrahim Salamony,

Hussein El Saad. Mohamed Hamdalla, Hassan Gaber

Girls Volleyball Team

Nayera El Tonsy, Lara Hwaidak, Lara Hwaiodak, Malak

Tawfik, Hana Maamoun, Menatalla El Banani, Nour El

Shinnawy

Girls Basketball Team

Jana Beyram, Nour Orabi, Noor El Shnofy, Nada El Sherif,

Jenna Tawfik, Aya Fathy, Nour Hamada, Lama Fahmy,

Salma Raouf.

A big thank you to my team for all their hard work and

commitment out of school hours, especially weekends.

Amr Attia, Enas Salah, Travis Knuktson

From the PE Department keep up the hard

work and remember the importance of train-

ing. We cannot train you if you don’t turn up

and we cannot win if we don’t train together,

regularly, as a team.

Written by: Maria Christou (Head of Depart-

ment)

El Alsson Senior School Sports News

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El Alsson's Green Club suggested having a break time in the Senior School where students can give El Alsson's hardworking matrons a break and see for themselves the mess that they leave behind after break time. So, on that day after break time, they cleaned up the field all by themselves. Lessons Learned: Empathy, not to litter, pick up litter and use the bins.

Since day one, students have been highly active

with their charitable efforts often making visits

to the orphanage we support; ‘Dar Noor Al

Iman’. It is a neighbouring orphanage in high

need of our support as not many people are

aware of its existence; our help and support

makes a great difference with the children resid-

ing there. They have a rented flat with a nice

outside terrace which makes it ideal for the kids to have some

space, compensating for the fact that they don’t have a club to go to or

a school with facilities to use. Our students’ support helped get some nice

outdoor toys they can play with. However, the drawback is that some

residents of the building neither value nor support the orphanage. They

do not like the children playing outside so they have to stay in and can-

not make any use of the terrace and the toys they have there. We are

attempting to raise enough funds to try and acquire land for the orphan-

age to relocate. It is not an easy target but we are determined to support

these poor kids until they can have what should be basic human rights.

Seniors’ Support to

Dar Noor Al Iman

Seniors Cleaning the Field

Fulla Had Her First Shower

So it was about time for Fulla to get her first shower and who else would be a better candidate than our senior animal lovers? Thanks to them Fulla is now fresh and clean. She showed some resistance but after a tough fight, THEY DID IT! Fulla is now the school dog. She has been vaccinated and neutered by the local animal shelter and is an extremely friendly, harmless dog who is loved by the students. It is a common sight to see her mingling with

the students in the playground at lunchtimes and after school. She has even made an appearance in the staff canteen! The workers all take good care of her and she especially loves Mahmoud (pictured) and the delicious food she receives at El Alsson.

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A Big thank you to Ms Salma Khalifa (a senior therapist at the Effective Learning Foundation) who came to give a talk to the AS Psychology students. She spoke to them about some of the many careers that a degree in Psychol-ogy can lead to as well as her own study which she carried out (as part of a group) into the psychological help that may be required by people in the af-termath of the Egyptian Revolution. This is the first year that AS Psychology has been offered as an option in El Alsson and I would really appreciate other specialists in the field of psychology coming in and talking the 10 students in the class about their experiences. So if there are any interested parents out

there, please email me at wspence@alsson.com

Salma Khalifa pays us a visit

Malak El Husseiny came back to El Alsson on Thursday November 27th for a con-cert for the senior students as part of the student council initiative. Malak is an El Alsson alumni and graduated in 2010. All the students were so excited that they got to see a rising star on stage knowing that she was a student at the school. It was such an inspiration! Malak performed original songs and threw CDs to the excited crowd. It was a thoroughly enjoyable lunchtime at the school.

Malak El Husseiny’s Concert

El Alsson Apprentice was a competition held between the four Year 10 Business Studies classes. In each class, several groups were competing in order to sell their products on parent’s day. In the first round, which was a class competition, one group was chosen, re-sulting in four groups. In the second round, which was held in the theatre, one of the four groups was eliminated. The remaining three

made it to parents’ day, where they sold their products. The teams provided a variety of

items including custom made tie-dye t-shirts in bright colors and creative ideas for food, such as cupcakes-in-a-jar, muffins and crêpes. The object of the project was to have the students go through a “hands on” experience where they had to do the appropriate research and come up with creative ideas while maintaining a balance between cost and qual-ity. And of course, all of this was made possible thanks to the support of the parents and the teachers who contributed both financially and through their supervision. We are very proud to announce that the total amount raised by the three groups was 5,100LE which was all donated to charity. The students are very grateful for the opportunity to have partici-pated in the El Alsson Apprentice and undergo a real-life business venture.

Alsson apprentice@ Senior School

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Advanced ICT Trip to Cairo ICT Fair

As students of the Advanced ICT course, we should always be up to date with new significant technologies. That is why, on Wednesday November 5th, we went on a field trip to the Cairo ICT Fair. We came across many amazing technolo-gies and got a chance to know all about it through talking to the experienced representatives of the IT companies. All companies and professionals were there to showcase their unique products and services. A lot of well-known companies were there including Mobinil, Samsung, Nokia, TE Data, Lenovo and many others that have a huge name in the tech industry. Finally we would like to thank Mr.Mostafa, our Advanced ICT teacher, for making this trip possible, and we would also like to thank Mrs. Helen, the American section Assistant Principal, for accompanying us on this enlightening trip.

Sycamore Goes Mobile

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The American Senior School is happy this year to have introduced Sycamore Education to parents and students. Sycamore allows students and parents to access assignments, grades, and other school information tools quickly and easily via a secure website.

To add to the Sycamore experience, parents and students can now download a free iOS App to access Sycamore from their iPad or iPhone. The app is a great way for students and parents to quickly keep informed while on the move.

For more information, please see the News Article on the Sycamore home-page or contact the American Office. Any parent who still does not have his/her family Sycamore login, should contact the American Office.

Anti Bullying Efforts by Sixth to Tenth Graders

October was US National Anti-Bullying month, which initiated some exciting collaborative work among grade levels 6-10 by encouraging students to promote a free anti-bullying zone through writing a charter titled “El Alsson Beats Bullying” that was displayed in each classroom in the American section.

Twelfth Graders Visit Wataneya NGO

Grade 12 senior students visit to Wataneya Society for the Development for Orphanages as part of their prerequisite for high school to contribute ideas, time and effort as part of community service work. Our students’ input was highly ap-preciated by the association on the level of awareness, quality of education and efficient communication skills present-ed.

College and Career Readiness Project

The college and career readiness project starting at grade 9-12. The target of the project is to assist students in goal setting, discover their interests and capabilities through experiential activities and guide them to decision –making for their college and career planning process.

Equine Aid...Giving Back to the Community

As I walked into Equine Aid, I was surrounded by a warm and positive energy. Located on a spacious piece of land, Jill has created a sanctuary for horses and donkeys that have been abused in the past. Working amongst several shelters that were meant to be protecting and healing donkeys and horses that had been harmed by their owners or in accidents but were actually not, Jill recognised the need for a truly genuine, caring and loving space where these animals could actually be well looked after and rehabilitated. Locals bring in their horse or donkey to be treated for free. Through this service, Equine Aid gives back to the community as by taking care of their horses and donkeys, the locals are more aware of the importance of this animal and thus are more likely to take care of them. Also, Jill’s weekly clinic helps to educate the

locals surrounding Equine Aid how to nurture and care for their animals better and as they depend so heavily upon these working animals for their income this is obviously important. Trips to the sanctuary would be greatly valued from the animals themselves, as I got to experience firsthand how loving and gentle these creatures are as did the group of Year 7 students that recently visited. Any support in either medical supplies, volunteering or donations would be much appreciated to help her support this safe haven. Hats off to Ms. Jill! Written By: Nour El Azzouni Year 13

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One Voice & All Rounders Student Council Campaign & Election Experience

Team 'One Voice': American School (Seniors) A truly novel experience; running for student council took us on a thrilling journey, unprecedented in its magnitude. From the first step of forming a team, our campaign was plagued with obstacles, made worse by the evident doubt we saw in the eyes of the people around us. The insur-mountable stress and pressure placed upon us were a true challenge, which we managed to miraculously over-come with one shared motivation; our resolve to give back

to our community. Our initially mocked at campaign was transformed into a striking success within one day. Our aim was to create a lasting impression on the minds of the voters; one that was not built upon unrealistic and false expectations, but on concrete, coherent goals and plans. Our innovative ideas and resourcefulness coupled with our reputation as responsible students were what truly distin-guished us from our competition. Awestruck, our rivals, along with the entire school stood wondering how Team One Voice managed to emerge from dejection to success.

Receiving over 75% of the votes was alone an astounding achievement; an affirmation that the voters knew who we were, and that they could trust us. They saw in us the integrity required of a Student Council. Instead of defaming our opponents, or merely asking them to vote for us, we urged the students to make informed decisions representative of their own personal choices. One Voice was not only a name of a team, it was an ideol-ogy; a notion that none of us is better than all of us, and that in our unity, we rise. Farah Oraby - Head:

With her unrivaled dedication to her responsibilities and roles as a student, Farah is an excellent ‘fit for the position’ head student. Her zeal and determination add to her outstanding work ethic and ability to bring a positive change to El Alsson School. Nadine Fahmy - Deputy Head: She is the bridge that connected together all team mem-bers enabling them to cooperate and reach their fullest potential. Nadine skillfully managed to come up with prag-matic solutions for every problem faced, paving the road to our victory. Zeina Habib - Treasurer:

Zeina’s enthusiasm and strong ability to deal with finances is integral to the success of our team. Amina Salem - Committee Coordinator: With her brilliant social skills, is certainly capable of mas-terfully managing the different committees of the council, and ensuring the smooth flow of communication within it. Fatma El Bastawisy - Comittee Co-coordinator: Her meticulousness will surely prove to be an asset to our team. Fatma will serve as a perfect companion to Amina in the great task of directing the various committees, by guaranteeing that not one single detail would be over-looked.

Farah Ouf - Secretary: Her organization and superb note-taking skills provide her with the essential qualities needed for the position of sec-retary of student council. Seif Bassiouny- Reporter: Amiable, ardent, and vibrant are a few words that perfect-ly describe Seif. These impressive qualities will prove to be invaluable in communicating with the students, and creat-ing a strong link between them and the council. By Farah Oraby Head Student (Am Sec.)

Team 'All Rounders' - British School (Seniors) The road to our inauguration was arduous yet rapid. In a matter of days, our election campaign had come to an end. The sheer quantity of work we had produced in just three days was astounding. Our campaign started on Sunday. In honesty, we had a conception that we would emerge victorious with minimal effort. We were high on confidence: that disintegrated within seconds. Our competitors had launched impressive

electoral campaigns. They had started with astounding vigor; in every corner of our school, students whispered about our competitors. The first day, our council returned dejected and hopeless. We realized winning would require far more resolve than we had invested. We needed to transform our approach. Mohamed, our head, designed outstanding campaign posters that individualized our council. We were different. We believed we were and it was time to show it. Our campaign had a single underlin-ing philosophy; the school was ours. It belonged to our students, and it was time for our students to have a say. We would give them power through our innovative strate-

gies. We believed there would be no more empty words. We spent a combined 40 hours in four days working on our campaign. We spent hours every day in break, and around the building, persuading our students to vote for All Rounders. We were driven and determined. Perhaps our campaign was not the strongest, nor was it the most qualified. It didn’t have the smartest members; but we believed. We wanted the school to succeed. And that was our x - factor. The students saw in us a resolve and pas-sion that no one could match. We would make a change. And change we will.

Mohamed Nasser – Head: His superior intellect and cool head in times of crisis mean that Mohamed is a perfect fit for the head role. Sherif El Masry – Co-Head: Sherif’s quick thinking and leadership mean that he can help make crucial decisions and work towards leading the council and the school to success. Hussein El Bendak – Secretary: His conscientious attitude, combined with his organization and a keen sense of perfectionism, provide him with the crucial skills and abilities to fulfill his role. Malak Fahim – Reporter:

Malak’s creative thinking is her strongest asset, and her keen observational skills make her the perfect person to capture the essence of All Rounders. Ibrahim El Salamony –Promotional manager: Ibrahim’s connection with the students had deliberately helped us understand and provide their needs. Ali Shafik – Treasurer: Always the frugal spender, Ali’s insatiable interest in fi-nances, as well as his superior mathematical skills should mean that he would make a brilliant treasurer. Mostafa Omar – Head of committees: His people management skills are superior; he has a vast

repertoire of real-life skills and can efficiently manage sev-eral groups. This is why we are called the "All Rounders" By Mohamed Nasser (British Sec).