www.sharjahenglishschool.org
Sharjah English SchoolIssue No.3 - May 2010
New Head Boy & Head Girl AppointedSpotlighT on Maths@SES
Year 3 trip to Ajman Museum
SES Joins Twitter
Contents:
Primary News
Spotlight on Primary
Secondary News
Spotlight on Mathematics
Whole School News
Dates for your diary
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3
11
15
18
21
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From the Principal’s desk...
Though the end of the school year is rapidly approaching, there is no let up in the hard work for students or staff! Exams are now well underway at all levels of the school, with primary completing their Key Stage 2 Tests and GCSEs and A Level exams occupying the minds of the older students.
The secondary Prize Day and Graduation recently gave us an opportunity to reward and congratulate some of our academic stars. Just as importantly, the day was an occasion where we were able to wish farewell to our Year 13 graduating class; there were plenty of memories to share and a few tears shed. The school is confident that these eleven young adults are heading to university well prepared for the challenges ahead and determined to maintain the friendships and supportive bonds that have grown between them at SES. It was in many ways a historic day for the school, this class being the first to complete A Levels at SES, and we now truly offer a full range of quality education from Foundation through to Year 13. Indeed some of those completing Year 13 started their education in the old primary school.
Parents were asked some weeks back about whether their children would be returning to the school in the new academic year. Could I ask all those who were uncertain to please keep us informed as soon as possible about their intentions? There have been many potential new students tested, and some year groups are already full. Parents will understand that we do not want to turn people away only to find that there are empty spaces in September.
We still receive regular complaints and expressions of concern from parents about road safety, especially when parents are picking up students after school. Can I ask again that parents or drivers ensure that they pull into parking slots rather than stop in front of the gates? Also that cars are not parked on the outer road at the secondary gate. Our chief concern is, as always, a safety one. Exercising a little patience or being delayed a fraction of a minute longer is a small price to pay for reducing the risk of a serious incident.
Thank you all for your continued engagement and support.
2
News from the Primary School
On Sunday 25th April, we had two visitors come and talk to us. They were two twins who came to Sharjah English School when they were our age. One of our teachers, Mrs Stedman, taught one of them.Jake and Luke Reaume started writing a book when they were about 12 years old. The twins had their book published when they were 17 and now they are on a world tour. The book is about an immortal guy who is 2000 years old. I won’t give you too much information because I don’t want to spoil it. You should go ahead and buy the book because it is really good and it was a pleasure having them come and share their story.
By Kyra Dixon
Jake and Luke Reaume wrote a book called The Draconean, and surprisingly went to Sharjah English School (and were taught by Mrs Stedman). They came back to SES on Monday 25th April to talk to us about their journey of writing The Draconean, and how they went through the ups and downs of making it. They started to write and plan the book at the age of 12 and there was a time when they lost all the work that they had done (which was a lot). It had been destroyed because their computer broke down. Although they had to start the book again, the book turned out great. It also took a while to edit and check the story. When they were younger their classmates all said that writing a book was a silly idea; the twins explained that if you follow your dreams, nothing is impossible.
By Charlotte Thomas
So much has happened since our last newsletter......Easter Holidays, The Ash Cloud, S.A.T. preparation and actual exams, the Year 2 Cake Sale,Year 5 Victorian Assembly, Sports Fixtures, practices for our Year 6 production of "CATS" etc. etc. etc. No wonder there was perspiration on brows lately even when the days were cooler! However hot it gets we don't stand still as the \inal six weeks of the year are even more hectic. Reports to be written, Key Stage 1 Assembly, Prizegiving and more. As usual, I hope you enjoy reading all about your children's exploits. Thank you so much for supporting all our different events. It gives the staff and children a huge lift to know their efforts are appreciated. Enjoy this issue of the newsletter!
Miss Jenefer Race - Primary Headteacher
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Spotlight on Primary at SES
Year 3
Poetry
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Spotlight on Primary at SES
5
Spotlight on Primary at SES
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Spotlight on Primary at SES
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Spotlight on Primary at SES
The children in Year 3 have been studying the local area in their topic work, and visited Ajman Fort Museum to learn more about the history of the UAE. It was a super day. The children enjoyed finding out about traditional games and pastimes. They found out about many local trades, including pearl diving, fishing, and traditional medicine. They even wandered through an ancient souk. The museum really brought the local history of the UAE to life for the children.
Year 3 trip to Ajman Museum
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Spotlight on Primary at SES
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Spotlight on Primary at SES
Year 6 Study Focus – D&TIn Year 6 the children are learning about controlling movement with a cam mechanism as part of a simple toy. The pupils were encouraged to think carefully about the purpose of their toy. They have developed their designing skills by using information sources to generate ideas and formulated an understanding of how cam mechanisms can be used to produce movement. They have used various techniques in cutting, shaping and joining to combine components, and by selecting tools and equipment to measure and cut accurately. Through these activities, our Year 6s have gained an understanding of the working characteristics of the materials and components. They have worked extremely hard to complete the toys and have had to consider both functional and decorative attributes in a finished product. Some examples of the finished pieces have been men falling down holes, chickens pecking and Jack in the boxes. It has been a really fun and worthwhile unit of work for all.
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Spotlight on Primary at SES
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News from the Secondary School
Year 10 - Work Experience 2010In April Year 10s experienced a week in the ‘real world’, working in a variety of companies and establishments in Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman. The experience is an important one: not only does it help students try out working in areas which may correspond to their future career choices, but they also learn to function without all the support systems that exist in school.
All the students came back with interesting tales to tell, and feeling that they had gained valuable insights from the experience. They covered an incredible variety of jobs from fields as diverse as engineering, mechanical work on motorbikes, veterinary support etc. Two students, Kamran Khan and Josh Raven, were able to get involved with plans for the development of our Primary School Playground, while they were at Halcrow.
The feedback from employers was uniformly positive about the students; many took the trouble to send notes or make phone calls commending the students for their services. One supervisor, Mr. Kyle Bennie of AIL Industries, even came in to address the students at an assembly, so impressed was he with his student placement.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the companies and their staff for the time they afforded pupils from SES. And well done to the Year 10 students as well.
Kamran Khan at Halcrow
“I learnt many new skills
and information about
building structures, as well
as road design. I also now
know why construction
takes so long!”
Jennifer Macdonald at Hill International
“All the tasks I performed involved skills that will be very useful to me later in life. I liked meeting lots of new people and being in a completely new environment”.
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News from the Secondary School
Year 10 - Work Experience 2010
Sam Dick at the Raddison Blu“I learnt about how hard it is to work at a hotel and how hard it is to keep up standards. I especially liked working in the food and beverages department. The workers all made me feel comfortable and overall the Raddison was fun”.
Ayah Ballout at the
International Modern Hospital
“I love how the staff were all
friendly and fun in spite of the
fact that they work so hard and
it’s a serious job. I felt that I
was part of a great institution
giving a great service”.
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News from the Secondary School
MX SuccessAs well as their success in school spor1ng events, many of our students also par1cipate in sports outside of school 1me. One student who has consistently achieved outstanding results in his chosen sport is Ben Menzies of Year 10. An accomplished motocross rider, Ben has had an outstanding season in events throughout the UAE.
Ben has finished the MX season by winning the 125cc category in DMX, coming first in the 125cc UAQ category, and most impressively has secured second place in the adult professional MX2 category. Ben will be traveling to the na1onal championships in Belgium, and will return to South Africa for training and compe11on, where he experienced great success last year.
Congratula1ons Ben and best wishes with the forthcoming compe11ons.
What’s a Watchbox?
Andrew McDonald of Year 13, as part of his Design and Technology coursework, has developed a fascina1ng piece of kit which he has called a Watchbox. Designed and built from scratch, the Watchbox is an ingenious device which is intended to replace all the cluQer and wires and noise associated with clunky home computers and home entertainment systems. This compact media centre has not only earned Andrew full marks for his coursework, but has already excited members of the technology community on the internet, aQrac1ng compliments and interest from technology magazines and writers across the globe. It represents a level of design and a standard of manufacture far in excess of the requirements of A Level, and has huge commercial poten1al. Well done, Andrew!
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News from the Secondary School
The answer will appear in the next issue of the newsletter.
Maths Problem Of The MonthLuke and Leah wanted to measure the circumference of the Earth. They both had very long tape measures.Luke measured the planet at the surface, but Leah measured at a height of 1 metre above the surface.What is the difference in metres between Luke’s and Leah’s measurements?
Answer to last month’s problemSince the sum of the digits is always 45, none of the numbers can bea prime number.
Trip to CERNFollowing the success of the first trip in 2008, the Science department are planning for a trip to CERN, Geneva, in December 2010 for those taking the AS/A2 Physics course. The trip was
deemed a huge success by students last time and included visits to Geneva Observatory, the United Nations, the offices of the International Red Cross as well as the Large Hadron Collider at the CERN facility. The proposed trip will follow a similar itinerary with some time for ice-‐skating and a visit to the famous Montraux Christmas Market. If there is enough interest amongst the students and parents, then planning will proceed and the trip is likely to go ahead.
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Spotlight on Mathematics at SES
The MathematiciansIbraheem. Rohit, Savva and Sonam of Year 11, created history at SES in November 2009, when they all sat their Maths GCSE exams early, and yet produced outstanding results. All of them gained in excess of 190 marks out of 200; you don’t need to be a mathematician to realise that this is quite good!! It puts them very firmly in the top few maths candidates taking GCSE anywhere in the world and represents a tremendous level of achievement. So accomplished are they, that they started their AS Maths course a year early. Well done to them all.
We hope to see them going on to study Mathematics at University and beyond!.
The thing about maths isIt’s really quite harsh
When the teacher tells you what isThe circumference of your bath!
The thing about maths isYou can get into a huff
When the Teacher asks you what isThe age of Harry, George and John Mcduff
The thing about maths isThe questions can give you a chill
But if that doesn’t get youThen the answers will!
! !
!
Written by a troubled mathematician in Year 8
The Mathematics Department at Sharjah English School takes pride in its subject and its outstanding achievements. Mathematics is a wonderful subject, underpinning many other disciplines and we aim to give the strongest mathematical grounding possible to all our students, whilst showing them just how fascinating and interesting Mathematics can be. In the Sixth Form we offer AS and A2 courses in both Mathematics and Further Mathematics, combining modules of Pure (Core) Mathematics, Statistics, Mechanics and Decision Mathematics. We offer the very ablest pupils the opportunity to sit GCSE early and start AS level Mathematics in Year 11, paving the way for a double award in A2 Mathematics. We also offer GCSE re-sit sessions for those students who need a C in GCSE Mathematics.As we reach the milestone of our first cohort Year 13 students taking their A2 exams this summer, the department is continuing to prepare students for their journey through Mathematics and Further Mathematics in the future.
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Spotlight on Mathematics at SES
Maths is not boring all the time! Pupils are given the chance to experience practical Maths wherever and whenever possible.
The photographs show Year 7 “Comparing experimental and theoretical Probability” with dice and tossing coins.
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Spotlight on Mathematics at SES
Year 8s were able to try some basic programming in the form o f L O G O . A f t e r b e i n g i n t r o d u c e d t o t h e b a s i c commands, they were asked to ‘be creative’, try doing some self portraits, and these were some of their efforts.
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Whole School News and Information
New Head Boy and Head Girl
Scott Warburton and Mintaka Angell, of Year 12, have recently been selected as SES Head Boy and Head Girl for the coming year. The selection process involved a ballot of staff and students as well as a final interview. The new appointees will start to take up their duties immediately.
The role of Head Boy and Head Girl is a demanding one. Duties and responsibilities include being involved with students’ concerns and wishes for the school, working with the Students’ Council, liaison with staff and the Principal, as well as representing the student body on more formal occasions.
Both Mintaka and Scott have already made huge contributions to the life of SES in areas as diverse as academic work, sports and music, cultural and inter-‐schools activities. Their appointment will further develop the voice and influence that students bring to the development of the school.
Michaela Longmore, who has served two years as Head Girl, has been handing over her duties to Mintaka. Michaela has been a superb representative of the students, fearless and energetic in pursuit of the interests of the Student Council. We would like to thank her for her huge contribution to SES.
wittering at SESSES has entered the world of social networking this month with its very own Twitter page. This will allow staff, students and parents to receive information on upcoming events and keep up to date with what is happening at the school. It is also hoped that in the future the site could be used to inform parents of emergency closures of the school, e.g. during heavy rain. The site will also show information from the school’s online bulletin page found on our website.
So drag yourself into the 21st century and follow us at:www.twitter.com/seschool
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Whole School News and Information
Board of Governors – Mr. Khalid Al AmiriThe Board of Governors would like to inform you that Mr. Steve Thompson, of Al-Futtaim Carillion, chairman of the Board of Governors of Sharjah English School, recently resigned from the board. Steve has taken up a new post with his company in Qatar. Members of the Board would like to thank Steve for all his work on behalf of the school over the past two years; his contributions to the Board have been substantial, and he has proven a very effective and engaged chairman since taking on this challenging role in September. I am sure that all parents and members of the community will join us in thanking him for his efforts and in wishing him all the best in his new job.The Board of Governors is delighted to announce that Mr. Khalid Al Amiri, the HSBC representative on the Board, has taken over as the chairman with immediate effect. Khalid has been an active and inspiring member of the board over the past number of years, assisting and advising on both routine and more complex matters to do with the Ministry of Education and dealings with Sharjah Municipality. The board and the school are sure that he is the best person to take the school and the board through the next steps in our development and we are sure that parents will join us in wishing him well in his new post.
ValuablesWe must remind parents and students that the school policy on valuable items such as mobiles, MP3 players and iPods, expensive watches or jewellery etc. is that they should not be brought to school. We cannot accept responsibility for the loss or damage to equipment which students should not have with them.
We recognise that students may need access to mobile phones when school finishes. But if such items are brought to school, the understanding is that they must be placed securely in lockers or can be left with a member of staff for safe keeping during class time.
As the technology of phones develops, the cost of mobiles has increased hugely; clearly this makes any loss more expensive for parents to rectify and more of a concern for the school in terms of how to manage students with such devices. We appeal once again for parents’ understanding and support on this.
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Whole School News and Information
Parental SurveyParents should have received by now a questionnaire about their opinions on various aspects of Sharjah English School. This is a slightly modified version of the questionnaire that went to parents last year. We would be grateful if as many people as possible could complete and return the forms; this is an important part of the school’s self-evaluation process, which is a key element in preparing for accreditation to The British Schools of the Middle East. Feedback on the survey will be reported back to parents.
Music Grade ExamsSES has once again hosted the Grade Exams for the ABRSM. Over 100 students from across the Northern Emirates, including dozens from SES, were examined
in cello, clarinet, flute, guitar, piano, violin and singing. Our ABRSM secretary Suzanne McKay described the results – which included several distinctions for SES students -‐ as ‘excellent.’ Many thanks to Mrs McKay for her organization, and of course to the examiner Brenda Ross, who was visiting SES having spent several weeks examining in Dubai. Congratulations must go to the students for their achievements, which represent a just reward for all their hard work!
SES Ski trips 2011PrimaryThe Primary Ski Trip will be from 4th -‐ 12th March 2011, leaving school on the evening of the 4th and flying with Etihad early hours of the 5th.We go to Morgins, a small village in the Porte du Soleil, which is about 90 minutes drive from Geneva and stay in a large chalet reserved exclusively for Sharjah English School.The children are given ski instruction everyday, French lessons in the late afternoon and daily activities after dinner.It is a marvelous opportunity to develop some independence as well as to experience a completely different environment.SecondaryNext year the secondary ski trip will return to La Tzoumaz in Switzerland from the 26th Feb – 3rd March 2011. After the success of our recent trip, it was hard to go anywhere else. The students will have the best skiing and snowboarding tuition available in perfect alpine conditions. There will be two activity sessions each evening, which will include ice football and a torch lit walk. The chalet we will be staying in is well equipped with very comfy bedrooms, a games room and its own Michelin star chef! We can’t wait to return.
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Dates For Your DiarySunday 30th -‐ 31st May Half-‐term
Sunday 6th -‐ 10th June Key Stage Three SAT’s
Monday 7th June Founda1on Concert
Tuesday 8th June Founda1on Concert
Sunday 13th June A2 Courses Commence
Monday 14th June Year 7 -‐ Jumeriah Mosque visit
Tuesday 15th June Year 8 -‐ Sharjah Islamic Museum trip
Wednesday 16th June Year 9 -‐ Sheikh Zayed Mosque trip
Tuesday 22nd June Year 6 Play -‐ Cats (day1me)
Wednesday 23rd June Year 6 Play -‐ Cats (evening)
Tuesday 29th June Reports Issued
Tuesday 29th June Summer Concert
Wednesday 30th June Last Day Of Term
Thursday 19th August AS/A2 examina1on results
Tuesday 24th August GCSE examina1on results
Don’t forget to check the
weekly bulle;n for updates
and further informa;on
Sharjah English School - Academic Calendar 2010-2011Summer VacationAugust 19th A Level resultsAugust 24th GCSE Results
Winter TermSeptember 5th New Staff in schoolSeptember 6th All Staff in schoolSeptember 13th New Students in schoolSeptember 14th All Students / Start of TermNovember 12th to 14th Half TermNovember 15th Arafat Day*November 16th Eid Al Adha begins*December 2nd National Day December 7th Islamic New Year*December 16th Last day of term
Spring TermJanuary 2nd Start of Term February 15th Prophet’s Birthday*February 18th to 20th Half Term March 31st Last day of term
Summer TermApril 17th Start of TermMay 27th to 29th Half TermJune 30th End of Term*Islamic Holidays – to be con3irmed