Sharjah English School

Thanks  to  Mr.  Hitchings  and  Mrs.  Hennessy  for  all  their  work  on  the  new  format.

I   would   like   to   thank   parents   for   all   the   very   suppor<ve   emails   and  messages   which   I   have   received   during   the   past   week;   taking   over   as  Principal  of  such  a  wonderful  school  is  an  exci<ng  and  daun<ng  experience.  The  challenge  of  maintaining  the  unique  ethos  of  the  school,  while  taking  it  through  its  next  stage  of  development  is  one  that  will  require  lots  of  hard  work,   but   with   an   experienced   Senior   Leadership   Team   and   the  commitment   of   our   dynamic   staff,   I  am   certain   the  school  has  a  superb  future.  Parents  can  be  assured  that  there  will  be  no  compromising  on  the  things   we   have   done   well   in   the   past,   and   that   those   areas   where  improvement  is  possible  will  be  tackled  urgently.  

Please   take  <me  to   read   through   the   following   pages;   there   is  news  of  some  outstanding  accomplishments  and  a  number  of  successful  events  to  report  on,  as  well  as  no<ce  of  some  key  dates  coming  up.  

The  heavy   rains  have  created  some  disrup<on  to  teaching  and  learning  in  the  past  week.  Students  and  parents  (and  staff!)  are  to  be  congratulated  on  their  some<mes  epic  efforts  to  get  to  school.  Our  policy   is  to  remain  open  whenever  possible,  unless  instructed  to  close  by   the  Ministry  of  Educa<on,  or  where  the  weather   is  such  that   travel  becomes  unsafe  or   impossible.   If  the   school  were   to   remain   closed,   every   effort   will  be  made   to   inform  parents  by  SMS  in  a  <mely  fashion.  

I  look  forward  to  serving  the  students,  parents  and  staff  of  Sharjah  English  School  –   together  we  can  make  a  formidable  partnership  for   the  good  of  the  school.

 

Mr.  John  NolanPrincipal

Issue No.1 - February 2010

A unique opportunity for you to learn golf with your child. You and your child (Year 7 and above) can undertake lessons from a professional over a fifteen week period. The cost is subject to numbers but will be in the range of 45 to 55 AED a lesson per person. Lessons are likely to take place on a Tuesday starting in March at Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club. All enquires contact Miss McNulty. mmcnulty@seschool.ae

Golf Lessons

Contents:

Primary News

Secondary News

Whole School News

Spotlight on Science

Dates for your diary

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It’s   a   pleasure   to   introduce   the   new  revamped  SES  NewslePer  to  you  –  this  will  be  produced  on  a  monthly  basis  from  now  on,  but  there  will  con<nue  to  be  a  weekly  bulle<n  and   diary   updates  on   the   school  website.  Please  let  us  have  feedback  if  you  have   any   thoughts  about   the  changes  or  ways  to  improve  the  newslePer  further.

From the Principal’s desk...

SES Ski trip 2010Re-live the secondary students ski trip to La Tzoumaz by reading their blog at:http://sesskitrip.blogspot.com

www.sharjahenglishschool.org

The  KS2  Primary  discos  were  held  on  Wednesday  10th  February.DJ  Gill  encouraged  the  Years  3  &  4  children  to  ‘Rock  the  House’  –  and  they  did.  Costumes,  on  the  theme  of  ‘Rock  and  Roll’  and  ‘Animal  Prints’  ranged  from  1950s  Rock  to  Leopard  prints  and  the  dancing  had  to  be  seen  to  be  believed!  The  combina<on  of  games,  dancing  and  refreshments  meant  that  the  <me  flew  by  and  before  we  knew  it,  the  parents  were  at  the  door  wai<ng  to  take  their  ‘rockers’  home.

The  Years  5  &  6  disco,  on  the  same  theme,  was  more  a  ‘Flintstones’  or  ‘Grease’  affair,  although  we  did  spot  at  least  one  Hippy  and  a  Punk.  Mr.  Smithard,  fresh  [well  almost]  from  his  triumph  in  the  parent’s  race  was  DJ  for  the  evening  and  his  choice  of  music  had  the  girls  rocking  and  the  boys  rolling  –  two  very  different  dancing  styles.  Fuelled  by  slices  of  pizza,  the  dancing  became  ever  more  energe<c  un<l  it  was  <me  to  call  a  halt.  As  the  children  departed,  we  heard  sighs  of  relief  that  there  were  no  lessons  on  the  following  day.

News from the Primary School

Thank   you   to   all   the  parents   who   aPended  the   mee<ngs.   It   was  great   to   see   so   many  parents   aPending.   We  realise  that  the  <mes  of  the   mee<ngs   are   not  always   convenient   for  everyone.   However,  should  you  be  unable  to  aPend   at   the   <me  a l l o c a t e d   t o   y o u ,  teachers  will  endeavour  to  arrange  a  mee<ng   at  a  <me  and   date   that   is  more   convenient   for  you.

To all our readers a warm welcome from the Primary School.We like to think of our section of the school as being a “happening place”. We look forward in the coming issues to giving you a look at the vast array of learning, events and activities which are continually taking place throughout the terms.One focus last month was the DISCOS, and as usual the children didn’t disappoint with their costumes, their “moves” or their enthusiasm!!! Even some teachers were seen to do more than toe tap! Sports Day was a great success and a good time was had by all. Please refer to the PE bulletin for more details.We also had our Parents Afternoons and we hope you gained valuable insights into your children’s progress.As always thank you for your unstinting support of your children and the school.

ENJOY!Miss Jenefer Race - Primary Headteacher

Key  Stage  Two  Discos ..singing  D    I    S    C    O Primary  Parent  Teacher  Mee:ngs

Flea Market This  event  was  again  extremely  popular  with  our  children.  It  seems  that  we  have  a  lot  of  budding  entrepreneurs  amongst  our  students  who  are  keen  to  cash  in  on  their  old  toys.  A  lot  of  money  changed  hands  and  some  sizeable  profits  were  made.  

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News from the Secondary School

Anthony CollinsAGRFU Tour – Singapore

Year 10 student Anthony Collins (10LG) traveled to Singapore to represent the U16 Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU). Three games were scheduled Singapore along with a cultural tour of the South East Asian microstate. Anthony scored in all three games the first against St. Andrews (1 try), the National Singapore team (3 tries) and Raffles Academy (2 tries). He was also awarded man of the match in the second game against the National team. Aside of the rugby and training, Anthony visited the Merlion (an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish), Sentosa Island (theme park) and a gem factory watching artisans working on gemstones carving out beautiful shapes.

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English Department Theatre Trip

A  theatre  trip  has  been  organized  to  take  Year  9  to  see  ‘Macbeth’.  It  i s   b e i n g   p e r f o r m e d   b y  Shakespeare   4   Kids,   a   theatre  company   s p e c i a l i z i n g   on  performances   for   students,   and  has  received  fantastic  reviews.  This  will  give  students  an  excellent  insight  into  the  play  in  preparation  for  their  GCSE  studies  next  year.  

Young MusicianSES recently sent its first ever competitor to the prestigious 'Young Musicians of the Gulf' competition, held annually in Bahrain. Vicky Tadros, a student in year 11, was entered the vocal section having been trained by our school singing teacher Mrs Lis. Vicky did very well indeed against strong competition, getting to the quarter finals. Vicky followed up her impressive performance by singing to a captivated audience of students at a special school assembly on her return. Congratulations to both Vicky and Mrs Lis!

Maths Problem Of The Month

Suppose that a = 1, b = 2, ………, z = 26Evaluate the expression below:(n - a)(n - b)……………(n - z)Hint: The answer to this problem has its origins in India and revolutionized Mathematics!

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The answer will appear in the next issue of thenewsletter.

News from the Secondary School

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Year 9 CampMr Powell, Miss McNulty and Richard Thomas took twenty five Year 9 students away to Dibba to attend the Year 9 adventurer camp. The camp was led by five Wilderness Instructors from all over the United States with expertise in climbing, mountain biking, trekking and sea kayaking. The group was split into three and got the chance to experience one main activity plus trekking. In the evening after a good meal there was opportunity to try out the base camp climbing wall. The camp was an overwhelming success but next year the students would like to go for longer and experience even more activities.

Whole School News and Information

Ques:onnaire  –  Places  for  next  yearYour  child  should  have  brought  home  the  ques<onnaire  regarding  places  for  the  next  academic  year.  May  we  ask  you  to  complete  and  return  it  to  your  child’s  class  teacher  by  WEDNESDAY  10th  March  2010.Please  return  the  form  even  if  you  are  uncertain  about  your  future  plans.  Any  informa<on  provided  will  remain  confiden<al.  We  can  also  assure  you  that  you  do  not  jeopardise  your  school  place  by  indica<ng  your  uncertainty.2010-2011

InvoicesYour  child  should  have  brought  home  the  invoice  for  the  Summer  term.  Please  be  aware  that  payment  is  due  by  the  first  day  of  term  -­‐  19th  April  2010.

Class  PhotosWe  will  have  the  photographers  in  school  on  Tuesday  9th  March  and  Wednesday  10th  March  to  take  class  photos.  Please  ensure  that  your  child  is  wearing  the  correct  school  uniform.    If  you  child  has  P.E.  on  that  day,  she/he  has  to  bring  the  school  uniform  with  them.

Tuesday  9th  March   -­‐  Primary  classesWednesday  10th  March  -­‐  Secondary  

The Student CouncilThe Student Council helps our school in many ways trying to improve the environment, aiming to be the best school possible. Lately we have been adding various items and ideas to the school. We have put up recycling bins.

We had a talk on Sunday 7th March for International Women’s Day, (which is celebrated on March the 8th) to give recognition to women. We are also having a Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services presentation that will take place on Sunday 14th March. This is the current school charity that we voted for. We have donated money to them that was raised from selling bags of sweets.

The Student Council felt that it would be a good idea for Year 6 representatives to join the Student Council. If we include them we will feel more connected with the Primary school through their representatives. It will also give the Year 6 representatives an idea of what Secondary school is like and will prepare them for it.

We, the Student Council have worked hard for all these things to happen to help improve our school.

By Laila Hamza - 7SO

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Whole School News and Information

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On Thursday, 4th March, we had our annual International Picnic at the school. It was a fantastic afternoon - we were lucky with the weather, and it was a good chance to sample dishes from 25 different countries, as well as to see some national costumes and decorations. Many thanks to everyone who contributed and volunteered on the day.We took over Dhs 7000 on food sales alone and this will help towards buying more shading for the recreation areas.You can still help out by purchasing the International Cookbook on sale at the secondary reception for Dhs 50.

International Picnic

Spotlight on Science as SESScience as a subject at SES has taken a big step forwards this year, with some new and interesting activates taking place. It has been a busy term and we would like to share some of our developments with you.

January this year saw the department link up with the Primary school to prepare our second annual Primary Science Day. All of KS2 were invited to our labs to take part in practical work where they learnt about a variety of topics ranging from magnetic fields to the working of the lungs.

Year 7 and Year 8 are in the process of studying adaptation of plants and animals, and as part of this they were taken to the Arabian Wildlife Centre in Sharjah to look at some of the interesting creatures that they have on show. Here is an account by one of the Year 7’s that took part in the trip.

Year 9 have been completing some extension work on evolution to enhance their knowledge ready for the GCSE courses next year.

Here are some examples of work that they have produced.

On Thursday 18th February Year 7 & 8 went to the Arabian Wildlife Centre on a science trip. We were given a sheet to fill in about how animals were adapted to live in harsh desert conditions. We went around the preserve taking down interesting information about desert animals and reading any other information about many other animals and insects. After lunch we looked at the birds and nocturnal animals. Next the group walked to the Natural History Museum and the Botanical Gardens. We all enjoyed the trip and found the information very interesting. Nina Ferrari - Year 7

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Spotlight on Science as SESYear 10 have also been looking at adaptation and evolution. They were asked to examine the famous crystal palace dinosaurs, which were first exhibited in 1854, and use these to comment on Victorian approaches to scientific studies.

Year 11 are currently working on their chemistry practical skills and can be seen here completing work in preparation for their practical assessments.

Year 13 Physicists recently took a trip to the desert to make some astronomical observations of the moon using a telescope that was kindly donated to the department by a parent. We used our time in the desert to use a reflecting telescope to look at the moon. We also learned how to align the viewfinder with the central lens. We used a handy iPod application to find various constellations and practiced focusing the main lens on them and viewed them using various filters. All in all it was a valuable experience which served as a good induction to the A2 astrophysics option.Jack Sparkes - Year 13

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Dates for your diary

Monday  8th  March     KS1  Swimming  Gala

Tuesday  9th  March     Primary  Class  Photos  

Wednesday  10th  March   Secondary  Class  Photos

        GCSE  Op<on  Evening

Monday  15th  March   Years  3  &  4  Swimming  Gala

Tuesday  16th  March     Sixth  Form  Presenta<on  Evening

Friday  19th  March       Mina  Mile  Open  Water  Swim  (Swim  Team)

Monday  22nd  March   Years  5  &  6  Swimming  Gala

Thursday  1st  April       BaPle  Of  The  Bands

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