ses newsletter-june 2011

www.sharjahenglishschool.org

Sharjah English SchoolVolume 2 : Issue No. 6 - June 2011

http://www.sharjahenglishschool.org

http://www.sharjahenglishschool.org

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ContentsFrom The Principal’s Desk 3

Primary NewsPrimary News

Primary News & Year 2 Cake Sale 4

Animal Care House 5

Mini-Beast Parade 6

The Royal Wedding - Foundation 7

Foundation Swimming 8-9

Foundation & Key Stage 1 Science Day 10-11

Key Stage 1 Assembly 12

Space - Year 1 13

Dinosaurs - Year 1 14

Key Stage 1 Displays 15

Flat Stanley & Budding Author 16

Viking Longboats - Year 3 17

Sharjah Aquarium and Maritime Museum - Year 3 18

Around The World With Year 4 19

The Tudors- Year 4 20

Year 4 Art Work 21-22

Rainforest Cocktails & Planetarium Visit 23

Gymnastics 24

Victorian Art - Year 5 25

Rats Preparations 26

Playground Leaders Trip 27

Orienteering Trip 28

Portraits - Year 6 29

Middle East Maths Challenge 30

The Royal Wedding - Key Stage 1 & 2 31

Rats 32-33

Primary Award Ceremony 34

Secondary NewsSecondary News

Totem Poles 35

Bridge Building 36

Going Green Update 37

Secondary Arabic & Mathematics Challenge 38

Senior Prom 39

International Award 40

Secondary Arts Evening 41-43

Year 10 Work Experience 44-45

African Footballs 46

Secondary Graduation & Prize Day 47

Whole School NewsWhole School News

New Head Boy And Head Girl 48

Parental Questionnaire & The Ballet Centre 49

Note from the Nurse 50

Maths Problem Of The Month 51

ABRSM Examination Results 52

Dates For Your Diary & Summer Tech Tips 53

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From the Principal’s Desk...

Dear Parents and Friends,

As the academic year draws to its frantic close, this edition of the newsletter tries to capture some of the excitement and variety of what has been going on this term. From the burdens of examinations and the rigours of sports competition, to the creativity of drama performances and the challenges of music evenings ….. it seems to be a never-‐ending bustle of activity throughout the campus. If you have not been able to make it to some of the end of year events, then this newsletter will hopefully give you a Blavour of what’s been happening.

Each end of year brings changes, and we have students and staff moving on from Sharjah for a variety of reasons. We wish our graduating students success in their examinations and in their university careers. We say goodbye to several staff members also. Foremost amongst these is Mrs. Joan Breen of Foundation, who has served the school for many years – we wish her all the best. Miss Sharon Campbell (Year 1) and Mrs. Sharon Winterburn (Year 5) are also leaving Primary, as is Mrs. Kathryn Warburton and Mrs. Lynn Dougan. Secondary staff moving on include Miss Una Harkin (PE), Mrs. Tess Lorrigan (English / Film Studies) and Mrs. Kathy Challenor (Receptionist). I am sure that parents will want to join me and the rest of the SES staff in thanking each and every one of them for their contributions to the school.

Looming as a backdrop to the playground, our Performing Arts Building nears completion, having taken just over a year from start to Binish. The Binal touches are due to be made to the new block during July. It will then be a busy period of Bitting out and equipping for the new school year. The spacious building ought to enrich many aspects of the SES curriculum for Primary and Secondary students in the coming years. We look forward to welcoming parents to visit in September.

The Binal newsletter of 2010 / 2011 gives me a chance to say thanks to all our committed and dedicated teaching staff, admin and support staff and site workers. Your support is greatly appreciated. A personal word of thanks is due to management, Governors and the PSG for the selBless gift of their time and experience, as well as my gratitude to all our friends in the community who help us in so many diverse ways. Finally, I thank the families (students and their parents) who make SES the unique and wonderful environment that we all enjoy and share.

Have a pleasant and safe summer.

John NolanPrincipal

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News from the Primary School

Miss Jenefer Race -‐ Primary Headteacher

Year 2 Cake Sale!A very excited Year 2 went into entrepreneur mode recently at their annual Cake Sale! The tables in the Central Area were laden with delicious cakes, biscuits, cookies, ice-‐cream and sweets………a veritable carb-‐fest! All the goodies had either been made and decorated by the children or generously donated by parents. Year 6 were very kind and helped the Year 2’s out. Some of these partnerships would easily have made the final of “Dragons Den”! As a result of some excellent salesmanship we made the amazing sum of 4,229 dirhams! The best ever! A huge thank you to the parents who once again turned up trumps, to the “shoppers” who bought so eagerly and most of all to Year 2 for their unbridled enthusiasm.

Eileen Hutchison

It is hard to believe that we are now at the end of the academic year – the time has certainly flown by. This term has been an especially packed one with a diverse array of events and activities for staff and pupils alike. One of the things that I love is that, running through all of the following events, the word ‘fun’ stands out – the children are enjoying themselves and learning through fun.

The whole school celebrated the Royal Wedding in a very regal fashion. The annual Cake Sale was a great success and the entrepreneurial spirit is certainly alive and flourishing in Year 2. There are also outstanding displays of Art and DT on display throughout the school.

Hands on experiences are always one of the best ways to learn, and Foundation and KS1 greeted with enthusiasm the range of investigations provided on their Science Day. Our class trips to the Animal Care House, the Planetarium, Sharjah Aquarium and the Maritime Museum also helped to consolidate the pupils’ learning and understanding of topics studied. The Victorian Day and Tudor Day, two special events organised to complement History topics, really did give the pupils a practical experience of the lives of children during those periods.

Our performances and assemblies are the occasions when we can showcase the talents your children are developing. In Foundation we were treated to a range of songs based on the ‘World of Minibeasts’ and KS1’s retelling of Fairy Tales with the slogan ‘Justice for Bears’ was both entertaining and thought provoking. The Year 4’s assembly entitled ‘Round the World’ and the Year 5’s assembly on the theme of ‘Victorians’ were packed with facts about the topics studies throughout the term. It is always delightful to witness the pride and passion of the pupils when performing for parents and staff.

That the Year 6 pupils had worked very hard on their acting and singing talents was very evident in their polished and enthusiastic performance of RATS. Applause echoed round the room following their final song.

If all the above are not impressive enough, please see the details of our galas and sporting fixtures, which are covered in a separate PE newsletter.

Although we recognise that all our pupils should be proud of their achievements, Prize Day is our special day when we celebrate individual, outstanding talents. This year, Mr. Mark Denham, one of our governors gave out the prizes and was impressed by the range of talent our children possess.

As this year comes to an end, I would like to thank all the Primary staff for their hard work in ensuring that all the pupils receive the best possible education in every sense of the word.

May I wish children, parents and staff a relaxing summer break and I am already looking forward to another fun-filled year starting in Sept.

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Animal Care House In March, Foundation Stage took a trip to the Animal Care House which is located between Shajrah and Ajman. The Animal Care House is a charity organisation and it gave the children the opportunity to get up close and experience a variety of animals and learn about how to feed and care for them.

We were met by the experienced ‘Animal Guides’ who helped the children to get the most out of the day. The children met donkeys, horses, ducks, geese, rabbits, guinea pigs, cows, baboons, chipmunks, baby hedgehogs, mice, hamsters, ferrets, tortoises, dogs, cats as well as some more exotic animals like the chinchillas, sugar gliders, ant eaters and even some armadillos.

It was a great day for everyone!

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Minibeast Parade On the 7th and 8th June the children in the Foundation Stage performed their ‘Mini Beast Parade’. The children really impressed us all that day as they had worked very hard to learn a wide range of songs and poems and all the children performed brilliantly. The parade included creeping ladybirds, buzzing bees, weaving spiders and some beautiful Blowers. We would like to thank our ever supportive audience and all those that helped with costumes, art work and makeup.

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On 28th April the children in the Foundation Stage commemorated the royal wedding by hosting their very own street party. At the party we had a wide array of very distinguished guests such as princes, princesses and even some fairies! A great day was had by all. We would like to thank all those parents that sent in royal treats on the day.

The Royal Wedding

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Foundation 1 SwimmingOn the 23rd May Foundation 1 invited their Mums and Dads to join them for their swimming lesson. Mrs.Thamasian explained to the parents what we were trying to achieve and the various techniques used. Following this we had a wonderful morning with lots of parents joining us in the water. Everyone enjoyed the fun and games.

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News from the Primary SchoolFun Swim DayIn May we held a ‘Fun Swim Day’ for the Foundation 2 children. This was a great opportunity for all the children to show the mums and dads how they had been progressing in swimming. A variety of races and games were organized so that all children were able to demonstrate particular strengths. We started the morning with walking and balancing races, followed by some kickboard races and then swimming a width of the pool. The morning was finished with a fantastic treasure hunt game where all the children worked as a team to collect the most objects, either from the surface or the bottom of the pool. At the end, the children were awarded a certificate for their effort and participation.

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Science Day for KS1 and Founda2on StageIt was a busy day in primary as the KS1 and Founda7on children were invited to be scien7sts and experiment for the day. There were two experiments which were well supported and efficiently run by some volunteers from Year 10.

One of the experiments taught the children about liquids and solids and this proved to be a very popular and messy session. It was called the Goo Experiment. It involved the children geGng their hands very messy and gooey and feeling the ‘goo’ and what happened to it when under pressure or when pressure was released. Our second experiment was about chemical reac7ons and how a gas was created. The children called this the volcano experiment. It involved mixing two chemicals; bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. The result was an explosive erup7on of frothy bubbles which was the gas carbon dioxide being released.

It was a great day filled with many ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ and one where the children really felt they were ‘A scien7st for a day’!

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Key Stage 1 Assembly

“Traditional Tales” was the theme for this year’s Key Stage 1 Assembly. Year 1 took to the stage first and were superb, performing an adaptation of “Jack and the Beanstalk”. The costumes and props added to the children’s excellent rendition of the familiar tale. It was especially praiseworthy as there had been a “bug” doing the rounds and many of the children had risen from their sickbeds to take part in true “the show must go on” fashion.

Year 2 followed by taking the extremely traditional “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and putting a new slant on it! This very dramatic performance involved a courtroom scene where Goldilocks is standing trial for her misdemeanours; breaking and entering, stealing porridge and destruction of property. The children thoroughly immersed themselves in their roles and I think we have some budding lawyers, judges and civil liberty campaigners within our ranks.

The singing was, as usual, fantastic in both plays and a huge thank you must go to Miss Stanley for encouraging her students to reach such heights in performances.

Eileen Hutchison

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News from the Primary SchoolYear 1 Exploring SpaceIn Year 1 we have been learning about Space. We visited Sharjah Planetarium where we met Mark, who told us all about the different planets and about space shuttles. It was exciting to learn about the sun and we watched a cartoon about saving the galaxy. Everybody got to touch a meteor; it was very cold. When we got back to school, we made our own rockets, which was so much fun.

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Year 1 - Dinosaurs This term Year 1 has been finding out information about dinosaurs. It has been exciting watching movies about how the dinosaurs became extinct. We have been trying to learn all their names, but this is very tricky because they are all very long!

There were lots of different kinds of dinosaurs. Some were carnivores and some were herbivores. In 1SC our favourite dinosaur is the Pterodactyl because it could fly. In 1SM, our favourite dinosaur is called the Tyrannosaurus Rex because he was scary and dangerous.


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Key Stage One Displays

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Flat Stanley’s Year 2 Adventure!In the second term Year 2 received a large brown padded envelope with an Irish stamp on it! We opened it and out popped Flat Stanley! For those of you who don’t know who FS is, allow me to explain…………Flat Stanley is the main character in a popular children’s book. He became flat when a notice board above his bed fell on him in the middle of the night! When he got out from under it he was perfectly alright except that he had been squashed flat! He proceeded to have lots of adventures, one of which was to be posted to America to visit his pen pal.

Children in a Year 2 class in a school outside Dublin decided to make a Flat Stanley each and post them to overseas schools. This was a cross curricular initiative which aided learning in Geography, Literacy and Citizenship. Year 2 in S.E.S. read the Flat Stanley series, took Stanley all around the main tourist attractions of the U.A.E. and took photographs…even camel riding in the desert!!! We took him to the Suq and bought souvenirs which gave a taste of Arabic culture. After a couple of months it was time for him to go home as he was getting a bit homesick. So we packed up his belonging and sent him back first class. The little boy, who sent him to us, named Patrick, won the class prize for sending Stanley the furthest distance and having the best souvenirs, photographs, post cards and stamps! Well done Year 2! We will try and continue and develop our connection with this school next year.


Budding author in the making

Vishakha Desai in year 2EH enjoys writing stories as a hobby. Here are two examples of her work; a fiction and non fiction text about “Night Time”. I think you will agree we have a budding author on our hands!

The Magic StarOnce upon a time I was playing in my garden when a shiny, bright star fell on my head. I was really surprised especially as there was something different about this star……it was MAGIC!

The star told me he needed help to get back into the sky. He said he would give me anything I wanted if I helped him. So I agreed. I planted an enormous plant, put the star in my pocket, and climbed up the stem. When I reached the top I threw the star into the sky. I wished the star was free!

Night TimeI am really lucky because I can be awake all day and sleep at night. Some people work at night, like the police and firemen. When I go to sleep the green crickets sing and the cars pass by peacefully. A few animals are nocturnal -‐ they are awake at night and sleep through the day like owls, bats and wolves. The shiny, bright, twinkling stars are very beautiful when they come out at night but then they disappear in daylight. I love it when the sun rises and sets, when the sky turns pink and peachy. When it is dark colourful fireworks rise into the sky and make noises like boom, boom, boom!

My dreams are about a place called Fairy Country. I go there and instead of a river there is ice-‐cream and there are lollies and chocolates on trees. Then I fall fast asleep!

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News from the Primary SchoolVIKING LONGBOATS

Year Three really enjoyed their latest Design and Technology project! They had to design, assemble and evaluate a Viking Longboat. Now all we need is a raiding party to sail the ship!

The LONGBOAT Builders

The LONGBOAT invasion

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News from the Primary SchoolYear 3 Trip to Sharjah Aquarium and Maritime Musem

As part of a Local Study of The UAE, Year 3 had a fabulous day out this term at the Aquarium and Maritime Museum in Sharjah. At the Aquarium we learned a lot about the types of fish, sea creatures and plants that can be found in our local waters.

We then visited the Maritime Museum and were able to find out about the sea-faring history of the UAE, including pearl-diving, fishing and trade. We even had a go at hoisting sails! It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative trip.

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News from the Primary SchoolAround the World with Year 4.

This year, the children of Year 4 took the primary school on a colourful trip around the world, when they performed in their class assembly.

The journey began at the North Pole, where a couple of Inuit and caribou explained all about the living and weather condiBons in this northerly region. Next the world led us to Europe. Here we met farmers and two friendly cows who enlightened the audience about life in temperate areas. Moving on from this, the Bedouin and camels told everyone about the recent changes to desert life. Rainforests were the next port of call, where explorers, monkeys and tropical birds sang, danced and expanded on the fascinaBng facts from this precious, yet endangered region of the world. Finally, the children arrived in the AntarcBc where Doris and Edna, the resident penguins, related the trials and hardships of life as a female emperor penguin!

All of the year group were acBve in the producBon of this extravaganza and realised that our planet is a very special place!

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The Tudors came alive in Year 4 social studies!

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We tried in Year 4 to recreate the style of

pointillism using different techniques in art and ICT. We based our designs on Seurat.

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Year 4 studied the graffiti art style of Keith Haring. Our pictures all give a message – can you work out the message that they are intending to convey?

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News from the Primary SchoolRainforest CocktailsAs part of the year 4 social studies curriculum, the children have been learning about life and weather in the rainforests. Having studied the various crops which grow in the region, we used many of these to design and create exotic rainforest cocktails. Choices for ingredients ranged from pineapple, mango, papaya, star fruit, banana, chocolate sticks, vanilla and multi-coloured sprinkles. The highlight of the whole exercise was to devour the creations! Great fun was had by all!

Year 5 Visit to the PlanetariumOn Monday 6th June, Year 5 went to the Planetarium at Sharjah Colleges of Higher Technology. They went so they could learn more about the topic they were studying: ‘Space’.

When we first arrived we split in two groups. 5SW learned about sun spots, which are spots on the sun hotter then normal. We got to look through a large, solar filtered telescope which allowed us to look at the sun and see the sun spots. Also, we got to try on a pair of glasses that allowed us to look directly at the sun without damaging our eyes.

Half an hour later we swapped with 5RB. We split into groups of three and went inside where we were given a set of questions to answer. All the information was on posters on the walls. I was pleased that we managed to complete our sheet correctly.

The highlight of the morning was going into the theatre to watch a presentation called ‘Secrets of the Sun’. We learned about the inner core and its future. My favourite part was when we looked at the moon and the positions in the night sky, especially as there was gong to be a lunar eclipse that week. Another highlight was actually getting to touch a real meteor. I was surprised how heavy it was!

Year 5 really enjoyed the visit and learned a lot of new things about space. Maybe one of us will become an astronaut in the future! Sean McLeod 5SW

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News from the Primary SchoolGymnastics

During PE lessons this term we have been looking at gymnastics and the Year 4, 5 and 6 classes have been working hard to put together a display to music. The students worked in small groups each creating a balance. Some of the balances require a lot of strength and it’s important that they trust each other in order for the balance to work. They also had to think of the different ways they could travel on and off the mats. The pictures you can see are from one of the Year 4 practice lessons. Well done to all the gymnasts!

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Victorian ArtIn Year 5 we have been learning about the Victorians. In our art lessons we have used watercolour paints to create 3D paintings inspired by the work of LS Lowry. The British painter was famous for painting scenes of life in the industrial North of England during the early 20th century. Maybe the year fives will become even more famous than Lowry for their amazing creations – what do you think?

Abigail D’Almeida, 5RB


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News from the Primary SchoolRats Prepara2onsAll of the prepara7ons have been under way for the Year 6 end of year produc7on of Rats. Ms. Perrin has taken the reigns as director and Miss. Stanley is musical director, for what should be a memorable play.

Singing rehearsals have been going on since before half term, although the real work began aTer the end of the SATs tests. This has given the pupils a short 7me to prepare, but they have been working 7relessly to make this play the best yet.

The scenery is also beginning to take shape. Based on a Tudor street scene, the stage team has pulled out all the stops to create a realis7c backdrop fit for a quality performance.

Based on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Rats is a new look at an old story with memorable music and wiWy lyrics. Familiar legendary characters appear in a brand new light: the rats who plague Hamelin are punks, the City Fathers are more concerned with themselves than their ci7zens, and the Pied Piper has the charisma of a rock star.

Keith Smithard

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News from the Primary SchoolPlayground Leaders’ Trip

The Year 6 playground leaders have been busy this year organising activities for the Key Stage 1 classes during playtimes. Every Thursday the leaders would give up 20 minutes of their free time to set up and deliver structured games so the younger students got the most out of their playtime.

The PE department rewarded the sports leaders with a trip out to the beach to do some team building tasks and play soapy football!! Thank you to the Year 6 students for all your hard work – you are all fantastic leaders!!

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ORIENTEERING TRIPWe have been looking at some orienteering skills as part of the Outdoor adventurous part of the PE curriculum. All classes in Key stage 1 and 2 had chance to take part in orienteering lessons in their PE Bme. The students in Year 5 had to put their skills into pracBce when we visited Mushriff park. Ten numbers were hidden in the park and the students had to work together in groups to find them and crack the code to discover the hidden word. We then played some team building acBviBes and finished off the day with ‘Capture the Flag’; 5RB vs 5SW! Thank you to the Year 5 teachers for you support it was a fantasBc day out!


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News from the Primary SchoolYear 6 Portraits

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The Mathle2cs Middle East Maths Challenge – May 2011For one week in May, KS2 took part in the Middle East Maths Challenge. The pupils took part in real Bme Maths challenges powered by the MathleBcs plaZorm. Through a series of acBviBes adapted from the Maths curriculum, they competed live with other students around the Middle East in mental arithmeBc.

The pupils earned points for every correct answer in order to gain a place on the Hall of fame. Every child’s score was taken into account and the average points score was taken for each school. The top classes and individuals were also recorded on the Hall of Fame which was updated by the minute on the MathleBcs website.

The event proved to be an exciBng and enjoyable experience for the pupils, who really enjoyed the live compeBBon. “It was amazing!” explained Siana Aldridge. The real benefit however was the learning aspect. Many children in school have shown a real increase in their mental Maths recall in only a short space of Bme. “I learned my 7 Bmes table in no Bme”, commented Sami Youcef.

At the end of the week Sharjah English School made it in into the top 50 Schools on the Hall of Fame. Out of the enBre Middle East we achieved a respectable 40th posiBon. We were 14th in the UAE. Mr. Gill’s class claimed bragging rights as the top class in the school, climbing to 20th spot in the UAE, with Mr. Smithard’s class just making the top 50 classes, with a credible 50th spot.

Special congratulaBons should also go to two of our pupils, who both made the top 100 individual list in the UAE. Well done to Karthika Babu (42nd) and Anneketrien Van Wassenhove (50th) from 3JG, for an outstanding effort.

K.Smithard, Primary Maths Coordinator

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Royal Wedding CelebrationSES decided to celebrate the Royal Wedding in style when Kate Middleton married Prince William at the end of April in Westminster Abbey. The P.S.G. very generously agreed to sponsor this event which meant the children were able to have a piece of wedding cake and toast the happy couple with juice. The children were impeccably behaved guests and learned about many traditions and customs associated with weddings and marriage ceremonies. They even practiced cutting the cake and standing still and quiet when National Anthems were played. The Central Hall looked so festive with the decorations and bunting. After the wedding breakfast the children were given a chance to parade around the Hall showing of their wedding attire. We put the real guests to shame! A very memorable occasion for all!

Eileen Hutchison

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News from the Primary SchoolRats, Rats, RatsIn our Year 6 production this year, a gang of loutish Rats whose slogan is ‘Eat, drink and infest’ are terrorizing the citizens of Hamelin. When a stranger arrives and offers to rid the town of the vermin, using only a magic flute, the Alderman and his council readily agree to pay him the price he asks. However, when all the rats have been exterminated, the Alderman refuses to make any payment and the Piper wreaks his revenge.

Once again, the Year 6 pupils produced a splendid performance. The piper and his flute-playing shadow held the audience spellbound as the suitably threatening and disgusting rats met their watery end. The children of the town were charmingly excited as they followed the piper to the enchanted place he promised them and the townsfolk were convincingly furious with the pompous Mayor and his councilors. There was not a dry eye in the house when the 2 children who had been left behind told their tale of woe.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone, pupils, staff and parents who helped to make this a memorable end to the pupils’ career in Primary school.

L. Nuttall

Please click on link to an online album of more Rats photographs http://sesphotos.smugmug.com/Events/rats/17668304_S2wrRz/the password is rats

http://sesphotos.smugmug.com/Events/rats/17668304_S2wrRz/




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Primary Award Ceremony Although we recognise that all our pupils should be proud of their achievements, Prize Day is our special day when we celebrate individual, outstanding talents. This year, our guest speaker was Mr. Mark Denham who is a member of our Board of Governors and also a representative of Petrofac, a local company that is a strong supporter of our school. AT SES, Mr. Denham has led initiatives such as a Road Safety week in Primary and is currently involved with an engineering project with students from Y9. He spoke to the KS2 pupils about education and learning and was impressed by the range of talent our children possess.

Additional photos from the ceremony are available from:

http://sesphotos.smugmug.com/Events/primaryaward2011/17780427_VdqC4c/

Password: award



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News from the Secondary School

Year 7 Totem Pole To finish off the year in History, Year 7 have studied the different tribes of North America. Part of this study has been to invent a North American game for children, research and present information on a North American Tribe and finally to write a myth and then design and construct a Totem Pole re-telling that myth.

The students were particularly inspired by stories and myths already in existence and used their imagination and creativity to present their tales of tragedy, heroism and how the world was created.

Year 7 this year have repeatedly risen to the challenge every time when it comes to being innovative and creative this year – so a big well done from Miss. McNulty and Mrs. O’Mahony.

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Year 9 Design and Technology InitiativeA Bridge Building competition was introduced at the beginning of this term – the event was assisted and supervised by Petrofac.

Students in both Year 9 class were divided into groups and provided with a limited amount of resources to build their bridge. The rules were very strict and the competition was a challenging problem-solving as well as a team-building task.

Each week Mr. Mark Denham and one of the graduates from Petrofac came to the school to help the Year 9 students build their bridges. It has been a great opportunity for the students to talk to people in industry and learn from their experiences. The graduates at Petrofac also decided to compete against the Year 9 students and started to build their own bridges. They had a few extra restrictions to make it fair but the graduates were looking worried.

During the last week of term the students will test the strength of their bridges. Their bridge will span over a gap of 300mm and have a bucket hang from its underside. Gradually sand will be lowered into the bucket until it meets its breaking point. I have a feeling we are going to need a lot of sand.

Petrofac have kindly arranged a cup for the winning team. The Bridge Building competition will now be run as an annual event. A big thank you to Petrofac for running the competition. It is an experience that the Year 9s have truly enjoyed and benefited from.

Mr. JB Savage

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Trees Aflame!Going Green are pleased to announce that three of the flame trees planted with subscriptions from the students, staff and parents have flowered this summer already. Wonderful results considering the trees have only been planted for eight months now!

Next year looks promising, with even more trees set to flower – we can report that all 146 trees are still growing very well thanks to the help of the Going Green club and & Mr. Adnan’s landscaping team.

Mintaka -‐ Bound for BrownAmongst our graduating class and school leavers this year, special mention must be made of Mintaka Angell (Year 13).

Mintaka has managed to combine the often onerous role of head-‐girl with a demanding study regimen. With the prospect of some excellent A Level results to come, Mintaka has been accepted for Brown University in Providence. Being one of the oldest of the prestigious Ivy League colleges, entry to Brown is an extremely competitive process; Mintaka is one of only 1400 students to be accepted this year. By any standards this represents a prodigious achievement, and is testimony both of her academic distinction and personal qualities.

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News from the Secondary SchoolSecondary Arabic Next academic year the timetable provision for Arabic will increase to three hours. We hope that this provision will help to enhance the level of children’s Arabic in the Secondary years.

We will also be introducing a newly published set of textbooks for use in Islamic Studies – these are much more attractive and student-‐friendly than the current ones in use. The Muslim students will also benefit when the new building opens, as this provides them with two purpose built prayer rooms for the first time.

We will be appealing to Muslim parents for suggestions and donations in order to stock and equip the prayer rooms, again with the intention of enhancing Islamic Studies provision for the Muslim students. Also with this aim in mind, you will receive details before end of term about an Islamic Club being established next term under the kind auspices of one of our parents.

If you have any questions or suggestions about Arabic or Islamic Studies in Secondary, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected]

Year 8 Mathema+cs Challenge I am pleased to report that ten Year 8 students parBcipated in the United Kingdom MathemaBcs Trust Challenge. This compeBBon is aimed at the top third of pupils in Key Stage 3. The challenge involved answering 25 mulBple choice quesBons in one hour under normal exam condiBons. It is my pleasure to report that ninety percent of the parBcipants from SES achieved a cerBficate. The results are as follows:

GOLD SILVER BRONZE

Kerem Kanoglu Mathias Wilkinson Siobhan D’ Almeida

Leila Hamza Jia Bo Kang

Thomas Le Selleur Akira Williams Rao

Mohammed Khan

Katya Sheth

Kerem’s performance in this compeBBon earned an invitaBon to parBcipate in the Junior Maths Olympiad on 14th June.

Year 10 European Mathema+cs Compe++on Magzhan Kabduakhitov (10MM) received a cerBficate of merit for his parBcipaBon in the compeBBon. This cerBficate is awarded only to the top 25% scorers.

Well done to all the parBcipants in represenBng SES so successfully in the mathemaBcs challenges.

Mr. Saif Dawoodbhai

mailto:[email protected]


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Senior PromThe senior students organized their own prom which was held at the Al Bustan Hotel in Dubai on 28th April, just before examinat ions commenced. Winter Wonderland was the theme of the prom with everything designed in whites and blues – to create a wintry atmosphere regardless of the high temperatures outside. It was all big hair, elaborate dresses, jackets and ties as they tucked into a buffet dinner, and danced the night (well the early evening anyway) away to the disco and our resident rock band, The Sweet Young Things, who played a mix of original songs and covers.

Awards were made on the night with Alan-Page Duffy and Olivia Bailey being voted Prom King and Queen, with Toby and Caitlin as runners-up. Cutest couple was Rosalie Croxford and Dimiter Dakov, who had came all the way from Kuwait for the event. Stephanie Liwo was chosen as Best Personality, the other students being awarded more dubious accolades (Most Likely Be Deported – Marco, Most Likely To Be Arrested – Kamran etc.)

The night was a great success, mainly thanks to the sterling work of the organizing committee – well done to all the students involved in that.

Thanks to parents who helped out in the background, especially to Mrs. Hennessy who stayed so calm under pressure, and to Mrs. Sheth who recorded the event tirelessly for posterity. Congrats to the brave staff who turned up to help supervise the event also – you all brushed up very nicely!

The evening concluded with dancing as the Sweet Young Things played their final song – Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand.

Rosalie Croxford & Angharad Morgan

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The International Award is an exciting self-development programme available to all young people worldwide equipping them with the skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and the world. To date over six million young people from 125 countries have been motivated to undertake a variety of voluntary and challenging activities. It is my pleasure to welcome the current Year 9 who join us in September and enrol on their Bronze programme. The award contains four sections, Skills, Physical Recreation, Adventurous Journey and Service. Interested students should investigate opportunities for voluntary work as soon as possible in order to complete their service and should also invest in appropriate footwear in preparation for the desert and mountain trekking in the months ahead. As the Silver team near completion of their level, it is now very likely that Sharjah English School will have their first Gold participants starting in September 2011. This will create exciting opportunities for participants to gain valuable experience in residential settings and provide opportunities for overseas expeditions. The possibilities are endless: Everest Base Camp Trek, tour of the Greek Islands, cycling in Tuscany, trekking in Vietnam? The possibilities are endless. The residential section can also be completed overseas with opportunities to represent Sharjah English School in Conservation Projects, teaching English to young adults in schools, and helping young people with physical disabilities. Achieving the Gold Award is a substantial achievement. It shows that a student has the skills, the determination and the mentality to succeed. It is a year long programme demanding sustained commitment. As this academic year draws to a close I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students for all the hard work, fun and energy. Thanks also to the parents for their unending support and to all the staff who make it possible.Let’s go for gold!Miss Marie Byrne

International Award Update

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Secondary Arts EveningThe Arts Evening in Secondary gave the students a chance to showcase their talents in music, art and design, and drama for an appreciative audience.

Musical numbers from the guitar group, flute group, singers and string group covered a range of musical genres and historical periods. Everything from traditional religious hymns to Miles Davis got an airing. In spite of the absence of many of the senior students because of exam commitments, Mr. Shakil, Miss Lis, Mrs. McClane and Mr. Albasri guided an impressive number of both Primary and Secondary students through their paces. This portion of the evening concluded with Mr. Powell’s Advanced Singing Group and Orchestra, proving once again that SES does not lets its comparative small size compromise the superb quality of the musicianship that the children can demonstrate. The medley from Harry Potter, in particular, by the full orchestra was magical.

The interval was an opportunity for parents to visit the GCSE and A Level Art and Design displays – this featured the examination pieces from the students. Again the variety and skill of the work impressed many parents and brought many complimentary comments.

The final section of the evening featured the Key Stage 3 students’ presentation of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream – most appropriate on the evening of a real lunar eclipse! The complex love triangles and magical mischief of the fairy characters were brought very engagingly to life. Alana Raven, Adam Bates and Adam Horger all particularly impressed with their command of Shakespeare’s rhythms and language. Mrs Sinclair directed, with Alan Page-Duffy contributing hugely to the success of the presentation.

Big thank you to all the admin staff, the technical support team, to Showtex, Miss Stanley, Mrs O’Mahony, Mrs. Oakeley, Mrs. Egan, Mr. Hartridge and everyone else involved. Thanks also to the PSG for providing the refreshments during the interval.

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Mrs. Katy McClane

Mrs. McClane, who has contributed so much to the development of music at SES, was presented with a token of the students’ appreciation at the Arts Evening. Katy has supported and promoted music tirelessly and with good-humour throughout her time here. She has also been a great fund-raiser for the school, an active member of the PSG, has decorated the school each Christmas, and has single-handedly pushed recycling on to our agenda. Her engagement and the variety of activities she has been involved with have gained her a secure place in the affections of staff, parents and students. We all wish her well in the future as she takes the cultural life of West Virginia by storm! Thank you for everything.

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News from the Secondary SchoolYear 10 Work Experience

In April all Year 10 students did one week’s work experience. At Sharjah English School we recognise that fostering enterprise in young people is a vital skill they can build on throughout their lives, beneBiting themselves and the wider community in the future.

Placements were varied and covered a large geographical area. From Gulf Rock in Furjerah to Desert Chill in Al Barsha and everywhere else in between. The students’ experience was just as varied, from shadowing a surgeon at the Wellcare Hospital to working in reception at the Four Points Hotel. Without exception the students relished the exposure to work and its many challenges.

The following week saw reluctant students put back on their uniforms and replace their work routine with the more familiar academic one.

Student Quotes

‘Ever since I was a little girl I have changed my mind about what I want to do with my life about a million times, from being a vet, to a chef to an air hostess. But after this week of work experience, I have started to seriously consider the hospitality industry.’ Goergia Wiffen -‐ RafBles Hotel, Duabi

‘The thing that I learnt that will stick with me the most was the long working hours.’ Jonathan Vaughan – Avenue Car Hire, Al Barsha

‘I learnt that it isn’t so easy to make money and that hard work at school will pay off in the future.’ Joe Al-‐Riahee, Coral Beach Hotel Resort , Sharjah

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Work Experience: Thank You!SES would like to offer a huge thanks to all the companies and businesses who offered to host our students for work experience. Reports on our students were uniformly positive, but we recognise that companies do make a great effort to help the students Bit in and experience something meaningful.

Your support in this regard has been fabulous and we are sure that all the students will remember their experiences for a long time to come.

Mr. Nolan

Student Quotes

‘This experience has taught me the importance of time and that it is crucial to meet deadlines. Otherwise it can create problems down the line and add stress. It has made me think about the reality that is waiting out there for all us students at SES. It has changed my view of work and how much effort an employee has to put into the business in order for it to succeed.’ Hajira Habeeb, Showtex, Sharjah

‘This experience has inspired me to do interior design later on.’ Marya Jawwad, Aedas, Dubai

‘The things I found most difBicult was putting presentations together and gathering extra research to make everything Bit together. To me it was amazing because it was such a great opportunity to Bind out more about the area I want to go into in the future.’ Sarah Tadros, John R Harris and Partners, Dubai

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News from the Secondary SchoolYear 7 Geographers Make African FootballsThe last topic to be studied this year by the Year 7’s in Geography was Football and its relationship to Geography and the world. In Africa children cannot afford to buy a factory-made football so they make their own. These children are very inventive, using material, twine and plastic to make durable and effective footballs. Year 7 had the challenge in making a football out of recycled plastic bags, string and tape. These we then put through a rigorous testing process of five powerful goal kicks, a five minute football game and finally an inspection by the PE department. Each football was given a score depending on how effectively it performed. Any footballs not up to the job soon began to unravel and reveal what mum carried the shopping home in the previous week.

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Secondary Gradua2on and Prize DayThe Secondary school celebrated the academic achievements of its students on the 12th of May with our Prize Day and Gradua7on Ceremony.

Governors, parents and staff applauded all the subject prize winners from each key stage, who had excelled over the academic year, as they received their books.

In the second phase of the ceremony cer7ficates were presented to the GCSE class of 2009 -‐2010, who had performed so well in last summer’s examina7ons; their results and awards reflected the work of two years, during which they had all nego7ated the demands of modular exams and coursework as well as the final papers.

Finally, our gradua7ng A Level students were sent on their way to college or university with some humourous and nostalgic reminiscing of the highs and lows and foibles that have characterized their years in the school.

The event was designed to mark and celebrate past accomplishments, but Mr. Nolan also stressed that we were celebra7ng the poten7al and promising futures which the students were facing with such confidence.

Guests of honour for the occasion were Dr. Abdulla Saleh Al Suwaiji, Chairman of the Sharjah Educa7onal Board, and Dr. Obaid Ali Al Muhairi.

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Whole School News and Information

Head Boy and Head Girl AppointmentsWe have great pleasure in announcing that Kyle Main and Yiota Cornelisse have been selected as the new Head Boy and Head Girl; they have already begun to take on their duties and will be ready to take on full responsibilities when the school opens in September.

All candidates for the posts went through a thorough selection process involving a written application, student and staff voting and a final interview for short-listed candidates. The quality of all the applicants was outstanding, and it is satisfying that we can produce so many potential leaders from our small cohort of senior students. The roles that Kyle and Yiota are undertaking involve extensive work with the student council and class representatives, frequent meetings with management and staff over issues of student welfare, and ensuring that Primary pupils are included in the decision making process.

Because of the increasing demands of the main post, Angharad Morgan and Rohit Siroya have been appointed to the new roles of Deputy Head Girl and Deputy Head Boy respectively.

We thank the outgoing Head Boy and Head Girl, Scott Warburton and Mintaka Angell, for the superb job they have done over the past year.

Photograph courtesy of Ophelie Sistac and Jorge Ferrari

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Parental QuestionaireMany thanks to all parents who filled in our parental questionnaire; the online version provided this year seemed to work well. As questions were the same as last year, the responses can be compared to previous data in a meaningful way.

The responses are being analysed and I can assure parents that their input is valued and helpful. Broadly speaking, the survey indicated a very high level of satisfaction with the educational provision across the school; on most indicators there was improvement from last year. I will provide a detailed report on results for parents at the beginning of the new school year in September, and much of the information will be used to inform our planning for the coming terms.

Areas where it has been suggested that improvement is possible include Arabic and Islamic Studies provision, the introduction of greater variety in clubs and activities, publicizing the work of the Board of Governors and raising the profile of their work, and ensuring better continuity and cover for classes when there are staff absences. I will explore all of these areas with management, and hope to be able to report back to you with specific targets and strategies.

Mr. John Nolan


! !

Proprietor : M. DeanP.O. Box 72145, Dubai, U.A.E.

Tel: 3449776 Fax: 3446549 E-mail: [email protected] weblink: www.balletcentre.com

BALLET CLASSES AT SHARJAH ENGLISH SCHOOLThe Ballet Centre will be conducting classes from three years of age and above from September 2011. If you are interested in your child joining these classes please register their name at Reception.

Classes will be held on a Sunday afternoon after school as follows:-

NAME OF CLASS AGE DURATION TERM COST

PREP 3/4 30 MINUTES 12 WEEKS 480 DHS

PRE/PRIMARY 5/6 45 MINUTES 12 WEEKS 660 DHS

GRADE 1 7/8 1 HOUR 12 WEEKS 780 DHS

GRADE 2 9 1 HOUR 12 WEEKS 780 DHS

GRADE 3 10+ 1 HOUR 12 WEEKS 780 DHS

For any further details please contact us as above.

THE BALLET CENTRE



http://www.balletcentre.com

http://www.balletcentre.com

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GUIDELINES FOR KEEPING SICK CHILDREN HOME FROM SCHOOL

The following guidelines may be helpful for you when making the decision to send your child to school or to keep them at home.

Please keep your child at home from school if he or she:

• Has been vomiting or had diarrhoea during the night. Your child should not return to school until 24 hours since their last episode of vomiting/diarrhoea.

• Has a cold with fever, sneezing or coughing and a persistent runny nose

• Has an oral temp of 38 degrees or higher. Your child should be fever free for at least 24 hours before returning to school. (Without taking fever reducing medicine).

• Has a severe sore throat.

• Has a pink bloodshot eye with yellow or green discharge.

• Has just begun antibiotics. Any child with a contagious condition such as strep throat, must be taking the medication for 24 hours before returning to school

• Have lice or nits. Until treated and free of nits.

• Has a rash all over their body. A child with a suspicious rash should only return to school after a diagnosis has been made.

Keeping a sick child home prevents the spread of illness in the school and allows your child to rest and recover.

A Note from our Nurses

Please do not send your child to school if they are showing any signs of sickness. Please help the medical team keep Sharjah English School as germ free as possible by following these guidelines.

Kind Regards,

Mary Smythe and Marlene Matinong School Nurses

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Maths Problem Of The Month

The answer will appear in the next issue of the newsletter.

March’s Solu2on

A frac'on of Pythagoras

If you work out 1/3+ 1/5 , you will get 8/15

The two parts of this frac7on form the two smallest numbers in a Pythagorean triple.

i.e. 82 + 152 =172

Try another pair of frac7ons with consecu7ve odd numbers as their denominators.

Solu7on:

We can try it with various examples such as:

1/5+1/7 =12/35

122+352 = 372

But this does not prove it works for all consecu7ve odd numbers.

Algebraically, we can prove it as follows:

Let 2n+1 and 2n+3 be any two consecu7ve odd numbers.

1/(2n+1)+1/(2n+3) = 4n+4/(2n+1)(2n+3)

Expansion of brackets and factorisa7on gives:

(4n+4)2+((2n+1)(2n+3))2 =(4n2+8n+5)2

It follows that for any odd consecu7ve posi7ve integers we can obtain Pythagorean triples.

The problem for this month is:

Also, for any even consecu7ve posi7ve integers the above also works. Show an algebraic proof for this conjecture.

This problem demonstrates the importance of algebra and in par7cular, expanding brackets and factorisa7on.

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ABRSM Examination ResultsABRSM Exams

Well done and congratulations to SES students who recently sat their music exam. The exams took place much later than usual due to the cancellation of the May session. Students who were unable to take their exam in the re-organised session can claim a re-entry voucher to sit in November or next May 2012; please see Mrs McKay to organize this.

The results are given below, 100-119 is pass level, 120-129 merit and 130-150 denotes a distinction.

Flute: Amy Storey grade 2 (130)Chiara Haynes grade 3 (121)Lavina Motamedi grade 2 (125)Saakshi Das Gupta grade 4 (132)Alana Raven grade 5 (110)Adam Bates grade 6 (110)

Guitar: Adam Master grade 2 (106)Sam Peeters grade 2 (115)Luke Miles grade 2 (124)Saro Pourharton grade 3 (120)Scott Hughes grade 3 (115)Matthias Wilkinson grade 3 (118)John Wilkie grade 3 (110)Nina Ferrari grade 3 (100)Arran Sidey grade 3 (121)Lukas Bley grade 2 (130)

Singing: Patrick O’Connell grade 3 (127)Veronica O’Connell grade 5 (120)Anna Lis grade 3 (122)Katya Sheth grade 5 (107)Rosalie Croxford grade 7 (110)Jennifer Raad grade 3 (121)Robyn Boulton grade 5 (121)Athena Matinong grade 2 (109)George Grayston grade 3 (108)Anna Szumska grade 1 (127)Samantha Menzies grade 2 (114)Michelle Delves grade 3 (130)Paula Arnold grade 1 (131)Umul Khair grade 1 (114)Anneketrien van Wassenhove grade 1 (126)

Violin: Soyeon Lee grade 3 (127)George Grayston grade 2 (102)Keenan McClane grade 8 (117)Michelle Delves grade 2 (130)

Clarinet: Cian Sidey grade 2 (120)Rosalie Croxford grade 6 (120)

Piano: Fay Azar grade 1 (109)Anthony Davidson grade 4 (121)Caitlin Collom grade 4 (121)Anna Lis grade 3 (120)Johanna Heidenreich grade 5 (103)Jennifer Collom grade 2 (120)Natasha Dury grade 2 (116)Gabriela Contreras-Guttierez grade 3 (112)Paula Arnold grade 1 (123)Amaani Master grade 4 (115)Sara Delves grade 1 (117)Jessica Page-Duffy grade 5 (108)Rosalie Croxford grade 5 (113)Jade Sillere grade 2 (120)Mikhail Kononovich grade 4 (111)Rita Helmy grade 2 (104)Megan Parsons grade 1 (111)Joshua Vaughan grade 1 (127)Keah Challenor grade 2 (110) Leila Hamza grade 6 (105) Adam Bates grade 3 (116)Matthew Bates grade 2 (122)Jessica Passey grade 2 (126) Georgina Liu grade 7 (125)Alana Raven grade 2 (110)

And finally….. a reminder that practical entries and payment for the November 2011 exams need to be in by September 19th, and theory entries for the exam taking place on Saturday 12th November by 22nd September. Please consult your music teacher if you have any questions.

Mrs. S Mckay

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Dates For Your Diary

August 2011August 2011

Thursday 18th AS & A2 Results

Thursday 25th GCSE Results

September 2011September 2011

Thursday 1st New staff in school

Sunday 4th All staff in school

Sunday 11th Year 7 & Year 12 students in school

Monday 12th All students in school

November 2011November 2011

Sunday 6th -‐ Thursday 10th Half Term / Eid Al Adha

Friday 25th Christmas Fayre

December 2011December 2011

Tuesday 20th End of Term 1

Wednesday 4th Start of Term 2

Don’t forget to check the school

website for the weekly bulle'n for

updates and further informa'on

The basement is the place for students, or parents on their behalf, to buy the cheapest hardware and softwarehttp://www.rm.com/shops/thebasement

As we pack our suitcases for our travels we inevitably choose a selection of books for our holiday reading. Sometimes we read them whilst at other times we bring them back again untouched. Either way books take up space and make our luggage heavy. There is however an alternative....ebooks.With an ever increasing number of us owning electronic devices such as laptops, iPadʼs and Kindleʼs we now have access to an almost limitless elibrary. Aside from the obvious places to purchase ebooks there are a number of places where you can download ebooks for free. Project Gutenburg offers over 36,000 free ebooks than can be viewed

on a variety of devices in a number of different formats and through a plethora of apps. So leave your books behind and load your devices with ebooks from http://www.gutenberg.org/

Fed up of paying over the top prices for software such as Microsoft Windows and Office? If you are in the UK this summer then look no further. Enjoy discounted prices at ʻthe basementʼ.

Be Prepared!Scan or take digital photos of your passport, travel and other important documents before you travel and either email them to yourself or upload them to a synchronised online space such as Dropbox or SugarSync, just in case disaster strikes!https://www.dropbox.com/ or https://www.sugarsync.com/

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https://www.dropbox.com/

https://www.dropbox.com/

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ses newsletter-june 2011

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