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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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

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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