Welcome to the first SES Newsletter of the year. Italready seems like we have been back a long timeand Term1 is slipping by. It has been a busy and

productive time.

The school continues to flourish, starting the school year withjust under 730 students – this is an increase of about 8% onlast year, and double the numbers we had when we were onthe old SES site. We welcome all our new families and staff andhope that they have been made feel part of our community.

Amongst the various news items in this edition, is an outline ofnew building plans which are well into the design phase. Withthe oversight of the Board of Governors, the school will beconstructing a second primary block, with plenty of additionalclassrooms and new facilities for the Foundation and Key Stage1 sections. As we gradually move to a three form entry (weare already there in F1, F2 and Year 2!) the additional spacebecomes increasingly necessary. We will ultimately become athree form school all the way up to secondary, which still leavesus a small school by UAE standards and one which will still bepersonal, intimate and supportive for all our students.

It was a pleasure to return to school in September with somevery satisfying examination achievements, at all levels in theschool, from Key Stage One SATs up to A Levels.Congratulations to our students, their engaged parents andtheir hard-working teachers on these achievements.

While acknowledging the importance of examination success,we also take pride in our many other offerings; we are alreadyexperiencing sporting success and have ambitious plans formusic and drama, some of which will be touched on in thesepages. Please watch the calendar and notifications, and do feelwelcome to support all our student events as they occur – notjust the ones in which your own children appear. Trust me youwill be impressed by what you see.

Our busy Parents Support Group has been very active sinceSeptember, preparing particularly for our Winter Fayre on the21st November. We invite all our friends to come along to thisannual event in aid of the school, and to support the stall-holders and entertainers.

I would like to acknowledge the difficulties that many parentshave faced with uniform issues since the provision was takenover by a new company before the summer. We are workinghard to ensure that this aspect of the school’s service improvesto match or exceed parental expectations; I apologise again forany delays and inconvenience that people have had to endure.

With all of the regional anxiety and turbulence that hascharacterised 2014, we recognise that the UAE and Sharjahoffer a calm and safe environment for our children to prosper;I’d urge them to remember how lucky they are, and ask thatall our students engage as fully as they can with the variety ofchallenges and experiences which SES can offer.

Have a great and memorable year everyone.

John Nolan

Principal

PRINCIPAL’SMESSAGE

SES is planning to host a dozen schools from around the Gulfregion for a large sporting event in March next year. The eventis run under the auspices of British Schools of the Middle East(BSME), the association of UK curriculum schools in the areasto which we are affiliated.

Up to three or four hundred children will participate in theevent, many of whom will be travelling from other countries.The competition involves a variety of sports (football, netball,swimming, athletics, basketball etc.) for teams in the Under11 category.

This is the most ambitious event we have attempted to hostat SES, and will involve huge amounts of logistical work. Therewill be a need to seek sponsorship and support from localbusinesses. But it gives us a fabulous opportunity to showcaseour facilities and school to a very wide audience.

Coordinator for the event is Caroline Dickinson of our PEdepartment. Huge thanks to Caroline for her initiative inbringing the event to SES.

Congratulations to all our year13 students

Sharjah English School students haveachieved our best ever results at thesummer A-Level examinations, theresults of which were published inAugust.

Most impressively, more than 50% ofall grades achieved were either A or A*(the UK average was 26%). 81.3% ofstudents achieved A* to B grades(compared to 52.4% in the UK).

For the fifth year in a row SES achieveda 100% pass rate. On all measures theresults exceeded each of the cohortswho have taken the examination sinceour first sitting in 2010.

“

( John Nolan,)

Particular congratulations to thefollowing students who achieved Agrades or A* grades in all their subjects:

– all A* grades;

– all A*grades;

– 2 A*grades andan A;

– all Agrades;

– all A grades;

– all A grades;

– all A grades.

Outstanding A-Level Results At SES�

The school extends itscongratulations to all our GCSEstudents who achieved excellentresults in the Summer GCSEexaminations.

Students at SES sit an average of9.5 GCSE exams each (the UKrequirement is 5). There were 20separate subjects offered forexamination at this level in 2014.

93% of all results were in the A*to C range this year (compared toa UK average of 68%); moreimpressively 44% of gradesachieved were either A* or A(equivalent UK average is 21%).

Since the beginning of our GCSEentries in 2008, the A* to C rangeand the A/A* percentagesrespectively have been: 200899.1% and 57.8%; 2009 95% and43%; 2010 92% and 44%; 201193% and 42%; 2012 90% and49%; 2013 93% and 46%. Thisrepresents a consistently high levelof achievement, which is evidentacross all the subjects we offer.

Particular congratulations must goto Leila Hamza, JohannaHeidenreich, and SiobhanD’Almeida; all scored A* or A innine subjects.

Also congratulations to SafiyaAmanulla, Phoebe Jones, ElanorVan Der Byl, Tori Whiffen, and JiaBoKang – who all scored at leastseven A* or A grades.

Excellent GCSE

Results

As you will read in the Primary section, pupils areactively involved in a wide range of activities and funfilled days. The Primary curriculum is being

developed this year in line with the UK changes andintroduction of the New National Curriculum. You willreceive regular updates, on what your child is learning, viacommunicator and several other exciting online systemssuch as Edmodo and Blogs. We try wherever possible toshare information with parents and to this end we recentlyheld a very successful meeting on Read Write Inc. forparents new to the school. We have also restructured ourreporting system for the year to provide more regular andinformative reports which will monitor pupil progress andadvice on personal targets. The workshop on Maths on 23rd

October will give parents a better understanding of howMaths is taught at SES. Parent / Teacher meetings will beheld on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th November,between 2.15 and 4.30 pm. You will be able to meet yourchild’s teachers and have an opportunity to see your child’swork. If you do have any queries about school work at anytime, please let us know. You can contact your child’s classteacher via email; all email addresses are listed on theschool website, or ask at the office to make an appointmentfor a meeting.

Many new clubs are on offer after school this term. If anyparent would like to run a club next term, please speak toMrs. Du Preez. We are keen to continue to expand therange of clubs and tap into the wealth of talent in the localcommunity. Thanks to all our Parent Helpers who havevolunteered their time to support in class. It is greatlyappreciated. If you would like to join us as a parentvolunteer at any time, pop into the office or email KeithSmithard.

This year we will be again aiming to improve punctuality.Traffic in Sharjah is always going to be congested, so doallow sufficient travel time both before and after school.We would ask you to ensure your child arrives, ready tostart school at 7.50. If you do arrive late, please go straight

Message from Head Of Primary

Welcome to Term 1

to the office to ensure the register is amended. Pick uptimes should also be punctual as young children can be quitedistressed at being left behind when their classmates haveall gone home. Thank you for your support.

My best wishes to you all for a successful and happy yearahead.

Nan McKeown

Knitting Club

The girls in knitting club have been learning to do basic stitches; plain, purl,

moss and stocking stitch. Many of the girls are already very confident and

have made headbands, wristbands and even purses. It’s a fun club with time

to catch up with friends and have a good chat while the needles click away! Mrs.

Kirkup and Mrs. McKeown take the club on a Monday afternoon. Perhaps you’d like to

try knitting next term?

Rugby Award

Congratulations to Thomas Cowan who played in arecent Abu Dhabi Under 10s rugby tournament.After a series of six games during which he scored

two tries, Thomas was selected as the Player of theTournament!

Well done Thomas from all of Primary, especially thestudents in class 50!

Foundation 1 Here We Come!

Year 1 - Get excited on a senses walkWe went on a senses walk around theplayground to see how we use our fivesenses. We touched plants, we smeltflowers, we saw birds and we heardtraffic. We were not able to taste anythingthough as we didn’t have any food with us!It was great fun walking around outside.We learned how important the five sensesare to us and how they help us in our dailylives. It has been a really enjoyable Scienceunit and has taught us a lot about ourselvesand the five senses in Science.

It is always a packed day in Foundation and trying to find outwhat your child did in class can sometimes be a little tricky.So we have are publishing some photos of the children inaction, to give you an idea of what goes on in FoundationTwo. We have activities ranging from art, science, music,P.E., literacy, maths and much more.

Learning isn’t just about sitting at a table with a pencil andpaper; in Foundation Two we find learning can be so muchmore successful when we learn through play!

Foundation 2 New Begininings!

In Year 5, we have been studying the unit Lifecycles. Thechildren can identify plant parts and their functions, aswell as discussing seed dispersal, germination and

pollination.

Here is a photo of when we went on a flower hunt and apollination walk around the school grounds. We had greatfun!

Mystery Skype

Mystery Skype is an educational game you can playagainst different schools around the world. Theway that we played Mystery Skype was to skype

another school (we have no clue where it is located) andtry to figure out which country they are from. One byone, each student asks a question to the other school tofind their country. The schools, which are competing, taketurns to ask a question. The winning school is the schoolthat figures out the correct country quickest.

There is also another game called Mystery Number.Basically, it is the same game as Mystery Skype but theschools are supposed to find the other school’s number.It’s quite tricky because the number could go above thebillions!

Year 6 Oryx have started Mystery Skype and MysteryNumber. They have competed in two Mystery Skypegames and one Mystery Number game. Year6O have sofar won all the games they competed in. They found outthe last countries they skyped were Ireland and Cyprus.

Recently, Year 6O was challenged to a Mystery numbergame and they’re determined that they will succeed.

By Mahith Y6O

Cycles of Life

Pablo Picasso inspires Year 2 pupils

Year 2 pupils have been studying the work of thefamous artist, Pablo Picasso. They have been learningabout the painting style “Cubism”, which allows the

artist to show his/her model from many different viewpoints.In cubist paintings the artist may show the front and the sideof a person’s face at the same time. It was wonderful to seethe high level of engagement as students created their ownPicasso-like works of art. I’m sure you will agree, our pupilshave captured the style of Cubism beautifully.

Please feel free to come and look at our wonderful artworksin the classroom.

Mrs Papastergiadis

Year 2O Teacher

Generous Donations to the School

The school has this term received a financial contribution fromPetrofac towards providing magazine subscriptions for the schoollibrary. Initial orders include subscriptions to National Geographicand Physics Review. These publications will complement thegrowing book stocks in the library, by providing both breadth andspecific subject support.

We are very grateful to Petrofac for their continuing support andtheir commitment to the school.

The school was also very grateful to our long-time friend Mr JorgeFerrari for a large donation of magazines, some dating back tothe 1960s. These also will find a good home in our library.

Mr Nasser Chassebi, one of our parents, made a very generouscash contribution to the school before the summer. The moneyhas been put towards paying for a number of new iPads to beused in the Primary; these will ensure that more pupils are ableto utilise these devices at any one time. Many thanks, MrChassebi, for the thoughtful gesture.

Since the beginning of the school yearthe 6th Form students have beenbusy beginning the challenging

process of university and collegeapplications.

A UCAS Information Evening for parentswas held in early September, whichincluded presentations by former schoolhead boy Lucas Oakeley. Members ofstaff who have been through the processwith their own children were also onhand to give advice.

For Year 13 students applying formedicine, dentistry or Oxbridge,applications were due in by earlyOctober, which puts a lot of pressure onstudents. But there is now an establishedteam of advisors, led by Mr Paul Egan, onhand to support and advise studentsthrough their applications.

Further down the school, career adviceand options continue to be deliveredthrough the Futurewise programme,which offers a specialised aptitude testingand feedback for students in Year 10upwards. Students and parents will have

an opportunity to familiarise themselveswith Futurewise at a presentation eveningon Tuesday 28th October. For Year 10 and11 students Miss Jessica Ockenden is thecoordinator of the careers strand of thecurriculum.

On Sunday October 26th Year 12and Year 13 Physicists wereinvited to the Nuclear

Engineering department at the Universityof Sharjah. The trip consisted of lectures,hands on practical activity and a tour oftheir laboratories. The trip was beneficialto our students as they were lectured byexperts in the field of NuclearEngineering, had the opportunity toengage with students currently facing thedemands of higher education and alsowere confronted with specialistequipment that they would not haveaccess to in a school environment. Wethank our students for their outstandingrepresentation of our school and also thestaff and students at Sharjah University forsharing with us their time and knowledgeand also for their warm hospitality.Peter Harrison-Jones and Dan Kendal

Careers and Colleges

Sharjah Environmental Awareness Awards

This year Sharjah English School willparticipate in the SEAA for the firsttime. SEAA is an on-going

competition launched by Bee’ah in 2010through the Bee’ah School of Environment.

Participating schools actively involve theirstudents in a range of creativeenvironmental projects and art-craftenvironmental educational exhibitionsbased on the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse andRecycle and saving the environment’snatural resources.

The award programme aims to increaseenvironmental awareness among studentsand encourage the youth to activelyparticipate in environmental educationalactivities within their school systems andpromote self-initiative.

Your first opportunity to get involved isto help choose the logo for the PrimarySchool’s SEAA Blog page. Go to the linkon Communicator to vote!

Nuclear Physics

The Epraise web-based system for offeringstudent rewards is proving a real motivator forsecondary students and a fun way of rewarding

good behaviour and performance.

Teachers can reward students instantly for academic work,showing leadership, good teamwork and community spirit, aswell as meeting specific targets set by the tutors. “It’s a good ideabecause we get very competitive,” says one Year 7 of the newsystem. “We can see how we are doing compared to all the otherstudents in our group.”

Epraise has also rejuvenated interest in the inter-housecompetition, with a very tight race being fought to see which ofthe four houses accumulates the most points. At the time of goingto press Doughty were in the lead with almost 2,000 house pointsearned, but Burton are not far behind.

Mr Stephen Brain is so far the most generous teacher in allocatingpoints, having awarded more than 600 Epraise points!

Epraise supports the school’s approach to supporting goodbehaviour and performance, rather than concentrating on beingpunitive or negative about students. Having said that, studentscan also be awarded ‘demerits’ under the system …..

On Saturday October 25th members of staff from SharjahEnglish School were invited by Spirit Of Adventure toundertake a day of teambuilding at Wadi Adventure in

Al Ain. Activities included raft building, high ropes and white-water rafting. In spite of a few bumps and bruises, a fun time

was had by all. I look forward to returning in June on our KeyStage 4 transition trip and hope that our Year 9 students find theexperience as challenging, rewarding and exciting as theirteachers did.Mr Kendal

Team Building with Spirit Of Adventure

EPraise

As part of the countdown to the Dubai Rugby 7s, HSBC broughttheir inflatable passing developer into SES for pupils to testtheir passing skills. Samuel Randell (Year 4, pictured) was one

of the lucky pupils who scored 3 out of 3 shots.

SES are now part or the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens PartnerSchool Programme, so look out for several themed events across theschool between now and the event which begins on the 4th ofDecember.

As in previous years, SES is also hosting a number of the topinternational teams in the days running up to the tournament. Thisrepresents a fabulous opportunity for our students to witness eliteprofessional athletes practice, and to appreciate the commitment andeffort required for success at this level.

Dubai Rugby 7s

Football, Netball, Swimming, Rugby,Fitness, Cricket, Rounders…areyou part of the team?

Term 1 has got off to a blast for SES sportand P.E. Whether in Foundation 1 or Year13, every pupil at SES has taken part inhigh quality P.E. lessons during curriculumtime. Hundreds more have attendedclubs from Tag Rugby to Ballet and manyhave represented the school inSwimming, Netball and Footballcompetitions. We have also beenprivileged to host Football and Swimmingcompetitions on home soil.It has been great to see so many pupilsengaged in sport and P.E.; demonstratinghard work, respect and fair play, which

are several of our school’s core values.The Team is strong. It could be stronger.To our we must allunite and commit, by attending everysession with every team member present.Each minute of practice is precious whenlearning and development is the outcomeso if we do not take part, we miss ouropportunity to get better.

It is time to start testing ourselves againstthe best schools in the UAE which entriesinto both DASSA (Dubai Affiliated SchoolSport Association) and the BSME Gameswill facilitate. There have been someexcellent performances already seen inSwimming and U12 football. The bar hasbeen raised. If we prepare with energy,

confidence and commitment we areexcited to see just how far TeamSES cango.

The PE Department

#TeamSES

Key Stage 3 Report - Miss Ruth Tremlett

In Key Stage 3 there are lots ofactivities happening and our studentshave the opportunity to be involved

in lots of interesting things!! Here’s alittle more information about a couple ofthem…

On November 23-24 the Year 7s have theopportunity to go to the Umm Al QuwainMarine Club for their residential trip. Itis a fantastic opportunity for the studentsto participate in exciting activities whilelearning some valuable lessons. They aregiven the chance to try out different watersports and land based activities all underthe supervision of highly trainedinstructors.

In December our Year 8s have the chanceto go on their residential. They will also

be given the opportunity to go to theMarine Club, but their activities are basedaround different themes. They will havethe opportunity to test their mettle withhill-walking, the high ropes and variousother activities. Information will bewinging its way to you very soon!

The company that provide theseresidential camps are not only highlytrained in their field but they arepassionate about providing our studentswith ways to expand their horizons andto show them how the lessons they learnhere in school are relevant in the realworld- that they really do help inmastering the world around us!

These trips are a fantastic opportunity forour students to try out activities they may

never have tried, learn life skills in realyet safe situations and to buildrelationships with their peers. I amlooking forward to hearing all about theadventures they have and seeing thelessons they learn put into practice!Inside school, the students are involvedin lots of extra-curricular activities- fromFootball to Friendship Bracelets toPerudo and so many more. The list ofclubs and activities continues to expandeach year. The students are showing howsuccessful they can be a so many differentareas- I look forward to reporting on theirsuccesses as the year goes on.

This year has started so positively and Iam sure it will continue throughout therest of the year. Congratulations all ofKey Stage 3 on a fantastic start!!

Arts Evening 2014

The Secondary Arts Evening – which took place backin May - once again showcased our students’ talentsin many different areas: singing, dance, instrumental

work, rhythmic gymnastics, painting and drawing.The variety as well as the quality of music and arts on showwas phenomenal.

Our next big show will be our production of ‘Grease’ whichtakes place in February – this promises to be a very excitingevent! Rehearsals are already well under way and both crewand actors are fully committed.

An excellent start to the season where the wholesquad had an opportunity to express themselves.Working hard to create space, selfless play and

keeping our shape were the targets the squad had agreed.Areas to develop will be passing and immediately movingoff the ball into attacking space. Special mentions go to the

Year 6 players who stepped up to compete againstsecondary opposition. Freddy showed an excellent workrate in the middle and versatility in various positions.Muneeb’s determination to win the ball back and moveforward inspired his team mates to do the same. Ericcommanded the defence with confidence and composure.

U12 Boys Football Sharjah Tournament

Art Trip

In October Art students from Years10-13 accompanied Miss De Beerand Mrs Egan to Sharjah and Dubai

for a long day of art-related activities.The object of the visit was to collectinformation for A level and GCSEcoursework and also to introduce themto the variety of art galleries in theUAE.

The A level students visited the SharjahCalligraphy Museum, the Year 10 and11 visited the fruit and vegetablemarket, and the fish market in Sharjahto gather valuable first handobservational drawings. All year groupsvisited the exhibitions at DubaiInternational Financial Centre and theGalleries in Al Quoz, in just one day

(quite an achievement!), taking notesand making sketches.On returning to school studentsreported they were all stimulated bythe range of paintings and sculpturesthey had seen, but they were alsohappy to rest their feet!

In Year 7 Geography we have been improving our map skills. The studentswere set an assignment to create a model of an island showing the differentheights and features of the landscape.

There were some fantastic efforts, which culminated in six students winningprizes: Abeer Aamir, Ruwda Al Tayyari and Taro Bamps in 7EM; and FraserAdamson, Joshua Mallinson and Ilya Prokopenko in 7SR.

Here is what Ilya had to say about his island:

“I built the island from clay and used that to make some higher areas of theocean with a smaller island near the main one. I decided to use plywood forthe base, as it’s a stronger material then cardboard and its rough, which allowsthe clay to glue to it. I also used acrylic paint mixed with liquid glue to colourthe island. Clay is easy to shape into any form you want, and I chose acrylicpaint for my island because it has a good texture.

I love adventures and geography, so I decided to make an adventure-like island,which ended up really good and helped me win the prize.”

Mapping Skills

Fizzix FactoidIs there anything hotter thanthe Sun?Yes, the answer is abolt of lightning, which canreach temperatures of roughly30,000 kelvins (53,540 degreesFahrenheit). The sun, on theother hand, is eclipsed in thiscase — its surface temperatureis just 6,000 kelvins (10,340degrees Fahrenheit). It’sinteresting to note however,that the energy for lightningultimately came from the sun!

Phunny PhysicsA photon checks into a hoteland the porter asks, “Can Ihelp you with your luggage?”The photon replies, “Thankyou, but I don’t have any. I’mtravelling light.”Mr Jones is offering 3 ePraisepoints for any physics jokesthat make him laugh.

Three scientists have jointly earnedthe Nobel Prize in physics for theirwork on blue LEDs, or light-emitting diodes. Why blue inparticular? Well, blue was the last --and most difficult -- advancerequired to create white LED light.

PhysicsAnd with white LED light,companies are able to createsmartphone and computer screens,as well as light bulbs that last longerand use less electricity than any bulbinvented before.A modern white LED light bulbconverts more than 50 percent ofthe electricity it uses into light.Compare that to the 4 percentconversion rate for incandescentbulbs, and you have one efficientbulb. A modern white LED lightbulb converts more than 50 percentof the electricity it uses into light.Compare that to the 4 percentconversion rate for incandescentbulbs.LEDs also last up to 100,000 hours,compared to 10,000 hours forfluorescent lights and 1,000 hoursfor incandescent bulbs. Switchingmore houses and buildings over toLEDs could significantly reduce theworld's electricity and materialsconsumption for lighting.So well done to this year's prizewinners, Isamu Akasaki, HiroshiAmano, and Shuji Nakamura – yourwork is helping to turn the planet alittle greener!

A science experiment to do at homeTrue or False? The primary colours arered, blue and yellow? Well yes and no.

What You Need:·3 flashlights·transparent plastic report covers

(red, blue, and green)·a pair of scissors·adhesive tape

What You Do:

1. Cut out a disk from each reportcover about the size of theflashlight lens.

2. Tape one disk over the clear lensof each flashlight. Aim the redbeam at a nearby white wall. Whatcolor do you see?

3. While the red remains on, aim thebeam of blue so that it overlaps halfof the red spot. What happens?

4. Now aim the beam of green so thatall three colors fall on the samespot. What happens as the colorsare added to each other?

The Science

When light beams mix, the combinedcolours are added together. Unlike the

mixing of paint pigments whichabsorb light, this additive processproduces lighter colours. When theright combination is produced, we"see" white.

Physics in Action

The next time you're in a performancetheatre, take a look at the stagelights. Most likely, you'll see a row oflights that surround the stage. Theseborder lights aren't white. Instead,they consist of a pattern of colouredlights. When projected, thesedifferent colours create white.

Look at a white part of your TV screenwith a powerful magnifying glass. Youwill see that it is made up of verysmall red, green and blue dots. So,white light isn’t ‘pure’ at all!

The trip to the US embassy in Dubaiwas a very enlightening andinformative experience. We were

introduced to all the procedures andrequirements for applying to Americanuniversities as well as all the deadlines.

Also there was a multitude of resourcesat the embassy which told us about all thevarious states and their respectiveuniversities as well as statistics about theuniversities, their rankings and thecourses they offer.

Overall the trip was very worthwhile andeducational as it has aided me in gettingon task with all my American applicationswith more confidence and certainty.

The visit to the American Consulate inDubai was for students in Years 12 and13 interested in studying in the US. The

US consulate hosted a demonstrationabout key facts one would need toknow before applying. These includedthings such as due dates for applications,general descriptions of some topuniversities, and fundamentalrequirements for applications. We werethen allowed to peruse an extensivecollection of pamphlets from numerousuniversities from all over the US, alongwith a collection of books describingmajors, possible professions, andsuggested colleges.

Overall I believe the whole group foundit to be exceedingly helpful in terms ofinformation given, as well as the tripbeing very enjoyable thanks to ourfriendly host.

Visit to the American Consulate

Mobile Learning at SES

Back in April SES launched its mobile learning initiative, thus allowingstudents the opportunity to bring in mobile devices for use in lessons whendirected to by a teacher. By deliberately rolling this initiative out gradually

and making it optional we have ensured that mobile learning is becoming adeveloping aspect of many lessons and those students without mobile devicesare not being disadvantaged. At the last count we had over 150 student devicesregistered and the number is growing daily.

Our mobile devices policy keeps the rules simple and promotes responsible useof mobile devices.

Further information and the Mobile Device User Agreement form can be foundunder the ‘School Information’ section on the SES Communicator.

This term has seen a huge rise in the usage of the Google Apps for Educationsuite of applications. The power, potential and possibilities of Google Apps forEducation is increasingly being realised by the staff and students at SES who arefinding new and innovative ways to use the software. With all work stored inthe cloud, staff and students are able to access the work wherever they have anInternet connection. Lost USB drives, viruses and backups are becoming a thingof the past! The students are especially enjoying the collaboration features ofGoogle Apps.For more information about Google Apps for Education go to:https://www.google.com/work/apps/education/

The English department had a poetry competition to tie in withNational Poetry Day which was held in the UK on October 2nd.Students could write about a personal memory of their own or

submit a poem on the theme of remembrance.It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group asthe standard of entries was so high. After much deliberation, weannounced the accompanying results:

Poetry Competition

Alone

Alone. Deserts, oceans, mountains, valleys. Giants between us.No longer shall the breeze gently caress your hair,No longer will I feel the playful dance of your fingertips.Yet I will remember.

War, peace, cities rising and crumbling once again.Great men, humble teachers, inspiring leaders,powerful preachers, the pinnacle of humanity.Yet I shall still yearn for more.

Charon beckons, the fields vast beyond him,the deafening silence drowning out what little remains of yourwords.Of your smile.Yet I will not fear.

Your hand, the way it traced my jaw. A touch of the morningsun,a kiss of a summer’s breeze. Your every gentle touch,a blessing of higher skies than that from a Holy Father's lips.Yet now, I am a sinful soul.

You have ascended to the place of your true belonging.The true paradise is a bittersweet curse, a beautiful, ugly truth.A brighter sun, and yet a darker day.

In prayers, for it has become so.Both our lives turned to eternities. There are infinities betweenus.Yet the memories remain, your golden light, and yourenchanting scent,embedded in my mind.

Runner – up: Vea BleyWinner: Ali Mushtaq

Runner – up: Luisa MilesWinner: Julia Miles

Runner – up: Allah AbdunabiWinner - Michelle Delves

Runner-up: Sakina Surury (Year 10)Winners: Jonathan Raj and MariaBachmakova (Year 11)

During the coming months a start will be made on a newphase of building work at Sharjah English School. Sincemoving to our current site, we have added the Performing

Arts Building to the original Foundation Block, Primary, Secondaryand Sports Hall. We now embark on an additional Primary Building,which when completed will house Foundation and Key Stage 1.

The new building will offer a dozen new classrooms, as well as adedicated purpose built Primary Sports Hall. The school has retainedthe services of Graphite International and Godwin Austen JohnsonArchitects for the project, and designs are being finalised.

The main purpose of the building project is to permit a three formintake throughout Primary, while ensuring that ample space andfacilities are available for the growing number of students at SES.There is a shared understanding between governors, managementand staff, that we wish to remain a small school with high-standards,rather than expanding repeatedly in responding to the relentlessdemand for places. Our aim is to manage the expansion and growthwithout compromising on our ethos, or our reputation.

Further details will be made available to parents as planningprogresses and the work commences. But the plans represent anexciting and forward-looking venture that will help utilise ourmagnificent site and consolidate our efforts to be one of theforemost schools in the region.

Development Plans for School

Parents are reminded that the ladies of the PSG do yoga sessions at the school every Thursdaymorning from 8 – 9am; the venue is upstairs in the Sports Hall.

Sessions are conducted by Raji, and cost 20 AED, of which a portion is donated to the Parent SupportGroup.

PSG Yoga Classes

The Eid Al Adha was marked in secondary with a special assemblycoordinated by Miss Razvi and delivered by the Year 12 students atthe end of September.

Informative slideshows, readings and videos outlined the ways in whichthe festival was celebrated in the students’ different countries, and howtraditions varied globally. The auditorium was decorated for the occasionand several food hampers were offered as prizes for an Eid quiz.In accordance with the charitable aspect of Eid, a collection of clothingitems was made for local charities. A Thursday non-uniform day, at whichstudents were encouraged to wear festive or traditional outfits, alsohelped to raise money for Medicins Sans Frontieres.

The event was in keeping with the school’s inclusive international ethos.Thanks to the Year 12s for their hard work and excellent presentationalskills.

Eid Al Adha

BOKANG JIA TOATTEND USSCIENCE

CONFERENCE

Year 12 student BoKang Jiawill be attending aninternational researchconference in Boston,Massachusetts at the endof November this year,organised by the MaterialsResearch Society.

BoKang has been doing aninternship at the MasdarInstitute of Science and

Technology in Abu Dhabi, under Dr TieJun Zhang, and hiswork there involved assisting with experiments which nowsee him listed as co-author on a new scientific paper onnanotechnology.

This is a substantial achievement for a student still attendinghigh-school.

The conference will give BoKang the opportunity to gainexposure to some state-of-the-art science, in a setting with6,000 delegates; the young talents invited will be able toexplore innovative efforts to tackle energy, food and waterchallenges facing the world.

Good luck with the conference BoKang; we look forward toa report in our next edition of the newsletter!

Puzzle open to Year 7 & Year 8 pupils.E-Praise points for the first 5 correct answers.

Answers to Ms Ockenden in Room 106.

Maths Puzzle