AUTUMN 2020/2021
THE BRITISH SCHOOL AL KHUBAIRAT
SECONDARY NEWSLETTER britishschool.sch.ae
SECONDARY NEWSLETTER CONTENTS P03 P04 P07 P09 P14 P17 P19
A Message From The Head Of Secondary, Miss Woulfe Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Sixth Form
MISS TERESA WOULFE THE HEAD OF SECONDARY In an ever changing world, adaptability is a skill that will give young people the ability to cope with this speed of change. During the last academic term, I have witnessed adaptability in all areas of the school, some through necessity and some through the desire to improve.
Whilst we still had to adhere to, and support measures ensuring Covid compliance, it was wonderful to welcome back some of our students at the end of September. I say it often, but a school is only a building without the students who breathe life into it. Since the end of September, it has been a pleasure to interact with students and it has impressed me the way they have embraced the one way system, socially distance at break times and connect with their peers through zoom lessons. I know that I speak on behalf of the staff at BSAK by saying we are really excited about welcoming our KS3 students back into the building in January. Whilst things will look very different for you, we are ready to support you all as you adapt back to school life inside the building. There will be restrictions but I am sure that you will adapt to this as quickly as our older students and staff have done so. For our students who will continue with Distance Learning, we will continue to support you and adapt our practices to ensure that you continue to be an integral part of the learning experience at BSAK. I would like to recognise and thank you as parents for all of your support, not only this term but since we closed our school doors in March of this year. I am sure that there have been many times when frustrations have occurred due to the restrictions we have faced but your continued support has helped us to adapt and improve with each development. I would also like to extend my gratitude and thanks to our wonderful teachers who have worked hard to keep the learning experience engaging and challenging. Like many other professions we have had to completely adapt our way of working to support the hybrid approach of Face to Face and Distance Learners. This has been a challenging time for many of our staff but I hope you will agree with me that they have done a wonderful job. The range of activities and events that are shared throughout this newsletter is a perfect example of how teachers, Form Tutors, Head of House and Heads of Year have shown creativity and adaptability to ensure that students have remained engaged outside of their academic lessons. Please do take the time to see what has been happening in all the Year Groups. Wishing you a very happy festive season with family and loved ones and we look forward to seeing you in January 2021. Miss Teresa Woulfe Head of Secondary
MR RUAIRI CARR HEAD OF YEAR 7 It is hard to believe that it has been six months since students were in Year 6 and we were doing a Kahoot every day, getting to know the teachers and looking forward to the start of your secondary school life. Now as we approach the end of 2020 we once again are planning for Year 7 students to start their secondary school career in earnest. This year has been a challenging year for staff, students and parents, but the willingness of everyone to work together and the open lines of communication has meant that our students have maintained an outstanding education, even through distance learning. I have a lot of admiration for Year 7 students, the way they have taken all obstacles in their stride and continue to attend their lessons with a smile on their face. Well Done Year 7!
CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENTS HOUSE CAPTAINS
FORM REPS
CE
Oscar Davies / Lily-Rose Mayall
Amaan Haider
CH
Isabel Mulligan / Sara Hussein
Jowan Holcroft
GR
Camellia AlQubaisi / Shay O’Donnell
HY
Benjamin Graham / Aaliyah Fazil
Ayesha Haroon
PE
Coralie Aduku / Zaynab Quershi
Emma Clews
PH
Sami Ajawi / Minnat-Allaha Nasreldin
Ollie Parker
Noor El-Banna
CONGRATULATIONS to our Form Reps and House Captains this term on being selected to represent their peers this year. We have been celebrating excellent effort and achievement in KS3 this term, here are a few photos of our Year 7 Effort winners.
YEAR 7 TUTOR COMMENTS MR TANVIR | 7CE This is my first stint as a Year 7 form tutor, and I must admit it has been full of positives despite the main source of interaction being through a computer screen. The students have shown great resilience in overcoming their own little battles with distance learning, they have become more self aware and responsible as they have managed to develop their own work habits, highlighting their own individual potential that sometimes gets lost in a physical classroom environment. They undertake tasks with great enthusiasm and endeavour, which I hope will carry on as they slowly make the transition back into school. I am personally very much looking forward to meeting my form group in person, as they have collectively ensured that we all have a positive start to the school day be it through the stories they share or their contributions in various activities that we have done as part of not just the form group but all of Year 7 combined.
MR WAKELING | 7CH During this term, I have been extremely impressed with the attitude, resilience and flexibility demonstrated by our students. In MELS, we have been looking at ways of being mindful as well as strategies to support ourselves when things get difficult. We have also had some fantastic house events and activities where students have got involved and excelled. I am very much looking forward to seeing everybody in January and can't wait to see what the next term has in store!
MISS LOWE | 7HY I am so proud of the way that the students have adapted to this unique way of learning this half term; they have demonstrated enthusiasm and resilience in the face of adversity. It has been particularly lovely seeing how well the students have responded to wellbeing MELS lessons and House Competitions. It is an absolute pleasure being back at BSAK and I cannot wait to meet everyone in person in January.
MR SMITH | 7GR 7GR has made a real positive impact this term achieving the highest number of House Points in Year 7. Our form has been busy getting to know one another each morning and I have been very pleased with how supportive they are of one another. They truly are living the BSAK values. Individually, in small groups and as a whole form 7GR has explored mental health, how to overcome worries and internet etiquette in our MELS lessons. They have moved away from their screens and delved into a host of different activities including origami, meditation and seeing their surroundings from a different perspective. I'm thoroughly looking forward to welcoming my form back into school in January, ready for what I know will be an excellent term.
MISS O’NEILL | 7PE We in 7PE have had a very busy, creative and challenging first term. The students have energetically discussed issues and scenarios in our MELS lessons together, they have worked in teams to create videos and we have practiced being calm and enjoyed a moment away from our screens through Origami and Mrs Singleton's fantastic Charge up videos. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone in person in January and starting Term 2 with my wonderful form.
MR STERLING | 7PH Our first term in secondary school has been like no other, and as always 7PH have taken these challenges in their stride. We have learnt about each others' interests, families, pets and talents. We've learnt how to support our own and each others' wellbeing as well as what it means to be a responsible BSAK citizen. I'm really looking forward to seeing our form continue to grow in January, as I'm sure we all are.
MRS SARAH NORAY HEAD OF YEAR 8 It has been an incredibly busy term and I am so proud of the resilience and perseverance Year 8 have shown over the last few months. We have had live zoom assemblies with 130 students from the Year group in attendance, Kahoot quizzes and other exciting activities led by our wonderful senior prefect team and activities led by tutor groups themselves like ‘Guess what’s in the box’. Looking after the Year groups wellbeing has been a huge priority this term. The brilliant Year 8 tutors have kept the students informed on how to stay safe during this pandemic as well as provide them with plenty of opportunities to smile and reminders of how much fun being part of the BSAK community is.
MORAL EDUCATION & LIFE SKILLS (MELS) ACTIVITIES We have had an exciting and thought provoking range of activities in MELS this term. Students have had the opportunity to discuss the challenges they have faced and been given resources to help manage their physical and emotional well being. This very important content has been balanced with activities that have allowed students to get to know each other better and express themselves in their own unique ways.
The cooking video challenge was a great success and was really embraced by the students. The challenge allowed us to see what skilled cooks and presenters we have in Year 8. We received tutorials of recipes from all over the world and videos that really showcased many of the unique personalities in the year group. I will certainly be trying some of these delicious recipes very soon!
CONGRATULATIONS DISTANCE LEARNING Our House captains were decided by tutors at the start of this term and I am delighted with the team that has been chosen. They have already shown their enthusiasm and leadership skills in the many House activities we have had this term and this makes me really excited to see how they will continue to develop as Year 8 leaders. Myself and Ms Kadhum had the pleasure of hearing so many of Year 8 speak extremely eloquently in their applications for Year Representative. A huge thank you to all of them for their speeches and special well done to Mohamed Khalifa 8PE for achieving the role. He has already contributed strong ideas which show his commitment to the Year group as a whole and their well being. Mohamed was also one of 18 students who were awarded with Outstanding Effort certificates in early November for their success across the board in their first internal reports. I am especially proud of the fact these students have sustained this tremendous effort in the challenging learning situation they currently face. It really highlights to me what a mature cohort Year 8 are and the entire year group should be congratulated for their successes and efforts this term.
Congratulations to Areej Fatimah and Vaishnavi Velmurugan for being chosen to be the Year 8 representatives for the Readers Cup this year. We wish them all the best and hope to see that trophy making its way to BSAK very soon. Good luck ladies!
Next term - well……there is clearly one thing on everyone's mind. The return of Key Stage 3 to the classroom! Myself and the Year 8 tutors will be delighted to welcome them back into school after an unprecedented absence in our classrooms. We will obviously be doing everything we can to continue to keep students safe, but provide these students with the best, most vibrant learning environment we can provide them. Their physical and emotional wellbeing will continue to be a priority for us as students transition back into school. I know this may be a challenging transition for many, after so much time away. I am particularly looking forward to getting to know the Year group further and learning more about all the wonderful talents and personalities we have in this fantastic year group. I am hopeful for an exciting year ahead with much to celebrate. I wish you all a wonderful winter break and Merry Christmas to all those celebrating. See you in 2021 Inshallah!
MR MICHAEL EDGAR HEAD OF YEAR 9 I wish to thank all Year 9 students for the patient way they have coped with such a difficult time in their education. It would be an understatement to admit how happy I am going to be when we welcome most of you back into school in the new year. Please keep safe over the holidays and do not get complacent with regards to your COVID precautions. Have a well earned rest and we will see you in January. I have asked your form tutors to summarise this first term of 2020 over the next few pages.
YEAR 9 TASTER DAY On 16 November we held our annual Taster Day. Students held zoom lessons in the following subjects which will be available to study further in Year 10. ● ● ● ● ● ●
Business Studies Economics Graphic Communication Media Studies Photography Physical Education
The students were very enthusiastic and engaging and we hope this helped them in deciding their GCSE subject choices for next year.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY WEDNESDAY 6 JANUARY 2021 | YEAR 9 PARENTS EVENING WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY 2021 | GCSE OPTIONS EVENING THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2021 | FINAL GCSE OPTIONS
LINK TO GCSE 2021 PROSPECTUS
YEAR 9 TUTOR COMMENTS MR MASON | 9CE 9CE have been fantastic throughout the first term. It must be so hard to remain motivated and positive toward school during this time, but they have all displayed an admirable attitude every single morning during registration. We have used time in MELs lessons to discuss relevant issues that have affected us all throughout the duration of the pandemic, such as, mental health and wellbeing. The students have also been embracing the philosophy of Ubuntu and achieving success by helping others to be successful too. I cannot wait for the start of the new term in January, when the Year 9 students will finally be returning to school. It will be amazing to see the students in person for the first time since school closed earlier on this year and to meet some new members of the form group.
MR BANNISTER | 9CH 9CH have had a great term and are raring to go, ready for 2021 and term 2 back in school. This term has been great for remote competitions like Dear 2020 (for which we were robbed of victory!) and the TikTok Christmas song competition, featuring form-member, Callum MacLeod, as a cavorting elf and many other hilarious entries from 9CH. Speaking of Callum, it is with great sadness and fondness that 9CH must bid farewell to our own member of the Clan MacLeod, Callum, and also top class entertainer and all-round good guy, Lewis Male. As their tutor from Year 7, I have witnessed them both mature and grow into kind, funny and interesting young men. Lewis is pursuing a career in the Texas professional rodeo circuit and Callum is moving down the road to Dubai. We wish them both the very best of luck!
YEAR 9 TUTOR COMMENTS
MISS HAND | 9GR 9GR have made a positive start this term. I have seen them mature as they have considered their GCSE options for next year and discussed their future career prospects with each other during registration. Their hard work and effort has not gone unnoticed by their subject teachers as I am constantly inundated with positive house points which has helped to see GrifďŹ n climb up to 2nd place in the leaderboard. In addition to this, I have received numerous emails from teachers praising the behaviour of 9GR which makes me extremely proud as their tutor. Keep up the hard work next term 9 GrifďŹ n!
YEAR 9 TUTOR COMMENTS MR LEE | 9HY I would like to congratulate the new starters to 9HY: Annushay Assad, Bann Abushamah, Ali El-Hennawy, Miles Baker and Mahmoud Kadadha on their start to the school year. We could not have predicted the challenges that their new school year would have brought to these students, but they have applied themselves superbly. It will be great to get them into a classroom and allow them to settle into the BSAK environment. Also, I must not forget the rest of my form. It is always a joy to see them in Zoom registration every morning, whether we are discussing current affairs or battling-it-out for the top-spot on the Kahoot leaderboard. However, nothing beats having students in the classroom and I am really looking forward to a more normal start to the year in January.
MRS MAYALL | 9PE I'm thrilled to be the new tutor of 9PE. I genuinely look forward to morning registrations. This group is friendly, happy and truly supportive. An excellent example of BSAK citizens. What a fantastic start to the House Competitions. 9PE won the “Dear 2020� competition, it was a real team effort. A huge amount of collaboration and hard work went into producing original and creative video and this is testament to the group. I'm delighted and proud that so many of the form have ranked highly, appearing in top categories for effort and attainment on the last set of reports - 11 students have an average effort of 7 and above!! Go 9PE!!! A very warm welcome to Abdulrahman, Avisheh and Karen I am very pleased to have you as part of this wonderful tutor group. Take care, stay safe and I look forward to meeting everyone in person very soon :)
YEAR 9 TUTOR COMMENTS MRS SCHOOLEY | 9PE What a start to the new academic year! I have been so immensely proud of how resilient, supportive and determined 9PH have been in facing all the challenges that the new term has brought. They have tackled everything with plenty of grit whilst caring and supporting each other. This has also been recognised by their teachers through a fantastic set of reports and a constant ow of House Points. Thank you for being a wonderful welcome for me at BSAK! I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you over zoom, however, I cannot wait to meet you in person next term! Have a well deserved rest over the winter break =)
Zoom Mental Health & Wellbeing Assembly
Run by Year 9 Rep Ahmad Jallul and Form Reps: Rayhan Manoly Mehr Siddiqui Aasil Afridi
MR JULIAN BRAMMER HEAD OF YEAR 10 Despite the disruptions and the challenges we have all faced; I have to say how impressed I have been with Year 10; who have certainly started their GCSE years with much gusto; whether in or out of the classroom they have certainly been making their mark in our community. The year group have started their GCSE years really well; I am a great believer in the adage if you look after your effort grades; the attainment grades will look after themselves. I have detailed the top performers in the year group, they should be very pleased with their achievements, they have set the bar for everyone. Ryan Taoutaou 8.00 Lamia Bajric 7.83
Annabel Green 7.82
Maisie Butcher 7.70
Shahd Abou El Nasr 7.64
Hanlei Gao 7.55
Lora Sharara 7.55
Deena Jasim 7.50
Jennifer Najjar 7.50
Zaara Mohyuddin 7.50
Kishan Sharma 7.50
49TH NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATIONS National Day celebrations were very different to previous years, but I was so pleased that Year 10 entered into the spirit of the day.
CONGRATULATIONS & CO-CURRICULAR It has been extremely difďŹ cult for everyone with such limited Co-curricular activities taking place. For anyone to have made their mark, they have had to be very determined to ensure they keep a balance with their academic endeavors. Congrats to Sreya Gupta for winning an overall Gold Award and Shahd Abou El Nasr who won the Year 10 Top Speaker Award at the UN Global Goals Public Speaking Competition earlier in the term. Shahd was also was nominated by The Ministry of Tolerance to co-host two Tolerance and Coexistence sessions to celebrate the National festival of Tolerance and Coexistence. These sessions involved listening to and asking questions to celebrated authors who were talking about their work to children from many different backgrounds to learn more about Emarati culture.
I would like to also thank Lujain Alali, the Year Group Representative and the School Voice Committee for their work making pupils aware of the support available for Mental Health.
To look at the other end of the spectrum; Adham Mohamad Foud has continued to race go karts in the Senior Category for the UAE Rotax MAX Challenge Championship. He joined the CRG driving academy 2 years ago.
ADHAM’S DEBUT IN THE 2019 GCSE OPTIONS EVENING POSTER
CRG is renowned in the Motorsport world for nurturing and developing the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and many other Formula 1 Drivers.
A hugely successful and busy ďŹ rst term, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a restful and enjoyable winter break.
MISS NICHOLA COOPER HEAD OF YEAR 11 I am so pleased to report Year 11 have been working exceptionally hard and keeping their spirits up in registration and MELS lessons this term. We have looked at the importance of well being and have encouraged the students to maintain a positive attitude and focus only on those decisions they can make a difference in. Below you can see an example of a word wall created early in the term about How would you describe being back at school?
ACTIVITIES THIS TERM Other well being activities this term include Year 11 revisiting some laughter yoga, mindful colouring and also having a go at some meditation and “Charge Up” Activities. I’ve included the links in the Newsletter and you can encourage your children to have a go at any of these if they are feeling at all anxious. Whilst they may seem a little silly, and may not work for everyone if they raise a smile or a laugh then in my eyes they’ve had a positive effect.
Laughter Yoga Introduction Meditation Charge Up 1 Charge Up 2
MINDFUL COLOURING FROM 11GR - Louis Butcher, Alicia Digby-Johns & Seyf Al Samarai
CONGRATULATIONS TO YEAR 11 REPRESENTATIVES CONGRATULATIONS TO LILY-MARIE WALTER Who has taken on the role of Year 11 Representative and to the following students on their positions as House Representatives this year: 11CE Syeda Andrabi & Aadi Sharma
11HY Latifa Al Ahbabi & Isabella Abou Nasr
11CH Amina Matthaeidesz & Amruh Tawil
11PE Lara Babbar & Vinuth Ratnayake
11GR Nadine Yazdabadi & Louis Butcher
11PH Lily-Marie Walter & Sharadhi Somayaji
These positions are designed to improve leadership skills and already they have been impressing me with the creativity they have shown whilst designing the weekly House Competitions.
MORAL EDUCATION AND LIFE SKILLS (MELS) LESSONS MELS activities in form time have focused on improving the students understanding of revision techniques and skills. The ďŹ rst technique we looked at was dual coding. I hope that by introducing new skills in this way it will give the students the opportunity to use the time in the morning effectively. In fact, even if we only use one registration session per week until the approximate date of study leave students will have completed over 12 hours of revision within school time! As well as productive MELS and registration sessions the students have really been getting to grips with our hybrid teaching and learning model.
MESSAGE FROM THE SIXTH FORM TEAM Whilst it is difficult to put a positive spin on the challenges our Sixth Form students have encountered throughout Term 1, such experiences will have certainly developed resilience and perseverance that will serve them well for ‘Life beyond BSAK’. From the 11th hour switch to distance-learning, to the cancelled exam series, to returning to a different school with one-way systems, hybrid teaching and reduced capacity in the study and social spaces, we are very proud of how the students have taken it all in their stride. The results from the Year 12 Suitability Assessments in week 6 were encouraging and demonstrated that many students had quickly adjusted to the rigours of their A Level or BTEC courses. From the false start of the rescheduled UGP Exam series, it all became real for the Year 13's too - the UK and US applications process has been extremely positive and over 80% of our students currently have desirable university offers “on the table”, have options of home status (if eligible) or are unlike previous years, are preparing for online interviews as we write this article.
Our students continue to be role models around the school campus and now with Prefect duties in full swing, we would like to give a special mention to our Senior Prefect team. Even during lockdown before the summer holidays, they have been nothing short of superb through these challenging times. Whether they are mentoring younger students on zoom, supporting the Sixth Form open evening, supporting the new Year 12 prefects or acting as guides, no task has been too much for them and they have definitely earned their stripes. This has certainly been a very different 12 weeks and with the holiday now upon us, it is important that each student now finds time to 'down tools' temporarily, reflect on their journey and celebrate the festive season with their family and friends. If you are travelling, we wish you a safe journey and if you are staying in Abu Dhabi, we wish you a restful and relaxing time. To those that celebrate it - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year when it comes.
SENIOR PREFECTS FLOURISH IN THEIR ROLES IN TERM ONE Our new Senior Prefects have been extremely busy this year so far. They have all worked tremendously hard to establish their vision to enhance and develop the BSAK community. Firstly, the team evaluated and represented the school’s students in changing the one way system so that it was a little more user friendly. Alice Landerholm, Amelie Yazdabadi and Anika Mehra have been busy with Prefect recruitment, creating rotas and following up duties so that our new Year 12 students have the opportunity to gain a taste of student leadership. The prefects have extended responsibility this year, making sure that social distance is kept and that the one way system is followed.
For well-being and community building, Abdulla Kuleib, Blomme Wanningen and Eleni Dodds have been hard at work with Priya, our Counsellor exploring new buddy system ideas. This will be an extension of the system that all Senior Prefects took part in last year in term 3, when they ran a program where they reached out to younger students to ensure their well-being during distance learning.
In addition to this, Shamma Al Mehairi and Will Hargreaves have been strengthening links between Primary and Secondary by establishing a mentorship program and getting secondary students to help with Robotics Special Olympics.
On the academic front, Vedant Khanna and Katherine Poon have founded the Academic Olympiad society to enrich academics in BSAK. On top of all of this, the Senior Prefect Team has developed a series of assemblies and Tutorial activities for Mrs Noray and Year 8 students, aimed at promoting resilience and BSAK spirit. The team have led Year 8 assemblies and made a series of videos, further binding our community. This has been so successful, that we are now looking to develop this throughout the whole of Key Stage 3.
UNIVERSITY AND CAREERS This term has been very different from a careers and university point of view. Nevertheless, students have been very successful and busy with completing their applications. Over 80% of students that have applied have received at least one offer. Offers continue to roll in and the next step in the process in choosing a ‘firm’ and ‘insurance’ choice. Students will be offered guidance with this process and should take their time in making a decision. While there may not be the same face to face opportunities available to students there most certainly are amazing virtual opportunities. NYU hosted their annual Common Application Workshop for our many students that apply for universities in the United States. The University of Warwick hosted a Personal Statement Workshop. These workshops were tailored for BSAK students. There is also a wide range of courses, workshops, open days, career events and virtual work experience opportunities open to students with new events being added every week. Students can actually attend more events than if they were face to face!
Oxford, Cambridge and other universities requiring interviews are doing so virtually. While this is a different experience, it removes the stress of travelling to the UK. To ensure students have experience with virtual interviews we hosted a virtual interview day for students. Furthermore, we have linked up with the UAE Oxbridge Society and Dubai College so that students can avail further interview practice opportunities. One of our students who applied for Nursing has been very successful in her interviews and has been offered university places. Additionally many of our students are now applying for Europe, namely Holland, and have been successful with the application process.
Virtual events, including Year 12 Career Lessons, will continue throughout the year and students will also continue their 1-1 meetings.
YEAR 12/13 GLOBAL SOCIAL LEADERS LEAD THE 17TH UN GLOBAL GOALS PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION The Sixth Form Global Social leaders have been leading the way with the school’s mission to implement the 17th UN Global Goals at BSAK. While some projects have been carried over from last year like the Flip the Switch Campaign, which aimed to reduce electricity consumption by 30%, the big focus this term has been the process of carefully choosing the future of the GSL team through Year 12 recruitment. However, undoubtedly, the main achievement of the team this term was the BSAK Global Goals Public Speaking Competition in October, with over 100 students across the UAE participating. Our Sixth Form Global Social Leaders inspired younger students to engage in research, as well as writing and performing speeches. After two late evenings in front of green screens, Alice Landerholm and Vedant Khanna hosted the final where leading educators and experts had been invited to judge. The event was live streamed and can now be found recorded on the BSAK Youtube channel. CLICK HERE
Well done to all involved, especially Alice and Vedant. A large thanks also goes to Mrs Whitfield, who helped the Sixth Form to organise the event.
SIXTH FORM THURSDAY CHALLENGE Our weekly Thursday Sixth Form Challenge has always been a highlight of the week. This is where each Form gets together and competes against each other in a variety of tasks. The winning team wins converted house points for their house. The challenges range in style, from the arts, physical challenges to those which involve logic and skill. Of course, many are also just about having a bit of light-hearted fun. Indeed, they have become so successful, that the rest of the school has now adopted them. What better way to switch off from the screens, boost team morale and well-being, as well as to enjoy some time with our peers. In the past, we have always come together as a Sixth Form each Thursday, but this term, of course this has not been possible due to our social distance regulations. This has not phased us however, and I am delighted to share some photographs of the results of some of our weekly challenges.
