JESS Sixth Form Gazette - April 2024

April 2024

JESS Sixth Form Gazette

Editor’s introduction-

-Ella Plank

Welcome to the April edition of the sixth-form gazette. I hope you're all doing well. This month, Dubai experienced an unusual event a very strong storm. It was a reminder of how powerful nature can be. The storm brought a lot of rain and strong winds, which was quite a sight in our usually sunny city.

Despite the challenges brought by the weather, we’ve seen many inspiring efforts from our community to manage the situation and support each other. This edition of the gazette is filled with stories of resilience and community spirit.

The Year 13s have no started their IB exams and stress has filled the common room. Countless hours of revision has been put into preparing for these exams so we all have faith that they will continue to exceed expectations and do well. We all wish you luck on your exams!

Enjoy!

English Mock IO’s

-Lea Chilcott

Year 12's have recently gone through their first round of mocks for their English IO's. For the past week everywhere you looked students were memorising there lines and practising. This effort from our higher up students is inspirational towards the younger years, forming the six-forms as role models once again.

The Year 12 literature classes went through a process of picking out a work in translation and then another literary work to compare and contrast against a global issue of their choosing

They started by picking their texts and questions and then narrowed it down to 40 lines per literary work on each extract they choose to focus on. The wider works were chosen shortly afterwards which the students had to reference

The IO lasted for 10 minutes with a following 5 minutes of questions and after it was completed students sighed with relief as they were happy to get it over with and won’t have to stress about it until their real one later in Year 13!

As a student who has personally done their IO, I was relieved when I got my exam over with and going last had its advantages and disadvantages as I got more time to prepare however my nerves grew as I saw everyone and tell us how it went.

For those who have still to do their Mock IO’ s- here are some tips to ensure you have a smooth journey in your IO.

• Make sure you have your question picked out early- to ensure a deep understanding of the texts you have chosen

• When picking out your 40 lines for each extract, try to not use all 40 lines as you will have more to tackle when questions are asked in the last 5 minutes

• Try to practice a few times fully to get your timing orders set out

• Make sure you are confident with your texts to ensure you are able to answer all questions asked to you

• And finally, don’t stress when doing your exam, the nerves can make you speak faster and forget your points and even make you hard to understand So relax when you do your Mock and Real IO

JESS Sixth Form

Dubai’s Worst Storm

-Luna Guevara

Two weeks ago, floods inundated highways and shopping centers, forced school closures, and caused disruptions at one of the world’s busiest airports as the UAE faced its heaviest rainfall in 75 years. Unfortunately, the severe weather claimed the life of a 70-year-old man in Ras Al Khaimah, an emirate of the UAE, after he was swept away in his car. The storm also affected Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, where the discovery of a girl’s body in Saham raised the death toll to 19.

Videos from Dubai International Airport showed planes taxiing through deep waters, while images showed urban streets transformed into rivers, with vehicles abandoned in the rising floodwaters.

Rainfall totals ranged from 4 to 8 inches (100 to 200 mm), with some areas recording up to 10 inches (250 mm). The floodwaters rose rapidly and receded slowly, marking this event as the most severe since records began 75 years ago.

The record-breaking rainfall was visible from space even days after it subsided, thanks to satellite imagery. From the night of Tuesday, April 16, to Wednesday, April 17, the UAE received an entire year’s worth of rainfall in Dubai in just 12 hours, while eastern regions received nearly two years’ worth in less than a day.

Less than two days later, on Friday, April 19, the Landsat 9 satellite passed over and captured images of extensive floodwaters still visible. This satellite, operated by NASA and the United States Geological Survey, collected imagery showing large pools of water in the Jebel Ali area on the outskirts of Dubai, using false color to enhance the visibility of water against dry land. These images show significant flooding in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with varied depths indicated by different shades of blue, while moisture retention in the soil gave dry areas a light green tint.

Sixth form distance learning

-Melissa Kosma

Throughout this past term the region battled with heavy rain and devastation, forcing the school site to close. In aim to avoid disrupting their education, students were offered the option of remote learning which has been proved as a viable option for the occasions when the onsite lessons are not accessible.

For some students, a more private learning environment proved beneficial – though it’s important to be familiar with how to maximize productivity, in the event where we’d be required to work from home. Successful use of the learning resource requires a combination of effective time management and self-discipline which can be attained in several ways.

The National Centre of Meteorology said stormy weather would hit parts of the country from Wednesday night until Thursday evening. “[There will be] moderate to heavy rain in scattered areas with lightning and thunder at times, with the possibility of some hail, starting in the west on Wednesday night and extending over most regions of the country on Thursday,” the NCM said, according to state news agency Wam.

Distance learning has been announced for all private schools in Dubai on Thursday and Friday due to expected extreme weather, so we wish everyone a safe time at home.

Having a dedicated workspace where one can attend their online classes and feel comfortable in, will be suitable for staying focused throughout the course of the day. Students should ensure this is a quiet space which is free of distractions. It’d be advantageous if your study area is comfortable and wellorganized, having all resources needed for the lesson prepared.

Following the set timetable for the day while working from home should provide structure and help avoid falling behind on content. Similarly, identifying and eliminating distractions is essential in staying on task – if this is found difficult, consider using app blockers and productivity apps.

Lastly, staying engaged and participating in online lessons should enhance the learning experience and keep you motivated; asking questions and engaging with the content is vital for productive learning. To guarantee this stay in touch with your teachers and classmates and ask for support when needed!

JESS Sixth Form Gazette

Exam Season at JESS

-Raashi Jain

Exam week can be a stressful time for everyone, but with the right strategies and mindset, it can also be a productive and successful period. It's especially important to create a study schedule to prioritize tasks and to recognise your study techniques. Even though procrastination can sometimes be unavoidable, its vital to practice active recall and review past exams to maintain a positive attitude.

Start by planning your study sessions in advance and allocate specific time slots for each subject. Prioritize challenging subjects and focus on the most challenging material first. As well as taking regular breaks to prevent burnout and to help maintaining focus. Study techniques such as summarizing key concepts, creating flashcards, or teaching the material to someone else can be efficient when trying to revise previous content. Remember to use the study techniques that works best for you!

Arguably, getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night to ensure your brain is well-rested and alert during study sessions and exams might be the most significant as it proves to help retain information prominently. Along with this, stay hydrated and make sure to treat yourself once in a while; your mental health is just as important as your grades.

Lastly, maintain an optimistic outlook and practicing occasional stress-reducing techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or exercise to manage exam anxiety and stay calm under pressure can help you immensely. By incorporating these study tips into your exam week routine, you can maximize your productivity and perform your best on exams. Good luck!

Eid al Fitr

-Isla Wallace

Art BTEC is a course that is based and marked purely on coursework. Despite having no exams, the challenges faced include time management as most of us have struggled to manage our time effectively, especially when juggling multiple projects and deadlines. Another challenge that is common amongst the BTEC art students is finding motivation- when you’re spending 17 hours a week doing art it becomes quite difficult to constantly feel motivated to produce artwork. We overcome this by finding ways to deal with it like listening to music to stay focused or taking walk breaks.

The year 12's first deadline has been submitted, the brief was 'Shape Of Light' and 'Portraiture' they had to create a poster for an art gallery with the theme 'Shape of Light' and also create an 'interesting' Portrait using oil paint. The year 12s found this difficult as they had never used oil paint before however, we navigated our way through it.

The year 13s are focusing on applying to universities and interview techniques.

JESS Sixth Form

Quote of the month-

“April is a gentle reminder that life's transformations are beautiful and inevitable.”

Contact 11EPlank@jess.sch.ae for

Upcoming Dates:

• May 7 – Children's Mental Health Awareness Day

• May 8- World Red Cross Day

• May 10- World Lupus Day

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Fun fact of the month-

Forty-five percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. While nearly half of all Americans make resolutions, 25 percent of them give up on their resolutions by the second week of January!

Comic of the month – brought to you by the artistic talents of Sky Javaherian