JESS Sixth Form Gazette - January 2024

JESS Sixth Form Gazette January 2024

Latest news and bulletin updates in our own Sixth Form

Issue #1

Editor’s introduction-

-Ella Plank Welcome back everyone, I hope you all had a great winter break and are ready to start Term 2!

Firstly, I would like to introduce our new team of writers and artists - Luna Guevara, Léa Chilcott, Isla Wallace, Melissa Kosma, Raashi Jain, and Sky Javaherian as our artist. I am very excited to work with this team and hope you enjoy what we produce over the upcoming year!

I would personally like to thank Alison for helping me grow into my role as editor and be so helpful when answering my many questions regarding how to get started. So thank you Alison on being so helpful when starting and giving your time to support me.

Finally, we hope you enjoy reading this month’s Gazette and welcome your feedback. Our team is always open for new ideas for future articles you may want covered, and if you are interested in joining the team, reach out to me at 11EPlank@jess.sch.ae and we would love to have you onboard.

Thank you and enjoy!

Help Rescue the Stray Dogs Center!

-Luna Guevara Since its opening in 2013, The Stray Dogs Center has rescued and found homes for thousands of stray dogs and is currently home to over 1000! Unfortunately, they have been evicted and are forced to relocate by May of 2024, leaving them a little less than just 5 months to buy their own piece of land and rebuild the shelter.

Since renting is not an option (if the land is taken way, they will be put in the same position they are now), this is the only solution to ensure the shelter can keep running, and the dogs currently living there keep their home.

As they begin this project, they have also asked for assistance in the form of construction materials and expertise.

They need everything from bricks to roofing, and skilled professionals such as builders and electricians. If you have the means to donate materials or can help in providing discounts, they would be extremely grateful. In the spirit of compassion and community, let us come together to ensure that the Stray Dogs Center continues its mission. Your support is not just a donation; it's a lifeline for the dogs at the shelter who cannot speak for themselves, every life counts.

They accept donations through bank transfers, PayPal, or directly donating through their website. I strongly encourage you to visit their website for more information and so you can contribute to the cause:

The land they needed to buy costs AED830,000, and raising enough money to pay for the land was just the first step.

Now, they only have until this May to dismantle, move, and rebuild their current shelter and cannot do this without our help, so remember, every dirham counts. I encourage you to lend helping hand, speak to your parents about how you alone or you with your family can contribute to save our furry friends. Any amount, big or small, is greatly appreciated. I’m sure more than half of you reading this have a pet dog at home you consider family, what if this https://www.straydogscenteruae.com/supp was their home? ort/new-shelter

January, 2024

JESS Sixth Form Gazette

Issue #1

Enrichment Week -Lea Chilcott The Year 12 students have had a thrilling and educational week during enrichment week.

They were off time table, attending lectures and classes about life skills that can help them in the future. Enrichment Week was an insightful experience that covered a variety of vital life skills, to prepare the students for adult life. From mastering culinary arts in cooking classes to learning how to sew, students learnt new skills that normally isn’t taught in school. Essential tasks such as changing a tire, budgeting and investment talks, and personal finance helped understand the staples of adult life. One of the highlights of Enrichment Week was the inclusion of activities focused on helping skills which could be helpful in the future. Debating sessions sparked lively discussions, enhancing critical thinking and communication skills.

Innovation was also a key feature which was shown during a schools version of the popular show “Shark Tank” which sparked some new creations. Mental and physical well-being was also a big focus with activities such as dodgeball and a fitness class ran by some Y13 students.

Teachers, too, played an important role in the success of Enrichment Week, as they expressed their enthusiasm for the week which gave the students more enthusiasm. Many expressed how the hands-on approach to learning made complex subjects more accessible and enjoyable. Students found the experience not only helpful in acquiring practical skills but also fun and memorable, creating lasting impressions that extend beyond the confines of the classroom.

Enrichment Week served as a testament to the school's commitment to holistic education, equipping students with the tools they need not only to excel academically but also to thrive in the complexities of the modern world.

However there seemed to be more of a controversy when it came to other options; 60% voted for a plain, black pencil skirt over a patterned and colorful one. When it came to outfit coordination, 68% of people said they follow the esteemed ‘small-top-big-pants’ method – 65% preferring fitted office pants over wide-legged ones. On top of that – do sixth formers wear pink on Wednesdays? This was a tougher one: 55% of people voting yes and 45% being against the pop-culture trend that originated from the classic teen movie, Mean Girls (2004).

SIXTH FORM’S 2024 IN AND OUTS -Melissa Kosma After some careful surveying involving ongoing trends and simple this-or-that questions, we’ve got our results: Out of nearly 100 opiniated voters, there seemed to be a clear majority leaning towards neutral and earthy tones, with 85% of people picking a beige and white outfit over a more boldly colored one. This pattern stuck around with a trend of people picking the simpler and minimalistic options – is stress draining the color off our outfits?

For shoes, 82% picked sandals and kitten heels over the staple doc martens, leaving them defeated with 18% of the votes. There also seemed to be a clear preference of 79% for half-zip sweatshirts over cardigans, 93% for fitted tees over short-sleeved button ups, and people definitely don’t like sweater vests, only 20% of votes being in their favor.

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Finally, voters were asked for their takes on the Best Dressed Teacher and Sixth Former; there was a clear difference of opinion for both titles, responses for teachers ranging from the Drama department all the way to Physics.

However, the most returns seemed to be in favor of History’s beloved Mr. Scott, who’s “overcome for words” and stands with his achievement before “the great men who came before him”, such as the likes of Genghis Khan. Likewise, for best dressed Sixth-Former it came down to Raia Mahmoud (YR13) and Raad Zalatimo (YR12), tying in first place – well deserved!

January, 2024

JESS Sixth Form Gazette

Unveiling the Power of "The team has been working hard Period Empowerment during the first term and our progress has been clear. We received donations -Raashi Jain of satin from the ‘Linin Obsession’ and 1,800 soaps from ‘LUSH Cosmetics’. As well as this, our annual trip is mow taking place in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This move is allowing us to leave a lasting international impact." Sarah Edmunds

Our team aims to aid women in impoverishment who don’t have the access to enough education on menstruation cycles which results in a cycle of continuous poverty as it prevents them from going into school. Their aims lie with trying to help them receive sanitary products and educate them on hygiene to ensure they are not lying at a disadvantage to their male peers. Here at JESS, a few members from our Period Empowerment team updates us on their progress so far this past term!

“I have been liaising with an external company and posting on social media (@periodempowerment_2019) to be able to raise as much money as possible to create a water tower to help those who don’t have enough access.”

- Alexandra Papacharalambous

Issue #1

“We recently had to change our trip to Zambia to Cambodia and now I’ve been trying to contact different schools and organisations and have managed to get into contact with 2 of them and are hoping to work with them when we go down there.” – Larissa De Vilhena Cavalcanti The period empowerment project has been a part of the JESS community for several years now and has greatly impacted communities in Africa for the better. This project also spreads awareness of period poverty around the JESS community and may inspire future CAS projects based upon period poverty.

We are glad projects like this exist and we thank those involved!

Art BTEC -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.

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January, 2024

JESS Sixth Form Gazette

Issue #1

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

Quote of the month“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.”

—Melody Beattie

Upcoming Dates: • 23/01/24: Mindbeat afternoon • 30/01/24: Short report • 08/02/24: Year 12 Parent Teacher Conference

Fun fact of the monthForty-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!

Contact 11EPlank@jess.sch.ae for interest in joining the team and contributing your talents (writing, art, photography) to the gazette!