SummeRISe - Issue 107

89 Thursday Monday, 21 23 May 2016 2015 Issue 107 GENERAL GENERAL

NURSERY

KG FS

PRIMARY PRIMARY

SECONDARY SECONDARY

PARIS SCHOOL CLINIC

GENERAL

Cartoon Concert & Primary School Production

DATE

EVENTS

May

Sunday, 22 May—Thursday, 26 May

Cambridge Progression - PS&SS

Monday, 23 May

GL Assessment PTE/PTM/PTS

Monday, 30 May

FS2 Graduation

Tuesday, 31 May

Art and Photography Competition @ RIS

June Thursday, 02 June

Nursery Certificate Ceremony

Thursday, 02 June

Year 1 Annual Production

Sunday, 05 June

RIS Open Day

Monday, 06 June

Beginning of Ramadan (TBC)

Thursday, 09 June

Black and White Day—Nursery

Thursday, 16 June

Year 5 Graduation

Tuesday, 21 June

End of Year Reports - Nursery to Year 10

Thursday, 23 June

Students last day

Message from the Principal Dear Parents ,

Last week the KHDA released school inspection reports Raffles International School South was inspected y om 16 to 19 November 015. verall quality of education y the school was ound to be good with a number of outstanding features.

In order to judge the overall quality of education provided y the school, inspectors considered six key standards of performance. Inspectors looked at attainment progress in key subjects heir learning skills nd their personal and social development They judged ow effective teaching nd the assessment of learning ere across the school. considered how well the school’s curriculum, including activities inside and ou e lassrooms, met the educational needs f all children. he judged ow well the school protected and supported children. In addition inspectors udged the effectiveness of leadership and governance, ncluding management, staffing, facilities and resources.

What did RIS do well?  Children in the Foundation Stage demonstrated outstanding learning skills. They made outstanding progress in English and mathematics and achieved outstanding attainment in mathematics.  Students were well-motivated, displayed good behaviour and had an enthusiastic attitude to learning. The relationships between the students themselves and all adults at the school were very good or better.  There was strong emphasis on healthy lifestyles and healthy eating, and access to a range of physical activities for all students. There were excellent health and safety arrangements.  The commitment, vision and sense of purpose of the school’s leaders was good.  There was very good engagement of parents in their children’s education and strong relationships within the school community.  Outstanding resources and facilities supported students’ learning.

Areas for further development  Improve attainment and progress in Islamic education and Arabic as a first and additional language by ensuring teachers consistently prepare, plan and deliver lessons that offer opportunities for progression and challenge students of all abilities.  Consistently provide more opportunities for students to develop their enquiry and critical thinking skills in the primary and secondary phases.  Further embed the curriculum initiatives to ensure coherence across all phases.  Raise attainment in the primary phase by sharing the very good and outstanding teaching practice.  Sharpen the monitoring and evaluation of classroom practice by senior and middle leaders to ensure consistent accuracy and the promotion of the best features of teaching and learning.  Further improve the progress of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

I am by no means complacent and along with my colleagues we shall continue to build on our strengths and focus on key areas for development. On behalf of the staff, I would like to sincerely thank all parents for their continued confidence and support and together we shall continue to improve standards at RIS, ‘Towards Excellence’.

RIS and the UAE National Agenda Parameter With the removal of National Curriculum levels, there is a greater emphasis on schools to develop an assessment framework that supports student attainment and progress. As part of the UAE National Agenda Parameter, RIS have adopted the benchmarked Progress Test Series as suitable benchmark assessments for our children http://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/ products/progress-test-series . Used year-on-year the series supports teachers in identifying current levels of attainment and monitoring progress. Close attention has been paid to ensuring the group test reflects the new English National Curriculum as well as the other UK curricula, making it up-to-date and highly relevant. The following assessments in English, mathematics and science (only from age 8 upwards) will apply to students from FS2 to Year 9 inclusive and as confirmed by KHDA, will take place during the normal scheduled lesson time over a period of two weeks. Please note students are not able to specifically revise for these assessments although I have provided below some links to sample questions: http://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/sites/gl-assessment.co.uk/files/images/digital-demos/PTE-Demo/ AssessmentRenderer.html http://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/sites/gl-assessment.co.uk/files/images/digital-demos/PTM-Demo/ AssessmentRenderer.html Progress Test in English is a standardised assessment of students’ technical English skills (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and reading comprehension. This is designed for use year on year to support teachers in benchmarking student’s English knowledge, and measure their progress over time.

Progress Test in Mathematics (PTM) is a standardised assessment of students’ mathematical skills and knowledge including number, shape, data handling and algebra. This is designed for use year on year to support teachers in benchmarking student’s mathematical knowledge, and measure their progress over time.

Progress Test in Science (PTS) is a standardised assessment of students’ science knowledge including the three core areas of Physics, Chemistry and Biology as well as ‘working scientifically’. The test is designed for use year on year to support teachers in benchmarking students' science knowledge and measuring their progress over time.

What can you do with the data from the Progress Test Series?    

Benchmark knowledge and measure progress in the core subjects year-on-year.

Identify students' strengths and weaknesses, set targets and personalise learning Implement and monitor interventions Support communication with stakeholders and provide evidence for inspections.

These external assessments will provide us with reliable, regular information against which can benchmark our students’ academic outcomes. In addition, it will provide a more objective picture to measure student progress, identify gaps in student understanding and make amendments to the curriculum and teaching accordingly. Furthermore, this assessment information will help us to monitor objectively the progress we are making towards meeting our targets for TIMSS and PISA (for students who are 15).

RIS and the Council of International Schools- Progress Report Dear Parents,

We are currently in the process of our school self-study. We have co-opted parents, students and members of the Advisory Council onto a number of committees looking at how we function as a school. I am delighted to report that the teams formed on each committee are making excellent progress and integral to the self-study process all stakeholders will shortly be invited to participate in an external survey. We have registered to take the CIE/CIS Self Study survey with the Endicott Research Centre at Endicott College. The CIS self-study surveys the four respondent groups in the school community— students, professional staff, parents, and the school board. CIE/CIS expects as close as possible to 100% of eligible students (Year groups 5-13) and professional staff, and considers 20-25% of parent participation as satisfactory.

It takes approximately two to three weeks from the time we complete the survey to receive a report from Endicott. The survey will not take more than fifteen minutes to complete for student and parents and approximately half-hour for staff members. This is a positive exercise and will provide valuable information for the committees and for the team that will visit the school next year. Your participation is very much encouraged and appreciated.

The self-study is the most important part of the whole evaluation and accreditation process, both in the commitment of time and effort involved and in the value to be derived. It normally takes between one and two years to complete. The self-study begins with a specially designed Opinion Survey which involves all the key constituents of the school community. The school then reviews its Guiding Statements and submits each area of its operations to a searching evaluation following the instructions laid out in the CIS Main Guide to School Evaluation and Accreditation 8th Edition (Version 8.2).

The self-study requires a considerable time commitment from all members of the school staff as well as from a number of parents, governing body members and students. It is CIS’s intention that the self- study should present an honest, broad- based view of the school, and that it should not represent the views of any minority group. It is also the intention that the self-study process should stimulate action to address any areas needing improvement. In this way, the school will be a better institution at the end of the self-study process than it was at the beginning.

The first draft of the report will be submitted by the various committees on Thursday, 16th June 2016.

May I take this opportunity to thank all parents, students and staff for their commitment and service in working together and making our school a better place.

Michael William Clack Principal

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

Arabic week It was an exceptional week for the department, in which students watched a play and played an educational game done by “Our vision society”, this society visit our school to share this event with the Arabic department.

Also, students prepared projects for this week; that has really shown hard work and a high level of creativity.

Students demonstrated responsibility to their work by sharing their projects with friends and presented it to parents. Students were also presented with certificates.

It was an active week and students very much enjoyed this experience that left a good imprint in their minds.

To share some experiences with parents, the Arabic department organized a workshop about “learning styles” to help parents in discovering their child ‘s learning style and help him in improving his/ her skills.

Primary School Debate th On Wednesday, 11 May RIS were crowned the Innoventures Primary Debate Champions. Children from all of the four Innoventures schools were invited to contend and share their views on the given arguments, depending on whether they were in the affirmative or negative teams. The topics varied from ‘ Time spent in school should be reduced in South Korea’, to ‘There should be a total ban on logging in Brazil’. However, it was children from our Year 5 team that managed to present their arguments with supporting research and a confident attitude.

In preparation for the debate the children had shown excellent collaboration skills as they worked in teams to research their argument and ensure they were ready for any rebuttals. Many lunch times were forfeited in order to ensure they were ready for the competition, and this dedication certainly helped towards their success. Ms. Rebecca was there to guide them along the way acting as the team coach, “The success is 100% down to the children’s hard work, they spent hours researching and proved themselves to be extremely passionate about their subject matters.”

Year 4 children were invited to attend in the audience and challenge the participants with a range of questions, hopefully this has inspired them to continue RIS’ success next year. RIS is tremendously proud of the children who took part and would like to thank their parents for their support.

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

Dear Parents, Grandparents and Extended family, When I walked into one of our Casas during Reptiles week, I was reminded about how constant and profound the learning of the early years is. The teacher was reading a story about sea turtles to the children. She emphasized the stunningly amazing fact that, after years spent at sea, adult sea turtles return to the beach where they were hatched to lay their eggs.

One little girl in the circle commented quietly, “I know that.” She did not say it in a bragging way, or really to anyone else, but rather as a happy confirmation of her knowledge. I thought, what a lucky child.

Already in her short life some adult had read a book or had a conversation about one of the marvels of our world. She remembered that fact, tucked it away in her little brain, able to be pulled out at will, to fit into her knowledge.

Now wonder along with me at all that your little ones are learning, every hour and every day. Think about the astonishing process of learning in the early years, a process that combines maturation of the nervous system, experiences, language, memory, models, curiosity, motivation, and an individual child’s mental capacities. By the time the average child goes off to Foundation Stage, he or she has already mastered control of the body. He/she has learned skills as varied as swinging from the top of the monkey bars, manipulating scissors and eating utensils, zipping a jacket, and closing her buttons.

His or her language has de­veloped from making cooing and then babbling sounds to a spoken vocabulary of nearly ten thousand words. This child can use sentences that follow the grammatical rules of language with such complexities as plurals and past tenses, all to be able to tell a great story or understand how to communicate with others. There is an astonishing period in language development, around age two or so, when a child hears a word one at a time, and then later can use it in an appropriate context. They have also learned the thousands of conventions and niceties of behaviour that seem important to the adults around them, and have figured out how to fit into their particular world.

Children are patient when others try to teach them things that may seem meaningless to them, tolerating the lessons about abstractions like letters and numbers. We sometimes use the phrase “lifelong learner” to refer to those individuals who keep alive the spirit of curiosity and adventure. But I guarantee that you will never again see humans learning so much, so quickly and effortlessly, as when you pay attention to your child’s daily accomplishments.

Last but certainly not the least, a big thank you for the incredible turnout of parents for our Nursery Concert on Thursday, 19th May. The concert took weeks of practice and the final week before the 19th saw a lot of hard work and passion from our children and the staff alike. We hope you enjoyed seeing the little ones perform.

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

A gentle reminder for those parents who are planning to go away on holiday before our last day on Thursday, 23rd June. You are requested to please let your child’s teacher know of the date in advance and write an email to me on southnursery@rafflesis.com. We would like to get your child’s Learning Journal and photos taken during the year in class ready for you to take away with you.

We are still will be having our Drop in Days during the week. Please feel free to book an appointment if you have any concerns or would like feedback about your child.

Meanwhile, please continue to drop in and see me whenever you have the time. I love to hear of any suggestions you have any look forward to feedback.

Garima Kapoor Nusery Coordinator

Ceasar grades colours with colours

Fadia concentrates deeply

Matching objects to beginning sounds

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

FOUNDATION STAGE/YEAR 1 NEWS Dear Parents, At the end of each year the children in FS and Year 1 take part in a small external assessment. In FS, the children will have their second assessment with PIPS, this will take place during the week of Sunday, 21st May until Thursday, 2nd June. In Year 1, the children will take their second Phonetic Awareness assessment in June. We have these small external assessments to see where your child is academically, internationally. We will receive the results from the PIPS assessment at the end of the academic year, as they are marked and recorded in the UK. The Phonetic Awareness assessment results will be calculated a week after the assessment is taken.

We are all very excited about the FS Graduation this year. This will be the first year the children will take part in a group certificate ceremony. The school will be providing a graduation gown and mortar board for each child to wear whilst they collect their certificate for coming to the end of Foundation Stage and now ready for school. This will also be a first for the Year 1 students, who will take part in the annual production, put together by our Music Department. We are all looking forward to seeing the Musical Time Machine performance. The children have been practising very hard trying to remember all the songs. Without giving too much away, there are a lot of songs.

Ramadan is close approaching, and I would like to take this opportunity to remind all parents about the dress code of the UAE. During this holy month of Ramadan, the school will have shorter hours, I would also like to inform parents school is still mandatory until the Thursday, 23rd June 2016. Please read on to see what the children have been doing this month.

Susie Mcshane FS2 and Year 1 Coordinator FS2 & Year 1 News It is hard to believe, the end of the school year is almost here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your help, support and interest this year.

We have had another very busy and successful year in school and you, as partners in the education of your children, deserve much of the credit for that.

We have loved, laughed, played, studied, learned and enriched our lives together. It has been a true pleasure helping the children grow in confidence, become self-assured and independent. It is delightful to see everyone participate in circle time with more confidence and enthusiasm than ever.

It is a proud moment for all of us to see the progress they have made, both emotionally and socially.

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

We have worked with different Montessori materials, with the children grasping many important concepts in all areas of the Montessori environment. The children have all shown a great deal of thoughtfulness not just for their own work but in taking care of their environment as well. They have enjoyed a wide variety of visits and activities this year. For our topic on ocean life, FS had a field trip to Dubai Dolphinarium. Children were thrilled to look at the Dolphins up close and were amazed by their tricks, while learning more about the impressive creatures. It really has been a brilliant year.

We are looking forward to ‘Reading with Dad/career talk’ and the FS Graduation Day. “Education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment.” – Maria Montessori

The FS Team

Year 1 News After coming back from their Spring break children have become more confident and independent in making their choices. They are more focused towards challenging work. Children had a wonderful and an amazing month of April with lots of learning and fun activities. As part of the transition from Year 1 to Year 2 ,Year ones have started the class assembly and are getting a chance to perform in front of the year 2 and 3 children.

The children are gearing up for the next stage of learning in the final months of the academic year. They are working hard to develop their logical thinking towards creative writing and mental mathematics skills.

In science the children are exploring different topics such as water and land forms, materials, weather and seasons and push and pull.

Children are enjoying the “30 books in 30 days challenge” and will meet the deadline by Monday, 16 th May 2016. The field trip, to Kidzania will start on Sunday, 15th May 2016. Children are excited about the annual production and are practicing hard for the same. ‘Reading with Dad’ is coming up; it will be a wonderful experience for the children.

Year 1 Team

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

PRIMARY SCHOOL Dear Parents, Whilst life at RIS focuses on academic excellence, we promote the holistic education of each child. The importance of music and the performing arts, sport and physical education among others provides students with increasing opportunities to develop, learn and excel.

As such, school life is about much more than just the academics. This has been evidenced recently by the fantastic performances of the Primary School students in their annual productions. It was marvellous to witness the school orchestra play live during the performances and for the students to both act and sing live on the nights. We would like to extend our gratitude to all the parents for your support in the lead up to the events and your support on the evenings of the shows.

The music and art departments and, indeed, all teachers are to be commended for their full support of the shows whilst we save our highest praise for the students, who not only performed impeccably but were a credit to the school.

The learning that comes from the collaboration, artistic performances and rehearsal encapsulates the essence of the importance of such events. As a school, we are about much more than good examination results, and each individual student takes their chance to shine.

Matthew Barrett Deputy Head of Primary School

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

Year 2 News In English, Year 2 students have been reviewing parts of speech; adverbs and adjectives. We have been using these parts of speech to make our writing more interesting.

In mathematics, we have continued with division and skip counting. Some children are even skip counting in 6’s and 7’s. We also did some division word problems and introduced division with remainders.

In Social Studies, we have been focusing on the continents of the world. We made some posters about the continents after we researched interesting facts about them on iPads.

In science, we did an experiment on dissolving materials. We made predictions about which materials would dissolve, conducted the experiment and had a lot of fun in the process.

Year 2 Parent Read Aloud takes place on a weekly basis so we continue to welcome more parent volunteers to the classes. Our DEAR programme (Drop Everything And Read) is going very well and the children are keen to get stuck into their reading books from home. We have the `Reading with Dad’ morning on the Tuesday, 31st May. If you would like to read in school to the children, please contact your child’s class teacher.

Year 2 Team

Year 3 News Year 3 had a fantastic time watching the dolphins and seal behavior on their trip to the Dolphinarium.The greenery of Creek Park was a feast for the eyes.

Children took a walk and lot of photos with their class.

Revision is in full swing due to the forthcoming Cambridge exams. All what has been taught from the beginning of the year is being revisited.

Comprehension skills are being taught and practised.

We will be having a charity drive at school for our ‘read to Donate’ campaign.

They will be encouraged to bring story books which they have read and don not need anymore. The books will be sold and the money raised will be given to the charity ‘GIVE’. The letter will be sent home shortly.

The end of academic year is soon approaching and the teachers are busy completing the curriculum. Children have started discussing travel plans with their friends. We all look forward to another successful end the scholastic year.

Year 3 Team

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

Year 4 News Year 4 has been busy revising different aspects of the curriculum for our forthcoming examinations. In English, we are busy completing reports on different topics and using mind maps to assist our writing. We are also looking back at the different areas of grammar and developing our comprehension skills through reading texts and answering questions Ms. Rebecca and some of the Year 4 students greatly enjoyed being the audience of the recent debating competition which was held in Collegiate American School. This experience helped inspire the students for their in class debate writing.

In science, we are very proud of the hard work the students put into their projects for the recent science fair. It was a pleasure to see each student displaying and resenting their very own investigations. We are now finishing our topic of sound and revising topics we investigated throughout the year.

In mathematics, we have also continued to review the different topics. We have looked back over the various methods of problem solving. We have revisited the different units of measurement and we continue to revise topics such as fractions and decimals.

The students have had a busy few weeks revising and completing revision exercises and tests. Thank you for your constant support.

Year 4 Team Year 5 News Year 5 have had an extremely busy time recently, with students participating in a diverse range of interesting activities. The Year 5 Annual Production was a resounding success with students actively performing in front of an appreciative audience. A huge amount of credit must go to the Music department for preparing actors, singers and musicians, who all performed live for the first time in RIS history. Well done to all involved.

A select group of Year 5 students have been working hard for the past two months in preparation for the recent Innoventures Debate Competition. We are proud to say that all the research from the students and assistance from Ms Rebecca has paid off, with RIS crowned champions for 2016. A massive congratulations to Laura (5A), Nikash, Mariya, (5C), Orion, Danis, Hessah (5D), Alefiyah, Hyein and Mediha (5E). Each Year 5 class had the pleasure of visiting Fun Robotics over the past two weeks. Fun Robitics was chosen for our field trip because it is an exciting way to bring Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) together in a fun and interactive manner. Students had the opportunity to engage in skills and activities which promoted the RIS Core Values, while learning and revising topics covered in class.

The RIS KenKen competition took place on Thursday, 12th May. Almost thirty Year 5 students participated in this tough Mathematical challenge. We eagerly await the results to find out who has won through to the Dubai finals. The winners of the Dubai final will progress to the U.A.E. final, with a place in the world final in New York to follow. Students have begun working on their Science Fair projects recently. In a change from previous years, the majority of the project will be completed in class. The experiment, recording of results and assembly of the project board will be the only parts that will be required to organise at home.

Year 5 Team

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

Year 6 News As we approach the end of the academic year, it is time to consolidate and reflect on the immense learning that has taken place in our classrooms. Students have been busy in applying and showcasing their learning in different ways.

In mathematics, they have been doing multi-step word problems and using decimals to create their own.

They are also written plays and enacted in the classrooms thus continuing to hone their speaking, listening and presentation skills. Using scientific methods, learners have been writing project reports and preparing their science projects for the annual science fair coming up soon. They have written dialogues and discussed the impact of Treaty of Versailles on Germany thus analysing how it led to a change in world order at the end of the WW1.

We are also encouraging students to look at teachers’ marking in their notebooks and respond to feedback. This is a very effective way to learn from mistakes and move their learning forward.

On the co-curricular side, students visited Sharjah Wildlife Centre and familiarized themselves with the flora and fauna of the region. It was a great opportunity for them to see the variety of animal life in the desert as well as the waters around the gulf.

Some of our students participated in the KenKen competition where they were able to apply logical and mathematical thinking to solving these puzzles.

The Annual production brought out the actor and singers amongst the children. Each student enjoyed being part of the show and thus made it a great success.

Coming up is the final assessment week; schedule and topics have been sent out earlier. We would like to remind parents to send in copies of certificates/citations etc to the homeroom teachers to assist us in selecting the valedictorian for the graduation in June.

Year 6 Team

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

SECONDARY SCHOOL Message from the Deputy Head—Secondary School Examination Time From Sunday, 22nd May to Thursday, 26th May our Secondary students will be involved in subject examinations. Whilst this is a time of intense pressure and stress for our students, it is also a wonderful opportunity for them to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding across a wide range of curriculum areas. In any school that I have worked in, both internationally and in the UK, I have often listened carefully to how students plan to prepare for their examinations. Many of them tell me that they will increase the amount of time they spend at home studying and revising, cramming in as much content as possible in the weeks and days leading up to the tests. Many read their exercise and text books whilst relentlessly trying to memorise information. Some stay up until the early hours of the morning, even up until the day of the examination. The list goes on.

Whilst there is no exact formula for revision and study, I would like to shed some light on what I feel works best/better for many students. Here are my top ten tips for effective revision in the lead up to their examinations:          

Create a revision timetable Chunk revision periods into small frames of time. 20-30 minutes of revision, followed by short breaks is far more effective than studying for 4 hours at once Drink water, and plenty of it. Ensure you have a controlled and balanced healthy diet Find a quiet space to revise and study Engage in daily exercise Vary techniques for revision (please see this week’s QR code for some different ways to revise) Use family and friends to help you revise Create summary notes and flash cards (questions on the front, answers on the back) Stay positive. A “can do” attitude is crucial during examinations Use post it notes to colour code key words: Green (you know them), Amber (you need more practice) Red (you need lots of practice)

Next week, students in Years 7, 8 and 9 will also be taking a Progress Test in English (PTE), Progress Test in Mathematics (PTM) and a Progress Test in Science (PTS). These tests are all part of the National Agenda Parameter and will help us measure progress in the core subjects. They are designed by GL Assessments in the UK and link directly to the Cognitive Ability Tests (CAT4) that all Secondary students have already taken at some point in their Raffles education.

With all of this in mind, please may I remind all students that they are expected to follow strict examination rules and adhere to all guidelines that our teachers and external organisations provide.

These expectations have been shared with all students in assemblies and the classrooms.

As always, if you would like to communicate with me regarding anything related to the Secondary School at RIS, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail, give me a call or stop by the office.

Ian Plant Deputy Head of Secondary School

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

Primary

SECONDARY

Year 7 News As the end of year examinations approach, a healthy routine is important in order to perform to the best of your ability. The following tips will help you to create the balance needed to ensure success: 

Consistent early nights – a growing child needs 8 hours of sleep per night.



Eat complex carbohydrates such porridge, brown bread and whole-wheat pasta.



Create a revision time-table – revising at least an hour a day after school over the course of the week across all subjects.

 

Log on to educationally helpful sites such as Edmodo, BBC Bitesize, Duolingo and Kahoot.

Get plenty of exercise – short 20 minute bursts.

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Drink plenty of water – stay away from those sugary energy drinks.



Avoid anxiety and stress by talking to your homeroom teachers, parents and friends.

Good luck.

Year 7 Team Year 8 News This week the Year 8's have been preparing for their end of year examinations that time of the year when they are most stressed – trying to remember what they have been studying over the last eight months.

Fortunately for the Year 8's there are a number of things they can do to make sure that they not only do the best they can in the exams but do not explode with stress at the same time.



Take control of their learning. Everyone gets scared of examinations, but the big fear is the unknown. Students should make sure they have from their teacher a list of topics for the examinations, and every teacher will have given revision guides and/or work put on Edmodo.

Teachers are also there to be asked questions about the exams (though obviously they will not give students the answers in advance)



Be in the best possible studying state. Pupils should make sure they are getting enough sleep (at least eight hours), eating properly and getting regular exercise. This not only helps reduce stress but makes sure that they are keeping active while they learn. Studies show that revision works best in short doses, with exercise in between.



Beat stress – students sometimes feel overwhelmed by the work they have to do and the expectations of them. Talking to teacher, talking to parents and talking to friends all help reduce anxiety and help pupils stay focused.

Year 8 Team

GENERAL

NURSERY

FS

Primary

SECONDARY

Year 9 & 10 News

The time has come and students are now facing one of the most challenging periods of the year, the examination period. Students will be assessed in all subjects during next week (22nd-26th May). Year 9 students will take the “Progression Tests� in English, mathematics and science, which have been developed by University of Cambridge International Examinations and are marked internally in the school. For the other subjects the exams are developed by the subject teachers. Year 10 students will be taking IGCSE style exams covering the topics they have been taught during the first year of their qualification.

Last week two of our Year 10 students, Jad Gouty and Augustin Prats were selected for an internship programme with M&S Sports as part of their Business studies. The selection process was challenging as the students had to compete against their classmates. Every Year 10 Business students prepared their CVs and had to go through interviews to prove that they were the most suitable candidates. Well done to Augustin and Jad who have represented RIS so well.

I would also like to wish good luck to all students for the forthcoming examinations.

Year 9 & 10 Team