Thursday st May 2015 Issue 89 Monday, 1 21July 2019 Issue 151 GENERAL GENERAL
NURSERY
KG PRIMARY
PRIMARY SECONDARY PRIMARY
SECONDARY SECONDARY
PARIS SCHOOL CLINIC
End of Year Events Year 1 Concert
Secondary School Sports Award Ceremony
Year 11 Graduation Ceremony
Dear Parents, As we draw to the close of a very busy school year, I would like to thank you for your support throughout the last three terms. Once again, this edition of SummaRISe is full of events that have taken place with your support: in preparation for events, by attending and through your engagement as part of an active school community. As I write this message, students are collecting school yearbooks which are their permanent record of the last 10 months and all they have achieved. Over the summer, we will be saying goodbye to a small number of students and staff as they return to home countries, relocate elsewhere in the world or move on to new challenges in Dubai. To all those leaving us, I wish you well. Thankfully (most of the time at least), we now live in a digital age where communication across continents is easy and convenient and I would urge you to encourage your children to stay in touch with Dubai friends, even if they are far away. As I know from my own experiences, you never know when you might be back! As we all depart for summer, the subject of holiday homework often comes up. At RIS, we hope that students have the opportunity to enjoy their summer freedom and the opportunity to travel, enjoy new experiences, connect with old friends and their family over the holidays. For this reason, we do not prescribe specific holiday homework. However, part of a healthy balance of activities should include reading for pleasure and may also include writing a holiday journal (though not every day of the holiday, please!). This could cover a special period in the holiday. If you ask your child to do this, please chat with them about it as well – it should be the gateway to quality time and not a punishment. Please also note that there is a selection of activities for Primary students on the school website https:// www.rafflesis.com/learning/resources should you wish to use them. Finally, sincere congratulations to our graduating class of 2019 – our pioneers. My best wishes to you as you depart for further studies locally and overseas. I firmly believe that your time at RIS will stand you in good stead and we are all looking forward to seeing you back as alumni and school visitors to tell us all about your experiences! Best wishes for a safe and happy summer! Tim Richardson Principal
School Calendar 2019-2020
Date
Events
September 2019 Sunday, 1st September Monday, 2nd – Tuesday, 3rd September Monday, 2nd September
Orientation Day for New students Orientation Day for FS Students only Returning students join (Year 1 to Year 13)
October 2019 Wednesday, 16th and Thursday, 17th October Sunday, 20th October – Thursday, 24th October
Parent Teacher Conference (early close at 12:00) Mid-term break for students
Sunday, 27th October
Students return
November 2019 th
th
Sunday, 17 – Thursday, 28 November
Internal Assessments
December 2019 Sunday, 1st December
Commemoration Day
Monday, 02nd and Tuesday, 03rd December*
UAE National Day*
th
Thursday, 12 December
Sunday, 15th December to Saturday, 4th January 2020
End of Autumn term for students Dismissal for Winter Break (No early finish) Winter break for students
January 2020 Sunday, 5th January
Staff and students return
th
rd
Sunday, 12 – Thursday, 23 January
Mock IGCSE Exams
February 2020 Sunday, 16th – Thursday, 20th February
Mid-term holidays (No school for students)
March 2020 Tuesday, 24th – Wednesday, 25th March
Parent Teacher Conference (early close at 12:00)
Thursday, 26th March Sunday, 29th March – Saturday, 11th April
End of Spring Term Dismissal for Spring Break (no early finish) Spring Break
Sunday, 29th – Tuesday, 31st March
Students extra classes Years 11-13 (Optional)
April 2020 st
th
Wednesday, 1 – Thursday 9 April th
Students extra classes Years 11-13 (Optional)
Sunday, 12 April
Staff and students return
Thursday, 23rd April*
Ramadan begins * tbc
May 2020 th
th
Sunday, 24 – Tuesday, 26 May*
Eid Al Fitr* tbc
June 2020 st
th
Monday, 1 – Tuesday, 30 June
IGCSE and A Levels Exams
July 2020 nd
Thursday, 2 July
Students and teachers last day
GENERAL
NURSERY
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
Recent Happenings in the Nursery Dear Parents, Grandparents and Extended family, “Summer's Here, Summer's here! Another year of school is at an end. We've learned a lot and grown a lot and made a lot of friends.” -Unknown The above sums up this month…It is hot and work in the classes is at its peak, with laughter and joy providing a rainbow-coloured backdrop to the hot summer days. I find myself at a loss of words as we approach the end of the year. Our little butterflies are fluttering with excitement and confidence, and it is heartwarming for the Nursery team to watch. The children have flourished in our Montessori environment and are now ready for the next stage in their academic lives.
Transition visit in preparation for 2019-2020 Nursery children go to FS2 to experience 'Big School'
End of Year Certificate Ceremony
Parent Session for children moving from Nursery to 'Big School'
Black and White Day
End of Year celebration in the Toddler’s class
GENERAL
NURSERY
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
Recent Happenings in the Primary Year 6 Graduation Ceremony
th
Year 6 graduation took place on 20 June where we celebrated the success stories of our students as they transition to Secondary School. Head boy and Head girl spoke about their learning journeys in Primary School as well as various category of awards like subject and class teacher’s awards were given out to students. The day ended with a celebratory trip to IMG World from 2 :00 to 7:00 pm.
FS Graduation Ceremony Performance
Year 5 and 6 Annual Production — “Charlie and Milly Wonka’s Pure Imagination” The Year 5 and 6 Annual Production “Charlie and Milly Wonka’s Pure Imagination” was an amazing show. The scenery was eye catching and colourful and the children’s acting skills were amazing and true to character. We are so proud that the performance showed off our children’s acting and singing talents and we know the parents also showed their appreciation of the show. Special thanks must go to Ms. Mitchelle Carvalho who worked tirelessly with the children to ensure the show ran perfectly and Mr. Haroon who was in charge of the choir and stage music. We would also like to thank Ms. Asuncion, the floater teacher, Ms. Cynthia and Ms. Jane the CRA’s who worked on the amazing scenery and props of the show. The show was indeed an amazing sweet treat for all to see.
End of Year Concerts - Year 2 - Year 4
Primary School Term 3 Sports Award
GENERAL
NURSERY
PRIMARY
PRIMARY SECONDARY
SECONDARY
Recent Happenings in the Secondary Raffles International School’s inaugural Year 13 students graduated on 20 th June. Parents and students were welcomed back for an evening of celebrations and memories of their time at Raffles.
Year 11 Graduation Ceremony
This year marked the 3rd year of IGCSE Graduation Ceremony with certificates given out to 42 candidates. The event honoured Pietro Briguglio with the Year Head Award for excellent portrayal of character. Sama Koheil with the Head of Secondary Award for best academic results and the Principal's Award to Esha Kapoor for the most well-rounded student in RIS. We wish them the very best for the results which are due to be out in August.
Secondary School Sports Award Ceremony This year’s Secondary Sports Awards Dinner was a resounding success! Virgin Radio’s Big Rossi and 30x30 super star Marcus Smith were in attendance to help recongnise the many achievements and accolades the RIS Falcons have enjoyed this academic year. Special congratulations to our Athletes of the Year Jaindu and Aneeka - and to Charlotte and Romane, the inaugural winners of the Falcon Award for dedication, respect and team work.
Secondary School Concert - Years 7 - 9
DELF Junior Exams
RIS hosted the DELF Junior Exam. Well done to the 123 candidates they came from different schools in UAE. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped in making this day successful. And a massive thank you to our French teachers at Raffles International School, without all your effort, time and setup, we would not have the successful DELF exam we have.
Raffles Times Special Edition—A year in review
Raffles Anti-Bullying Assembly Last term, there was a presentation for some primary students on the topic of anti-bullying. There were different performances by many different people. One of our Year 6 students recited a poem that she had written on the topic of respect. We also saw a video project by a few secondary students in which they asked teachers what respect means to them. Moving on, the next performance was a musical number by classes 7A and B. The song was a composition about treating people with dignity. Back on the topic of respect, the primary and secondary school ambassadors delivered presentations about what respect is and what their roles in the school are.
Times
Visit by the Author Mohammed Al Fahim Mohammed Al Fahim, the author of the book “From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi” visited Raffles International School this year. Mohammed Al Fahim has a very interesting story that tells what it was like to live here before the UAE was fully developed. He answered questions about what schools were like, where they used to live and what people did for a living. Their houses and markets were all near the sea and the rest was just sand - there were no buildings and no towers. After they found oil, they sent children to London to go to school. They were fascinated by the train, which is not really something we would be so exited about now. One of the questions the teacher asked them was what they wanted to be when they grew up. The only job they knew was to be a driver, so that is what they all said. They went back to the UAE after a lot of years and this is how the country has become what it is today. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan changed it all. He told the government to sell the oil to help improve the country. Without Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan we would not be where we are today. By Deema Koheil
The next two performances were given by secondary Drama students. The first of the two was a video showcasing bullying. It portrayed things that you should do, for example respect others, and things you shouldn’t do. The second was secondary CCA Drama students reciting a poem or piece on bullying. Finally, the assembly was closed by a secondary student playing a wonderful piece on the piano. By Eva Tarello By Liam Delebarre
Raffles Times Special Edition—A year in review Visit by Courtney Brant A special author and self-publisher named Courtney Brant came to our school for a visit. It was held in one of the English classes and everyone was enthusiastic about meeting her. The author spoke about her journey and the challenges which she had to face throughout her career, such as finding an editor for creating a book and releasing the book into the world. She described herself as a very organised author but also said that she is sometimes lazy when trying to find ideas to write a book. She encouraged everyone, who loves writing or wants to become an author, to write at least a 200 word paragraph everyday as it will change their narrative or descriptive pieces of writing into a brilliant book. Everyone who attended the author visit enjoyed it.
By Meryam Amandurdyyeva
Drama Performance at GESS Conference The RIS drama club attended and performed at the GESS Conference at World Trade Center this year. This was a fun experience for all the people who took part in this performance. Our Year 7 students performed Cinderella, Year 8 students Blood Brothers and a Year 10 student performed a monologue part of a film called Vicious Circle. This is also the first year we had a Drama club and a Drama department at RIS. Here are some of Ms. Haire’s thoughts before and after the show. Firstly Ms.Haire thought that we were very successful. She said that we showcased our talent very well and that we proved to the audience how important drama is. Ms. Haire was very nervous but had no doubt that we would be amazing because she knew that we all worked very hard. Lastly, Ms. Haire believed that, although there were not many improvements to suggest, more rehearsal time at the venue would have been useful. She would have liked more students to participate as well as different types of scripts so that pupils could try something new each time. By Lybah Hajwane
Raffles Times Special Edition—A year in review Study Techniques for Exams Studying is generally stressful and a lot of the time you don’t even know how to go about it. Some people read over their textbooks and finish revision papers, while others cram the information in their head when the exam date is coming closer. No matter what you do, there is always a better way to store information for upcoming tests. The following examples have been studied and tested many times to prove their validity. One of the more popular techniques is the Pomodoro technique. Coming from the Italian word for tomato, the Pomodoro technique is a study technique that teaches you time management. The steps are easy; choose a task that needs to be done, like a revision paper, or just studying from your textbook, set up an alarm for 25 minutes and study until the alarm goes off. Take a short break after that. Do a relaxing activity for about 5 minutes then work for another 25 minutes. Repeat it 3 more times. Every four times the alarm, also known as the Pomodoro, goes off, you can take a longer break. Eventually you can have breaks for 2025 minutes to you can relax, do something that you like, etc. This technique works because rather than clouding your working memory, you push out useless thoughts and free your working memory up.
A way to memorise information in a specific order is to create a mnemonic device, e.g. BEDMAS. Each letter in the device will help you remember each word in it, and it’ll be much easier to memorise. Listen to music as well. Studies show that music can help with concentration, motivation, and your focus levels. However, the music you listen to shouldn’t be distracting you, otherwise it’s not a very useful method to try out. Another way you could help yourself memorise things better is by sleeping. Getting a good, long night’s sleep helps your brain think properly. It affects your cognitive functions. To understand your material better you could try teaching it to someone else. It also helps you realise where you need to strengthen your knowledge, e.g. if you can’t answer questions about a certain of the material, that means you need to go over that part.
Happiness Day Earlier this year RIS had a non-uniform day for Happiness Day. Everyone came into school in casual clothes so we could see what students and even teachers wear in everyday life. We asked some of our students and teachers what happiness means to them. Ms. Emma Keady, one of our P.E teachers, was asked what comes to her mind when she hears the word happy. She responded ‘food’ as well as ‘enjoying what I do.’ A Year 7 student was asked what colours make him feel happy and he responded ‘blue and purple.’ He was also asked what has been the happiest moment of his life so far and he responded ‘when I met my new best friends in my class.’ Happiness Day is the day that makes everyone happy. Some days are just bad days but sometimes you have to experience sadness to know happiness. By Lybah Hajwane
In conclusion, there are many ways to help yourself study better. However, the best is always to clear your memory to make space for more knowledge.
By Eva Tarello
Sudoku by Deema Koheil
Raffles Times Special Edition—A year in review Teacher Appreciation Day Teacher Appreciation Day is the day on which we celebrate how many things all of our teachers do for us. It is our way of saying thank you.
There were lots of different performances, including a few singers who performed songs and some drama students who performed a scene called Mathilda (which they only had two weeks to rehearse).
There were also different games, like guessing which phrases are used by which teachers or what the teachers looked like when they were children. That made lots of the teachers feel embarrassed! Trophies were also awarded to certain teachers to show our appreciation for their hard work. We care about all of our teachers because they do so much for us. This ceremony was just something small to show our gratitude. By Lybah Hajwane
World Book Day In April we celebrated World Book Day and everyone got to dress up as characters from their favourite books. Some of our teachers even got dressed up. Ms. Byrne dressed as Willy Wonka and even had little sweets in a ja r! M s. L yn c h dressed up as a crocodile and Ms. Forman dressed up as The Cat in a Hat. It really was a fun day and everyone enjoyed it. During our English lessons we got to go to the library and spend some time reading. This was a day that reminded us that it is important to read. We also got to collaborate and communicate with people we don’t normally talk to. It also helped us see more about the different personalities people around the school have through the books they enjoy.
Crossword by Deema Koheil
By Lybah Hajwane
Raffles Times Special Edition—A year in review
Year 7-9 Camping Trip On the 16th to the 18th of April 2019 the Year 7, 8 and 9 students went on a camping trip to Dibba, Fujairah. They were accompanied by Mr. Humphries, Ms. Forman, Ms. Downes and Mr. Maguire. There were cabins that had five to six beds that boys and girls were separated into. We had our activities groups split up according to different years. Each day all the activities were different and included archery, catapults, zip lining, rock climbing, kayaking, raft building and mountain biking. It was a lot to fit in in only three days but it wasn’t impossible. One thing that everyone loved to do at camp was relax or go to the pool in their free time between activities. The people there couldn’t have been nicer they made sure everyone had a good time, which was probably what made everyone sad that they had to leave. Everyone loved that they got to take a shower when they got back.
Word search by Eva Tarello
By Lybah Hajwane
The Raffles Times team Journalists: Lybah Hajwane, Eva Tarello, Deema Koheil, Elise Lalanne, Omar El Naggar, Meryam Amandurdyyeva Cartoonist: Liam Delebarre
By Liam Delebarre
Raffles Times Special Edition—A year in review Girls Volleyball
Primary Basketball
Raffles International School hosted a volleyball tournament against CAS and DIA earlier this year.
The RIS basketball teams played against RWA. Our U10 team made an amazing comeback from being 4 - 0 behind to finally losing with the final score being 16 - 8.
Our first match was the u14 girls, who beat CAS with a score of 24-18. Next up were our u18 girls who lost to DIA by 36 – 26. DIA also beat our u16 girls with a score of 29When all the matches finFinally, the last match was the u14 girls of RIS against DIA. ished there a presentation Even though DIA was a lot tougher than our girls, we beat ceremony: them with a close score of 26-24. Under 14 – RIS were the overall winners Under 16 – RIS came second after DIA
Under 18 – RIS came third after CAS in second place and DIA in first. All of the girls that took part did their best to make our coach, Ms. Clements, proud. By Elise Lalanne
DASSA Athletics Competition The DASSA athletics competition took at North London Collegiate School in March. RIS entered a team of thirty athletes people to compete against the other Innoventures schools as well as four others. All athletes from our school participated in one field and one track event. Both Ms. Keady and Mr. Clements, our coaches, were stressed and nervous about this competition but knew that everyone would do their best. In the end our u14 boys as well as u16 boys and girls finished in second place. The RIS u12 boys and u14 girls finished in first place. Positivity, confidence and persistence are key in life. These three words teach us never to give up, even when we don’t always win. By Lybah Hajwane
Things did not go well for our u11 team as the other team had a really tall player on their side. In the first quarter our team handled the ball well but after that the tall man intercepted many of our balls. One of our shots that went in defied gravity and really made the crowd go wild. Our players all did their best and enjoyed the matches. RIS is proud of their performance. By: Omar El Naggar