THE RAPTOR
REPORTER SUMMER 2020
Look at all this awesome e-learning!
IN THIS ISSUE Message from the Principal Re-opening Plans Grade 12 Leavers Goodbye Raha Staff and Families Term 2-3 Highlights
IMPORTANT DATES 30/31 Aug
Start of 20/21 school year
SUMMER BREAK REMINDER Admissions and administration offices will remain open over the break. Office hours will be: Sunday - Thursday 8:00am - 4:00pm Families should contact the school via email or by calling 02 556 1567. The campus will be closed to Raha families until further notice.
From the Office of the Principal
FROM MR. IAIN Dear Parents and Raha community, As I sit in my home office writing the introduction to this newsletter it’s difficult to know where to start in summarizing the past academic year! It feels like we have had two years in one and the normal start we had to 19/20 seems like a distant memory. I don’t want to speak much about pandemics and self-isolation as I am sure we have all had enough of even thinking about it, but I do want to touch on how well the Raha community have coped and worked together over the past few months. There have been some obvious difficulties across all areas of the community, and we know many families are still having challenges with the knock-on effects of COVID 19, but when I reflect on the past few months my overwhelming thoughts are of positivity, gratitude and pride of being part of such a wonderful family. My appreciation of everyone associated with Raha is hard to put into words. Throughout all the turmoil we have all pulled together for the children and we have cared about each other so much. I am so grateful that the positive humanity over the past few months has shone through in our community, as it has across much of the world. Over the past few months the staff have been inundated with words of thanks and encouragement and we now also want to thank you, our parents, for all your hard work. Whenever I meet new parents at the start of each year, I talk about education being a three-way street of students, staff and parents and the fact that none of us can do it alone. Never has this been truer than now and although teaching and learning has not always been easy or ideal there have been some real positives to take away from our collaborative community working. Thank you parents. As I put my brain in to gear and think back into the distant past of the start of the 19/20 academic year, I think back to Raha winning its first ever global award for ‘pathways to university education’. We are so proud of how well our inclusive
From the Office of the Principal
approach enables so many students to access first choice universities. The work of Brian Marshall and the Diploma staff in supporting students in their pre-university education is something which makes me very proud. Just last week we were shortlisted for a further two global awards. The first being ‘Secondary Learning International Impact Award’ and the second being ‘Progressive Education Delivery Award’. This demonstrates that we are never a school that sits still! As I look back on the start of the year I also reflect on the sad passing of our dear friend and colleague, Ben Rehana. Ben is still very much missed at the school, but he has left a wonderful legacy which will live on through many of our students. Ben would have been proud of how well we have all pulled together and supported each other over the past year, but knowing Ben as we all did, he would never want us to dwell on the past, so let’s look to the future and see what lies ahead for our community… In the midst of a global crisis our new campus (Khalifa City Campus) is almost finished and we expect to have almost 300 EY1 – G3 students attending at the start of next year. The construction and ground works for the second and final phase have also just begun and the whole campus should be ready for September 2021. I am indebted to my colleagues in Taaleem and within Raha for working so hard to make this happen, especially during such unprecedented times. I would also like to say huge congratulations to Ms Nicola Neethling, who will be running the campus next year and has been appointed as Vice Principal, to work alongside Ms Kath Simms.
From the Office of the Principal
We are really looking forward to seeing our pioneering new students on our new campus next year and I am sure they will play a huge part in Raha’s Exceptional Journey for many years to come. Over the summer it is always good for students to keep up some studies, whether that be reading, writing and some maths for primary or secondary students carrying out their own research in key subjects prior to next year. Teachers will not necessarily be setting specific work for students as it is also essential that students get a break. A nice balance between relaxing and playing together with fun and simple academic pursuits is the right approach. We would strongly recommend that, where possible, students have a digital detox. We know that many of our worlds exist on a screen right now but taking the time away from the screen, particularly after the last few months of continuous learning, is so important Over the summer holiday the school office will be open for general enquiries, admissions queries and financial transactions. The various departments can be contacted in the usual ways. The next page of this newsletter is specifically related to school re-opening plans and is an important read for all parents. It just leaves me to wish all Raha families, whether you are staying with us or moving on, a wonderful and safe summer. Let’s hope the world returns to something closer to normal soon. Take care,
- Mr. Iain
RE-OPENING
PLANS
As we mentioned last week, we are expecting to re-open our doors to students after the summer holiday. Our finalised plans will be based on the best available information and guidance to date, which provides us with a clear and defined health and safety roadmap to ensure our schools can safely open in August 2020. These plans will continue to be developed over the summer as further government directives and information become available. A sustained focus will be given to effective health and safety practices and procedures. The new procedures will be subject to constant review by the school’s COVID-19 Task Force. Our Task Force is made up of the Principal, Taaleem Health and Safety experts, the Head of Operations, the Facility Manager and senior members of the education team in addition to the school doctor and nurse. Our aim is to exceed and go beyond the basic safety guidelines advised by various entities. Please be assured that our community’s safety, security and mental health is our foremost priority when welcoming you back to school. A ‘back to school’ campaign will be conducted over the summer period to prepare our parents, students, and staff for their return to the school in August. This will look to raise awareness; educating and sharing best practices for social distancing and appropriate hygiene measures. Last week we worked in consultation with ADEK on the parameters which are likely to be in place for re-opening in August. If permitted, it is our intention to be in a position where we are able to allow students on campus each day within government guidelines. We will not be publishing final details of our re-opening plans until the first half of August as things are changing so quickly and, as parents, you deserve to hear the facts and not be left confused with ever-changing rules. The most important thing to note is that we have planned for a variety of scenarios, even though we have a relatively clear idea of what we will be allowed to do to provide a safe and appropriate return to school for all our students. A few key points are listed below: •
There will be appropriate and robust health checks and processes in place across the school
•
The school will follow the prescribed social distancing measures. In order for children to attend school we will be using all available areas to teach the children in, such as gyms, canteens etc. We have all this mapped out but will wait to hear the final decisions on the distancing measures in August before we finalise these plans
•
The first week of term is likely to be staggered to allow us to test out all or procedures and to ensure we have everything running smoothly. It will also allow the students to slowly get used to the new procedures before everyone returns.
•
Students may need to bring their own lunch into school every day for at least the first few weeks. If catering is allowed it will only be picnic style delivery to classrooms
•
There will be restrictions with how buses operate but we need some clarity on
•
We may implement staggered arrival times to allow us to safely check all
•
We may also implement staggered departures to ease traffic and congestion
•
It is unlikely that adults will be allowed on site unless they are staff or essential
•
All students will need to bring their own masks, pens, water bottles, school
this before a formal announcement can be made in August students without keeping them outside in the heat for too long within the school campus delivery staff equipment etc to school. The school will have some supplies, but students will be required to bring in their own belongings everyday •
Sports are likely to be non-contact. ECPs will also be non-contact if they are allowed to restart
•
Students are likely to be kept in cohort bubbles and taught across their bubble by a range of teachers who are working within grade level or department level educational plans. Arrangements will be different depending on which section of the school your child is in, and these arrangements will be communicated clearly by Heads of School in August
•
We will be providing the opportunity for students to continue distance learning if they choose to remain at home. This may look a little different to how it has over the last few months, as all teachers will be fully employed in the classroom each day and we need to find a way to balance their time with face to face teaching and supporting parents who choose for the children to stay at home
This is only a small snapshot of what parents and students can expect. Nothing is formalised yet, but it gives a flavour of how school may operate after the summer. We kindly ask all parents to ensure their contact details are up to date with school before the new academic year starts so that no new information is missed. We hope this helps all families go into the summer with a little more understanding of how the school might look at the start of Term 1, though there is much more detail to be shared in August. None of us can tell what the next few weeks and months will hold but we are certainly working towards getting the children back in with the appropriate high quality safety measures in place.
خطــة إ عــادة افت�تــاح مبا نــي المدرســة تنوه إدارة المدرســة أنه من المتوقع إعادة فتح أبواب مدرســة الراحة الدولية الســتقبال الطلبة بعد انتهاء العطلة الصيفية ،كما تم ذكره مســبق ًا األســبوع الماضي. ســتعتمد إدارة المدرســة خطة مدروســة للصحة والســامة مبنية على أفضل المعلومات واإلرشــادات التــي تــم التوصــل إليهــا فــي الوقت الحالي والتي زودتنــا بها وزارة الصحة بدولة االمارات العرب�ية المتحدة ،كما تعتمد مخطط واضح ومحدد لصحة وســامة أبنائنا الطلبة األعزاء ،وذلك الســتقبال الطالب بأمان في المدرســة بنهاية شــهر أغســطس لعام 2020م .ومن الجدير بالذكر أنه ســيتم تعديل تلك الخطط باســتمرار خــال العطلــة الصيفيــة وفقـ ًا للتوجيهات الصادرة عن الــوزارات المعنية ،عند توفر المزيد من المعلومات والتوجيهات الحكومية ،والتي من خاللها ســيتم الرتكيز على اإلجراءات الصحية الســليمة و الفعالة .وســتخضع هذه اإلجراءات الجديدة للمراجعة المســتمرة من قبل فري�ق عمل المدرســة المتخصص لمتابعــة فــروس كوفيــد .19-ويت�كــون فريـ�ق العمل لدينا في مدرســة الراحة الدولية من المدير وخرباء الصحة والســامة في مؤسســة تعليم ،ورئيس العمليات ومدير المرافق وكبار أعضاء مؤسســة تعليم، إضافة إلى طبيب المدرســة والممرضة. نؤكد أن أولوياتنا القصوى عند الرتحيب بعودة الطلبة إلى المدرســة هي ســامة وأمن وصحة طالبنا الجسدية والعقلية. ســوف يتم أيضا عمل حملة « العودة إلى المدرســة « خالل العطلة الصيفية ،بهدف تهيئة أولياء األمور والطالب ،والهيئة اإلدارية والتدريســية للعودة إلى الدوام في المدرســة خالل شــهر أغســطس .حيث ســتهتم هذه الحملة برفع مســتوى الوعي العام ،مع مشــاركتهم بأفضل التدابري الوقائية وكيفية التباعد االجتماعي. عملنا جنب ًا إلى جنب مع دائرة الرتب�ية والمعرفة خالل األســبوع الماضي ،بهدف مناقشــة أهم المعاي�ي المحتملة إلعادة افت�تاح المدرســة في أغســطس ،وعودة النظام الدراســي الطبيعي في ظل االحرتازات الوقائية .مع األخذ بالعلم أن إدارة المدرســة ســتصرح عن تفاصيل الخطة النهائية إلعادة فتح المباني للطلبة ،في النصف األول من شــهر أغســطس ،وذلك يرجع إلى التغريات والتطورات التي تحدث باســتمرار. ومــن الجديــر بالذكــر أنــه علــى الرغــم من وجود تصور واضح أمامنا لما ســيكون عليه الوضع عند عودة طلبتنــا األعــزاء ،إال أننــا حرصنــا علــى وضــع مجموعة متنوعة من الخيارات والخطط البديلة لضمان ســامة جميع الطلبة.
يرجــى األخــذ بعــن االعتبار بعض النقاط المهمة: •سـت�كون هناك فحوصات صحية ذات كفاءة عالية في جميع أنحاء المدرســة باســتمرار. •سـت�تبع المدرســة إجراءات التباعد االجتماعي المقررة من قبل الحكومة ووزارة الرتب�ية والمعرفة، من أجل حضور األطفال إلى المدرســة مع الحفاظ على ســامتهم ،وسنســتخدم جميع المناطق المتاحــة لتعليــم األطفــال مثــل الصــاالت الرياضية والمقاصــف وما إلى ذلك .وقبل اعتماد هذه الخطة، ســيتم انتظار القرارات النهائية بشــأن إجراءات التباعد االجتماعي في أغســطس. •من المرجح أن يبدأ األســبوع األول من الفصل الدراســي بشــكل تدري�جي ،وذلك بهدف إتاحة الفرصة الختبار اإلجراءات المتبعة ولضمان سالســة عمل كل ما تم التخطيط له .كما سيســاعد ذلك الطلبة على العودة للدوام المدرســي ضمن اإلجراءات الجديدة.
•قد يحتاج الطلبة إلى إحضار وجبة الغداء معهم إلى المدرســة كل يوم ،على األقل في األســابيع األولى .وإذا تم الســماح بتقديم وجبات الطعام ،فســيتم تســليمها لهم في الفصول الدراســية. •سـت�كون هناك قيود على عمل الحافالت وســننتظر بعض التوضيحات الرســمية في هذا الشــأن ،قبل أن يتم اإلعالن الرســمي عنها في أغســطس. •من الممكن اللجوء إلى تحديد أوقات مختلفة للحضور إلى المدرســة ،وذلك بهدف الســماح لفري�ق عمــل المدرســة المتخصــص فحــص جميــع الطلبة بأمان ،تفاديـ ًا إليقافهم في درجات حراراة عالية لفرتة طويلة. •كما ســنقوم على األرجح باتخاذ أوقات متباينة لمغادرة مبنى المدرســة ،للتخفيف من االزدحام داخل المدرسة. •يرجى أخذ العلم أنه في أغلب األحيان لن يســمح للبالغني بالدخول إلى المدرســة ،ما لم يكونوا من موظفي المدرســة أو المصرح لهم. •ســتقوم المدرســة بتزويد الطلبة ببعض اللوازم ،مع ذلك ســيطلب من الطلبة إحضار اللوازم ـاء عليــه ،فإن على جميــع الطلبة إحضار األقنعة الطبيبة ،األقالم، األساســية الخاصــة بهــم .وبنـ ً وقارورات المياه وغريها من المعدات المدرســية الخاصة بهم.
•سـت�كون حصص الرياضة المدرســية ملتزمة بقواعد التباعد االجتماعي .وفي حال تم الســماح ببدء األنشــطة األخرى ،فســتعتمد على إجراءات التباعد االجتماعي أيض َا. •مــن المرجــح أن ت�تــم عمليــة التعليــم للطلبــة من خالل مجموعات صغــرة مع المحافظة على التباعد الجســدي ،وســيتم تعليم كل مجموعة من الطلبة عن طري�ق المعلمني الذين يعملون ضمن اعتمادا الخطة التعليمية على مســتوى الصف أو القســم .وســتختلف الرتتيبات في هذا الشــأن ً على المســتوى الصفي للطالب ،والتي ســيتم اإلبالغ عنها بوضوح من قبل رؤســاء األقســام في المدرســة في شهر أغسطس. •ســتوفر المدرســة فرصة للطلبة بمواصلة عملية التعلم عن بعد لمن يفضل ذلك .ومن الجدير بالذكر، أن عملية التعلم عن بعد سـت�كون مختلفة قليالً عما كانت عليه خالل األشــهر القليلة الماضية، النشــغال المعلمني في الفصول الدراســية طوال اليوم ،ولذلك فإننا كإدارة ســنحتاج إلى إي�جاد طريقــة لموازنــة أوقاتهــم بــن التدريس داخل الفصول الدراســية ،وبني دعم أولياء األمور الذين ســيختارون اســتمرار أطفالهم في عملية التعلم عن بعد.
يرجــى التنويــه أن هــدف النقــاط الســابقة إعطــاء صورة عامة ،أو مــا يمكن للطلبة و أولياء األمور توقعه عن كيفية عمل المدرســة في شــهر أغســطس ،مع التذكري بأنه لم يتم اتخاذ أي قرار رســمي حتى اآلن. نرجو من جميع أولياء األمور الت�أكد من تحديث بياناتهم لدى المدرســة قبل بدء العام الدراســي الجديد، حتــى ت�كــون إدارة المدرســة قــادرة علــى التواصــل مع أولياء األمور في حال الحاجة لذلك.
آملني أن نكون قد اســتطعنا تشــكيل فهم أوســع لما ســيكون عليه الوضع العام الدراســي المقبل لدى جميــع الطلبــة وأوليــاء األمــور األعــزاء ،مع الت�أكيد بأنه ســيتم التصري�ح عــن القرارات النهائية المفصلة في أغســطس .وبالرغم من صعوبة توقع ما ســتحمل األســابيع واألشــهر القليلة المقبلة ،إال أننا بالت�أكيد نعمل بجهد من أجل إعادة األطفال إلى الدوام المدرســي داخل الفصول الدراســية مع اتخاذ تدابري الســامة بدرجة عالية من الجودة.
Raha International School
GRADE 12 LEAVERS
We bid farewell to another graduating class, the Class of 2020. It was not the end we had hoped for our graduates but they took it all in stride and we couldn’t be more proud. To our leavers, we wish you all the very best of luck as you start your next chapter and we can’t wait to see where your story takes you! We hope you visit! Watch our virtual graduation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-2ogu4JRs
WHERE ARE THEY GOING? Our Grade 12 Leavers have been accepted to universities all around the world and a few are waiting for acceptances to come at a later date. Students have received offers to universities in the following countries: Australia
Malta
Belgium
Netherlands
Bulgaria
New Zealand
Canada
Singapore
China
South Africa
Egypt
South Korea
France
Spain
Germany
Sweden
Ireland
Switzerland
Italy
United Arab Emirates
Japan
United Kingdom
Lebanon
United States of America
Malaysia
GOODBYE TO OUR FAMILIES We are always sad to see families leave Raha, even more so this year as we are not able to say goodbye in person. To all the parents and students who are leaving Raha this year, we wish you the very best as you move on to new school/cities/ countries and take on new adventures. We will miss you all and we thank you for being part of the Raha community!
LEAVING STAFF It is that time of year when we must say goodbye to some of our staff. We wish them all the very best on their next adventures!
Amy McAleer
Lisa Watson
Cheri Gallagher
Marjorie Barnes
Colm Curran
Matthew Steel
Emma Yates
Nicola Tully
Karen Page
Peter Crowther
Kathryn Socholotuk
Rosemarie Del Mundo
Kevin Smith
Sarah Yeomans
Jan Hill
Sharleen Samuelson
Jarrod Purdy
Stacey Alderman
Joanna Fligg
William Horsburgh
Lisa Cooney
Yvonne Donoghue
Term 2-3 Highlights
We Are Monsters! Performers from Grades 2-5 showed us their scariest faces in the hilarious production ‘We Are Monsters’.
PERFORMING
ARTS
HOW TO LEARN FROM HOME Near the beginning of the school closures, the Raha Tech Team were asked to come up with some kind of video series to help families cope with the challenge of learning from home. They put their heads together and came up with the web series How to Learn From Home. This series has been enormously successful, teaching students how to organize their work, cope with the digital reality, and still stay connected to family and the outdoors. They’ve had some fun with it also, and the end of the series has gone in a sci-fi direction, with a plot twist! You can check out the entire series on their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkUZkofe945tiybCo5u68yQ and the latest episode is now on Raha’s Facebook page.
VIRTUAL WELLBEING CONCERT Grade 12 Student Barkin Sagol held a virtual wellbeing concert that premiered on Raha’s social media in April. Arranged by Barkin himself, the concert featured Turkish and Azerbaijani songs played on the piano. The goal of the performance was to keep the Raha Community entertained during the lockdown period and help alleviate boredom with this cultural event! The concert can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDDZglf35k&t=1s
DIGITAL TALENT SHOWCASE The Raha community has used this time to create, learn, and practice our special talents and skills from the comfort of our homes. The response from students, families, and teachers have made this Digital Talent Showcase a massive success. Thank you all for sharing and inspiring your community!
THE SHOW MUST
GO ONLINE At Raha Performing Arts, we like to turn challenges into opportunities!
The student’s efforts caught the attent
The school closures may have cancelled performances for many schools
find an article about their work at:
(including ours) but in the digital environment distance is not an issue so
https://fcld.ly/thenational-theshowmust
we banded together with all Taaleem schools to present a new musical called The Show Must Go Online. The performance was completely
You can still catch the performance at:
rehearsed and performed remotely by 47 Taaleem students aged 10-17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4k
(23 students from Raha). The show raised awareness for UNHCR and the plight of refugees in the era of COVID-19.
tion of The National, and you can
tgoonline
km5UkUk2o&feature=youtu.be
WORLD SCHOOL GAMES Back in February, Raha students went to the World School
They worked so hard for three days of sports and
Games, but did you know that they placed 2nd in Girls’
and it paid off!
Football and 1st in overall Football and 7th in the overall competition? A big congratulations to the World School
Watch the highlight video at:
Games athletes!
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1082709492
COMPETITIVE SPORTS As we head to towards the summer break and consider the adapted version of PE and Competitive Sport, it is a great opportunity to reflect on an amazing year of sport. This year’s Games Squad produced their highest and most impressive finish to date. After 120 students tried out, the selected squad of 48 talented Athletes represented everything that is epic about Raha and ended up with a 3rd place overall finish. Considering we are now competing amongst the best of the best in Abu Dhabi in the A division, that is an unbelievable achievement. The Unreal Swim Team superbly coordinated by Miss Debs... What a super season those guys had! The Swim squad are now firmly on BSAK Schools radar and they know that we are after the number 1 spot!
athletics
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EMIRATES LIT FEST Two of the Raha students who submitted an original piece of fiction to the Oxford University Press short Writing Competition as part of the Emirates Literature Festival took home prizes! Thousands of students throughout the UAE entered; Safia Al Mansoori was awarded first place and Hannah Lila was awarded third place in their age category. We are so proud of these students and their achievements!
DESERT DANCE Raha’s Senior Dance Ensemble performed at Desert Dance in Dubai to great success! Their piece, Hopes and Dreams, was choreographed by the ensemble. The group came away with the “musicality” award and we are especially proud of Arianna who won one of the two dance scholarships – out of 600 students! Congratulations!
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARDS Back in January, we won the award for Best Initiative to Support Students’ Pathways to Higher Education at the International School Awards!
48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL 24 Raha students took part in a 48 hour film festival in February. The goal? Create a short film in under 48 hours! Run by our own Carlos Noguera and Javier Romero from Black Flamingo, it was truly an incredible event.
SHORT + SWEET FESTIVAL Two student groups competed at the Short + Sweet Festival in Dubai. A scene from NO EXIT, directed by Daniel Colledge and performed by Susanna Gomez, Tamanna Khan,
and
Lucas
Watson
competed
in
the
Wildcard round. This round is for new directors and new groups. They placed 2nd in the audience choice category (vote) and 3rd in judge’s choice, out of 10 plays. TWO ARAB TALES OF TOLERANCE, performed by Sarah Luqman, Mansoor Al Tamimi, Mohamed Al Hammadi, Wadima Al Ahbabi, and Khaled Al Mazrouei, featured in the Top 50 round. This round is for more experienced directors and groups and featured some really excellent plays. They held their own against the other plays who were all college aged at a minimum.
INTERNATIONAL DAY What a wonderful International Day we had! Thank you to our amazing international community, Parent Team, Sub-Committee and Staff for putting together a lovely community event!
THE RAPTOR REPORTER | SUMMER 2020