DP Newsletter December 2019

DP NEWSLETTER

December 2019

Dear DP students and parents, It seems like no time at all since we met after the summer holidays and embarked on the new school year. As winter break begins, I would like to thank the whole of the Raha community for pulling together during an incredibly sad time for the school. The spirit and support shown by students, parents and staff are a real testament to you all.

Mock Exams The Grade 12 Mock Exams will begin the first day back after the winter break and will last two weeks. Students should sign in and out at the main gate, using their student IDs. Please do not enter through any gate other than the main one, as we will not be able to register you accordingly. The exams will begin on time, so do not be late.

Grade 11 Conferences These will be held the second week after the break, on the 13th and 14th of January. It is extremely important that you use this opportunity to discuss your progress with your teachers, ahead of the Semester One reports.

Work/life balance The winter break is a time for you to catch-up on work, but also to catch-up on relaxing. It is extremely important that you balance your time wisely. You don’t want to start the new year behind, but likewise you do not wish to start it exhausted. Take time out, enjoy the company of your friends and family, but don’t let your studies nag at you: if you think you need to do some work, it probably means you do. If you haven’t seen daylight for three days, it’s probably time to take a walk outside. Make a schedule and keep to it.

I wish you all the happiest of holidays wherever you are and if you are celebrating Christmas I hope it is a very merry one for you and your families. Take care wherever you are and enjoy whatever you are doing. We all look forward to seeing you refreshed in 2020.

Andrew Tomlinson, DP Coordinator atomlinson@ris.ae Ms Nicola Hewitt, Assistant to the DP Coordinator, DPC-assistant@ris.ae

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HEADS OF GRADE Grade 11 Dear parents and students, Please use the Winter Break as an opportunity to strengthen subject foundations; start the Extended Essay research/investigation and catch up on much needed rest and recovery. As a cohort, approaching ‘Study Periods’ needs to be considered with more importance. These timetabled study sessions are perfect opportunities to seek extra clarification from subject teachers (or other faculty members); consolidate the days learning, and work on homework assignments. Too often I witness students misusing these allotted periods, only to inform me later that they have too much homework after school. The correlation between effective time management and strong IB grades is undeniable. Please consider over the break how you can better manage your time. Likewise, if you would like me to sit down with you and work through an Individual Study Plan, please come and see me early after the break.

Unfortunately, ‘Lates’ and ‘Absences’ have started to increase throughout the term. If students have more than a few Lates and Absences recorded on iSams, consider that Universities can and do request this information from the school. Teachers often include this data on their Letters of Recommendation (if adequate reasons are not provided). Turning up late to class and missing days without a sufficient reason is an indication of poor time management and is considered disrespectful by your teachers and school. If an absence (or Late) is required, please make sure that teachers are emailed directly and work is requested.

The next report card (early February) will have academic achievement numbers (0-7). This is the first formal report that will provide all stakeholders with a clear attainment indication. If you have concerns about any grades, please make sure you have firstly read the ManageBac assessment feedback, and secondly email the subject teachers directly.

Assessments deadlines are continuing to arrive on the ManageBac Student Calendars and student stress levels will increase similarly. As this inevitably grows, please make sure you are communicating with the staff at school (advisory teacher; subject teachers; Ms. Mellissa/Mr. Brain; HoG and the Head of the DP) and most importantly, your home supports. You cannot get through this journey alone, use the supports that are there for you.

Students: Take a long, deep breathe in… and release it. The first term is over, and you survived it. Please use the next three weeks to recharge the batteries and get back on top of your responsibilities (dare I say, push forward with content). Spend time with your family and friends, eat well, laugh lots and have some fun!

Have a productive and enjoyable Winter Break everyone!

Kind regards, James jjones@ris.ae

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Grade 12 Greetings Grade 12 Parents, We are at the end of what has been an equally exhausting and exciting term. As we get closer to the Winter Break the students and teachers alike are looking forward to enjoying a well-deserved rest. Congratulations to students who have submitted and completed their Extended Essay and to those students who are well on their way to completing their TOK essays. The end is very near!

We encourage students to take time to rest and recuperate while spending quality time with loved ones over the break but we are conscious that mock exams will be coming up when we return in January. Students have already been guided through time management and study plans with Ms Mellissa this week and have been encouraged to find a study pattern that truly works for them. This will be the last formal attempt at completing a series of mock exams in the same manner as the real exams so students will be expected to follow all instructions and be present for every exam. Any absences will have to be clarified with a doctor's note but hopefully no one will have to exercise this option.

I would like to take the opportunity to share a short graduation update. The event will take place Saturday 30th May at 4:30pm. Students will initially be allocated four tickets each. If any student uses less than this number we will work out a system of giving unused tickets to students who may have a wider family circle wishing to attend. We will try our best to accommodate everyone but please be mindful that we may not be able to guarantee tickets for everyone who wishes to come. Photos for the yearbook will take place during the last week of January so we will have organised caps and gowns for everyone by that point. This fantastic day is edging closer and we are very excited to see the smiles and joy on the Class of 2020's faces.

Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you for your continued and unwavering support this term. As I have expressed before, parents and the school are a team working together to ensure your child gets the absolute best out of their education here at Raha. I wish each and every family a happy, peaceful and enjoyable break.

Christine Armstrong Head of Grade 12 carmstrong@ris.ae

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UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS Grade 12: We are in the high season of university applications to destinations in the U.K., U.S. and Canada. Some students already have offers! Students are encouraged to apply before winter break, so they can use their holidays for studying for Mock Exams. Learn from alumni, using holidays for university applications, and not seriously preparing for Mock Exams, has led to bad endings in May. The value of Mocks is to you learn if your current approach to exam preparation is effective enough, or do you need to adapt/modify your approach. Mocks also contribute to your grade 12 transcript scores, which is a permanent record. Last year, for those students with excellent Mock Exam Results, I forwarded these results to their universities to strengthen their applications.

Grade 11: For universities, you should be in deep research mode to assist you in formulating your university plan for next year. Keep attending university visitations to Raha campus. Attending Night School is very effective way to gather and comprehend information to possible destinations. Next sessions are listed below. Holidays are another great opportunity to visit university campuses, not necessarily to talk to someone, but to get a sense of the type of campus that appeals to you. Many students make final decisions on the campus itself. Those students planning to apply to the U.S., you should be signing up for their first SAT/ACT this spring.

Night School Sessions Return: 6:00 pm Jan. 29th DP Study Hall: Central Europe (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary 6:00 pm Feb.5th (New Date) DP Study Hall: Southern Asia (Pakistan, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines) 6:00 pm Feb. 19th DP Study Hall: Southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece) 6:00 pm Feb. 26th DP Study Hall: Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, S.Africa) 6:00 pm March 11th DP Study Hall: Western Asia (Turkey, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia) Brian Marshall – bmarshall@ris.ae

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CAS

CORE SUBJECTS

Carlos Noguera, CAS Coordinator cnoguera@ris.ae

Here are some of the highlights from G11 an G12 so far this year. It’s amazing how much has been accomplished over the las couple of months since we started this school year. From initiating new clubs to painting murals to learning new skills.

At this point, nearly all of G11 students have completed their first interview (out of three compulsory ones). The aim of the first interview is to ensure that all student have a clear understanding of what the CAS strands entail in addition to understanding the difference between a CAS project and a CAS experience. We also took this opportunity to note the difference between Reflections and Evidence. There are only a few students left to initiate their CAS portfolios at this stage- those students have been notified via Managebac.

Starting from January we can begin the third and last interview for Grade 12 students. During this last interview we look at the progress of each portfolio to close out the activities that have been completed, ensure that all CAS requirements have been met and lock your portfolio which will mark the completion of the CAS program. All portfolios must be closed by April.

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