DP Newsletter December 2020

DP NEWSLETTER

December 2020

Dear DP students and parents, Well, that was 2020. A very strange year. I can’t believe we’re already at the winter break, but at the same time it seems years, not months, ago we were adjusting the spring break and entering lock-down.

I have to say that the DP students have been fantastic at sticking to the rigid plans and it’s a testament to their attitudes that we’ve made it through with our bubble intact. It’s hopefully not becoming a cliché to say “We’re all in this together”.

I mentioned to the Grade 12s that, although the teachers are confident that we are on schedule with covering the curriculum, this is dependent on the students working during the holiday and, obviously, being prepared for lessons.

As we move towards a new term, there will be some changes to the school as the MYP students return. This will impact breaks and where students are able to go during study periods. Grade 12 will also move to the Science building as well. More information will follow on this, in due course.

Grade 11 will also be starting Well-Being lessons with Ms Mellissa. These classes are a great way to learn strategies to cope with the rigours and stresses of the DP programme, as the workload increases. The classes are compulsory and will happen one 30-minute period a week. Your updated schedule will be issued at the start of the term.

If you are travelling, I wish you a safe journey and hope you don’t have to quarantine for too long at either end of your vacation. If you are staying here in the UAE, stay safe and enjoy the amazing weather.

Happy Holidays, 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 Greetings year 12 cohort and families, I hope you are all enjoying this well earned time together; it has been a busy time for everyone!

The challenges of a reduced timetable, school Covid regulations and global uncertainty has proven to be extremely taxing on the students this past term. Two critical skills that have been challenged and hardened by this adversity, include resilience and adaptability. Both will serve our students well when preparing for the final assessments in April/May and more importantly, a long life after school.

Internal Assessments (IA’s), Extended Essays and Theory of Knowledge deadlines have besieged the timetable. Pleasingly, Extended Essays have been uploaded to ManageBac by the majority of students, ticking one major box on the course requirements list. IA’s will be completed over the coming term, leaving the last hurdle of CAS to overcome.

Students must be congratulated on championing the schools Covid expectations. ADEK regularly inspected the school for compliance (surprise inspections, sometimes twice a week). There were numerous reminders to wear masks appropriately and maintain social distancing, however, 99% of students were/are able to adhere to the expectations consistently, thank you for being considerate of others.

Looking ahead, Graduation photos for the ceremony will be happening towards the end of January. This will mark the start of official Graduation preparations (more information will be sent out over the coming months). Finally, please encourage each other to keep grinding through the course. There are major deadlines looming and then, exam preparations starts (there are just under three and a half months of school remaining), finish strong.

Please enjoy the freedom of being off timetable and use the next three weeks to recharge your batteries as much as possible; you will need the energy later!

Please reach out if you need.

All the very best everyone!

Kind regards, James

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jjones@ris.ae

Grade 11 Dear Grade 11 families, It is very hard to believe we are at the end of term one already. Grade 11s have adapted very well to the demands of the DP whether they are online or in classrooms with their teachers. When we return in January, some aspects of school life will look a little different for the Grade 11 students with the return of MYP grade levels. More details of this will be shared soon.

The students have been progressing through the content of their subjects and the year group is very enthusiastic about exploring initiatives outside the classroom for CAS or just for their own enjoyment. Some programmes such as Humanities Hearts, The Raha Times, The Student Council and others have been very successful and that is due to the sheer hard work and camaraderie from our fantastic student body. It’s really heartening to see that they are establishing a healthy balance between their academics and their own interests.

In January, students will begin wellbeing lessons to learn strategies to help manage their time and stress levels during the DP. We are committed to looking after our students’ wellbeing particularly when they are partaking in such an academically rigorous course. We will also be continuing to use tutorial times to educate the students about educational choices after Raha, support and guidance with Extended Essay and CAS as well as using our Positive Education initiative to continue promoting and caring for our students’ welfare.

A reminder that if you would like your child to leave school early, please send an email to me the evening before at the latest stating your child’s name, the reason for leaving and what time you would like to pick them up. This ensures a smooth and easy exit from school. A second reminder is, again, school uniforms.

Your child should be wearing the Diploma shirt, black pants (not jeans or leggings) and all black shoes. With the cold weather upon us, students are permitted to wear all black sweatshirts or cardigans but they must still wear their school shirt underneath.

I would like to remind parents and students to please reach out if there is anything you would like guidance or support with. We are always here to help. Wishing everyone a peaceful and enjoyable Winter Break. See you all in 2021!

Christine Armstrong Head of Grade 11 carmstrong@ris.ae

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UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS

From the University Counselling Office 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! They can tell you how exciting the first offer is! With no Mocks to study for over the break, you should be able to organize yourself very well for university applications and your DP courses. Keep your assigned university counsellor in the loop on your university plans, even if submission is months away. Don’t forget to build in some “fun time” during the winter season. Enjoy your break!

Grade 11: You survived your first chunk of DP. Time to assess what went well and what requires changes. Link possible university destinations to your performance. If you are planning to apply to US universities next fall, you should be signing up for your first SAT or ACT exam to be written this spring. Usually one in the spring and one in the fall is sufficient. These exams have had a number of cancellations during the pandemic, but hopefully, the issues leading to cancellations has been resolved. If you are considering applying to Oxford, Cambridge or Medicine in the UK, you should start your research now. Fastest way to learn about university applications in a particular country is to attend the Night School session (view Night School Looms). Winter schedule is below. Enjoy your winter break!

Night School Winter Session: 6:00 pm Jan. 20th- East Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, S. Korea, Taiwan) 6:00 pm Feb. 10th - Central Europe (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary) 6:00 pm Feb. 24th- Southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece) 6:00 pm Mar. 10th - Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, S. Africa) Night School Spring Session: - TBC

Brian Marshall – bmarshall@ris.ae

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CORE SUBJECTS

CAS DEC. CAS Newsletter

CAS Handbook available here

http://gg.gg/CASHANDBOOK

'Tis the season to get CAS-going Fa la la la la, la la la la This winter holiday is a great time to catch up with family, friends and CAS portfolios as well. I’ve heard many students tell me that they are struggling to “find CAS opportunities” given the current restrictions in place. While part of me wants to agree to some extent, I also believe that if there is a will, there is a way. Here are some ideas for experiences you can embark during this next holiday: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Continue your clubs and societies online Start a daily exercise routine (or add a challenge to your current? For example, Julian learning how to unicycle) Volunteer from home remember there are 4 different kinds of Service( Direct, Indirect, advocacy, research)- Have you seen Leann, Menna, Milene and Sneha’s advocacy page on IG @educateyourself Share your creative side with the world. Check out Yashas YT channel

CAS exit interview 3 (G12 students only) start from Feb 1st. Priority will be given for students with “trophy status”. The exit interviews a compulsory requirement. The purpose is to look over your completed portfolio while discussing the following sections (Reflections and Evidence, Learning Outcomes, Closing). Here is my list of possible questions to help guide the discussion.

April 15Th CAS portfolios will be locked!

This means all components need to be completed by this date. This means that your CAS page on MB has: • 7-10 CAS experiences including 1 CAS project-Your portfolio shows balance between C/A/S • All experiences/ Projects have reflections and evidence on MB • All Learning Outcomes have been addressed • 3 interviews have been completed • Struggling with time, will-power to complete your CAS reflections? Keep it simple. Remember you can combine reflections and evidence in video format. You combine your pictures, screenshots (etc.) and have a voice recording where you follow this structure: 1.

2.

3.

Describe what you did.

Why are you proud of completing this experience/ why was this meaningful?

How did you meet each of the Learning Outcomes you chose?

G11 students, at this point everyone should have at least one experience/project started with reflections and evidence. Don’t let this pile up! It won’t go away, trust me.

As we wrap up this whirlwind of a year, it is a good time to reflect on all the achievement and accomplishments that you managed to achieve despite all the adversities and limitations this year gave us. Please take a moment to show gratitude and love to your family for taking care of you, same to your friends and everyone else in your circles. Try to enjoy your break as much as possible but don’t forget to do some physical activity as well! This will keep your mind (and midsection) in good shape.

Wishing you a happy break, Mr. Carlos

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Extended Essay Muge Okur mokur@ris.ae Grade 11 Grade 11 students are currently working on their research questions with the help of their supervisors. Before winter break, all students should have the subject and supervisor selected in the Extended Essay tab on ManageBac. The process continues with the main reading and research stage when students spend time on finding and analyzing several primary and secondary sources, winter break is an excellent opportunity to do this. After the break, we will hold the first formal reflection meetings with supervisors, and the students will be entering their Research Question (RQ) and 1st reflection on ManageBac, by March 18. I will be sharing detailed information with the students about this meeting. I encourage students to review as many assessed samples as possible, and the subject-specific section on the EE website at this stage. There are direct links through MB, but feel free to contact me, and I’ll be happy to guide you.

I wish everyone a restful, enjoyable break!

Grade 12 Congratulations to all students who have completed their draft Extended Essays and received their feedback!

The deadline for final essays is January 3rd, 2021, submission through ManageBac calendar. After that date, the essays will be checked, and reflection 3 meetings will be held before we are ready to send the essays to the IB. A final reminder to all students to make sure they follow the format requirements correctly in their final product. There is a document called “Criterion D-presentation” on MB files to help with this. This was one of the largest tasks in the DP, and successful completion should be celebrated. In February, we will be holding the last formal reflection meetings, which will be followed by entry of reflection 3 by the students, supervisor comments and IB submissions, which will be the official ending to the Extended Essay process.

I wish everyone a restful, enjoyable break!

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Theory of Knowledge Aoife Abushaqra aabushaqra@ris.ae

Grade 11 students have just completed their exploration of their first Area of Knowledge, the Arts. In this unit we covered a diverse range of topics including the evolving nature of the Arts, the diversity which exists within art forms in terms of historical and cultural considerations as well as methodology, and the ways in which the Arts are a form of social commentary.

Recently, students were asked to share examples of Think TOK moments across the curriculum. I was impressed by the range of connections they were able to make independently to what they have been learning in their DP subject lessons. Some of the knowledge questions they related their learning to included “What role do paradigm shifts play in the progression of scientific knowledge?” and “Is it unfair to judge people and actions in the past by the standards of today?”. TOK classes regularly offer opportunities for student reflection and interdisciplinary connections to be made. Grade 11 students are encouraged to continue to use their TOK Online Journal as a reflective space in the lead up to their formal assessments later in the course. Over Winter Break, students must develop their proposal for their upcoming modified TOK Exhibition task in January.

Meanwhile, our Grade 12 students have reached a key stage in developing their 1600 word draft essay having received feedback on their first 800 words in recent weeks. They are in the process of refining their essay and selecting appropriate Real Life Situations to contextualise their analysis. Students will continue to follow a strict process for drafting their essay between now and early February when the final version will be submitted for external grading. A full 1600 word draft is due mid January. Upon their return from Winter Break some lesson time will also be dedicated to exploring Ethics as a final Area of Knowledge.

Don’t forget to tune into Talk the TOK podcast! Episode 4 will be out this weekend in which we are joined by DP Physics teacher, Ms. Nora Norris, to discuss how we as members of the public, might judge whether to accept scientific findings, if we do not have detailed scientific knowledge. Follow @talkthetok on Instagram for more details about upcoming episodes and opportunities to contribute to the discussion.

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