DP NEWSLETTER
September 2019
Dear DP students and parents, Welcome to 2019-2020. This looks like being an amazing year at Raha as we introduce the largest two cohorts ever in the DP – 104 students in Grade 12 and 142 in Grade 11! Congratulations must go out to the class of 2019 as the Diploma results were once again outstanding with an incredible pass-rate of 94%, along with an average score of 31.8, well above the world average of 29.7. Timetable We are pleased to announce that the schedule will be the same as last year. ToK will always take place during lesson one each day, apart from Tuesdays and Tutorials. Grade 11 and 12 will share the auditorium for assemblies on Sundays, period 1. Students will have several study periods on their timetables. It is important that they use the time wisely, to catch up on work. Both Grade 11 and 12 have access to the DP Lounge and the DP Study Hall. It is important for students to have downtime, but they must be self-disciplined and not spend the whole of their study periods in the Lounge. Well-being Bearing in mind the mantra “A healthy body leads to a healthy mind”, Grade 11 students will have a compulsory well-being lesson each week, led by Miss Mellissa. These are compulsory lessons and are invaluable for students as they learn key study habits and how to alleviate stress. Uniform
Mock Examinations
All students are required to wear loose fitting black trousers, ankle length (either from Zaks or tailored elsewhere)- jeans are not permitted; females may wear a long black skirt, ankle length; All students must wear the DP white shirt (with black piping); black shoes with black soles; Zaks black sweater or a plain black sweater with no logo/writing (no hoodies).
As happened successfully for the last two years, Grade 12 Mock Exams will take place during the two weeks immediately following the winter vacation. This will ensure that there will be a minimum of disruption to student learning, whilst also ensuring they have the opportunity to practice writing under exam conditions.
Zaks is located on the second floor in Raha Mall.
Equivalency I had hoped to be in a position to shed some new light on the requirements for equivalency, however the information has changed twice in the past week! Currently, it is required for students to take Arabic as a 7th subject, which does not count towards their IB Diploma. This means they must take a second Language B subject. There is a new route to gain equivalency, which does not require passing the diploma; students will need a minimum of 21 points, with at least a passing grade of 3 in each subject. A Science is required for this path, which means students cannot take ESS, DT or Computer Science in Group 4.
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Maths Subjects The latest information from Universities indicates that students who wish to study a science or engineering course at University (any subject which involves mathematics) should take Maths Analysis and Approaches. All other courses only require Applications and Interpretations Presentations I appreciate there is a lot of information and I will be holding presentations on Tuesday, 10th September at 6.30 for Grade 11 and 7.45 for Grade 12 in the Study Hall. I hope to see as many of you there as possible. Communication Communication is of the upmost importance to us at Raha, therefore it is vital that students and parents follow the correct procedures when contacting staff. ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION CLASS TEACHER
HEAD OF FACULTY
DIPLOMA COORDINATOR
PASTORAL COMMUNICATION ADVISORY TEACHER
HEAD OF GRADE
DIPLOMA COORDINATOR
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 Grade 11 Parents and Students, I am delighted to welcome you all into the Raha Diploma Program family. This arduous two-year journey will undoubtedly bring significant challenge to our new cohort. To navigate effectively, I urge all students to establish early organizational systems. Keeping yourselves organised is vital; achieving strong academic growth and success in this program depends on it. My initial advice would be to keep a calendar of deadlines on your bedroom wall/fridge and plan out your study time accordingly. Developing early communication with your subject staff is also critical. Please speak regularly and openly and ask for help if you need it; the staff are here to help you! This also applies to parents. Please keep in direct contact with your child’s subject staff. As challenging as the transition to grade 11 can be, it is also an exciting time. Many students are studying subjects they feel truly passionate about, engaging with ideas and content that may shape future university or career choices. I would therefore encourage all grade 11 students to familiarise yourselves with the university counselling department over the coming months. The CAS program also inspires students to pursue their passions and developed themselves holistically. Furthermore, all DP students have now unlocked access to The Raha Raptor’s Nest (outside café); DP Study Room and DP Study Lounge. Finally, if you have any questions as a parent or caregiver, please do not hesitate to contact me (email jjones@ris.ae alternatively, I am located in the Humanities building room C12). To the students, welcome aboard the Raha Diploma Program vessel, buckle up, here we go! James Jones
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Grade 12 Dear Grade 12 Students and Parents, The time is finally upon us! The Class of 2020 are taking their final steps on their exceptional journey here at Raha. I am truly excited to be working with such a wonderfully positive and charismatic cohort and guiding them through their last months as Raha students. This year will be incredibly busy for some of our students and your support as parents is vital to their success both academically and personally in the next few months. Here at Raha we are continuing to implement strategies to manage stress levels through our Positive Education Programme. We have a few fun and helpful activities to help relieve some anxieties and stress along the way which we hope will help the students switch off from their concerns and enjoy each other’s company. As there are only a few months left it is imperative that the students get to spend some quality time with their peers. I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the end goal for this year. Grade 12 will undeniably benefit from home and school working in partnership with the students’ best interests at the forefront of everything we say and do. We actively encourage the students to seek support if they are struggling with the demands of the final months of the DP. We have so many members of staff dedicated to the students’ wellbeing and success. Advisory teachers, subject teachers, counsellors (Ms Mellissa for social/emotional support, Mr Brian and Ms Catherine for university applications and processes) our DP Co-ordinator Mr Andy for academic and, of course, myself as Head of Grade 12 are whole-heartedly committed to your child’s success here at Raha. Please do get in contact should you have any queries, comments or concerns about the year ahead. Finally, I am genuinely excited for the students and for the year ahead. I look forward to celebrating your child’s journey and accomplishments with them and with you! Christine Armstrong, Head of Grade 12
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carmstrong@ris.ae
UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS Grade 12 Welcome to your final year of high school! It’s a very exciting time which is coupled with a lot of responsibility. Finishing your DP strong and formulating an action plan for university applications are two very important goals to achieve this year. I will be available to support you and your family throughout the university application process. I do accept drop –in meetings at your convenience, but I do suggest you book an appointment in-person or via email ahead of time at the beginning of the year when many students are wanting to see me. Common breaks are especially busy, so consider booking a meeting with me during your free period. You are more than welcome to come with a friend. Setting up a meeting with your parent(s) is also helpful to ensure that everyone is working together to achieve what’s best for you and your family. To learn about the application process for particular countries, I will be conducting student tutorials during the school day. For a more thorough in-depth coverage of the application process of a particular country/region, I will be running “Raha Night School: The University Series” on Wednesday Evenings at 6:00 pm. Students planning to apply to a particular country/region are encouraged to attend that evening sessions with or without parent(s). The order of my presentations coincide with the application cycle of each country/region. My first Raha Night School session will cover U.K Universities, which will be conducted on Wednesday, September 19th at 6:00 pm in the Black Box, Arts Building. Letters of Recommendations: September is a great time to request LORs from teachers. Remember you can only ask a maximum of two DP teachers. You can select Mr. James or Mr. Andy, but they do count as one of your DP writers. As your university counsellor, I will need to write a LOR for each student applying to the U.S. Grade 11 Welcome to the Diploma Program! Hopefully, over the summer you had an opportunity to confirm that your DP course selection and chosen levels match your future plan at university. Your first goal should be to engage thoroughly into each of your DP courses and challenge yourself to the best of your abilities. Establish a working relationship with your teachers, so you receive the feedback and guidance on your progress in each course. As your university counsellor, you are more than welcome to meet with me if you have any questions or concerns about course selection and university planning. These conversations can continue throughout your time in the Diploma Program. I’m very busy during the first four months with grade 12 students, so it’s best to book an appointment with me in-person or via email to secure a timeslot. Brian Marshall – bmarshall@ris.ae
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COUNSELLOR Hello DP! I am excited to share the two best years of your school experience with you! As you begin to look ahead to the world of possibilities that await you, it is normal to feel overwhelmed and anxious. You are not alone. My role is to support your socialemotional needs throughout the program. Together we will build on your strengths to ensure you have all the tools and strategies to make this a successful year. Grade 11 - I am excited to get to know each of you and be a part of your DP adventure. New to your timetable are Wellbeing lessons, which will be a Term 1 requirement. We will use this time to set a solid foundation for developing coping skills, putting good learning practices into place and most importantly having a laugh - a proven stress reliever! Grade 12 - Our wellbeing goal this year is finding and maintaining balance as you juggle multiple commitments whist sprinting towards the end. I hope you enjoy every minute of this year! You can find me on the 1st floor in the F-block. Pop in anytime and say hello Ms Melissa mjayawickrema@ris.ae
Extended Essay
CORE SUBJECTS
Muge Okur, Extended Essay Coordinator mokur@ris.ae Welcome to the DP Grade 11 students! Extended Essay is a core component of the DP, which I will introduce you to in October. You are not expected to work on this task until then, however, you may contact potential supervisors if you already have ideas, or me if you have any questions. Grade 12 students are expected to submit their first completed draft of their Extended Essay by September 11th, directly to their supervisors. The supervisors will then spend time on preparing detailed feedback on these drafts. The final deadline for the Extended Essays will be in November. Students must contact their supervisor and the Extended Essay coordinator if they are facing any issues with meeting these deadlines. After school working sessions will be arranged for students who may need support in completing this task. All support information is available through the students’ Extended Essay worksheets on ManageBac, or I am available for support. My new room is C01 in the science block.
I wish this to be a great year for everyone!
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CAS Carlos Noguera, CAS Coordinator cnoguera@ris.ae
CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) is a core component of the IBO programme aimed at enabling students to demonstrate attributes of the IB Learner Profile in real and practical ways in order to grow as unique individuals and to recognise their role in relation to others. Diploma students (Gr. 11 and Gr. 12) are expected to complete a series of ‘experiences’ throughout the duration of the programme. This should be a variety of individual experiences (i.e. only creativity) or integrated into multiple areas of CAS (i.e. activity and service together). The experiences should be a mix of short and long-term involvement. The focus for Gr. 11 is to complete a variety of short and long-term CAS experiences that includes all three areas and multiple learning outcomes. During Gr. 11 the students are required to complete two of the three recorded reflection interviews. The aim of Gr. 12 students is to complete all CAS requirements by April 2019. This includes: 1. Ensure that all Learning Outcomes are met through a range of experiences. 2. Complete the “CAS project”. 3. Confirm that each experience has the reflection component completed in addition to the recorded interviews. TOK Aoife Abushaqra Theory of Knowledge Coordinator aabushaqra@ris.ae Theory of Knowledge is a core component of the IBO programme which principally deals with the question ‘How do you know?’. Aims of the TOK course include:
developing an awareness of how individuals and communities construct knowledge becoming aware of personal and ideological assumptions understanding that knowledge brings responsibility
After finding their feet with key course concepts such as shared and personal knowledge, Grade 11 students will begin to explore Sense perception and Emotion as Ways of Knowing. This will be followed by an examination of History as an Area of Knowledge. Questions we will ask in this unit include, “What is a fact in history?” and “Is it possible for historical writing to be free from perspective?”. Expect some interesting dinner conversations! Grade 12 students will begin the year with an introduction to their final assessment, the TOK essay. This assessment is externally graded by the IB and students will follow a strict process for drafting their essay between September – January. Students will write a 1600 word essay in response to one of six prescribed
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essay titles that have been published by the IB earlier this week. Students are expected to submit their first 800 words by November 10th. A complete draft essay will be due before Winter Break. Students will work closely with their TOK teachers and relevant subject teachers to develop their essays.
ADVISORS Victoria Croft vcroft@ris.ae
Fatima Miller fmiller@ris.ae
Trina Bonetti tbonetti@ris.ae
Zarka Nisa znisa@ris.ae
John McLean jmclean@ris.ae
Maria Antoraz Alonso mantorazalondo@ris.ae
Grade 12 Kevin Smith George Scorgie ksmith@ris.ae gscorgie@ris.ae Luke Elliot Clarke Brodie lclarke@ris.ae ebrodie@ris.ae Aoife Abushaqra aabushaqra@ris.ae
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