TERM 2 | 2018-2019
THE RAPTOR REPORTER From the Office of the Principal
FROM MR. IAIN Dear Raha Community, It seems that I begin every newsletter by saying how incredibly productive the term has been, this term is certainly no exception! This newsletter is possibly the longest termly Principal’s newsletter that we have put together and it highlights so many events which have taken place. Not only has it been action-packed with events and activities, but it has also been full of accolades and celebrations. The term began for many of the senior leadership team with our annual cycle of recruiting. I am delighted to say that we have our lowest turnover of teaching staff since we began recording this data. This demonstrates the positive dedication amongst the team and their commitment to Raha’s future. Our recruitment of just under twenty new teachers is almost complete and we look forward welcoming them at the start of the next academic year. We know they will be a wonderful addition to our community.
IMPORTANT DATES: 31 Mar - 11 Apr Spring Break 3 Apr*
Isr’a Wal Miraj 14 Apr
Term 3 Begins
Some of the most memorable events for me have been the two exceptional performances from the Primary and Secondary students – ‘Once upon an Island’ and ‘Don’t Count Your Chickens Until They Cry Wolf’. As always, Mr Stephen and his team together with the students have surpassed themselves to bring the West End to Raha! We also had our annual International Day, which is our biggest community event of the year. We estimate that the campus held about 3,500 people for the event and it was certainly an amazing celebration of the huge diversity we have at Raha. The food was as wonderful as always and the effort put into the various country stalls was incredible. There was a lot of fun rivalry between the countries which resulted in the event even better than before. A huge thank you to the Raha staff committee for all their efforts and our truly outstanding Parent Team for organising the event so very well. We have been awarded many accolades this term and our students continue to perform exceptionally. We were delighted to be awarded IB School of the Year in the UAE by SchoolsCompared. This is a tremendous achievement to be recognised on a national level. We were also shortlisted in seven other categories and listed as finalists in the Art, Theatre and Performing Arts and Best School in the UAE categories. I am so delighted for everyone associated with this recognition.
THE RAPTOR REPORTER Our students have participated in many competitions over the last term, including the following – World School Games, where we came 6th, Short and Sweet Drama Festival and Choirfest, where we got into the final of both, ITU triathlon, where we were the highest ranked school team. Our students also excelled, as they do each year, in the Taaleem Arabic Speaking Competition and Taaleem Quran Competition by coming first in virtually every category. There are many other celebrations to highlight, but this sample just shows how highly the school is achieving and developing its regional reputation. We have introduced our new entrepreneurship strategy this year and to highlight its importance to us we have appointed a staff member, Mr George, as dedicated leader for entrepreneurship across the whole school. We are also extremely excited to announce that we will be opening internship opportunities in some of the best companies in Abu Dhabi to our students this summer as we roll out our first formal internship programme. We recently hosted a business breakfast here at the school with prominent figures in the business world to kick start the programme. They are looking forward to supporting this initiative to allow our students to gain the best experience in the world of work and to enable them to support their applications to universities. At the time of writing some of the finer details are not finalised, so I will update the community further on this project at the end of Term Three. This newsletter would not be complete without a big mention for the Special Olympics. Not only did our students perform wonderfully as part of the opening ceremony but we also hosted three countries at school, who we will be supporting specifically during the competition: Barbados, Antigua & Dominica. The athletes all joined us in the week before the start of the Olympics, fresh of their long plane journey. It was a joy to see their excitement and to be part of this inspiring competition. We wish them the very best as they look to inspire the nation.
- Mr. Iain
SPRING BREAK REMINDER A reminder that Raha will be closed for all students from 31 March - 11 April. Classes will resume as normal on Sunday 14 April. Admissions and Administration offices will remain open over the break. Office hours will be: Sunday - Thursday 8:00am - 4:00pm
THE RAPTOR REPORTER
FAREWELL MS JASMINE AND WELCOME MS NICOLA
As many parents will know, we are being joined by a new Head of Early Years next term – Ms Nicola Neethling. This means we will be waving farewell to one of Raha’s longest serving members of staff – the outstanding Miss Jasmine! Jasmine has been part of the DNA of Raha since she arrived here 13 years ago. Her dedication, enthusiasm and unrivalled energy have played a huge part in the school achieving the success it now does. We are very lucky that David will remaining with us for the final term and so our links will not be cut with the Taylors just yet, but I would like to wish Jasmine - a great colleague and friend - the very best of luck as she moves home to Australia. She will be missed but certainly not forgotten!
- Mr. Iain
A SEASON OF AWARDS
TERM 2 | 2018-2019
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE SCHOOL OF THE YEAR! Raha named ‘IB School of the Year’ at Schoolscompared Top School Awards 2019 On 7 March 2019, schools decended on Rahjmahal Theatre at Dubai Parks & Resorts for the much anticipated Top School Awards 2019, hosted by Schoolscompared.com. Raha was privileged to be shortlisted in 7 categories. At the awards, the shortlists were further ‘shortened’ and the finalists were announced. Of the 7 categories, Raha was a finalist in a further 3, not counting our winning category. Final results for Raha were: Finalist: - Best School for Theatre and Performing Arts - Best School for Art - Best School in the UAE, 2019 Winner: - International Baccalaureate School of the Year
I am so proud of us all for being recognized for such a great achievement. At Raha we live and breathe the IB and everything we do is informed by the curriculum which makes this particular award all the more meaningful. Iain Colledge, Principal
SCHOOL LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR On 6 March 2019, The General Secretariat of The Executive Council of Dubai and Emirates Literature Foundation awarded the 6 winners of the School Librarian of the Year Award for their significant work in actively supporting and encouraging reading for pleasure and nurturing a life-long love of learning and innovation in their students. Two librarians were also jointly awarded special recognition for their determination and dedication to their students. Congratulations to Ms Teejay who was awarded second place! We are incredibly proud of her achievement and her dedication to making the Secondary Library an amazing space. Ms Teejay added that “all the work in the library would not be done without Ms Rouba, and really half of this award is hers. She deserves to be recognised alongside me.”
BEST USE OF DIGITAL LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM Congratulations to Mr Richard, the Head of Technology Integration at Raha, who was a finalist for the GESS Education Award for ‘Best Use of Digital Learning in the Classroom’.
UAE TEEN SPORTS & FITNESS AWARDS We are proud to announce that following staff and students have been shortlisted in the UAE Teen Sports & Fitness Awards due to take place on April 26th. Lee Ruscoe: Best Male Coach of the Year Walter Clarke: Best Male Coach of the Year Andrew Cole: Best Male Coach of the Year Des Small - Best Female Coach of the Year Mandy Taylor - Best Female Coach of the Year Remi Lavoie - Special Commendation Awards U19 Male Athlete Sophia Kaissi - Athlete Achievement Female Football Award Marwan Ibrahim - Athlete Achievement Martial Arts Award Giulio Galatro - Athlete Achievement Basketball Male Award Best Mixed Sports Team: Waterpolo, Triathlon and Golf Team Raha International School - Best Sports School Raha International School - Fittest School Raha International School - Best Youth Development Program Arabian Swim Academy - Best Club Helen Wilson - Best Coach/Manager Club Debbie Schreiber - Best Female Coach - People of Determination
A SEASON OF AWARDS
TERM 2 | 2018-2019
SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD GAMES ABU DHABI 2019
THE RAPTOR REPORTER
Raha International School is extremely proud of our community who supported the Special Olympics and the athletes competing. We heard about numerous parents, students, staff and spouses who volunteered, supported and coached throughout the games.
Raha students participated in the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 Opening Ceremony
Raha student and staff ambassadors wlecomed athletes from Antigua, Barbados and Dominica
TERM 2 | 2018-2019 Raha triathlon, swim squads and waterpolo teams showing their support for the Special Olympics athletes
2 of the 5 athletes, that are coached by Raha & Arabian Swim Academy Coaches (though the Tri Goals organisation), competed in ITU Special Olympics World Games and won Gold and Silver in their divisions. A sculpture made by Raha DP students was selected to be exhibited as part of the wider community engagement programme for the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 at the Inclusion Gallery, Emirates Palace.
Raha student Safia Al Mansouri shares her speech at the opening ceremony
PERFORMING ARTS
THE RAPTOR REPORTER
CHOIRFEST 2019 All three of Raha’s choirs performed in the Abu Dhabi round of Choirfest 2019 with energy, joy, and musicality. The Raha PYP Chorus was acknowledged for their beautiful sound, high energy and beautiful choice in music, and the Raha Junior Singers for their gorgeous tone and confidence. For the second year in a row, the Raha Singers (senior choir) have made it through to the TOP SIX in the country and sang in the UAE final at Dubai Opera. It was a wonderful evening and the Raha Singers should be very proud of their performance!
DON’T COUNT YOU CHICKENS UNTIL THEY CRY WOLF! Congratulations to the cast of DON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS UNTIL THEY CRY WOLF who performed to some very enthusiastic audiences! We got some wonderful feedback about their energy, enthusiasm, wonderful singing, and hilarious jokes!
SHORT+SWEET FESTIVAL Huge congratulations to Ellen (Playwright, MYP Drama Teacher), Baran (Director, Grade 12 Theatre Arts student) and the cast of SHAKESPEARE: A TOTALLY MODERN TEENAGER who performed in the semifinal round (People’s Choice) at the Junction Theatre, Dubai. In the end they were awarded third place (People’s Choice) and just barely missed the chance to go to the Gala Final by only 5 votes! Going this far in the festival is an incredible achievement and we are so proud of how well these students did in an all-ages festival.
Another congraulations to staffers Walter Clarke (MYP English teacher) and Michelle Francois (EY2 teacher) who also appeared at the Short and Sweet Festival along with Yvett McGregor (DP Theatre Arts Teacher, Gems American Academy). A very successful performance!
PERFORMING ARTS
TERM 2 | 2018-2019
PERFORMING ARTS
THE RAPTOR REPORTER
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND ONCE ON THIS ISLAND was a smashing success and was seen by over 500 members of the public plus the entire study body. We are so proud of what these students achieved and they really have set the bar high for future performances. In the PYP audience were two staff members from the Louvre Abu Dhabi who invited the show to come and perform at the Louvre in April!
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Raha students Barkin Sarigol, piano soloist, and Harriet Button, harp soloist, performed beautifully at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in Februrary.
DP ART EXHIBITION Congratulations to the DP Visual Art students who presented their artworks at their final year exhibition entitled ‘The mirrors’.
#MYFREEDOMDAY Students in Media Arts were featured on CNN earlier this month as part of CNN’s Freedom Project! Students created a video where they discussed ‘what does freedom mean to you?’ The video is available on our Youtube channel and Facebook page.
STUDENT INITIATIVE Shout out to our G11 DP girls who remolded the female dressing room in the auditorium!
VISUAL ARTS
TERM 2 | 2018-2019
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
THE RAPTOR REPORTER
Below are a few examples of excellent achievements by our students this term: •
Students from Raha’s ‘Taking Action Club’ were invited to Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Awards that recognises achievements in helping people, animals and the environment. They also had the chance to meet Dr. Jane. Congratulations to Raha students, Michelle, 2nd place winner of the Taaleem Award, a poetrywriting competition for school and university students, held annually by the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Raha participated in the Taaleem Holy Qur’an competition in Dubai and as usual our students and teachers won the hearts and gold and they came:
• •
Islamic A: • Omar (G10) – 2nd place • Saja (G11) – 2nd place Islamic B: • Muhammad (G10) – 1st place • Mohammad (G12) – 1st place • Aziz (G9) – 2nd place • Hafsah (G8) – 2nd place • Jena (G7) – 3rd place •
2 Raha students who participated in the Taaleem Arabic speaking competition performed exceptionally and they came: • •
• • •
Tareq (G11) – 1st place Ibrahim (G9) - 3rd place
Raha student, Jonathan, was the official ball carrier for the semi-final of the Asian Cup, UAE vs Qatar on Tuesday Congratulations to our Raha F1 in Schools team, Team MYCEF, who placed 4th overall in the UAE in their first try of this really tough competition! Raha student, Meera, recently acted in a Mother’s Day video for Majid TV
PRIMARY READS FOR 1 MILLION MINUTES! The Primary school reached their goal of reading for 1 MILLION MINUTES! They were inspired by David Schwartz’s visit in January to read for that long and it only took them 10 weeks! Well done to 4JJ, the class with the most minutes read.
TERM 2 | 2018-2019
COMPETITIVE SPORTS
THE RAPTOR REPORTER
Term 2 Sports have dominated most leagues in Abu Dhabi with over 350 Raha students competing in 6 sports (football, rugby, cricket, swimming, triathlon, rugby, basketball, and waterpolo) and several teams placing within the top 3 schools in the league rankings. Numerous hours before/after school were given up to train for the ADISSA Leagues and Tournaments throughout the season and the athletes and coaches should be commended for their dedication and commitment to sport at Raha.
The Taaleem Titans Rugby team have competed in a few tournaments this Term allowing some of our players to extend their rugby talents with a group of players from Taaleem schools in Dubai. Special mention to the Triathlon team who have participated in several events, including the ITU where we have led the Abu Dhabi Schools in participation and medal placings competing amongst many Triathon Clubs. Raha’s first ever Golf team has blown us away in winning several competitions throughout the year – competing in some top tournaments!
We are proud to announce that Raha, several staff and students have once again been nominated and shortlisted among the top schools in the UAE in the UAE Teen Sports & Fitness Awards 2019. We wish everyone luck and look forward to the presentation in April. Six of our top senior basketball players have made the cut for Taaleem Titians Basketball Team and will have the amazing opportunity to play in an overseas basketball tournament to Poland in June. Our very own Coach Walter will be accompanying them on this trip.
Raha has participated in the Adopt a Nation Program affiliated with the recent Special Olympics that has just taken place in Abu Dhabi. Our schools welcomed Barbados, Antigua and Dominca and supported them for the competitions. We are looking forward to Term 3 Sports which consist of basketball, volleyball and badminton. Although a short season, it will be an intense one! The Sports Awards Presentation will be in June – keep your eye on social media for the exact date to be confirmed shortly. Keep up the amazing dedication, determination and enthusiasm that allows Raha to continue to be exceptional!
COMPETITIVE SPORTS
TERM 2 | 2018-2019
WORLD SCHOOL GAMES
THE RAPTOR REPORTER
Raha International School Grade 6 & 7 athletes finished top 10 in The World School Games against schools from Nigeria, Germany, Greece, Kazakhstan, Bahrain and the UAE. Over three gruelling days in Dubai Sport City our athletes competed in 3 events; Track & Field, Football and Swimming. Despite being a full year younger than other schools the team showed resilience in the face of adversity and exceed all of their goals. We are extremely proud of our athletes and their outstanding performances. As one student said ‘It started with an email, and it ended with a dream come true’.
Every year we are amazed at the work that goes into making our International Day a success and we have to say a very big THANK YOU to the Raha Parent Team, their International Day Sub-Committee and the Raha International Day Committee for all their hard work and dedication over the past months to organize and bring together this amazing event. We also thank everyone who contributed, participated and supported International Day. It really was an amazing celebration of our diverse international community.
INTERNATIONAL DAY
TERM 2 | 2018-2019
THE RAPTOR REPORTER TERM 2 | 2018-2019
We hope you have an enjoyable Spring Break!
