THE RAPTOR
REPORTER
Spring 2022
IN THIS ISSUE Message from our Leadership Term 2 Highlights
IMPORTANT DATES March 25: Last Day of Term 2 April 2: Ramadan begins April 11: Start of Term 3
SPRING BREAK REMINDER Admissions and administration offices will remain open over the Spring Break. Office hours will be: Monday - Thursday 8:00am - 4:00pm Friday 8:00am - 12:00pm Ramadan office hours during the break: Monday - Thursday 8:30am - 2:30pm Friday 8:30am - 12:00pm Families should contact the school via email or by calling 02 556 1567 (Gardens Campus) or 02 550 5271 (Khalifa City Campus).
Look at the great learning this term!
From the Office of the Principal
FROM MR IAIN Dear Parents, It is hard to believe that I am writing my final
newsletter after six wonderful years at Raha. It truly is a bittersweet moment. Looking back on what has been achieved by the whole team
over this period brings me so much joy but knowing that from next week I won’t be sitting in my office listening to the students playing
outside, high fiving or reading to the EY children
or preparing to present at another Graduation ceremony makes me feel rather sad.
The pleasure that Raha has brought me during my time here is hard to put into words. This
school has been my home, my passion and my second family since day one, and the memories I am left with now are truly wonderful.
It would be impossible to list all the great things which have happened over the last six years but some of the most treasured memories I have are:
The school receiving an Outstanding rating for a second time and still being the
only Outstanding IB school in the UAE, and the longest standing Outstanding school in all of Abu Dhabi
The school winning a global award for providing exceptional student pathways to university
Winning an award for being the Top IB School in the UAE from Which School Advisor
Raha’s Exceptional Journey
The beautiful graduation ceremonies every year and the fact that so many students get accepted to their first-choice universities across the globe
Being the only Abu Dhabi school to offer full-time, 5-days a week on-campus learning, to eligible students on the return to school after national lockdowns The opening of our Gardens Campus Arts Centre and EY2 building Celebrating the school’s 10-year and 15-year anniversaries
Developing our wonderful community coffee shop – Raptors Nest and of course, the biggest project I have ever undertaken The new Khalifa City Campus
From the Office of the Principal
I could go on and on… Even though these huge milestones have been reached, what still gives me the biggest smile is seeing and being a part of our children’s joy and happiness.
Greeting families at the front gate in the mornings and reading to the children each week are probably some of my favourite moments. Seeing first-hand the
anticipation and genuine love for learning our children have, plus the happiness of the parent community are cherished moments for me.
I have also thoroughly enjoyed working with the staff within the school. We have one
of the lowest staff turnovers in the whole of Abu Dhabi and I am proud that we are continually developing leaders and promoting so many people from within. We have all been through an incredibly difficult couple of years and I am always proud when I hear that our school has done more to support our students and community
than so many others during the Covid period. This is entirely down to the commitment, dedication, and love for the students which all the staff across both
campuses have shown. It has been a pleasure working with so many professionals, who also have a love for their own learning.
I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been associated with the school over the past six years. To be able to run such a happy and high-performing
school with such a wide variety of stakeholders, through the challenges we have encountered could only have been made possible with the support, kindness, and
encouragement of the whole community. From the staff and parents to the students, Taaleem and the wider authorities, Raha has always had a special place
in the UAE and I am sure this will continue for many years to come. I look forward to keeping updated on how the school continues to flourish and want to wish the entire community my absolute best. Thank you and goodbye…
Yours sincerely,
Iain Colledge Iain Colledge
Executive Principal, Raha International School
Goodbye
Mr Iain
And thank you!
From the Office of the Principal
We have had a fabulous term at KCC. With the cooler weather, we have been able to move an enormous amount of our
learning into our outdoor environments, allowing our students more opportunities to collaborate, be curious and to inquire in these beautiful spaces. We have had held sports days,
swimming galas, wacky wellness walks, Tuneful Tuesdays and a
full ECP programme. Enrichment activities such as these are exactly what gives school life an extra sprinkle of fun, and we are very happy to bring these back into our curriculum.
KCC has also made several exciting appointments for the next
academic year. We are delighted Luci Willis will be our Head of
Secondary. Luci is a knowledgeable, passionate, and forward thinking IB expert. She is currently working on her PhD in
Education and Social Justice, is an IB Workshop Leader and a CIS Evaluator. We look forward to her continued input into our MYP and DP programme.
We also have Fatima Miller joining us as Head of Multilingualism. Fatima is a highly experienced MYP Workshop Leader, IB School Visit Team member and leader who has
experience in TOK, DP, MYP, Primary, and Arabic and French. She will be overseeing our Languages teams including Arabic, and our Islamic team, as well as building opportunities for intercultural understanding
and global citizenship across the whole school. Our final exciting appointment is our new Head of Learning and Teaching, Saeed Smith. Saeed is an experienced Lead IB Examiner, an Educational Technology Integration Leader, and has taught Science and Sports Science in the DP and MYP. Saeed will
join us in this whole school role by helping to create systems and processes to enhance our learning, teaching and assessment practices.
Finally, a huge thank you to our incredible staff at KCC. From the talented leadership and teaching team to the incredible support and administrative staff, I am grateful for these people and proud of how they pull together to ensure that the operations and academics of KCC work seamlessly. They are extremely
loyal to KCC and go over and above for our learners and our families. I am in awe of what they do day in and day out to ensure that this school is exceptional. Thank you!
To our KCC community, have a restful, relaxing, and enjoyable Spring Break! We look forward to welcoming you all back for another great term at KCC.
Nicola Neethling Nicola Neethling
Principal, Khalifa City Campus
From the Office of the Vice-Principal
Following 8 years, 2 ‘Outstanding’ ADEK ratings and a huge amount of fun, the time has come for me to leave Raha.
I am so proud of everything we have achieved as a
Raha family and am proud that my daughters have
been part of this journey during which Raha has helped them grow not only academically, but as
well-rounded individuals. Raha emulates all the
values of the IB and this is clear by looking at our body of global students. Leaving was always going to be a difficult decision, however, it is time to begin a new adventure in Japan with a small school that are new to the IB. This will be an exciting new
chapter for us as a family, even though I am slightly concerned that I might freeze!
As I swap the beautiful palm trees for the amazing cherry blossom, I look out over the campus and see happy students who have achieved more than they first thought possible.
My final day at Raha will be May 6th. It seems fitting to end my UAE adventure after
Ramadan, in the year of not only the Golden Jubilee, but 15 years since the creation of Raha. I wish the new team the best of luck and know that Raha will become as much a part of their hearts as it has become part of mine.
Best,
Kath Simms Kath Simms
Vice-Principal, Gardens Campus
100 Days of School
We loved celebrating 100 days of school in 100 different ways!
Colour Run
Book Character Day
GC Parent Meet and Greet with Mrs Pali and Mr Iain
KCC Parent Meet and Greet
Anything but a Backpack Day
Tuneful Tuesday
Twosday
Sports Days
Grade 10 Personal Projects
Grade 11 Art on the Gardens
Term 3
We are looking forward to more fantastic teaching and learning next term. We are also so excited to welcome Mrs. Pali as the new Gardens Campus Principal!
Thank you for being part of our fantastic Raha community and helping us to have another amazing term.
See you in April!
THE RAPTOR REPORTER | SPRING 2022