Sci-CafĂŠ at TKS
The second TKS Sci-CafĂŠ event was held on December 9, 2019 and focused on the topic of 'Smarter Plastics,' featuring amazing audience questions and participation from both staff and students at TKS! The event was a huge success, featuring KAUST students and researchers speaking on the chosen topic. Panelists included students and researchers in AMPM, KCC, and KSC. This event partners the Office of the VPR with Community Life and TKS in order to build a bridge betweem researchers on campus and The KAUST School students grade levels 6-12. Photos By: Andrea Bachofen-Echt Read more about the new #TKSLinks logo on page 10.
January 30 , 2020
From the Director Happy New Year! I hope everyone was able to enjoy some rest and relaxation while the students were away from school over the winter break. My family enjoyed a lovely holiday Down Under exploring parts of Australia and New Zealand. This time of year the recruitment of new faculty for the coming school year is a priority for all administrators. Over the winter holiday I attended recruitment fairs in Melbourne and Bangkok. It is wonderful to hear how The KAUST School has earned such a positive reputation worldwide. We were consistently able to attract top candidates from the teaching pool to join us at KAUST for the 2020-21 school year. At the end of this school year we will highlight all of the new faculty that will be joining us. We are also pleased to report that we have had very little turn-over in our current staff, so we will enjoy the consistency and continuous improvement that comes with solid retention rates. Please mark February 19 on your calendar! One of the major accomplishments of the first half of the school year was the beginning of our Strategic Planning process, which was the development and adoption of new Guiding Statements for the school. The Guiding Statements include a new Mission, Vision, and Values that will guide our school for years to come. On February 19, we will be hosting a parent information session entitled “TKS - Present & Future”. This session will be followed by our always popular “Partners for Learning” sessions. The parent information session will be held in the Circle Theater and we will highlight the new guiding statements, the accomplishments for the current year, the improvement plans in place for the coming year, as well as the process to continue to provide constructive feedback to the school focused on continuous improvement. I look forward to seeing you all on February 19.
Sincerely, Dr. Michelle Remington, Director - The KAUST School
Contents 4 5 10 12
Counselors Corner KG Elementary Secondary
TKS Welcomes Starting the 2020-21 school year, we are pleased to have a Director of Learning and Innovation at The KAUST School. This is a critical position for the school at this time because we are a growing and complex school. We currently deliver the PYP, MYP, and DP programs of the International Baccalaureate Curriculum and we are continually striving to improve our approaches to teaching, learning, and innovation. This year we have engaged with a consultant to begin the process of identifying internationally benchmarked standards that can support the three IB programs from K1-Grade 12. The Director of Learning and Innovation will continue to carry this work forward in the future. In addition to supporting the student learning program, this position is created to support the professional learning of the faculty at TKS as well. We are fortunate to engage with some of the top professionals in the world to ensure that we are keeping abreast of best practices and the most current trends in educational research. After conducting a worldwide search for a Director of Learning and Innovation, we are pleased to announce that we have hired Mr. Julian Edwards. With a background in all three IB programs, experience as a divisional administrator, and having served as a Head of Learning at a large reputable international school, we knew that Julian possessed the qualities we were looking for in our Director of Learning and Innovation. We look forward to Julian joining us in August of 2020. Dr. Michelle Remington, Director - The KAUST School Bio: After starting his teaching career in England as a PE and Geography teacher, and later in Special Education, Julian moved into international education at the International School of Tanganyika (IST) in 1999. He became PYP Coordinator there, in one of the first schools to be accredited with the programme, and then moved to a similar role at the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) before becoming Elementary Vice Principal. During this time Julian was involved in the early discussions about the IB Continuum which in part influenced a return to his secondary roots when in 2007 he became Secondary Principal at NIST International School in Bangkok. Among other projects at the school he led the implementation of 'MYP: The Next Chapter’, and for many years also taught Theory of Knowledge. After seven years in that role, Julian was appointed Head of Learning at NIST leading the connection of learning across the three IB programmes. For the last three years, Julian has been Primary Principal at the Inter Community School, Zurich focusing on the implementation of the PYP Enhancements. Throughout his time in international schools, Julian has been a regular contributor to IB developments and workshops as well as following his own areas of professional interest, which include inquiry and project-based learning, creativity and innovation, educational leadership and coaching. Julian has Masters degrees in Education and Business Administration. He will be joining KAUST school with his wife Jane and daughter Molly.
My name is Lujain Ahmed Alafif and I will be the Acting Middle School Counselor taking on the role of Ms. Mahri Wooten while she is away for her maternity leave. I have a Bachelor of Science in Child Life from Edgewood College, Madison, Wisconsin, and a Child Life Specialist Certification – the first person to achieve this distinction in Saudi Arabia. I come from a diverse culture. My mother is Mexican and Swiss, and my father is Saudi. A Child Life Specialist is a trained professional with a strong background in child development that has the knowledge and skills in helping children, teenagers and their families overcome life’s challenging events by providing the proper psychosocial support. Prior to joining GSS, I worked as a counselor in an international school for students from 4-18 years of age. My role consisted of providing emotional support, behavioral interventions, fostering positive self-esteem, and counseling sessions. I am excited to be part of the counseling team and look forward to meeting you. Sincerely, Lujain Ahmed Alafif
Counselors Corner
from Tiffany L. Hill, KG Principal In December, K2 and K3 students participated in the annual Kindergarten Field Day event. Research tells us that physical education (PE) is essential to the development of children. In Kindergarten, we celebrate achievements in PE by allowing children to show off their skills during Field Day. Field Day is an event where students get to move, play, get wet, and have fun! They used the skills and knowledge they developed over the past semester to engage in different activities. The skills students have focused on are locomotor and non-locomotor skills, including coordination, jumping, running, twisting, turning, and much more. Kindergarten recently held a Parent Education Session with a focus on the Primary Years Program in the Early Years. We were happy to see so many of you in attendance, and we hope that the ideas and understandings that you took away sparked many conversations in your home about the ways that the PYP supports children's learning through play, inquiry, and the development of relationships. In February, we look forward to sharing student learning at Kindergarten Parent Conferences, TKS Partners for Learning, and celebrating our community at International Week! Warmest, Tiffany Tiffany Hill, KG Principal
KG
KG Field Day 2019
https://issuu.com/thekaustschool/docs/demographics_2018-19_for_web?e=23587344/65292788
KG
K1 Performing Arts
Have you heard? Our youngest TKS learners are developing confidence, independence, and self-expression through collaborative learning engagements in their K1 Performing Arts class. Participating in hands-on experiences with music, movement, and drama is a dynamic and engaging way for children to create and exchange ideas as well as showcase talents and skills. Learning how to compromise, share responsibilities, and contribute to a group effort are added benefits of the Arts, plus it’s exciting and fun! Written by: Lisa Barrington, K1 & K2 Performing Arts Teacher Photo Credits: Sujin Park, K1 & K2 Performing Arts Assistant Teacher
from Jeff Woodcock, GES Principal During the week of January 19, several students in Gardens Elementary School took part in the Science Fair as part of the Winter Enrichment Program. Over the course of the past few months, interested students have been completing their scientific investigations in order to take part in the Elementary School Science Fair, with finalists moving on to take part in the WEP Event alongside students from the secondary school as well as the university. As part of the preparation for the event, Chye de Ryckel, the GES Associate Principal along with GES staff members Laura Pendergast and Jamie House supported students in drafting questions, testing their hypothesis and developing conclusions based around subjects that were of interest to them. Some of this year’s topics included studying the impact of different ingredients on the quality of cakes, and analyzing the long term effect of different beverages on our teeth. Last Sunday the presentations were on display in the front foyer of GES and classes were invited to visit to learn more about the experiments and offer feedback. Our in-house judges evaluated the projects and in the end, nine students were selected to represent GES at the WEP Science Fair taking place in the University spine. A huge congratulations to all of the Science Fair participants for their amazing efforts and for their poise in front of a large audience. The nine finalists who represented GES included: Freya Olsen, Iria Martin, Zahra Malik, Ayaulym Serikkydy, Bayan Ltaief, Sabreen Kirati, Xiao Ning Ng, Matty Loucks and Dylan Xu. Jeff Woodcock Elementary School Principal
What is #TKSLinks? Whenever you see this logo in any TKS publications, you will know that the event, activity or learning experience on this page is one which connects The KAUST School and the University. For more information visit: https://tks.kaust.edu.sa/TKSUC
GES Writing Through Coding Grade 3 Creative December found many TKS students participating alongside millions of other students around the world in the Hour of Code event. Participation in this global movement provided great opportunities for our students to have a taste of coding and computer science. For a closer look at how 3JH embedded coding throughout their last unit of inquiry, check out this short video. By: Derek Halverson, Educational Technology Coach
from David Tigchelaar, GSS Principal This month we engaged in the following events: • WEP Week from 19- 23 January • Science Fair on 21 January • Gr 12 Mid Year Exams from 26 January to 4 February We look forward to the following events in February: • Gr 12 Mid Year Exams will continue until 4 February • The School Photographer will be in GSS from 3 - 6 February • A Parent Information session for Gr 12 parents on DP and TKS exams (technical details, obtaining and interpreting the results, universities receiving IB DP results) will take place on 10 February from 4:15 to 4:45 • Three-way-conferences for Gr 11 and 12 will take place on 11 February from 4:45 - 7:45 • Three-way-conferences for Gr 6 - 10 will take place on 10 February. There will be no regular classes on that day. • The WISE Internship fair for Gr 9 - 12 will take place on 12 February from 3:30-5 pm in building 20. • Sports Day will take place on 13 February • The U14 Girls RSAC Football will be hosted by TKS on the GSS Field and Astro 2 nr Racquet Club on Friday, February 14 from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm • RSAC Cross Country on 16 February from 4 - 5:30 pm from the North Beach to Beacon and back. • The next TKS Sci-Café will take place on 17 February from 3:20 - 4:00 in the GSS library. The theme of this Sci-Cafe will be “Modeling and Machine Learning”. • The next Arts Night will take place on 23 February and will start at 5:15 • The Gr 10 Personal Project Community Showcase will take place on 26 February from 6 - 8 pm
Photo’s by: Reece Lennon
GSS Fair Science
Viva Voce The Viva Voce was an opportunity for us to truly reflect upon our learning and growth while writing our Extended Essays. Discussing the topics we had spent so much time researching in front of peers and teachers allowed us to look back upon how far we have come and the skills we picked up along the way. This event celebrated the completion of our essay - a gratifying conclusion to all our hard work! By: Bethany Nason and Diana Aibara, Grade 12 Students
PH Unit 2
G6 - Aquatics KM We have had some snorkeling fun with the Grade 6 girls this semester while trying to gain an understanding of how we affect our environment due to tourism, plastic use, and coral bleaching. They have been gaining skills and confidence while snorkeling and experiencing the Red Sea. Girls have made pledges in reducing their plastic use and trying to diminish their carbon footprint while appreciating the marine environment. Requests were made to Coastline to minimize their use of plastic bottles, wrap, plates, knives and forks for the trip and they were happy to support. Well done girls for taking ACTION!
G7 - World Sports FO The grade 7 students have been introduced to Soccer & Floor Hockey/Unihoc during their World Sports unit. They are focusing on learning skills, techniques, rules, along with offensive/defensive strategies that are transferable to many invasion games. In addition, students continue to develop communication skills that assist in the improvement of their gameplay and sportsmanship.
G8 Aquatics TT The Grade 8 PHE students have been investigating the statement of inquiry “Technology controls our relationship with the changing environment” by learning the basic skills of sailing and developing knowledge on how to sail effectively depending on the environment. For many of the students, this was their first time sailing and they should be commended for their courage and pushing themselves outside their comfort zones. G9 - Movement CH Grade 9’s have been exploring the gymnastic movement concepts and skills to design and perform a paired sequence. Students also applied self-efficacy strategies to improve their performance.
G10 - Fitness CH During the Grade 10 Fitness unit, students explore the role of a personal trainer and the different aspects of health. We challenge students to consider how people respond and adapt to their changing lifestyles. Students use all of the training methods and principles of training that they have learned throughout the MYP fitness units to design a training plan to improve their client’s health. By: Te Haurawhiti Teddy MYP Physical & Health Education
PhysicalGSSEducation at its Best
Coming Up...