Inspiration
Integrity
Achievement
Traffic SAFETY Week
Each semester TKS, KAUST Security and H.S.E. team up to raise awareness about the vital importance of traffic safety in our community. Traffic Safety Week during April 23 - 27 embraces a mission all of us share; the safety of our children and community members on our roads. Thank you parents, for taking every opportunity to raise safety awareness. Some focal points for this past week included: Continued use of bike helmets and night lights Proper stops & signaling on bikes and in vehicles Ensuring all vehicle drivers are 17 or older and have a license Do not use bus lay-bys for drop offs or pick ups Never leave a car in a drop off zone unattended.
April 27, 2017
From the Director This month I would like to take the opportunity to highlight the work of our parent volunteers that serve on the Parent Advisory Councils (PACS). The PACS provide invaluable opportunities for communication between the school and its community. The Councils’ main purpose is to support continuous school improvement. We have three Councils, one for each division, each advising the Principal of that section. Some examples of issues discussed this year during the monthly meetings are: the GES homework policy, the Attendance Policy, the food offerings and quality, and the school calendar. As we get closer to the end of the academic year, I wish to thank this year’s PAC members for their participation, their constructive criticism, their applauses, their positive intent, and at times their wise words of warning. I can assure you feedback on the issues the school brings to the PACS is very valued, and has affected many of the decisions made in a positive manner. The school is truly a better place for their contributions. At the start of the next school year we will send out invitations to parents to sign up as PAC members. We are looking for a balanced group to form a good representation of our whole community. If you think you could contribute to the school by being a member of one of these important committees, please consider volunteering. We would love to have your input in order to keep improving the school/parent relationship. We are hoping for a great response. If you’d like more info on the PACS: http://tks.kaust.edu.sa/Parents-Advisory-Council-PAC
Leny de Ruijter
Scholastic Book Club Don’t forget our latest Scholastic Book Club is now online at: http://world-schools.scholastic.co.uk/kaust-school. There are hundreds of fantastic children’s books to choose from, and every $1 you spend on this month’s Book Club will earn 20¢ for our school in Scholastic Rewards. Please place your order online by May 4th, 2017.
from Justin Somerville, KG Principal Dear Parents, During my visits to classrooms over the past couplehttps://issuu.com/home/docs/kindergarten_guiding_statements/edit/links of weeks I have been reflecting on one our guiding statements: http://issuu.com/thekaustschool/docs/kindergarten_guiding_statements?e=23587344/44777420 “Children are unique, curious, and creative individuals who are natural learners and rich in potential.” This statement refers to children being unique individuals whose points of view need to be listen to and respected. The conversations I have engaged in with our youngest learners have demonstrated a real growth in their thinking. They are able to articulate their thoughts and feelings confidently and have made incredible progress since the beginning of the year. I have observed competent and capable individuals who take responsibility for their learning. It has been wonderful to see them express their understanding in a range of different ways, including artistic expression, constructive play, imaginative play and role play. We are lucky to have such a dedicated and professional staff who have created the right environment to support this growth and development.
K2 Creating Our Own Story
Communicators
Reflective Inquirers
Ms Smita’s class put their heads and their crayons together and came up with this little story:
The Princess and the Dragon
Once upon a time…… Ana: There was a princess who lived in a stone castle. Yara: The princess went to the back of the castle where there was a wishing well. Jena: She wished for a unicorn. Cliona: A dragon came and captured her at the castle. Rishit: The dragon took her to his castle. The princess was crying. Marym: Then the unicorn comes to help the princess and they trap the dragon. Forest: The dragon breaths fire, the fire got on to the metal, and burned the metal and turned on the dragon. The dragon touched the fire and he died. Basel: The princess and the unicorn went back to their castle. Pedro: Then they went for a walk and found a magic rock. Zaeem: The unicorn touched the rock and it sent them back to the castle. Shahad: The princess and the unicorn were tired and hungry so they had dinner. Amber: The unicorn and the princess watched T.V and ate snacks.
K3 Explore their Senses
Photos by Eric Bakken, KG Teacher
Caring Inquirers Reflective
K3 students started a unit this month where they explored how human bodies sense and respond to information. Children across K3 have engaged in a range of experiences that have allowed them to experience, compare, and develop language around the use of the different senses, and further connect this to how they learn. Some of these experiences have been sensory walks or field trips, focusing on specific senses, mystery bags, cooking and baking, and even a trip to the movies! By: Katie Hoffman K3 Arts Teacher & Team Lead
Inquirers
Photo by Becky Kent, KG Teacher
Reflective Risk Taker
from Jeff Woodcock, GES Principal GES Welcomes New Assistant Principal, Chye de Ryckel
In late July we will welcome a small group of outstanding educators, new to Gardens Elementary School. Included in this group will be Chye de Ryckel, the new Assistant Principal for GES. In October, Chye (pronounced “Ky”) was one of nearly 100 applicants for the position and stood out due to her passion for education, experience and understanding of the Primary Years Programme. Chye has served in International Baccalaureate World schools in Germany, Bangladesh and Zambia. She holds a Certificate of International School Leadership and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Teaching. Chye speaks French and German, is passionate about Inquiry-based education, collaboration, intercultural awareness and teacher development. She is currently serving as Assistant Principal and PYP Coordinator at the International School in Lusaka. Recently Chye was asked to contribute to the SharingPYP blog. This blog is a global platform for ideas and innovations to further the development of the Primary Years Programme. We look forward to welcoming Chye and her family to GES and feel fortunate to have her expertise on staff.
It’s Coming - The G5 Exhibition! What do pushups, jumping jacks, interviewing professional athletes and coaches, creating questionnaires have in common? The answer - the G5 Exhibition. The countdown has begun for G5 Exhibition Opening Night. “The 6 week process was challenging, but enjoyable” says Haadiyah in 5CM. “The exhibition is when you work with other classmates to show the community about the issue you have investigated.” states Jad and Anjum in 5LK. “ The interviews, and designing the posters were one of the best parts of the exhibition so far. “ Iredia and Beatrice in 5LK say. “ I like exhibition because everyone has a part to do something.” Beatrice states. “ Exhibition was helpful for me because it can lead me in the future and help me in the future for everything I will face.” say Zia in 5CM. By Zia and Haadiyah
Come and support this amazing journey of our G5 students Starting in the G4&5 Elemex Building Tuesday, May 2nd, at 5:30 PM.
Environmental Art After School Enrichment Program
The students have created dioramas using only recycled and repurposed materials found at school and at home. They were inspired by a book called The Wump World, that’s about creatures called Wumps who have their world taken over and destroyed by the Pollutians. The moral of the story is to take care of our planet, because once it is gone it may be gone forever. The students enjoyed this program and are excited for you to see their hard work and creativity and to share the message that we should all take care of our planet. Principled Caring
Their dioramas are on display in the Elementary Library at GES.
Reective
by Amber Hutton
TKS LIBRARIES: END OF YEAR DATES Kindergarten
Elementary School Secondary School
Last week for students to check out library books
April 30-May 4
May 21st - May 25th
Gr. 6-11 - May 21-25 Gr. 12 - May 14-18
All library books returned to library.
until May 14
May 28th - June 1st
Gr. 6-11 & Faculty May 28-June 1 Gr. 12 - May 21-23
Library closed for inventory. No classes, or activities.
May 15
June 4th - June 8th
June 4-8
Libraries reopened for summer check out
REMAIN CLOSED FOR PACKING
June 11 - June 15th
June 12-15
Arabic Author visit
Thinkers Communicatiors
Arabic Author Fatima Sharfeddine visited the GES Arabic department recently. Elementary Arabic students enjoyed learning new writing strategies, literature discussions, hand crafts and activities with Fatima who also during addressed parents during her visit. By: Malak M. Khalaf, Elementary Teacher
G1 Arabic G1 Arabic class students had the chance to meet two parents who introduced two different countries: Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Communicators
Mr. Al-Qahtani talked to us about different places in Saudi Arabia and how they differ in terms of traditions, culture, traditional cloths, food and even slangs and naming. Kids enjoyed it so much. He ended his speech with great advice to students about the importance of respecting their teachers referring to a common arabic phrase which means, “A teacher is almost a messenger”. Another visitor, Hala Fahmi’s mom, spoke to us about the location of Egypt and countries on the borders of it. She also introduced some information about history and civilizations and the most common places visited by visitors from all around the world in Egypt. She gave us freshly made cupcakes and cookies after her talk which we really enjoyed. By: Malak M. Khalaf, Elementary Teacher
Inquirers
Reflective
Reflective
from David Tigchelaar, GSS Principal Dear Parents and Students, During the spring break the School hosted two OOK trips to Bali and to Vietnam, with a combination of service, culture and adventure. We also hosted an invitational Track and Field (F & T) event, with a T & F trip to Jordan coming up in May. Last week we enjoyed Arts Week with a multitude of performances and exhibitions. We will have more music this weekend at the Middle School Band and Choir festival hosted by our School. The bi-weekly Arts matinees on Thursdays are attracting an increasing number of performers and audience. Earth Day was celebrated on 20 April, followed by an exhibition of ‘Birds at KAUST’ this week. Last week we showed our support for the G12s in the assembly and in the Clap Out at the end of the day, in which a marching band chaperoned the students out of the building. The rest of the students applauded the G12 and joined us in wishing them well for their studies over the next week and the exams which will start on 1 May and finish 19 May. The G10’s will also write external exams in May: the MYP e-assessment, which will lead to the MYP certificate. All G6-10 students wrote MAP tests this week, providing us with an additional source of data on their progress. As Ramadan approaches we will be prepare ourselves by offering guidance for all students and staff on the significance of this celebration and expected behaviour during this time.
Poetry Alive
Building a house in Vietnam
Risk Taker
Principled
Caring Balanced
During spring break a group of ten students from G7-11 accompanied by Ms. Tiffanie Horne and Mr. Slim Abed went on a trip to Vietnam. This trip provided students with a remarkable experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. We arrived at busy Hanoi during the afternoon, met our guide Hoang, and began our one week journey by having dinner in a small traditional vietnamese restaurant in the Old Quarter. In the morning, we woke up early to visit the Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology to learn more about the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam, how they live, where they live and what the different houses look like in Vietnamese countryside. Then, a four hour drive took us towards the northwestern region of Vietnam to visit Mai Chau, the town closest to the village of the family we would soon meet. We began the second and third day by walking 4 km up the mountains to the Village of NaCut. Huong explained to us that the family we would build a house for had one daughter and had been living in a tiny shack outside their family home. They wished to have another baby, but would only be able to afford it if they weren’t constantly saving up to build their house. Our day consisted of cutting up bamboo to make the floor and the ‘skeleton’ of the house. The village people were very surprised and curious when they first saw us. For everyone on this trip, it was really surprising to see how close this village was and how everyone: men, women and children came together to help build the house in any way they could. After saying our goodbyes to the family and wishing them the best in their new home, we boarded our bus and drove back to Hanoi where we stayed the night, leaving the next day and driving further east to the coast of Vietnam. On our last day in Hanoi, the group visited the Vietnamese War Museum and spent the afternoon in a cooking class with a masterchef. We learnt to cook a papaya salad, spring rolls, and other delicious traditional foods. Continued....
Building a house in Vietnam
For the last two days, we drove up to the northeastern side of Vietnam to visit Halong Bay. We explored the bay, the mountains and the largest cave in the bay and got to eat amazing seafood. Besides this, we all went swimming in one of the many beaches to commemorate the ending of an amazing trip. We then headed back to the airport near Hanoi, and embarked on our flight back to Jeddah. We are all really thankful to our parents, the teachers that accompanied us on the trip - Mr Slim Abed and Ms Tiffanie Horne and The KAUST School, specially Mr Scott Herrington and Mr Naoufal Uariachi for organising this trip. “My trip to Vietnam made me feel different and much more complete. It was really fun to build a house for a family who could use the house to build a new life” - Hamza Khasawneh “Visiting Vietnam and helping this poor family was truly a once in a life-time experience that I’ll never forget” - Matilde Gomes “This was my first time going on a build trip, and this was a great experience for me to travel with friends out of kingdom to help out people that was in need of a house. Definitely the highlight of my spring break” - Joaquin Dilao By students: Matilda Gomes and Filip Langner
Blue Carbon Event
G11 ESS (Environmental Systems and Societies) hosted a special outreach event as part of the wider ‘Blue Carbon’ conference at KAUST during the month of March. Professor Carlos Duarte headed a team of guest speakers who visited TKS. The following Day, G10 students watched Carlos deliver a keynote speech at the University. The keynote opened the Blue Carbon conference and it was a privilege to have the G10 students be part of such a high profile academic event. Thanks to Professor Carlos Duarte and his team at the Red Sea Research Centre for making these events possible. By: Euan Riddell, Science Subject Team Leader
Communicators
Inquirers
Knowledgeable
Arts Special
Arts matinees:
Our regular series of Wednesday afternoon Arts matinees continues and grows increasingly popular! The audience has been entertained by vocal and instrumental pieces in a range of styles, from acoustic guitar and ukulele, piano and string instruments all the way to a blues band. Visual artists have presented their paintings, giving us an insight into their inspirations; we have heard a rousing Shakespeare monologue and scenes by grade 6 Eco-warriors encouraging us to initiate action to protect the environment. Come along to the library, every other Wednesday at 3.30 pm – or better yet: what would you like to perform? Students, teachers, parents, welcome! Dates in May: 3 May, 17 May
“The Fall of Serendipity” By Neeka Ghodsi
Arts ePortfolios:
“Society’s Sustenance” by Titania Huang
Future Generation By, Hanifa N Mohammed
Creative arts students in grade 10 recently completed their culminating MYP pieces. Starting from the same ‘global context’ or theme of scientific and technical innovation, students explored how the arts can be a catalyst for change, and how artists can provoke thought and discussion about our modern world as well as initiate action.
Arts Special
Arts around:
This week saw GSS explode in a riot of colour, sound and motion with daily arts experiences all around us! We were able to admire our featured student artists each day and exhibitions of student art work invited quiet contemplation and enjoyment of the visual arts. Break times featured surprise performances by teachers of their hidden talents: singing and playing songs from many cultures – Arabic, Portuguese, Russian and more. Lunchtimes saw students paint, draw, create origami cranes, participate in Karaoke, play Drama games and perform a variety of instrumental and vocal pieces. Oh, and did you catch the student led ash mob in the cafeteria?
Track and Field
Teams from three local schools converged on the Safaa Stadium last Saturday for the Second Annual TKS Invitational Track and Field Meet. Secondary students from The World Academy at KAEC and the American International School of Jeddah joined TKS to battle it out in track and field events such as High Jump, Shot Put, Discus and running races from 1500 meters down to the 100 meter sprint. More of a ‘friendly learning’ meet than a fully-fledged competition, the range of events still revealed wonderful depth of character and commitment in many of the students performances. Congratulations to all whom competed and our thanks to those who volunteered their time to make it such a successful day.
From our Nurses Corner