Inspiration
Integrity
Achievement
Meet the SCA Inquirers Elected annually by their peers, the GSS Student Council Association (SCA) strive to ‘do the awesome that everybody sees’. In a nutshell, this dynamic group of 34 Secondary school students provide a voice for all, working tirelessly towards creating inclusiveness across the TKS student body. SCA members come from across the grades in the Secondary School.
IB learner characteristic for the month
During the year, the SCA make a valuable contribution to the School organizing events. One such event is Spirit Week, which ran during this week in GSS.
8 December 2016
the.wave@kaust.edu.sa
Reflections
from the Director of TKS
As you are aware, The Board approved a generous transition plan for The KAUST School, with the aim of supporting a smooth and effective TKS leadership succession. On January 1st Leny de Ruijter will be stepping into the role of Director of School and Jeff Woodcock will be stepping into the role of Elementary Principal. From January to June I will remain at KAUST, helping with the leadership transition, with the Strategic Plan, and with the Signature Programs, rounding off the foundation work that is essential to complete as the school begins it’s next chapter. As I look forward to second semester in my new role as a TKS Strategic Advisor, I wish to share with you that it has been an enormous privilege for me to serve as Director of The KAUST School, and of all the jobs I have ever held, this has been the most inspiring and the most rewarding. I will never forget the phone call to determine if I was open to coming to a newly built Saudi University campus with a small cohort of other educators to start an IBO World school on the shores of the Red Sea. In 2009, the estimated ‘start up’ student enrollment was 200. Now, nearly eight years later, we have grown to a population of almost 1500 students, and achieved many milestones along the way. From attaining International Baccalaureate Authorization and Council of International Schools (CIS) and New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC ) Accreditation, to following through on cutting edge curriculum and assessment work, to establishing rich partnerships for school innovation, the school is thriving in service to KAUST’s great mission, vision and values. Governance work has allowed us to prioritize our Strategic Areas of Focus and we now have a solid plan to meet the high aspirations set before us. This includes the signature program development approved by our Board of Education, as well as the school facility master plan to meet the capacity needs of 2020 and ensure state-of-the-art facilities for all. There is no school in the world like The KAUST School, and I thank the Board and community for the trust placed in me to lead the school and lay foundations during this remarkable seven year stretch. With appreciation,
Maddy
from the KG Principal Dear Parents, We have now completed Open House events in each of the three KG grade levels. We really value the opportunity to partner with parents and to provide opportunities for children to share their learning. Engaging in your child’s learning as parents, has a significant impact on their growth and development. The children were so excited to spend time with you and be able to show what they are learning through all aspects of our KG program. Thank you, also, to those parents who attended the recent play-based learning information session. Such sessions aim to offer insight into our approaches to learning and teaching in the early years of the PYP. Our next session will focus on the development of foundation skills for young learners. We encourage you as parents to take every opportunity to become more informed about your child’s learning and the quality program that we provide. On behalf of the KG team we would like to wish you a wonderful winter break with your family and friends. Justin Somerville KG Principal
Fairy Wings A K1 class visited GSS this month to investigate the fairy costumes being created for this years Musical Production of ‘Into the Woods’. This class of three-year olds is exploring “How We Express Ourselves” with the central idea Artists create to express themselves. The children are very interested in dressing-up and pretend play and will be exploring drama, plays, acting and costumes over the next month. Several forest fairies appeared on cue and proceeded to help the children make their very own fairy puppets. The excursion and collaboration epitomises the TKS Values by offering one group of students the chance to teach and inspire another grade whilst learning themselves. Thank you to Ms. Emily and class as well as Ms. Robyn our TKS Talent Coordinator, and of course the Forest Fairies.
Photos by Ashley Rowell
K1’s Art Tour
Photos by Catherine Owen
Another group of K1 children are doing investigations on the theme, ‘How We Express Ourselves’. They investigated the process of creating different types of art and recently visited the GES to look at the various art displays in the school. They also spent some time in the ceramic studio at the Design Hub in GSS observing G6 students working on a clay project. By Gayani Newns, KG Teacher
Snapshots from our Parades: Vocabulary Parade: GES
Book Parade: K1
Photos by Catherine Owen
Socratic Method Seminar “Let him that would move the world first move himself.” Socrates Two G5 classes employed the Socratic method during an in-class seminar to discuss “Global Warming”. The Socratic Method is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presumptions. After reading an article called Heatwaves in the Ocean: Risk to ecosystems? on www.sciencedaily.com and watching Ocean Tipping Point on www.pbs.org, both classes began with question: “How is our world affected by Global Warming?” Class instructor Ashley Rowell described watching with excitement and awe as these young TKS minds pushed and pulled the concepts and ideas of Global Warming back and forth between them. Questions and metaphors were used to unpack their understanding and misunderstanding of the issue. Can we make a difference now? Is it too late to stop Global Warming? Is it worthwhile even trying? The discussion flowed from the causes of Global warming to alternative energy sources. Students then considered levels of responsibility as far as the possiblity of a new world order. One student explanation seemed to sum their insights: “It is like when you don’t do your homework , you have to pay up. We’ve done this to the earth and we have to pay up and fix it,” commented G4 student Elijah
For up-to-date info on TKS events visit the Calendar page on our new website. http://tks.kaust.edu.sa
from the GES Principal After working as the Kindergarten Principal for a number of years I became the Principal of the Elementary school in August. Now the time has come to take up my new position as the TKS Director. I will move into my new role on 1 January 2017 and will leave the Elementary School in the extremely capable hands of Jeff Woodcock. I know that he will continue to develop our excellent program even further. Observing the motivated learning that takes place each and every day and witnessing the sense of purpose and fun the students bring to the school has indeed been inspiring. I greatly enjoyed my time in the Elementary School and am now looking forward to serving the whole school community and to continue to further develop our great school. Wishing you all a happy and peaceful winter break. Leny de Ruijter GES Principal
Book Tasting for G4
Anyone for Mystery? maybe a little taster of historical fiction? Or would you like poetry for your appetizer? G4 students were greeted with a restaurant style book taster in the library during the past week. Seated at tables, students were invited to sample the books, and give a rating for the book/s they selected, before discussing their menu choice with fellow “diners”.
The Wave Drawing Challenge
Overall winner: for his bravery in developing the idea in 3D, Basel Al Batran, K2
Thank you to all the budding young TKS artists for entering The Wave Drawing Challenge. We were so impressed with the submissions we had a difďŹ cult time choosing the winners. To assist us we asked an impartial art teacher John Sewell to look at the work and make a selection of the winners. Prizes will be handed out next week in class. The Wave Drawing Challenge will get going again in January 2017.
Eon Hajar G1
Maham Umer G2
Abdullah Aldubayan G4
Arash Ershadi G4
Concrete Poems Over the last few weeks during library and literacy time, students in G3 have been creating Concrete Poems using landforms as their “shape”. The challenge of concrete poems is to convey partly or wholly the meaning of the poem by using patterns of words. Through a process of Chalk Talk students first reviewed examples of concrete poem expressing their thoughts about the language, the form, and sharing and developing each other's thinking. Subsequently students developed a vocabulary list of their chosen landform before drafting their concrete poem. After peer editing and reviewing students were then ready to share their poems with a wider audience. You can see more Concrete poems on display in the Grade 3 corridor. By Rebecca Johnson and Vivien Sewell
Baking Balloons Four weeks ago G1 started a “How the World Works Unit” in Science. This week our G1 class used the concept of change to experiment on how the states of matter can shift. Exploring the different states; gases, liquids and solids, we used baking soda (a solid) and vinegar (a liquid) to conduct an experiment. Mixing the two together in a sealed bottle, created an immediate chemical reaction that produced a gas quickly filling our balloons. Our research online informed us that the gas was carbon dioxide. We thought it strange that the bottle of vinegar got colder during the reaction, do you know why this would happen? The balloons deflated once the reaction stopped; where did the gas go?
For up-to-date info on TKS events visit our Calendar page on the web. http://tks.kaust.edu.sa
Technology in GES Art Studio Grade 3-5 art students were thrilled to recently discover a new class set of iPads that were exclusively for use in art class. In the GES Art Studio, digital tools are looked at as yet another powerful tool in our creative toolbox, rather than a replacement of hands on materials. One of the beautiful things about digital tools is the ability to play with our artwork without a fear of “ruining” an art piece. One click of a button and any unintended marks disappear. Students are learning about workflows and how technology can be added in at any point in the creative process. When we add technology into our artistic workflow, various apps are used in combination with traditional art methods to enhance our exploration of the creative process. It has been a thrill to watch students who were initially hesitant about experimenting with digital tools now “app smashing” (using multiple apps to enhance a project) and delightedly sharing their learning with classmates. Here is an example of a G5’s workflow: Pencil/paper drawing--->partially complete in Art Set Pro---> print and color the rest by hand using colored pencil--->Cut and paste portrait onto new background paper----> draw in the details in the background by hand.
from the GSS Principal Dear Parents, I would like to use this opportunity to look back at a number of events that took place in the last few weeks. The most striking event was the Musical “Into the Woods”. This musical highlighted how our school is growing in all areas, in this case in the Arts. The quality of singing, acting, musical performance and organisation is increasing. This resulted in delightful and entertaining performances that we will all remember. We are planning to further enhance the presence of the Arts in our programme by exposing students to Art and involve them in creating and performing Art. We were pleased to have the opportunity to meet so many parents at the 3-way conferences but we also learned that as the school is growing we must adjust the organisation of the day to avoid waiting time for parents. We appreciated the interest in parent information sessions hosted both at school as well as the University. We will increasingly use University accommodation for information sessions during lunch time. The Book Bowl and the Spirit Week are events that generate interest amongst students. We want to look at ways to connect special events with learning that takes place in the class and reinforces our love of learning. Many tournaments are taking place. Our students are performing well in these tournaments. We are pleased to see that we draw many spectators when we host such events in KAUST. David Tigchelaar Secondary Principal
Memorial & Carleton Universities visit TKS Representatives from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Carleton University of Ottawa met with TKS students and parents this month to present their respective universities. Both Canadian universities have a wide range of subject offerings and have a strong international student presence on campus. Students and parents could ask questions regarding the IB DP requirements for entrance into specific programs and the academic scholarships available for international students at Memorial University. Carleton University’s representative Mr. Rafael Dezordi was impressed with the number of students and parents interested in studying at Canadian universities. TKS students and parents were excited by the number of academic opportunities and scholarship funding these universities have for international applicants. We look forward to hosting the next university soon!
Into the Woods What an amazing journey “Into the Woods” has been for all involved – performers, techies and audience alike! We loved creating this musical production and are delighted that so many of you came to enjoy it with us. It was an unforgettable experience, with a group of talented, committed and hard-working young people, passionate about theatre, collaborating in a spirit of joy and enthusiasm. Huge thanks to all the community members who contributed in so many different ways to making the production a success. Now… what will we do next?! By Claudia Kennedy, Drama teacher
Photos by Catherine Owen
8th Annual Book Bowl Final
After a succession of ‘mini-challenges’ involving all students from G6-10, the day we had been waiting for finally arrived – the Book Bowl Final, 2016. Proud members from the highest scoring teams representing each House took to the stage and pitted their wits against each other in an enthralling manner, answering further questions on the ‘inspiration’ themed books. For the trickier questions, the teams were able to call on the assistance of the audience using Socrative. Another development this year was the inclusion of French texts, making the Book Bowl a tri-lingual affair. By Petra Macleod, English Teacher
Congratulations go to Aquila for becoming this year’s champions!
Pegasus
Hydra
Aquila
Orion
Growth from Sharing with Others Discovery Square was a-buzz with energy Thursday, November 17 as 37 G10 students presented their MYP Personal Projects to the community in a mid-point Exhibition that brilliantly displayed their hard work and dedication. The Personal Project is a Year 5 MYP independent project where students are tasked with investigating, planning, providing action and reecting on an area of interest to them. The range of passions the students have is spectacular, ranging from the design and manufacturing of shark tags to creating an interactive community garden. In preparation for the culmination of the project, students are required to get feedback at the midway point of the project to help them further their research and action, thus the Exhibition. The G10 students involved were: Leen Abdelhadi, Emaan Abrar, Dana AlMohammadi, Nazih Alsadeq, Fadhel AlSaihati, Lana Alsulaimani, Alex Campbell, Thomas Church, Kenzy Dawood, Lana Fairaq, Lubna Ghanem, Neeka Ghodsi, Reem HaidarAhmed, Hazeeq Hamizi, Zainab Harakeh, August Houborg, Amaya Jackson, Nicolas Johnstone, Andrew Jones, Jana Kauther, Nabiha Khan, Ruskin Lauguico, Hazen Mahon, Sabarisha Mande, Abdulilah Mandurah, Nurul Anuar, Hanifa Mohammed, Rumaysa Mohammed, Zyad Mohammed, Malavika Murali Dharan, Kevin Otoadese, Zoha Qureshi, Yusuf Shamma, Jude Sleiman, Eshan Wells, Charlotte Winfer and Ibrahim Younis. A huge thank you to fellow students, teachers, parents and community members that lent their expertise to the students as they continue to undertake their action. The feedback provided was honest, critical and necessary for the students to reevaluate their action, and subsequently their goal. Laney Rweyemamu, Personal Project Coordinator Photographs by: Naomi Bakken, G11 Student
Work Hard, Play Hard Six weeks of dedicated practice, countless hours of hard play and an abundance of encouraging words from both coaches and teammates led up to the U19 Girls Football RSAC tournament at The World Academy (TWA) in KAEC on Friday, November 18. Determined footballers took to the field of play in a round robin tournament against teams from TWA, the American School of Jeddah (AISJ), the British School of Jeddah (BISJ) and Jeddah Prep and Grammar School (JPGS), in order to hone their skills in preparation for the U19 SAIKAC tournament in Jeddah on Thursday and Friday, December 1 and 2. Players were focused and concentrated on the task at hand - to play effectively, work collaboratively as a team and fine tune and correct mistakes that will allow for greater success. The day started out impressively with a convincing win against an up and coming TWA squad. Goals were scored and assisted by multiple players, and playing experience was gained by newer players. Co-captains Brianna Sewell and Lubna Ghanem led the team, with striker Hiba AbuKhalaf scoring a hat trick. The following game was a tough one, losing to an experienced BISJ squad 2-1. Our momentum was not deterred though, with wins against AISJ and JPGS to follow. Contributions were made by all players. A tough defense did not allow for easy goals, midfielders moved the ball at a quick and efficient pace and all players communicated well to advance the ball. With assertive play, grit and determination, walking away from the tournament in second place was a great achievement. Players are now looking ahead with eagerness to the tough play that awaits them at the SAIKAC U19 Girls Football tournament. by Laney Rweyemamu
PhD student from WDRC visits G8 Ryan Lefers, a PhD student in the Water Desalination and Reuse Center at KAUST gave a presentation to science students about Urban Agriculture. He explained that as cities are growing and populations are increasing, there is a greater competition continues for limited natural resources. Increasingly food-conscious consumers are demanding safe, local, high quality food. Within this context, a new industry has emerged to meet these challenges: urban agriculture. Using indoor lighting, recycling systems, and grow-sensitive technology, urban farming holds great promise as one tool to help the world achieve future food security. Here’s what a few G8 students learnt: “Something I learned that surprised me is that crops have a preferred temperature when in the process of growing. I was also surprised to know the 90% of US greens come from California.” Manel Eddaoudi “I was surprised by the information given by the speaker that fish can actually have a huge impact on the growth of plants. This connection was not one that I had thought of before.” Amy Tulley
WEP January 8-21: Register for an Exciting Program This year’s WEP is offering fourteen enthralling days of unique educational experiences to explore the theme “Pushing the Limits: Challenging Engineering and Science”. With around 100 events, there is something for everyone’s taste! Many workshops and lunchtime lectures are already fully booked. But you can still register for all the keynote lectures. Speakers who all have pushed the limits within their field will deliver nine exceptional keynote lectures: • Sunday Jan 8: His Excellency Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi: Out of the Desert - My Journey from Nomadic Bedouin to the Heart of Global Oil • Monday 9: Ed Stone - The Voyager Journey to Interstellar Space • Tuesday 10: Christopher Fabian – Innovation at UNICEF: How to help balance an asymmetric world • Wednesday 11: Dirk Ahlborn - Hyperloop: The Future of Transportation • Thursday 12: Theo Jansen - Pushing the Limits of Kinetic Arts: Strandbeests • Sunday 15: Steph Davis – Choosing to Fly: Examining Fear, Risk and Resilience • Monday 16: Cindy Lee Van Dover – From Explora tion to Exploitation? Opportunities and Imperatives in the Deep Sea • Tuesday 17: Martin Fischer - Preparing for the America's Cup: A technological and a human challenge • Wednesday 18: Estelle Metayer – Your future in Science and Technology: Breathtaking Opportunities and Significant Choices Except for the first keynote lecture happening from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, all lectures will take place in the auditorium, building 20, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Many activities will be offered at the WEP Hub and the opening night on January 7 will https://enrichment.kaust.edu.sa/ launch in the University Library. All events are filling quickly and some are already fully booked. You need to register before December 20.