Uptowner Yearbook (Issue 9) 2013 - 2014 by Uptown School

Uptowner IT ’S THE BIGGEST STORY OF THE YEAR... AND YOU’RE IN IT!

YEARBOOK

IB WORLD

2013 2014

SCHOOL

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

A YEAR OF GREAT 06 SPORTING SUCCESS An action packed year of sport at Uptown has earnt glory!

22 08 AA NEW NEW CHAPTER CHAPTER FOR FOR UPTOWN UPTOWN Tur coratayear voluptium et optiosam sandinew suntiatur aut faceatume Thesitibus new school at Uptown brought many experieces for our students.

20 A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

Celebrating our diversity on International Day 2014.

UPTOWN’S 36 INVINCABLES

Uptown Girls win Dubai Football League.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

UPTOWN KIDS ARE ROCKIN’ IT!

The beat goes on as Uptown students perform at our Winter Concerts.

Fun and adventure for our MYP studnets on camp.

DO IT 26 YOURSELFIE But first... let me take a selfie!

HAPPY 40 BIRTHDAY U.A.E

Uptown celebrates the Spirit of the Union.

OUR LIFE-LONG LEARNERS

Let’s celebrate what has been achieved on our class pages.

WELCOME TO OUR UPTOWNER YEARBOOK

Parents want their children to be challenged to reach their full potential; children, on the other hand want

Captured between the covers of this, our Uptown School Yearbook, are smiling faces and images representing the myriad of exciting events and experiences that we have enjoyed together this academic year.

a school where they can be happy, where they can enjoy their friendships, where they are supported by their teachers and where they can have fun! Uniting these ideals and celebrating what our curious, imaginative and amazing young people have achieved is what made editing this yearbook such a rewarding experience.

Uptown School is a very special place for so many reasons. We hope that as you look through the photographs

We would like to thank everyone who has supported the

and read through the text in this yearbook, you will be

production of this yearbook - its creation wouldn’t have

reminded of what it feels like to be part of our wonder-

been possible without your assistance. In particular, we

ful Uptown community, and why being an ‘Uptowner’ is

would like to thank all of our students, parents and staff

something to be incredibly proud of.

would have taken and provided so many of the photographs. To all of you, we offer our most sincere gratitude.

We do not remember days, we remember moments. Cesare Pavese

There are many memorable moments and exciting learning opportunities going on every day at Uptown and this

As the years go by, those chance encounters when you come across this yearbook and relive some special memories will be priceless. Whenever and wherever you are enjoying it, we hope you are doing so with a smile on your face.

yearbook is our chance to share and enjoy some of them

Rob Ingham and Rachel Oxley

with you.

Yearbook Editors

Contents AN INVITATION TO PLAY

Using play to support meaning-making in the Early Years.

INTERNATIONAL DAY

Wave your flag!

LET’S CELEBRATE Taaleem CEO, Ros Marshall discusses why we have many reasons to be proud.

SPORTING YEAR Uptowner, Simone Noorali reviews an amazing sporting year for .

COMMUNITY SERVICE how Uptowers are taking action to support in our community.

BUILDING BRIDGES how Uptowners have supported the AERObridge charity.

WAVE YOUR FLAG a festival of culture and celebration at International Day 2014.

DO IT YOURSELFIE enjoy a collection of just some of the many ‘sefies’ taken by Uptowners.

SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE from our MYP studentsin the great outdoors on their Desert Camps.

DESERT DANCE

Uptown’s dancing superstars.

MYP CAMPS

GOALS GALORE

Students enjoy great outdoors.

20 04 06 12 15 20 26 28

Uptownards Aw Sporty,s15th 2014

PYP footballers blazing a trail.

28 33 36 39 40 42 48 54

LITERATURE FESTIVAL music, poetry, art and reading competitions at LitFest 2014.

OUR INVINCIBLES Uptown Girls’ football squad win the U11 League Championship.

EASY AS PI... Karim Azzam shares his experiences and looks at how Uptownwers spent Pi Day.

ISHI BILADI, UAE! Uptowners celebrate the spirit of the union on UAE’s 42nd birthday.

FRENCH SAVVY imagination et la créativité are the core aims in French lesson for Uptowners.

LET’S TALK Abeer Lahdani and Agostino Bordignon interview Principal Waley.

BEAT GOES ON a celebration of our musical groups who have performed at UTS this year.

66 58 64 70 74 78 80 82

FASTER STRONGER HIGHER at our Uptown Sports Days and Swimming Galas.

IN CHARACTER all of our favourite book characters came to school for Book Character Day.

KIDS ARE ROCKIN’ IT as Uptowners showcase musical talents at our Winter Concerts.

MAKING A SPLASH our PYP and MYP Swim Squads enjoy an amazing year in the pool.

IT’S ALL ABOUT ACTION! Grade 5 impress as they take action at Exhibition 2014.

NEW GOALS a whitty ditty from Mr. Drew who shares his review about MYP football.

AIMING HIGH our MYP netballers reach new heights on the netball court.

pages

full of absolutly

memorable content!

“No-one is immune to making mistakes - it is how we all learn.” Read Mr. Waley’s EXCLUSIVE Interview on page 48.

Uptowner WELCOME TO OUR YEARBOOK Hello fellow Uptowners! Here is our yearbook for you to enjoy. When we started planning what it should be like back in October, we had lots of ideas and have tried to include as many of them as possible. We also wanted our yearbook to be interesting and be something that you would all enjoy reading. Hopefully we have succeeded!

NEW CAMPUS, NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Our Head of Secondry reflects on a historic year at Uptown School.

Throughout the year we have had great success with activities and events that have been held in school, and outside school too. In this yearbook, we hope you will find out about many the amazing achievements that we Uptowners have accomplished; Desert Dance team, the Scholars Cup participants, sports squads, and so much more. Our new students, who joined the Uptown community this year, have also added something more to a school that we are very proud to attend. This year was an exciting and motivational year for all of us and we hope you will all join us on the adventure next year, when we move into our amazing new Secondary building. Enjoy the book! Abeer, Agostino and Karim

85 86 90 92 98

BEFORE THE SHOW go behind the scenes as our Uptowners prepare for Desert Dance 2014.

UP FOR THE CHALLENGE

Grade 5 prepare for Exhibition 2014

JUST THE TICKET why taking a trip and getting out of the classroom has great benefits. for our Uptown ‘Alpacas’ who shine at the World Scholar’s Cup.

UPTOWN AHLAN our Grade 5 CLASS PAGES and messages from

DO IT YOURSELFIE!

Wait... Let me take a selfie

our Early Years, PYP and MYP homeroom teachers.

READY, STEADY, MO!

Uptowners get all warm and fuzzy

STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS: Abdulsamad Patel; Arshiya Bhatia; Alia Akbar; Alyzeh Somjee; Barbara Burkus; Celine El Zaza; Edwin Arndt; Jonathan Eckelberg; Kareem Al Moghrabi; Liam Bruchet; Maryam Khan; Michaela Thompson; Mohammad Al Surakhi; Raven van der Bijl; Rayan Najim; Robin Pile; Simone Noorali; Venika Vachani; Yasmina Forsch. LAYOUT & DESIGN: Rob Ingham

WORLD SCHOLARS great success

Uptowners celebrate, and dance, at their Valedictorian Dinner.

STUDENT EDITORIAL TEAM: Abeer Ladhani; Agostino Bordignon; Karim Azzam STUDENT YEARBOOK TEAM: Anekit Bangera; Keenan Venter; Leila Hussain; Rania Algethami ; Omar Farea

COPY EDITOR: Rachel Oxley CONTRIBUTORS: Atiya Nuha; Emma Dawson; Florin Sirbu; Ghadeer Odeh; Helen Pringle; Jabrina Robinson; Jacki Ronalds; Katie Johnston; Kevin Drew; Kevin Shepherd; Lauren Evans; Mihaela Sirbu; Miho McPhillips; Najwa Charif; Nasreen Fahad; Nathalie Attar; Noha Yousry; Rory Galvin; Ros Marshall; Sarah Evans; Sameer Noorali; Stella Lister; Tyrone Giese. WITH GRATEFUL THANKS TO: Prashant Pradnis; Stu Williamson Photography; Susan Whistler; Yvonne Postma; All staff, students and parents who provided support, addition text/ information and to make this book possible. PRINTED BY: MASAR Printing & Publishing, Dubai, U.A.E

SO MANY REASONS TO

CELEBRATE The Uptowner Yearbook

As the new CEO of Taaleem, I have heard how the school has grown rapidly since opening in 2005, and following the move into the new Primary buildings at the beginning of this academic year, we are delighted to be opening our final phase with the new secondary school this August. The students and staff have successfully created a unique learning environment in which everyone can flourish and we are looking forward to this continuing in our completed contemporary surroundings as we welcome students into Grade 10. There have been many celebrations this year, from the Taaleem Schools swimming gala, which Uptown hosted, to our first Dubai Schools football league championship, awarded to our girls under 11 team. Away from the sports fields, Uptown students performed at the Dubai ChoirFest and the amazing Desert Dance Festival, organised by Uptown staff for all schools in Dubai. Our Middle Year students entered the World Scholar’s Cup with great success and a group of our students is set to compete in the grand

finals in Singapore this year – a wonderful achievement. Our students were invited to take part in the Choir for the opening ceremony of the Emirates Literary Festival, where our own student, Venika Vachani, won First Prize in the Taaleem Poetry competition, Under 11 category. This is a remarkable feat given there are over 1000 entrants for this competition. One of the biggest highlights this year was the International Day, which celebrated both the diversity and the unity of the school community. Whilst our students excel in performance arts and music, the parents were amongst the real stars of International Day, in particular the Dads who arrived in their traditional ceremonial national dress and danced. It was a truly amazing day amidst a highly memorable year. I would like to thank you all for supporting the school and making this year such a special one full of so many diverse achievements.

Ros Marshall, CEO, Taaleem

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IN SP IRE

CO M PE TE

EN JO Y

W CO HA T G RA MP AN TA D ET A AS KE E 7 ITI MA SE S A S VE ZI SS LO TU SP NG ES O Y O D O K ENT RT EA UR AT , SF R S AI SO IM OR OF M O M S T E NE UP H O N TO CO IGH O W O M LIG RA N! PE H LI TE TS ,E A N ND JO Y

THE UPTOWN WAY Whatever the sport, we work hard, play fair, lose with dignity and win with humility... that’s the Uptown way!

Uptown’s Sporting Year

Oct. Taaleem Gala

This year, Uptown has had 14 representative teams meaning that over 200 students have participated and competed for our school in matches, meets, tournaments and galas. That’s a larger ratio than many much bigger schools, and it is just one of the many things we can be proud of. I would like to let take a look back at the Uptown’s sporting year.

Being on a representative sports team has brought many of us together, and taught us things that we wouldn’t have known otherwise... Viktor swims like a dolphin, Kiana jumps like a kangaroo, Andreas really is fly-boy and Cassey and Alfie really do have moves! I never even knew that I was good at discus! Who knew our boys could dance? They played a central role in our Desert The Uptowner Yearbook

Dec.

Football League

Dance composition! While this process needed great commitment for quite a few months, we had fun while also learning about the history of our representative countries and when the final piece was stitched together, it was worthy of proud admiration. The result... two awards from the Desert Dance judges!

The swim squad is another team that displayed characteristics and qualities worth possessing. Coming to training before and after school was like an endurance test, but the outcome was amazing. At every gala, Uptown was renowned for being the most spirited school. Even at the end of a long and tiring 4-hour meet, you could see the pride shining on everybody’s faces, because we knew that we had given it our best shot.

Jan.

Desert Dance & Taaleem Football

Our Girls’ Football Team was a new team this year, which has truly proved that you need unity, not years of training to achieve amazing results. Despite the team being PYP, they were the closest and toughest bunch of girls you will ever see. Every week, they would march out on the field sporting their Uptown kits, with a ball under their arms. This was the first year for these girls, but guess what? With all the effort and determination they put in, our Under-11 Girls’ Football Team were literally unbeatable and came top of their regional division before going the the Grand Finals and being crowned Champions... the best in Dubai! They also prove that girls can do whatever boys can do. And whilst I’m talking about the boys, all our boys’ football teams really are a force to be reckoned with. With competitive teams at Under-10, Under-11, Under-12 and Under-14 this year, the future of Uptown football is certainly looking very bright. Oh, and the Under-14 Netball Squad! We have

Mar. Football Invincibles!

Mar. MYP Athletics been a tight team for two years now. We’re so close; we can finish each other’s sentences. This year, there were two new additions to the team. Yara and Kiana, who made our defensive line stronger and more responsive. It was a strenuous season, with a game every week. Nevertheless, we went on as a strong, committed and motivated team to win 9 out

Mar. Our Netball Superstars of 10 games and become developing league champions in our very first championship season. I want to sincerely congratulate each and every one of our students, from Grade 2 up to Grade 9, who have represented Uptown this year. Your hard work, dedication and contribution have helped us achieve some amazing things. Those of you in the Primary years, I am simply pushing you, very hard, and partially demanding tatas you come of age, you must try out for a sports squad. For those who won an award this year, I congratulate you. For those who will try to

win an award next year, I want to remind you that a gold medal is not made of gold. It is made of sweat, determination and a hard to find alloy called guts! A diamond doesn’t start out polished and shining, but with enough pressure and grind, becomes spectacular. We would have remained stones without our teachers recognizing that spark of talent, and giving us all equal opportunities to shine. On behalf of all the athletes out there, I would like to thank our hardworking and extremely talented coaches: Mrs. Dawson, Mr. Drew, Mr. Eardley, Mr. Sirbu, Mr. Ingham, Ms. Muller, Ms. Ronalds, Mrs. Mitre, Ms. Evans, Mrs. Taylor, and all the other teachers who made our success possible. Thank you! Mrs. Dawson once said, and I quote “Girls, remember to lose with dignity, win with humility,” and on another occasion “Keep your chin up and carry on Princess.” And by doing just that, we now can look back and celebrate our year’s worth of achievements. over multiple sport fields.

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new chapter Working together to write a

The Uptowner Yearbook

AFTER A YEAR OF SO MANY FIRSTS, HEAD OF SECONDARY, RORY GALVIN, SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR SECONDARY SCHOOL AND REFLECTS ON JUST A FEW OF THE MANY ACHIEVEMENTS. As the end of the academic year draws to a close, I am almost overwhelmed with the sheer amount of thoughts vying for consideration in this message. Where do I begin? We started this journey together back in September, with the smell of fresh paint pungent in the school air. On that first day, we spoke about how we would make history together, as the first group of students - and teachers, to populate our new campus. We spoke about how our school can be much more than just a building that we inhabit for a few hours everyday, but rather a workshop in which we would forge our hopes and dreams for the future. We spoke about what kind of community we wanted to build here at Uptown, could we really be knowledgeable, communicators, inquirers, risk takers, principled, thinkers, balanced, open-minded whilst caring for ourselves, each other and the planet - all at the same time?

I am immensely proud of our Uptown history makers and I am proud of our accomplishments. We have built the community we promised to each other. We promised to push our limits, to strive for excellence and to always «have a go». Since then, I have witnessed all of the above, and more, every day I show

Our school is much more than just a building that we inhabit for a few hours everyday, but rather a workshop in which we forge our hopes and dreams for the future.

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The Uptowner Yearbook

up at UTS. I have seen our MYP students push themselves to the limit on a Dhow in Oman, in an English class whilst analyzing poetry, role playing in Arabic class, passing their French DELF exam and constructing rockets in DT.

Our Uptown students have represented our community with pride, passion, grace and dignity. I have been blown away by the talent of our students in areas as diverse as music, dance, debate, fencing, swimming, photography, art, robotics and creative writing. Our Uptown students have represented our community with pride, passion, grace and dignity in the sporting arena, and whilst we have had our successes and losses in equal measure; we all know that what really counts is playing for the person beside us, and giving our all for our community and teammates. I am immensely proud of our Uptown history makers and I am proud of our accomplishments. We have built the community we promised to each other in September. 2013/14 has been a year of ‘firsts’ as we chart the course for our school, however something tells me that this is just the beginning... and the best has yet to come!

After being at Uptown since K2 and achieving so much in PYP, I’ve really surprised myself with all the new and challenging experiences I’ve had in my first year in MYP. Edwin Arndt Grade 6

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OUR COMMUNITY

IN OUR COMMUNITY and taking action to make it even better.

The Uptowner Yearbook

At Uptown, it is through the Community and Service program (C&S) that we truly show ourselves as IB learners. It encompass all the values that make us global citizens. We show that we lead balanced lives by juggling our Community and Service projects with our sporting, academic and social lives.

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Community and Service is an integral part of our MYP curriculum, however it reflects so much of what our students aspire to be, and indeed also embodies our own whole school vision as well as the aims of the IBO and core values of Taaleem.

The Uptowner Yearbook

Among so many other things, our students have shown themselves to be principled young men and women by leading ‘cleanup’ projects around Dubai to ensure our parks, beaches and the desert remain tidy and pristine. They have increased their knowledge of charitable causes by being active and participating in events like the Dubai Cares, Diabetes and Breast Cancer walks, the Color Run, the Dubai Women’s Run and the “Swim around the Burj.” The help offered, and time given by our students has been invaluable this year at a number of events and has showcased our caring natures; International Day, swimming galas, Philippines movie night, and backstage at desert dance. We have been risk-takers as we have taken on a number of leadership roles within the school as House Captains, Student Council represen-

tatives and ATL club, as well as library assistants and by running extra Mother-tongue maintenance groups for younger students. Our Grade 7’s took a risk in running a variety of activities within their ‘Cholera Awareness Week’ and we used our inquiring and thinking natures to investigate global warming and hold the Uptown ‘Green Festival’. We were open-minded; helping our parents visit special needs children and children in hospitals, giving up our time to brighten their day. As communicators we worked on the Community and Service blog, as photographers, writers and also as developers; many of us also contributed to this very yearbook! The ideas generated and ideas already identified by our young men and women certainly mean that next year’s Community and Service program will be even bigger and better!

In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan totally destroyed the city of Tacloban in the Philippines and created a serious need for food.

BRIDGES BUILDING

In February, the Uptown community donated money to buy bags of rice, which was taken to Tacloban and distributed by the charity, AERObridge. The rice was turned into meals that were served to the needy victims of the typhoon. In April, our students and their families then responded to a further appeal for help by donating bags of milk powder, which also had messages and personally designed name labels from our students attached.

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PLAY IS SO VITAL TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT THAT IT HAS BEEN RECOGNISED BY THE UNITED NATIONS AS A BASIC HUMAN NEED AND A RIGHT FOR EVERY CHILD.

AN INVITATION TO

PLAY

PLAY IS THE BEHAVIOUR THAT SUPPORTS MEANING-MAKING AND MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR CHILDREN TO TEST NEW IDEAS AND FIND OUT HOW THINGS WORK.

The Uptowner Yearbook

Playful inquiry refers to the natural learning strategies children use to explore the world around them in playful, curious ways such as asking questions’, using all their senses, noticing patterns, telling stories and many more. It is an openedended investigation that brings joy to children as they play with materials, environments, movement, words and ideas. Play, when choreographed thoughtfully, is a powerful learning context. At Uptown, our children have an opportunity to play with a variety of materials that engage their innate curiosity and extraordinary

ability for sensory exploration - play is a rich laboratory that is used to develop understanding and teach multiple concepts simultaneously. Our Early Years Programme fully supports the right of children to learn through playful inquiry. Resources and materials are regularly shared as ‘invitations’ that encourage playful inquiry and help children articulate their questions and make sense of their discoveries. Take a look at just some of the fun and learning that has taken place through inquiry and play in Kindergarten at Uptown this year.e

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24 8

25 9

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WAIT... LET ME TAKE A

SELFIE!

WE LIVE IN THE AGE OF THE ‘SELFIE’; A FAST SELF-PORTRAIT, MADE WITH A SMART PHONE OR DIGITAL CAMERA, THEN OFTEN USED AS AN INSTANT VISUAL COMMUNICATION OF WHERE WE ARE, WHAT WE’RE DOING AND WHO WE THINK WE ARE.

Earlier this year the word ‘selfie’ was added for the first time to the Oxford English Dictionary, then on 19th November 2013, it was also announced that the word was the International Word of the Year for 2013, gaining this accolade, as it was deemed to be the a word that has attracted a great deal of interest throughout the year. Language research revealed that the frequency of the word ‘selfie’ in English language had increased by 17,000% when compared to 12 months earlier. As most Uptown students (and teachers) would agree, selfies are a bit of fun, usually silly and almost always spontaneous... boys flexing muscles, girls making pouty lips (‘duckface’), groups gathering together to strike a pose, or friends capturing experiences together. Selfies are usually casual, improvised, fast; their primary purpose is to be seen here, now! However, we have decided to include a selection here, in our yearbook - over the years, as the selfie creators featured here glance across this page (and indeed through our yearbook) the mass of selfies will be an incredible record of the fine details of everyday school life at Uptown School in 2013 and 2014! The Uptowner Yearbook

56 26

27 57

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Spirit and Adventure:

Uptown students enjoy the great outdoors Rock-climbing, kayaking, raft-building and even time for dolphin spotting on our MYP Enriching learning and generating memorable experiences for all of our students is someting that teachers at Uptown are always very keen to do. As part of our aim to achieve this, in February our MYP students were hand the opportunity to take part in residential camps. The camps were an ideal opportunity for students to apply many of the life skills and aspects of the IB Learner profile that we strive to develop in school within a supportive, practical context. The camps also provided a sense of community and belonging, encouraged respect and care for others, a sense of achievement and self-worth, as well as an appreciation of our geographical location, its flora, fauna, varied landscape and coastline. Communication and interpersonal skills, as well as physical apptitude were also fostered as the students were challenged to become confident, risk-taking learners whilst enjoying the great experiences that outdoor education has to offer. The Uptowner Yearbook

Grade 7

Jonathan Eckelberg The camp was AMAZING! I felt that it allowed me to see the true aspects of people and the instructors were nice, kind, and very funny. For me, the kayaking was the best part.

iary

My Dibba Camp D

Day One lar. At North Star mp was spectacu The first day of ca es such as arde range of activiti camp, there is a wi d plenty more. ng, raftibuilding an chery, rock-climbi day we did raft tivities per day. To We are doing 3 ac d team-building obstacle course an building, an in-air zy, and the ns are small, but co activities. The cabi this makes the yone is happy and food is great. Ever e first day of p better. I think th experience of cam s. So far so good! camp was a succes Day Two day. Waking as great as the first Day two was just t it was worth orning is hard, bu up at 5:45 in the m tivities and the - the next three ac reasonscan for twostyle it“This ities are be used fortivyour The next sets of ac delicious breakfast! the mornquotation marks text orery.a Insubtle d arch bing an abseiling, rock-clim en I played that’s wh free time so extra message attention” lot ofcatching we have a for ing Ronalds played! y friends. Even Ms. basketball with m g (in North e day was abseilin The best part of th a wall. The rappelling) down America known as ck to school. I e two hour drive ba worst part was th it. t I will never forget may miss camp, bu on, Grade 6.

Agostino Bordign

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Grade 7

Kareem Al Moghrabi Camp is when you put a bunch of people together around a fire in the middle of nowhere and enjoy it!

The Uptowner Yearbook

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Grade 8

Yasmina Forsch In Oman I was able to face fears and realize the definition of beauty. Such as the sight of a dolphin and the extroadinary mountains! If someone asked me to go back I certainly would!

The Uptowner Yearbook

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is the Middle East’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word, and aims to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together with authors from across the world to promote education, debate and above all else, love of reading and writing. The Festival creates a wonderful opportunity for UAE

Uptown Choir set the tone

with their performance at the opening ceremony for Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

nationals, residents and visitors to meet world famous authors, attend literary debates, listen to readings, participate in workshops and experience the exciting

On Wednesday, 4th March, the Uptown Junior Choir proudly

fringe and children’s events. Writing competitions and an

joined students from other schools across Dubai to perform

inter-school quiz are amongst the educational highlights,

as part of ‘The Festival Children’s Choir’ at the opening

and young people also have the chance to hear and

ceremony of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature 2014.

meet some of their favourite writers. This year, Uptown

The children performed the festival anthem ‘Metamorphosis’

students have take part in in a range of LitFest acivities,

in Arabic and English to provide a wonderful opening to this

events and competitions.

year’s festival.

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MYP students put on a show with their beautiful artistic creations This year’s Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has also provided students with an opportunity to display and share their talents in more ways than just via the written and spoken word. Dubai Festival Centre hosted an Art Show with students encouraged to exhbit works that could be showcased

Uptown teams go for glory at Readers’ Cup Quiz!

withn the mall, to coincide with events taking place at LitFest 2014. Congratulations

Uptown

MYP

students, Arya Chandra, Ruhul Mishra, Simone Noorali, Varleen Virdi and Venika Vachani who all had their

There was a buzz of excitement

wonderful creations selected to be

at the Emirates Airline Festival of

exhibited in the festival’s student

Literature, as schools from all over

gallery of art.

the region battled each other in the finals of the Chevron Readers’ Cup at the InterContinental Events Center in Festival City back in March. The quizbased competition attracted more than 260 teams, three of which were from Uptown, for the heats before the top eight teams made it through to the final. This year the Chevron Readers’ Cup garnered interest outside of Dubai. Schools from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Fujairah, Sharjah, Muscat and Qatar all participated in the competition,

On Tuesday, 21st January the first

the Challenge organisers. The Uptown

with the main aim being to promote

round of the Reader’s Cup Challenge

students who took part in the final

a culture of reading and writing

took place at Royal Dubai School. The

should feel proud of their efforts as,

among students in the Middle East.

students who were involved received

after all the scores were collated, they

The quiz format of the competition

copies of the selected texts and had

had secured an impressive fifth place

had the dual effect of encouraging

time to read the books and develop a

finish; a wonderful effort given the

participants to read and comprehend

good understanding of the events and

number of teams who took part in this

the prescribed reading list as they

characters. Then, on Thursday, March

challenge.

know they have to answer questions

6th one of our teams (Abdulsamad

about them. This helped to increase

Patel, Amina Abdul Jalil, Raedah Khan

Participating students: Amal Al Khaja,

their interest in books and reading

and

Alexandria Baritsky-Shepherd, Sydney

in general; the excitement of the

to the final round, where students

Taylor, Joseph Greig, Raedah Khan,

students is unparalleled and it is really

were expected to know all of the four

Amina Abdul Jalil Walker Robinson,

encouraging to see their competitive

books from the first round, plus the

Abdulsamad Patel, Abeer Ladhani;

spirit and drive to win.

two additional books announced by

Venika Vachani, Tate Gavin, Sara Al Mahdy.

The Uptowner Yearbook

Walker

Robinson)

progressed

Literary Awards for Uptown student Grade 7 student, Venika Vachani receives prestigious honours

In addition to hosts a wide array of seminars, debates, and writing contests for all ages, LitFest also including special opportunities for young authors to showcase their talents. When asked whether she preferred writing poetry or stories, Venika claimed that she liked both, “I find that I like short story contests better because I have more to work with and I can develop my ideas over a longer period of time. Poems can be so abstract and metaphorical that it is also hard for me to choose one to submit! It’s easier for me to decide whether a story is good enough to submit, based on plot, characterization, etc.; with a poem, this is so much more difficult. That’s not to say that I don’t like poetry contests; they are thrilling in their own way!” In her interview, Venika also discussed what she felt was the easiest and hardest thing about writing. She identified the easiest thing, in her opinion, as being starting a story. “It’s not Grade 6 student, Venika Vachani, was placed first in the Taaleem

very difficult to come up with a random plot and start writing,”

Poetry Award contest for young writers, which is sponsored by

she explains, however “the hardest thing, for me, is completing

the festival. Her poem, “I’ve Changed,” which won first place

these unfinished pieces. I tend to start stories and not finish

in the eleven-and-under category, was written to the festival’s

them.” Venika’s inspiration for her writing comes from all

2014 theme of “metamorphosis.” For Venika, seen collecting her

around her. She explains, “omtimes my inspiration comes from

award from poet and author Lemn Sissay above, this was the

the books or movies I’ve recently read or watched, it could be

second time she has won a literary award through this festival.

anything, but I generally draw upon something I’ve thought about, felt, or encountered. My poems come from anything

This award built on the success that Venika has enjoyed this

that I read or see, but others come from words I like or phrases

year after she was also the first-place winner of the Laura

that interest me. I’m also inspired by other pieces of writing,

Thomas Junior Authors Short Story Contest in October 2013,

especially those written by kids like me.”

with her story “One Big Mistake.” She has also been published in magazines and newspapers and has even had her stories

On the issue of ‘writer’s block’, Venika explains, “When I do get

broadcast on the radio. I had the opportunity to conduct an

a block, it’s usually for one specific type of writing. I just work

email interview with Venika about writing and the secrets to

on another type of writing until my writer’s block goes away.

her literary success.

For example, when I feel like my poetry isn’t coming out the way I want it, I switch to stories. Another thing that helps me

In an interview published on the Laura Thomas Communcations

is switching to another platform. Sometimes, I write on a Word

website, Venika explained that she has been writing stories and

Document; other times, I write online then copy-paste it onto

poetry since the age of about six. She also explained that the

Word again, or I handwrite it. Bizarrely, changing the font while

reason she chooses to write is because she finds it very satisfying

typing also helps me sometimes!”

and calming. Venika is asked if she would like to offer any advice with her

I just love the way my daydreams and thoughts can come alive with words!

fellow writers, she belies her young age by encouraging others to keep trying, even when inspiration is scarce; “share your writing with the world, even if it seems like a daunting task, and experiment with different styles of writing until you think you’ve found your perfect genre or form of writing,” she concludes.

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UPTOWN GIRLS ARE

THE INVINCIBLES! WHAT A MAGNIFICENT ACHIEVEMENT... At the end of January 2014, Uptown had never played one competitive girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; football match; flash forward to 25th March, and unbelievably our Under-11s were deservedly crowned league champions! After winning all five of their divisional league fixtures in February and early March, our girls had already begun to build a formidable reputation and had shown they were a team to be reckoned with; the biggest question was whether they could carry their impressive league performances into Grand Finals Day. As winners of the Northern Division, the girls received their medals and trophy before the matches got underway, and Uptown played their first game against hosts Jebel Ali Primary School in the tournamentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opening game - the 0-0 draw proved to be a solid and set the girls up well for our second game (a 2:0 victory) against Wellington Academy, Al Khail - a brilliant solo goal from Maram Ismail The Uptowner Yearbook

gave Uptown the lead before Hannah Roberts fired in the game clincher from just outside the box. The third group game, against the American School of Dubai, was another close match and also ended goalless thanks to our goalkeeper, Ashley Szczawinski, and another accomplished performance from our defenders; with other results this was more than enough to ensure that Uptown topped the group and went through to the semi-final where we faced Repton School. Against Repton, a clever free-kick from an almost impossible angle and a fiercely struck penalty from Hannah Roberts was enough to ease any nerves and give Uptown their well-deserved place in the final.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! UPTOWN GIRLS WIN THE DUPLAYS DUBAI SCHOOLSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL 2014.

The all-Taaleem final gave Uptown an opportunity to play Dubai British School (the only school to have ever inflicted a competitive defeat on us following our 1-0 defeat at the Taaleem Tournament in late January). In the final, the Uptown girls began strongly and showed great teamwork, desire and commitment to control the game and restrict DBS to very few chances. We also offered a threat going forward and after a spell of pressure midway through the first half, seized control of the game thanks to another goal from Hannah Roberts; her fourth of the afternoon and 19th in 10 games! After holding a first half lead, Uptown conceded their first goal of the afternoon with DBS scoring almost immediately after half-time. Our girls recovered from that setback and continued to push forward looking for what they hoped would be the winner - when it came, what a special goal it was... after more pressure, an Uptown throw in found its way through a group of players to Amal Al Khaja around 18 yards from goal, she allowed the ball to bounce once before firing an unstoppable half-volley past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net! A few minutes later, (which felt more like hours!), the final whistle was greeted with delight by the Uptown girls and supporters. After 10 games and 8 victories

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An exciting future ahead for girls’ football at Uptown!

in a league that involved 23 schools from across the whole of Dubai, Uptown had shown themselves worthy of the title ‘League Champions’. HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to our invincible girls - each and every one of them played their part throughout the season and can be incredibly proud of their historic achievement. Well done to Hannah Roberts (captain), Amal Al Khaja, Ashley Szczawinski, Beatrice Varley, Dilara Guliyeva, Laila Abdel Barry, Lauren England, Maram Ismail, Mikola Szkudlarek, Robyn Dugdale and Sophia Evans.

UPTOWN GIRLS

This has proved to be a really memorable year for girls’ football and Uptown for many reasons, most notably our finishing in second place at our first ever Taaleem Football Tournament, and for winning Dubai Football League Championship. When our girls’ football trials were announced at the start of the year, nobody could have possibly expected the success or, arguably more importantly, the interest that we would see. Our Girls’ Football ECA has consistently been well-attended throughout the year which has meant that in addition to our Under-11 ‘League’ games, we have also had an opportunity to play matches against other schools with a second group of Under-11 girls as well as an Under-10s team. The promise shown by all of the girls who have taken part in games this year has certainly show that girls’ football at Uptown has an exciting and entertaining future; Our Under-11 girls will now move up to Under-12 (11-a-side) football next year, while our talented young ladies from Grade 3 and 4 will be presented with the task of representing the school and defending our league championships! tudents who have represented Uptown (Uptown Whites and Uptown Under10s are: Amelia Thackray, Amina Abdul Jalil, Athija Al Mehairi, Celine El Zaza, Christa Topalian, Dana Al Jarrah, Hana Soliman, Joanne Finley, Marwa Ismail, Mariam Ismail, Marie-Julie Chatonnet, Nisreen Kuhail, Savannah Blaauw, Skylar Ray, Sydra Hamad and Victoria Nuzzi. The Uptowner Yearbook

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159. Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. It is an irrational number, which means it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. Pi’s infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize - Grade 6 student, Karim Azzam shares his experiences of how Pi Day 2014 was marked by our MYP students at Uptown.

F O N Y O I A T D A R PI B 4 E 1 L 0 E 2 AC and fun s a ’w e d ay n th r ‘pi dents i trying o f g e u s rain wer P st ts a repa ing. MY where pi digi could y y t o r exci ay eve as man t... Wh f us s w o hall morize i conte t most oto e p h a g m p h i pi to W eb r th digits? as the ol were o f ld t w scho pi cou bou ost tty, e t h ey e t h e m c i t e d a u n d t h h o f w i a p i x c o t d e i r n a rec more ents a h a bu hat h n t t e d i ctio s r u e w o t e w t. S me up l phot e conn o be s e t a c o n g t o c o u n u s u a d e t h m e d t d ay e e m n s is se s th t r y i i ve a n d f k i d s o t o th t for. A ing kid d s a t e o e l r i k c p n a A t e e . d t e w s a ed an them een pi at most e start hool, in e Mr. c s m h betw heme t Mr. Gie nd the s excuse of the e , t u e the oached nd aro (pleas ). Som p with d a r h u e t p s d e a n h ey ap m las ing m se t offe s ca of c out ing bor be too tudent g becau ile it s t o n of d e, do no fellow -blowi ing. Wh oing y d s st n e m i tic e i ed r t G tha lutely m d inte we wer s fantas ed s a a c ide abso tive an d like w x it e hat ss e a e wer so cre e look otos, w nto cla were v i e w e r t n o t h a f e w p h u l d g o c h t h ey p i d o e u h s w g m o i j oye m th w ne ly h i n eve r yo o u t h o a t h . I e n e r r e a l t a b m v t a e m a n g h t d ng in was hatter t learni his I ha . c t u pi d e o f r n a d ab e befo cept o e t i exc ecaus he con t b d ay r s t o o d e d n u

S C I T A M E H T A M s i wa at p pt, h t e w onc kne ve n a t i c a l c ! I t h i n k e e r h e n ev sert nd t them ally t of ma nly des nd fou rse, u t c a r a o ou ard d ay e so of c was s o m u g h t i t oye d p i s . B u t u n d i t h s y y j o a I tho one en few da le still f it as e n d p ry eve o i t a f u e p e o r s f o u n t om othe d up ed s buil it end d, while n n whe dersta n u o t as...

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Celebrating the Union As our host nation prepared to mark 42 years since its formation, the Uptown community came together to say Happy Birthday, U.A.E.

SANAH HELWA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES In order to promote students’ spiritual and civic development, at Uptown Schiol it is our aim to ensure that our curriculum content includes opportunites for our community to understand Dubai’s and the United Arab Emirates’ continued evolution. We believe it’s vital that all of our students fully are aware of, and appreciate the history our the country - This includes educating our young citizens about the culture and traditions of our region.

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Imagination and L’imagination

creativity et la créativité I have learnt lots in French class this year. I really enjoyed learning about the French language and Natalie Kitambi, Grade 6

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What a fun year we have had in our French lessons. Imagination and creativity were the key words of the year, as these photographs show. Also, look out for the pictures of our Grade 1 students who were invited to sing a song for the opening ceremony of the yearly francophonic competition « L’art solidaire », at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. They had so much fun singing and recording for this occasion. Une autre année pleine d’amusement en français. L’imagination et la créativité ont été les mots-clés de l’année. Nos petits de grade 1 ont été invités pour chanter une chanson dans le cadre de l’ouverture de la cérémonie annuelle de la compétition de la francophonie « L’art solidaire », à KHDA. Ils se sont beaucoup amusés à chanter et à enregistrer pour cette occasion.

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get your dancing feet on The Uptowner Yearbook

LET’S DANCE! “

I feel incredibly privileged to teach Uptown students and I am so proud of the amazing work they created. Mrs. Emma Dawson

”

Uptown Teacher & Desert Dance Co-Founder.

On Thursday 23rd January 2014, the Uptown Desert Dance team truly danced the night away. Our amazing performance was the product of months of practices and rehearsals. The time and dedication displayed by all members of Team Uptown was a credit to the school! When the night finally came, the dancers dazzled – costumes and make up added to a truly polished performance. All in all, it was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to get involved next year. Desert Dance is a Dubai-wide showcase to share all of the wonderful dance that is being created in our schools. Each year schools are given a theme to work within and this year, the chosen theme was “ Our Global Community.” Our Uptown team decided to address the issues of poverty in India and in Africa, along with the helplessness we can often feel watching events unfold in the media.

The students worked incredibly hard over a four-month period and created a truly outstanding piece of work, which was recognised by the international judging panel. Thanks to the incredible effort and amazing teamwork of our students, the judges gave the ‘Best use of Theme’ and ‘Costume’ awards to Uptown. Participating Students: Dancers: Aayush Aggarwal, Budoor Ahli, Alia Ali Akbar, Elyazia Al Hashemi, Yara Al Jundi, Kareem Al Moghrabi, Athija Al Mehairi, Noor Balit, Aniket Bangera, Phoenix Bankes, Alexandria Baritsky-Shepherd, Savannah Blaauw, Lisa Bopp, Kenzie Brook, Barbara Burkus, Joshua Chacko, Tala Daher, Alex Dugdale, Robyn Dugdale, Laila El Mahdi, Sara El Mahdy, Tamar El Zaza, Lauren England, Hayma Fahad, Omar Farea, Rayyan Forsch, Yasmina Forsch, Bailey Gavin, Tate Gavin, Maxime Holzer, Leila Hussain, Mariam Ismail, Marwa Ismail, Mohammed Ismail, Nayana Jaidev, Maryam Khan, Shaheer Khan, Isabella Kinuthia, Natalie Kitambi, Natalia Kotze, Daniella Kristanto, Abeer Ladhani, Gabrielle Lotz, Revati Mirchandani, Simone Noorali, Enoque Nsi, Robin Pile, Samyuktha Ramnath, Celine Rietveld, Cindy Rietveld, Hannah Roberts, Kirtika Rungta, Ashley Szczawinski, Alfie Sephton, Alyzeh Somjee, Asia Stevens, Christa Toplian, Beatrice Varley, Kiana Villegas and Cassey Zeederburg. Backstage: Ahmad Altayyib, Viktor Flammini, Keenan Venter and Samih Wahdan.zie Brook, Barbara Burkus, Joshua

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The Uptowner Yearbook

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GRADE 6 STUDENTS ABEER LADHANI AND AGOSTINO BORDIGNON EXCLUSIVELY INTERVIEW MR. WALEY AND FIND OUT HIS REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST YEAR AT UPTOWN SCHOOL, AS WELL AS WHY HE’S ACTUALLY A SOFTY!

LET’S TALK TO

OUR PRINCIPAL

“

I AM AN HONEST AND

In years to come, the one we have just enjoyed at Uptown School will surely be looked at as a truly historic one. In a year that has seen Uptown Primary School disappear and Uptown School really come to life, we were keen to discover what Mr. Waley considered to be the best part of the year. After smiling and joking that his favourite part of the year was the last day, he explained that making the smooth transition from the old campus to the our new wonderful site had been a highlight. He explained that to face all the challenges associated with such a big move, then to be able to reflect on a “positive, productive and enjoyable year”, makes him feel “pretty satisfied with all the work that has taken place.”

STRAIGHT-FORWARD

PERSON... BASICALLY, I AM JUST A SOFTY.

Besides the move to the our new campus, as the Principal, how would your say Uptown has changed over the past few years?

The Uptowner Yearbook

Well, we have certainly grown in not only population size but the school community has also become more diverse - we currently have 77 different nationalities at our school that brings with it a huge and rich cross section of the world.

Q A

What would you like Uptown to become in future years?

I expect us to build upon and consolidate on what is already a wonderful environment in which to live and work. Will will become larger, we will become stronger as our breadth of offering continues to grow. It is my hope that Uptown will have the capacity to allow each and every student who attends our school to achieve to their best and reach their highest potential, so they can enter the world beyond school exceptionally well-placed to confidently face all the challenges that confront them. I want Uptown School to be the school of choice in Dubai, the school which everyone wants to go to.

AS IF GETTING THEMSELVES AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WASN’T ENOUGH, ABEER AND AGOSTINO ALSO MANAGED TO SNAP THEMSELVES A GREAT SELFIE WITH MR. WALEY.

Are there any misconceptions you think people may have about you or your job?

Don’t get me started, I may never stop! You see, I am an honest and straight-forward sort of person and sometimes honesty causes issues for others, which is unfortunate. Basically, I am just a softy - I really don’t enjoy conflict but have a philosophy I follow whereby I always try to be true to myself and other people; I don’t like finding myself in situations where people are untruthful, irresponsible or unreasonable and my saying so isn’t usually what some people want to hear.

If you were a teacher at Uptown, what subjects would you like to teach?

I would like to teach English. Better still, I would love to master Arabic and teach that!

Q A

Do you have any role models or leaders who inspire you?

One of my past principals who was like a sort of mentor to me on so many matters associated with the role this job entails. He had a profound impact on moulding my attitudes to so many aspects of life in a school, including dealing with sticky issues that crop up from time to time. I also have a number of sporting heroes whose words lead me to follow very comfortably the line of their thinking.

What is the most memorable or powerful lesson that a students has ever taught you?

Listening closely to students may seem like a small thing, but it really is important that if they have something on their mind and choose to share it, they are listened to and given meaningful advice or assistance.

What is the most and least enjoyable thing about being a principal.

The best part is, without doubt, being part of a vibrant, professional and cohesive learning community. I also delight in watching young people grow, develop and contribute to our community. I also take great satisfaction when I see the response of a student when something really comes together for them and the delight that shows on their face as a result. The least enjoyable part of my job is dealing with parents who find it hard, or cannot accept, that their children may have made a mistake and as a result, do not hold them accountable. This can be frustrating. Providing mixed messages only hinders the social and academic progress we all desire. Thankfully this is pretty rare. Noone is immune to making mistakes - it is how we all learn.

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TO PREPARE OUR GRADE 5 STUDENTS FOR EXHIBITION, THEY WERE ALL PUT THROUGH THEIR PACES WITH A DAY OF TEAM BUILDING CHALLENGES THAT TESTED THEM MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY.

UP FOR THE

CHALLENGE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EVER WORKED AS PART OF A TEAM, YOU WILL HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME OF THE CHALLENGES RELATED TO TEAMWORK. FIND OUT ABOUT HOW OUR GRADE 5 STUDENTS PREPARED FOR THE ‘CHALLENGE’ OF EXHIBITION 2014.

Maybe you have also experienced the amazing synergy of a group working well - one of those situations in which the team truly becomes a functioning whole. Maybe you’ve had an experience that wasn’t quite so positive and don’t quite go as planned. In order to prepare our Grade 5 students for the challenges associated with working as part of a group during Exhibition 2014, on April 2nd instructors from the outdoor education providers ‘Ecoventure’, visited Uptown to put our students through their paces with a tailored program aimed at challenging them mentally and physically. By providing adventure-based learning tasks, our The Uptowner Yearbook

enthusiastic students were given opportunities to take risks, solve problems, develop and maintain positive relationships, and have more than a little fun. In order to work effectively in their groups, and achieve the best possible results during Exhibition, students were encouraged to recognise the need to work flexibly (in more ways than one!) as part of a team to solve a range of fun challenges and small group problems. The interpersonal communication skills of team members was crucial to the success of teams, with students then encouraged to consider and reflect upon the specific skills and attitudes that enabled their teams to be successful and function effectively.

“I THINK THIS WAS A GREAT START TO THE EXHIBITION BECAUSE IT WAS SHOWED US THAT WORKING IN A TEAM CAN BE HARD, BUT THAT WE CAN ALWAYS FIND A WAY”. CELINE EL ZAZA, GRADE 5

“MY FAVOURITE ACTIVITY WAS LAVA ISLAND... THE MOST DIFFICULT WAS THE SPIDER-WEB TASK BECUAUSE YOU ONLY HAD A SMALL SPACE TO GO THROUGH AND COULDN’TTOUCH ANYTHING!” ARSHIYA BHATIA, GRADE 5

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The Uptowner Yearbook

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Orchestra Choir & Band

hrough our music teaching, Uptown students develop their knowledge and potential as musicians, both personally and collaboratively. This takes place in timetabled Music lessons, as well as via extra-curricular activities.i

Lessons and activities involve aspects of the composition, performance and critical analysis of music; all students are exposed to forms, styles and functions of music from a wide range of historical and socio-cultural contexts. They develop practical and communicative skills which provide them with the opportunity to engage in music for further study, as well as for lifetime enjoyment. In addition to recorder that is taught to all Grade 2 students, and Violin to all students in Grade 3, we are also extremely fortunate to have a number of talented Music representative groups who have been involved in a wide variety of events and performances throughout the year.

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There are no less than three choirs who have been singing their hearts out and rehearsals before school and at lunchtime on a weekly basis. Our Junior Choir, for Grades 2, 3 and 4 have learned a number of songs during their practises this year. They also performed in the Uptown Winter Concert, Uptown Music Soiree and were very lucky enough to be invited to open the prestigious Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature Festival which was an amazing, enriching experience for all involved. Some even met and shook hands with the Sheikh! Our fantastic Junior Choir was Razi ElHusseini, Ishita Banthai, Paige Galvin, Huda Ali, Ruan van den Berg, Safina Hammond, Shanae Fernandez, Joshua Arachchige,

the

Charlie Bopp, Khalid Al Hashimi, Aya El Masri, Katelyn Evans, Catarina Duffy, Nadia Reavy, Hind Jaouni, Alisha Bell, Samanya Ramnath, Johke Jute, Sarah El Moselhi, Giorgia Lombardi, Rewa Iyer, Sakina Halai, Finley Stevens, Yonden Frank, Mark Joy Binsu, Flynn Thackray, Kimaya Guerin, Nysa Iyer, Isabella Tovar Dias, Zara Ibrahim, Erin Haydon, Thomas McCarthy, Alisha Reikhi, Maria Halai, Eliel Nsi, Adriana Santimano, Maia Springer, Andre Joubert, Freddie Varley, Dylan Greig, Shana Alves Da Silva Neves, Lorena Buergi, Hiba Ali, Alexandria Baritsky-Shepherd, Christa Topalian, Hana Soliman, Mariam Ismail, Annika van den Berg, Hajar Jaouni, Adam Noorali, Abigail Nsi, Erin Dsouza, Maram Ismail, Amina Abdul Jalil, Marwa Ismail, Kai Sayer, Claire Lee, Nayane Jaidev, Shahd Al Hassoun, Laila Al Mahdy, Vivienne Schroter, Elyazia Al Hashemi, Hala Abdelhadi and Roxy Yadollahi.

beat

Our Grade 5 Choir emerged in its own right due to the fantastic commitment and motivation shown by its enthusiastic members. The Grade 5 choir performed in the Taaleem Winter Concert, Uptown Winter Concert, Uptown Music Soiree and also took part in The Choir of the Year festivities hosted at Dubai College in March. They were thrilled to take part as the were led in a workshop by an internationally acclaimed Jazz musician and teacher before performing in front of a crowd of hundreds! Our Grade 5 Choir was Beatrice Varley, Amal Al Khaja, Lana Al Jayouchi, Victoria Nuzzi, Nisreen Kuhail, Savannah Blaauw, Dana Al Jarrah, Amruta Sonawane, Amelia Thack-

goes on...

ray, Tala Daha, Raedah Khan, Gabby Lotz, Rohaan Gulamani, Joseph Greig, Ashley Szczawinski, Mahmoud Ashour, Joanne Finley, Ida Calvert, Celine El Zaza, Dilara Goulieva, Neo Lopes, Kiera Kotze, Maryam Khraishi, Joana Buergi, Athija Al Mehairi and Ahoud Adel AlMarzouqi.

Our MYP Choir included students from Grades 6, 7, 8 and 9. They were a small but keen, enthusiastic and dedicated bunch; the choir performed beautifully in the Taaleem Winter Concert, Uptown Winter Concert and Uptown Music Soiree; the also represented the school by competing in The Choir of the Year Competition in the Senior category at Dubai College. The Choir performed with, great

Issue 9 - 2013 / 14

maturity, confidence and enjoyment and the judges were very impressed by their sound. Kenzie Brook, Sara Al Mahdy, Katie Vennet, Isaaq Nsi, Enoque Nsi, Michaela Thompson, Cassey Zeederberg, Simone Noorali, Lisa Bopp, Isabella Kinuthia, Ayush Aggarwal, Samy Ramnath, Aniket Bangera and Bailey Galvin were

all members of our MYP Choir. The Uptown â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Beginner Cello group ran for ten week blocks and provided students with taster class for those who would like to try out and learn how to play this beautiful instrument. Our Cellists were then invited to perform at the Uptown Winter Concerts, Music Soiree. They also provided entertainment on International Day. Our budding cellists were Yasmina Forsch; Robyn

and

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56 8

Dugdale; Amal Al Khaja; Essa Khalil; Joseph Rodgers; Sophia Bordignon; Simone Noorali; Kirtika Rungta; Tala Daher and Aayush Aggarwal.

We began the year with a Senior Ensemble/Orchestra merged later in the year to form our Rock Band! Students performed for either or both at concerts and events, including International Day. Students learnt to work as a group and enjoyed the process and opportunity to rehearse and performing live music to an audience. These musicials were Agostino Bordignon, Varleen Virdi, Cassey Zeederberg, Phoenix Bankes, Souren Salehi, Jamie Jackson, Lisa Bopp, Sara Al Mahdy, Ashley Szczawinski, Amal Al Khaja, Robyn Dugdale, Alfie Sephton, Simone Noorali, Joanne Finlay, Joshua Rodgers, Mahmoud Ashour and Joseph Greig.

and on...

UPTOWN GETS ALL FUZZY AND EMOTIONAL ABOUT MOVEMBER!

MOVEMBER...

THE HAIRIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR!

To an ordinary person it may seem like people just seem to have a craze for moustaches. But we all know that it’s more than just that. So now I mustache you a question, what exactly is Movember? (obviously it’s a mo’torical question). Well, it’s a month where people raise awareness for men’s cancer using their facial hair. It all started with a concerned group of young men in Adelaide, South Australia who had a wave of inspiration for their fellow males. Soon after, it became a nationwide epidemic. Being IB learners,

we Uptown students did not want to miss this chance; so mo’ and behold, we came up with Mo Day! Both students and teachers across the school showed off their moustaches. Long ones, short ones, blue green and red – we had them all! And you can see for yourself right here! Written by Abeed Ladhani

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Citius - Altius - Fortius

Faster - Higher - Stronger

t was the Dominican priest Henri Didon who first expressed the words ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ at the opening of a school sports event in 1881. Pierre de Coubertin, who was present that day, adopted them as the Olympic motto. It expresses the aspirations of the Olympic Movement not only in its athletic and technical sense but also from a moral and educational perspective. The three values of Olympism are excellence, friendship and respect. They constitute the foundation on which the Olympic Movement builds its activities to promote sport, culture and education with a view to building a better world. These these three value alongside others, such as enthusiasm. participation, determination and fun, could also sum up the sporting endeavours at Uptown this year. During our Sports Days and Swim Galas, all students from the very youngest in our Pre-K classes through

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to our older MYP students, have performed to the best of their sporting abilities. In doing so then have shown and developed positive attitudes to sport and physical activity, with an element of ‘fun’ competition. Our parents and teachers have been a vital part of these events with their cheering and encouragement of all the students; some also helped support the message of participation over skill with their efforts in Egg and Spoon races! Thank-you and very well done to all members of our community who organised, supported and most importantly, took part and competed in our inter-house Sports Days and Swim Galas at Uptown School this year.

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The Uptowner Yearbook

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The Uptowner Yearbook

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A coven of witches, a pride of princesses, a skulk of super heroes, a zeal of Jedi, a pod of fairies, a sleuth of Aladdins! all our favourite characters were at Uptown for...

Book

Character Day

It was a gathering quite like no other as back in February, Uptown was filled with Gruffalos, Mr. Men, boy wizards, too many furry creatures too mention, and so much more! It was clear that our Early Years and PYP children - and staff - had entered fully into the spirit of Uptownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual celebration of all things bookish. Reading can expand childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thinking, words and pictures can excite, and stories really can inspire. By spending the day as a favourite book character, our hope is that Uptown students will continue to love reading and might even be inspired by the characters their friends come as, and be tempted to discover new books and authors too.

The Uptowner Yearbook

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“Champions aren’t made in gyms, they are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” The quote above has inspired many people since it was first expressed by Muhammad Ali, and captures the essence and manner in which our PYP footballers have approached the sport this year.

Desire, Dreams and Vision

Our Uptown boys have really impressed many with their ability and skill, but more importantly, have worked hard and demonstrated great commitment while always playing with smiles on their faces. From the first whistle to the last, they played and worked until they had no more energy left - whether it was an important league fixture, a friendly game or a training match the desire, dreams and vision were always evident for all to see.

This year our Under-10 and Under-11 football teams travelled to, and hosted a number of other schools as they took part in the Sony Dubai Schools’ Football League. After so many years of traveling to other schools to fulfill our fixtures, the opportunity to welcome teams to ‘Fortress Uptown’ was something our Un-

Our Under-11 boys blazed a trail and played some magnificent attacking football to score over 50 goals this season. The best being Hamed Omran’s solo effort to win the final of the Taaleem Indoor

The Uptowner Yearbook

Tournament on 19th June.

Our PYP boys have shown that they understand the main concepts of the game and have developed an awareness of the vision and tactics required of teams that try to win games in a positive, attacking way.

der-11 boys clearly relished as they they won all our league and friendly home games; something good for the boys to know, and even better for visiting schools to be aware of too! Our Under-11 boys have set extremely high standards for fellow Uptowners to follow in the years to come - 36 teams from across Dubai competed in this year’s league and with more than 50 goals scored; a remarkable achievement achievement that saw Uptown far surpass the number scored by any other school, and more evidence of the skill, ability and spirit that Uptown has seen from it’s young footballers. This says so many things about our team’s spirit, ability to take risks and willingness to believe. For our Under-10 football team this has been a year of development. Our squad consisted of students from both Grade 3 and Grade 4 who approached every game in a positive manner, always giving everything, even during some particularly challenging fixtures against teams with considerably more experience. While the boys performances and effort didn’t always end with them winning the games, their commitment was magnificent. As the season progressed, so did the team. We have some extremely talented footballers in the Under-10 team who, allied with their excellent attitude, allowed them

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to begin enjoying more of the success they deserved. Each and every Thursday afternoon throughout the year our boys continued to train to developed not only their skills and understanding, of the game, but also an awareness of the vision, techniques and tactics required of a team that tries to win each game in a positive and attacking style. At Uptown School, it is the goal of all our football coaches to create a positive environment for our students to develop as effective footballers - a place where they can improve their footballing skills, begin to understand the main concepts of the game and the importance of having a recognizable footballing philosophy.

Participating students (Grade 3): Freddie Varley; Eliel Nsi; Rashid Al Thani; Joshua Springer; Louis Franklin. (Grade 4) Max van Schagen; Keagan Ackermann; Yahya Bareh; Adam Noorali; Joshua Fritz; Ishan Joshi; Krishna Malpure. (Grade 5): Abdulrahman Alashram; Evgeny Joulkovski; Omer Dibirov; Hamad Omran; Khalid Belhadj; Gianluca Lombardi; Joseph Ibrahim; Haiden Goveia; Bardia Khajeh; Bagrat Tangian; Jad Sannan. The Uptowner Yearbook

Restez calme et parlez français

Keep calm and speak French Hard work and lots effort sees our Uptown students pass the DELF test! Over a weekend in early May, along with hundreds of students from many schools across Dubai and the Northern Emirates, a group of MYP students from Uptown School sat, for the first time in the school’s history, an external assessment in French: the DELF-Diplôme élémentaire de langue française. Slightly nervous, yet confident and assured at the same time, they knew it shouldn’t be a problem for them, as they have trained very hard for this day; they had been working since

October and sacrificed many of their lunch breaks to practice for what lay ahead. In addition, I cruelly assigned a substantial amount of learning tasks to complete at home, above and beyond their regular study and assignments! Although French can be a difficult language to learn, these students thoroughly enjoyed the ‘torture’ and I have to admit that there is no greater joy and accomplishment for a teacher that to see the students’ eyes shine with excitement when inspired by the things they are learning. It was

also lots of fun guiding our students as they delved deeper into into this mysterious and challenging language. Most of all I would like to say how proud they all made me, with their hard work, positive attitudes, outstanding behavior, and the amazing knowledge that they displayed - This really did wow their examiners. Merci, mes chers! Madame Sirbu Participating Students: Kareem Al Moghrabi, Liam Bruchet, Barbara Burkus, Hayma Fahad, Jana Ghanem, Nicole Goveia, Teema Hamad, Mohammed Ismail, Abeer Ladhani, Simone Noorali, Samyuktha Ramnath, Agustus Sirbu, Alyzeh Somjee and Venika Vachani.Ramnath, Celine Rietveld, Cindy

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UPTOWN KIDS ARE

ROCKIN’ IT

AT OUR AMAZING WINTER CONCERTSTAG-

The Uptowner Yearbook

Our Winter Concerts took place in December and featured tightly packed programmes of solo, small group and grade musical performances covering a wide range of styles. The shows gave the assemblage of proud parents and fellow pupils a chance to enjoy some of the work undertaken over the previous months by our tallented music scholars.

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The Uptowner Yearbook

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COMPETITION CREATES

AMBITION

UPTOWN’S PYP AND MYP SWIM SQUADS ENJOY A YEAR OF GREAT SUCCESS IN THE POOL. MOVING TO OUR NEW CAMPUS HAS PROVIDED OUR SWIMMERS WITH A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP AND DEMONSTRATE THEIR POTENTIAL IN THE POOL.

Swimming has long been a key component of the Uptown curriculum and extra-curricular sports programme at Uptown School but the move to our new campus, and beautiful 25 metre pool has provided our young swimmers with the opportunity to develop their great potential and make a real mark on the Dubai school circuit... and make a mark they certainly did! Our squad was determined to prove, not only to themselves, but also to the school community, that through hard work, dedication and commitment we can achieve a great deal. Training sessions took place three times a week and enabled our young sports-men and women to be put through their paces to develop technique and strength, and to improve fitness and stamina. Wonderful new facilities have also given us the opportunity to host a number of friendly galas throughout the year, as well as the Taaleem Gala, and the end of season Dubai Schools’ Swim League ‘Group C’ final. From our first friendly gala back in October, through to end of the swim season, our The Uptowner Yearbook

swimmers have firmly established Uptown as a competitive force in the pool! Not content with proving themselves by winning age group categories and being crowned Taaleem champions, we were also celebrating as Uptown comprehensively won the Dubai Primary League Championship in the last gala of the year in June. After a truly memorable and successful year, Uptown has laid solid foundations, and already established a reputation as a host school to be reckoned with, both inside the water and out. We have grown from strength to strength and this could not have happened without the dedication of, not only the swimmers themselves, but the help and support of our coaches, teachers and parents who have supported throughout the year and been pool-side sweating and cheering our champions on!

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The Uptowner Yearbook

SWIM SQUAD PARTICIPANTS (PYP): Caleb Jennings; Laila Sabbah; Tom Bayman; Mathys Bonvin; Christian Gammiero; James Lotz; Rosheen Duncan; Deniz Anadol; Katelynn Evans; Dana Abdel Salam; Catarina Duffy; Sarah Elmoselhi; Freddie Varley; Sacha Bryant; Jamie Leeming; Aryaan Ahmed; Jack Chapman; Laila Abdel Bary; Giorgia Lombardi; Erin Haydon; Rory Allan; Tina Tangian; Max van Schagen; Anton Joulkovski; Puneet Narain; Krishna Malpure; Laith Sabbah; Kaya Sayer; Vivianne Schroter; Amina Abdul Jalil; Anna Bayman; Mia Haydon; Alexandria Baritsky-Shepherd; Bagrat Tangian; Gianluca Lombardi; Evgeny Joulkovski; Khalid Belhadj; Abdullah Belhadj; Jad Sannan; HiradÂ Mohajer; Beatrice Varley; Sophia Evans; Gabrielle Lotz; Lana Al Jayouchi and Lauren England. SWIM SQUAD PARTICIPANTS (MYP): Noor Balit; Robin Pile; Kaylin Duffy; Cassey Zeederberg; Vasudha Channe; Simone Noorali; Tamar El Zaza; Hayma Fahad; Sara Al Mahdy; Viktor Flammini; Kareem Al Moghrabi; Raven van der Bijl; Maxime Holzer; Andreas Backhausen; Mohamed Ismail; Adil Bhatti; Liam Bruchet; Younis Belhadj; Edwin Arndt; Isaque Nsi; Omar Farea; Lisa Bopp; Asia Stevens; Daniella Krisanto and Kenzie Brook.

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G N I H C A E R S W L A NE

O G

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Uptown’s MYP netball teams have gone from strength to strength this year. Dedication and commitment to training, coupled with enthusiasm and passion for the game have all contributed to significant growth and development in our girls. Both teams competed in the DASSA ‘Developing Schools’ Netball League. The U12 girls started their season

completely new to the game, with little understanding of positional responsibilities, rules and general principles of play. They worked hard, gelled together as a team and by the end of the season looked like a slick, mean netball machine! Robin found her spot shooting goals; Kaylin, Maryam and Cindy were all over the court. Kenzie and Natalie led the team with a quietly growing confidence. They now all know and love the game – exciting times ahead for 2014 -15. The U14 girls laid firm foundations last year with strong performances in the Dubai Youth League. Trials were competitive, with a very strong team being selected.

The Uptowner Yearbook

The girls were early to every practice and worked their socks off. This paid off when league games came around. They scored more goals than any team in the league, only lost one game in the entire season, and did all this with good grace and maturity beyond their years. At the end of year tournament, they were the only school from the developing league to qualify for the cup round. Although winning is nice, it’s certainly not the most important thing. The girls have learnt so much from being together – they know they can rely on each other for support, and encourage each other when games are tough. Most importantly they have an insane amount of fun! Mrs. Dawson MYP Netball Coach

RISING TO THE

CHALLENGE UPTOWNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NETBALLERS PROVE MORE THAN A MATCH

Under-12 Squad: Kaylin Duffy, Robin Pile, Cindy Rietveld, Kenzie Brook, Maryam Khan, Katie Vennett, Daniella Krisitanto, Maxime Holzer, Natalie Kitambi, Noor Balit, Teema Hamad, Natalia Kusaga, Jana Al Ghaniem and Michaela Thompson. Under-14 Squad: Asia Stevens, Barbara Burkus, Cassey Zeederburg, Isabella Kinathia, Michaela Thompson, Phoenix Bankes, Lisa Bopp, Simone Noorali, Kianna Villegas, Yara Al Jundi and Nicole Goveia.

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I remember my first game of netball at Latifa School. I was really nervous because it was my first ever game and I was worried that I was going to mess up! Even thought we lost 5-3, I really enjoyed the match, it made me excited about the rest of the season. Robin Pile, Grade 6

The Uptowner Yearbook

BEHIND THE SCENES

014 2 e c n a D t r e s e at D

DANCING WITH OUR UPTOWN STARS… TAKE A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT THE PREPARATION THAT OUR AMAZING UPTOWN DANCERS ENJOYED DURING THE HOURS LEADING UP TO THEIR FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE AT DESERT DANCE 2014.

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The Uptowner Yearbook

JUST THE

TICKET A permission slip signed by a parent is just the ticket that children need to get out of the classroom and on the road to learning about their locality, their city and their world.

hroughout the year all of our students have enjoyed taking part in many field trips - these outings have been carefully planned to link with our Units of Inquiry, and whole school curriculum, and have taken place with the intention of being a perfect blend of academic challenge and adventurous fun! The educational excursions that have taken place throughout the year have expanded learning beyond the classroom and ignited interest by providing opportunities and experiences that could not be replicated

in the classroom. At Uptown we believe that we offer a curriculum that is dynamic, both in its scope and in the depth of its offerings. One of the most significant and valuable aspects of our curriculum is the opportunities that we seek to facilitate learning beyond the walls of the classroom. We believe that engaging our children in experiential learning and providing meaningful experiences is an essential component, and necessary building block, required to help all of our students to reach their potential.

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The Uptowner Yearbook

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World

SCHOLAR’S CUP

also deals with serious, and in some cases quite hard-hitting, global issues without taking itself too seriously.

The World Scholar’s Cup may look like a competition, but it isn’t one at all. It is a celebration of learning. The World Scholar’s Cup is an academic programme in which teams of three study materials from a range of disciplines, such as Literature, History, the Arts, Science and Current Affairs. They then compete in persuasive writing, debating, a quiz and an examination. Back early April, nine teams represented Uptown in the first regional round, with our students challenged to work together and recognise the pressure, and motivational factors associated with knowing that someone else depends on you. The Scholar’s Cup The Uptowner Yearbook

Before we can fall in love with learning, we have to find the fun in it, and while the World Scholar’s programme is challenging and demanding for those who participate, it also aims to be a enjoyable experience. Not content with making history by being the first group to compete and represent our school, the ‘Uptown Alpacas’ have achieved something they, and we can all, be very proud of! They all did amazingly well this year – our first visit resulted in several medals, many commendations, and even one of our own being invited to participate in the Debate Showcase! On top of all this, Uptown have been invited to compete at the Global Round, which takes place in Singapore from 24th - 27th June, and will pit our students against some of the other highest performing schools in the world! Here’s hoping that this will be the first of many successful similar international events and trips for Uptown students, but even more importantly, our students will learn a lot about themselves and others, whilst creating what we hope will be lasting friendships with other scholars from around the globe.

Grade 6 student, Agostino Bordignon, took part in the regional round and will represent Uptown in Singapore at the end of June. He had the following to say about his experience... The World Scholar’s Cup was one of the most memorable parts of my life. At my old school there wasn’t such a thing and moving here gave me the wonderful opportunity to participate. At first I thought that Scholar’s Cup was a place where you do work and just sit there bored all day, but I was wrong! Scholar’s Cup is a really fun and competitive competition that lasts for two

days and is packed with six activities in total. They were debating or speaking (I was really good at that!), persuasive writing, scholars challenge, which was a 120 multiple choice question test, and the scholars bowl which was a clicker challenge. There was also an optional two-day camp before the competition started. For me, scholars camp was the second best part of the whole experience; by far, the best part was progressing to the global round in Singapore with 21 fellow classmates. Wish us luck!

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N W O T UP

! N A L H A

TOP HITS, TIME TO DANCE! Grade 5 students dancing like superstars as they celebrate their achievements this year at their Valedictorian Dinner!

PYP SECRETS REVEALVED! Students discover the seceret of the PYP... Pasta and Yummy Pizza!

TUESDAY 1 7t h J U N E 2 0 1 4

IS S U E #5

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0 UPTOWN 14 SPORTS AWARDS

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SPORTS AWARDS COMPETE

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INSPIRE

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CLASS PAGES&MESSAGES

As I reflect on the last 12 months, on almost all checks and balances I think we can all feel very satisfied with the school year that has all too rapidly reached its climax. To have uplifted the old and re-settled on the new campus has been no small feat. It has been an enormous challenge and yet we have managed to do so while ticking a significant number of other boxes as well. While it should not be the driver of all we do, the reality is that our Regulatory Authority does tend to dominate our lives from a majority of standpoints. On that basis alone, which although not the most critical for me, to have had two inspections in eight months and to have been recognized for the great many positives this school provides, is a great testament to the hard work of our staff and Senior Leadership Team. I thank and congratulate them on this and the great many other achievements for 2013/14. I also thank our parents, for your continuing support of Uptown. We enjoy a very positive and productive relationship and for that we are very grateful. Of course, the winners in all this are your children. So to our students, I congratulate you on contributing so positively to life at Uptown School in our first year at this new campus. My hope is that when you reflect on the year, it will be

The Uptowner Yearbook

dominated by good memories. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported the creation of this yearbook - an absolutely splendid, impressive and professional production – without doubt the best I have seen for some time. It is a first rate record of a “pioneering year”. Congratulations to Rob Ingham, Rachel Oxley and Susan Whistler for their brilliant job in pulling it all together and of course, my thanks to all those staff and students who have contributed to this production, in particular, our student editorial team, Abeer Ladhani, Agostino Bordignon and Karim Azzam, as well as photographers Anekit Bangera, Keenan Venter and Omar Farea. Great job! Finally, I take this opportunity to again thank you for your support of our school and to wish you an absolutely fabulous summer break. To those leaving us, all the best for the future and to those remaining, we look forward to seeing you, refreshed and enthusiastic for the new school year. With very best wishes, Mr. Tim Waley, Principal Uptown School

PLEASE NOTE, AS CLASS PAGES INCLUDE THE INDIVIDUAL PHOTOGRAPHS WITH THE STUDENTS’ NAMES, THEY HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS ONLINE VERSION.

THANK-YOU&FAREWELL

I am sure you will all join with me in thanking those members of teaching, support and administrative staff who are moving on to new challenges. A number of them have been with Uptown for many years and we will really miss them. As well, to those whose tenures have not been of the same proportions, on behalf of the whole Uptown School, thank you for your contributions to the life of our community. Mr. Tim Waley, Principal

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The following staff will sadly be leaving us this year: Allison Buckley, Barbara Eisenring, Claudia Davies, Hellene Gogos, Kevin McFadden, Lauren Evans, Leigh McDonald, Lisa Muntz, Louise Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donoghue, Margie Cronje, Nish Damji, Nouran Ibrahim, Russell Bryant, Tyrone Giese Beth Njoroge, Farah Jabak, Helen Alfereti, Jeanine Fritz, Jitka Ludvikova, Lenka Bayman, Pooja Bhatia, Renu Kodhituwakku, Tarab Imran, Vrinda Dhawan and Awni Hafedh.

We do not remember days, we remember moments. - Cesare Pavese

Uptown School offers an internationally recognised education imbedded with the IB philosophy, in a supportive environment inspiring students to enhance their understanding and respect of the world around them. Our mission is to develop intellectual curiosity, independent and lateral thinking, communication and problem solving skills, a respect for cultural diversity and a desire for life-long learning that will enable our students to engage actively in our global society.