AL YASMINA SCHOOL

CONNeCtBLOOMGrOwLeArNNurturePLAY

ABu DHABI ISSue 1MArCH 2012

PARTNERSHIPTHE SECONDARY

AL YASMINA SCHOOL STRIVES TO BE AN OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL, MAXIMISING THE LEARNING POTENTIAL OF ALL

CONteNtSweLCOMe FrOM tHe HeAD OF SCHOOL, Mr GALe 3

weSt SIDe StOrY: AN OVerwHeLMING SuCCeSS 4

wHAt YOu NeeD tO KNOw ABOut tHe POSt-16 PrOCeSS 6

MAKING SuBJeCt SeLeCtIONS FOr YeAr 11 7

BrASS PLAYerS BLASt tHrOuGH eXAMS 8

MAtHS CHAMPIONS 8

wOrLD CHALLeNGe FuNDrAISING uNDerwAY 9

YeAr 10 StuDeNtS HeADING Out FOr wOrK eXPerIeNCe 9

GCSe: wHAt'S INVOLVeD IN CHOOSING tHe rIGHt SuBJeCtS 10

MAtHS CHALLeNGe 10

SNIPPetS - A QuICK LOOK At trIPS, tALKS AND CAMeL CAMPAIGNS 11

SCHOOL trIPS AID CLASSrOOM LeArNING 13

CeLeBrAtING SuCCeSS wItH StuDeNtS OF tHe MONtH 14

Welcome to the first issue of The Secondary PARTNERSHIP, the official newsletter of the secondary department at Al Yasmina School.

It will be emailed to parents on the first day of every month. The Secondary PARTNERSHIP keeps you up-to-date with student activities across the secondary

department. It also gives Al Yasmina School the chance to celebrate progress and achievement and provide more in depth information to parents on subjects ranging from the curriculum to making the right GCSE choices.We welcome your feedback.

Please contact us at communications@alyasmina.sch.ae

The Secondary PARTNERSHIPTopics, trends, updates, views and news from the Al Yasmina Secondary Department

weLCOMe

SINGING STARS: Pictured on the cover are Tommy Wouters (left), Hassan Al Asmawi, Wynona Bautista and Rebecca Schonberg, who appeared in the recent secondary drama production West Side Story. For more photos, turn to page 4 and 5. 2

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What began as a quick Google search for a quote about change took me through a maze of websites, each brimming with clever citations about the role of change in our lives. I began with Charles Darwin: “ It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Interesting. The next quote to catch my eye was by an Arnold Bennett, an English novelist who died in 1931. He very wisely said “Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” A few more web pages later and I found a quote from an American businessman called Nido Qubein, who said “Change brings opportunity.” American comedian Billy Crystal had this to offer: “Change is such hard work.” I would have to agree.

Al Yasmina School has been through a great deal of change in the last few weeks with the departure of Principal Mr Malone. Mr Malone has left big shoes for me to fill. He stood ably at the helm of the school and under his leadership Al Yasmina has grown to become a school of choice in Abu Dhabi. It no longer bears the label of a ‘new school’ but is now a developing school, offering layers and depth. Great foundations have been built and now it is my responsibility to ensure we continue to grow, to develop and most of all to make sure we continue to aim for outstanding. Our plans to farewell Mr Malone are well underway. Post-16 students, most of whom have been at the school for as long as Mr Malone, are coordinating the secondary effort. A collection has been launched and donations will be accepted until March 21.

In some ways I have the easiest job in the world. Each day I am amazed at the achievements of our students and we have an active and engaged parent community. New leadership inevitably means change, and this will be the case at Al

Yasmina. But it will be well planned and executed and to the benefit of all. So meanwhile, the show must go on, and that is the perfect theme for the first issue of our new-look secondary newsletter, which features a story on the secondary drama club production, West Side Story. It was a spectacular performance and we should all celebrate its success. Next month we will focus on Arabic and Islamic studies. Every student in the secondary department will recognise the significance of the name of the newsletter, The Secondary PArtNERSHIP.

Congratulations to Patrick Gaunt who won the competition to come up with a winning name. He wins dhs200. I thought I’d finish with one more quote, this time from Alan Watts, an English philosopher. “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” But I thought there might be something more, and lured into more screen time, I found it. And it could not have been more fitting.

“Situations change from time to time. A friend may become an enemy and an enemy a friend. Life is inconsistent and ever changing.”Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

WINNER: Head of School Mr Gale with the winner of the newsletter competition, Patrick Gaunt.

“Situations change from time to time. A friend may become an enemy and an enemy a friend. Life is inconsistent and ever changing.”Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

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Deciding which two students would play the lead female role in West Side Story was a difficult decision for the play’s producer, drama teacher Mrs Hetherington - so she choose both.

Jess Vickery, in Year 12 and Rebecca Schonberg, who is in Year 11, both performed as Maria in the musical, with each student appearing twice over four nights. “They are both talented in different ways so I wanted to provide the opportunity for both of them to play Maria,” Mrs Hetherington says. “Maria is a complex vocal role and by choosing two singers it also ensured there was no vocal straining for either performer.” West Side Story is the second production for the drama department, and its first full musical. The show featured around 40 performers from the secondary school and explores the rivalry between two teenage street gangs. Live music was provided by the school’s music and peripatetic teachers.

To add a modern twist to the story, the names of the gangs was changed from Jets and Sharks to the Hoods and the Slicks, the latter an “emo” gang. Parallels were drawn throughout the production to Romeo and Juliet. It also followed the example set in Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film of Romeo and Juliet, which featured

a CNN reporter the beginning and end of the production. Quotes from the Shakespearean play were used throughout. Some of the darker scenes in the original musical were replaced with lighting and still images which created an atmosphere of tension. Publicity in the Abu Dhabi Week magazine ahead of opening night helped attract an audience from throughout the wider Abu Dhabi community, Mrs Hetherington said.

The production was filmed by the Abu Dhabi branch of the New York Film Academy who will make CDs of the production available for sale for 30 dhs from the drama department in the next couple of weeks. Farris Al Ali, who played Bernardo, has been approached by the academy to help with the technical side of editing the recording made on the night. Tommy Wouters, who played Riff, the leader of the Hoods gang, has been asked to audition for a film produced by the academy.”This musical has definitely put us on the map,” Mrs Hetherington says. “Drama is about breaking the mould and challenging ourselves and that’s what we achieved in this production.”

WEST SIDE STORY PUTS AL YASMINA DRAMA STUDENTS ON THE CITY STAGE

STAGE PRESENCE: Cast of the secondary drama club production of West Side Story.

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The curtain has just fallen on the musical West Side Story but already the students who took the lead roles can’t wait for the next production.

Tommy Wouters (Riff), Hassan Al Asmawi (Tony), Wynona Bautista (Anita), Jessica Vickery, (Maria) and Rebecca Schonberg (also Maria) say the experience was stressful and challenging - but they can’t wait to do it all again. They all say

they enjoyed the experience of working together, meeting new people and say they have formed a close friendship as a result. After living and breathing the play for so long they all joke that lines from the script have become part of their everyday conversation. “The performance was a bit rough in the early days but we worked hard and pulled off an amazing performance,” Tommy says. “We are a good team.”

WEST SIDE STORY LEAVES FOND MEMORIES

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Year 11 students have made their subject choices for next year, emerging from a comprehensive process that matches students to subjects and helps them begin to plan their future careers. The highly individualised programme will be completed next month when the 42 students receive letters offering them places in courses in the Post-16 programme next academic year. Post -16 Learning and Progress Leader Mr Ridpath says the process of selecting Year 12 subjects began last September when Learning Mentors discussed options with students. GCSE mock exam scores were used to work out average point scores, help build a student’s ability profile and calculate performance levels. This helped the school assess the appropriate pathway for each student.

The next step was a Post 16 options evening in January which gave students an opportunity to find out about available subjects in more depth. “This was done in a very relaxed environment in the school atrium,” Mr Ridpath says. “All teachers were present and each department had a notice board, displaying information on what GCSE grades a student would need in order to study a particular subject, detailing career opportunities and the universities they could attend.”

Staff were on hand to explain in detail what was involved in each subject. The final step in the process was an interview with Mr Ridpath, which the student attended on their own or with their parents. These interviews varied hugely, depending on the student. One student may have already made their subject choices and knew the field in which they planned to study. Discussions would therefore centre on looking at specific universities and focusing on what grades would be required for admittance, Mr

Ridpath says. “Another student may be completely unsure of a career path and would need guidance about which subjects to take that match their strengths and areas of interest.” Once the information is collated, Curriculum Team Leaders do a final check of choices before the curriculum timetable is produced by the Learning and Progress Leader (Curriculum), Mr Commons.

RIGOROUS PROCESS TO HELP STUDENTS CHOOSE SUBJECTS FOR YEAR 12

A LEVEL ACTION: Post-16 Learning and Progress Leader Mr Ridpath

A levels explainedStudents study for their A levels in Years 12 and 13. At Al Yasmina School, these Year groups are referred to as ‘Post-16.” They begin their AS (advanced subsidiary) qualification in Year 12 and move onto A2 (advanced) in Year 13. Each part makes up 50 per cent of the overall A level grade. There are three pathways: traditional, hybrid or vocational aimed at three university levels: elite, the Russell Group (comprising 20 leading UK universities) and vocationally focused universities. Subjects can be taken at an academic or BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) level. BTEC is a vocational qualification. The number of subjects chosen depends on GCSE marks. The UK standard entry level requirements are:

• Five A* - C grades in GCSE subjects, including maths and English: three subjects.

• Seven A* - B grades in GCSE subjects, including maths and English: four subjects.

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STUDENTS MAKE POST-16 CHOICES

GOOD ADVICE: Mr Ridpath with students Shahmir Khan (left), Priyanka Iyer, Gemma Haefele and Rameez Ansari.

For Shahmir Khan, deciding what subjects to do in Year 11 was proving problematic. Rather than being limited to a few areas of interest, the 16-year-old had a long list of possible career directions. “The problem is I am interested in so many things,” he says. “I’m keen on journalism and have had two articles published in UAE magazines, I’m into photography and like film and media but I also like the sound of law. Before the options evening I wasn’t sure about anything, but when we got to talk to the subject teachers and listen to what their subject was about and looked at the specifications about what I was going to learn things became a lot clearer.”

His focus sharpened further after his interview with Mr Ridpath, which he attended with his parents. “He told me to do what I enjoyed doing the most and in areas where I wouldn’t get bored. We looked at university choices and what careers I could consider if I pursued some of these different subjects. We talked a lot about university, about which one I should aim for and about what grades I would need at A level.” Shahmir has decided that law could be a possible career, but has opted to keep his options open by studying maths, history, business and economics and English literature.

His classmate Rameez Ansari also struggled to come up with a career choice and he found it difficult to narrow down the list of potential subjects to just four. In the end he has opted for chemistry, business and economics, DT (design technology) and

maths. “It was a tough decision in the beginning but my parents came along to the meeting with Mr Ridpath and we discussed career decisions and the path that I should take. I don’t have a career choice as yet as it’s confusing and hard for me to find out what I want to do. But I have made sure my options for A levels are pretty broad so I can go anywhere I want and can get an MBA or perhaps look at engineering as well.” Making a career choice was not a problem for Gemma Haefele and Priyanka Iyer, both of whom want to work in the medical field. Because both have decided on their career path, they elected to see Mr Ridpath without their parents present. “I knew which options I needed to take to become a doctor but I wasn’t sure about the fourth,” Priyanka says. “The process helped me decide that history would be my fourth subject.” She says she benefitted hugely from talking to Mr Ridpath about the importance of extracurricular activities, the university interview, how to differentiate herself from other students, work experience and which universities she could attend.

Nailing the fourth subject was also a challenge for Gemma, who has opted for biology, chemistry, psychology and English literature. “The options evening was great, because I got to talk to the teachers about the coursework. There was no pressure from any of them to take certain subjects and you could go back to any of them for more in-depth information. Mr Ridpath had excellent advice on what universities are looking for and had all the data on hand about our abilities and what grades we are predicted to get. His advice was to broaden our knowledge and subject choices and not to do something we didn’t want to do.”

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BRASS ACCOLADESAl Yasmina brass students achieved some of the highest scores ever recorded in the UAE in their recent exams, their teacher, Mr Hudson says.

Of the 12 students who sat the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exams, eight received distinction. The other four were awarded merit and were no more than three points away from obtaining distinction. These scores led to a group of the brass musicians being invited to perform in the exam board’s ‘high scorers concert’.

Mr Hudson says making the decision to prepare for an ABRSM exam is a sizeable one, both for the students and their parents. “These examinations require months of disciplined home

preparation and study and entrants frequently need a guiding (and at times disciplinary!) hand with home rehearsal. Every one of the students’ parents took time to visit me to discuss the format of the exams and the commitment required from their children before making the decision to enter. Consequently the parental support has been a large factor in these wonderful results. It has again confirmed the extensive interest in the instrumental music service at Al Yasmina, and further endorses the recognition of its importance in the school curriculum.”

Feel like finishing off the month with a musical interlude? Hear some of Al Yasmina’s talented musicians play in a recital on the last thursday of each month. the performance kicks off at 2.45pm and lasts for around half an hour.

BLASTING OUT: Brass teacher Mr Hudson conducts a performance by Harrison Crawford (left), Felix Griffin (partly obscured), Ramya Iyer and Chloe Lawson.

Year 11 student Hannah Morris has topped the school with her marks in the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) intermediate challenge. Hannah received a gold certificate, along with two other students, Abigail Alexander and Mohammed Shahrour. The UKMT is an international competition organised the University of Leeds in the UK to advance the mathematical education of children and young people. More than 90 Al Yasmina students in Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in the challenge, which forms part of the schools able, gifted and talented provision for maths. Hannah has been competing in UKMT challenges for the last four years, and last year also received a gold certificate. She plans to take both maths and further maths for A levels when she returns to the UK in September. The silver certificate recipients were: Ahson Kamal, Alex Parsons, Alvin Singh, Clara Ziada, usman Liaqat, Omar Ali and Faiqa Subhani. Those who received bronze certificates were: Josh Brundan, Lana Zuhair, Priyanka Iyer, rebecca Schonberg, Anissa Johnson, Hibah Hassan, Laura tibi, emily Green, Ahmed Alsaqri, Claire Lynch, Yeain Lim, Harrison Crawford, Yousef Abdelfattah, Andrew Lord, Oliver Barron, Yan tenyakov, Zain Mustafa, tejas Menon and Fawz Hreiki.

MATHS CHAMP

MATHS MIND: Hannah Morris, who received the best results in the school in the UKMT maths challenge.

WELL EARNED REST: At the top of Jebel Hafeet: Liam Troup (left), Nicholas Bryant, Daniel Brundan, Jon Alexander and Rafeh Safdar.

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A secondary school ‘spring fling’ disco this month is the major fundraiser for a group of World Challenge Year 12 students who are raising money to help build a school in a Ugandan village.

The March 20 disco is being organised by 11 students who leave for Uganda on June 10. Some of the group are doing the World Challenge as an adventure in its own right, while for others it is part of the gold medal Duke of Edinburgh award. Uganda was chosen from a list of developing countries by the group, and one of the reasons was a team member’s father was born there, says Chloe Moss, one of the students fundraising for the trip. The group has been on a training exercise in the desert and while conditions did not resemble the Ugandan countryside, they were able to rehearse situations that could occur under arduous conditions.

“We looked at what to do if someone got lost, or if there was an injury to someone in the party. We also practiced other skills such as sanitising water,” Chloe says. “We worked on getting the team together and focusing on the roles that everyone needs to play in the group.”Now the practice run has been completed, the group’s attention has turned back to fundraising. Recent fundraising activities include selling Valentine’s sweets bags, providing refreshments at events, organising a cake sale and a charity football match between the Year 12 boys and the teachers (the teachers emerged victorious). It was attended by Radio One DJs Serena, Danny Cee and Flo. Five team members also raised around 6000dhs by completing a sponsored climb up Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain.

In Uganda, the team will spend a week trekking in the jungle and a week helping out in a village. The students plan to add a roof to an unfinished school building and carry out any other carpentry work that they can. Fundraising will go to buy extra building materials in Uganda. It is the end of the monsoon season and the team is expecting wet, muddy conditions with humid conditions in the forest and cooler conditions as they climb higher. Chloe says the group is able to access an comprehensive evacuation plan and will carry a satellite beacon and satellite phone. “It is very remote, and at times it will be quite scary, but that is part of the challenge. But we know if something goes wrong, we can get out quickly. The silver medal for the Duke of Edinburgh is testing, it does push you to the limit, and Uganda will do that too. We will work as a team and I will really get to know the people I go to school with!”

The team members are Rafeh Safdar. Jon Alexander, Daniel Brundan, Nicholas Bryant, Liam Troup, Stefan Bennett, Khalifa Abdulla, Chloe Moss, Emily Prest, Nicole Crighton and Jess Vickery. Meanwhile, the next cohort of Duke of Edinburgh candidates completed the adventure section of their silver medal last weekend, spending three days and two nights in the desert. Want to know more about the Duke of Edinburgh programme?

cstephenson@alyasmina.sch.aehttp://www.dofe.org

WORKING WORLD BECKONSYear 10 students swap their school bags for briefcases this month, leaving their lessons behind for a week’s work experience.

The 68 students have been placed in a wide range of industry groups, ranging from nurseries, engineering consultancies to a theatre company, the Al Ain Zoo and a gym. Work experience co-coordinator Miss Stephenson says the main aim of the programme is to give students a taste of being in the working world rather than aligning it with their specific career interests. “Many students might go to other countries and want to seek part-time jobs within the next couple of years and need to understand the responsibilities of being in a workplace. Things like punctuality, working with initiative, meeting deadlines and getting along with people they don’t know all come into play. This is an opportunity for them to see what the ‘real world’ is like.”

Year 10 was selected because it was felt the experience would help sharpen students’ focus as they get further into their GCSE programme, Miss Stephenson says. Employers are given a handbook detailing some of the activities and experiences that the school recommends for its students. The amount of coursework and modular exams in Year 11 means work experience is not an option for this group, Miss Stephenson says, but work experience is being arranged for Year 12 students in June.

Can you help with placements for Year 12 students? Contact cstephenson@alyasmina.sch.ae

DISCO TO RAISE FUNDS FOR UGANDA ADVENTURE

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MATHS CHALLENGEThere were no correct answers to the last math’s challenge, which asked readers to solve a sock problem. Surprisingly, you only have to take three socks from the drawer. Imagine if the first was red, the second was black, then there is no pair. However, it does not matter what colour you pick out third as it will match one of your socks. This month’s maths challenge is a doodling exercise. Without lifting your pencil from the page and only drawing four straight lines can you pass through every dot in the square below?

The solution and the person who solved it correctly will be published in the next newsletter. Email your answers to: crichards@alyasmina.sch.ae

Year 9 student Soo Lim didn’t skip a beat when asked what optional subjects she plans to take for GCSE. “Art, French, DT textiles and history,” she answered immediately. The 14-year-old has carefully handpicked her subjects so she can fulfill one of her two career aspirations - either becoming a wedding dress designer or a translator. For her classmate Rhys Vickery, the decision took a little longer. He has chosen PE, history, geography and ICT. “I’ve chosen the subjects that I enjoy and that I’m strong in,” he says. Their choices have been fed back to the Curriculum Learning and Progress Leader, Mr Commons, who makes sure students have made the right subject choice before he turns his attention to drawing up the GCSE timetable and looking at staffing levels.

Students have to take English, maths, chemistry, biology and physics and are asked to pick four optional subjects, one from each of four option blocks. Previous year’s choices are used to decide whether a subject appears on one of more subject blocks. History, for example, was a popular choice last year so appears on three option blocks, and more teachers have been employed to cope with the extra numbers. PE, another favourite, is on two blocks. This year Business Studies has emerged as the most popular subject, Mr Commons says. New subjects are also introduced each year. In September, one of Soo’s choices - DT Textiles - will be offered for the first time. DT students can also specialise in resistant materials, graphics and food technology.

The process of selecting optional subjects for GCSE kicks off in January when option booklets are sent to parents. A week later, parent teacher consultations and an options presentation session are held on the same evening, giving parents the opportunity to talk to subject teachers ahead of the presentation. Students’ options choices are submitted in mid February and confirmation letters are sent out at the end of the second term. In the intervening period, Mr Commons

checks all students’ choices with their subject teachers. The school decides whether to offer an IGCSE or GCSE subject after analysing the course content and taking into account how well the content sets up students for study at Post-16. Mr Commons says the process is both robust and consultative. “We make sure students have ample time to discuss their options with their parents and their subject teachers,” he says. “Our aim is to have our students taking subjects that are right for them and delivering these options in the best possible way.”

ROBUST PROCESS FOR MAKING GCSE CHOICES

Progress Leader Mr Commons and students Soo Lim and Rhys Vickery.

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SNIPPETS

A UNIFORM APPROACHSmart, professional and easily recognisable - that’s the message being projected by front of house administration staff in their new business uniforms. They have the option of wearing either a black skirt or trousers with a tailored jacket, white shirt and green scarf with Al Yasmina branding which ties loosely around the neck. The uniforms have received a positive response from the school community, Administrative Manager Mrs Roberts says. “They make us easily identifiable to parents, we look smart and businesslike and project a good first impression of the school.”

SMART ATTIRE: Frontline staff in their new uniforms.

ON FILM: A BBC cameraman films Cameron for the documentary.

SHAKESPEARE COMES TO LIFERomeo and Juliet came to life for 90 Year 8 students who travelled to Dubai to see a performance of the Shakespearean drama. The visit was a timely one for the students, who have been studying the play in English. Also on the trip were 12 Year 10 drama students, who are required to critically analyse a live performance as part of their drama coursework. http://www.shakespeare4kidz.com

WRAPPING IT UPA mesmerizing talk by Bulgarian artist Christo, who is known for wrapping iconic buildings in fabric, kept GCSE art and BTEC students glued to their seats during a talk at the school. His visit was part of a lecture tour hosted by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation. He also discussed his plans to build a Mastaba ( a flat roofed, rectangular structure) made of more than 400,000 oil barrels, in the desert near Liwa. Art and Design Curriculum Team Leader Mrs Walsh says Al Yasmina was one of two schools in Abu Dhabi that was visited by the famous contemporary artist. His visit was particularly relevant for the BTEC students, who are working on a sculptural unit of work. “Being able to hear what he had to say was an amazing experience for the students and added a depth of understanding that they couldn’t get from a visit to a gallery.”http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/

CAMEL CAMPAIGN ATTRACTS WORLDWIDE INTERESTCameron Oliver’s profile as a camel campaigner has been raised even further with the release of a short BBC documentary on his activities.

The Year 9 student spent two days with a BBC camera crew and who filmed him and a group of fellow students cleaning up rubbish in the desert. The result was a four-minute segment which was screened on the BBC documentary channel 10 times over a period of three days. The exposure led to a flurry of emails from as far away as Brazil, India, China and Egypt, many hoping to get their hands on one of Cameron’s distinctive camel campaign t-shirts, but others offering to donate money to the cause. As a result, Cameron says he will investigate establishing a Paypal account. Now the documentary has been aired, it’s back to his core business of raising awareness of the dangers of rubbish on the health of the UAE’s camels. “I said on the documentary that I will never give up, and I won’t, not until the camels stop dying and the rubbish is cleared up.”http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/fast_track/9695147.stm

GRAND PLANS: Christo talks to students at Al Yasmina School.GRAND PLANS: Christo talks to students at Al Yasmina School.

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EVERY CHILD MATTERSThe principles of Every Child Matters - the UK-based initiative which ensures every child is looked after and given the opportunities they deserve - is a woven into Al Yasmina’s PSCHCEE classes.

The programme was established by the Department for Children, School and Families and is set across a framework of services that touch on the lives of children, ranging from doctors and hospitals to social services and schools. Every Child Matters has five strands: be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic wellbeing. PSHCEE Coordinator Miss Stephenson says the programme is implemented across the school. “Each of the topics that we cover in PSHCEE (personal, social, health, citizenship, economic education) classes addresses aspects of the Every Child Matters agenda,” she says. “For instance, Year 7 is discussing friendships and bullying, which fits in with the ‘stay safe’ strand. Implementing this programme is not done in a regimented way, but it does underpin everything that we do as teachers.”

http://www.education.gov.uk/ SWIM CHAMPS A RESOUNDING SUCCESSAl Yasmina’s secondary swimming team came home with a host of medals from an international swimming competition, and the honour of having one of its members, Cameron Oliver, chosen as swimmer of the tournament. A team of 31 Al Yasmina students, from Years 3 to 9, competed in the British Schools of the Middle East Swimming Championships in Muscat. They participated in 124 races and came home with a cache of 39 medals from individual races and relays - 10 gold, 19 silver and 10 bronze. PE teacher Mr Todorov says all swimmers swam personal best times in all races, with some of the times very close to the championship records. “Our swimmers demonstrated quality swims with excellent skills and race awareness. They approached the whole competition and each race in a very professional and mature manner. They did us very proud.”

WEBSITE REVAMPIt’s been a slow and frustrating process, but Al Yasmina’s new-look website will be completed by the end of term. The new design will reflect the look and feel of both the secondary and the primary school and will be a comprehensive, up-to-date source of information for information on the school.

FRESH VEGES FROM FOYWant to receive a box of fresh, locally grown vegetables every Wednesday for a month?

All you have to do is place and pay for your order by the first Monday of each month. Orders should be emailed to Lindy at foyveg@hotmail.com and payment placed in the Vegappetit box at reception. Include your name and mobile number. Then, pick up your box each Wednesday after school outside the secondary library. The deliveries are organised by Friends of Yasmina (FOY) as part of its fundraising efforts. Already around 40 parents and staff are getting their vegetables via Vegappetit, choosing between a 2.5kg box for 30dhs, or a 5kg box which costs 55dhs. Each box contains a selection of seasonal vegetables. Specific orders are not taken - each box is prepacked with a selection of vegetables.

FOY chairperson Janine Loftus says this is only one of several fundraising initiatives being organised by the group, which is also selling second hand uniforms. Anyone interested in buying or selling uniforms that are surplus to their requirements should email Urooj at alyasminafoy@gmail.com FOY members meet regularly and the group welcomes new members and is always looking for volunteers to help out at various events.janineloftus@hotmail.com.

FAMILY FUN SPORTS DAYDon’t forget family fun day on Saturday from 9am-1pm. Join a mixed team of students, parents and teachers and compete in sports including football, tag rugby, swimming relays and multi skill events. Families who enter will be asked for a donation and funds will go to various charities and to support the school Pe programme. refreshments will be provided by FOY (Friends of Yasmina).

READY, SET, GO: A flying start for competitors at the Muscat swimming championships.

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SCHOOL TRIPSSecondary classes were out and about last month on a variety of trips and excursions to support learning in the classroom. Year 9 geography students headed for Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai where they explored both the physical and human aspects of coastal geography. They used many data collection techniques including beach profiling, assessment of environmental quality and questionnaire surveys. Students are now using their data to write a report on how and why this coastline needs managing.

Dubai was also the destination for Year 7 science students, who visited the aquarium and underwater zoo. They were given a two-hour tour by specialist guides which added to their understanding of their current science topic "classification and food webs." The students carried the food theme through to their visit to Candylicious. Teachers were able to do their own research on the affect of sugar on adolescents on the return journey.

The Post-16 physics group used a visit to Ferrari World to better their understanding of dynamic physics. Data collected was used to design an experiment to investigate energy transfers of moving objects. And just to make sure the objects did move, the group also sampled the various rides on offer. A group of 17 Year 10 GCSE PE students volunteered at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championships. The students were responsible for ensuring that all of the scoreboards on the course were up to date and accurate, information which was then shown on TV screens around the world. Thanks to the students’ efforts, Al Yasmina has been asked to provide volunteers for next year’s event. And last but not least, Year 7 DT (design technology) students had a day at the Shahama Petting Zoo.

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STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

AIDA ANANIArabic Islamic Native

HASAN AL MASHANIArabic Islamic Non-native

KYreLLOS KAMeLArabic Native

rOwAN SMItHArabic Non-native

SALLY ZeIDANArabic Social Studies

ASeeL MOHAMMADEnglish

CLAIre MCMANAMON-PurteLLFrench

ALYA AL SuwAIDIArt

MOHAMMeD SHAHrOurBusiness Studies

tOMMY wOuterSDramaICT

rAMYA IYerDT

ABrAr SYeDEconomics

OMAr NASMeSAM O’SHeAKArAN SAMPAtSArAH PACeGeography

treNt FreeMANHistory

KYreLLOS KAMeLMaths

CHeLSeA LAwSONMusic

LuKe reADPE

ZACH GILLrOYPsychology

ANISSA JOHNSONScience

NIAMH GrIFFItHSSpanish