Secondary Newsletter - Spring Term March 2022

SPRING TERM 2021/2022

THE BRITISH SCHOOL AL KHUBAIRAT

SECONDARY NEWSLETTER britishschool.sch.ae

SECONDARY NEWSLETTER CONTENTS P03 P04 P05 P07 P09 P12 P14 P16 P17 P19

A Message From The Head Of Secondary, Miss Woulfe Wellbeing Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 A Message From The Assistant Head Of Sixth Form, Mr Thompson Sixth Form Shakespeare Week - Poetry

MISS TERESA WOULFE THE HEAD OF SECONDARY Whilst spring time is usually associated with new life and regrowth in the natural world, I feel there is a certain synergy as to what is also happening in schools and it is wonderful to see the shoots of events starting to happen at BSAK once more.

Despite being a shorter term we have reintroduced more face to face events as the covid restrictions have been lifted.

It was a real pleasure to be able to have live assemblies once more in the auditorium as well as the increase in CCAs which has been well supported by students and staff alike.

At the start of the term, we held our first external examinations at BSAK for almost two years. This was for a group of Year 11 mathematics students who sat their early entry GCSE exam and I’m delighted to report that all 27 of the students received a grade 9 which is the highest grade possible. A fantastic achievement for the students and for Miss Brear who taught this group.

This term we have been delighted with drama performances, music performances and sporting competitions which our students have excelled in. We have also had a very lively Maths Week where the department had maths related activities throughout the week for students to compete in and help their Houses to accumulate house points. Hot on the success of Maths Week, our English department hosted Shakespeare Week to celebrate the writing and theatre of William Shakespeare, once again, the department provided opportunities for students and staff outside of the classroom to get involved with.

A further drive this term is the continued focus on wellbeing and celebration in the secondary school.

We have involved students in what and how they want to be rewarded for effort as well as hard work. Miss Cooper explains more about this in her article.

When we return after the spring break, we will be in the Holy Month of Ramadan. Thank you to all of you who contributed so generously to our Ramadan Gift Basket appeal. Due to your generosity, we were able to give 61 of our housekeeping, maintenance and security staff, 2 bags of gifts and essentials to enjoy.

Thank you for your kindness.

Wishing you all Ramadan Kareem and a very restful holiday.

MS NICHOLA COOPER ASSISTANT HEAD Last term you were all introduced to our new Wellbeing Wheel and our focus of Celebration in the Secondary School.

This new portion of the newsletter is part of this new initiative and aims to shine a light on what is currently being done at BSAK, highlight new initiatives and share resources with you at home. We hope that this will help us to strengthen our partnership with you at home and guide us to developing and improving the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of your children and our students.

This term included a great variety of wellbeing activities in forms, the introduction of our new rewards, Cafe Vouchers and saw the second round of Form Awards, BSAK Citizens and Pizza Parties.

Winners of which are all under discussion in the Head of Year office as I type!

It is these Heads of Year who stand on the frontline of Wellbeing at BSAK and are integral to driving this new initiative forward, as well as supporting your children in their day to day life.

Finally, a new resource I would like to highlight to you is the Padlet which has been created and shared by Mrs Walter.

This is a great platform for information sharing and the Secondary Pastoral Team has added some resources specifically focused on teenagers.

This padlet provides a One Stop Shop for information relating to wellbeing. Of particular interest for parents of secondary school students are topics including Exams Anxiety, General Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Relationships, Social Media and Resilience. There is a wide variety of information from spotting signs, practical tips and parental guidance. This is a working document and we invite your feedback on topics you would like covered.

If you have any suggestions from the Secondary School perspective please contact me on ncooper@britishschool.sch.ae.

MISS LOUISE MELL HEAD OF YEAR 7 After starting the term back online, I am extremely pleased that most students have been able return to face to face learning.

Last week I held my first live assembly with the Year 7s, something that I have been looking forward to all year.

Sophie Magee sang beautifully as the students entered the Auditorium as once again we are seeing glimpses of 'normality' in our BSAK community.

FIRST LIVE ASSEMBLY

My theme for the assembly was self-reflection, asking the students to consider what they have contributed to the BSAK community over these first two terms of secondary school.

Whether it is supporting friends, taking part in co-curricular activities, entering competitions, demonstrating resilience when finding something difficult in lessons, showing kindness towards others or exhibiting integrity, even when others aren't watching. I hope that you are able to look back as a family and see how much value each and every student has brought to our community.

Our focus during MELS lessons this term have been looking at Mental and Physical Health. Students have discussed what makes us feel sad, happy and even anxious.

They have worked together to consider and discuss strategies that can help when they are not feeling at their best and when their 'emotional backpack' seems too heavy.

Students then had two lessons to trial some of these techniques; from art therapy to meditation to group dance numbers. I hope that the students have taken a lot away from these sessions, and can use these strategies in the future when they need to.

MELS

LESSONS

MELS WELLBEING ACTIVITY

This term our Centaur house captains Leanne and Yousuf launched a House Baking competition which saw some extremely creative entries, students included house badges and even included some house mystical creatures in icing.

HOUSE COMPETITIONS

Other competitions this term included house pictionary and the creative and escape room competitions that the Maths Department introduced to celebrate Pi Day.

In March we celebrated World Book Day with a week full of activities ending our week with our fancy dress day. I was so pleased to see so many of our students make such an effort, some even making their own costumes. A brilliant day and well done to those students that won prizes for their entries.

I hope that everybody enjoys a well earned rest over the holidays, ready to come back with lots of energy for the final term of Year 7.

MR RUAIRI CARR HEAD OF YEAR 8 What a fantastic term Year 8 have had!

Term two has seen a return to competitive action for BSAK Year 8 students in sport and musical competitions, as well as the students first live assembly.

In a term that started with another lockdown it is fantastic to see us edge closer to normality with drama productions, live singing and house competitions.

The Spring Term Year 8 House Point Winner is Lucy Crampin Lucy received a 50dhs voucher to spend at the cafe for lunch with 2 of her friends and a 50dhs voucher for Virgin.

Well Done Lucy!

ADEK CUP FINAL

A huge congratulations to the girls who were part of the inaugural ADEK cup.

The girls were fantastic throughout the competition and finished in second place after a tough final at Aljazeera FC Stadium against Brighton.

Special mention to the boys who finished in third place.

YEAR 8 SPRING TERM TOP HP WINNER

THE HOLY QU’RAN COMPETITION Congratulations to the Year 8 winners of the Holy Qu’ran Competition this term. Islamic Studies A Winners: Lojayn, Adam and Omar.

Islamic Studies B Winners: Jazeel, Schanze and Sabih.

STUDENTS EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS Anders Farrington won the U13 boys age group at the Mainland European Irish Dancing Championship (Oireachtas) in Munich in November 2021 and he has qualified for the World Championships which will be held in April 2022.

Congratulations Anders!

LIVE ASSEMBLIES

are back, we held our end of term reward assembly on the pitch, making the most of the pleasant spring weather.

The Year 8 Citizen of the Term is Inayat Behar.

ABU DHABI YOUNG MUSICIAN A very well done to all the Year 8 musicians that participated in ADYM this week.

Special congratulations to Emma Clews who progressed to the finals and won -

ADVANCED FINAL IN THE BRASS CATEGORIZED

Please click on this link to watch the fabulous performances of some of our Year 8 students performing key scenes from Macbeth for Shakespeare Week.

Year 8 Drama - Shakespeare Week. Their acting skills are outstanding and I am very proud of them all.

SHAKESPEARE WEEK

MRS SARAH NORAY HEAD OF YEAR 9 As we move towards some semblance of normality it has been wonderful to see the many opportunities to ‘give back’ to the community Year 9 have embraced this term.

ONLINE LEARNING COLLABORATION WITH PRIMARY

The Year group were given the opportunity to create and lead online workshops for primary students teaching them a range of new skills and developing students' enthusiasm for learning.

The 30 student leaders have risen to the challenges they have encountered on their journey, planning these workshops with real attention to detail in order to present the best sessions for the Year 5’s. I am really proud of the maturity and resolve they have shown in their execution and I know this will be a highlight of the year for these younger students. They are excellent role models and will leave the Year 5’s with aspirations to be role models themselves when they are in Secondary school.

Congratulations to them all for leading a really brilliant Community initiative.

HOUSE COMPETITIONS & WORLD BOOK DAY

The year group have always shown their enthusiasm to boost BSAK community spirit and get involved in all things House related.

The Year 9 Pictionary Competition in the Auditorium was a great event which saw many Year 9’s coming to cheer on their form representative as they strove to draw their way to victory!

It was a close contest the whole way which was clinched by Laila Zeidan 9CE at the final hurdle.

Well done to Laila and Centaur!

YEAR 9 VOICE LITTER CAMPAIGN These four students have highlighted a cause that is really important to them and have written a poem about it.

It is great to see Year 9 students embracing the fact that the future of our planet is in their hands and reminding us that it is the responsibility of us all.

Littering is affecting our planet in many ways.

The impact has grown exponentially over recent years.

We need to put a stop to this.

We believe it is possible to help improve the way we live and handle things so that there isn’t such a harmful impact on the environment.

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION NOT THE POLLUTION! Beatrice Manetti, Noor Chehayeb, Roxanne Parce and Einass Mohamed

I would like to wish you all a wonderful Easter break, whether you are traveling or staying here, I hope all enjoy a little relaxing time together.

RAMADAN Finally, as Ramadan draws closer, I would like to wish all those observing the Holy Month a very blessed and prosperous month ahead. I would like to leave you with a reflection of Ramadan written by 9PE. Ramadan is the most special and holy month for Muslims. It involves introspection and generosity as we empathise with the less fortunate through giving back (Zakat) and try to see through their eyes. It is a period of self-reflection and improvement. Ramadan is particularly special for Muslims in the sense that it is a time where we spend and enjoy time with family and friends who live elsewhere, as people will gather together in celebration and further strengthen family bonds. By breaking our fast with friends and relatives we practice discipline, self-control and compassion as we try to be the best version of ourselves throughout.

RACE4GOOD 14 students in Year 9 have been putting their ingenuity to the test in this International competition this term. The idea of the competition is to empower young people and give them the resources to create solutions for real world scenarios.

This year the competition focuses on Haiti and the many challenges the community deals with on a daily basis. In the 4 challenges students are thrown, they are given a small budget and asked to think about the most innovative way of using this to uplift the Haitian community.

The ideas they have come up with have been so creative and empathetic and working with these young people has once again, not only made me optimistic about the future knowing such individuals will be decision makers as we get older but also reminds me of how capable these young people are and what a privilege it is to work with them everyday.

MR MIKE EDGAR HEAD OF YEAR 10 I have been immensely proud of the way that Year 10 students have adapted and overcome so many obstacles during this term.

End of term reports suggest that the majority of students are progressing either as expected or beyond expectations in their preparation for their final GCSE exams next year and I am confident that BSAK is ‘ahead of the game’ in comparison to many UK schools.

Our MELs lessons have incorporated a great deal of debate and discussion throughout term 2 covering topics such as conflict, gender equality, relationships and mindfulness.

I wish all Year 10 students and their families a restful vacation and I look forward to seeing you all at the beginning of Term 3.

YEAR 10 HOUSE MATCHES

1st

Boys Football

Girls Football

Chimera

Griffin

2nd Hydra

Chimera

3rd

Centaur

Centaur

4th

Pegasus

Hydra

5th

Phoenix

Phoenix

6th

Griffin

Pegasus

TOP SPRING TERM HOUSE POINT WINNER Congrats to the Year 10 Spring Term house point winner - Nikolai Acimovic.

He enjoyed a light lunch in the cafe with 2 of his friends to celebrate his success this term.

HOUSE MATCH RESULTS It has been great to see house events returning to the calendar this term, we will continue to compete in this internal competition throughout term 3.

Boys Benchball

Girls Benchball

1st

Pegasus

Pegasus

2nd

Centaur

Griffin

3rd

Phoenix

Hydra

4th

Chimera

Chimera

5th

Griffin

Centaur

6th

Hydra

Phoenix

Y10 DEBATE IN MELS

GCSE OPTIONS COLLAGE

What a wonderful term we have had. I’m have been so pleased to see Year 10’s totally engrossed in their GCSE options this term.

BOOK DAY The 3rd March was amazing, the participation from Year 10 was impressive as always.

Congratulations to the KS4/5 Best Costume Winner, our very own Sherlock Holmes Dan Irfan

MR JULIAN BRAMMER HEAD OF YEAR 11 WOW!!!!

I cannot believe this term is almost complete, where has it gone?

You only realise when you come to put pen to paper actually how much has been achieved in such a short space of time and what has gone on.

MOCK EXAMINATIONS

Obviously the emphasis has been on academics, mock exams completed and reflected upon, revision strategies put in place, Sixth Form options, it really has been go, go, go………

However it wasn’t just mock results for one class, Miss Brear’s IGCSE Mathematics class had taken their exams early in January, and we waited for their results.

I spoke to some of the class and their nerves were tangible, they should have not been worried at all 27 out of 27 achieved a Grade 9 – a FANTASTIC achievement, a real credit to themselves and Miss Brear – WELL DONE!!!

Make sure you stick to your revision plans, have some down time, remember it is all about having a balance, but you must also prepare for the exams.

By and large you get what you deserve.

ABU DHABI MUSIC FESTIVAL Year 11 as with most years have made terrific contributions all round and as I write this we are in the middle of the Abu Dhabi Young Musician Competition.

I was privileged enough to see a few of our hugely talented Year 11 Musicians on Sunday in some stunning performances.

YEAR 11 HOUSE POINT WINNER Sreya scooped the prize for the most house points this term. Well Done Sreya!

SPORT & ACHIEVEMENTS The pandemic really curtailed sports at school however we have seen them return this term and it was great to see Year 11 pupils the Senior Boys Football and Netball teams back on the field. Well Done to all and especially these Year 11’s - Rochan Dasgupta and Ayan Mohideen for representing the Abu Dhabi Cricket Council U19 team in the Inter-Emirates cricket tournament and Lamia Bajric who represented the UAE U19 Football team.

Dubai Investments, the leading investment company listed on the Dubai Financial Market has announced the winners of its “Young Investors Competition”.

The Competition witnessed participation of 330 group entries inclusive of 1,200 students globally.

Bulls of BSAK Group were placed second. The 4 man team included 3 from Year 11: Rochan Dasgupta, Abdur Rehman Bin Saqib, Zayan Andrabi and Arnav Gandhi in Year 12.

DIAMUN22 Shahd Abou El Nasr The 6th March 2022 marked the third and last day of DIAMUN 2022, which was the 14th annual DIAMUN Conference.

I represented BSAK as the delegate of Spain in the World Health Assembly (WHA). I had to change committees therefore, the conference was held on Zoom rather than face to face. It is safe to say that this conference was very successful and enjoyable! I got to present a resolution as main submitter and all the resolutions I worked on passed. I also got to meet new people with different backgrounds and work with people who live in other parts of the world. Furthermore, at the end of the conference, I received an honourable mention from the Head Chair for my numerous contributions to the conference. Please click here to view a video compilation I made including some of those contributions.

I have one final message to every member of Year 11 as we go into the Spring Break.

“I have been so impressed by the way the year group has risen to the challenges of returning to some semblance of normality, whether that is in the classroom, on the stage or on the sports field.

However, the focus from here must be firmly on preparation for your upcoming GCSE Examinations. The last thing you want is to have regrets in the summer. I am a great believer that effort and hard work seldom goes unrewarded; there is some excellent guidance from the subject teachers and if you all heed the advice in your reports and adjust as necessary, you can walk into the examination hall with great confidence in summer. Good luck and have belief…. you can all do it!!”

MR ALISTAIR THOMPSON ASSISTANT HEAD Whilst I am hesitant to mention that school life currently has more of a sense of normality given what happened at the start of this term, Term 2 has been memorable in many ways.

Clubs and societies have been back in full flow, with the introduction of sports fixtures and this term finishing with BSAK hosting a brilliant Young Musicians of Abu Dhabi competition.

Having the convenience of being able to watch our Sixth Form students showcase their talent throughout this week has been truly inspirational.

Trips have returned with the BTEC Business students visiting Expo 2020 recently and the stage lights have been switched back on with our Year 13 A Level Drama students dominating the stage during their drama performance. Our Senior Prefect application process is also in full swing, with the shortlisting and consequent team building element and interviews to come after the holidays.

There has been an increased focus on rewards this term with many students receiving extra sign-out privileges and winning coffee vouchers for effort and service to the school that is beyond our expectations. This all culminated in a raffle draw at the end of term which included prizes, ranging from a one month gym pass to the new Haraka gym at Zayed Sports City to cinema and Amazon vouchers.

The university applications landscape is encouraging and with interviews completed, and the vast majority of university offers already made, the ‘Spring Term’ has been full of highs and lows for our students. The carrot is now firmly dangling and it is no surprise that the usage of the library and Learning Curve increased in the lead up to the recent Mock exams. All the departments are thoroughly entrenched in completing courses and making the final touches to coursework.

The last day for our Year 13 students will be Thursday 12th May and we hope that the Year 12 class will become swept up in the wave of academic focus demonstrated by the ‘Class of 2022’ throughout March and April. Following a well attended University application evening, I cannot stress enough the significance of the ‘University Grade Prediction Exams’ at the end of May for the future aspirations of our Year 12 students. The results of these assessments are our strongest indicator when awarding UCAS predictions after the summer holidays and each Year 12 student should approach these exams as if they were preparing for external exams.

With such important exams on the horizon for every Sixth Form student, it is important that they now manage their time over the holidays to begin or continue their revision whilst recharging their batteries before the final push when they return.

Have a very well deserved holiday.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR TERM 3

YEAR 13 MOCK EXAMS

DATE

EVENT

Thursday 12 May

Final Day at BSAK for Year 13 (Legacy Day)

Monday 16 May Friday 27 May

Year 12 University Grade Prediction Exams

Monday 27th June

Year 12 Applying to University Preparation Week

The Year 13 students had a week of mock examinations in the week before half term. Whilst we know that grades in mock exams don’t count for anything come June, what cannot be underestimated is their importance in terms of experience and providing signposts for the way forward.

Overall I was very pleased with the approach the students made to these examinations, and the results they achieved should allow for constructive reflection and plans to make the necessary improvements over the coming weeks. As many of the Year 13 students have never had the opportunity to sit a public examination, I hope that their experiences of an exam week, along with their UGPEs previously, will mean one less unknown come June.

It seems unbelievable that we are already at the time of year when we start to begin to say our goodbyes to Year 13.

YEAR 13 CELEBRATION EVENTS

The first event took place before the Spring holiday, and was the return of our special ‘Lifers’ celebration, commemorating the special contribution that the 30 students who have spent their entire education at BSAK, have made to our community. The event took place at The Club, and we are once again very grateful for their support in making this special event happen.

This year will also see the return of the Raja Cup sports fixtures between staff and Year 13 students.

Finally, on their last day in school, we will host a special Leavers’ Celebration for all the Year 13 students, culminating in the emotional final walk down the staircase.

YEAR 12 UGPE All our Year 12 students will sit internal University Grade Prediction Exams, these exams are scheduled to take place from the 16th May to the 27th May. There will be no timetabled lessons during this time. It is important to recognise that this series of exams will determine the entry of your son/daughter into Year 13 and form the basis of their predicted grades for university applications, students therefore need to prepare fully for this series of examinations.

Further information on this series of exams will be shared with you and the students in the next few weeks.

UCAS INFORMATION EVENING

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT Once again our Sixth Form students have demonstrated their leadership skills this term, leading many of the academic societies for our younger students. In addition to our longstanding academic societies led by students, including Model United Nations, the Olympiad Societies and the BSAK Tribune, new societies have been launched, including Junior MedSoc which is run by our Year 12 students for aspiring medics in the younger year groups. Furthermore, Year 9 students are currently competing in the BSME Race4Good with the support of some of the students from the winning Sixth Form team.

SIXTH FORM PASTORAL TEAM

Mrs Hutchinson

Mr Thompson

Mr Byrne

Mrs Roughley

SHAKESPEARE POETRY

IN CELEBRATION OF SHAKESPEARE WEEK 22-25 March 2022

Thank you to our talented Poet Laureates for their poetic contributions to the past 3 newsletters.

KS3 POET LAUREATE Sara Sheikh, Year 9

Three Cards The Hanged Man: The stoic skull; The Limbo of Sons; A halo contrived of the rope Between the living and the dead.

Damocles the Page and Playwright Master and Slave to circumstance.

Tried by Wraith and Waters, Confessed in Columbines

And Colubrids.

KS4 & 5 POET LAUREATE Amna Zaffar, Year 13

The Lovers: Their Caeducian kiss; Their Gemini fate; Their dyad of cups Spilt the bittersweet turn of the Sun. The Volto clings still in Death, Plaguing still the third house And painted in Antimony and Woe.

The Chariot: Hekte’s veil; Fallacy and Forest; The Coin’s King Weeps at Walpurga’s feet, He has no more to give, Short of his head on a Stake.

No crown, no son, no State.

The pooling blood From his pitiful hands Shows him worthy only To be a man.

Ophelia’s World Poor Ophelia, victim of a man's love?

His affection's object claimed he you, privy to his devotion- lack thereof.

Death upon drowning was a date past due.

Men, as always, held over you power; they called out names till you reached the river, Laying as over you God's tears shower.

Fool, never was he your comfort's giver.

Caught in threads of web spun by patriarchs, dichotomy: intellect, naivety.

They found not your apt worthy of remark, but worth's nature rooted in piety.

Escape you did the shackles of their world, through fate doomed with the sounds of waters purled.

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