Al Sedra Newsletter 2

13th September 2018

Learning Through Fun YOUR WEEKLY UPDATE ON ALL THAT’S GOING ON AT THE GULF ENGLISH SCHOOL

13th September

WHOLE SCHOOL Year 10 Boys Support Health and Wellness in the Junior School This week, the PE Department launched a new programme to support the development and maintenance of health and wellness amongst a group of Junior pupils. Year 10 boys have volunteered their assistance to be a part of this programme. They are giving up their time to help their younger fellow students to make lifestyle changes that will hopefully lead to them establishing and maintaining a healthy weight and will also promote health and wellness improvements.

The Inaugural Wellness Team Pictured above, left to right: Ali Bu Hindi, Faisal Al Kuwari, Abdulla Al Khalifa, Nasser Al Marri, Abdulrahman Al Hajri and Mohammed Al Thani.

Also helping with the programme, are Sultan Al Mohannadi, Almabrouk Ben Imran, Saoud Al Kuwari, Abdur-Rahmaan Munir and Team Leader, Nasser Al Khalifa.

This programme seeks to increase physical activity levels in a safe and sustainable manner, to encourage appropriate eating patterns, including consuming suitable foods. This is not about trying to be an athlete or engage in excessively challenging activities, but rather about finding ways to be active in a way that is manageable, with goals that are achievable.

The boys involved in this programme will be acting as supportive ‘big brothers’, visiting their younger ‘buddies’ in the Junior School every day. They will join with them to take part in low intensity, daily activity that is enjoyable and appropriate to

their needs. They will help them understand their dietary and activity requirements so that they can make beneficial changes to protect their health for the future.

All of the participants in the programme will be supported by the PE Department, the School Nurses and Junior staff team. They will also be part of a reward scheme that celebrates their achievements and encourages them to maintain their progress as they go along.

The Scheme is already oversubscribed, with many more boys in Year 10 expressing a desire to help the younger students, and many younger students demonstrating that they would benefit from taking part. We will pilot the programme for one term before extending our provision and including more students. Please watch this space for an update. In the meantime, I am sure you will want to join us in celebrating the fantastic step that our Year 10 boys have taken to be the first team offering their brotherly support in this way. Here’s what a few of them have to say….

Ali Bu Hindi “I am an athlete and I compete in basketball for the school and for Al Gharaffa Sports Club. I have also played at national level and love to exercise and play sport. I want to help because I can manage physical activities easily and I feel that I can help the younger students to improve their strength, fitness and activity levels. I also know that all children can’t be athletes or be in teams, but that doesn’t mean they can’t take part. I can help them with this, and I can help them find ways to join in with activities at the level that is good for them.”

13th September

WHOLE SCHOOL Nasser Al Sheeba Al Marri “I have been learning about health, wellness and fitness as part of my BTEC Sport course. I understand about how you can improve your health now and that this can help you to be healthy in the future. I didn’t understand this when I was younger and I want to help the students in the Junior School learn about this while they are still small. They can do a lot of things to improve their health and fitness and it’s much easier than they think. Even me, I can improve my health and fitness while I’m helping them, so we will be like brothers together doing good things for our future.”

Nasser Al Khalifa “I wanted to be part of the programme because I can see the benefit for the younger students. I am thinking also about my family and how I can help them change their lifestyle too. I think this is a really great programme because I can help the students in the Junior School, I can join with my friends in Year 10 to do something good for our school community together, and then I can try to share this with my family. I think that a lot of people don’t know about how to get healthy and I see that there are many things to improve health and wellness that are easy to do. I want to get some skills in helping people with this and this new programme will help me to help others.”

Nasser, who is the team leader, receives training on how to use the pedometers and record the data.

The sentiments of the boys show that they are committed to helping the school community and their families. We are very proud of their involvement and look forward to seeing how the programme progresses. We will update you later in the term.

With best wishes, Rebecca Cruickshank, Head of Physical Education.

13th September

INFANTS There have been some changes in Year 2 over the summer and we now have some brand new staff.

We would like to welcome Miss Emma, Mrs. Nazia and Mrs. Amara to our team. All of the girls and boys are settling in nicely to their new surroundings. In Maths we have been recalling some of the skills we learnt in Year 1. This is very important as we need these skills to learn even more in Year 2. In Literacy we have been writing about the wonderful things we did in the summer.

The boys and girls have been to many exciting places and we love reading about their adventures. Finally, in our class topic, we have been learning about the different types of animals in our wonderful world. We have had a great start and are now looking forward to a wonderful year in Year 2.

13th September

JUNIORS The new year got off to a fun start with Year 3 students being treated to a welcome morning which had bouncy castles, carnival games and face painting. Everybody involved had an unforgettable day, and it was not only a great way to introduce the students to the junior school, but also a great way to get to know one another.

It is not only the students that are new this year.

We also have some new and returning faces joining the team. Mr Gary and Miss Rebecca remain in place from the last academic year, and are joined by three new class teachers - Mr. Whitehead, Miss Sarah and Ms. Meg. Ms Dina has also joined the support staff team.

We now have an official Year 3 twitter account so please follow us to keep up to date with what we are doing: @GESdoha_Yr3. It is going to be a great year with lots of exciting activities to look forward to.

13th September

SECONDARY The English department got off to a wonderful start this year, with most of the students quickly settling into their new year groups and their classes.

Tales of wonderful travels and exciting highlights were recounted by students, and experiences were shared with the teachers. These were great ice-breaker discussions for the new teachers in the department. They too were delighted to meet the students who they found to be very friendly and jovial.

The students were excited to welcome our new English specialist to the school and asked inquisitive questions about their past schools and about their lives in general.

The new Year Seven students were quiet and a little worried, but these anxieties were soon put aside as they became familiar with the school and the older students. Teachers were on hand to make them feel safe and secure in their new surroundings, which can be quite daunting. Many cousins and siblings were very helpful and gave them reassurance too.

With the wealth of experience and knowledge in the English department we are becoming a strong team. With Mr. Clarke as our Head of Department, we have planned and revised our schemes of work to improve the output of the students in order to increase grades across Key Stages Three and Four (Years 7 to 11). New schemes of work and texts have been integrated to allow the students to experience the full range of the English Curriculum.

Alongside this, the Ignite books with their online resources will be integrated into lessons too.

As always, we look forward to some lively and

interesting work being produced by our students as we move through the year.

We welcome Ms. Ismail, Mr. Nolan, Mr. Khan and Mrs. Ugradar, who are all from the United Kingdom, to the English Department at The Gulf English School and to wonderful Qatar.

Miss Maz Rubbani Mr. Micheal Clarke (Head of the English Department)

13th September

CONTACT The Gulf English School PO Box 2440, Doha, Qatar Main School: Tel: +974 44578777 Main School: Fax: +974 44861256 Infant Unit: Tel: +974 44886791/90 +974 44886201/93 Infant Unit: Fax: +974 44876821

Email: info@gulfenglishschool.com

Website: www.gulfenglishschool.com