Al Sedra Newsletter 35

30th May 2019

Another Great Year

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

30th May 2019

WHOLE SCHOOL The Gulf English School celebrates the CIS reaccreditation and 25th Anniversary Dear Parents; As the 2018/2019 academic year comes to an end GES ends on a high note with the news that they have been awarded the much sought after CIS reaccreditation.

The Gulf English School was established 25 years ago and opened in 1993. Its vision to provide a learning environment which is caring, motivating and supportive allowing all cultures within the GES community to achieve their best and to become responsible global citizens is the driving force behind its many years of success.

The Gulf English School has a long history of successful external accreditations; it was first accredited as an IB diploma School in 2005 and this year celebrated it’s 13th class of graduates.

Theses graduates come from all over the world and rank highly in the IB league tables. Alongside IB GES delivers a successful AS program with graduates being accepted in Universities all over the world; including UK, Canada, USA and Germany to name a few.

The Gulf English School became a member of the Council for International Schools in 2009 and began the accreditation process taking the lead in obtaining international accreditation and being amongst the first few accredited international schools in Qatar. It received its full accreditation in 2012 and the full re-accreditation in 2019. The school has met all the accreditation standards and exceeded some of those standards in some of the domains such as the vision and mission domain , Governance and leadership domain as well as the students well being domain and the teaching and learning domain.

The award of CIS reaccreditation shows that the school has achieved high standards of professional performance in international education and has a commitment to continuous improvement. In particular, the reaccreditation shows that the school is devoted to its mission and vision for students and places Teaching and Learning, High standards and pupil well-being at the center of all they do. The CIS reaccreditation report includes commendations from the visiting team on the success of the school, these include the schools robust Student Services, Pupil well-being and Rigorous staff CPD program that is delivered, to name a few. In fact the school exceeded many of the CIS standards which is confirmation of the excellent work that is being undertaken.

GES is extremely proud of the CIS reaccreditation which includes the newly opened Bin Omran campus. The CIS report confirms that the new campus is fully in line with all GES policies and procedures and was commended for it’s state of the art campus and facilities.

As The Gulf English School looks to the future they will officially celebrate 25 Years in Education in September 2019. With its strong roots within the Qatar community and a history of successful educational delivery GES continue to strive to live out its vision and shaping future generations.

We take this opportunity to congratulate all parents, students, faculty and school community on this achievement and success.

We also prepare to launch our 25th anniversary at the beginning of the academic year 2019/2020 and celebrate the successes of the school over the years under the leadership and guidance of the Board of Trustees Chairperson Sheikha Maha Al Faihani, Sheikha Al Anood Al Thani, Sheikha Al Jazi Al Thani, Sheikha Haya Al Thani, Mr. Tarek ElSayed and Mr. Mohammed Shafiek in addition to the school leadership team members.

Eid Mubarak to all our families and wish you all enjoyable summer break.

GES Leadership Team

30th May 2019

WHOLE SCHOOL

30th May 2019

INFANTS ‘Our school seeks to provide a learning environment which is caring, motivating and supportive allowing all cultures within the GES community to achieve their personal best and become global citizens’ These are words we use each day to direct us as we strive to be the best we can be. As I reflect on the year that has passed, I am so proud of the progress we have made towards achieving that vision.

We have learnt new things, explored new places, shared new experiences and welcomed new guests. Our Service Learning program has opened our eyes to global issues like ocean pollution, animal welfare and the Rain Forest Alliance, to name a few. These new experiences have helped to shape our learners understanding of the world we live in and how our actions can impact our environment both positively and negatively. As we learn to live out our core values we understand that being caring, supportive, respectful and responsible will result in a better world were we all play an important role.

I wish to thank each family for their support and generosity this year. I am constantly overwhelmed with the response we get when reaching out to parents. Our Service Learning drive this year allowed us to bless our cleaners and guards and give them something back for all they do for us each day. Your response was amazing and our support staff were so grateful.

I would like to thank each and every teacher in the Infant building. I feel so privileged to work with such passionate, professional teachers each day.

Lastly I wish to thank our wonderful Infant students. There is not one day that they do not make me smile; from their positive hard-working attitude to their love of learning and discovery, they are a credit to our school and their parents.

I wish each and every family a wonderful, peaceful, safe holiday. Please remember to encourage your child to speak English as often as possible. If you are travelling, please go visit a museum, sit in a green park and enjoy the fresh air.

Eid Mubarak to one and all.

30th May 2019

JUNIORS As we approach the end of a term and the end of another academic year, it is good to take time and reflect on all we have learnt and experienced. Like Terms One and Two, our final term was busy with events and then with our end-of-year exams.

In April, both students and staff enjoyed dressing up as book characters and showed off their costumes in a parade to celebrate World Book Day. We also had fun while we learned more about books in a reading quiz.

Juniors joined the whole school for a music concert, where many of the students performed to their peers, family and friends who attended.

With guidance and support from Ms. Adele, and with lots of hard work practising their singing, the children sang beautifully.

As the year’s teaching and learning came to an end, the students have been demonstrating all they have learned in their exams. We have been impressed by how focused and committed the children have been, even though many of them are fasting. The teachers have been very supportive in helping the students complete this academic year.

On Sunday 26th May, Year 6 celebrated their graduation from Primary School. This event was very well attended by the school and the families of the graduating students. It was wonderful to celebrate the children’s achievements and remember all the happy times they shared as they progressed from Infants to Juniors. We wish them every success in Secondary School and hope they will continue to learn and accomplish great things in the future.

Finally, we would like to wish all children, families and staff a great summer holiday where you can relax and enjoy time with your loved ones. We hope that everyone who is travelling has a safe journey and an enjoyable break over the next few months.

Kerry Hillan and Lisa Bell

30th May 2019

SECONDARY This year has seen many different achievements and events for the students at the school and it has been another packed calendar. With so much going on, I would like to reflect on the year as being something akin to a whirlwind. It started in August and is now coming to an end with the summer holiday in front of us.

Highlights have included a parent’s tea party to celebrate women in history, a basketball match between students and staff for cancer awareness, world book day dress up, a dog show from the police dog team for animal awareness, and a wide variety of other charity events here in school.

It is excellent that as a community we are able to support diverse causes around the globe and here in Qatar. The students are becoming involved in important decisions regarding which causes to support and how best to do it. I hope that this continues to go from strength to strength in the coming years.

Sports have once again played a large part in school life and there have been excellent performances from teams and individuals in a wide range of sports. There have been School Olympic victories and leagues between schools for the first time. Some age ranges have had two or even three football teams running and everyone has been impressed by the dedication and hard work shown by students and the staff supporting them.

There have also been events at the school organised by our IB students, with support from staff, where the girls have been able to come and watch films and also an evening of watching Qatar in the Asian Football Championship. These are the types of events that bring a community

together and it would be great if these ideas can grow.

As we come to the end of the year, it is inevitable that some students and staff will be leaving our community. We wish them all every success for the future. To those people who will return next year, we hope that everyone returns fit and well, refreshed from their holiday and ready to start to be part of the whirlwind that is life at GES. Safe travels to all if you are travelling this holiday and enjoy the time you have to relax.

30th May 2019

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