Al Sedra Newsletter 32

9th May 2019

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

9th May 2019

IMPORTANT INFORMATION Dear Parents, We wish to inform you of changes regarding our school uniform. We received feedback from parent surveys as well as our student council which encouraged us to review the school uniform. We updated the materials and design to make them more suitable to our students in our current climate. Once the new designs were completed, we shared this with the student council who were pleased with the update.

We would like to inform you so that you may prepare for next year. You may purchase the new uniform from Uniform Mart in Al Gharafa. Alternatively you may find your own supplier for the design and attach the logo.

These changes will affect those students in the Junior and Secondary School. Students in Infants will still continue with their current design.

We would like to thank you again for your valuable feedback and look forward to the new uniform coming into effect from September.

Yours Sincerely Leadership team

9th May 2019

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

9th May 2019

INFANTS Year 2 have had an exciting Term 3 so far. We have been on trips to Qatar National Library and the Planetarium. The children wandered and explored through thousands of books and saw a live lecture taking place. At the Planetarium, we watched an interesting video about the planets and saw a model of a rocket.

In Science, we have planted our own seeds and we are watching them grow every day. As a class, we are investigating what plants need to survive. We have two plants in sunlight and two plants in the dark, and only one of those two plants are getting watered. We think we already know what is going to happen!

In Topic, we are learning about People from the Past. We enjoyed writing questions for Mohammed Al Thani, the mountaineer. We loved learning about Florence Nightingale and how hospitals were very different in the past. Now we are learning about Claude Monet, the artist.

We also celebrated World Book Day by dressing up as our favourite characters and doing lots of reading in school. We have also visited the Primary school ready for our big move in August. We can’t wait!

9th May 2019

JUNIORS

9th May 2019

JUNIORS

9th May 2019

SECONDARY How to revise for exams during Ramadan Juggling the responsibilities of Ramadan and your studies can be tricky. Here are some tips to ensure your performance in exams doesn’t suffer.

When you do eat, eat well During Ramadan, Iftar in particular, becomes extremely important when revising as it’s the first opportunity to eat after being hungry all day. In these circumstances, it can be tempting to eat lots of fried, stodgy foods.

However, doing so will leave you feeling tired and lethargic, which will have a knock-on effect on your revision.

Choose foods which will boost your brain power and help you revise. Incorporate as many ‘brain foods’ into your diet as possible. Think: avocado, dark chocolate, eggs, walnuts, bananas and almonds. These will help you improve your focus and help you retain information better while you study. Also make sure you’re replenishing your fluids, as the more water you drink each night, the better you’ll feel the following day. Try to eat slowly and resist the temptation to eat really quickly. If you eat slowly the energy of your food will be released slower in your system, keeping you energised for much longer.

Change your daily revision routine As your daily routine changes during Ramadan, it’s important to also change the times and ways you revise. The daytime (when you aren’t at school) and mid-afternoon is now likely to be the best opportunity for you to catch up on sleep, while the time between Iftar and Suhur is a great opportunity to revise while you’re feeling less hungry. Obviously, there’s no right answer for how you structure your time, and you may have additional responsibilities to factor in, but the important thing is to avoid overloading yourself during the daytime when your body will be under the most stress.

Also, it’s worth considering alternative ways of revising. During the day, you’ll potentially struggle to have the mental discipline to sit for a long period of time and read through a textbook, so try and come up with revision techniques which

are quicker and easier to absorb. Visual revision techniques such as flash cards or posters will be easier to focus on and memorise while you’re fasting.

Don’t overdo it – take frequent breaks Nobody can efficiently revise for hours at a time, so expecting to be able to do so during Ramadan just isn’t feasible. Break up your revision with frequent breaks that help to take your mind off how hungry you are. Don’t just sit at your desk either, stretch your legs and take some time completely away from books and your computer screen. Not only will you feel better, but the change of scenery will also help time feel like it’s going quicker.

If you’re struggling to focus, you could try splashing your face with cool water to revitalise you or have a shower to make you feel fresh and ready to work. As you wash before prayer, you may find this wakes you up and gives you the strength to keep studying.

If possible, don’t revise alone Coping with the challenges of revising during Ramadan can be made much, much easier if you have a friend or two to team up with. Form a study group, chat to each other regularly about how your studies are going and help provide each other with the motivation and support that can make all the difference as you prepare for each exam. Plan ahead and work out what you need to get done and in what time period and then plan your breaks around your prayer times.

Keep your study space clear Sit at a desk and not on your bed or you may find yourself tempted to drift off, especially as your usual sleeping pattern is likely to be disturbed.

Remove distractions from your desk so you have a clear work space that is free of temptation.

9th 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