NLCS DUBAI NEWSLETTER ISSUE #3 I JUNE 2022
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Message from The Principal I wish all our NLCS Dubai families a wonderful break and I very much look forward to seeing you again on August 29th for the first day of the new academic year.
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Message from The Head of JS It has been a pleasure seeing the students grow and
IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 2 l Message from The Principal PAGE 4 l Message from The Head of Junior School
develop, achieving their potential, realising their goals and ambitions, and above all becoming responsible global citizens. I have much to be grateful for, to the staff, to the students, and to you, the NLCS community, past and present.
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PAGE 6 l Message from The Vice Principal Pastoral Care PAGE 7 l Whole School News PAGE 12 l Senior School News
Message from the Vice Principal Pastoral Care
PAGE 24 l Junior School News
I would like to thank all the students for their
PAGE 29 l Team NLCS
enthusiasm and dedication to school life, and to our parents for their support. I would also like to thank our teachers and pastoral leaders for their unwavering commitment to helping our students achieve their potential.
Message from The Principal The parents’ guild also held a very successful bake sale and put together our first school recipe book with contributions from parents, students, and staff. The monitoring visit led by our International Team with members of our London school took place in the week beginning 25th April. I am very pleased to report that they graded the leadership, curriculum and teaching and learning all outstanding. The teachers have done a fantastic job getting all aspects of the NLCS ethos back in full swing as we hopefully leave the restrictions behind.
Term
3 has been one of reintroductions and
renewed community spirit. The students have as always embraced the challenges and enjoyed all that has been on offer this term. There have been many sporting events this term with basketball, rounders and cricket matches against other Dubai schools. The swim squads have had a successful term with the Junior squad finishing third
Gwen Byrom, Director of Education Strategy, NLCS
overall in the division 2 final gala of the season.
International said of the visit.
A big thank you to the parents’ guild who have been
‘After a break of 3 years due to COVID, it was a real joy to
very busy this term. The climbing wall opened in May,
be able to visit NLCS Dubai for our monitoring visit in
and it has been fantastic to see the students getting a
April. The team and I were hugely impressed with the
taste of climbing for the first time. It is a great facility
staff and students we met, with the standard of
for us to have at school and I look forward to seeing
education which the school has maintained during such
climbing becoming a popular mainstay of our ECA
challenging times, and with the commitment of the
programme. The contribution made by the guild was
leadership team to ensure that NLCS Dubai maintains
integral in getting this project completed and I must
its position as a leading school in Dubai and indeed,
also thank Ms. Jones for her part in pushing this
globally.
forward to a finish.
academic year!’
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We look forward to our visit in the next
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Students in Grade 12 have now received all their offers from the Universities they have applied to. We have had offers from Cambridge, LSE, Edinburgh, St. Andrew’s, UCL, Kings London, Durham and Warwick, amongst other UK institutions.
Georgia Institute of Technology
The London School of Economics and Political Science
The University of Massachusetts Amherst We also look forward to the MYP results for our Grade 10 students, which will be published on 1st August. All results will be published on our website and highlights will be published through our social media channels. I wish all our NLCS Dubai families a wonderful break
University of Cambridge Students
have
also
and I very much look forward to seeing you again on
been
successful
in
their
applications to universities in the US including early offers for University Massachusetts Amherst, Georgia Tech, UC Davis and University Michigan. Students have also secured offers for University of Toronto, McGill, The Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Luiss University,
Rome
and
Maastricht
August 29th for the first day of the new academic year. All the best, James Monaghan Principal
University.
Congratulations to all students and we wish them all the best with their results when they are published on 6th July.
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Message from The Head of Junior School The students have enjoyed a range of trips this term too including visits to Kidzania, Green Planet, a Chocolate Factory, Grade 2 did a City Sightseeing Dubai Bus tour to look at the development of different structures across Dubai, KG2 visited the Aquarium and the Junior School were visited by sk4international for an amazing pantomime version of Jack and the Beanstalk. Grade 5 exhibition was again a highlight this year. The impressive work the students did to research their areas of interest linked to art (such as graffiti, comics, photography, dance therapy, cinematography) and producing their interactive displays was fantastic to see.
As we end of final term of the year, I just want to say
a heartfelt thank you to you all for your continued support this year.
This term the students have continued to impress me with their creativity and innovative flair. This was very apparent in our first ever ‘Trashion’ show, organised by the student council, with so many outstanding entries. It was certainly a challenge to select the winners.
An amazing showcase of learning and action. House Events continue to be a huge success and this term and these have included House Breakfasts, Basketball and Art. With Covid restrictions easing it has also be lovely to see parents in school for coffee mornings, mini exhibitions across the grades, reading and maths focused sessions and of course the most recent bake sale arranged by the parents guild. As always at the end of the year, it’s time to say goodbye to staff members. This year we say goodbye to 9 teaching staff and 3 teaching assistants. We wish them all well in their future endeavours.
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I am also moving on as Head of Junior at St Georges British International School in Rome. It has been five years since I started at NLCS Dubai and they have been five extraordinary years filled with so many happy times and much to reflect upon and remember. I have cherished the opportunity of being a founding member of the Leadership Team and it has been a pleasure to see the Junior School grow and flourish since 2017. I have been very fortunate to work with some wonderful people - talented students, dedicated staff and supportive parents. Not a day goes by when I do not get to see the abilities, skills and enthusiasm of our students in some way or another. It has been a pleasure seeing the students grow and develop, achieving their potential, realising their goals and ambitions, and above all becoming responsible global citizens. I have much to be grateful for, to the staff, to the students, and to you, the NLCS community, past and present. Best wishes to you all. Have a restful Summer Break. Keep safe and well. Warmest wishes, Emma Navin Head of Junior School
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Message from The Vice Principal Pastoral Care
What a term, and what a year! It has been my
absolute pleasure to watch our students throw themselves into all of the opportunities provided and to even begin their own. From students launching their own Law Society to creating new roles of Arts Ambassadors it has been wonderful to see students show their proactivity and their clear drive to develop areas of school life. Alongside this students have participated in careers fairs, charity events, assemblies, extra-curricular activities, academic enrichment and, of course, our Spring Concert and Bugsy Malone production. It is these moments where we see students try themselves out and find their passion which really emphasise the values of an NLCS education in action. Our students have flourished this year in so many areas and I know this will continue as the school grows and develops. I would like to thank all the students for their enthusiasm and dedication to school life, and to our parents for their support. I would also like to thank our teachers and pastoral leaders for their unwavering commitment to helping our students achieve their potential.
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Warmest wishes, Frances Powell Vice Principal Pastoral Care
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Whole School News
Arts Festival
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CHARITY By Laura Dunn A huge congratulations to the Charity Committee and their amazing work this year to raise money for the Al Jalila Foundation. At the start of the academic year, and following a visit to the Al Jalila Foundation, the students of the Charity Committee set themselves the ambitious target of fundraising 50,000 AED before July 2022. To reach this target would mean that NLCS Dubai would be able to be recognised on the donors’ wall at the Al Jalila Foundation in the Chrome category. The final target reached this year has now been confirmed as 58,821 AED! Thank you to the school community for making this all possible through the kind and generous donations received. Well done to Ananya Salecha (Grade 12) as the outgoing Chair of the Committee for her continued dedication and hard work to reach this target. The new Committee, under the leadership of Cecilia Haykal (Grade 11), is already planning new events for the next academic year and hope to continue this success. Well done!
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EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES By Nicola Woodroffe This year NLCS ECA programme came back to life as the Covid restrictions eased through the academic year. This provided much excitement as the plentiful opportunities unfolded, particularly for the mixed grade ECAs. Collaboration was the name of the game as sports teams recommenced training for DASSA fixtures and Galas in Term 2; students prepared for the THIMUN or DIAMUN Model United Nations Conference and the Grade 6–9 Bugsy performance involving a cast of over 100 keen actors, dancers and singers returned to rehearsals. It was also wonderful to welcome back our external providers to NLCS Dubai, with the addition of the new lessons in climbing and rugby creating much excitement and a stir. It was a delight to see students re-embrace the opportunities for learning outside the classroom and achieving a broad and balanced NLCS education, with just under 4000 weekly sign-ups across a programme of 390 ECAs in term 3. We can firmly say, for the academic year 2021-2022, we moved beyond Covid to brighter times as students reconnected with each other and their passions. Onwards and upwards! Well done to Grade 7 who choose an average of four ECAs each. Additionally, highlights from the trips programme included 32 students from Grade 9 and Grade 10 students who trekked in the Kalba mountains to achieve their Duke of Edinburgh’s International Bronze Award Adventurous Journey. Lastly, with the EXPO 2020 in the MENA region, over 600 lucky students from First School through to Sixth Form experienced the various educational journeys such as Universe in Motion, Sustainable Planet and World of Opportunities. Next year NLCS Dubai can look forward to the return of residential trips!
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RAMADAN & EID CELEBRATION By Michaela Carney and Frances Powell As part of our recognition of the Holy Month of Ramadan and Eid, we invited students across the School to a day of celebration. They were dressed in either celebration outfits or dressed in the colours of the night. Within the Junior School classes, students learnt more about Ramadan and Eid taking part in a range of activities, creating pieces of art that as well as listening to traditional songs in both Arabic and English. The students celebrating Eid shared their own experiences and they discussed how Eid is celebrated around the world. In the Senior School an assembly was delivered on the importance of Ramadan and the meaning behind Eid. Students wrote notes of kindness which were placed on the Crescent moon trees around the school.
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PARENTS’ GUILD By Frances Powell We saw our Parents’ Guild really develop our community spirit this year. The opening of our new climbing wall showed what can be achieved by the team when everyone works together. We also launched our first ever recipe book to massive success as it sold out on the day! It was wonderful to have our parents and children celebrate the launch of the recipe book with a bake sale, and we look forward to more events next year. A big thank you to our fantastic contributing partners and the Parents’ Guild for their hard work and efforts in supporting the school and bringing the families in our community together.
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Senior School News HOUSE COMPETITIONS By Georgia Ward
It has been an exciting term of House Competitions and whilst excited about my new role as Head of House I am sad to be leaving my role as House Competition Coordinator after such a successful and eventful year of
competitions. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching students compete and try themselves out in sports, arts, and academic competitions throughout the year. I am sure that an array of wonderful competitions lies ahead next year, and students will continue to show leadership, grit, and determination through these events. Term three began with an excellent House Netball competition in which Jais were the overall champions. Throughout lunchtime, students came to cheer on their House in the Sports Hall and watched as Houses fiercely competed in a round robin style tournament. This was closely followed by the House Art competition. Run by Mrs. Michaels and the Art Department, the theme for House Art this year was 'Letters and Words'. A fantastic range of drawing, digital art and collage were created by each House and the final exhibition of works was displayed in House spaces before an overall winner was chosen. The top five pieces of artwork from each House were critiqued and points were given by three judges. The overall winners for this competition were Hafeet for the second year running. Hafeet also played their joker card for this competition so gained double points for the win. House Drama is a highly anticipated event in which students have been working on directing, scripting and acting their own devised piece. The results for House Basketball, House Handball, House Drama and the overall 2022 House champions are due to be announced in the final end of term assembly on the last day of term. I wish all Houses luck in these final competitions and congratulate the winning House on their efforts.
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HOUSE JAVI By Lee Garrett Another great term, and another brilliant time for Javians. The Javi House spirit of everything is possible has once again been demonstrated by all those involved in netball, basketball, handball, drama and art. The House Handball competition within PHE lessons gave everybody an opportunity to participate and be part of the Javi Team. There were some incredible moments of leadership, courage, collaboration and teamwork. When witnessing these special acts of leadership, communication, commitment and enjoyment, the outcome of the result becomes irrelevant as character strengths are harnessed. Term 3 also, saw the change of roles and responsibilities. The new captaincy and their assistants swiftly sprang into action and immediately started to organise and plan for the remaining house competitions or for next year. As we head into the final few days of the academic year, I would like to thank the Javi community for all their support, hard work, and commitment. It has been a highly successful year and we have much to celebrate. The achievements have not just been confined to house events but are also included inside the classroom, extra-curricular activities, societies, school production, assemblies and personal development. Upon reflection, it is impressive what has been achieved in 1 year. Finally, the summer vacation is a great opportunity to ‘try yourself out’ and explore. Use this time to unwind, relax and spend some quality time with family, friends and loved ones. I would like to wish the whole Javi family a safe and wonderful vacation and I look forward seeing Javians participate in new and exciting opportunities next year.
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HOUSE JAIS By Chris May This year, the members of Jais House have demonstrated what it is to be a member of a House at NLCS Dubai. Across all competitions, they have thrown themselves into trying themselves out be that on the sporting field or on the PAC stage and everything in-between. My highlight, of course, is the wonderful, magical performance of our torch lit song at House Music. A performance that showed everyone is able to come together, sing in tune with dynamics and feelings which made audience members gasp! Another highlight, and a rare win for us this year, was netball. To see many non-players down in the sports hall cheering and supporting our players was an inspiration. There is a lot of work to be done moving into the sixth year of Jais being in existence. As we move to vertical tutor groups, I am confident that the house will become even more tight, and we can really get back to winning ways. I want to also pay tribute to those students who have used the House system to advance their leadership skills be they appointed leaders who have organised and persuaded others to participate or those who have stepped up to lead during House Drama, which, for the first time, I won’t be able to see. To know that I can leave such a mammoth task to students fills me with confidence for the future and exemplifies what wonderful leaders we have within Jais House. We are a diverse bunch of bears with many different skills. Winning is not everything but the skills we learn along the way are! However, I hope everyone can use their own talents next year so we can rise back to the top with a jam-packed trophy cabinet once again. Have a wonderful summer break and I look forward to working with you all for another year!
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HOUSE YIBIR By Laura Dunn What a fantastic year it has been for Yibir! At the time of writing, we are still at the top of the leader board for House Competitions, following a particularly successful win in House Public Speaking for which we played our joker and received double points. This was a particularly memorable evening in school, with passionate and inspiring performances from each team. Another win secured for House Basketball has kept us in first place, for now. However, it is still all to play for with House Drama this week. A particular thanks to the student leaders (Alya Lootah, Emilia Herrera, Asa Mittal and Eva Joudrey) who have planned and delivered the House Drama rehearsals, as well as carrying out auditions and writing the script. Your leadership, patience and creativity is to be admired. It has been truly amazing to see students from different Grades working together and bringing the House spirit to life again. Well done to all students in Yibir for their hard work and dedication throughout the year. I look forward to seeing what 2022-2023 will bring!
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HOUSE HAFEET By Emma Dawson What a year Hafeet have had. The “Strength is in our Pack” has been evident in all that we have done and the students have truly shone. I am so very proud of each and every one of them. House Art has always been an area of strength for Hafeet, and we strategically played our “joker” on this event. With encouragement and motivation from House Captains, Hafeet had the highest number of entries from all four Houses. The plan paid off, and with Hafeet winning the competition it meant double points for the House! There were some beautiful and thought provoking pieces of art, and the level of talent blew me away. Huge congratulations to everyone who took part and submitted an entry. Particular congratulations to our finalists. House Drama has been a fabulous team effort. The writing of scripts, practicing lines, creating props, and managing and directing over 100 students on stage – the students have been just incredible and have had so much fun in creating something together – a superb example of House Spirit. As I write this overview, we are in the finals stages of rehearsals and looking forwards to a brilliant performance as part of Arts Festival. Our new student leadership team is flourishing in their roles. They have been leading House competitions, supporting each other and truly rebuilding connections with each other. As we reach the end of another academic year, I want to wish all of you a safe and relaxing summer holiday. To those of you are relocating to new countries, we wish you well and please stay in touch. Once a Hafeetian, always a Hafeetian!
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G9-G11 Careers Fair By Kate Abery We were very happy to be able to resume hosting of the annual Careers Fair. Sixty students from G9 and others across the school were fortunate to meet professionals from a wide variety of career fields: entrepreneurs, lawyers, business leaders and owners, medical professionals, financial experts, designers, a TV producer and a CNBC news anchor. It was fantastic to hear so many inspirational stories.
Drama Week By Jennifer Durston Drama week started with an assembly where students reflected on the power of communication. Looking at the importance of non-verbal communication such as facial expressions and body language. The prestigious House Drama Competition was launched allowing students time to think creatively. This double point competition will no doubt see NLCS students’ imagination run wild! The Film and Drama Society delivered thought provoking assembly exploring how films can have a lasting effect on society. Touching on topics such as freedom of speech, propaganda films and how film can affect a person’s mental wellbeing. Grade 5 students have had the opportunity to take part in a Drama lesson in preparation for starting the Senior School next academic year. A fun filled workshop exploring how actors focus, develop characters and utilise a variety of characterisation skills to convey different roles.
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Grade 9 Drama students took part in an acting workshop led by Kevin Tomlinson, Creative Director of Kepow Theatre. The workshops aimed to allow students to be more creative and less critical of themselves. To be bolder and freer in front of an audience; casting director; or in life, in general. The workshop gave students more, unusual acting techniques to devise their own creative work. This acting and improvisation workshop was designed to make performers bolder and more interesting actors. The week ended with Mrs. Durston leading a fascinating Nicholson Lecture exploring how theatres globally have reacted to the Covid 19 pandemic. Extraordinary examples of how theatre companies are including technology into performances to meet the needs of younger audience members. Including the use of avatars, virtual realities and the audience directing the action of the productions.
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Bugsy Malone/ Summer Concert By Jennifer Durston Students performed in a double bill highlighting their musical talents in a Promenade Summer Music Concert followed by a rip-roaring performance of Bugsy Malone. It was wonderful to see so many students on stage as well as backstage to allow for a highly successful evening. The Summer Music Concert paid homage to our founding school in London with songs from the British Isles. Notably, the orchestra was led by Suemin Park in Grade 8. The performance of Bugsy Malone thrilled audiences, where they met would-be- hoodlums and showgirls in a slapstick musical comedy. A fun evening full of mayhem and splurge!
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Grade 10 MYP Personal Project Exhibition By Jennifer Durston Grade 10 students had the opportunity to showcase their personal projects to the rest of the NLCS community. The Personal Project is a core component of the MYP Certificate. Students develop a project based on a personal interest allowing them to develop ATL skills such as research, thinking, self-management, communication and social skills. Vital skills needed as they move into the DP and beyond. Projects this year included cryptocurrency books, fashion and feminism exhibit, coaching websites, cookery books and much more.
Grade 8 MYP Community Project Exhibition By Laura Kanyerezi On the afternoon of Thursday 16th June, the school atrium was echoing with the sounds of Grade 8 students excitedly explaining their Community Projects to their parents, teachers, and peers. After two years of online exhibitions, it was wonderful to see the physical evidence of the learning that has taken place on display. Over the course of this year-long project, Grade 8s have shown themselves to be caring members of the community who have demonstrated a personal commitment to service and acted to make a positive difference in the lives of others and to the environment. Having completed the MYP Projects Inquiry Cycle - investigating, planning, taking action, and reflecting - it was clear to see that the students’ Approaches To Learning were strengthened in the process. It was wonderful to hear Grade 8 giving their advice to the Grade 7s who will carry out their own learning journeys next year. “Start early” and “do something you are passionate about” are just some of the excellent pieces of wisdom shared from experience. Huge thanks go to our parent community and teacher supervisors for their support throughout the year. Well done Grade 8 students!
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Sixth Form GRADUATION CLASS OF 2022 By Alistair Wood We were delighted to be able to hold our first ever ‘in-person with parents’ graduation ceremony this past weekend to celebrate the Class of 2022. Lots of smiles, memories and even some tears (of the happy kind) as we acknowledged the completion of their school education. A big thank you to their teachers and our G12 parents who have played a key role in supporting these students through a challenging couple of years. They can be very proud of what they have achieved so far and we look forward to seeing the amazing things that they will achieve in the future as they move onto some fantastic universities and beyond. Go well Class of 2022! As Old North Londoners, you will always be welcome back to visit!
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G11 TOK EXHIBITION By Stephen Abery
On Friday, Grade 11 completed the Theory of Knowledge Exhibition. This assessment task requires students to display 3 objects that link to one of 35 knowledge related prompts set by the IBO, such as ‘should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds?’ Our Grade 11 students did a fantastic job of justifying their choices and stimulating some very thought-provoking conversations with the audience. A large part of the audience was the returning Grade 10 students, getting a taste for what awaits them next year. A key element of Theory of Knowledge is to consider claims from a variety of viewpoints and in some instances, the visitors were able to offer up some new perspectives that may help the students develop their work further, before their final submission on Tuesday.
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UNIVERSITY OFFERS By Kate Abery In the most competitive year on record for University applications, we are proud that our students obtained offers and acceptances from fantastic Colleges around the world. Members of our third graduating class will be joining alumni in studying a wide range of subjects – from Film and Art to Engineering and Psychology – in the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Italy, the UAE and New Zealand. The institutions who accepted our students this year include (but are not limited to) NYUAD, Bocconi, Luiss University Rome, Sciences Po, University of Amsterdam, ESCP, IE University Spain, University College Dublin (Medicine), University of Central Lancashire (Medicine), Cambridge, LSE, UCL, CalArts, University of Toronto, Boston University, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, St Andrews, King’s College London, UC San Diego, UC Davis and UCLA.
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University of Cambridge
University College London
The London School of Economics and Political Science
UCLA
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Toronto
University College Dublin
ESCP Business School
University of Amsterdam
Bocconi University
Luiss Guido Carli University
University of St Andrews
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Junior School News HOUSE COMPETITIONS By Nicola Ali
It has been a wonderful year for the students at NLCS Dubai who have taken part in a variety of House events and
competitions to build that sense of House spirit in the Junior School. The House breakfasts have been very successful and have enabled our youngest students to feel a sense of House belonging. Our House Captains were also given the opportunity to engage with the students across the whole Junior School during this time. The students teamed up with Student Council to create a “Trashion Show” whereby they had to recycle materials in order to make clothing. The students were very engaged in this event, adding House colours to their outfits to get some extra points. Students from PreKG to G5 took part and we look forward to hosting the event next year too. Our NLCS Talent Show was also very successful, allowing students to showcase their talents across all aspects such as sports, music, drama and so much more. I am excited to see what the children can do for their Houses in the coming academic year.
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JACK AND THE BEANSTALK PERFORMANCE By Rebecca Fernandes
Fee, Fie, Foe...Fun! The Junior School had the opportunity to watch the theatre group ‘S4K International’ perform the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. The company adapted the famous fairy tale to be performed on stage as a musical, bringing the beanstalk and giant to life. There was lots of laughter and cheering throughout the show, with a slightly shorter version performed for our younger students. We look forward to welcoming the company back in the future!
PRE-KG EXHIBITION By Nathalie Allen The students have been exploring the central idea, 'Communities are composed of people with specialised roles' and culminated their inquiry into a small showcase of their understanding. Dressed in the attire of the roles that they aspire to fulfil in the future, the students shared their understanding of what a community is and the importance of different roles within society through video presentations, song and dance. It was wonderful to see how the students' confidence and presentation skills have developed across the year.
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KG1 EXHIBITION By Nathalie Allen For their final unit, the students have been exploring how 'Transport systems are organised to meet the needs of a community'. Within this, they have carried out extensive research into the systems used locally in Dubai and in other international settings, working to compare how the location, lifestyles and weather impact the transportation methods used. They have also researched transport of the future and the reasons why we are inventing more environmentally friendly options. The students applied their understanding to design and build transportation models that meet the needs of their local community in Dubai. It was fantastic to see that sustainability and tackling of environmental issues were at the forefront of their thinking.
GRADE 3 MINI EXHIBITION By Naomi Sautter On Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd June, the Grade 3 students had the opportunity to showcase their work to their parents as part of their Term 3 Exhibition. For the exhibition, they presented work which they had completed during their final Unit of Inquiry. As part of this Unit, students inquired into biodiversity and the ways in which living organisms are interdependent within an ecosystem. They presented posters showing different ecosystems, some of the threats that these particular ecosystems face and the connections within them. Following a trip to the Green Planet the students had the opportunity to draw different animals in their art lessons through the medium of sketching. They also presented stories that they had written inspired by The Greak Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. Grade 3 finished the event with a wonderful rendition of ‘Don’t Worry, be happy’, playing the ukuleles and a variety of percussion instruments which, the students had been learning to play during their music lessons this term. The Exhibition was thoroughly enjoyed by all and it was wonderful to see the hard work the Grade 3 students had put into their final projects. 26
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GRADE 5 PYP EXHIBITION By Steven Helliwell The school atrium played host to this year’s G5 PYP Exhibition, ‘How we Express Ourselves’. The event was a huge success, a culmination of their collaboration and inquiry into a real-life issue or interest based around the Unit’s Central Idea. The showcase was a great opportunity for members of our school community to share in their success, as the Grade 5 students reveled in the chance to reflect on their learning through an engaging presentation. Highlights of the day included a visit from Grade 5 students studying at GEMS World Academy, who were very impressed with the work on show! Well done to all the Grade 5 students and teachers!
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GRADE 5 GRADUATION By Mark Mullan Grade 5 celebrated their graduation at the end of June. We were delighted to join them as they reflected on their achievements and memories of their time in Junior School and as they look forward towards the next stage of their academic lives. They were addressed by the Principal, Mr. Monaghan and by the Head of Junior School, Mrs. Navin. Students received their graduation certificates and shared some of their magnificent musical talents. We send Grade 5 our very best wishes and hope that they enjoyed their special day.
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TEAM NLCS By Jamie Williams It has been an exciting year with the introduction of the new ECA Aquathon. Not only have the numbers increased quickly but the students have tackled this endurance event with passion and enthusiasm. During the season NLCS worked alongside RaceMe to host two events against several schools. The competitiveness, sportsmanship and camaraderie was amazing to watch. The Junior athletics team competed in the DASSA Athletics meet at Swiss School during term two. The team demonstrated they were ready for competition after a year off. They raced with determination and lots of them crossed the finish line in first position. The team of 30 students brought home 6 gold medals from the track and field events and we are excited for what next year will have in store for our talented athletes. The U9 & U11 rounders team attended early morning training each week in Term Three with enthusiasm and passion for Rounders. They quickly picked up the rules and their batting skills improved. They raced around the posts to score points nearly everyone managed to get on to the score sheet. Even though the season was short the U11 and U9s teams tackled each training session with enthusiasm and a desire to improve. Each fixture saw the girls develop as a team and become versatile in playing several different positions. They need to be commended on their strong batting and overarm throws. The Junior School Swim Squad made the DASSA Swimming finals held at the world renowned Hamdan Sports Complex on Thursday 16 June. 30 schools across Dubai with over 1000 students were competing to win their respective divisions. There were 3 divisions each consisting of 10 schools. NLCS Dubai were competing in the second Division and were up against some well-established schools here in Dubai. The competition started well with NLCS Dubai taking two top 3 places in our first 4 races. Our medley relay teams were very consistent, all finishing from 2nd to 6th place. The NLCS Dubai Swim Squad did extremely well in the individual events. Asjad Jameel and Sonny Meng Han were 1sts in the 25m butterfly heats. Issam Muheisen in Grade 3 won his 25m freestyle event and the rest of the squad finished no lower than 6th place. The big finale was the 4 x 25m freestyle relay, a crowd favourite. Our teams were again very consistent and finished from 2nd to 5th place. With this level of consistency we knew we had a good chance of finishing in the top half of the division. I am extremely proud to announce that the NLCS Dubai Swim Squad took the bronze medal and finished in 3rd place.
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What a fantastic achievement from a group of very hard working, committed students. They have done themselves and the school very proud. A huge well done to everyone. The trials for U12 basketball were very well attended and choosing the squad was an extremely difficult task. The boys selected have made an excellent start to the season and at the time of going to press, have a 100% record in their games with wins against both JESS and Safa British School. The team have also been training hard on Tuesday mornings and this is really paying off as they are looking more confident and prepared for matches. One of our successes of the year has to be girls basketball with 3 new teams and 50 girls participating, this exciting game is on the ECA map! All teams have won the majority of their games through a combination of skill, grit and coaching from Mrs. Ahmed and Miss Jones. We have a blend of experience and athletic ability, I hope all players find some time to refine their shooting skills this summer. What a great year for cricket at NLCS. A mixture of success in terms of results but a huge growth in participation and interest in school cricket means we are looking forward to next year already, knowing that we have a huge amount of students interested in training and playing. The PE department wishes everyone a fantastic summer holiday and we look forward to seeing you all back on the Sports Field or Sports Hall in September.
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NLCS DUBAI I ISSUE 3
Happy Summer Holidays
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