Whole School Newsletter T2 AY 2021/22

NLCS DUBAI NEWSLETTER I SS U E # 2 I M A R C H 2 0 2 2

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Message from The Principal A big thank you to the Parents’ Guild who have been busy setting up our second-hand uniform shop and also planning some fundraising and events during Term 2 and 3. The investment by the Parents’ Guild into the school climbing wall has been a great way to invest back into the community.

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Message from The Head of JS

IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 2 l Message from The Principal

As we end our 2nd term of the year, I just want to say a huge thank you to our students. They all embrace life at NLCS completely and we are all proud of what they have achieved this term.

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PAGE 4 l Message from The Head of Junior School PAGE 6 l Whole School News PAGE 11 l Message from the Vice Principal Pastoral Care PAGE 12 l Senior School News PAGE 20 l Junior School News PAGE 25 l Team NLCS

Message from the Vice Principal Pastoral Care What a term it has been. Despite feeling like we moved backwards with restrictions at the start of the term life has jumped firmly forward as we have been able to reinvigorate school life. I have been so impressed with how our students have responded to the return to normality as they have taken the new opportunities available to them in their stride.

Message from The Principal There have been numerous visits to the school from the petting zoo, where junior school students had the opportunity to interact with a wonderful array of animals, to Jeff Bezos Blue Origin Space Team who spoke to the KG2 students about their space programme and gave them all a chance to write postcards which will travel into space. Junior School students also enjoyed trips to Umm Al Quwain Marine Park, Sustainable Planet and the Dubai Safari.

Term 2 has flown by, and it has certainly been a

term of two halves. The first half of term was dominated by restrictions and pandemic related guidelines. Thank you to all the parents who supported us through the first half of term in what were challenging situations for all. A change of weekly routine was navigated smoothly with drop off and collection settling down quickly.

Sports fixtures have restarted, and it has been great to see students playing, football, netball, and volleyball against other schools in Dubai. The swim squad also saw success in their two galas after half term. It is good to see students back in the pool early in the morning training hard.

House competitions have returned in full swing with House Chess, Badminton, Spelling Bee and Rounders all taking place.

It has also been great to have parents back into the school for a variety of events and talks, including meet the Principal and grade coffee mornings. We are planning many more opportunities as we move into Term 3 and hope we can see all of you for events here in the school as the year progresses.

The second half of term has been fabulous in that we have seen a return to many of the school activities we are used to enjoying. Sports days for all students, trips to Expo, fieldtrips in Geography, Duke of Edinburgh overnight camping and expeditions have all taken place this second half of term.

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A big thank you to the Parents’ Guild who have been busy setting up our second-hand uniform shop and also planning some fundraising and events during Term 2 and 3. The investment by the Parents’ Guild into the school climbing wall has been a great way to invest back into the community. The wall is nearing completion and I will be looking forward to seeing the students and perhaps some members of the Parents’ Guild climbing once it is ready.

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We welcome NLCS UK next term for their monitoring visit. This will begin on the 25th April and we are very excited to be welcoming them back face-to-face after two years without a visit. They will be sending a team over as part of the annual monitoring of our international schools and we look forward to showing them how much has moved forward since their last visit and the progress that the students are making.

Students in Grade 12 have been receiving offers from their chosen Universities. We have already had offers from Cambridge, St. Andrew’s, UCL, Kings London, Durham and Warwick, amongst many other UK establishments. Students have also 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 University. A number of UK universities are still waiting to make offers as we approach their deadline in May. Congratulations to all students and we wish them well with their IB Diploma examinations which begin at the end of April.

University of Cambridge

University of Toronto

Keep safe and have an enjoyable break.

All the best,

James Monaghan Principal

University Massachusetts Amherst

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Message from The Head of Junior School presentations about sustainable wind energy, astronomy, and the adaptation of dolphins to their environment.

The term unfortunately started with enhanced

Covid-19 restrictions in place meaning no ECAs, PE or Swimming for the month of January. However, the Junior School has certainly made up for this since the beginning of February with the students being involved in a range of events and activities.

Students had the opportunity to take part in STEM week and there was such a buzz of excitement across the school. Each grade chose a global issue to inquire into, discussing the impact they have on our planet. Some of the highlights included exploring different natural disasters in Pre-KG, Grade 2 inquired into the rising sea levels, Grade 3 researched viruses and Grade 5 completed an oil spill challenge.

At the end of STEM week, students had the opportunity to design their own pavilion for Expo 2020. They thought about what would make their pavilion unique by considering what innovative features it would have, what technology there would be, and what world issues they would highlight and help to find a solution for.

Our academic societies have resumed with the Science Society taking it in turns to research and present on scientific topics of their choice, including 04

The Reading Society planned, organised and delivered an assembly to Lower School to launch World Book Day. This was positively received and shared an important message about the benefits of reading regularly. World Book Day is always a highlight and this year the range of book characters was impressive including Harry Potter, Where’s Wally, Cat in the Hat, Dog Man and Mary Poppins.

The staff also fully embraced the day dressing up as Pinocchio, Red Riding Hood, Grade 1 as characters from Peter Pan and KG staff as crayons from the wonderful story ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’.

Students also enjoyed a range of activities including recommending their favourite books to their friends, buddy reading with students from younger grades and creating their own stories to share.

House events have continued with Spelling Bee and the NLCS Talent show, which was an opportunity for students to display their talents through online auditions and live performances for selected finalists. Talents ranged from musical, drama, gymnastics, dancing, skating, motor cross and aerial gymnastics. A huge well done to all our finalists.

Student Council welcomed their new Grade Council Representatives into their role for term 2 (GCRs) who have been busy preparing for launching the ‘Trashion Show’ House Competition, which will take place in Term 3. The GCR’s have focused on the NLCS DUBAI I ISSUE 2

finer details regarding the competition to make it a success, such as the platform used to launch the competition, deciding on the criteria for the winning outfits and creating examples to show students across the Junior School for inspiration.

The GCRs were also involved in Founder’s Day celebrations, recording a message to share with the NLCS Junior schools across the world.

Our International Day was an important event to appreciate each other’s cultures within our school community. It is important that the students understand each other's cultures in order to show tolerance, respect and above all embrace everyone’s similarities and differences. It was wonderful to see the children dressed in their national clothing / colours representing their nationality and for us all to celebrate and embrace our culturally diverse community.

The ice pops donated by the Parent’s Guild were a welcome surprise for the students. Congratulations to the wining houses – Yibir for First School and Hafeet for Lower School.

Students across the school have been on trips this term. Pre-KG visited Miracle Garden as part of their inquiry into colours in the natural world, and followed this up with activities in class linked to the parts of plants using artistic skills to create plants.

KG1 had a visit from ‘Posh Paws’ having first-hand experiences with a range of animals as part of their inquiry into living things, followed by a trip to Green Planet with a focus on plants.

KG2 visited Dubai Safari to enhance their knowledge of animal classification and were very fortunate to have a visit by the space company ‘Blue Origin’, to link to their scientific unit on the Solar System and they all composed a postcard to be launched on a mission into space.

Grades 1-5 have all visited an Expo main pavilion (Opportunity or Sustainability) and other country pavilions as part of a guided tour. Grades 4 and 5 also had an adventure day at Umm Al Quwain Marine Club. Students chose five activities from a range of activities on both land and water including climbing, archery, canoeing and raft building. I know they all thoroughly enjoyed their day.

Sports Days for each Grade were staggered over several days in March. Students showed a real sense of team spirit, having the opportunity to take part in a range of competitive team events whilst earning points for their house and enjoying themselves!

It was a pleasure to welcome parents back into school for the student led conferences. I am sure you will agree it was a worthwhile and meaningful experience for the students. I hope you enjoyed listening to them sharing their learning with you too. We were so pleased to be able to celebrate Founders Day this year exploring the theme of success. Congratulations to both KG2 and Grade 4 for their presentation skills telling us more about the history and successes of NLCS over the years.

As we end our 2nd term of the year, I just want to say a huge thank you to our students. They all embrace life at NLCS completely and we are all proud of what they have achieved this term.

Thank you too for your support from all staff in the Junior School.

Warmest wishes, Emma Navin Head of Junior School

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Whole School News INTERNATIONAL PICNIC DAY

By Mrs Jayne Vickers

The final part of the day was a moment for students across the school to enjoy special treats and snacks from their home country either through a show and tell in the Junior School to conversations in the Senior School.

Thank you to everyone involved in celebrating our internationalism and sharing your heritage and culture with others.

We were delighted to celebrate the school’s annual International Day on Friday 25th February. Despite ongoing restrictions, we managed to celebrate in style. The entire school community embraced the opportunity to show the vibrancy of their culture through their clothing as students and staff came into school wearing their national dress or colours that represented their country of origin. It was wonderful to see all the different costumes from the many nationalities in our school: from kilts, kanga and kandura to hanbok, hakama and hats galore!

During period 1, students and teachers came together in venues across the school to share songs, stories, performances, and presentations on the theme of “Our Heritage”. There are too many to name them all here, but some of the highlights included a whistle stop tour of Tanzania, an insight into Indian festivals, a beautiful Hindi love song, a traditional Korean folk song, and a taste of Morris dancing.

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BODA PERFORMANCE EVENING

By Jennifer Durston Parents and teachers were delighted to have the opportunity to attend a Monologue Evening in the Black Box Theatre. This was a chance for students who take part in Trinity Examinations to showcase the work they have been preparing in their private Drama lessons ran by BODA. Students from Grade 1 – Grade 9 performed a variety of contemporary and Shakespearean monologues. We also had a wonderful rendition of ‘Tomorrow’ from the musical ‘Annie’ as well as a monologue written by a student about the volcanic eruption in Pompeii. Well done to all students involved for trying themselves out.

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CHARITY

By Laura Dunn

Thank you and well done to the Charity Committee for their continued hard work and dedication in raising awareness and funds for causes in Dubai and the UAE. This term the Charity Committee collaborated with the Wellbeing Committee to host a ‘Love and Kindness Day’ where staff and students were invited to wear red and share messages of kindness on a mural in the atrium. This event raised 9841.75 AED for the Al Jalila Foundation, with money going to heart research. The Charity Committee has now raised a total of 47, 891.75 AED for the Al Jalila Foundation and they are now close to achieving their target of 50,000 AED by the end of this academic year!

In March, the Charity Committee hosted its first Book Drive whereby students were asked to donate good quality books for school-aged children to donate to ‘The Gift of Education,’ a charity in Dubai which supports local schools to establish their school libraries. A particular thanks to this year’s outgoing Chair of the Charity Committee, Ananya in Grade 12 and for her unwavering support, organisation, and leadership.

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EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

By Ms Nicola Woodroffe The extra-curricular life of the NCLS Dubai came alive this term, as students were able to re-discover our passions as ECAs recommenced. The many changes to the programme did not deter you all! Across the whole school, just under 3000 ECA weekly choices were made. Well done to the students in Grade 4, 5 6 and Grade 7s who re-engaged with the highest level of participation. The return of swim galas and sports fixtures provided a refocus for training. Chess burst into life through the schools and Model United Nations continued to dominate with over 70 students involved across the school. We were fortunate that twelve novice and experienced MUN (Model United Nations) delegates represented NLCS in the Hague online Conference representing Angola in the theme: “ONE PLANET ONE WORLD: debate, decide, act now”.

The following ECAs contributed to Service As Action hours with students taking initiative and leading others.

Grade 6-9 Portuguese led by Grade 9 Gisela, Frederick with senior boys' basketball, Lexy coaching a successful mixed Volleyball club for Grade 6-8 and Grade 7 student Mona, who shared her passion by a creating a contemporary Dance.

In terms of new ECAs, senior students involved in the new Science Olympiad ECA performed well and congratulations to Grade 11 Layla ranked 7th in the UAE for Grade 11 Biology. Meanwhile in the Junior School, it was wonderful to see new Sign language ECA gaining traction in both KG2 – G1 and Grade 2-5 led

by Miss Worthington. The First School students were also keen to make use of our professional golfers from Meydan as they started a mini golf ECA. We look forward to cricket, rounders, STEM and so many new ECAs next term. Options will be chosen during Ramadan and commence straight after EID.

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FOUNDER’S DAY

By Chris May As the Spring term draws to a close, NLCS Schools across the world join together in celebrating and commemorating Founder’s Day. This day allows us all to focus on the exceptional development of an NLCS education but also to reflect upon our own contributions to the NLCS family. The theme of this years celebration was two fold. Firstly, we celebrated the life and work of Mrs Joan Clanchy (Headmistress 1985-1997) who was passionate about the way in which education should look beyond the confines of a set curriculum. Her influence and determination molded what we have today in all four schools. Secondly, the theme of Founder’s Day this year was success. Our students focused on what is meant by success, how have they been successful and how can the strive for success in the future. One particular message that was key this year was the importance of recognising the barriers to success and how to overcome them. The day was a wonderful moment where all our students played their part whether it was reading, playing, singing or processing beautifully with their daffodils. Not only did we have our traditional ceremony on the last day of term but throughout the entire week we saw performances from our youngest students each day and Grade 4 performed marvellously on stage on Thursday.

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Message from The Vice Principal Pastoral Care Speaking – was fantastic with some outstanding articulation of key arguments all based around the UN Sustainability Goals. A big thank you to our House Competition Co-ordinator, Heads of Houses and House Captains for all their hard work and organisation of all of the house events this term.

What a term it has been. Despite feeling like we

moved backwards with restrictions at the start of the term life has jumped firmly forward as we have been able to reinvigorate school life. I have been so impressed with how our students have responded to the return to normality as they have taken the new opportunities available to them in their stride.

In particular the number of students who put themselves forward and tried themselves out to be part of the student leadership groups. We were inundated with applications to lead House groups, committees and, of course, the coveted Big 4 positions. We were so pleased to receive so much interest, although it did make for some very tough decisions. Older students had a session on leadership as service and how we can use it to give back to others rather than merely a role – I am sure this message has helped them to see the value leadership can provide to themselves and others, and those who gained these roles can put this into practice.

As usual our House Competitions have been an absolute highlight. Sports Day (my favourite day of the year) was a hot and sweaty event but provided moments of excellence with records broken, moments of inclusion with every student involved and moments of drama with some very close to call races. A big thank you to the PHE team for running this event. Another major event – House Public 11

There are so many wonderful moments I could go into but I wanted to highlight two moments of pride for the students in our school. As we have had more open events we have received such positive feedback on our student body. When we took all of Grade 6-9 to Expo the guides were thrilled with the students stating that they were polite, well-behaved, thoughtful and engaged, and had made their day much easier. Grade 9 have been involved in delivering tours to prospective parents and the feedback has ranged from how they are exemplary role models for all students, to how they have shown the ethos of the school in their words and actions. It is moments like this which make me proud to be part of NLCS Dubai and show how much we value our belief in care, courtesy and consideration at all times.

Warmest wishes, Frances Powell Vice Principal Pastoral Care NLCS DUBAI I ISSUE 2

Senior School News HOUSE COMPETITIONS

By Georgia Ward

It has been an exciting and diverse term of House Competitions involving a variety of sports and academic events. Mrs. Monaghan led the Spelling Bee at the start of the term in which Hafeet became champions, spelling a wide variety of complex words aloud to the audience. The following competition was House Chess.

The students who took part in House Chess required focus, resilience, stamina, and studiousness. Mr. Riddler ran a round robin style chess tournament, which was eventually won by Yibir. House Rounders involved some exceptional fielding, batting, and bowling. Well done to Jais who won their first competition of the year, becoming 2022 champions of House Rounders.

House Badminton was run by Mr. Bland and a fantastic opportunity was provided for students to join Ms. Powell and Lin in the Badminton ECA to train for the competition. Sports Day was worth double, being the most important competition of the term. House spirit was in full swing as students cheered on both staff and students in a range of events. It was excellent to see mentoring between students in Houses and the Sports Captains taking on responsibility and leadership on the day. What a wonderful way to end term two House events – I cannot wait to see the results in term three of our final House competitions of the year.

HOUSE JAIS

By Chris May Spring term has been an interesting one for Jais House. We have continued to strive for success with somewhat mixed results but for those who know me well, it is not the winning that matters, it is the fun we have trying to win that makes being in Jais so great. We did win rounders this year, which being the ‘largest of all the trophies, is an added bonus. I am incredibly proud of all the students who have stepped up in competitions such as spelling bee, public speaking and of course, sports day.

As we move towards the end of term, our focus turns to leadership. It is at this time of the year that we say thank you to those who have served the last 12 months as House leaders. Isabelle as House Captain, Elias as Sports Captain, Josefina as Vice House Captain, Naba as Assistant House Captain, Allegra as Assistant Sports Captain and Jiwoo and Francesco as members of the Student Council. I am pleased to announce that we have a wonderful new team who will start the Summer term as our leaders. Josefina will be our new House Captain supported by Avdesh as Vice House Captain and Maxima as Assistant House Captain. Our new Sports Captain will be Ethan supported by Tom as Assistant Sports Captain.

Next term will see a newly created student council with representatives from all grades and houses working together to be the voice of the school and also to organise a myriad of events throughout the year. I also want to thank all those who applied.

Their determination and drive to help and be a true member of Jais was evident in both their letters and interviews and I am confident that we can all work together and aim for success and happiness.

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My saying, ‘it is just as important to lead from within as it is to lead from the front’ could not be more applicable. Finally, I wish all those in Grade 10 and 12 good luck in their exams. I hope that all will walk into the exam hall with confidence and walk our with pride.

HOUSE HAFEET

By Emma Dawson Spring Term has been a wonderful time for Hafeet students. It started with a well-deserved victory in House Spelling, with our Hafeetians bravely taking to the stage with superb spelling skills on show. House Chess saw some incredibly intense games, with significant victories in the younger grade levels.

Sports Day was a shining example of all that it is be a Hafeetian – students trying themselves out, supporting one another and hours of encouragement and positivity! Certainly a great day for all involved.

This time of year is also one of change. Whilst looking back I would like to express our thanks and gratitude to the student leadership team of Marta, Elly, Ceclia, Oliver and Mona. They have worked tirelessly throughout the year to motivate, inspire and support all members of the House. They have embodied the spirit of Hafeet and led by example in all that they do.

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With almost 40 applications for positions of leadership, it has been wonderful to read students carefully crafted, well thought out letters and the passion for greater involvement. When speaking to our students I have encouraged them to all to get fully involved and reiterated that leadership is not defined by a title. We now welcome in our new leadership team of Cecilia as House Captain, Hannah as Vice-Captain, Sannat at Assistant Captain Max as Sport Captain and Mona as Vice-Sport Captain.

HOUSE YIBIR

By Mrs Laura Dunn Congratulations and well done to Yibir for their continued success in House Competitions this year.

Following their win in House Music, Yibir is going from strength to strength, and they are currently at the top of the House Competitions leaderboard. A particular mention to the three soloists; Rheanna (beginner), Zihan (intermediate) and Zihao (advanced) who all performed in the solo round before being selected to play in the final. Another win was secured in House Chess, where the competition was fierce, well done to all those who competed. Unfortunately, House Rounders was not our strong point, but students are looking ahead with excitement to Sports Day and House Public Speaking.

A special thanks to the outgoing student leadership team and in particular our House Captain, Suha, who has led the House with calmness, inclusivity, and enthusiasm throughout her time in the post. Congratulations to the newly appointed Big 4 students, three of whom are from Yibir. Well done to Alya (Senior Student), Layla and Asa for securing these leadership positions and for being excellent role models to all students in the House and Senior School. It has been wonderful to see the students of Yibir return to some form of normality, using the newly updated Yibir House space. As we move into the final term of this academic year, it is important that all Yibirians remember to be ‘ready for anything!’

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HOUSE JAVI

By Lee Garrett This term has simply been another brilliant reflection of all that is great in the Javi community.

The spirit and dedication exhibited in the house competitions continuously fills me with pride regardless of the outcomes. In the recent House Rounders competition, the sheer fun and enjoyment in all age groups gave an uplifting aura and the Javian cohesive teamwork was solid. One of the highlights for me has to be the student presentations on International Day. To listen and learn about culture, music, cuisine, and national dress from around the world was very insightful.

I was extremely proud of our NLCS Dubai students on the EXPO trip. Their conduct, behaviour and cooperation were outstanding, so much so that even the tour guides complimented on how amazing they were. As we look ahead for Grade 10 and Grade 12 students, Term 3 becomes a critical point in their examination preparation. Their priority must now focus on adhering to their structured revision schedule, and I would like to wish them all the best for their upcoming examinations.

I would like to congratulate Ilyes (Grade 11) who has been recently appointed as a member of the Big 4, a prestigious a well-deserved appointment.

Ilyes has been actively involved in the Javi student leadership and will now be the school’s ambassador for enrichment. Over the recent weeks, I have been interviewing students for the new Javi Leadership positions and I have to say, I was not expecting such a high number of applicants. Javi now has a new leadership team, and I am very much excited to see their skills develop and see what change they bring about in the Javi House.

As we enter a period of transition, I would like to thank all members who have helped shape the Javi ethos, culture, and values. A special mention must go to Alice (former House Captain) who has done a sterling job of organising and managing the Javi House and I wish her the best for her future university application.

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At the time of writing this, we have Sports day, Public Speaking, House Badminton and of course Founders Day to look forwards to and celebrate.

The opportunities, events and competitions that have occurred daily this term, have helped enable us to steer our lives back into a more stimulating routine away from the mundane COVID related measures. Nevertheless, whilst we are still careful, Term 3 does fill me with optimism and excitement as there is plenty more to look forward to including House Drama, House Art, and Grade 12 Graduation.

Lastly, I hope you all have a safe, relaxing, and well-deserved Spring Break and I look forward to the ongoing strength of Javi House as we continue to work together successfully.

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Science Week

By Jennifer Murphy This term we celebrated Science during Science week at NLCS Dubai, the theme for this year was ‘Growth.’

During the senior school assembly on Monday morning, students reflected on what Science means to them and how Science continues to grow and advance with time. Over the course of the week students were immersed in activities planned to capture their interest and promote a love of the subject. In grades 6, 7 and 8, students enjoyed some bespoke lessons linked to the theme of the week. During lunch times students were wowed by ‘explosive chemistry’ demonstrations,’ participated in a science break out room and witnessed the finale of a bridge building competition.

In Grade 10 Ameera, Hams and Salayla have shown impressive dedication and resilience by starting their programme relatively late only to then complete their online record books ahead of the rest of their cohort.

Joseph, Ethan, and Kayvan have shown strong leadership skills by supporting members of their teams and by carrying more equipment than they needed to support their teams, as well as taking the initiative.

Well done to everyone involved in either or both journeys, I remain extremely impressed by our students’ dedication, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership!

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History Week

By Helena Wilson History week at the start of March was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’ Day. The celebration is important to discuss and research women who have been often overlooked. Ms. Wilson’s assembly identified the roots of inequality from prehistoric times and showed how through time has affected language and made it gendered, as well as how male default is still prevalent in society. Students dressed as a historical character for the day and had a catwalk to showcase their outfits.

A ‘padlet’ was created where students in form time could share their research and create videos celebrating women’s history. A historical fiction competition was launched for the Historical Association UK with the deadline in May. It is important to remember that Women’s history, including that of other less represented groups is taught through the curriculum of all subjects as well as at home.

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

By Felix Falkenberg The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award equips young people for life. It is the world’s leading youth achievement award. Since the Award’s launch 60 years ago, it has inspired millions of young people to transform their lives. By creating opportunities for young people to develop skills, get physically active, give service and experience adventure, the Award can play a critical role in their development outside the classroom. It also allows their achievement to be consistently recognised worldwide, giving young people unique international accreditation of their experiences.

Taking part in their Duke of Edinburgh's International Award is a transformative experience. In their practice journey our students learned to rely on their team members and their own skills and had an in-depth opportunity to become more responsible by taking sensible risks as per the IB (International Baccalaureate) learner profile. In their qualifying journey, the students have been able to demonstrate how well they reflected on their experiences during the practice journey, and they were able to prove their care and consideration for one another while being out in the Kalba mountains solving their problems on their own as teams.

Hannah Grade 10 became the lead navigator of her team, because she improved her skills with map and compass tremendously during the journeys and because she has been able to show great leadership skills.

Hamad Grade 9 and his team on the other handproduced and followed some of the best route cards seen in the Kalba mountains for a long time. Imaad, Maxima, Cindy and Ali in Grade 9 stood out for how well they organised their online record books and how responsible they acted during their Adventurous Journeys.

In Grade 10 Ameera, Hams and Salayla have shown impressive dedication and resilience by starting their programme relatively late only to then complete their online record books ahead of the rest of their cohort.

Joseph, Ethan, and Kayvan have shown strong leadership skills by supporting members of their teams and by carrying more equipment than they needed to support their teams, as well as taking the initiative.

Well done to everyone involved in either or both journeys, I remain extremely impressed by our students’ dedication, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership!

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The New Big Four

“Being chosen to be part of the Big 4 and Senior Student is the greatest highlights of 2022! I aim to continue nurturing a community prioritising wellbeing to allow for optimum academic and personal achievements and progress.”

- Alya, Grade 11 “I feel honoured and privileged to serve as a member of the Big 4. I hope to provide students with new opportunities to extend themselves and explore their passions. I also aim to highlight the numerous cultures in our diverse community.”

- Asa, Grade 11 “It is a privilege to be a part of the Big 4 at NLCS Dubai this year. I am really excited for the upcoming months and look forward to taking part in allowing the school to grow and flourish.”

- Ilyes , Grade 11

“I feel honoured to have been selected as part of the NLCS Dubai Big 4. I am excited to contribute and give back to my school community that has helped me instil a motivation for learning and grasp onto new opportunities. Wonderful things to come!”

- Layla , Grade 11

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Junior School News HOUSE COMPETITIONS

By Nicola Ali

This term some exciting House competitions that have taken place. We have had our Junior School House

Spelling Bee, Science Expo Competition and our NLCS Has Got Talent Show, where we held a live final in the PAC. The students have displayed house spirit as they have taken part in each competition with such energy and pride. It has been wonderful to see those students grow in confidence from PreKG up to G5 as they have taken part in a range of different events.

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STEM WEEK

By Naomi Sautter

STEM week in the Junior School was a resounding success, with students inspired to think about what they could achieve in the field of STEM. Throughout the week, students took part in a variety of activities. They developed their knowledge and understanding of the STEM disciplines and how these are closely linked.

Each grade chose a global issue to inquire into, discussing the impact they have on our planet. Some of the highlights included different natural disasters in Pre-KG, Grade 2 inquired into the rising sea levels, Grade 3 looked at viruses and Grade 5 completed an oil spill challenge.

At the end of the week, students had the opportunity to design their own pavilion for Expo 2020. They thought about what would make their pavilion unique by considering what innovative features it would have, what technology there would be, and what world issues they would highlight and help to find a solution for. Congratulations to the winners and runners up of the competition for your excellent and innovative designs.

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POSH PAWS

By Frances Scanlon

As part of our Unit of Inquiry, ‘People are responsible for living things,’ Posh Paw’s brought us their petting zoo. This gave the students an opportunity to learn about how to care for different pets and their needs, such as what they eat, where they sleep and how they clean themselves. The students demonstrated responsibility holding and caring for the large assortment of animals. There were also many risk-takers, touching and holding the snake or holding the cockatoo on their arm or head. It was truly a memorable and educational learning experience.

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WORLD BOOK DAY

By Kelly Brisbane Thursday 3rd March saw the 25th annual celebration of World Book Day. Students and colleagues in the Junior School eagerly came to school dressed as their favourite book characters and the level of creation and imagination was incredible. We saw such variety, from The Stick Man to Alice in Wonderland and Sherlock Holmes and Lower School enjoyed seeing everyone’s costumes during their parade around school.

Throughout the day, students took part in a range of activities to enjoy the pleasure of reading. Classes buddied up to support younger children with their reading and students brought their favourite book to school to recommend to their friends. Students also made trailers to advertise their favourite books and challenged themselves when completing World Book Day masterclasses designed by authors. The day was thoroughly enjoyable, and students recognised not only how lucky they are to have such a wide range of books to choose from, but also how enjoyable it can be to pick up a book and read.

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TRIPS

By Nikki Woodroffe It has been a wonderful half term since restrictions eased. Teachers across the school were very keen to make-up for missed opportunities and this lead 1000 students enjoying day trips off site since February. In the JS the highlights were the Grade 4 and Grade 5 Adventure days at the Umm Al Quwain Marine Club. Expo 2020 also provided excitement as we took Grade trips from Grade 1 through to Grade 10, with over 800 Students visiting the different journeys and pavilions.

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NLCS DUBAI I ISSUE 2

teamNLCS

By Jamie Williams It has been an actioned packed term for TeamNLCS! We have been back out on the sports field taking part in a wide variety of sporting events across Dubai.

Starting with netball. The U12, U14 and U16s Senior Girls teams have played weekly fixtures against some well-established and very competitive schools, here in Dubai. Our students showed amazing sportsmanship and netball ability. All three teams were fantastic both on and off court and we are excited to see them further improve next season. A huge well done!

Moving onto football. Our U12 boys football team played their socks off and after already securing a triumphant win against Jumeirah College back in Term One, they gave Jumeirah College another challenging match and successfully won the match 2-0 in a friendly fixture in March. This is one team to watch out for in the next academic year.

Then we have athletics. Our Junior and Senior Athletics Teams both took part in the annual DASSA Athletics meet at Sports City on March 17th. Many records were broken by NLCS students in events such as long jump, javelin and running events. A large majority of our students gained a new personal best on the day of the event and we would like to congratulate them on their efforts and achievements. We can’t wait to see what your athletics future holds.

We also competed in several swimming galas this term. Our Junior School Swim Squad finished second in the league beating Kings Al Barsha and Gems Wellington. It was a hugely competitive gala as all five schools had put in the training and some races were extremely close. So, NLCS Dubai did amazingly well to come in second place. A special mention goes to Asjad and Sonny who were phenomenal at the gala, winning all their races.

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NLCS DUBAI I ISSUE 2

Our U11 swimmers also competed in our first Aquathon of the year that was held here at NLCS with the support from RaceMe. Each athlete was given an individual chip to record their time and we were extremely excited to have JESS, Hartland, JPS, JBS and DESS come here to compete. We are extremely proud of our athletes, and we are looking forward to hosting our second Aquathlon event on Monday 21st March.

Senior Girls Volleyball was another highlight of Term Two, Miss Jones’ team were exceptional and played some well fought matches. The team is continually growing in confidence as we look to develop in this sport each year.

And finally, Sports Days. To finish our module of athletics and a great term of sport, the NLCS community came together for our annual Sports Days. From KG1 to Grade 12, all students participated and competed in a wide variety of athletics events, from target throwing to javelin, from the sack race to 100m sprinting, all events and races were met with fantastic sportsmanship, cheering and many happy faces. We are already looking forward to Sports Days 2023 and look forward to welcoming back the parent community.

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NLCS DUBAI I ISSUE 2

Have a wonderful Spring Break!

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