Term 3 Newsletter (Academic Year 2020-2021)

NLCS DUBAI NEWSLETTER I S S U E # 3 I J U LY 2 0 2 1

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Message from The Principal We have had much to celebrate this term. A postponed Founder’s Day, was a fantastic way to start the term prior to Ramadan and it was a great celebration of the NLCS ethos and the family of schools. I look forward to seeing all of you back on the 29th August. Keep safe and have an enjoyable break.

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IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 2 l Message from The Principal PAGE 4 l Message from The Head of Junior School

Message from The Head of JS This term the students have continued to impress me with their creativity and innovative flair. As we end the final term of the year, I just want to say a heartfelt thank you for your continued support this year.

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PAGE 10 l Message from The Vice Principal Pastoral Care PAGE 11 l Senior School News PAGE 16 l Subject Focus - Science PAGE 21 l Sixth Form

Whole School News The first day back after Spring Break, two weeks later than originally planned, our students came together (in their grade bubbles) and our community settled down on their sofas in their own homes to watch our

PAGE 24 l Junior School News

wonderful 2021 Founder’s Day film. The theme for this year’s Founder’s Day was Environmentalism and

PAGE 30 l Team NLCS

Stewardship of Planet Earth.

Message from The Principal routines, including a 4pm finish for the senior school and a longer lunch to support our extracurricular programme. Exact timings will be communicated in a return to school document as per last year, which will highlight for all grades in detail your daily routines.

We are not sure of the timing of this yet and will be dependent on the publication of changes to protocols by the authorities.

We have had much to celebrate this term. A postponed Founder’s Day, was a fantastic way to start the term prior to Ramadan and it was a great celebration of the NLCS ethos and the family of schools. Ramadan followed and a mid-term break around Eid. Feeling refreshed students returned to a full timetable and many students in the senior school prepared for their end of year examinations.

We have made it to the end of the year and for all

of us there is now some time to wind down and relax and spend some time with our friends and families. I must start by congratulating the entire community for supporting each other and making sure we have all done our best to protect the face-to-face learning that has remained consistent throughout the year.

While there has been the odd interruption the students have been extremely lucky to have been attending school since September last year. I very much hope to see things improve over the summer, but it is likely we will still face restrictions and we will need to continue to remain vigilant and in regular communication with each other.

There will be some changes for the start of the academic year, but as yet the education community waits for official notification of any amendments to the protocols and guidelines. There are many areas where we are hopeful of a return to normal NLCS 02

Grade 12 students continued to complete applications to universities, and it was a special moment when we received our first Ivy League College offers from the US. We also had offers from the London School of Economics and top universities in East Asia such as Seoul National University. We currently wait for the IB Diploma results which are published on July 6th by the IBO. We wish our second graduating class all the best in the results and university entrance process. We also wish our Grade 10 students all the best with their MYP Results, which are published to students on the 2nd August.

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The community continues to develop and improve with regards to managing the current situation and we will need to continue to work closely with each other next year as we move through what will hopefully be a transition year back to life with fewer restrictions. We are extremely fortunate here in Dubai to have had the opportunity for face-to-face learning and this has put our students in a very strong position compared to many around the world.

I very much hope you all manage to see family and friends this summer and do please keep an eye out for members of our community who perhaps do not have this opportunity and be kind in offering support to those that need it. We have many members of our community who may not be able to travel and who will remain here for another summer. Please make sure we all practice care, courtesy, and consideration for all around us. The students here at school have certainly embraced this essential part of our ethos this year and is something that has kept the community together.

We will again be asking parents to complete travel declarations, and we will almost certainly have some processes surrounding testing prior to our return to school. Please do leave enough time between returning to the UAE if you are travelling and the start of the academic year. I look forward to seeing all of you back on the 29th of August.

Keep safe and have an enjoyable break.

All the best, James Monaghan Principal

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Message from The Head of Junior School our academic societies have led whole school assemblies on such themes as ‘What is Art’ and ‘Endangered Animals in the UAE’.

Our Student Council have continued to lead initiatives across the Junior School. This term they encouraged all students to participate in “Random Acts of Kindness” during the Holy month of Ramadan. So many students participated and did such acts as holding the door open, tidying their room, sweeping the balcony or making food for a family member.

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 as well as to Mrs Smith, Head of Lower School and Mrs Schmidt, PYP Coordinator.

Both were founding members of the Junior Team and their contribution to the development of the school are to be commended. We wish them all well in their future endeavours.

As we end the final term of the year, I just want to

say a heartfelt thank you to all of you 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 the ‘NLCS has Talent’ with so many outstanding entries. The House Competitions this term demonstrated this too through both House Poetry and House Music.

Grade 5 exhibition was again a highlight. The impressive work the students did to research their areas of interest linked to art (such as architecture, protest art and film) and then to produce their websites is to be celebrated.

I have been so pleased that we have been able to provide our academic enrichment programme for Grade 4 and 5 this year. Those students involved in 04

Have a restful Summer Break. Keep safe and well.

We look forward to seeing our returning families in August.

Warmest wishes, Emma Navin Head of Junior School

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Whole School News

FOUNDER’S DAY

By Mr Chris May

After the last minute cancellation of Founder’s Day in 2020 due to lockdown in Dubai, we set about planning a socially distant, yet meaningful Founder’s Day for all to enjoy this year. It was clear we would not be able to welcome guests and families to our annual celebrations so we decided to take the celebrations to our wider community whilst maintaining the traditions and solemnity of the occasion. We created a film of a full Founder’s Day service so the call went out for musicians, readers, poets and creatives to make this years celebration just as special as previous years. The old and new Big 4 made their video for our sister schools in London, Jeju and Singapore (with rather fetching daffodil themed masks) and the whole school geared up for one of the most important days of the school year.

We decorated the outside of the school with bunting, balloons and banners. Just as we were ready to celebrate the end of term and Founder’s Day, we, along with all of the UAE, fell silent to mourn the passing of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance. As part of our solemn duty and out of respect for the Al Maktoum family, the balloons, bunting and banners were removed and Founder’s Day was re-scheduled to open the Summer term with a celebration worthy of our inspiring traditions.

So, the first day back after Spring Break, two weeks later than originally planned, our students came together (in their grade bubbles) and our community settled down on their sofas in their own homes to watch our wonderful 2021 Founder’s Day film.

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The theme for this year’s Founder’s Day was Environmentalism and Stewardship of Planet Earth.

Mr Monaghan, in his speech referred to the global issues facing us all and how each and every one of us has the responsibility to not only be aware but also to take action so future generations can enjoy the benefits that we have been fortunate enough to receive. In lessons, students were reminded of the overarching importance of sustainability and for our service, we adapted elements to reflect the passion

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that NLCS Dubai has for environmentalism. In the First School, students celebrated with a colour themed day, some beautiful artwork and of course their own film with readings and poems.

Not only did the films make the day feel as ‘real’ as possible but they will also serve as a historical record of the times we live in for future generations of NLCS Dubai students.

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CHARITY

By Mrs Laura Dunn Congratulations to the newly appointed Charity Committee and to the Chair of the committee, Ananya, for their first event which was the Ramadan Food Drive. This was an excellent opportunity for the whole community to come together to donate food to local workers. It was wonderful to see the sheer volume of non-perishable food items that were donated, which then provided food parcels for more than 700 workers.

The Charity Committee has now planned a full calendar of events for the next academic year and they are excited to be introducing new initiatives, in addition to established events that will not only raise money, but also raise awareness of a variety of causes. This year, the Charity Committee will be working closely with the Big 4, and in particular the Global Awareness Ambassador. It is excellent to see a wide range of ages and grades involved in the Charity Committee with opportunities for leadership for all.

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ARTS FESTIVAL

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EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

By Ms Nicola Woodroffe The Term 3 ECA programme commenced after Ramadan with an increased menu of exciting opportunities.

Whilst the Grade 12s and Grade 10 had exams to contend with, over 300 G1-9 students were keen to embrace the new after-school opportunities in Art, Drama, Music and Sport activities, developing their passions and even acquire qualifications in this final term. In the Senior School, the long awaited Drama and Musical Movement ECA inspired grade 6-9 students for the musical production next year. Meanwhile in Art students engaged in therapeutic Felt making, a traditional Maths club was complimented with a forward thinking new cryptocurrency ECA, discussing current events in the crypto and its impact Finance, Education and Medical research. Science Medics was also a popular new addition and an online first aid qualification was introduced to equip students’ first aid skills, whilst the newly formed Senior School Eco-Committee, gained traction through NLCS family collaboration. In sport, the introduction of Handball captured most interest as students thoroughly enjoyed both learning this new sport and preparing for the Senior School inaugural House Handball competition.

The Junior School programme also expanded offerings and the Grade 1-5 took place in class bubbles. This provided class teachers the opportunity to develop relationships with other students through activities in art, creative writing and problem solving alongside popular sporting options of swimming, football, ball games and tennis. Overall it was sporting options which drew the most engagement as two hundred students across the whole school opted to pursue a more active end to the School day. Student engagement rose through the term and it was a delight to see so many students strive to maintain a broad and balanced education particularly the Grade 1 students.

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Message from The Vice Principal Pastoral Care we are, built on key traditions and heritage. Our Arts Festival extravaganza has ensured we have finished the term in our usual NLCS Dubai spirit – passionate, creative and inspiring.

I hope this newsletter provides you all with a snapshot of the work your children have been involved in, and the wealth of experiences they have had this term. I am excited to see what next year, and the years to come, bring as we continue to grow, flourish and thrive together.

As Term 3 draws to a close it is important to

reflect on all we have achieved as a community over the past term, and academic year. Little did we know we would still be living life with masks on our faces, desks measured two metres apart and choruses of ‘stay socially distanced’. It has been a year like no other and I am so proud of how our students and staff have adapted, remaining positive, spirited and ensured our key values of care, courtesy and consideration have still shone through.

I have been so impressed with the multitude of activities on offer through our ECA programme and the variety of House Competitions which have been undertaken. The subject weeks have showcased a whole array of knowledge based, exploratory learning which have challenged our students to think outside of the classroom walls. At the start of the term our celebrations of Founder's Day took centre stage and emphasised what a truly global community 10

Warmest wishes, Frances Powell Vice Principal Pastoral Care

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Senior School News HOUSE COMPETITIONS

By Mr Ben Smith

This term has yet again been packed with exciting and challenging House Competitions. We have seen the

students compete in a virtual House Chess event, with Jais coming out on top after a thrilling final. The students have also had the chance to show their sporting skills with House Handball and House Badminton taking place towards the end of term. Hafeet were the winner of this year’s House Art Competition based on the theme ‘Tomorrow’s World’, closely followed by Javi, Jais and Yibir.

The students are all eagerly anticipating the announcement of the overall House Competition winners, and with just House Drama to go, it is all to play for. In this final competition of the year, students have been tasked with performing a monologue and a duologue, one of which will be an original piece of writing, as well as an ensemble performance filmed on Teams or Zoom.You can watch the House Drama event as we stream it live on YouTube on Wednesday 7th July at 6pm.

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HOUSE JAVI

By Ms Emma Carney This term has seen Javi compete in a wide range of House competitions. We were disappointed to come second in Chess, but Jais were worthy winners, outdoing us with a couple of fantastic final moves! We did however win the senior final so a big congratulations to Alice, Zayd, Shreeya and Jae! We also gained second place in House Art with beautiful entries from Suemin, Lucia, Sophia, Safa and Lara.

House Badminton was very mixed for us! We had some incredibly determined students missing out on a win by just a couple of small errors, but I have no doubt they will bounce back! Standout performances came from Brown and Leo in Grade 9- wow! Those boys can play! I have also been delighted by the commitment to House Handball and Drama, with Lina writing our Monologue and Amani and Ismail taking charge of the Ensemble. Lots of practising will hopefully see their hard work rewarded. Maria and Hana performing in Top Girls will also be a real treat!

And so it is time to say goodbye to my Javi community and all the wonderful students and parents who have become part of my Dubai family. I know it is also a sad time for a number of our Javians who are also moving overseas, starting new adventures and spreading their respective wings! I am so incredibly sad to be leaving, as much as I am excited to be returning to my family in the UK. Mr Garrett will be a fantastic Head of House and, as we say, 'Once a Javian, always a Javian'! I will be back and have no doubt that this incredible group of students will, like our emblem the Phoenix, rise once more next year. Goodbye, good luck and stay awesome Javi!

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HOUSE JAIS

By Mr Chris May The summer term is always a busy one for Jais House as they all work towards end of year exams, Arts Festival and of course House competitions. This term we have had Handball, Badminton and will finish with House Drama. I would like to thank all those who have worked hard on every competition this year. We have done so well and move into the final stretch with a chance of lifting the overall trophy this year.

This year, as a whole, has been incredibly hard and no more so than this final term. Months of being in school under the Covid restrictions have been a challenge for both students and staff alike but I could not be more proud of all my Jais Bears who have been resilient, realistic and also worked hard to hold our beloved house together. Being separated is hard but I know that we will move into the new academic year with a renewed drive to be the best we can be.

Finally, to all the Jais staff team, especially the tutors, I want to publicly thank them for their incredible work this year alongside all of our staff body. None of us could have ever imagined what we have had to do over the last 18 months and the way that you have guided the students has been an inspiration. I am sure all of our students and their families join me in thanking you for all you have, and continue to do.

Onwards! with a hope for freedom and fun for the next year of NLCS Dubai!

We sadly say goodbye to some of our house members this term and I would like to thank them for all their hard work and commitment to our ethos and motto. Some of those who are leaving are members of the founding cohort and we will miss their knowledge and experience moving forwards.

My only request is that they stay in contact from afar.

Once a Jais Bear, ALWAYS a Jais Bear.

We are also very excited to welcome new members to our Jais family! I have been meeting students and parents of our new joiners and I know that we will welcome them to the community with open arms.

Moving schools or countries is challenge in the best of times but especially under the current circumstances.

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HOUSE YIBIR

By Mrs Laura Dunn Congratulations to all students in Yibir for their continued hard work, determination and commitment to their studies and to keeping the house spirit alive. It has been a delight to see an increased number of students take part in House Competitions and to be trying themselves out. In particular, it was a joy to see the entries submitted for House Art, particular congratulations should go to Christianna, whose digital piece gained the highest mark against the criteria across all of the Houses. House Handball and House Badminton have been popular events this term and preparations are well under way for House Drama. It is excellent to see students working together and continuing to adapt to work around the restrictions that are in place. Well done to the newly appointed student leadership team, I look forward to seeing you work together to support and guide students in the next academic year. I would like to encourage all students to be seeking leadership opportunities and encourage active participation in competitions, societies and extra-curricular activities. I hope that all students have a relaxing summer and a well-deserved break and I look forward to seeing you ready to start the Autumn term.

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HOUSE HAFEET

By Mrs Emma Dawson What an incredible Term Hafeet have had!! We started the final term of this academic year with House Chess, and our Hafeet Chess Masters played with speed, accuracy, and strategy in the new socially distanced online team format. The strength of Hafeet’s teamwork really shone through.

Congratulations to all who took part, and many thanks to all the parents that were practising and playing with their children at home.

House Art has been an absolute highlight of the year for us, with some incredible works of art and so many of our wonderful students contributing to this important House event. Huge congratulations to Agata, Elly, Shirley, Adiya and Sanaat for creating the pieces that were considered the top 5 in Hafeet, and to everyone who submitted their creations and contributed to us taking 1st place in this fabulous competition! Very well done to all the Hafeet artists.

As we moved past exams and onto the final weeks, our sporting stars had the opportunity to shine with House Badminton and House Handball. Our badminton players were quick and skillful on court with several teams being undefeated during the tournament. Special mention must go to Lewis and Gaspard for an incredible level of play in Grade 6.

House Handball saw every student contribute this fast paced and tactical game. As I write this, the outcomes of both exciting competitions have yet to be finalized, but whatever the result I am confident that Hafeet have given everything they had and will be rightly proud of their achievements.

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Subject Focus – Science

By Mrs Jennifer Murphy This term Science students have been coming to the end of their years’ worth of topics and have been working hard in preparation for their end of year exams. An opportunity for them to showcase the knowledge and skills that they have developed during the year. The department have also begun to welcome students back into the science labs which has been wonderful. Teachers have collaborated to deliver exciting practical based lessons to supplement students learning. Examples include a lesson on pH indicators for socially distanced grade 6 chemistry students and a fish dissection for grade 7 biologists. We look forward to welcoming grade 5 students into the science labs as part of the inspire program. Students will experience a senior school science lesson, learning all about the chemistry of a firework.

Our Medical society have been hard at work this term. They delivered a wonderful assembly on the biology behind exam stress, and they were also involved in the Curtin University STEM challenge, in which they secured a place in the final. In June, our grade 11 scientists completed their individual assessment (IA), worth 20% of their final IB grade. Each student developed an original research question to explore an area of their interest further.

The students have worked hard to create repeatable methods in order to collect sufficient data. This will enable them to draw valid conclusions and evaluate their work during the summer holiday ready to submit their work in September.

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English Week

By Mr Naishal Patel The summer term has seen the return of the annual English Subject Week, which was designed to celebrate a range of literature- and writing-related activities. From morning assemblies in which students played Punctuation Ninja to a literary quiz and the unexpected requests to “Drop Everything and Read”, students were immersed in the study of the written-word. A highlight of the week was surely Mrs Edden’s engaging Nicholson Lecture on the history of fairy of tales, which explored its emergence to modern-day interpretations of the genre.

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Drama Week

By Mrs Jennifer Durston Drama week started with Mrs. Durston sharing her favourite theatre productions and how theatre can be used as a tool for change. Students had the opportunity to take part in form time “Theatre Charades” where they performed memorable moments from books, plays and films. The week ended with a round the world look at theatre traditions led by Grade 11 students.

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Grade 8 MYP Community Project Exhibition

By Mrs Laura Kanyerezi

The Grade 8 Community Project Exhibition was a celebration of students’ achievements as they followed the

MYP Projects Inquiry Cycle and investigated, planned, took action and reflected on their chosen service learning activity. To complete their project, students recorded a TED talk style video about their learning journey, some of which were shared in the online exhibition.

The focus during the Community Project was on students' ATL skills - their Approaches to Learning. During the process our Grade 8s showed themselves to be caring members of the community who demonstrated a personal commitment to service, and acted to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. We would like to extend a very big thank you to our teacher supervisors for their support during the entire process and to our parent community for your support throughout the project. Well done Grade 8s!

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Grade 10 Personal Project MYP Exhibition

By Mrs Jennifer Durston

As part of the MYP qualification, students in Grade 10 must undertake and complete a Personal Project.The

Personal Project is a wonderful opportunity for students to develop a project that they are passionate about.

This focus on a passion allows students to investigate and delve deeper into an area that they are already inspired by. This year the exhibition is online to allow everyone in the community to celebrate students’ hard work. Although we cannot come together in person to celebrate students’ achievements we can come together digitally to applaud our Grade 10s.

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Sixth Form GRADUATION CLASS OF 2021

By Mr Alistair Wood

Whilst we weren’t able to hold a full blown Graduation Ceremony this year for our graduating Class of 2021, we were able to get creative and adapt so that we could celebrate their successes and achievements during the Diploma Programme over the past two years. With parents watching at home via the special livestream, the Class of 2021 marched proudly to their seats applauded by their teachers. Mr Monaghan kicked off proceedings with some very wise and sage advice for the graduates to take into their future lives before a special video prepared by Maryam celebrated the unique friendship and camaraderie that had been developed over the years.

The Heads of House, Mrs Dawson, Mr May, Miss Carney and Mrs Dunn presented the students of each house to receive a congratulations from Mr Monaghan. Sakina then led a special vote of thanks and invited parents to open the special gratitude letters that students had written to them, cue multiple sets of happy tears in the virtual audience. All that was left was for Mr Wood to officially bestow upon the Class of 2021 their status as Old North Londoners, alumni of NLCS Dubai. They will always be welcome back here as part of the NLCS family.

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University Offers

By Mr Alistair Wood This year was a uniquely competitive year for university places with the pandemic playing havoc with the typical application patterns, cycles and even deadlines. With reports of universities offering up to 20% fewer places this year, the application landscape was more competitive than ever before even before you factor in the increase in applicant numbers. We are therefore immensely proud of the fact that all of the graduating Class of 2021 have received offers to attend some outstanding institutions in the US, Canada, UK, Korea, Hong Kong, Bahrain and here in the UAE at NYU Abu Dhabi. All students have done fantastically well to secure these offers and a big thank you is needed for Mrs Abery who has guided them along the ever-changing path.

Whilst we celebrate all of the offers students received, it is worth noting some exceptional achievements for those students who have received offers from the most competitive universities and colleges. Offers in the US included those from Ivy League Columbia in addition to other great offers at UCLA, Emory, UC Davis and Scripps College amongst others. We also saw a large number of offers from the Russell Group universities such as LSE, Durham, St Andrews, UCL, Warwick, Edinburgh, Exeter and King’s. Congratulations to the Class of 2021!

Columbia University

Durham University

Seoul National University

The London School of Economics & Political Science

University College London

University of St Andrews

University of Toronto

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G11 TOK EXHIBITION

By Ms Emma Carney

Grade 11 students have been working extremely hard over the past month to prepare for a crucial event in

their CORE Diploma; the Theory of Knowledge Exhibition. This is part of the new TOK course and forms an essential component in our students’ overall DP results alongside their HL/SL subjects, their Extended Essay and CAS. Each student has been assigned a supervisor and they have been developing a commentary on three different objects, each one selected for its’ link to knowledge and an overall prompt. They have met interim targets and had to explain their justification for each object carefully, particularly on its’ link to knowledge.

Examples of objects and prompts include the app Instagram, CCTV and the prompt, ‘Who owns knowledge’?

Another commentary explores the question of ‘Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who possess it?’ and links objects such as a Spiderman figurine into this question. A family recipe for Biryani has been used to explore the link between culture and knowledge, and a cricket kit examine how far this can lead to knowledge about globalisation and the spread of cultural values. Phonographs and lightbulbs have also been used to examine how current knowledge is linked to historical developments.

The students have presented their commentaries and objects to the wider staff community, recording their exhibitions to pass on ideas and examples of ‘best practice’ to the Grade 10s who have returned from examination leave. This has generated a real buzz in Grade 10 who have already started to think of objects they may explore in their own TOK introductory lessons.The challenge comes in that all of our students have to have ‘unique’ objects, difficult when some students are sharing the same prompts! They have risen to the task admirably selecting truly original objects, from dresses covered in Peacocks, the cryptocurrency ‘Bitcoin’ and clothing designed by Nike. It has been fascinating to see what they have come up with, the creativity on show and, crucial to TOK, how these objects help us to acquire knowledge and explain…how we know, what we know!

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Junior School News HOUSE COMPETITIONS

By Mrs Lisa Garrett

As part of our Junior School House Poetry competition, students were given a picture stimulus and were

encouraged to write a poem using alliterations, similes, rhymes and onomatopoeia. Well done to everyone who entered, your poems were amazing.

The House Music Committee launched the first ever Junior School House Music Competition. An impressive 130 students entered the competition giving our judges the mammoth task of choosing just seventeen finalists.

The finalists spent two weeks rehearsing at home and in school leading to the Live Final in the PAC. Students performed with poise, confidence and musicality to the whole Junior School from the comfort and safety of their classrooms. Well done to all our participants and our winners.

During PE lessons, each class took part in a skipping challenge to see how many skips they could do in one minute. The students that got the highest number of skips went forward to represent their house in a ‘skip off’.

The final took place in the atrium. Big congratulations to the winners!

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EARLY YEARS PRACTICAL EXPLORATION

By Ms Nathalie Allen

Within Term 3, the Early Years have been working to bring their Units of Inquiry to life through practical exploration despite the barriers we have encountered this year.

Pre-KG explored how 'Sound can be used to communicate and convey ideas', focusing on the physical response to sounds, the transmission of sound and the manipulation of sound. To draw their inquiry to a close, they explored how sound is impacted by water. The students were truly engaged as they emerged themselves to see what they could hear, how water distorts sounds and the difference in volume that they experienced. Whilst doing so, they had a fantastic morning.

KG1 were inquiring into how 'Species become endangered and extinct for a variety of reasons' and the students became engrossed in the extinction of dinosaurs amongst other species. This naturally led to unpicking the role of palaeontologists to gain a deeper understanding of how we have learnt so much about a species that died billions of years ago. As a grade, KG1 were fascinated by the chance to explore excavation and discover fossils within the NLCS Dubai grounds. The students focused on carefully digging and brushing off the artefacts before hypothesising as to what exactly they had uncovered.

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KG2 END OF YEAR EXHIBITIONS

By Ms Emma Gray The students began their unit by learning about what relationships are and how relationships can be defined in a variety of different contexts. This involved inquiring into their own families and how their relationships can differ through cultural differences and how we interact with others.The students also explored the relationships within communities and the relationships they have with the wider community, such as teachers, cleaners and doctors. The students went further with their investigations by describing how relationships make them feel and comparing their own opinions to others. The students shared their thoughts and ideas, however understood that they should be respectful towards everyone, ensuring that they follow the 3C’s – care, courtesy and consideration. Their end of Unit Exhibition showcased the students’ thoughts, ideas and achievements throughout the unit ‘Who We Are’.

GRADE 5 PYP EXHIBITION

By Mrs Catherine Schmidt Congratulations to our wonderful Grade 5 students at NLCS Dubai for their incredible work and efforts in this year’s PYP Exhibition. On every website, you will see that each group of NLCS students collaborated on inquiries covering a range of concepts within the Arts, under the transdisciplinary theme of ‘How we Express Ourselves’. From comedy to photography, from interior design to Architecture, from Culinary Arts to animation, a whole plethora of fascinating inquiries were researched and explored, incorporating all the elements of the Primary Years Programme. We are proud to present our students' PYP Exhibition via the link below, where they have demonstrated excellence, knowledge, and Agency leading to purposeful Action. A huge thank you to all the school community who assisted our Grade 5 students, particularly our amazing Mentors!

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GRADE 5 GRADUATION

By Mr Stephen Phee On the 27th of June, the Grade 5 students celebrated their Graduation to mark the end of their time in the Junior School and their exciting transition to the Senior School in September. Despite the current Covid-19 restrictions, we were still able to bring the school community together by viewing this prerecorded event.

Each group of House Captains and Deputies recorded speeches on themes including: ‘Leadership in Grade 5’, ‘Favourite Memories of the Year’, ‘Lessons learned’ and ‘Looking Forward’. As well as messages of goodwill and encouragement from current and former teachers, each member of our Junior Leadership team recorded an inspiring message for our Grade 5 students. There were also some notable musical performances, including: Claudius Tyacke on the piano, Jane Lee on the flute, Emily Hyun on vocals accompanied by Zi Qi Li on the violin.

Mr Monaghan then delivered some more words of wisdom to the Grade 5 Class of 2021. After the handing out of the graduation certificates, the ceremony was brought to a close featuring a montage of some of the highlights of this academic year.

Congratulations to the Grade 5 Class of 2021 and we wish you all the best for your journey to the Senior School.

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DRAWINGS BY ME

By Mrs Hannah Smith This term the Junior School collaborated with Drawings By Me, to create celebrations of the wealth of artistic talent we have in the Junior School. Over the past few weeks, under the guidance of their class teachers, students created mini masterpieces in class that related to a variety of themes, linked to the UAE, aimed at deepening their learning and understanding about famous artists, local culture, architecture, families and so much more. Drawings By Me then worked their magic, bringing the student’s creativity to life. They turned our students’ drawings into greetings cards, mugs, calendars, notebooks and much more, providing parents with some truly special keepsakes to share with family and friends. Each item featured our students work in a beautiful full colour print, with their name and age. Not only are these gifts meaningful, but they are incredibly well made too. It has been a huge confidence boost for our students to see their artwork treasured by the people they love.

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ART WEEK

By Mrs Kahli Johnson Arts Festival week in the Junior School provided opportunities for the students to experience a range art, music and drama. Each grade took on a thematic approach by linking the arts to films, books or artists. Each morning the students engaged in a specific aspect of art which involved ‘Sketching Sunday, Mindful Monday, Technique Tuesday and Wild Wednesday’. The Art Society also launched an art challenge, where they will choose pieces of art to go in an art gallery displayed around school. All students took part in ‘Big Draw’ where they sketched their own hobbies and interests to create a large piece of artwork. In addition, a collaborative piece of art will be created as each student showed what NLCS means to them.

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NLCS DUBAI I ISSUE 3

By Mr Ed Mosley

NLCS DUBAI STAFF RAMADAN FITNESS CHALLENGE 2021 Although this year has not seen the many successes (and sometimes disappointments) that come through student representation in school sport and the local DASSA leagues, we have been able to find a silver lining.

Each year during the Holy Month of Ramadan, all extracurricular activities cease, and our school day becomes shorter. As such, this provides a rather unique opportunity for the staff at NLCS Dubai.

Under the banner of ‘The Ramadan Fitness Challenge’ we have seen an estimated 75 NLCS Dubai staff, including teachers, teaching assistants, administrative staff and the facilities team come together in a range of sport and exercise. The aim of the challenge was to burn as many calories as possible, using personal fitness trackers to then upload totals to a leader board. For those staff that thrive on competition, this was the perfect motivator.

For others, they were happy to attend sessions and keep active for the joy of sport and benefits of exercise. The challenge hopes to inspire a positive change in the lives of our staff to prioritise their health, fitness and wellbeing.

Although we had a leader board and there was an underlying competition, this is not what the Ramadan Fitness Challenge is really about at NLCS Dubai. It is about community, and connecting with each other in a way we do not usually get the opportunity to do so. Evidence of this could be seen on the badminton court in a doubles game made up of staff from the senior team, facilities, administration and a teacher. Other activities included yoga, aerobics, football, netball, interval training and dodgeball. Sport has the power to break down all other barriers and bring people together like nothing else can. It levels the playing field, allowing people to connect and get to know one another on a different level. As a school we always put the wellbeing of our students first and foremost, and rightly so. Yet the Ramadan Fitness Challenge dedicated a small portion of our day, each day during the Holy Month, to the wellbeing of our staff community.Wellbeing is a collective responsibility that relies on connection, knowing your colleagues and feeling valued. We must remember that for staff to ensure the wellbeing of students, they must first have a high standard of wellbeing themselves. I think we took some positive steps in this direction during this challenge.

Yet it was a challenge after all, and as such, there must be winners and losers. The calorie burn competition was hard fought, with the leader board changing on a daily basis as staff put in additional sessions of exercise in the evenings and weekends to get an edge on their competition. Congratulations to our podium finishers for their monumental efforts during the challenge.

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NLCS DUBAI I ISSUE 3

MALE CATEGORY

FEMALE CATEGORY

1st – Matt Dunn – 75,949 calories 2nd – Jon Mounsey – 73,954 calories 3rd – Ben Smith – 73,557 calories

1st – Laura Dunn – 72,002 calories 2nd – Rebecca Michaels – 60,776 calories 3rd – Jen Durston – 58,318 calories

Finally, a thank you to all staff that attended sessions and found time to be involved, contributing to an excellent atmosphere of sport and exercise for our community. The biggest thank you of all goes to those staff that facilitated and led sessions for others, without you it simply would not have been the same.

We look forward to Ramadan 2022, with a larger staff community and a new challenge.

I would like to take this opportunity in the final newsletter of the year to inform the whole school community that I will be moving on to a new school next academic year. It has been the highlight of my career so far to be part of the very special and unique process of setting up a brand new school, especially one with the academic ambition and values of a true NLCS school. We have established a vibrant and inclusive curriculum, where the remarkable PE team create positive experiences for our students every day to inspire a love of physical activity.

I am particularly proud of every student, parent and teacher that has been a part of TeamNLCS. We have all represented our school with pride in the swimming pool, tennis courts, athletics tracks and sports fields of Dubai. I hope these will be lifelong memories for all you that you will look back upon fondly, as I know I will. I leave you in the safe hands of the most talented and passionate group of professionals I have ever worked with, who I am sure will build upon the past four years and continue to prove that NLCS Dubai is truly an outstanding education.

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NLCS DUBAI I ISSUE 3

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