DP NEWSLETTER
September 2019
Dear DP students and parents, Welcome to 2019-2020. This looks like being an amazing year at Raha as we introduce the largest two cohorts ever in the DP – 104 students in Grade 12 and 142 in Grade 11! Congratulations must go out to the class of 2019 as the Diploma results were once again outstanding with an incredible pass-rate of 94%, along with an average score of 31.8, well above the world average of 29.7. Timetable We are pleased to announce that the schedule will be the same as last year. ToK will always take place during lesson one each day, apart from Tuesdays and Tutorials. Grade 11 and 12 will share the auditorium for assemblies on Sundays, period 1. Students will have several study periods on their timetables. It is important that they use the time wisely, to catch up on work. Both Grade 11 and 12 have access to the DP Lounge and the DP Study Hall. It is important for students to have downtime, but they must be self-disciplined and not spend the whole of their study periods in the Lounge. Well-being Bearing in mind the mantra “A healthy body leads to a healthy mind”, Grade 11 students will have a compulsory well-being lesson each week, led by Miss Mellissa. These are compulsory lessons and are invaluable for students as they learn key study habits and how to alleviate stress. Uniform
Mock Examinations
All students are required to wear loose fitting black trousers, ankle length (either from Zaks or tailored elsewhere)- jeans are not permitted; females may wear a long black skirt, ankle length; All students must wear the DP white shirt (with black piping); black shoes with black soles; Zaks black sweater or a plain black sweater with no logo/writing (no hoodies).
As happened successfully for the last two years, Grade 12 Mock Exams will take place during the two weeks immediately following the winter vacation. This will ensure that there will be a minimum of disruption to student learning, whilst also ensuring they have the opportunity to practice writing under exam conditions.
Zaks is located on the second floor in Raha Mall.
Equivalency I had hoped to be in a position to shed some new light on the requirements for equivalency, however the information has changed twice in the past week! Currently, it is required for students to take Arabic as a 7th subject, which does not count towards their IB Diploma. This means they must take a second Language B subject. There is a new route to gain equivalency, which does not require passing the diploma; students will need a minimum of 21 points, with at least a passing grade of 3 in each subject. A Science is required for this path, which means students cannot take ESS, DT or Computer Science in Group 4.
1