The Wave - April 2021

Ignite curiosity

Inspire cr eativit y

Investig ate solutions

SHARING IS CARING Ramadan Kareem

CONTENTS

Director’s Message

PAC Summaries

Counselors Corner

From Kindergarten

From Elementary

From Secondary

Sport news

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From The Director

Dear all, Spring is in the air and there are many reasons to celebrate the learning at TKS. We have recently held the personal project exhibition for our students in grade 10, and hosted the PYP exhibition for our students in grade 5. These are both examples of opportunities students have within the IB program to dive deeply into a topic that they are passionate about researching. We know that students’ learning is enhanced when the topics they study are relevant to them and personally interesting. Unfortunately due to COVID regulations we were not able to open these events for community participation, but sharing their learning with classmates and parents is still a wonderful way to celebrate this personal growth and accomplishment.

The KAUST School continues to be an exceptionally safe place to send children to school each day, even in light of the pandemic. We have been able to expand hours for our students in K1 and K2 and this will be the final schedule change (other than Ramadan) that we will make this year. I appreciate that this year has been difficult for parents managing the different routines and schedules that have been in place. Each shift we have made this year has allowed us to increase face to face instruction for students and we are very pleased with the result. A recent survey in the elementary school showed that student happiness and well-being is the same or better than previous years.

Our student learning results in the secondary school show that students are performing academically the same or better than previous years. This data further supports that the decisions we have made this year to strive for face to face instruction has yielded positive results.

As we are now in the Holy Month of Ramadan, the school schedule will be altered to six hours per day for students in grades 1-12. Following Ramadan our students in grades 10 and 12 will move into their exam period. We wish all of our students the very best as they prepare for their exams.

Warm regards, Dr. Michelle Remington

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Autism Awareness Month - Walk for Autism April is Autism Awareness Month, and in recognition of this members of TKS Student Support team together with some teachers and their families joined in the first ever ‘Walk for Autism’ in Kaust. This was organised by community member Clarisa Sweet and supported by the Ralph T, Ministry of DJ. The walk from Al Marsa Marina to the Beacon kicked off at 6pm with participants wearing Autism blue colour. The evening was a perfect late spring Saudi warmth with a gentle breeze and those of us who stayed to watch the sun setting enjoyed walking to the Island Recreational Centre and greeting other members of TKS staff along the way.

What a joyous way to celebrate our neuro diverse community!

Throughout the month, TKS will be acknowledging the diverse student population in the 3 divisions of the school and in recognition of this will wear blue on Thursdays in honour of Autism.

Lindsay Wright & Inna Polianska

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TKS Supports 6th Annual Sharing is Caring Campaign The KAUST School was able to support the 2021 Sharing is Caring campaign during April, which was great news after Covid restrictions meant the 2020 program had to take place without the usual community involvement KAUST Social Responsibility manages the food hamper program each year, offering the KAUST community the opportunity to volunteer in creating the hampers and working with external partners to co-ordinate delivery. This year hampers were on display in the lobby areas of Gardens Secondary and Gardens Elementary, as well as the University’s campus diner, Building 16 lobby and Harbor Recreation Center and Discovery Square. Social Responsibility and the program partners, Albir Charitable Association, were on hand to receive contributions from students and staff.

TKS students attended the assembly event in Building 19 on the University campus.

With Covid restrictions, the numbers per slot were limited, but over five hours, a total of 49 community and TKS volunteers, constructed and filled 200 boxes with healthy, seasonal food and cooking supplies, to assist families in planning their Ramadan menus. Afterwards, each volunteer handwrote a Ramadan greeting card – these are displayed on a giant fanoos currently on show in Discovery Square outside the Community Hub before being distributed with the food hampers to families across the Jeddah region.

Tom, a Grade 11 student, has volunteered at several Sharing is Caring packing events and said ‘I enjoy helping at the packing event, it’s a good way to feel part of Ramadan and also counts towards the IB Diploma Service award.’

Sharing is Caring is co-ordinated each year by KAUST Social Responsibility, as an opportunity for the KAUST community to join in the celebrations of Ramadan. This year, the program has expanded, with 2000 food hampers distributed to families in Jeddah, Dahban and Thuwal.

Social Responsibility and Albir Charitable Association send thanks to the staff and students at TKS for their contributions and support – Ramadan Kareem!

Photo credits: Khulud Muath

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Note from Tiffany Hill, KG Principal

Dear Community, As we head into the final quarter of the school year, we find ourselves in the Kindergarten full of gratitude with much to celebrate.

Kindergarten recently celebrated longer hours for both K1 & K2 students, by bringing together the morning and afternoon sessions into one. It has been inspiring and invigorating to see the children together, meeting new friends and reuniting with old. We are all feeling grateful for this new phase.

We celebrate the opening of our library to students, while continuing to follow the Keep KAUST Safe guidelines. We welcome parents to visit the library during morning drop-off time from 7:45-8:15am daily. No appointment is necessary, though capacity is limited. If this time does not suit your needs, parents are welcome to use our online hold system; details can be found on our library website.

We celebrate the successful resumption of visiting experts in the Kindergarten, as well as field trips outside the KG campus to support classroom learning. Following health and safety guidelines, several classes have been able to explore environments around the KAUST community relevant to our curriculum, including the various beaches we have available to us.

Please enjoy the many articles celebrating learning in the KG in this edition of The WAVE. Warmly, Tiffany

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Forces and Motion Playground Ms. Olga’s K2 Class Olga Pacheco Oreamuno

During the last Unit of Inquiry- How the World Works with the central idea- Forces create motion in our work and play, children inquired into how things move, how forces work on different materials, and how forces and materials are applied in work and play.

At the end of the unit, they wanted to celebrate and share their learning with their families. They planned and created a ‘Motion and Forces Playground.’ They made personal invitations and set up different stations, including gravity painting, magnetic exploration, ramps, a rolling and friction track, kite flying, among others. On March 10th and March 11th, the children were thrilled to teach their family members all about forces and motion utilizing new vocabulary: forces, gravity, mass, friction, push or pull, heavy or light, direction and speed.

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Bringing the Mangroves to the Kindergarten Prof. Daniele Daffonchio

Bringing the Mangroves to the Kindergarten Over the past few months, K3 was inquiring into how researching animals helps us understand the natural world. To support our learning, we were very lucky to have KAUST researchers from the Extreme Systems Microbiology (ESM) Lab come to teach us about one of our local environments where many animals live - the KAUST mangroves! The researchers brought live Hermit, Fiddler, and Thalamita crabs so we could see them up close and ask all of our questions. We learned that Hermit and Fiddler crabs are friendly and that we should stay away from Thalamita crabs. They shared information that we could bring home to teach our families too! This helped us gain appreciation for some of the wildlife around KAUST, and we know that we need to take care of the mangroves. Many classes built on this learning by taking trips to the mangroves to look for crabs and other creatures in their natural habitat.

Many thanks for the support of ESM Lab, under the direction of Daniele Daffonchio, for sharing their expertise with the KG and making this project happen!

by Kate Loucks K3 Teacher

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Visiting Author and Scientists during Women in Science & Engineering Week From March 7-11 the Kindergarten organized several special events in recognition of Women in Science and Engineering, which helped students make connections to the greater KAUST community as well as to the international world. We had visitors from several special areas to inspire our young scientists. From KAUST, members of the Extreme Systems Microbiology Lab came to teach about crabs in our local environment. Other students had virtual visits by KAUST PhD. student Aliyah Fakeem and her fellow colleagues. Miss Aliyah helped K2 students conduct experiments with physics and catapults and K1 students with chemistry and color mixing. There were also virtual visits from the USA where all KG students met children’s book author and illustrator Shanda McCloskey. Shanda has published several books--a few of which have a strong STEM theme. Her book Doll-e 1.0 was a special highlight for this week, which showcases a girl who uses her innovative skills to modify a doll to create a new and improved friend. She also offered a parent presentation about reading with children during our Partners for a Learning event that week, and her autographed books were sold to the community. It was an exciting time, and we look forward to seeing what our young budding scientists create next!

Written by Candace Taylor-Weber TKS KG Technology Coach & Librarian

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Loose Parts and Robots K2 Kate’s Class Kate Adaci K2 Homeroom Teacher

Our class responded to the call by the RISC lab to submit a short story on the topic of robotics. Talking about robots excites us because we have been following the rover Perseverance since it landed on Mars. Before we can think of a story to write about, we needed to play and create first. We had several ideas of what robots may look like. Some of us made robots that look like humans, there was a puppy robot, a toy-making machine, a few rovers that can transform, and even monster and dinosaur robots. We did not need instruction manuals on how to make these. Instead, we used loose parts. By having open-ended materials such as metal pieces, shredded papers, and magnets, we were able to find the right pieces that we can fit together to build the model we had in mind. This required a lot of creative thinking and problem-solving as well as a good dose of persistence. And yes, one of us did send in a story for the competition, which she called Robot Teamwork.

Photos of children are all taken by Kate Adaci.

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K3 Research Research in Kindergarten...you betcha! During our How the World Works unit, students used non-fiction books to learn about animals. They actively inquired into their topic by looking at and deciphering pictures, captions and text. The children constructed meaning, made connections and added facts to their knowledge base. Everyone did an impressive job researching, recording, and illustrating their findings. Way to go K3 research scientists!

By: K3 Teacher Lisa Barrington & Sujin Park

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Note from Chye

De Ryckel, GES Assistant principal Over the past couple of months our fifth graders embarked on the culminating experience of the Primary Years Program, the PYP Exhibition (PYPX). Throughout the PYPX students are empowered to take responsibility for their learning by designing an inquiry project focused on an area of personal passion and interest and ultimately taking small or big action to make a positive impact. This year students took their learning in a wide range of directions including topics such as water scarcity, coral bleaching, racial equality, animal rights, drones and COVID-19. One of the students’ first tasks in the PYPX is to determine how their area of passion aligns with the UN Development Goals. After drawing these connections and reflecting on how their inquiry holds both personal and global significance, they pose rich, concept-based questions which form the basis of their inquiries.

Collaboration is key to success in the PYPX as students work with peers, mentor teachers and volunteers in the community. Whether students choose to partner with someone for their research or conduct an independent project, each student has numerous opportunities to collaborate. One way they collaborate is through the peer feedback process. Students continually seek and provide feedback as they hone their thinking, research and communication skills. The ability to provide critical, growth-orientated feedback and receive it is an important life skill.

Another transferable skill that students develop through the PYPX is time management. If you are a parent of a current or past fifth grade student, you might recall conversations with your child where they expressed they would never be ready for exhibition night. Teachers support students through this learning process by creating visible timelines and having regular check-ins to monitor progress. This skill helps students prepare for the transition to the MYP later in the year.

Thousands of students around the globe are participating in the PYPX this spring and I encourage you to engage with the global community by visiting #PYPX2021. We are grateful that KAUST’s vibrant community of learners has supported our students throughout this culminating experience. They couldn’t have done it without the tremendous support from so many members of our community.

PAC Summary -Update on planning for 2021-22 -Report card reflection -Update on traffic safety during school arrivals and dismissals -Outside eating -Teacher appreciation day

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The 2021 Grade 5 Exhibition Journey March to April 2021, an event approaches. Topics such as Poverty, Germs and Plastic Pollution are hung on display boards everywhere. My name is Aisyah Rasyidin, and I’m a Grade 5 Student at The Kaust School. Every year students like myself research a topic where they find both passion and interest. This special annual event is known as the PYP Student Exhibition. They go through a learning journey paved by not their teacher, not their parents, but by themselves with little help from trusted adults. In the end, their work is presented to an audience from The Kaust Community. It’s a perfect opportunity to showcase knowledge, mindfulness, and various other skills they possess. Some partner up, some work alone, but whatever they choose, they are able to become more passionate in their topic, more interested, and more knowledgeable. “The PYPX is exciting, and I feel really amazed when I look back at all the work that I did!” says Lara Altelmesani, my PYPX partner. “It’s a good opportunity to showcase what I’m capable of and what I’ve been learning through the whole journey.” says another student, Elodie Hoffman.

We want to thank all the mentors, interviewees, teachers, teaching assistants, parents, and classmates who have helped us on the road to the PYP Exhibition end. They have helped us become better students and total experts in our topics. Again, thank you. This PYP Journey has helped us more than we expected; after all, “Change doesn’t happen if no one is educated” -Melati, TED Talk, Bali, Indonesia.

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Note from David Tigchelaar, GSS Principal

The PAC met in January, February and March March meeting Ramadan bell schedule Information about the schedule is published in the student and parent newsletters. Before the schedule was confirmed, we invited teacher and student feedback and their ideas were included in the schedule.

For fasting students, PE is optional. The school will also provide more spaces inside where fasting students can stay during break times.

Middle School vs High School The school shared its plans to more clearly distinguish between Middle School and High School. Middle School students represent a different developmental phase than High School students. Our curriculum and systems must recognise these differences. The following matrix shows how MS and HS have different features. Some of these features are already implemented in the school, while others will be implemented in the years coming up.

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The school has established a Middle School Working Group that will investigate which measures we can take in the Middle School to make our programme more age-appropriate and makes the transition from the Elementary School easier. Although we have only just started the working group, it is likely that we will make changes in the following areas: We believe that the assessment system in the Middle School is complex and demanding and want to make it less intimidating and easier to understand. We want the units to become more relevant, authentic and motivating and want to increase interdisciplinary connections. We want to organise separate events for MS and HS students. We are working towards having separate teachers for MS and HS and separate spaces in the school for MS and Hs Students.

Traffic Safety The Director wanted to convey the following information regarding traffic safety as we know it is an on-going topic with parents.

1- There is a KAUST-wide Road Safety Campaign that is underway and a Road Safety Working Group has been approved by the president.

2- The group will be looking at 20 different topics from speed limits to alternatives to motor vehicles and this committee will have a broad representation of stakeholders within the community.

3- This is a priority for HSE to address across the KAUST community.

Teacher Appreciation organised by the PAC Every year, the PAC coordinates some way to show the parents’ appreciation of the teachers. Often this is a lunch offered by parents to teachers. The PAC discussed different options and will soon send a communication to parents inviting them to share their appreciation, probably through a financial contribution to a buffet lunch or to a gift.

February meeting IB and CIS / MSA Recommendations A summary of the IB, CIS / MSA recommendations was shared with parents in the Parent Newsletter. In addition, the recommendations were shared with students recently in extended advisory.

Discussion took place concerning - staff resourcing and whether more staff would be needed - Class sizes for 2020-2021 as per HSE guidelines affecting staffing - Whether mother tongue courses can be included in the curriculum Scheduling The PAC asked for update and feedback on whether - the new 8-day rotation is working - Flex block introduced next year - School hours

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The school adopted the 8 day rotation for this academic year. This method is recognised and adopted by many schools. The students informed us that they are fine with the schedule.

Lunch break: Students like the lunch break. Parents appear to find it more challenging for an 11 am lunch break. The school explained that parents can write in to ask for permission for their child(ren) to remain at school during lunch Flex block: this was not possible this year because we could not mix cohorts.

Online Learning The school clarified that that online learning (via Google Meet) is available for student students / families who are: - OOK - In Quarantine or - Approved by the divisional Principal and enrolled in the Distance Learning/At Home Cohort program

January Meeting Co-curricular activities during Ramadan The Activities and Athletics Director asked the PAC to provide feedback about the proposal to offer Co-Curricular activities (eg: SAIKAC sporting teams, MUN, etc) during the period that Ramadan is observed.

The Activities Office has consulted with the student body (ie: The Student Council Association) and the feedback is that students are happy that activities are being offered during this time. The PAC also supported this proposal.

Language Placement The school explained that for the language programs, students are evaluated and placed into sections depending on their proficiency level, rather than by native or non-native speakers.

The evaluation looks at the students reading, writing and oral proficiencies in a language.

The LA program basically consists of 5 phases: - Phases 1-2 – The student demonstrates beginner level proficiency indicators - Phases 3-4 – The student demonstrates intermediate level proficiency indicators - Phase 5 – The student demonstrates advanced level proficiency indicators There are up to 5 phases and once a student completes all 5, then they can move towards the Language and Literature program. This explains why there are some sections that have a combination of native and non-native speakers.

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The KAUST School Board of Education (BoE) The KAUST School Board of Education (BoE) took place, virtually, on March 4. We were proud to report on how well both faculty/staff and students are continuing to follow COVID-19 related protocols and emphasized the school’s strong focus on student and staff well-being whilst looking forward to welcoming our KG students back, full time, after the Spring Break.

Divisional updates provided by the School Principals advised the Board of the continuation of the development of K-12 curricula and the growing partnership between TKS and the University. We are also excited by a growing partnerships with external consultants and the use of data to track our students’ learning.

An update on the TKS Strategic Plan confirmed our commitment to the use of data for ongoing tracking of the Plan allowing us to provide regular updates to both TKS and its wider communities.

To date, we are undergoing deep English, Math, Science and Arabic curriculum work with external Consultants whilst our divisional teachers are focusing on the use of data to adapt instruction.

TKS is seeing an increase in secondary school Student Clubs and are actively planning for the expansion of activities in both the Elementary School and Kindergarten. The TKS-KAUST Partnership program is focusing on the start of internship programs in both Science/Research related fields and other workforces.

Edith Brown-Ploeg Office Administrator to the Director

Dr. Najah Ashry

Mr Chris Sealey

Ms. Edith Brown-Ploeg

Prof. Brian Moran

Mr. Iain Stirling

Dr. Brian Matthews

Dr. Michelle Remington

Dr. Samir Hamdan

Ms. Hadeel H. Al Sulaimany

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The Illinois Design Thinking Challenge: Solving international issues in international groups This semester, several students from TKS and I got to take part in a design thinking challenge run by the Illinois Institute of Technology in the U.S. We got to collaborate with students from the George Westinghouse College Preparatory High School in the U.S. We were put into groups of 3-4 students and challenged to create a prototype of a product that would help solve one of the world's biggest problems. This could be anything from gender inequality to the climate crisis. We all met with our groups and brainstormed different ideas to solve our chosen issue.

For example, my group focused on hydro power and how it can be scaled down to make it more accessible to individual homes. Then, we designed a prototype and created a presentation to pitch the prototype. It was wonderful to work with students from such different backgrounds and their unique perspectives and ideas.

But of course, considering the nature of the program, most of it was online. This presented a few challenges to every student taking part in this program. For one, half the students that we were working with were in different time zones, roughly 9 hours behind our time. This, along with the fact that we’re all full-time students, meant that we all had to make compromises and sacrifices to meet with our groups and get our work done. All of our meetings were on Zoom, Google Meet or some other variation. The international aspects of the program created many challenges, but using all of the resources that we had access to, we were able to overcome them.

The students involved developed many, many skills over the course of this challenge. For one, we all developed our collaboration and communication skills. We spent a lot of time talking to each other to make sure that we are on the same page. In addition, we’ve also developed our critical thinking and design thinking skills. One of the interesting things was that we got to use our IB criteria and the design thinking cycle to come up with solutions. We spent a lot of time brainstorming and designing and came up with many varied ideas.

But we couldn’t have done it without help. I would like to thank Ms. Azra for bringing us together and providing us with such a great opportunity. I would also like to thank Rachel Hirsh, Natalie Polacek and Vinika Porwal from Illinois Tech for all of their help and support, and for creating such a great program.

Overall, this was a wonderful experience! It was truly a special opportunity to get involved with students from across the world and attempt to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. It was very educational and eye-opening, we got to meet new people who shared our passion for design and work with them to solve issues that many people face today. The Illinois Design Thinking Challenge was an incredible experience where we all learned skills that we will take with us into the future.

By Varshini Chandrasekaran G10 student

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MUN conference

By Chelsea Lai G12 My name is Chelsea Lai, a senior at the KAUST School, and I had the honor to serve as the Secretary-General for the 2021 TKS Model United Nations. MUN is an academic experience for students to represent delegates from different countries to solve real-world issues. This year’s conference was the largest face to face event TKS held since the pandemic lockdown. Before the conference, delegates worked hard researching their country's policies and perspectives.

This year’s theme was “Fighting for Peace.” With the current pandemic, social distancing and self-isolation have forced many to re-evaluate what it means to stay connected. With recent events, differences among communities have particularly dominated and have caused both violent and peaceful debates. Therefore, each committee was tasked with finding solutions to promote peace both physically, mentally, and spiritually among communities and individuals.

During our conference, we had a mixture of resolutions that promoted peace among nations.

On one side, we had the Security Council initiating World War Ape with Russia and China declaring war on India. We also had India deciding to use missiles to bomb themselves. On the other hand, thankfully, the majority of our resolutions “were” able to sustain peace among communities. WHO passed resolutions to send out as many medical staff, vaccines, and Covid testing supplies as possible. UNHCR passed resolutions on building relief camps for evacuating individuals. In the end, delegates were successful in stopping the USSR from taking over the world.

Although the conference has come to an end, this is only the beginning for many delegates.

Each and every student left the conference with one goal in mind: “how can we continue to engage with our communities?”

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Physics Department- Beamline for Schools Initiative The Physics Students this year are involved in the” Beamline for Schools” project hosted by CERN. Our Students have been proposing a Quantum Physics experiment focused on diffraction through different materials and therefore creating a model that could be applied and implemented at the CERN particle accelerator. The students participating this year are: Malak Justaniah, Mohaned Althagafi, Leen Althunayan, Hamza Khasawneh, Hassan Alghanim, Youssef Elhagrassy and Lourenco Gomes. The proposals will be submitted next week and we wish our students the best!

By: Myriam Abdulbaki (DP Physics and MYP Science Teacher)

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Fame Jr. The Musical I am Mohammad Alghaith, I am a student in Grade 9 at the KAUST school, I have been in KAUST since 2009 and been through all years of TKS up to Grade 9, I have always had a passion for photography and experimenting with different cameras. This year I have decided to take up some challenges and start taking photos for some school events, so far I have taken pictures for Sports Day, Model United Nations, the 10th grade Personal Project, The Graduation Photoshoot and now the School Musical, FAME JR. I have been attending rehearsals and the film sessions which happened last weekend and will be finishing off next weekend. These filming sessions have been going very well. KAUST Media (MARCOM) was there with their cameras and lights. This means that the lighting was always good when I was taking pictures. Although I was not allowed to take pictures during the actual recording of the scenes due to interference with audio of the recording, I would take pictures when the actors would run through the routine at the same place as where the recording will commence. Running through the scenes has helped me massively. I plan to be photographing more school events in the near future!

We would like to congratulate the students and teachers who participated in the Fame Jr musical filming that commenced this past weekend. On Friday and Saturday, all actors, actresses, and production crew did an amazing job recording in numerous locations around the school with the help of KAUST media. This weekend’s filming was the first of two intense weekends; and the students came prepared, motivated, and focused on delivering incredible performances, both in front and behind the camera. We would like to thank those who participated for their time and efforts and would like to give special thanks to Ms. Phume, Mr. Webb, and Mrs. Johnson for coordinating the whole filming process.

Mohammad Alghaith G9 (Student Photographer)

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Serving our Community in Challenging Times Compiled by Beth Lincoln

While the pandemic has made life difficult, students in Grade 11 have found ways to engage meaningfully with the community and provide service.

Coffee House Afternoon

[Vyoma Shah, Mimmie Tegner, and Afreen Banu] “The Coffee House was a celebration of warmth for everyone. The live performances were a chance to celebrate people’s creativity and talent. Students across Grade 9 to 12 and teachers performed, showcasing their talent of choice, from singing and dancing to poetry and playing instruments.”

This was the first opportunity in many months for us to come together (6 feet apart!) to enjoy the arts and recognize the diversity of talent in our community.

[photography above by Reece Lennon]

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s Buddy Reading Program

[Hafsah Fahmy] “Often in trying to contribute to society on a wider scale, we can forget to pay attention to children and younger members of our community. Therefore, my peers and I have been reading with elementary students weekly, aiming to aid them in becoming more confident with books and literacy, an essential skill that broadens their creativity, communication, and imagination. It has been rewarding to see the students improve and engage with stories, and is a service opportunity that I greatly value.”

Crochet Club

[Hala AlShanteer] “Crochet Club brings out many opportunities for service not only for the community but also for the participants. Crochet Club acts as an anchor for many people. It offers stress relief for the student's busy weeks while keeping them productive.

We started working on ear savers that we intend to give out to the cleaners and the workers around KAUST to thank them for their services and make their work easier for them in these difficult times.

However, now we are branching out into different individual projects. Some participants are making beanies and hats, while others are making baskets and amigurumi figures!”

Creative Writing Club

[Chloe Versoza and Hala AlShanteer] “The creative writing club is an opportunity for students passionate in creative writing to explore their artistic skills and experience new ideas that will benefit their journey into the writing world. The club offers itself as a creative outlet to combat stress and fatigue while letting students express themselves in any way possible.

We have worked on various writing mediums, such as prose, poems, short stories, with different prompts to keep it entertaining every day! We are currently hoping to participate in online writing competitions to challenge ourselves further and proudly display our work for our peers.”

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KG Garden [Xenia Tzavara] “In November of this year, a group of Grade 10 and 11 students met with the KG ILP teacher Ms. Inna Polianska, to help modify the KG environment.

The goal of the project was to beautify the outdoor space of the ILP classroom and enrich the students’ learning experience by adding more plants and involving the students in their planting and care.

We split into three groups. The plant research group found what plants are available to us and how to care for them, the design group determined a new layout for the space, and the hands-on group planted seeds. The students helped with planting and observed the growth of the plants.

After four weeks, we were able to see the results of our efforts: a charming and functional area that we hope the children will enjoy.

Working with the children when transplanting was exciting and seeing the transformation of the space was very rewarding.”

Photos by Inna Polianska

COVID Testing

[Umairah Abu Samah] “In the midst of the pandemic, it is hard to find ways to give back to the community. One opportunity I am glad to be a part of is volunteering for the occasional community PCR test. Not only has it been very gratifying to contribute to the community, it is also very heartwarming to see KAUST members come together and ensure that we as a community are safe and healthy. The KAUST Health team has done an outstanding job and I recommend all TKS students to take part in aiding the community by volunteering as it is a very rewarding experience.”

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Thrift Store

[Mariana Rosado] “I love volunteering at the thrift store because it is a great new experience for me and it feels good to collaborate and work together with other people to organize something that will have an awesome impact on people. The money collected from sales plans to fund various things. To date, it has given money to the Trap Neuter Release program that is run by volunteers at KAUST in an effort to limit the stray cat population. It is also is hoping to help with projects where needed in Thuwal. ”

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Designing an Animation

High School Design Classes

By Jesse Remington, GSS Design Department Teacher Teaching in a Pandemic has continued to present unique challenges to teachers, parents, and students around the world and TKS. Many schools around the world are closed, but we are very fortunate that TKS has been able to continue face-to-face and continue to deliver a quality education to our students. It says a lot about the quality and dedication of our teachers and resilience of our students. In Design classes, we have continued to adapt and change our lessons and units as needed to the situation. In the high school students have continued learning how to research problems, develop solution ideas, create solutions and evaluate their success. Most recently they completed their first animation project using Adobe Animation software. This was a digital design project so students did not need to use machines and physical materials to design their products.

The design project entailed: Research and analyze the problem of raising school spirit, and how to use Animation software.

Developing Animation ideas with a TKS and Shark Theme: Sketch ideas, get feedback and improve ideas until a final chosen idea is selected to create.

Create/Build: Create the final animation using Adobe Animate Evaluate the success of the animation of raising school spirit based on survey and interview tools and data.

There were some very creative solutions to this problem with music, sound effects, and extra animation effects. Students are currently creating a more advanced animation project to further apply the skills they learned in this project.

As the year progresses the Design Department looks forward to sharing more about how our students are learning how to approach problems and design creative and innovative solutions.

Go Sharks!

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Click here to watch the video

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Designing Solutions

By Frank Vink - GSS Teacher

One thing everyone struggles with at times is organization. This can be especially true when you are a teenager and you find yourself having to follow lessons online due to a pandemic…

Grade 8 students were challenged to organize their lives. They were tasked with developing a solution to an organizational problem they had in their personal lives.

Following the design cycle, students brainstormed ideas that would enhance their personal organization and then chose the best ideas to develop further. After selecting the perfect solution for themselves, they created their organizer and called for feedback to evaluate the success of their product, and find ways to further improve it.

Students chose to develop a wide variety of products to help organize their belongings: from make-up to jewelry, and stationery to teabags. They worked in an industry-standard computer-aided design (CAD) program called Fusion 360 to create their product. Due to distance learning and quarantine, some students did the entire unit online, but they were still able to present their solution virtually.

Below are some examples of students’ process from sketching their idea, to creating the solution in Fusion 360, to presenting the final product for evaluation. Students should be proud of the work they did in creating a practical solution to a problem in their own lives.

Aabish Imran: final product

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Aisha Ejaz: final design Zoha Khan: sketch

Jana Hoteit: final product Nazim Asker: Fusion 360 render

Carl Canlas: Fusion 360 screenshot

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Physics Department: Volvo- Renault Trucks Project at Arabian Vehicles and Trucks Industry By: Myriam Abdulbaki (DP Physics and MYP Science Teacher)

The Physics Students at GSS have been engaged in a world-class project with Arabian Vehicles & Trucks Industry Co. Ltd. (Volvo-Renault Assembly Trucks Plant ) KAEC Students created a model/idea to implement at the factory. We have one participant from Grade 12 Physics, Bjorn Holst who has been involved in formatting data for the company. And for our current Grade 11s, we have a total of 9 participants; Vyoma Shah, Naga Kare, Lourenco Gomes, Hassan Alghanim, Hamza Khasawneh, Malak Justaniah, Youssef Elhagrassy, Mohaned Althagafi, and Leen Althunayan.

Students are completing their ideas and visiting the factory constantly to test out their models and ideas. Their work will be recognized on a national and international basis.

We are very proud of our students pushing themselves to the limits of their highest potential demonstrated in these projects We would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole management team at AVI in KAEC and specifically Mr. Abdulrhman Bahaziq and Mr. Ahmad Atta (Production and Logistics Managers) for allowing our students to access their facilities and being very patient with our students' trial and error process.

Good Luck to them ALL!

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Boy Scout Troop 13 Makes a Difference KAUST Scout Troop 13 has been meeting regularly the last couple of months helping motivated scouts meet requirements for rank advancement. The troop is made up of students from TKS and the community and led by parents and volunteers.

They also have found time for some camping trips this season including a recent camping trip and beach cleanup to Rabigh Beach the first weekend of April.

Troops worked on their water rescue techniques, survival, cooking and camping skills. They also practiced one of the Scout mottos of “leave no trace” and completed a community service beach cleanup of the area that they camped in. Over 15 large trash bags of trash were collected in an effort to leave the area better than they found it.

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TKS Sharks 2020-21 Season GSS Grades 6-8 Boys Football Tournament The Grade 6-8 Boys Football practices have taken place twice a week for the last ten weeks. Over the past two consecutive weeks, 55 Grade 6 to 8 Boys participated in the end-of-season Football tournament. The tournament took place on the three pitches of the GSS field. Six teams played for the TKS Sharks 2020-21 G6-8 Trophy. After a hard-fought series of ten ‘round robin’ matches, the top 4 teams played each other in the semi-finals. The final was played between Nathan City 4 and Zafiris Wanderers 3, and the winners were Nathan City 4. The ‘Golden Boot’ trophy, for the player(s) who scored the most goals, was won by Luis Salvador and Yaamor Subaihi with 14 goals.

Over the course of the season, the teams learned different skills, tactics, and strategies. Above all, though, the players learned to communicate, collaborate and cooperate and to maintain a positive mindset, even when they were losing.

A number of people deserve to be thanked for their work during this season. First of all, thank you to the coaches Powell, Edwards, Kuestermann, and Saleem.

In addition, many thanks to the Athletics Director, Mr. Davies, for his tireless behind-the-scenes logistical support. Thanks also to the Grade 11 boys (Zayd, Ali, Hamza, and Ahmed) who volunteered to referee in the tournament.

Without a doubt, football was the winner!

Peter Powell Photos taken by Arnab Chakraborty, Grade 10 student GSS

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Team Photos

Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 4

Team 5

Team 6

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The Winners!

Golden Boot Winners!

Luis Salvador and Yaamor Subaihi

Winning Team Nathan City 4

Winning Captain Nathan Bowes

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Basketball Season By: Zafiris Mitropoulos G08

This year was a different year when it came to the after-school activities for all of them. It felt like a different experience and how we were still able to get going with some season was a cool thing. I am happy that I ended up signing up; I was unsure of how it would work and if it would be any good or not.

Now I'm thankful for the decision I made to join this after-school program. It was enjoyable playing basketball with people who were all different, connecting with other people, and just having fun. Especially all of those practice sessions that led up to the tournament, they really changed the person I am and how I looked at this new opportunity. I hope that everyone else enjoyed the basketball season and that it was a great experience to have!

Photos by Mashael AlFattani

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G6-12 Girls Football Tournament

By Andrew Wright. Photos by Gabriella Essel (G5)

On a sunny Monday, April 5th, TKS hosted a girls football tournament featuring 48 players in six teams, from grades 6 to 12. The Middle School B team won the qualifying tournament with two victories and with it the right to enter the main tournament and play the top three teams. In a tense final game the High School A team edged a narrow 2-0 victory over the Middle School A team with a brace of goals from last season’s U19 top-scorer Pearl Wright.

In the other final, the High School B team drew 1-1 with Middle School B to finish 3rd and 4th respectively.

Laiba Shah (G6) top-scored in the tournament with 7 goals from 5 games, while the following players all scored 2 goals apiece: Pearl Wright (G10), Emilia Salvador (G8), Judy Masry (G8), and Molly Mycroft-Edwards (G8). It was a lot of football in a short amount of time, but ample reward for an intensive 11 week training season. All the players had a great time playing football in the right spirit, judging by both their smiling faces and also the number of socially-distant spectators who stayed on to watch all the games.

Special thanks to Richard Davies for helping with the tournament organization, Wedyan Babatain (from Magpies WFC) and Geoff Bowery for being excellent referees, and extra big thanks to all our coaches: Regina Rodriguez (High School A team), Kilian Balkner (G11; High School B team), Dawn Burks (Middle School B team), Zachary Smith (Middle School C team), and John Danaher (Middle School D team). Go Sharks!

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Photos by Mashael AlFattani

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High School Girls Basketball Season Activity Comes to a Close in Two-Day Tournament On the evenings of March 29 and 30, 2021 the high school girls basketball activity season came to an end in a two-day tournament on the outside courts of TKS. Three TKS teams and one community team played in an exciting 4-team round robin tournament with around 30 players in total and 4 games each team. Last year the season ended right before the final tournament against other Saudi schools was about to take place, and KAUST went into lockdown. The TKS U16 and U19 teams were looking to play for the championship with exciting and dynamic teams ready to compete. So it was very disappointing to see the season end as it did. But through the efforts of HSC and TKS administration and staff this year, sport activities were able to happen in the second semester under health guidelines. The girls basketball players were able to come out and practiced two times a week for the last two months, culminating in the tournament. It was exciting to get back to basketball and sports this season and the staff and players felt like it brought a bit of ‘normalcy’ and school spirit back into their lives. The players got better and better as the practices advanced and they really showed their improved skills over the two-day tournament. The players can’t wait till next season when they will be able to compete against other schools again.

Big thanks to Coach Jesse Remington for his expert coaching and tournament organization, Assistant Coach Kate Muschamp (for bringing oranges and candy to the game), Mr. Richard Davies for organizing the tournament, and Aaron Thompson from the Design Department for creating the awards for the players.

Go Sharks!

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