The Wave April 2019

SAIK Music Festival 2019

From Wednesday, April 17th to Friday, April 19th, The KAUST School hosted grade 6-8 musicians from around The Kingdom who were participating in the SAIK Middle School Music Festival.

Music teachers from SAIKAC schools selected their best musicians and prepared them to come to KAUST and create a super group of performers, culminating in a big festival concert in building 20 on Friday, April 19th.

After many hours of practice, audience members were amazed at the level of musicianship from both the choir and the band.

TKS students who participated include Bumjoon Cha, Tadhg Hession, Cameron Johnson, Elena Ketcheson, Leen Khayat, Joanne Lai, Cyrille Lery, Naomi Nason, Daphne Pisig, Lucy Ryan, Angelina Shevchenko, Brieanna Smith, Sofia Tempone, and Malshi Wijethunga.

Congratulations to ALL of the fantastic performers who were a part of this event!

Emmalee Johnson, GSS Teacher

April, 2019

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From the Director April has been a busy month with many events, with one of the highlights being the PYP Grade 5 Exhibition. This is the culminating event at the end of the Primary Years Programme in which students can showcase their learning (p14).

Another highlight has to be the recent SAIK Music Festival (front page) hosted by TKS, and featuring performers from 9 schools across The Kingdom. If you missed the event, the performance is currently being shown on KAUST TV and is certainly one not to miss. Congratulations to the 14 TKS students who took part and did our school proud!

I encourage you to read the helpful hints from our Counselling team about making the transition from Kindergarten to Grade 1 (p9) which includes some great ideas on making the transition as smooth as possible.

GSS were delighted to welcome visiting author Stephen Davies and participate in his week-long program of workshops (p18), sparking creativity and enthusiasm in our budding authors here at TKS. As we approach Ramadan, we have the opportunity to give something back to our Thuwal neighbors as part of the wider KAUST community, you can find out more information on how to join the ‘Sharing is Caring’ campaign on page 21.

Finally, we honored our G12 students in the TKS traditional way by ‘clapping them out’ on their last day of school, and the whole school wishes them well in their DP exams over the coming weeks – we know they will make us proud!

Content 03 | PAC Summaries 04 | From Kindergarten 09 | Counselors Corner 10 | From Elementary 15 | From Secondary - Sports & News 2

In a nutshell: Summaries of March’s PAC meetings Secondary PAC: • Opportunities to be engaged in sports within KAUST and whether students can remain engaged in sports outside the official RSAC / SAIKAC seasons • The role of standardized assessments in the school and how these inform teaching and learning • The forums that the school uses to inform parents about MYP exam results, DP exam results and MAP results • The pilot project offering a bus from Island to GSS The school informed the PAC that the GSS Teacher Appreciation Lunch was very well received by teachers and staff. The GSS PAC would like to thank: • The GSS parent community for preparing the most delicious food and for giving generously • Coastline for providing Lasagna, hummus and green salads • Tamimi for providing chicken biryani and a waiter for serving

Kindergarten PAC: • No KG meeting held this month As a reminder: Parents are encouraged to contact the KG PAC if they have suggestions around topics for PAC meetings: - Sagar P. Parajuli - sagar.parajuli@kaust.edu.sa - Hind Aljohani - Hind.johani@kaust.edu.sa - Shan Yang - Shan.yang@kaust.edu.sa - Shuyu Sun - shuyu.sun@kaust.edu.sa - S. Mani Sarathy - mani.sarathy@kaust.edu.sa

GES PAC Summary • Home Learning

• Both Coastline and Tamimi for providing plates and silverware to avoid single-use products

1. Feedback on GES’s current approach

As a reminder: Parents are encouraged to contact the GSS PAC if they have suggestions around topics for PAC meetings:

• Dialogue about offering additional languages in GES in the future

- Marleen Stuyck - stuyckmarleen@gmail.com

As a reminder: Parents are encouraged to contact the GES PAC if they have suggestions around topics for PAC meetings: - Anna Rautek - anna.rautek@kaust.edu.sa - Caroline Knowles - caroline.knowles@kaust.edu.sa - Kathy Farrell - kathy.farrell@kaust.edu.sa - Claire Manchon - claire.manchon@kaust.edu.sa - Hadeel Al-Sulaimany - hadeel.sulaimany@kaust. edu.sa

- Amr Atiah - amr.atiah@kaust.edu.sa - Ming-Ming Chou - mingming.chou@kaust.edu.sa - Cherine Fayad - cherine.fayad@kaust.edu.sa - Alexandra Aguiar Gomes Alexandra.Gomes@kaust.edu.sa - Niveen Khashab - niveen.khashab@kaust.edu.sa - Brian Ross - brian.ross@kaust.edu.sa

2. Share ideas for further development

Click Here

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from Justin Somerville, KG Principal Dear parents, Agency is a term that is increasingly mentioned in research and discussions of best practices in education. In The learner in the enhanced PYP communication, it is said that “agency is present when students partner with teachers and members of the learning community to take charge of what, where, why, with whom and when they learn” (IB, 2017).

When children have a strong sense of agency they can act independently for their age, ask when they need to seek help and make choices. Children’s agency is based on the idea that all children:

• are capable of making choices and decisions • can initiate and lead their own learning • have a right to participate in decisions that affect them

KG teachers are constantly providing opportunities for children to develop agency. As I wander around the classrooms, I can see children taking responsibility for their learning, whether it’s initiating or documenting a learning engagement or making decisions about the next steps. It is incredible to see the growth in learner agency since the beginning of this year.

So how do you develop agency at home? Are children given an opportunity to direct their own learning or to follow their interests? Are children involved in decisions that affect their daily lives? Are they treated as capable and competent individuals? Do they have a voice?

I will leave these questions for you to ponder.

Justin Somerville

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K1 Sharing The Planet Since our sharing the planet unit of inquiry earlier this year, our class has been very interested in growing things.

The children have enjoyed watching their plants grow and change. They have been very responsible for the care of these plants, making sure they get watered every day.

As a result of their caring efforts, we have successfully grown beans, basil, carrots, capsicums, and sunflowers!

Safanah Kadi, Communication Officer

K1 Baking a Cake K1 decided to make a vanilla and chocolate chip cake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles!

To make the cake, they first discussed what they thought they needed and which steps to take. Then, they read a fool-proof recipe and used it to bake a delicious cake which everyone enjoyed eating.

Safanah Kadi, Communication Officer Pictures by Olga Pacheco

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K2 Story of a Bug! Story of a Bug Ethan- A bug named Buzz-buzz was climbing on a mountain.

Yunxuan- He climbed the top of the mountain and found treasure and he was happy.

How We Express Ourselves is the unit K2 is doing now. We are exploring different ways of storytelling and we are looking for opportunities when we could make up stories! We found a toy bug on our way to the playground and when we got back to class children made a story about the bug. Here’s the story……

Haadiya- He wanted to take the treasure home.

Jinan- It was so heavy. He could not pick it up.

Yusuf- He calls his family to take it home.

Razan- He gives it to his mom.

Leen- They keep it safe at home.

Hassy- They keep it in a secret place and they get a key.

Haroon- If they want to play with it, they will go quickly and run and get the key and open it. Then they play with it.

When they are done, they put it back and lock it.

Brandon- One day they lose the key. They think somebody has taken it away.

Angela- The whole family is looking for the key.

Guanlin- They find giant spider footprints and they follow it and go to the spider’s house. The spider gives them the key back.

Haaniya- They find the key.

Ziqiuan- The bug says thank you to the spider.

Ms. Smita, K2 teacher

K2 Trip to the North Beach and Yacht Club K2 students started their visit by reading multiple books such as ‘Froggy Learns to Swim’ by Jonathan London & ‘Beach Day’ by Karen Ross.

They had a lovely picnic, played in the water and sand for a while, ate their snacks and looked for boats and marine animals.

Safanah Kadi, Communication Officer Pictures by Marwah Ashrour

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K2 Classes Collaboration

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K3 PE Visit to GES

As part of their transition to Grade 1, K3 - Mr. Matteo Dietz’ class went to GES to learn more about expectations during PE classes. They met Mr. Kelly and Mr. B, who showed them around and organized some fun games.

The class had a chance to take a look at the storage room where all the PE equipment is kept and even did some indoor climbing.

Safanah Kadi, Communication Officer

K3 Clay Projects After the success of the pinch pots, K3 students were able to use their imaginations and be creative with clay. They made a plan, recording what materials they would need, what techniques they would use, and then drew a picture of what they hoped their final piece would look like.

First, they created them with clay, and they went into the kiln to be fired. After, they carefully chose colors and glazed their projects. Next, they went into the kiln again to be glaze fired. Once these were out, the children shared their projects with their classmates.

They showcased their creations to their parents during K3 Open House.

Heather Gatenby, K3 Teacher

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How to help your child transition from Kindergarten to First Grade The transition from Kindergarten to First Grade is a big one and may seem intimidating to both parents and children. The best thing you can do to help your new first-grader prepare for the school year is to have conversations at home about what they can expect.

Start out by explaining how the First Grade is similar to Kindergarten. For instance, in Kindergarten and First Grade, there is snack time, play time, recess, PE, Art, and PA. Also, talk about what is different.

For example, they will be staying in school longer, they will have more responsibility to do tasks on their own, and they will spend more time during the day learning to read and write. Young children feel safe when there is predictability.

Tips

to

Support a Transition:

Smooth

• Be enthusiastic about the upcoming change. If you are excited and confident, your child will be too!

• Encourage your child to take on more responsibility at home so they are prepared for this at school. For example, cleaning up their toys/room, getting ready for bed or ready in the morning, etc

Books to help your child with the upcoming transition:

• Maintain routines at home, for example, meal time, bath time and bedtime. The American Academy of Pediatrics says, “Children do best when routines are regular, predictable, and consistent.”

• Daily reading - e.g bedtime reading (reading to your child or have your child read to you) • Have your child write and/ or draw about what they are excited about next year

Children in K3 will have multiple opportunities to visit Gardens Elementary School to help familiarize themselves with the new learning environment.

If you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming transition, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or the KG counselors.

• Pass by the new building so they get accustomed to the new space • Talk about positive experiences you had as a child at school • Most of all, be patient with your child. Understand that this is a big transition, and it may take a few weeks or months for them to love first grade. If your child seems especially anxious or unhappy about school, schedule a conference with your child’s teacher. The more you support your child’s transition at home, the happier your first-grader will be about the year ahead!

Aisha Oliver and Yasmeen Ghunaim, KG Counselors 9

from Chye de Ryckel, GES Associate Principal

“Food is the ingredient that binds us together� and it brought the Gardens Elementary School (GES) teachers together on Tuesday, April 9 for the 10th Annual Teacher Appreciation Lunch.

The event began in 2010 as an initiative of the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) to recognize and celebrate the hard work and dedication of our TKS Elementary team.

The PAC organized the event once again. Families throughout the school prepared delicious and decadent dishes from their home countries. The beautiful spread was bountiful and represented cultures from around the globe.

On this day the children also showed gratitude to their teachers by offering small tokens of appreciation. This came in the form of cards, pictures, cookies, necklaces, and flowers, to name a few. The teachers felt the effects of these sincere acts of kindness and appreciated the special acknowledgment.

On behalf of the GES teachers, I would like to pass on our sincere appreciation to the parent community, and the children, for a tremendous Teacher Appreciation Lunch.

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How do we support our diverse student population with English skills?

In GES we have an inclusive approach to supporting our English Language Learners who have good conversation skills, but still, need help with academic language.

Homeroom teachers, Learning Support teachers and the ELL Inclusion Coordinator plan collaboratively for the language of learning.

This approach makes language patterns visible so children can better understand how language is used.

Emphasis is also placed on different types of writing such as recount, information reports, narrative or poetry.

Children learn that each writing type has a different purpose, structure and language features.

Knowing this helps children choose what to write and read for understanding.

Lisa Pongpiriyaporn, ELL Inclusion Coordinator

PLEASE NOTE:

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A week with Grade 1 G1 continued to learn to write persuasive letters while continuing to focus on proper writing conventions. Their reading groups are coming along nicely as students continue to work on individual reading goals such as fluency and expression.

They’ve also been working hard on writing number stories using images to strengthen their understanding of number bonds.

Number bonds let students play with numbers by breaking them apart and putting them back together. Students can see how numbers can join together, and break down into parts. Number bonds help to build number sense, automaticity, and mental math skills.

Ms. Azra, our tech support teacher, was also in this week helping them to learn about coding. They’ve been using coding.org to introduce or strengthen coding skills. Coding allows students to become logical thinkings and has been proven to help with everything from literacy, to problem-solving to creativity and resilience.

LeighAnn Traynor, G1 Teacher

G1 Free Choice

During the week G1 students regularly have free choice time. During this time they are permitted to choose whatever activities they like and work with whomever they like. I do not guide the children or limit them in what they can do (within reason, of course).

Here are some examples of the types of activities the children chose this week. I was so pleased that many of the children decided to work on topics similar to those we have been working on as a whole class and all children worked cooperatively with each other.

Lorraine Horgan, G1 Teacher 12

Taking Action with Creativity This week each child of G2 chose an art form they want to pursue for the next two weeks. It will give them a chance to put their own conceptual understanding of our creativity unit into studentled action.

Some students have chosen to work alone, and others have paired up with classmates to create a dance group or a band. We are off to a great start and so much has happened in just the last few days.

Ideas and directions have changed, lessons have been learned, techniques have been explored, students have inspired each other, bands have broken up and are back together again, and we are growing and changing every day.

Amber Hutton, G2 Teacher

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G5 PYPX This week the Grade 5 classes have selected an area to focus on for four periods a week which is called “Flex Time” to incorporate an artistic or creative element to their Exhibition.

Students have been planning and creating to express themselves and their PYPX issue. The student action ranges from painting, sculpture, movie making, songwriting, recording, and much more. The projects are student-led and are being supported by the music and art teachers, ed-tech coach, pedagogical coordinator, librarian, and many other members of staff.

Hayley Campbell, G5 Teacher

Grade 5 Exhibition 2019 Every year, in PYP schools all around the world 5th graders, take part in the PYP Exhibition which is a culmination of the entire Primary Years Program and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This 6-week unit gives students the chance to identify an issue that impacts them, become experts on the issue, and take action. This year at TKS our very own 5th graders did exactly that.

This year’s topics included Plastic Pollution, Bike Safety, Gender Roles, Fast Fashion and more. Students decided on their inquiries and the direction of their learning journey while teachers, mentors, teaching assistants and parents guided and supported their learning opportunities. Gaining knowledge and perspectives is a big part of the exhibition, and over the 6-week process, students were able to go on numerous field trips to conduct interviews, complete surveys and make observations.

On the evening of April 17, the grade five students presented their learning journey to the KAUST community. GES Principal Mr. Jeffrey Woodcock opened the night with an inspiring speech about how our children have shown the capacity to engage in an issue, gain new knowledge, and take action. The kids then delivered a heartwarming performance of an original song featuring over a hundred musicians and singers, expertly guided by music teacher Mr. Peter Diglin. Finally, the children presented their learning to parents and community members who were all impressed by the confidence and expertise of our students. Congratulations GES class of 2026.

Philip Silich, G5 Teacher

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from David Tigchelaar, GSS Principal

Looking Back

Looking Forward

• Stephen Davies, a well-published author, visited us from 1 - 4 April - to work with students

• The Gr 12 Gala will take place on 26 April

• The school organized a Gr 10 student and parent info session on 8 April • Student Led Conferences took place on 15 April and students and parents worked together in the Designlab to explore the materials and equipment in the school’s first Designapalooza • Gr 11 and Gr 12 parent info sessions took place on 16 April • The SAIKAC MS Music Festival took place at TKS from 17 - 19 April, culminating in a concert performed on 19 April • The PAC hosted the Teacher Appreciation Lunch on 21 April • MAP Testing took place from 21- 25 April • The traditional 2nd Gr 12 Parent Dinner took place on 23 April • The 3rd Arts Night of the year took place on 24 April • The last school day for Grade 12 was 25 April. The day ended with the traditional “clap out”

• The Grade 8 collaborative production will take place on 30 April and 1 May from 5:15 - 6:15 pm • The school will organize a parent information evening for Gr 5 parents on 1 May at 7:00 to provide information on the transition from the elementary school to the secondary school • 5 May is the last day for submission of summative assessments • Ramadan, this year, will take place from 6 - 30 May • IS Students organize an Iftar on 15 May for all students and teachers • DP exams will run from 6 May to 24 May • Gr 11 End-of-year Exams will run from 11 May to 15 May • MYP exams will run from 16 May to 24 May • The Graduation Ceremony for Grade 12 students will take place on 26 May in Building 20 from 8 - 9 pm • The last day of school for Gr 6 - 11 students is 30 May • End-of-year Reports will be published on 30 May

DONT MISS!!

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SAIK Music Festival - Photos

If you missed out on the final SAIK Music Concert on April 17th you can catch it playing now on KAUST TV. 16

Designapalooza As a way to demonstrate the developed and built in Design from the Design Core Labs “Designapalooza� event

amazing projects that are class, a group of students hosted the first annual in the Design Hub.

This was an great opportunity for students in Grade 6-10 to bring their parents to the Materials Lab to build a fun shark puzzle, as well as show off the wonderful projects they have built throughout the year in Design. 75+ sharks were put together and overall, the event was a huge success and was a wonderful compliment to the Student Led Conferences.

With minor support from the Design teachers, the Design Core Labs students developed and laser cut all of the puzzle pieces, put together flyers for advertising, and setup a rotation so they could support students and their families while the puzzles were being built. Great job to all those students who were involved!

Bryan Johnson, Design Teacher

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Stephen Davies Visit

On Monday the first of April, children’s book author, Stephen Davies, arrived to entertain us with a wide variety of writing activities that really inspired our GSS students to get writing! Each Language and Literature class had the chance to attend two sessions with Stephen Davies during his week-long visit. Students and teachers were overwhelmingly positive about both the content and the delivery of the workshops. Stephen has a quiet, calm and yet very engaging manner. He shared fascinating details of his experiences as a writer and his time living in Burkina Faso, from 2003 to 2014. Stephen walked the students through a range of very practical tips to get their ideas down on paper quickly.

The workshop sessions were interactive, varied (not a single activity repeated within the 5 my classes took part in), and accessible by students of all levels of interest and ability. A distinct highlight was the travel writing session, based on Stephen’s experience of a fishing festival in Mali. Students were thrilled with the results and very motivated to see their words and ideas already forming, in less than an hour. I can’t wait to go back to the pieces they started and continue developing them. Students felt that Stephen gave them the confidence to keep writing and hopefully, see their own pieces in print one day.

Hannah Greenfield, MYP Language and Literature Teacher.

sit hen Davies vi “I enjoyed Step ed nt le ta such a because he is y ar in rd any extrao writer with m s. ok bo t y grea ideas and man are 7 main e er th I learned ... use. I think I rs te ri w topics that d ost when we ha enjoyed the m e ak m d an e story to write our on ll fu a to in words it grow from 4 r ou of n scriptio script and de de ra G , ia rs.” Aly main characte 8.

“The workshop was very original and he gave us lots of tips on how to make an exciting book.” Sam, Grade 8

e orkshop becaus “I enjoyed the w n te of as scussed horror isn’t di e th gh ou en th as others. Ev e th es us he short, workshop was d di I d an ctively time very effe d an n fu it He kept not feel bored.

9. de ra G alive!” Malak,

“Stephen said something like, if we don’t know the cha racter in depth then we don’t know anything.

He said that we really need to understand the cha racter before starting to write. He said his books aren’t always per fect in the first draft. It takes mo nths or years sometimes to make the book reach the stand ard.”

Afreen, Grade 9.

“I rea l he pu ly enjoye d the shed ideas w u and m s to come ay that creat up w otiva ive.” i t Hass ed me to th an, G b e rade 9.

ol. visiting our scho “Thank you for a e ng how to writ I had fun learni r he e me see anot book. You mad e th writing and in perspective of y like to write m future, I would 9 mie, Grade own book.” Mim

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GSS Scientific Article Collection The KAUST school students have been extremely fortunate to actively participate in a scientific article Collection, part of the journal Frontiers For Young Minds. This initiative, started at KAUST by Ph.D. student Ruben Costa and Associate Professor Christian Voolstra, allowed school students to actively review written scientific work done by researchers from the Red Sea Research Centre.

The researchers have brought their papers to our students to ask for advice about how to re-write them for a younger audience. We have had nine TKS students that have worked very hard to read the papers. They then have given very insightful comments and suggestions about how to make the language of the paper more accessible to all ages without losing the high quality, academic content.

It has been a really rich opportunity for great growth in their understanding of science and the peer review process. Thanks to the proximity between the University and School, it was possible to have in-person mentorship sessions, allowing students to interact with real researchers. We hope to review more papers very soon and give more students the opportunity to join in. https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ f r y m . 2 01 9 . 0 0 0 3 8 https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ f r y m . 2 01 9 . 0 0 02 8

Here are some of the comments that our students made about their experiences: Arnab: Thank you for showing us the joys of making a science paper better for kids.

Subhan: All this hard work paid off! I would like to thank all the mentors for helping us out SO much with our reviewing process and learning definitions.

Youssef: I wanted to push myself in knowing new facts regarding science. And now that this is finished, I do not have the same knowledge when I started, Thank you Frontiers for Young Minds!!

Savana: This enjoyable experience was not only helpful for the young minds who are intrigued or fascinated by science, but as well for me. I learned a lot doing this activity, not only myself but with the collaboration of my peers and group. We used lots of new skills in the writing process which ultimately developed our cooperation and collaboration when dealing with re-writing tricky science papers.

Dr. Emma L. Nason, Head of Science

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U14 Basketball Girls

On April 5, 15 smiling and laughing girls from TKS went to AISJ to compete in the U14 basketball tournament. It was a wonderful experience for everyone on the team and we all had a great time running and playing against other teams.

Even though we didn’t win as many games as we hoped, we were the most enthusiastic team and the group that displayed the best sportsmanship on and off the court. No matter what the score, we encouraged each other other to play their best and always keep trying your hardest. Throughout the tournament we experienced lots of up’s and down’s , but we always found a solution to make us successful. We had lots of fun and everyone was excited and will remember this wonderful experience and trip.

Bryan Johnson, Design Teacher

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Teachers Gifted and Talented Course

Recently, six teachers from all divisions of TKS completed the second six-week intensive Gifted and Talented Course which introduced them to the characteristics of gifted and talented students. This course gave teachers an understanding and awareness of the unique attributes and needs of these students. Teachers examined research and theory about gifted education and how this translated into the classroom. The intellectual, social and emotional needs of gifted children were studied and discussed, as well as twice exceptional (those students who are gifted but have a learning disability) and underachieving gifted students.

There was an emphasis on the work of cognitive neuroscientists who have advanced the body of knowledge about giftedness. Dr. Paul O’Callaghan, the school psychologist was a guest speaker and presented information on IQ and assessment practices.

Attendance at this course and the fact that this was undertaken after the school day had finished, was a testament to the dedication of these teachers in meeting the needs of all of their students.

Robyn Collins, Gifted and Talented Coordinator

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South Africa Trip

This year from the 20-25 March, a group of 9 students and 2 teachers went on a service trip to South Africa. This trip was an incredible experience where we got the chance to learn about new cultures and lifestyles.

We spent the first day in museums and on the fascinating streets of Soweto learning about the riots and the school uprising. We visited Nelson Mandela’s house and the Hector Pieterson Memorial. The next three days were spent at Footprints Children’s Home. We did lots of hard work, moving furniture, clearing out rooms, planting trees, digging up tree stumps and entertaining the children. The best part was, of course, playing with the children. There were around 30 children who had been adopted by the staff at Footprints. The campus they lived on was simply a big family and the atmosphere was so loving and positive. These kids have a great education, amazing space (indoor and out) and truly a brilliant lifestyle. Spending time getting to know all the children was by far my favorite part and leaving them was definitely the hardest.

After our three days at Footprints, we went on a 2-hour road trip to Sun City. We spent one night there and at that time we went on 3 safaris. We saw many different animals like rhinos, elephants, giraffes, and monkeys. We also got to go to the City of Waves waterpark which was also in Sun City. Finally, we had our last dinner of fish and chips before heading to the airport hotel where we spent our last night in South Africa. A great experience and a great opportunity provided by GSS. Thank you to all for making this happen.

By Ashna Wells, Grade 8

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WE ARE READY TO CLAP OUT OUR CLASS OF 2019!

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TKS

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