issue no. 8 may 3, 2012 notes from the principalnotes from ... · notes from the principalnotes...

Notes from the PrincipalNotes from the PrincipalNotes from the PrincipalNotes from the Principal

May 3, 2012 Issue No. 8

Dates to remember:

• IB exams—May 2—22,

2012

• U14 Athletic Banquet—May

19, 2012

• Individual Inv. Fair—May

22, 2012

• PD Day—May 24, 2012

(half day for students)

• Graduation rehearsal &

breakfast—May 28, 2012

• Exams for Gr. 9—11—May

29—June 5, 2012

Inside this issue:

Notes from Principal 1

Featured Department 4

Library News 6

CAS 8

Student Council 8

Athletics 9

Experiential trips 10

PTO 12

Special Event 11

Dear Parents and Students, Many events have taken place in the last month. Although I was unable to attend some of these personally the excitement and feedback have been wonderful. I am very proud of our students, parents and faculty who dedicate much time and energy into these events. The IB Visual Art exhibition was an outstanding success. The students should be proud of their achieve-ments. Of course the event could not have been possible without the dedication of Ms. Zari Etemadi and the parents who made it all possible. The production of ‘Anything Goes’ was also very successful and was a sold out event for 3 nights. Congratulations to Ms. Asha Lynch, the teachers and all the students involved. This week the counselors presented an information night on substance abuse. The guest speaker Ms Gina Ghiachetti was very informative. On the portal we have placed a webinar conducted this week on this topic which parents may find informative. Next year we will be implementing a counseling program at all grade levels. Thank you to the parents who completed the surveys. The counselors will be using the results of the parent, student and teacher surveys to guide the program. The students who went to Nepal with Ms. Briske returned safely with many stories of their adventures. There will be a number of experiential trips next year and I encourage students to take part in these humanitarian and adventure trips as they are unique experiences. The Foreign Languages department held their annual Cultural Extravaganza not long ago. Students per-formed French and Spanish songs, skits etc., and there was plenty of delicious food on offer. Well done teachers and students! The recent parent/teacher conferences were well attended. I encourage all parents to contact teachers if they did not have the opportunity to come to the conferences. It was the first time that parents were able to use the portal to book conferences. The feedback has been positive. If you have any technical difficulties using the portal, please contact the portal support staff; [email protected] . On a personal note, I would like to thank the many parents who offered their condolences. It is very touching and the support I have received has been overwhelming, thank you. As you read this article, the senior students are sitting for their final IB and UAS exams. I wish them all the best. Although they are nervous, I am confident that they are well prepared and will perform to the best of their abilities. Good luck Seniors! The final exam session for grades 9-11 will begin on May 29th. The assessment calendars for this quarter for all grades have been uploaded on the school portal. The final examination block schedule will be published soon. It will be a very busy time for students and they need to be organized and have a study plan to ensure that they perform well on tests, exams and tasks. This week the grades 7-9 students were given their 2012-13 course selection forms. The counselors went through the choices with the students carefully. We ask that you sit with your child and see what choices they have made. If you have any questions regarding courses for next year, please contact the secondary counselors, Mr. Kuestermann and Ms. Mouganie. The forms need to be returned as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing many parents and students at the upcoming Athletics banquets, Individual Investi-gation Fair, senior breakfast and graduation ceremony.

Simone SebbanSimone SebbanSimone SebbanSimone Sebban

Noorabadi, Barbod Shinwari, Zarlasht Wardah, Zeid Lee, Sang Soo Rose, Ethan Ebrahim Pour, Alaleh Wagdi, Farida Jaouni, Ahmad Lee, Yoonjae (Christina) Pourghorban, Ali Zaidi, Syed Sajid Miyazaki, Sana Armstrong, William (Billy) Bae, Jeonghun (Phil) Fakih, Ali Abou El Ghar, Cherifa Hannan, Saba Kim, Ji-Yeun Grade 8Grade 8Grade 8Grade 8 Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award: Surma, Jan Piotr (Janek) Abdulaziz, Eric Zafar, Imaad Lee, Ga Young Anoohi, Asma Alkhaja, Aadel Dimoulas, Stephany Kim, Su-Jung High Honors:High Honors:High Honors:High Honors: Albanna, Nasser Aleali, Alia

Grade 7Grade 7Grade 7Grade 7 Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award: Dandache, Hoda (Aya) Hanna, Elianna Marion, Jade Alhariri, Rama Khayat, Ahmad Ahuja, Vaibhav Haj-Diab, Larah Zafar, Adeel

High Honors:High Honors:High Honors:High Honors: Taha, Hana Ferraz, Isabelly Numani, Asfia Shaheen, Mohammed Chu Zhen Xuen , Kymberley Joan (Kymberley ) Abdallah, Mouna Bayyari, Laith Pronk, Adriaan El Marj, Nathalie de Hoog Bouthoorn, Jasmijn Alawadi, Safeeya Bhatti, Lyba Sleem, Adham Honors:Honors:Honors:Honors: Campodonico, Sabrina Fakhruddin, Alefiya Bodo, Bianka Shehadeh, Nadine

Hazim, Ramzi Van Zyl, Alexander Lawrence, David (Noah) Hanna, Christina Naser, Rama Al Braik, Waleed Ali, Shahd Abdulaziz, Savannah Hameer, Jinaan Welsh, Andrew Anwar, Muhammad El Sharawy, Sondos Honors:Honors:Honors:Honors: Kim, Geo Joarder, Fahad Abrar Nimer, Ahmad Elassi, Karim Huang, Jiacheng Kamal, Syed Faisal Mahir, Tajwar Nuaman, Omar Moawad, Mohammad Moaswes, Hiba Uy, Adrian Kristofer Casey, Lianne Govers, Sanne van Schalkwyk, Ruan Aldawood, Dalal Apostolopoulos, Stefanos Mendoza, Alexxis Mohammadi, Matin Choi, Yunjin Paetzelt, Yannis

Our congratulations to the following students for making it to the Honor Roll this quarter:Our congratulations to the following students for making it to the Honor Roll this quarter:Our congratulations to the following students for making it to the Honor Roll this quarter:Our congratulations to the following students for making it to the Honor Roll this quarter:

Issue No. 8

Ahmed, Syed Mohammed Khatib, Sami

Grade 9Grade 9Grade 9Grade 9 Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award: Seifelnasr Elsayed Abdelaal, Nour Lootah, Sara Mortensen, Nicolai Alkhaja, Janan Rose, Nolan El Hajj, Tamara Wehbe, Karim de Hoog Bouthoorn, Femke Fattouh, Rawan Shankar, Sneha High Honors:High Honors:High Honors:High Honors: Osman Hussain, Jude El Sawy, Malak Hachem, Kareem Farran, Nadia Ibrahim, Lina Khayat, Allaa Alfahim, Faisal Faran, Misha Abdulhussain, Ahmed Kazi, Nafi Ahmed Honors:Honors:Honors:Honors: Qanni, Yousef Algergawi, Amal El Baba, Hadi Elnadi, Salma

Issue No. 8

Grade 9Grade 9Grade 9Grade 9 Honors:Honors:Honors:Honors: Yu, Jaesang Khales Alnasseri, Fahad Ahn, Joon Hyun Hamza Abd El Motaleb, Karim Jauhari, Husein Beykovsky Batres, Kevin Alawadi, Abdallah Rahme, Maurice Koch, Niklas Abdalla, Mohammad Khawar, Usman Martins, Pedro Bin Haider, Abdulla Mansour, Vanessa Eve Babu, Shirleyn Joudeh, Sara Shaka, Saed Saleh, Amero Dahhan, Layan Shevalye, Kristina Yoo, Jungwoong Grade 10Grade 10Grade 10Grade 10 Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award: Albanna, Yasmine Sarkawi, Gina Kim, Eun Jeong Farazinia, Fatemeh Khayat, Jamal High Honors:High Honors:High Honors:High Honors: Sahni, Saibani Anoohi, Amal Apostolopoulou, Dafni Alkishtaini, Aseel Ismail, Karim Bou Saab, Samer Ghammachi, Maysa Muwahed, Joan Kurji, Sahir Lawrence, Bethany Joy Shaikhly, Ihsan Elnaggar, Nariman Al Mansoori, Marwan Honors:Honors:Honors:Honors: Tuazon, Shinih Hannah El Garawany, Malek El Sadek, Aya Greuel, Joseph Abdalla, Mohannad Sharif, Samar Giulietti, Camilla Khan, Nabaa

Boston, Kirsten Singh, Sahej Khadem Khorasani, Ghazaleh Bostani, Alexandra El Assi, Nabil Chawhan, Salaar Nuaman, Abdulla Jamalian, Seyedeh Delaram Otaki, Christopher Qasemi, Humayun Sawaf, Omar Soliman, Tamer Grade 11Grade 11Grade 11Grade 11 Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award: Sisak, Katherine Alsuwaidi, Ahmed Yu, Jihyun Abdel Rahman, Ashraf Khatib, Yara Hanna, Dima Dorri, Maral Ahmed, Nida High Honors:High Honors:High Honors:High Honors: De Wijs, Calvin Jay El Shaarawy, Hussein Glaser, Jennifer Alhariri, Sara El Badrawi, Pakinam Hwang, Yunji Park, Jisu Welsh, Patrick Abdallah, Nadhem Baramki, Gabriel (Gabe) Chahrour, Carla Honors:Honors:Honors:Honors: Ibrahim, Farida Rezaei, Sajjad Van Zyl, Melissa Younes, Selim Al-Shama, Hassan Fakih, Zeinab Pronk, Valentijn Ryder, Fleur Jozsa, Florian Rappe, Julien Zituni, Danya Diaz, Carlos Durham-Moran, Jacob Koinuma, Yu Reissig, Jillian Dahi, Samir Kevin Wardah, Moh'd Abedrabo, Zeinah Azara, Michael Barrigh Vargas, Leonel

Bexfield, Moira Lacroix, Clara Lauer, Isaac Naser, Faheem Tannous, Marie Lynn Barros Pineiro, Pedro Grade 12Grade 12Grade 12Grade 12 Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award:Principal Award: Sehat Niaki, Paniz Sen, Smita Eltanbouli, Leena High Honors:High Honors:High Honors:High Honors: Boutemine, Sawsan Evans, Arianna Farsakh, Mohammed Toodehfallah, Khashayar Salama, Ahmed Massoud, Yasmin Moawad, Ahmed Glaser, Kyle Dahhan, Mohamad Alshiha, Mansoor Hachem, Zahraa Khalifa, Rana Broekhoff, Bart Kafity, Anthony Koch, Sophia Younes, Nora Honors:Honors:Honors:Honors: Jaafar, Hassan Sawaf, Sammy Lawrence, Sarah Alabed, Asma Iqbal, Yaseen Rechenhofer, Jennifer Scott, Teri Brown, Alyssa Alshamsi, Rahma Kamal, Sana Nached, Ali Lobo, Corin Khalil, Trandel

Issue No. 8

Featured Department: Social StudiesFeatured Department: Social StudiesFeatured Department: Social StudiesFeatured Department: Social Studies

The Social Studies department had a number of activities and events take place this year. Highlights of the Social Studies year include: Grade 8 KIVA ProjectGrade 8 KIVA ProjectGrade 8 KIVA ProjectGrade 8 KIVA Project KIVA is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. As part of the grade 8 balance unit students raised awareness and funds to be loaned to entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world. This was done by creating events and activities including:

• Soccer and dodge ball tournaments

• Creating and selling Jewelry

• Bake sales

• Donation Boxes

• Multimedia promotion of KIVA a school events

• Candy grams

• Raffles

To achieve this students were placed in groups and took on a variety of roles within their projects, including project managers, designers, sec-retary, treasurer, members of the think tanks, plus they were responsi-ble for successfully carrying out their chosen activities. The grade 8 classes of 2011/2012 did an exceptional job of promoting KIVA and raised an incredible total of 7000 AED. The students then selected entrepreneurs in developing countries to whom their money would go. Some examples of the entrepreneurs that the students loaned money to are:

• A Kenyan grocer/ Palestinian generator salesman / Kenyan farmer/ Azerbaijani grocer / Kenyan pharmacist

Congratulations must go to the grade 8 social studies classes and Miss Linda Honigford team leader for grade 8 social studies on a very successful KIVA project. Grade 8 Service Learning ProjectGrade 8 Service Learning ProjectGrade 8 Service Learning ProjectGrade 8 Service Learning Project The grade 8 Service Learning Project is a quarter-long project in which student identified a need/s within the local com-munity. Once a need was iden-tified, students worked individ-ually or in small groups of 2222----4 4 4 4 peoplepeoplepeoplepeople to or-ganize a project that would al-low them to actively partici-pate in address-ing this need. At the end of the project, stu-dents critically analyzed and reflected on their experience.

“Think globally, act locally.” There were a total of 30 groups and some of the projects con-ducted were:

• Beach Cleanups

• Project raising awareness of the importance water conserva-tion

• Working with the elderly in a senior citizen home

• Aiding with projects at animal shelters

• Book drives, where proceeds raised were donated to chari-ties

• Project raising awareness of the importance and abundance of solar power

• Collecting and taking materials for both male and female labor camps

• Collecting for struggling Pakistani families living in the UAE The Service Learning Project culminated with a presentation evening on January 25th, where students, parents and staff were able to view presentations of each groups Service Learning Pro-ject. Congratulations must go to the grade 8 social studies students for their excellent projects and to Miss Asha Isse for overseeing

this project.

Issue No. 8

Grade 10 Geography Fieldtrip to OmanGrade 10 Geography Fieldtrip to OmanGrade 10 Geography Fieldtrip to OmanGrade 10 Geography Fieldtrip to Oman On the 20th and 21st of March grade 10 geography students went to Mussandam, Oman for a two day investigation of deserts and coastal environments. Students examined both the natural and human factors that shape and affect these environments.

Students completed a number of field work activities including con-structing topographic maps and cross-sections. They also conducted marine environment analysis, coastal management cost benefit analy-sis. However the highlight of the trip was the cliff diving. Students had the opportunity to dive from varying heights, with a maximum jump of

12 meters. This year, due to tighter regulations for groups camping in Oman, the group stayed on a dhow. This naturally added some excitement to the trip, but challenged some students to find their ‘sea legs’.

It was a resounding success and allowed students to interact and gain a

greater appreciation of the physical environments they have been inves-

tigating in class.

Grade 9 Geography Field TripGrade 9 Geography Field TripGrade 9 Geography Field TripGrade 9 Geography Field Trip On March 21 the grade 9 geography class took a field trip to Wadi

Shawka, located 90 minutes away in the Hajar Mountain range, to explore and investigate river beds. Wadis are dry river beds that scientists think were formed when the water levels on earth were much higher and high speed water flowed down from the mountains, which eroded the rock. Since the river bed is dry students got the opportunity to study the differ-ent stages of a river up close. They formed four groups where they got hands on experience measuring the bank width and river profile and bed load (types/shapes of rocks located in various parts of the river bed) at different stages of the riv-er. In addition to having a lot of fun, the students learned a great deal from the knowledgeable Ecoventure instruc-tors. The trip was a resounding success!

Linda Honigford

Social Studies ChallengeSocial Studies ChallengeSocial Studies ChallengeSocial Studies Challenge The Social Studies Challenge will take place this year, the week after grade 9-11 exams. This is an event where students are placed into a game show format; testing their general knowledge regarding subjects and areas of knowledge connected to social studies. This is an activity for grades 7-10. There are entrance rounds held in classes and a championship round held in the library for each year level. Previous winners include: Grade 10: Ashraf Abdel Rahman Grade 9: Karim Ismail Grade 8: Amir Kamaleddine Grade 7: Nigel Scholten Good luck to all 2012 contestants!

The Social Studies department would also like to wish Miss

Veronica Baker aka little Miss Sunshine luck for her move to

Lima, Peru where she will be teaching next year. Miss Baker

will be sorely missed by the UAS community.

Issue No. 8

Secondary Library Secondary Library Secondary Library Secondary Library

Dr. Suad Amiry visited Universal American School on Wednes-Dr. Suad Amiry visited Universal American School on Wednes-Dr. Suad Amiry visited Universal American School on Wednes-Dr. Suad Amiry visited Universal American School on Wednes-day May 2, 2012day May 2, 2012day May 2, 2012day May 2, 2012

Many students and teachers attended Dr. Amiry’s presentation yesterday. Books are on sale in the secondary library. English 40 Dhs. And Arabic 25 Dhs. Nothing to Lose but Your LifeNothing to Lose but Your LifeNothing to Lose but Your LifeNothing to Lose but Your Life is an exciting account of a grueling journey but also a lamentation for lost land and for simpler, more peaceful times. She stands in front of the mirror, trying to hide her womanly curves and fully aware that she is about to expose herself to danger. A tomboy at heart, driven by adventure and a desire to understand what her less privileged

compatriots go through, architect and university professor Suad Amiry has decided to disguise herself as a man and cross the Israeli border illegally to seek work in the Israeli town of Petah Tikva. The 18-hour journey that she braves with Murad and his brother Moham-med starts with a bumpy late night ride in a bus crammed with other illegal workers – all men –whose endless stories are both horrifying and amusing. And in his pocket, Murad carries a photograph of his object of desire who lives in Tel Aviv but who seems to have her eye on his friend. About the Author: Architect Suad Amiry lives in Ramallah where she is director of the 'Riwaq Center for Architectural Conservation‘ and a professor of ar-chitecture. Amiry was awarded the Italian Viareggio-Versilia Prise for Sharon And My Mother-In-Law (2004). Review: 'Amiry's writing skills show us that she is more than an ordinary wom-an in extraordinary circumstances' The Irish Times.

Guest Illustrator:Guest Illustrator:Guest Illustrator:Guest Illustrator: We were pleased to host a guest illustrator and UAS parent Lara Assouad Khoury during the book fair last week for a book sign-ing. She talked to students and parents about her book and how she created a new font for the words of the story TABATI in Ara-bic (The Ball). The book has won the Opera Prima Award 2012 at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy and the font TABATI has won the Type Directors Club Award for 2011.

Special thanks to Mrs. Rula Kafity and the Fine Arts Booster Club Special thanks to Mrs. Rula Kafity and the Fine Arts Booster Club Special thanks to Mrs. Rula Kafity and the Fine Arts Booster Club Special thanks to Mrs. Rula Kafity and the Fine Arts Booster Club for bringing wonderful events to our school.for bringing wonderful events to our school.for bringing wonderful events to our school.for bringing wonderful events to our school.

Issue No. 8

Thank you Fine Arts Booster Club and Thank you Fine Arts Booster Club and Thank you Fine Arts Booster Club and Thank you Fine Arts Booster Club and members Ghia Haddad, Bridget Greuel, members Ghia Haddad, Bridget Greuel, members Ghia Haddad, Bridget Greuel, members Ghia Haddad, Bridget Greuel, and Dr. Aida Al Awar for supporting and and Dr. Aida Al Awar for supporting and and Dr. Aida Al Awar for supporting and and Dr. Aida Al Awar for supporting and sponsoring Slam It!sponsoring Slam It!sponsoring Slam It!sponsoring Slam It! We are grateful for the vision and hard We are grateful for the vision and hard We are grateful for the vision and hard We are grateful for the vision and hard work of Smita Sen and her team Yara work of Smita Sen and her team Yara work of Smita Sen and her team Yara work of Smita Sen and her team Yara Khatib, Danya Zituni. Khatib, Danya Zituni. Khatib, Danya Zituni. Khatib, Danya Zituni.

Issue No. 8

Student Council:Student Council:Student Council:Student Council:

♦ How many CAS activities are you taking part in at the moment?How many CAS activities are you taking part in at the moment?How many CAS activities are you taking part in at the moment?How many CAS activities are you taking part in at the moment? At the moment I'm mainly focusing on doing activities that are relat-ed to volunteering. So right now those are helping complete tasks at senses residential care home every couple of Saturdays and I'm planning on signing up for a volunteer event called promote peace. I'm also going to the gym every couple of days for action. And I'm improving my guitar skills in order to improve my understanding of music for creativity.

♦ What do you find the most challenging?What do you find the most challenging?What do you find the most challenging?What do you find the most challenging? I find the volunteering events more difficult because it’s more ran-dom and less ordered, meaning I have to be able to adjust to differ-ent positions and environments. I think especially applies to the tasks at senses because chores are always changing depending on the situation

♦ What kinds of goals do you want to achieve in regards to the What kinds of goals do you want to achieve in regards to the What kinds of goals do you want to achieve in regards to the What kinds of goals do you want to achieve in regards to the activities you are taking part in now, and what do you want to activities you are taking part in now, and what do you want to activities you are taking part in now, and what do you want to activities you are taking part in now, and what do you want to improve (time management, skills, etc)?improve (time management, skills, etc)?improve (time management, skills, etc)?improve (time management, skills, etc)?

All of the activities I am taking part in now with regards to service are mainly to make a contribution to the organization volunteer in Dubai. Since I have been volunteering with them for over 3 years now, I feel loyalty towards their cause. I know that my loyalty helps this organization which in turn helps the community. Going to the gym and improving my guitar playing are being done mainly to enhance my skills in both areas. Going to the gym makes me aware of fitness techniques and different pieces of equipment that could better my strength. Whereas playing guitar allows me to develop my ability to read musical notes while simultaneously im-proving my ability to handle the guitar.

♦ Has the CAS program helped you in any ways, is so, give exam-Has the CAS program helped you in any ways, is so, give exam-Has the CAS program helped you in any ways, is so, give exam-Has the CAS program helped you in any ways, is so, give exam-ples. (Better time management, feeling more relaxed, helping ples. (Better time management, feeling more relaxed, helping ples. (Better time management, feeling more relaxed, helping ples. (Better time management, feeling more relaxed, helping you study, giving you balance between social, educational, and you study, giving you balance between social, educational, and you study, giving you balance between social, educational, and you study, giving you balance between social, educational, and other activities)other activities)other activities)other activities)

The main advantage of the CAS program was that I was led to con-stantly engage in new activities. Each individual sector made a great impact towards my life. In terms of service, although I already was a volunteer, I was motivated to attend even more events. In the

process I improved my interests and intra personal skills. I also got promoted to a silver volunteer and got invited to an awards cere-mony containing the 60 volunteers who volunteered the most which was cool. Before CAS, I wouldn't really do any action due to the fact I was too lazy and found it uninteresting. However, once I was persuaded to do so by joining the CAS program, I realized that action is an essential component and plan to keep it in my life. For the creativity sector, I took part in the digital detox week activity. Although it was a failure, it was still worthwhile and I became aware of a lot of weaknesses that were holding me back. I would have never gotten past these weaknesses had I never engaged in these activities in the first place. The UAS Student Council is recruiting for next year. If your children want to be more involved in the UAS community and the life of the school, they have to pick up a form (room 3311), fill it in and bring it back be-fore the 10th of May. This is a great oppor-tunity to make UAS an even better place to study by letting the wishes of the students be heard. The purpose of Student Council is to promote school pride, devel-op teamwork and leadership skills and to develop fully realized links within the school and with both the local and global commu-nity. The Student Council provides a voice for the students. They partici-pate in and organize school activities and facilitate communication between the student body and the school administration. It is an opportunity to develop a skill set not found in any other area of Academia while enhancing their resumes and compliment-ing the academic focus on a college application and balancing their academic life. All students must meet the academic eligibility requirements for extra-curricular activities as indicated in the student handbook. Students must also demonstrate a keen interest to serve the bet-terment of the school community and a desire to improve the day-to –day school life for their peers. All members must:

• Uphold fundamental of morality and ethics.

• Demonstrate honesty, reliability and motivation.

• Show courtesy, concern and respect for others.

• Accept constructive criticism and accept recommendation graciously.

• Exemplify desirable qualities of behavior, the school code of conduct, dress code and rules.

Student of the Month: Student of the Month: Student of the Month: Student of the Month: Mohamad DahhanMohamad DahhanMohamad DahhanMohamad Dahhan

Issue No. 8

AthleticsAthleticsAthleticsAthletics

The month of April wrapped up our athletic year with the conclusion of Rugby and Badminton. The recognition and achievement of our athletic teams will take place at our annual Athletics Banquet. This year will mark the first year that we host a separate athletics ban-quet for our U14 teams. An official invitation will be sent to all par-ents by the end of the week. Please mark your calendars: U14 Athletic BanquetU14 Athletic BanquetU14 Athletic BanquetU14 Athletic Banquet UAS Secondary Library/ Main Lobby Time: 5:00 pm – 7:30pm Date: May 19, 2012 Who: U14 athletes, coaches, and parents Junior VarsityJunior VarsityJunior VarsityJunior Varsity----Varsity Athletic BanquetVarsity Athletic BanquetVarsity Athletic BanquetVarsity Athletic Banquet Jumeirah Emirates Towers Time: 7-11pm Date: June 7, 2012 Who: JV/Varsity Athletes, coaches, parents and friend BadmintonBadmintonBadmintonBadminton Badminton season started with over 80 students trying out for the team this year. We had some very tough competition with the differ-ent schools this year and had some great wins by all of our players at one point or another. We had a mixture of students on our team from grade 7 (Vaibhav Ahuja) to grade 12s for whom this would be their last year (Terri Scott and Jenny Rechenhofer). We have learned a great deal about the game from the coaches and from a lot of game play against ASD, DAA, DIA, AISA and ACS. The ECC tournament was held at DAA this year and we were going to show the bigger schools that we can play some great badminton. We won some big games against ASD and AISA but in the end we came in 4th overall. Ms. Isse and Mr. Hegge thank all of the players, teach-ers and parents who came out during the season and it will be a great year to build from for next year as we get stronger and strong-er. Keep your racquet up and you eye on the shuttle!

2012 JV2012 JV2012 JV2012 JV----Varsity Badminton TeamVarsity Badminton TeamVarsity Badminton TeamVarsity Badminton Team

RugbyRugbyRugbyRugby Congratulations to both the Junior and Varsity Rugby teams. They played at the Middle East International Rugby Festival on the 6th and 7th of April. The competiton featured 2 of England's top rugby schools, including Truro College who will be representing England at the International Secondary School Finals in Japan later this month. The Varsity team beat the Du-bai Hurricanes 29-5, an out-stading victory as the Hurri-canes are one of Dubai's strongest rugby clubs. Article from National (April 7, 2012):Article from National (April 7, 2012):Article from National (April 7, 2012):Article from National (April 7, 2012): ““““In the U18 category, UAS celebrated a famous pool-stage win over Dubai Hurricanes on Saturday. Tries from Lyle Van der Ross, Hassan Jaffar, Berend Brokenhoff - whose twin brother, Bart, excelled at inside centre - and Pedro Barros, combined with conversions from the trusty boot of Jacob Duran, secured a 29-5 win for the team who are in their first full competitive sea-son. "For a school to beat a club side like the Hurricanes is really good for us," Bradley Edwards, the coach and curriculum leader for social studies, said. "The guys were outstanding." A special thanks to all the supporters who made the trip out to support UAS rugby. By Coach Edwards

Issue No. 8

Team Nepal 2012Team Nepal 2012Team Nepal 2012Team Nepal 2012 During April of 2012, twelve students from grade 9 and 10 went on a Service and Leadership trip to Nepal. One of the aims of the trip was to help complete the building of the orphanage we started working with last year. A lot of fundraising was done through sponsorship, movie nights and bake sales to raise money for this orphanage. We raised a total of 36,000 dhs in five months. The first part of the trip consisted of a 6 day trek through the Himalaya Mountains and villages of Nepal. We trekked for 4-5 hours every day, we would then set up camp in an open field or near a village. While trekking we had the opportunity to see extraordinary waterfalls, beautiful moun-tains and learn about the Nepali culture. We got to taste the local food, learn about their religion, traditions, morals and their way of life. Living in tents for 6 days was a new experience for most of us. This made us appreciate the luxury we have in Dubai. While trekking, each of us had a chance to become the ‘leader’ for one day. The leader would be responsible for the group, making sure that while trekking everyone was keeping up, drinking enough water and most importantly, having a good time. The leader was also responsible for organizing everything we would do during the day including meals, setting up camp, and booking anything we needed (buses, hotels, res-taurants etc.). This was a new experience for us and helped us build our leadership skills which we will no doubt use later on in life. The second part of the trip was helping out and teaching at the orphan-age. When we first arrived we were welcomed by the children with a musical ceremony. We were also introduced to the head of the school, Mr. Yeshi. He was an orphan himself, and is a great man who dedicated his life to helping orphans like himself get a decent education to be able to live a good life. We were separated into pairs for teaching. Every pair would teach two classes a day. The grade levels were from KG- grade 5. We planned several different activities for the kids ranging from art and singing to football and sports. We enjoyed our time with the kids and it was great seeing the happy smiles on their faces. On our last day, we had a good-bye ceremony where the kids did a lot of singing and dancing. They gave us gifts and fed us a delicious Nepali meal. We all enjoyed our time in Nepal and strongly recommend this trip for other students.

Jamal KhayatJamal KhayatJamal KhayatJamal Khayat

Issue No. 8

Indemaj VisitIndemaj VisitIndemaj VisitIndemaj Visit As we have previously reported, UAS is the first SMART Showcase School in the UAE. Last week we were visited by a team from SMART and Indemaj , a non-profit organization chaired by HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, devoted to the development of inclusive education at all government schools in the UAE. UAS teachers , Allen Mc Innis, Kimberly Beam, Stephen Michalik and Faten Abilmona presented lesson samples covering topics in elementary geometry and science and the SMART Recorder in secondary Math and the Lesson Activity Tool Kit in Arabic classes. Besides classroom visits, there were also presentations by SMART EXEMPLARY EDUCATORS of UAS. UAS exchanged ideas with the INDEMAJ Team on providing teachers and students of UAS opportunities to create relationships with the students in the government schools, a project that has the potential to be a mutually valuable learning experi-ence – resonating with the Indemaj motto “Together We Can” and UAS beliefs about experiential learning beyond our own school community. I want to thank ICT coordinator Sudha Sunder for organizing this very successful day and for her efforts to connect us with the Indemaj Foun-dation and for creating this link of reaching out to the community.

Issue No. 8

issue no. 8 may 3, 2012 notes from the principalnotes from ... · notes from the principalnotes...

Documents