The Grid SLO Newsletter Term 1 2016 Grid Mentoring Sessions Peer-to-Peer Tutoring Cleanliness Campaign Senior Breakfast Flag Day Job Fair
Parent Orientation Day Every year, the Parent Orientation Day is held on the last few days of summer, where both new students and parents are informed about how the school system works, and are shown around the school campus by the SLO Outreach prefects. They were also introduced to the weekly exams for grades 5 and above, and CAT exams for the primary school. Outreach prefects gave the parents a tour and introduced them to the many activities that take place throughout the year. With a welcoming smile, our prefects were ready to answer any question. 1
First Day of School After a long summer vacation, it was finally time for the students to come back to school. The first day of school for the academic year 2016-2017 was on the 28 th of August. It marked an indelible date to our numerous new students, especially the KG1 students. They were greeted by our SLO prefects and were welcomed by taking pictures along with their parents. 2
SLO Orientation During the first week of school, the SLO team assigned prefects to introduce the Student Life Organization TM to all grades, talking about its goals and benefits. It was also to emphasize that this organization is not a fun activity, but its real purpose is to train students how to take responsibility and how to put themselves at risk by confronting wrongdoers and correcting wrongdoings. The SLO prefects were trained enough to stand confidently and to answer questions. 3
Job Fair On the second week of school, the senior prefects organized a Job Fair. The purpose behind this event was to encourage students to get involved in the SLO. The event also gave students information about the various departments of the SLO and its functions. Many students signed up in these departments as determined prefects. With numerous prefects working for the SLO, we will definitely achieve many goals together as a team. 4
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Eid Celebration The school happily celebrated Eid with the help of the SLO prefects. Our prefects greeted the staff and students with a warm Eid Mubarak. Sweets and flowers were also distributed to the staff and students. The Outreach prefects took pictures with the students that then spread a smile across their faces. 6
Healthy Food Day In the ISC Al Ain, being healthy is an essential priority. To promote this, the Sports and Health Department organized and set up a project spreading the awareness of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Part of keeping a healthy lifestyle is having a balance between vitamins, minerals, with little to no junk food. Healthy eating is very important for every student as the food we eat impacts our brain activity. A healthy brain is in a healthy body. 7
SLO Newsletter Term 1 2016 Cleanliness Presentation Cleanliness is a clean habit that is very important to all of us. It is not only the responsibility of one person it is the responsibility of each and every individual at home, school or country. As a helpful way to promote this, our Cleanliness Prefects performed a small presentation to influence their fellow students. They showed a slideshow that explained the importance of cleanliness and also demonstrated the correct way of throwing trash to the proper bin. 8
Every year, the graduating class, Senior Breakfast along with the help of the SLO, plan out a Senior Breakfast that is held in the school cafeteria. It is a way of allowing the seniors to have fun and interact with both their peers and teachers. The seniors provided a variety of foods and drinks along with a senior cake. Good times come and go, but the memories will last forever. 9
On the 27 th of October, our Seniors Class of 2017 organized a Senior Dinner barbeque dinner with their teachers to cement the bonds and memories that have been forged among them. The seniors were delighted by the school s generous surprise: a Bouncy Castle! Teachers and students jumped and slid and laughed, making it one of their most memorable event. After a friendly game of tug of war, they filled their growling bellies with succulent grilled meats and delicious salads. Amiable conversations accompanied the dinner table as they spoke of their dreams and ambitions, making it a great Senior Dinner. 10
Flag Day On the 3 rd of November, we celebrate the UAE Flag Day. The UAE flag is a symbol of great pride to the Emirates. Like the flag of every nation, it must be respected and treated with honor. Since the UAE s flag is made up of the traditional pan-arab colors, what those colors represent is important in a special way to the Emiratis. Red: represents hardness, bravery, strength and courage Green: represents hope, joy, optimism and love White: represents peace and honesty. Black: stands for the defeat of enemies as well as the strength of mind On that day, all of our students and staff sang the UAE national anthem and raised the flags. 11 10
Grid Mentoring Sessions The International School of Choueifat Al Ain provides a weekly set of questions called grid questions, which are the most important questions for success. These grid questions are given to the Shadow Teachers of each subject in order for them to teach their fellow students that have failed their exam the week before. The Shadow Teachers are given an 'x-dot' sheet with the number of questions to be solved. The students are then tested on the questions later on during the week to fix, improve, and to fill any gap in the student s learning. The teacher and the Shadow Teacher have to motivate the students to sit for the Grid Mentoring Sessions. Our main aim is to have zero failing students. 12
Peer-to-Peer Tutoring In the International School of Choueifat - Al Ain, students are given the chance to exceed in exams and achieve their most wanted results. For this very reason, the SLO Academic Department is of great importance. The Academic Prefects set-up tutoring sessions for different subjects in the school library, where students are taught both the grid questions and failed concepts. This ensures that the students who need academic help are given specific and in-depth tutoring, and also encourage all students to seek academic support when needed. 13
A Colourful Change 14
HERE AND THERE SABIS Educational Summer Camp 2016 Ashwicke Hall School - Bath, UK The SABIS Educational Summer Camp was a great getaway from my local school back home and an experience that I won t forget in the near future. It taught me how to be independent, confident and responsible. It really was the perfect balance between fun and study as we got to learn new things every day and at the same time, discover and tour around Bath. The best part was meeting new people and learning how to be more social and outgoing with them. Even though the first few days were difficult adjusting, everyone around, especially the house parents, were very sweet and welcoming. Many different courses were given such as SAT, public speaking, horse back riding, and a load of afterschool clubs, like photography, science, gardening, debate, hiking and much more. My experience made me more mature after those four weeks. Until this day, I m in touch with all of the people I met at the camp, across the world from different SABIS always be my second family. schools. They will truly Ghena Aswad, 11S 15
SABIS Study Abroad Program Term 3, 2016 Ashwicke Hall School, Bath, UK The days passed by when I discovered that I got the acceptance for the Study Abroad Program for Term. The moment I arrived, I was shy, scared and stressed, but at the same time, excited. At first, I was not really involved in the SLO, but overtime I earned many SLO points from peer tutoring, helping with some events and other activities. Furthermore, I visited many new places such as the Big Ben, London Eye, London Dungeons, British Museum and much more. From these fascinating trips, I kept numerous amounts of souvenirs as a memory. In addition, the views were spectacular and everything was green, fresh and beautiful! Living away from home has definitely made me more independent and confident overall. I have learned how to take care of myself as well as making decisions without the assistance of my parents. Additionally, it has made me a stronger person. As much as I was missing my parents, it was great being independent because it made me feel more grown up. I have had the opportunity to experience something that many people would love to have the chance to do and it made me feel very fortunate. I have gained so much from my experience there, and I would encourage anyone ever thinking about studying abroad to go for it because you get so much out of this experience! Lara Kanaan, 8A 16
Clubs Timings This year, we have three new clubs in addition to Art Club. We now have Drama Club, Dance Club and Senior Choir Club. Day Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Club Drama Dance Senior Choir Senior Choir Drama Time 1:00-2:20 4:00-5:00 1:00-1:30 2:20-3:10 4:00-5:00 4:00-5:00 4:00-5:00 Club Senior Choir Art Club Time 1:00-2:20 1:00-1:30 Did You Know? Albert Einstein s brain was actually physically different than the rest of ours. Many curious researchers have examined Einstein's brain since his death, uncovering many curious, if ultimately specious, findings. However, one study did find that Einstein's parietal lobe, the region responsible for mathematical thought, visuospatial cognition, and imagery of movement was 15 percent larger than an average person's! Renad Khleif, 10SA 17
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Generosity Respect Independence Determination