28
SHARJAH ENGLISH SCHOOL DECEMBER 2013 Inside: • How to view more photos from our Christmas Concerts using Smug Mug • School trips and activities • Duke of Edinburgh - Gold Award Students
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SHARJAH ENGLISH SCHOOLDECEMBER 2013
Inside bullHow to view more photos from our Christmas Concerts using Smug Mug
bullSchool trips and activitiesbullDuke of Edinburgh - Gold Award Students
Principalrsquos Message
by John Nolan
bull bull bull
Dear Parents and Friends
As always it is a pleasure to share some of the highlights of the past half-term with you Another busy term at SES both in terms of learning and teaching and extra-curricular activities such as sports camps performances and competitions
The cooler weather however ideal for getting active outdoors has also brought some inclement weather this year The school was ordered to close due to the rain on November 14th We regret and apologise for very late notification given to parents on that occasion the school was required by ministry instruction to send the students home and we were only notified of this when school was well under way We would like to thank parents for their understanding on this occasion There was a further very late announcement of the school closing to celebrate the award of Expo 2020 to Dubai Again this was a directive outside of our control Obviously in the light of unforeseen events such as this SES will review our parental communication and seek to keep that as effective and up-to-date as possible
The day selected for our Winter Fayre appeared ominous rain-wise but in fact the event was a resounding success We are very grateful to
sponsors exhibitors and stall-holders and especially to the SES staff and community for supporting the event so well Thanks to your efforts the school funds have received a healthy boost with a profit of nearly 60000dhs The credit for this must chiefly go to the Parent Support Group for whom the event marks the culmination of many months of hard work and planning
Throughout term one our teaching staff have in addition to their daily work-load been extremely busy in maintaining their own skills and professional development They have attended a record number of courses conferences and training sessions my thanks to them for continually updating their good practice often devoting weekend and after school hours to this end Unquestionably the students will be the benefactors of this commitment
As the term draws to a close I hope that as many parents as possible will attend and enjoy the end of term presentations and musical events for the festive season On behalf of the staff I wish all our families a happy festive season and a restful and peaceful holiday
Thanks for your continuing support
John Nolan
INTERNATIONAL AWARD
This term has seen the first two of our students complete the Gold Level International Award (Duke of Edinburgh
Award) ndash well done to Robyn Boulton and to Sarah-Jayne Hill
Good luck to the dozen or so who will complete this challenging qualification in the next few months The next batch of Bronze and Silver aspirants are already embarked on their challenge with the practice
expeditions taking place over recent weekends hours of community work and service being clocked up and skills being honed in sport and other hobbies
GCSE AWARDS EVENING
November saw our first dedicated GCSE Awards Evening for many years When the secondary school was much smaller this was a regular feature of the calendar but as the school grew it became part of our end of year Prize Day and Graduation
Mr Tim Smith Dean at the HCT our guest speaker for the evening commented on the continuing close relationship between the school and the Higher Colleges of Technology Tim spoke of his childrenrsquos time at SES and their fond memories of the place as well as giving advice to the GCSE graduates about their future academic and life paths
Primary School
by Nan McKeownHead of Primary
bull bull bull
It has been a busy term Despite the delay we greatly enjoyed National Day Celebrations with art and craft activities Arabic songs and dressing up in the colours of the UAE flag The school looked bright and colourful with flags balloons and buntings There was quite a party atmosphere
Teddy Bears Picnics Porsche driving programmes environmental competitions and charity fundraising have all added variety to the calendar Various sporting fixtures showed SES to be a school rich in talent and spirit The recent Aquathlon provided a new challenge for KS2 Despite being pushed to their limits the children gave it their all and were incredibly determined to finish the course Overnight camping for Year 5 was quite a showcase for our young people to work on team building activities Watching the teams make a raft from scratch and race it provided much hilarity especially for those who fell off All these experiences help to make our school such a happy and exciting
place to develop
As we end the term I would like to take time to thank everyone for their continued support of the school We have a growing number of parents who regularly give their free time to volunteer in classes and on educational trips The extra hands greatly assist the teachers and of course the children who enjoy the extra attention Thank you to all involved in the PSG who helped in the planning and preparation of the Winter Fair Your efforts certainly paid off The PSG also supplied gifts for all the childrenrsquos parties and supplied refreshments at our concerts and other events this term
As we close for the holidays may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Festive Season If you are travelling I wish you a safe journey
I look forward to welcoming you all again in the New Year
AUSMAS ABACUS AND MENTAL ARITHMETIC INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Congratulations to Shubangi and Prathyusha in Year 5 for their recent success The twins travelled to Malaysia for five days to compete in the UCMAS Abacus and Mental Arithmetic International Competition Two thousand five hundred and forty three competitors from fifty five different countries took part and the girls performed excellently achieving third place in the intermediate group
Well done Shubangi and
Prathyusha
FoundationMrs Doublesin amp Mrs Hornibrook amp Mrs Herrmann-
Bell amp Mrs Passeybull bull bull
AUTUMN PARTY DAY
On Thursday 31st October the children in the Foundation Stage had an Autumn Party The children were really excited before the event and to add to the occasion the children created lots of fantastic artwork to decorate their Foundation area
On the day the children came to school dressed in a fantastic array of fancy dress costumes The children really enjoyed the party games and there was some really creative and active dancing during our spookaboogy
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AUTUMN PARTY DAY
Foundation News
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CELEBRATING UAE NATIONAL DAY
Any occasion to not wear our uniforms to school is a special one and UAE National Day is no exception
The children were given the opportunity to wear their very own National Day outfits to school Some chose to represent the colours of the UAE flag in their clothing while others wore actual flags and other festive outfits
We even had some students arrive in traditional UAE attire Of course the Foundation building was also appropriately dressed with flags ribbons and balloons
We coloured UAE flags and made glittery peg camels to take home at the end of the day We really had a blast this year
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
LEARNER DRIVERS
On Thursday 31st October the Learner Drivers in Foundation Two
We were treated to a special day when Porsche arrived at Sharjah English School First we had a talk about road safety and the importance of wearing seat belts in the car and who is allowed to sit in the front seat of the car The children were also introduced to some road signs and had great fun trying to guess what they meant
Next the children were given the chance to drive in a Porsche pedal car round a track set up by the Porsche team on the playground at school That was great fun and there were some interesting driving manoeuvres round the roundabouts
We finished with all the children being awarded a Porsche License for their driving efforts
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation 2
TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
On the 5th December the Foundation children had a teddy bears picnic in the schoolrsquos gardens The children were very excited to bring their bears that day and really got into the occasion by dressing up as bears The picnic got off to a fun start with teddy games teddy biscuits and a teddy bearrsquos picnic
A really great day was had by all
Teddy Bears Picnic (Song)
If you went down to the garden that dayYou were sure of a big surpriseIf you went down to the garden that dayYoud see the children in disguise
For every child that ever there wasWas gathered there for certain becausethat was the day the teddy bears had their picnic
Every teddy bear thats been goodwas sure of a treat that dayThere were lots of wonderful things to eatAnd wonderful games to play
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AQUATHLON 2013
Some of the students at Sharjah English School competed in a competition known as an Aquathlon They started the race in the water then climbed out and put on their running clothes and raced off around the school field The effort and determination we saw from the athletes was outstanding Thank you to all the staff involved and of course the Year 10 and 11 leaders who made the day a success
SES AQUATHLON
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
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VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
Principalrsquos Message
by John Nolan
bull bull bull
Dear Parents and Friends
As always it is a pleasure to share some of the highlights of the past half-term with you Another busy term at SES both in terms of learning and teaching and extra-curricular activities such as sports camps performances and competitions
The cooler weather however ideal for getting active outdoors has also brought some inclement weather this year The school was ordered to close due to the rain on November 14th We regret and apologise for very late notification given to parents on that occasion the school was required by ministry instruction to send the students home and we were only notified of this when school was well under way We would like to thank parents for their understanding on this occasion There was a further very late announcement of the school closing to celebrate the award of Expo 2020 to Dubai Again this was a directive outside of our control Obviously in the light of unforeseen events such as this SES will review our parental communication and seek to keep that as effective and up-to-date as possible
The day selected for our Winter Fayre appeared ominous rain-wise but in fact the event was a resounding success We are very grateful to
sponsors exhibitors and stall-holders and especially to the SES staff and community for supporting the event so well Thanks to your efforts the school funds have received a healthy boost with a profit of nearly 60000dhs The credit for this must chiefly go to the Parent Support Group for whom the event marks the culmination of many months of hard work and planning
Throughout term one our teaching staff have in addition to their daily work-load been extremely busy in maintaining their own skills and professional development They have attended a record number of courses conferences and training sessions my thanks to them for continually updating their good practice often devoting weekend and after school hours to this end Unquestionably the students will be the benefactors of this commitment
As the term draws to a close I hope that as many parents as possible will attend and enjoy the end of term presentations and musical events for the festive season On behalf of the staff I wish all our families a happy festive season and a restful and peaceful holiday
Thanks for your continuing support
John Nolan
INTERNATIONAL AWARD
This term has seen the first two of our students complete the Gold Level International Award (Duke of Edinburgh
Award) ndash well done to Robyn Boulton and to Sarah-Jayne Hill
Good luck to the dozen or so who will complete this challenging qualification in the next few months The next batch of Bronze and Silver aspirants are already embarked on their challenge with the practice
expeditions taking place over recent weekends hours of community work and service being clocked up and skills being honed in sport and other hobbies
GCSE AWARDS EVENING
November saw our first dedicated GCSE Awards Evening for many years When the secondary school was much smaller this was a regular feature of the calendar but as the school grew it became part of our end of year Prize Day and Graduation
Mr Tim Smith Dean at the HCT our guest speaker for the evening commented on the continuing close relationship between the school and the Higher Colleges of Technology Tim spoke of his childrenrsquos time at SES and their fond memories of the place as well as giving advice to the GCSE graduates about their future academic and life paths
Primary School
by Nan McKeownHead of Primary
bull bull bull
It has been a busy term Despite the delay we greatly enjoyed National Day Celebrations with art and craft activities Arabic songs and dressing up in the colours of the UAE flag The school looked bright and colourful with flags balloons and buntings There was quite a party atmosphere
Teddy Bears Picnics Porsche driving programmes environmental competitions and charity fundraising have all added variety to the calendar Various sporting fixtures showed SES to be a school rich in talent and spirit The recent Aquathlon provided a new challenge for KS2 Despite being pushed to their limits the children gave it their all and were incredibly determined to finish the course Overnight camping for Year 5 was quite a showcase for our young people to work on team building activities Watching the teams make a raft from scratch and race it provided much hilarity especially for those who fell off All these experiences help to make our school such a happy and exciting
place to develop
As we end the term I would like to take time to thank everyone for their continued support of the school We have a growing number of parents who regularly give their free time to volunteer in classes and on educational trips The extra hands greatly assist the teachers and of course the children who enjoy the extra attention Thank you to all involved in the PSG who helped in the planning and preparation of the Winter Fair Your efforts certainly paid off The PSG also supplied gifts for all the childrenrsquos parties and supplied refreshments at our concerts and other events this term
As we close for the holidays may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Festive Season If you are travelling I wish you a safe journey
I look forward to welcoming you all again in the New Year
AUSMAS ABACUS AND MENTAL ARITHMETIC INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Congratulations to Shubangi and Prathyusha in Year 5 for their recent success The twins travelled to Malaysia for five days to compete in the UCMAS Abacus and Mental Arithmetic International Competition Two thousand five hundred and forty three competitors from fifty five different countries took part and the girls performed excellently achieving third place in the intermediate group
Well done Shubangi and
Prathyusha
FoundationMrs Doublesin amp Mrs Hornibrook amp Mrs Herrmann-
Bell amp Mrs Passeybull bull bull
AUTUMN PARTY DAY
On Thursday 31st October the children in the Foundation Stage had an Autumn Party The children were really excited before the event and to add to the occasion the children created lots of fantastic artwork to decorate their Foundation area
On the day the children came to school dressed in a fantastic array of fancy dress costumes The children really enjoyed the party games and there was some really creative and active dancing during our spookaboogy
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AUTUMN PARTY DAY
Foundation News
bull bull bull
CELEBRATING UAE NATIONAL DAY
Any occasion to not wear our uniforms to school is a special one and UAE National Day is no exception
The children were given the opportunity to wear their very own National Day outfits to school Some chose to represent the colours of the UAE flag in their clothing while others wore actual flags and other festive outfits
We even had some students arrive in traditional UAE attire Of course the Foundation building was also appropriately dressed with flags ribbons and balloons
We coloured UAE flags and made glittery peg camels to take home at the end of the day We really had a blast this year
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
LEARNER DRIVERS
On Thursday 31st October the Learner Drivers in Foundation Two
We were treated to a special day when Porsche arrived at Sharjah English School First we had a talk about road safety and the importance of wearing seat belts in the car and who is allowed to sit in the front seat of the car The children were also introduced to some road signs and had great fun trying to guess what they meant
Next the children were given the chance to drive in a Porsche pedal car round a track set up by the Porsche team on the playground at school That was great fun and there were some interesting driving manoeuvres round the roundabouts
We finished with all the children being awarded a Porsche License for their driving efforts
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation 2
TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
On the 5th December the Foundation children had a teddy bears picnic in the schoolrsquos gardens The children were very excited to bring their bears that day and really got into the occasion by dressing up as bears The picnic got off to a fun start with teddy games teddy biscuits and a teddy bearrsquos picnic
A really great day was had by all
Teddy Bears Picnic (Song)
If you went down to the garden that dayYou were sure of a big surpriseIf you went down to the garden that dayYoud see the children in disguise
For every child that ever there wasWas gathered there for certain becausethat was the day the teddy bears had their picnic
Every teddy bear thats been goodwas sure of a treat that dayThere were lots of wonderful things to eatAnd wonderful games to play
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AQUATHLON 2013
Some of the students at Sharjah English School competed in a competition known as an Aquathlon They started the race in the water then climbed out and put on their running clothes and raced off around the school field The effort and determination we saw from the athletes was outstanding Thank you to all the staff involved and of course the Year 10 and 11 leaders who made the day a success
SES AQUATHLON
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
Primary School
by Nan McKeownHead of Primary
bull bull bull
It has been a busy term Despite the delay we greatly enjoyed National Day Celebrations with art and craft activities Arabic songs and dressing up in the colours of the UAE flag The school looked bright and colourful with flags balloons and buntings There was quite a party atmosphere
Teddy Bears Picnics Porsche driving programmes environmental competitions and charity fundraising have all added variety to the calendar Various sporting fixtures showed SES to be a school rich in talent and spirit The recent Aquathlon provided a new challenge for KS2 Despite being pushed to their limits the children gave it their all and were incredibly determined to finish the course Overnight camping for Year 5 was quite a showcase for our young people to work on team building activities Watching the teams make a raft from scratch and race it provided much hilarity especially for those who fell off All these experiences help to make our school such a happy and exciting
place to develop
As we end the term I would like to take time to thank everyone for their continued support of the school We have a growing number of parents who regularly give their free time to volunteer in classes and on educational trips The extra hands greatly assist the teachers and of course the children who enjoy the extra attention Thank you to all involved in the PSG who helped in the planning and preparation of the Winter Fair Your efforts certainly paid off The PSG also supplied gifts for all the childrenrsquos parties and supplied refreshments at our concerts and other events this term
As we close for the holidays may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Festive Season If you are travelling I wish you a safe journey
I look forward to welcoming you all again in the New Year
AUSMAS ABACUS AND MENTAL ARITHMETIC INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Congratulations to Shubangi and Prathyusha in Year 5 for their recent success The twins travelled to Malaysia for five days to compete in the UCMAS Abacus and Mental Arithmetic International Competition Two thousand five hundred and forty three competitors from fifty five different countries took part and the girls performed excellently achieving third place in the intermediate group
Well done Shubangi and
Prathyusha
FoundationMrs Doublesin amp Mrs Hornibrook amp Mrs Herrmann-
Bell amp Mrs Passeybull bull bull
AUTUMN PARTY DAY
On Thursday 31st October the children in the Foundation Stage had an Autumn Party The children were really excited before the event and to add to the occasion the children created lots of fantastic artwork to decorate their Foundation area
On the day the children came to school dressed in a fantastic array of fancy dress costumes The children really enjoyed the party games and there was some really creative and active dancing during our spookaboogy
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AUTUMN PARTY DAY
Foundation News
bull bull bull
CELEBRATING UAE NATIONAL DAY
Any occasion to not wear our uniforms to school is a special one and UAE National Day is no exception
The children were given the opportunity to wear their very own National Day outfits to school Some chose to represent the colours of the UAE flag in their clothing while others wore actual flags and other festive outfits
We even had some students arrive in traditional UAE attire Of course the Foundation building was also appropriately dressed with flags ribbons and balloons
We coloured UAE flags and made glittery peg camels to take home at the end of the day We really had a blast this year
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
LEARNER DRIVERS
On Thursday 31st October the Learner Drivers in Foundation Two
We were treated to a special day when Porsche arrived at Sharjah English School First we had a talk about road safety and the importance of wearing seat belts in the car and who is allowed to sit in the front seat of the car The children were also introduced to some road signs and had great fun trying to guess what they meant
Next the children were given the chance to drive in a Porsche pedal car round a track set up by the Porsche team on the playground at school That was great fun and there were some interesting driving manoeuvres round the roundabouts
We finished with all the children being awarded a Porsche License for their driving efforts
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation 2
TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
On the 5th December the Foundation children had a teddy bears picnic in the schoolrsquos gardens The children were very excited to bring their bears that day and really got into the occasion by dressing up as bears The picnic got off to a fun start with teddy games teddy biscuits and a teddy bearrsquos picnic
A really great day was had by all
Teddy Bears Picnic (Song)
If you went down to the garden that dayYou were sure of a big surpriseIf you went down to the garden that dayYoud see the children in disguise
For every child that ever there wasWas gathered there for certain becausethat was the day the teddy bears had their picnic
Every teddy bear thats been goodwas sure of a treat that dayThere were lots of wonderful things to eatAnd wonderful games to play
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AQUATHLON 2013
Some of the students at Sharjah English School competed in a competition known as an Aquathlon They started the race in the water then climbed out and put on their running clothes and raced off around the school field The effort and determination we saw from the athletes was outstanding Thank you to all the staff involved and of course the Year 10 and 11 leaders who made the day a success
SES AQUATHLON
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
FoundationMrs Doublesin amp Mrs Hornibrook amp Mrs Herrmann-
Bell amp Mrs Passeybull bull bull
AUTUMN PARTY DAY
On Thursday 31st October the children in the Foundation Stage had an Autumn Party The children were really excited before the event and to add to the occasion the children created lots of fantastic artwork to decorate their Foundation area
On the day the children came to school dressed in a fantastic array of fancy dress costumes The children really enjoyed the party games and there was some really creative and active dancing during our spookaboogy
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AUTUMN PARTY DAY
Foundation News
bull bull bull
CELEBRATING UAE NATIONAL DAY
Any occasion to not wear our uniforms to school is a special one and UAE National Day is no exception
The children were given the opportunity to wear their very own National Day outfits to school Some chose to represent the colours of the UAE flag in their clothing while others wore actual flags and other festive outfits
We even had some students arrive in traditional UAE attire Of course the Foundation building was also appropriately dressed with flags ribbons and balloons
We coloured UAE flags and made glittery peg camels to take home at the end of the day We really had a blast this year
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
LEARNER DRIVERS
On Thursday 31st October the Learner Drivers in Foundation Two
We were treated to a special day when Porsche arrived at Sharjah English School First we had a talk about road safety and the importance of wearing seat belts in the car and who is allowed to sit in the front seat of the car The children were also introduced to some road signs and had great fun trying to guess what they meant
Next the children were given the chance to drive in a Porsche pedal car round a track set up by the Porsche team on the playground at school That was great fun and there were some interesting driving manoeuvres round the roundabouts
We finished with all the children being awarded a Porsche License for their driving efforts
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation 2
TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
On the 5th December the Foundation children had a teddy bears picnic in the schoolrsquos gardens The children were very excited to bring their bears that day and really got into the occasion by dressing up as bears The picnic got off to a fun start with teddy games teddy biscuits and a teddy bearrsquos picnic
A really great day was had by all
Teddy Bears Picnic (Song)
If you went down to the garden that dayYou were sure of a big surpriseIf you went down to the garden that dayYoud see the children in disguise
For every child that ever there wasWas gathered there for certain becausethat was the day the teddy bears had their picnic
Every teddy bear thats been goodwas sure of a treat that dayThere were lots of wonderful things to eatAnd wonderful games to play
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AQUATHLON 2013
Some of the students at Sharjah English School competed in a competition known as an Aquathlon They started the race in the water then climbed out and put on their running clothes and raced off around the school field The effort and determination we saw from the athletes was outstanding Thank you to all the staff involved and of course the Year 10 and 11 leaders who made the day a success
SES AQUATHLON
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
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VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
AUTUMN PARTY DAY
Foundation News
bull bull bull
CELEBRATING UAE NATIONAL DAY
Any occasion to not wear our uniforms to school is a special one and UAE National Day is no exception
The children were given the opportunity to wear their very own National Day outfits to school Some chose to represent the colours of the UAE flag in their clothing while others wore actual flags and other festive outfits
We even had some students arrive in traditional UAE attire Of course the Foundation building was also appropriately dressed with flags ribbons and balloons
We coloured UAE flags and made glittery peg camels to take home at the end of the day We really had a blast this year
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
LEARNER DRIVERS
On Thursday 31st October the Learner Drivers in Foundation Two
We were treated to a special day when Porsche arrived at Sharjah English School First we had a talk about road safety and the importance of wearing seat belts in the car and who is allowed to sit in the front seat of the car The children were also introduced to some road signs and had great fun trying to guess what they meant
Next the children were given the chance to drive in a Porsche pedal car round a track set up by the Porsche team on the playground at school That was great fun and there were some interesting driving manoeuvres round the roundabouts
We finished with all the children being awarded a Porsche License for their driving efforts
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation 2
TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
On the 5th December the Foundation children had a teddy bears picnic in the schoolrsquos gardens The children were very excited to bring their bears that day and really got into the occasion by dressing up as bears The picnic got off to a fun start with teddy games teddy biscuits and a teddy bearrsquos picnic
A really great day was had by all
Teddy Bears Picnic (Song)
If you went down to the garden that dayYou were sure of a big surpriseIf you went down to the garden that dayYoud see the children in disguise
For every child that ever there wasWas gathered there for certain becausethat was the day the teddy bears had their picnic
Every teddy bear thats been goodwas sure of a treat that dayThere were lots of wonderful things to eatAnd wonderful games to play
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AQUATHLON 2013
Some of the students at Sharjah English School competed in a competition known as an Aquathlon They started the race in the water then climbed out and put on their running clothes and raced off around the school field The effort and determination we saw from the athletes was outstanding Thank you to all the staff involved and of course the Year 10 and 11 leaders who made the day a success
SES AQUATHLON
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
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VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
bull bull bull
CELEBRATING UAE NATIONAL DAY
Any occasion to not wear our uniforms to school is a special one and UAE National Day is no exception
The children were given the opportunity to wear their very own National Day outfits to school Some chose to represent the colours of the UAE flag in their clothing while others wore actual flags and other festive outfits
We even had some students arrive in traditional UAE attire Of course the Foundation building was also appropriately dressed with flags ribbons and balloons
We coloured UAE flags and made glittery peg camels to take home at the end of the day We really had a blast this year
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
LEARNER DRIVERS
On Thursday 31st October the Learner Drivers in Foundation Two
We were treated to a special day when Porsche arrived at Sharjah English School First we had a talk about road safety and the importance of wearing seat belts in the car and who is allowed to sit in the front seat of the car The children were also introduced to some road signs and had great fun trying to guess what they meant
Next the children were given the chance to drive in a Porsche pedal car round a track set up by the Porsche team on the playground at school That was great fun and there were some interesting driving manoeuvres round the roundabouts
We finished with all the children being awarded a Porsche License for their driving efforts
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation 2
TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
On the 5th December the Foundation children had a teddy bears picnic in the schoolrsquos gardens The children were very excited to bring their bears that day and really got into the occasion by dressing up as bears The picnic got off to a fun start with teddy games teddy biscuits and a teddy bearrsquos picnic
A really great day was had by all
Teddy Bears Picnic (Song)
If you went down to the garden that dayYou were sure of a big surpriseIf you went down to the garden that dayYoud see the children in disguise
For every child that ever there wasWas gathered there for certain becausethat was the day the teddy bears had their picnic
Every teddy bear thats been goodwas sure of a treat that dayThere were lots of wonderful things to eatAnd wonderful games to play
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AQUATHLON 2013
Some of the students at Sharjah English School competed in a competition known as an Aquathlon They started the race in the water then climbed out and put on their running clothes and raced off around the school field The effort and determination we saw from the athletes was outstanding Thank you to all the staff involved and of course the Year 10 and 11 leaders who made the day a success
SES AQUATHLON
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
LEARNER DRIVERS
On Thursday 31st October the Learner Drivers in Foundation Two
We were treated to a special day when Porsche arrived at Sharjah English School First we had a talk about road safety and the importance of wearing seat belts in the car and who is allowed to sit in the front seat of the car The children were also introduced to some road signs and had great fun trying to guess what they meant
Next the children were given the chance to drive in a Porsche pedal car round a track set up by the Porsche team on the playground at school That was great fun and there were some interesting driving manoeuvres round the roundabouts
We finished with all the children being awarded a Porsche License for their driving efforts
A great day was had by all
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation 2
TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
On the 5th December the Foundation children had a teddy bears picnic in the schoolrsquos gardens The children were very excited to bring their bears that day and really got into the occasion by dressing up as bears The picnic got off to a fun start with teddy games teddy biscuits and a teddy bearrsquos picnic
A really great day was had by all
Teddy Bears Picnic (Song)
If you went down to the garden that dayYou were sure of a big surpriseIf you went down to the garden that dayYoud see the children in disguise
For every child that ever there wasWas gathered there for certain becausethat was the day the teddy bears had their picnic
Every teddy bear thats been goodwas sure of a treat that dayThere were lots of wonderful things to eatAnd wonderful games to play
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AQUATHLON 2013
Some of the students at Sharjah English School competed in a competition known as an Aquathlon They started the race in the water then climbed out and put on their running clothes and raced off around the school field The effort and determination we saw from the athletes was outstanding Thank you to all the staff involved and of course the Year 10 and 11 leaders who made the day a success
SES AQUATHLON
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
On the 5th December the Foundation children had a teddy bears picnic in the schoolrsquos gardens The children were very excited to bring their bears that day and really got into the occasion by dressing up as bears The picnic got off to a fun start with teddy games teddy biscuits and a teddy bearrsquos picnic
A really great day was had by all
Teddy Bears Picnic (Song)
If you went down to the garden that dayYou were sure of a big surpriseIf you went down to the garden that dayYoud see the children in disguise
For every child that ever there wasWas gathered there for certain becausethat was the day the teddy bears had their picnic
Every teddy bear thats been goodwas sure of a treat that dayThere were lots of wonderful things to eatAnd wonderful games to play
Whatrsquos happening in Foundation
AQUATHLON 2013
Some of the students at Sharjah English School competed in a competition known as an Aquathlon They started the race in the water then climbed out and put on their running clothes and raced off around the school field The effort and determination we saw from the athletes was outstanding Thank you to all the staff involved and of course the Year 10 and 11 leaders who made the day a success
SES AQUATHLON
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
AQUATHLON 2013
Some of the students at Sharjah English School competed in a competition known as an Aquathlon They started the race in the water then climbed out and put on their running clothes and raced off around the school field The effort and determination we saw from the athletes was outstanding Thank you to all the staff involved and of course the Year 10 and 11 leaders who made the day a success
SES AQUATHLON
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
SCIENCE IN ACTION
This term in Year Four we have been studying lsquoSolids and Liquidsrsquo as part of a science investigation We have had great fun experimenting with delicious chocolate freezing ice and soft wax We devised a test to see which of these materials would melt the fastest when heated from a solid state Which one do you think melted quickest
YEAR 4
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
Year 5
ADVENTURE TRIP
Year 5 instead of the traditional desert safari opted to go on an overnight Adventure Trip in Umm Al Quwain
While they were there they participated in lots of fun and exciting activities including archery raft building raft racing kayaking swimming and team building games The children received a special treat in the form of an accommodation upgrade from dormitories to three-star luxury chalets
Miss Cannon Mrs Lloyd Mr Shinn and Mrs Mc Keown accompanied the children on this action packed trip where they got to take part in some of the activities Here are a few photos of the two day camp You can tell that everyone who went thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from start to finishf
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
by Mr OrsquoBrien amp Mrs Baggaley
SCHOOL TRIP TO AL TAMIMI STABLES 25TH NOVEMBER
On Monday year six went on a school trip to Al Tamimi Stables which is located in Sharjah as part of our science topic We did many things such as feeding the animals visiting the stables and of course playing games There were many things to do and we were all very tired on the way back to school
Al Tamimi stables used to be private property before the owner decided to open it to the public since he only visits it every Friday His house is there quite near to the stables We found out that sometimes musicians come and record songs since its so peaceful and calm No one disturbs them and they have a private place to work
First thing we did was play a few games The first game we played involved twenty-six cones two teams and a lot of speed The aim of the game was to collect as many cones as possiblewhichever team got the most won that round To make it more challenging in the second round you werent allowed to use your hands and in the third and final round you were prohibited from using your hands or feet One rule to remember when playing this fun-filled game only one person is allowed to get the cone at a time and theyre only allowed to get one cone
The second game consisted of a small ball (around the same size as a tennis ball) and fantastic teams of pairs You would stand opposite your partner at about a metre away The first
instruction was easy - you just had to simply throw to your partner But of course it got harder you had to stand on one leg and throw the ball to your partner easy enough Then the really difficult bit came You had to stand on one leg and swap the ball to your other hand So if you were left-handed you would swap it to your right hand Heres a tip dont throw it too high
Then we played our final game For this one you had to be good at scoring a goal at football Dont panic if you dont play football As long as you know how to kick a ball you would have been perfectly fine For the first round (as you would have probably guessed) you just had to kick the ball get it past the goal-keeper and score a GOAL The second round was fairly easy too You had to jump in between lines and then score a goal
Then we finally got to see and feed the animals There were a lot of animals Here are a few goats camels llamas donkeys
turtles tortoises ducks The lady who showed us around instructed us to get a small bunch of grass It couldnt be too big otherwise the animals would be over-fed and become ill and it couldnt be too small since it had
to last you for feeding all of the animals The first animals we saw
were two camels One was a light sand colour and the other was brown The camels were covered in flies mostly on the face
Once we had fed them and stroked them lightly we went to see the turtles and tortoises We didnt have a chance to touch the turtles since they were in the water so instead we went to the tortoises They had a small area all to themselves There were two one female and the male It was easy to tell the difference between them as the female had a slightly smaller shell In groups of five we went into the tortoisesrsquo area and fed them grass We felt the shell which was hard as rock whilst being careful not to disturb them It was necessary to be as quiet as mice as some of those interesting animals had been treated cruelly in their past and were petrified at a lot of noise
Next we went to see the llamas goats and sheep The baby goats and llamas eagerly
Year 6
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
Year 6took the grass we offered them There was one goat which jumped up and greedily snatched the nearest piece of grass
We left them silently and walked towards
the donkeys We were informed that they had been treated very cruelly in their past One of the donkeys was pregnant Every few minutes you could see a little flutter in her stomach In about two weeks she is supposed to give birth to the baby donkey By then most of the grass had disappeared from our bunches As we left the donkeys we caught sight of a baby donkey lying down we all curiously wondered why Later we found out that the poor animal had been over-fed and was feeling ill
We walked over to the cows They were our last stop We gave our last bits of grass to them looked at them for a few minutes and then headed out
Then we were taken to see the horses in the stables We were told to be very very quiet since the horses might get scared When we entered the first horse we set our eyes on was a stallion called Bonne His mane was tied into braids - he was a Fresian horse As we
passed the stalls we saw a foal named Tamimi who was the first foal to be born at Al Tamimi Stables Then in fours we were allowed to stroke a horse called Joker A pony was taken out for something Her child Skye started to neigh really loudly After we were told bits of information on horses Two people at a time were allowed to groom Skye You didnt have to reach very high as Skye is a pony
After we finished at the stables we went to see a few more cows and bulls A guide told us that each cow gives 40 litres of milk everyday The calves were separated from fully grown cows and bulls so that they could eat proper food since milk alone wasnt enough When we had finished with cows and bulls we went to see chickens hens emus etc Then we went to see gazelles oryxs and ostriches
Next we went to the Arts and Crafts room The lady started talking She explained that we were reusing the paper What we had to do was to draw the lines for your countryrsquos flag in a magazine article Then the fun part came We used the finger paint to paint the colours of the flag and then we stuck them on a big UAE flag
Then the best part came We got to sit down relax and have our lunch After we finished most of us either looked around the gift shop or went outside where there was a huge chess set There was a cat lying down next to the king There were a few dogs about too the cutest one was called Chubby
Then we went back to the buses tired after that long day
By
Fatima Sajid 6G
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
by Anita Kirkupbull bull bull
A TALE OF TWO BIRTHDAYS
Once again the children of Key Stage One turned in stellar performances on December 16th and 17th when they entertained parents and students with their Christmas show ldquoA Tale of Two Birthdaysrdquo The children sparkled in their colourful costumes and sang their hearts out ably accompanied by Mrs Morley on piano A lot of work went into the production Rehearsals ran for many weeks children and parents spent time learning lines and song words and staff prepared costumes and props A big thank you to all the staff who helped to make the performance such a success by operating the sound system lights and applying make-up Finally congratulations to the students on their fantastic performances
Well done everybody
For more photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
KEY STAGE1 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
For more Foundation photoshttpgooglpBrVxrpassword f1
For more KS1 Concert photoshttpgoogl6gVdKBpassword ks1
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
by Mr K Smithardbull bull bull
KEY STAGE 2 CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On Wednesday 11th December KS2 pupils entertained the audience with an array of festive songs poems drama and dance Year 3 shone with a Christmas poem whilst Year 4 sang the 12 days of Christmas
Year 5 showed us some of the European festive traditions from the Victorian era finishing with their rendition of O Tannenbaum The Year 6s delighted us with some traditional Scottish country dancing All of this was woven between a variety of songs performed by all of the KS2 children including the Year 56 choir using sign language to accompany one of the pieces
There was also some beautiful individual performances from Anneketrien Joshua and Katya Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year from all the team in Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglZ4GhVD password ks2
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
by Mr J Nolanbull bull bull
SECONDARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
On The last week of term culminated in a wonderful musical evening where parents and guests were regaled with a variety of festive music The Christmas Show featured both traditional songs and the modern combining the very familiar with the not-so-well-known
The Christmas Choir and Band all had a chance to shine and showcase their talents Other numbers were presented in very polished fashion by the Advanced Singing Group and our featured vocal soloists The Year 5 and 6 Choir joined the secondary students on stage also to make it a rich and uplifting experience for parents grandparents and the many ex-pupils who attended
Well done to all the students who participated with a particular lsquowell donersquo to Robyn Boulton and the Ensemble whose rendition of Leharrsquos Vilia was one of the highlights We are sending some of our senior musicians to Bahrain in January for the Young Musician of the Gulf Competition on the evidence of this show they will do very well
Huge thanks to Maria Lis and Donna Morley for their help in preparing the numbers and to Ibrahim Salama for compering Finally congratulations to Laurence Powell who has met again brilliantly the challenges of a growing school with increasing expectations about the standards of musical performances
Another success for all the schoolrsquos music teachers and all our talented students what an enjoyable and positive way to end the term
Secondary Christmas Concert
IIIIIFor more photoshttpgooglK22vLL password xmas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
Winter FayreOn behalf of the school we extend our gratitude to all our parents and friends on the great success of the Winter Fayre on Friday 22nd November
Our community again demonstrated its tremendous support for the school Given the morningrsquos weather the attendance at the Fayre was impressive This year the amount raised is Dhs 65541 which is superb
Thanks to staff admin and the site workers for their efforts ndash they carry a huge responsibility in the days leading up to the fair
The school thanks all our sponsors and friends for the donations raffle prizes and for renting stalls at the event their generosity is greatly appreciated
And finally special thanks to the wonderful Parent Support Group and their volunteers whose tireless work on the Fayre begins many months in advance
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
by Ed MosleyHead of Key Stage 3
bull bull bull
DESERT ADVENTURE CAMP
Here is a quick update on what has been going on in Key Stage Three on the pastoral side of school
Year 7 Camp ndash Desert Adventure Camp
Our Year 7 students went out on their first Secondary school adventure this term They spent two days in a desert camp with a focus on developing their social skills team work and problem solving The instructors often challenged these skills through pressure situations and practical tasks Activities
included rock climbing archery gutter ball magic carpet and high ropes Students also enjoyed football in the
evening a camp fire with songs and performed their very own talent show
It should be noted that the behaviour attitude and conduct of our students was excellent Year 7 represented our school very well This was supported by the positive words of the Spirit of Adventure staff
I would like to thank Mr Kendall and Mrs Egan for giving up their time and committing all their energy to ensuring this camp was a success
Well done Year 7
YEAR 7 CAMP
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
YEAR 7 CAMP
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
bull bull bull
VISITING AUTHORS
During the Sharjah Book Fair in November SES welcomed some of the overseas writers attending the Fair to the school
Mr Landeg White the Welsh poet and translator visited and spoke engagingly to senior literature students about Camoes the national poet of Portugal Having translated the classical poem The Lusiads Mr White spoke knowledgeably of classical literature following and subverting poetic conventions and the Middle and Far East as seen through literature He also read some of his own poems to the students
We also hosted Sufiya Ahmed who is a published young adultsrsquo author She spoke of her early literary ambitions and influences her efforts to get published her inspirations and themes and her successes in literary competitions Interestingly having worked in Westminster as a political researcher and intern she spoke engagingly of UK politics and politicians ndash and her consequent interest in political themes within her writing
Ms Ahmed answered many queries from students and offered advice about their own writing ambitions and efforts
INTERNATIONAL AWARDWe often forget how much work is involved in achieving an award through the Duke of Edinburgh programme It never fails to amaze me how adept our participants are at juggling their workload and attaining their objectives The array
of new skills undertaken by our students include learning to play the piano gaining a first aid certificate learning to cook and learning ballet Their weekly commitment to developing their skill participating in a community service and keeping fit is commendable
We are delighted to announce our Silver and Bronze completions for this term
Silver
Completions Ayah Ballout Kleri Tantales Adam Bates and Mia Cassoni
Bronze completions Lily Smythe Ellie Fleur Vander Byl
Sam Winter Pheobe Jones Josephine Dougan Bokang
Jia Tori Whiffen Leila Hamza Veronica OrsquoConnell David Bull George Grayson Nina Ferrari Sanil Chopra and Laith Dallamy
Well Done Guys
Marie Byrne
WRITERS VISIT
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
bull bull bull
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
SES is steadily growing in numbers and is of a size now that the all-in-one event of GCSE Presentation Prize Day and Graduation would have been too long this year
A GCSE Presentation Evening was held on 26th November whilst the examination successes were still fresh in our minds
In Year 11 last year there were 37 students who sat 357 subject examinations That averages out at 96 GCSEs per student The GCSE results from last
summer were very encouraging indeed with an increase in the
percentage of A-C grades 927 up from 901 the year before However the AA grades dropped a little from the previous year 49 but still very high at 46 especially when compared with the UK average of 21
The certificates
were presented by Mr Darren Cowan Head of Key Stage 4 and our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith from the Higher Colleges of Technology Congratulation Certificates were also
presented to those 10 students who have chosen to join the SES Sixth Form from other schools They also did very well in their GCSEs
There was some outstanding music
at the start of the evening Jessica Page-Duffy played a couple of her Grade 7 piano pieces and Robyn Stevenson (accompanied by Suzanne McKay) played a grade 5 clarinet piece The musical interlude was also provided by students from this cohort 9 students took to the stage and performed lsquoNorwegian Woodrsquo a Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney back in 1965
Our Guest of Honour Mr Tim Smith spoke about his personal connection with SES Primary and gave words of praise and encouragement to the students and a few anecdotal tales
The evening was concluded with a few final comments from the Principal of SES Mr John Nolan
GCSE PRESENTATION EVENING
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
bull bull bull
U14 AND U16 NETBALL ndash SHARJAH SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT
This term both teams have competed in the Sharjah Schools Netball Tournament They played a number
of fixtures against local schools and scored plenty of goals The U14 team who comprised of mostly Year 8 girls playing in a Year 9 league won almost all of their games and finished second by 1 point in the league to the winnersVES The U16 team were undefeated and as a new team this season put in some fantastic performances scoring as many as 17 goals in a 20 minute game Both teams head into the challenging DASSA (Dubai Schools) leagues with some confidence from playing well in the Sharjah Tournaments Look out for the DASSA results in the next edition of the newsletter Good Luck to all teams -)
DUBAI RUGBY 7S
SES welcomed two events in the build up to the tournament The first was the roadshow where a huge inflatable passing structure came to school and both primary and secondary students had the chance to win a Rugby 7s t-shirt if they could place 3 out of their 4 passes into the targets It was great fun and then attention
turned to kicking where the challenge was to score a conversion kick over the inflatable posts There were some fantastic efforts with girls defeating boys 7 to 2 in terms of t shirt winners
The second event took place in the week before the tournament where SES hosted training sessions for a number of the international teams including Scotland FranceSpain Portugal and the overall winners Fiji
During PE lessons students were able to observe high level training sessions and some GCSE PE students were spoilt with a specific QampA session with one of the
coaches They got to ask crucial
questions about areas of their course and their application in real life situations
U12 FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U12 football team who won the Sharjah Plate competition at AUS The team was captained by Zaki Youcef who produced some match winning performances in the lead up to the tournament including a hat-trick in an 11-0 win over VISS
Competition for places in the team was fierce and the support shown by the substitutes was commendable
In the semi-final the team showed great determination coming back from 1-0 down against a very impressive RAK team to win 3-1 The defenders were very alert and left winger Tariq came up with a brace which included a superb diving header to equalise
In the final against AUS the team again had to come back from conceding the first goal There was a commanding performance in defence from Cris Clive whose positioning and reading of the game were impressive The team passed the ball well and in the second half two quick goals helped them to a 5-2 win
SES SPORTS NEWS
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
by Mr S DAWOODBHAI
bull bull bullSENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE 7TH NOVEMBER
Our students took part in this event for the first time The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics ie year 13 and below in England and Wales year 14 and below in Northern Ireland and S6 and below in Scotland The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions
I am proud to report that Jia Bo Kang(Year 11) achieved a gold Sanil Chopra(Year 12) achieved a silver and Leila Hamza (Bronze) narrowly missing a silver
All participants enjoyed the experience and gained further insight into the joy of Mathematics
SECONDARY MATHS WEEK SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBERThis event kicked off with a house competition which involved students from Year 7 to Year 13
Students had to answer questions under timed conditions
On Sunday Doughty and Wentworth competed and Doughty won overwhelmingly
On Monday Lawrence and Burton competed and Lawrence narrowly won
In Tuesdayrsquos final Doughty V Lawrence and Doughty narrowly won the competition
Well done to all participants and the audience in making this a
successful event
On Wednesday students took part in a mathematical treasure hunt There were separate hunts for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 Students raced against time to complete their hunt
On Thursday there was a portrait competition where one had to match the photo of a famous mathematicians from the given clues
PHILOSOPHY CLUB
This term SES Philosophy Club kicked off in September Students were introduced to philosophy ideas discussed in a book by Ben Dupre titled 50 Philosophy Ideas
The initial discussion explored famous philosophers and their ideas such as Socrates and Plato
The first philosopher we looked at in detail was Descartes and his famous quotation ldquoCognito ergo sumrdquo Since his ideas are embedded in modern Mathematics it was a very good starting point for students Students then started their own research and explored ideas of their choice and presented to the group
Johanna Heidenreich gave an excellent presentation on Immanuel Kant
Akira Williams Rao gave a very entertaining and detailed presentation The Mind ndashBody Problem and linked it to other philosophy ideas
Arief Zulkifili gave a presentation on what is it like to be a bat
MATHEMATICS
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
bull bull bull
SPORTS LEADERS
This term our Year 10 students have been developing their leadership skills through sport during their Physical Education lessons The students were given separate responsibilities and were first challenged to lead their own peers They then developed their own games and activities that were designed to improve key skill areas for our Primary students
Their leadership course culminated with the Year 10 students independently leading the whole Primary school in inter-house competitions These competitions were split over three separate days Feedback from the Primary school was very positive and smiles were abundant From the Secondary school perspective it was a pleasure to see our Year 10s taking another step to being a leader and role model for SES and the younger students They delivered sessions as a team with enthusiasm and maturity as well as clearly enjoying their time with the Primary school
On behalf of the Physical Education Department and the Secondary school a thank you goes to the Primary students for their enthusiasm and effort A big well done must go to our Year 10s for all their efforts over the term
The PE Department
SES Secondary Sports Leaders
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
by MS J WENNMAN
bull bull bullPOETRY COMPETITION
In November we judged the entries for our lsquoWater Poetry Competitionrsquo It was difficult to choose a winner and runner-up for each year group in KS3 as the standard of entries was so high After much deliberation we announced the following results
Year 7
Runner ndash up Alexander Gough
Winner Yamna Aamir
Year 8
Runner ndash up Aminah Ahmed
Winner Adnan Lakadawala
Year 9
Runner ndash up Anna Lis
Winner - Lukas Bley
Well done to everyone for all your efforts
DEBATING COMPETITION
On Saturday 7th December Miss Wenman Mr Kendal and two teams of debaters entered the prestigious lsquoDebate Dubairsquo competition This annual event was attended by schools and colleges from all over the Middle East and was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion Well done to our Sixth Form team consisting of Shruthi Manivannan Ivan Malkov and Sam Peeters who won a debate against Winchester School We are also extremely proud of our Year Eight team who won the final of the lsquoUnder 14srsquo division
Congratulations to Bilal Rahman Eliot Sistac and Manayka Walia for winning their trophy
All of our debaters did very well particularly as there were five hundred students competing
POETRY AND DEBATING AT SES
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
MATHEMATICS PUZZLE
ANSWERS TO ROOM 106 BY THE DEADLINE ON THE DOOR
WINNER TO LAST EDITIONrsquoS PUZZLE - BASMA KHAN 7JW
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
by MR D HICKS
bull bull bull
Can you solve the following cryptic messages
CHALLENGE 1 - MODERATETSESPBU13 HTIALST13 ETTSETI13 LIWISIO13 AMAMUTN
CHALLENGE 2 - CHALLENGINGTIINI13 IETPI13 TTASN13 SIROO13 HMSST
CIPHER CHALLENGE
Congratulation to Joseph Babu 8CE for solving the last cryptic
challenge the answer is below
Dear Phil
How could I pass up the opportunity to work on this I had a crack at another of the notes you found in Montmartre It looks like the oldest item in the packet and I thought it might be a good place to start It makes some sense of the Buchenwald reference in the later note you sent
It didnt explain the Paris link so I sent a team into that neighbourhood to gather intel but they didnt come up with very much We did get one report that the house had been owned by a German family before the war but that it had been taken over by an SS officer in Nineteen Forty One Surete records suggest that the family came from Weimar in August Nineteen Thirty Seven which is suggestive given the timing and the geography so I have sent the team to Buchenwald to see what they can find
I am jumping to conclusions here but the portrait Sarah mentions has to be the Mona Lisa I have been trying to get access to it but the French authorities are spooked The theft of the painting by Peruggia back in Nineteen Eleven has made them very sensitive The name Chaudron was mentioned more than once and I need some time to look into the history
If you have any influence at all at the Museum I think we need a proper examination of the painting and I need to know what happened to it during the war
All the best
Harry
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
bull bull bullF1 AT YAS MARINA ABU DHABI
The13 recent13 Formula13 One13 Grand13 Prix13
in13 Abu13 Dhabi13 was13 a13 resounding13
success13 You13 may13 not13 be13 aware13 that13
SES13 has13 contributed13 to13 this13 exciIng13
event13 each13 year
Mary13 Smythe13 our13 school13 nurse13 was13 manager13 of13 the13 Medical13 Centre13
during13 the13 pracIce13 days13 as13 well13 as13 on13 race13 day13 Dr13 Shereen13 Habib13 school13 doctor13 was13 also13 on13 hand13 as13 the13 Deputy13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 Well13 done13 to13 Mary13 and13 Shereen13 on13 being13 appointed13 to13 these13 presIgious13 posiIons13 Fortunately13 having13 managed13 the13 injury13 challenges13 of13 SES13 break13 Imes13 and13 sports13 days13 our13 medical13 experts13
were13 more13 than13 a13 match13 for13 the13 challenges13 of13 a13 mere13 F113 car13 race
Some13 of13 our13 parents13 also13 had13 important13 roles13 in13 the13 event13 Dr13 Sean13 Petherbridge13 was13 the13 Chief13 Medical13 Officer13 and13 Mr13 Peter13 Kavanagh13 was13 a13 member13 of13 the13 KED13 team13 responsible13 for13 extracIon13 of13 drivers13 in13 crash13 situaIons
SES AT F1 IN ABU DHABI
Dernas Suhail - Achieves Karate Black Belt
bull bull bullDERNAS SUHAIL
Dernas Suhail in 8CE has achieved his black belt at the age of 12 After 7 consecutive years of training and practicing 3 times a week he was examined by Shian (Master) Tatysuya Naka who is well
known in Japan and has acted in movies such as lsquoBlack Belt Kuro Obirsquo
Congratulations Dernas
