The Secondary Update December 6th, 2012

NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATIONS 2012 AT JBS

National Day is very much a community day at JBS It was marvelous to be joined by so many parents and friends as we celebrated the 41st anniversary of the UAE on a beautiful sunny, but pleasantly cool morning. As soon as visiting parents took their pre-breakfast places around the tents pitched specially on the school field and the secondary students had settled on the cushions in front, our Pre-K students led the way to start the primary walk past, splendid in their National costume or distinctive red, green, white and black outfits. Then, as the younger children dispersed to take part in a series of activities, parents and older students enjoyed finding out more about the Emirates from our special guest speaker, Nasif, from the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, as breakfast was served. His colleague Debbie gave an equally interesting talk to Primary School students in the gym before a fabulous display of traditional dancing from our primary girls. Informative, fun and highly enjoyable – the morning got everyone in the right mood to celebrate National Day proper, three days later on December 2. Thank you so much to Khulood Al- Zarooni, and Mejd Al-Huraimel and their team of helper mums who gave so generously of their time and support to make this such a special day. Andrew Homden, Principal

JBS NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATIONS

THE WOMAN IN BLACK: IT’S A SCREAM!

The Woman in Black is a thrilling performance which leaves you both on the edge of your seat and trying to hide behind your chair. It is a play about a man who has had a terrifying experience in an old house with the Woman in Black, who now wants to try and communicate his story with the help of an actor. The play switches from the rehearsal of the play to the actual story. Though the play is a little slow getting started, once you understand the format it becomes enjoyable.

Before even acknowledging the actors’ talents (which were many) the sound and light crew must be applauded along with the director John Payton. Much of the story is told through light and sound; all the queues were perfect and were much of what made this play scary. The cast, with David Seddon playing The Actor and John Atterbury playing Kipps, gave the numerous characters great emotion. For anyone who has ever tried, making a play scary is no easy thing, yet I can confirm that they have achieved it. Not being one for scary anything’s, I startled (and sometimes screamed) numerous times throughout the play (as the person sitting next to me will tell you). The beauty of this play is that there are no elaborate costumes or props that pretend to be monsters. All of it is inside your head, even the Woman in Black, as she is not formally acknowledged at all, though it doesn’t make it any less

If you do go see the show, be prepared to be exposed to screaming and very loud noises (some maybe contributed by you). I do not recommend this show for anyone under the age of 10, or for the faint hearted. But everyone else does need to see this show at least once. The Woman in Black is currently playing at the Madinat Theatre for the next week and then for another week in Abu Dhabi. Go and see it. Written by Sarah Frencham - 9B

On Tuesday December 11 at 8:15am, we will have an MYP Morning Session for parents to discuss C&S Requirements, Promotion Policy into the Diploma, and the February Report Card. This will take place in the S-building in the room, next to the IT lab. If you have any questions, please ask Ms. Muhtaseb (zmuhtaseb@jbschool.ae)

MYP MORNING SESSION

UMRAH TRIP

The Islamic Department is organizing an Umrah trip, which will take place on February 7th to 11th of 2013. Umrah is an Islamic ritual that is performed at Mecca anytime of the year. It is an optional ritual that is similar to Hajj. It includes Tawaf 7 times around the Ka`bah and walking 7 times between the hills of Safa and Marwah. The trip is only open for male students in grades 9, 10, and 11. Students will be provided with permission forms in their Islamic classes. For further information about this trip, please contact Mr. Shadeed at ashadeed@jbschool.ae.

PP Deadline Item

December 13th, 2012 Student submits final outcome/ product to supervisor before homeroom.

January 13th, 2013

Meeting 5: Rough draft of report Evaluate the outcome/product against your own specifications for success

February 18th, 2013 Meeting 6: Hand in final report (2 copies) and process journal to your su-pervisor. One copy will be assessed and one copy will be for the school li-brary.

March 19th (18.00 hr) Personal Project Exhibition

PERSONAL PROJECT

The deadline of the product / outcome is approaching fast. Students should have determined the design specifications of their final product and outcome. The next step is for students to meet with their supervisor before the winter break to evaluate the quality of the outcome / product. For further information about the PP, please contact Zena Muhtaseb at zmuhtaseb@jbschool.ae.

ABSENCES

Student Absence Parents are required to notify the school of a student’s absence on the first morning of absence. If a parent has not notified the school on the first morning of absence by 08.45, the receptionist will telephone home to ask the reason. A student returning to school after any absence must bring a note from their parent/guardian. In the case of absence due to serious illness or injury for a period of two days or more, a doctor’s note is required. All notifications regarding absences and illness can be emailed to secondary@jbschool.ae Permission to leave the campus Students can be given permission to leave the campus, ONLY upon the written request of their parents or guardian OR following a referral from the school nurse. These children must “sign out” with the Secondary Office Manager, and leave the note with her. Application for Absence during term time Parents are expected to inform the school in advance if they anticipate a period of absence known in advance. A form for this purpose can be downloaded from the website (http://www.jbschool.ae/jbs-forms) and returned to school. When parents take their children out of school during semester time, we ask that they do everything possible to ensure that this does not conflict with examination/testing weeks. Whilst we make every effort to support the learning needs of students who miss school due to illness or a family emergency, we will not normally make arrangements to set work for students who miss school because of planned holidays.

SECONDARY WINTER CONCERT AND ART EXHIBITION

Parents, family and friends are invited to attend the Secondary Winter Concert and the Art Exhibition which will take place on December 18th at 6:30 p.m. in the primary gym. The concert will last around 90 minutes. All secondary students, who take Performing Arts, will be given a grade for their performance with the class, so their attendance is required. There will also be small group performances and solos as well. Student art from the first semester will be displayed. We have talent at JBS so we hope to see you there!

All students need to complete their semester two Community & Service activities and written reflections by Jan-uary 13th. All of this information must be uploaded onto Managebac. Requirement for MYP Community and Service according to Grade Level is as follows: Grades 6- Have to complete two short projects per semester Grade 7 – Have to complete three short projects per semester Grade 8 – Have to complete four short projects per semester Grade 9 – Have to complete one long project per year and two short projects per semester OR one long pro-ject per semester Grade 10 – Have to complete one long project per semester AND two short projects per semester. If you have any further questions about the above requirements, please contact Ms. McCabe at jmcca-be@jbschool.ae.

COMMUNITY AND SERVICE

The Grades 9—11 students will receive, before the winter break, a revision booklet regarding the assessment week which will take place from January 27th until January 31st. This booklet will have the revision topics per subject listed and will provide some tips on how to revise. It will also be posted on Managebac.

GRADES 9—11 ASSESSMENT WEEK

INTENSIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUMMER CAMP IN THE UK

Target Training and Development is proud to offer its students an exclusive opportunity to attend a summer camp at a traditional English boarding school. For two weeks, summer camp participants will live and study with children from different nationalities and walks of life, whilst enjoying the unique experience of staying at an English boarding school. The Intensive English Language Summer Camp is hosted by Trent College, an independent British Boarding School that was established in 1868 and is conveniently located in the heart of England. The aim of the camp is to improve learners’ English Language skills through a balance of high quality classroom tuition and exciting ex-tra-curricular activities. The course includes:

21 hours per week of English Language tuition in small classes (maximum 12 students) Excursions to local areas of interest including London, Nottingham Castle, Sherwood Forest and

many more. Opportunity to develop independence and social skills in a safe and secure environment. Chance to make friends with children from all across the world. All lessons are conducted by Trent College teaching professionals.

Students will receive certificates awarded by Trent College upon completion of the course. Eligibility: The Intensive English Language Summer Camp is open to all girls and boys aged between 11 and 17. Accommodation: Accommodation is provided on a twin basis with two students sharing a room. Boys and Girls are housed in separate buildings. Dates: 7th - 21st July or 21st - 4th August Fees: The 2-week course costs AED 11,900 per student and includes:

All tuition and classes Excursions Extra-curricular activities Accommodation Full catering (includes 3 meals and 2 snack breaks ) Laundry Transfers and “meet and great” from Heathrow Airport.

INTENSIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUMMER CAMP IN THE UK

Extra costs:

Full travel insurance is mandatory and must be arranged by parents. UK visa (if applicable) must be arranged by parents. Airfare from Dubai to Heathrow Airport (This can be arranged by Target, cost to be advised) Weekly pocket money of £50 is recommended.

The course is popular among expatriate families around the world and places are strictly limited. For further details or to make a reservation, please call 04 360 4787 or e-mail sales@ttd-dubai.com before December 10, 2012. All families who register an interest will be invited to a course presentation to be held at Target Training and Development in the near future.

The school has hired, Absolute Adventure, an experienced adventure sports and activities operator to organize and run the MYP camp. The programme has a different focus for each grade and has a progressive nature spanning over the five grade groups. JBS teachers will accompany the students on camp. Students will be involved in a variety of outdoor adventure activities along with team building exercises and problem solving challenges. Activities include kayaking, trekking, archery, rock climbing, snorkeling, survival skills, canyoning and much more. This opportunity will allow students to acquire and to develop skills such as leadership, teamwork, initiative, self-reliance, responsibility, perseverance and commitment. Not only will they develop practical skills from Absolute Adventure’s professional instructors, but will also learn more about themselves, others and the environment. Both camps will take place in a private campground in Dibba, Oman. All students will be housed according to their grade level. The overall aims are to learn how to overcome adversity; enhance personal and social development; and to develop a deeper relationship with nature. The camp is part of our MYP curriculum, so we expect all students to attend. Should your child not be able to participate, please contact the school to discuss the matter. The Grade 6-7 camp will be from January 27th to 29th. The Grade 8-10 camp will be from February 17th to 19th. Information about the cost of the trip, along with the forms, has been provided to the students. If you have not received any information about camp, please contact Ms. Muhtaseb at zmuhtaseb@jbschool.ae

MYP CAMP