Sting No. 6 - Universal American School in Dubai

LetterfromthePrincipal
UAS Mission Statement:
Dear Parents and Students,
Next week, the senior students begin their mock exams. All the teachers,
including Dr. Brandt, Mr. Terry and I wish all of them the best. I am confident that each and every student has been diligent in their prepara&on and
will be ready walking into each exam.
Universal American School provides a
challenging, inquiry-based American and
international education that empowers
students to be caring individuals, critical
thinkers, and responsible global citizens.
The grade 7-10 students sat for their ACER tests last week and results are
expected in a few months. I would like to thank Mr. Kuestermann and Ms.
Mouganie for planning and organizing the test sessions along with the
counseling team and teachers who also contributed to the smooth running
of the tests.
Inside this issue:
Leer from the Principal
1
IB News
4
Counseling News
5
Featured Department
6
Library News
7
Experien'al Trip
9
CAS
10
Athle'cs
11
Student Council
13
PTO
13
The annual UAS track and field day was held on Thursday 07 February. It was a great day
and many students competed in a variety of events. Congratula&ons to the WHITE team
for their efforts and surpassing the other teams in the points tally. Thank you to Mr.
Hegge and the PE teachers for organizing the event. It was a fun day for all.
Dates to Remember:
Feb. 24 - Photo order forms due
Feb. 24 - Mar. 7 - Mock exams
Mar. 3 - School holiday
As you know our KHDA inspec&on took place this week. Thank you to the parents who have completed the survey. Dr. Brandt will be sending a report shortly outlining the details of the inspec&on.
The grade 7 students back from their 3 day camping experience. They took part
in abseiling, ra5-building, rock climbing and ropes courses. From the photos
(page 9), you will see that they all had a wonderful &me. Thank you to Ms.
Smith for coordina&ng the organiza&onal aspects and also to the teacher chaperones who accompanied the students at camp.
Simone Sebban
February 2013
Issue No. 6
Q2—Honor Roll
Congratulations for a
job well done!
Principal Award
Grade 7
Moiz, Khadija
Kim, Jungeun
Kim, Haeun
Kinaia, Mirranda
Jauhari, Fatema
Hameed, Shekhaa
Huq, Naveed
Seddiq, Essak
Singh, Abhay
Kha&b, Mia
Albanna, Yasmine
Sarkawi, Gina
Jarrah, Bashir
Singh, Sahej
Bostani, Alexandra
Khayat, Jamal
Kim, Eun Jeong
Grade 12
Sisak, Katherine
Abdel Rahman, Ashraf
Yu, Jihyun
Kha&b, Yara
Alhariri, Sara
Alsuwaidi, Ahmed
Hanna, Dima
Ahmed, Nida
El Badrawi, Pakinam
Elshaarawy, Hussein
Dorri, Maral
Grade 8
Dandache, Hoda (Aya)
Wawrina, Iris
Alhariri, Rama
Hanna, Elianna
Haj-Diab, Larah
Khayat, Ahmad
Taha, Hana
El Cheikh, Mona
Marion, Jade
Ghilom Bogatsion, Rodas
Shaheen, Mohammed
Grade 9
Saleh, Farida
Manghardt, Ma>hieu Khoi Jean
Ali, Shahd
Esmaeili, Sara
Surma, Jan Piotr (Janek)
Zafar, Imaad
Lee, Ga Young
Abdulaziz, Eric
Safar, Thalia
Al Braik, Waleed
Nimer, Ahmad
Hassen, Omar
Alkhaja, Aadel
Naser, Rama
Dimoulas, Stephany
Kim, Su-Jung
Grade 10
Seifelnasr Elsayed Abdelaal, Nour
Alkhaja, Janan
Rose, Nolan
Fa>ouh, Rawan
Lootah, Sara
Osman Hussain, Jude
Zaki, Adham
Grade 11
Kurji, Sahir
Ismail, Karim
Issue No. 6
High Honor Award
Khan, Manahel (Mona)
Zafar, Adeel
Duvanov, George
Grade 9
Yaacoub, Sandra
Moawad, Mohammad
Abdulaziz, Savannah
Anwar, Muhammad
Aleali, Alia
Anoohi, Asma
Welsh, Andrew
Hameer, Jinaan
Osseiran, Sabine
Velani, Areesha
Hussein Dit Safadi, Taha
Lawrence, David (Noah)
El Sharawy, Sondos
Kim, Geo
Grade 10
Shah, Aditya (Addy)
Rahme, Maurice
Algergawi, Amal
Seddiq, Oma
El Sawy, Malak
Soueid, Lynn
Jauhari, Husein
Ahn, Joon Hyun
Hachem, Kareem
El Baba, Hadi
El Hajj, Tamara
Khalife, Natacha
de Hoog Bouthoorn, Femke
Hamza Abd El Motaleb, Karim
Khosh, Arman
Farran, Nadia
Wehbe, Karim
Ali, Noura
Grade 7
Manja, Ma>hew
Mishlaoui, Ibrahim
Sohn, Byungjoon (Brian)
Dimoulas, Markus
Kalaaoui, Omar
Cornelissens, Emelie
Morera, Cecilia
Greuel, Andrea
Min, Jihyun
Bodo, Tamas
Youssef, Fadi
Osseiran, Ghayas
Grade 11
Sharif, Samar
Abdalla, Mohannad
Lawrence, Bethany Joy
Elnaggar, Nariman
Farazinia, Fatemeh
Sahni, Saibani
Alkishtaini, Aseel
Saleh, Mohamed
El Sadek, Aya
Khan, Basim
Elcheikh-Hassan, Farah
Grade 8
Ahuja, Vaibhav
Rojas Tijerina, Luis Eduardo (Luis
Rojas)
de Hoog Bouthoorn, Jasmijn
Kim, Ji-Yeun
Campodonico, Sabrina
Bayyari, Laith
Ferraz, Isabelly
Almahmood, Ahmed
El Marj, Nathalie
Sleem, Adham
Grade 12
de Wijs, Calvin Jay
Pronk, Valen&jn
Glaser, Jennifer
Diaz, Carlos
Zituni, Danya
Welsh, Patrick
Chahrour, Carla
Park, Jisu
Lacroix, Clara
Ryder, Fleur
Fakih, Zeinab Lara
High Honor Award cont’d.
Pla>eau, Dries
Grade 12
Baramki, Gabriel (Gabe)
Azara, Michael
Hwang, Yunji
Tannous, Marie Lynn
Koinuma, Yu
Barrigh Vargas, Leonel
Van Zyl, Melissa
Al-Shama, Hassan
Durham-Moran, Jacob
Grade 9
Kamal, Syed Faisal
Mesanovic, Muhamed
Albanna, Nasser
Mahir, Tajwar
Joarder, Fahad Abrar
Nuaman, Omar
Huang, Jiacheng
Mohammadi, Ma&n
Hanna, Chris&na
van Schalkwyk, Ruan
Isshiki Al Salmi, Shoki
Elassi, Karim
Van Zyl, Alexander
Uy, Adrian Kristofer
Hamoudah, Youssef
Arjomand, Abdulla
Ahmed, Syed Mohammed
Honor Award
Grade 7
Chehabeddine, Tareq
Taormina, Jacob
Elhlak, Lara
Salama, Sarah
Lawrence, Jared
Tawfik, Zekra
Costa De Araujo, Julia
Fabeck, Emily
Miyazaki, Asim
Mar&n, Ren
Kalaaoui, Nour
Van Schalkwyk, Lianri
Suresh Cordano, Navin
Muller, Eren
Siddiqui, Fa&ma Zohra
Jishi, Mohy Dean
Elsadig, Madeline
Mendez Gomez, Valeria
Scholz, Katharina
Khan, Suhha
Almerri, Fatema
Abudiab, Adam
Joudeh, Hamzah
Suleman, Khadijah
Bou Reslan, Karim
Yaacoub, Jean Charle (Johnny)
Grade 8
Jaouni, Ahmad
Ajine, Mahmoud
Chakraborty, Saptarshi
Fakhruddin, Alefiya
Ghalayini, Jad
Rose, Ethan
Fakih, Ali
Abdallah, Mouna
Chu Zhen Xuen , Kymberley
Bodo, Bianka
Zaidi, Syed Sajid
Bae, Jeonghun
BhaD, Lyba
Alawadi, Safeeya
El Sawy, Seif
Abou El Ghar, Cherifa
Ali, Sahela
Shehadeh, Nadine
Alsuwaidi, Omaran
Wardah, Zeid
Meeto, Nuthatai (Belle)
Issue No. 6
A dream becomes a goal when
ac'on is taken toward its
achievement.
Bo Bennett
Grade 10
Abdulhussain, Ahmed
Alawadi, Abdallah
Mesto, Rodost
Yoo, Jungwoong
Dahhan, Layan
Khayat, Allaa
Namir Ahmed Abdelkader, Yasmin
Ibrahim, Lina
Qanni, Yousef
Abdalla, Mohammad
Joudeh, Sara
Moiz, Mehlam Murtuza
Khales Alnasseri, Fahad
Rivera, Marco
Faran, Misha
Saleh, Amero
Bin Haider, Abdulla
Collier's Valencia, Carlos
Abou Chacra, Lynn
Kojan, Layan
Elnadi, Salma
Amkieh, Layan
Aldewaik, Khalid
Kazi, Nafi Ahmed
Alfahim, Faisal
Grade 11
GiulieD, Camilla
Al Mansoori, Marwan
Keyrouz, Andrea
Anoohi, Amal
Soliman, Tamer
Shaikhly, Ihsan
Muwahed, Joan
Khan, Aadil
El Assi, Nabil
Bou Saab, Samer
Nasser, Abdus Sa>ar
Al-Harthy, Mohammed
Taher, Nancy
Greuel, Joseph
Weinmann, Dennis
Abushady, Farah
Khadem Khorasani, Ghazaleh
Singh, Mehr
Hasheminejad, Negar (Nina)
Ghammachi, Maysa
Elnadoury, Seif Eldin
Kim, Ji Min (Jimin)
Tuazon, Shinih Hannah
Zahine, Wali
Grade 12
Ibrahim Abdalla, Farida
Karam, Antoni
Aspe Velasco, Paulina
Lauer, Isaac
Abdulhussain, Yasmin
Naser, Faheem
Sharif, Rashed
Bexfield, Moira
Ehara, Yusuke
Rappe, Julien
Rezaei, Sajjad
Rageh, Ragia
Nasiri, Amin
Algergawi, Saeed
Younes, Selim
Warrayat, Jinan
NewsfromtheIBOfice
It is a busy me for our students: Grade 12
Mocks are underway; Grade 11 students are well
into their course programs; Grade 10 students are considering
which IB subjects they would like to study. Please take a moment
to read the following arcle from The Independent which speaks
of the value of the IB curriculum from student and teacher perspecves.
Interna'onal Baccalaureate - 'It teaches you not
to give up'
Make no mistake, an Interna&onal Baccalaureate is tough, but
that's when pupils really get going
Russ Thorne
Thursday, 14 February 2013
It's one thing to know what the Interna&onal Baccalaureate (IB)
might involve, but anyone enrolled on a programme or inves&ga&ng the qualifica&on for the first &me may well be daunted by
the prospect. The good news is that they won't be alone in those
fears, as many students share them. They may also turn out to be
largely unfounded.
"Before star&ng the IB I felt extremely in&midated," admits Josh
Hammond, a student at St Clare's school, Oxford. "I had heard
countless complaints about the difficul&es of the IB. But, once you
get going, you become more efficient at &me management and
the work seems less daun&ng."
There's plenty to think about when it comes to the day-to-day
reality of following an IB programme and, like Hammond, many
students and teachers highlight the importance of good &memanagement from the outset. "Your IB experience can become
quite gruelling if you don't get on top of it," says Alex Bird, head of
the theory of knowledge and world religions faculty at UWC Atlan&c College. "If you've got a deadline in six months, don't wait un&l
it's upon you. Chip away at it."
Although students need to sharpen their organisa&onal and study
skills, they needn't do it silently – or without support. "IB students
are expected to be risk-takers and communicators," says Sarah
Jinks, a biology teacher at St Clare's. "But the tasks we set are designed to help them develop those skills. You're not expected to
have them when you arrive."
The IB emphasises dialogue and group work, she con&nues, which
can ini&ally be a stretch if you're used to a one-way flow of informa&on from teacher to student. "Being willing to voice your opinions and par&cipate may be in&mida&ng at first," says Jinks. "The
benefit is that you're forced to challenge what you think."
According to Bird, being exposed to other perspec&ves through
group work as well as being required to carry on with a broad
range of subjects can be both helpful and challenging for students.
"They may struggle in one subject but be a master of another, and
that can be very humbling," he explains. "But it's also really powerful, it will teach them not to give up and help develop their selfrespect."
The IB's broad curriculum isn't its only selling point. At the core of
the qualifica&on are three elements – an extended essay, a series
Issue No. 6
of crea&vity, ac&on and service (CAS) ac&vi&es, and the theory of
knowledge course – that set it apart from other programmes and
may seem alien to students at first. However, they clearly have a
purpose. Former ACS Hillingdon student Oscar Croysdale, currently
an undergraduate at the London School of Medicine and Den&stry,
found that the extended essay gave him more confidence in his
wri>en work. "Students who last wrote an essay for their GCSEs
have found it a big challenge," he says. "But because I completed
the extended essay, I haven't found it so daun&ng."
Likewise, at the start of the course, the 150 hours of CAS ac&vi&es
students must undertake can seem in&mida&ng. Not so, reassures
St Clare's student Jonny Corrie: "CAS is the least in&mida&ng part of
the IB. It's an opportunity to do what you love the most and even
try something you've never done before."
A wise choice of ac&vi&es will stop it becoming a chore, he says,
and the target isn't hard to reach with regular work. "Provided you
a>end an ac&vity in each area at least once a week you won't have
any problems."
Tom Walsh, vice-principal, adds that a further benefit is the recogni&on of the students' efforts within the curriculum. The end result
is personal sa&sfac&on and development. "Whether it's through
sports teams, expedi&ons, learning to play a musical instrument or
helping care for people with learning difficul&es," he says.
The final aspect of the IB, the Theory of Knowledge course, considers abstract ques&ons such as "What is reality?", explains Bird. "I'll
ask, 'if we close the classroom door, how do we know that the corridor outside is s&ll there?' Some people find that frustra&ng but
then you'll bring it back to the subjects they're studying. For example, in the natural sciences, what would you have to do to prove
that the corridor is s&ll there?"
Charlie Constable, a student at Whitgi5 School in Croydon, London,
explains that the theory of knowledge course broadens horizons
and helps students strengthen their ideas or beliefs by ques&oning
them. "My experience has been enjoyable, if a li>le strange at
&mes, but that's the purpose of the course. I would advise people
to come in to theory of knowledge with an open mind," he says.
The IB clearly challenges students and, as a result, parents can expect their charges to be &red (several students men&on a need for
plenty of coffee). They may even need to step in to enforce some
&me off now and then, says Bird, while Constable's father would
support him with encouragement, persistent interest and discussions of how things were going.
Jennifer Nadel, whose son is at UWC Atlan&c College, adds that the
academic step up from GCSE to the IB can be quite large, "so children have to find their own mo&va&on, otherwise they simply can't
keep up".
She notes that the high workload can also mean seDng aside holiday &me for coursework and essays, but points out that support is
always available from staff and other students.
Michael Burns, a Whitgi5 student, would agree. "The worst parts of
the course have been the occasional nights where work has con&nued into the small hours of the morning," he reveals. "But the best
parts have been being able to laugh them off, talking about our
shared struggles with fellow IB students."
Page 4
NewsfromtheIBOficecont’d.
While the reali&es of the IB may include mul&ple deadlines, hard work and the occasional late night, there are plenty of benefits too: developing a broad, inquiring mind; self-discipline; even language skills. They're all things universi&es and employers value, and Bird adds that IB
graduates are o5en the most interes&ng people "to sit and talk to about the meaning of life".
But for those only just beginning their IB journey, UWC Atlan&c College student Nicholas Olsen has one simple bit of advice: enjoy it. "It's a
once in a life&me opportunity to con&nue educa&on with a wide breadth of ideas and a lot of scope to try something new," he says. "Just
have fun!"
CounselingNews
Secondary Counseling Updates
Summer Program Guide
The 2013 summer program guide is now on the UAS website under the informa&on and downloads on the secondary school page.
There are many exci&ng opportuni&es for students all over the world. This guide is a star&ng point for students to inves&gate summer program op&ons.
GRADE 7-10 ACER TESTS:
WHY DO WE HAVE ACER TESTING?
ACER tes&ng recently took place in the last few weeks for Grades 7 -10. Students will receive their personalized ACER test results in a few
months. ACER is an assessment tool that helps provide direc&on and feedback about individual students and en&re grade cohorts. A major
aspect of ACER’s work is to assist educa&onal decision makers at all levels in their collec&on, analysis, interpreta&on and use of reliable data.
Based on the data, ac&on plans for UAS include the iden&fica&on and implementa&on of evidence based policies and prac&ces.
For more informa&on, visit: h>p://www.acer.edu.au/documents/ACER-Goals.pdf
Do you have any more specific ACER ques&ons? ACER has an office in Knowledge Village in Dubai: h>p://www.acer.edu.au/about/dubai
ADVISORY PROGRAM UPDATE:
When I Grow Up…
The current theme is When I Grow Up. In all of the advisory lessons from
grade 7-12, students will con&nue to learn more about general career explora&on tools such as interest and personality inventories. Some career
counseling theory such as the Holland Code has been discussed. A good
overview of the Holland Code can be found on a few different websites,
including Purdue University’s career site:
h>p://www.pnc.edu/discover/;
University of Missouri: h>p://www.wiu.edu/advising/docs/Holland_Code.pdf and
h>p://career.missouri.edu/resources/pdfs/Holland%20Code.pdf
Students are encouraged to use their career key booklet (www.careerkey.org) to do
more self-reflec&on on their interests and personality to guide them to making good
choices when considering higher educa&on op&ons.
Next Advisory Theme:
“We Are The World” to link with UAS’s annual Interna&onal Day celebra&ons in March.
Students will discuss the role of culture in social dynamics, what it means to be a Third
Culture Kid, how to recognize and embrace our cultural diversity.
Issue No. 6
Page 5
FeaturedDepartment:Science
Grade 12 Biology Students Mentor UAS 5th Graders
This past month fi5h grade students worked with Grade 12 IB Biology students to dissect sheep kidneys and hearts. It was a great opportunity for both the 12th graders and the 5th graders. The younger students learned important lab skills such as dissec&on, observa&on, and
data recording, and the older students had the opportunity to share their knowledge and skills.
Second UAS Science mural completed
Congratula&ons to Katherine Sisak, Calvin De Wijs, Kahee Yoo, and Jisu Park for puDng the finishing touches on February 14th to an amazing
“H2OPE THROUGH SCIENCE” mural in lab room 2210. Students created the design for the mural, requested and purchased the necessary
supplies, and worked diligently during lunches and a5er school to paint the mural. It is an impressive work of art which has brightened up
the lab room significantly. It is a chemistry themed mural which displays how progress in chemistry can lead to advancement in clean water, energy, agriculture, drugs and medicine, polymers, and future explora&on into space.
Students earned CAS hours for their work, and present and future students will be able to inquire, inves&gate, and problem solve with the
mural as the backdrop. A big thank you goes out to these ar&sts for their crea&vity and dedica&on.
Grade 11 Students Ge:ng Ready for Group 4 Project in Dibba
The majority of Grade 11 students have signed up for the Group 4 Project trip in Dibba for a three day, two night trip where collabora&ve
inves&ga&on in science and CAS ac&vi&es will be combined into what should be a fun and ac&ve &me.
Students will be leaving UAS on Saturday, April 13th at 9:00, where they will arrive at the planta&on camp run by Absolute Adventure. A5er
lunch, students will explore the different sites available to develop an inves&ga&on into this year’s topic: Resources. The Group 4 Project is
a requirement of the Interna&onal Baccalaureate (IB) program, where
students will be working collabora&vely in groups of three to four.
That first evening they will begin the design of their inves&ga&on to be
performed the following day.
A5er their inves&ga&ons have taken place, students will have the op&on that a5ernoon and the following morning to rock climb, kayak,
snorkel off a dhow boat, hike, or perform a service clean-up project in
a nearby wadi, all of which can be considered for Ac&on and Service
under the IB requirements for CAS.
We are s&ll missing the remaining deposit and Absolute Adventure
forms from some students. Students need to turn in the remaining
money and forms ASAP if they do not want to lose their spot.
We are looking forward to a great trip!
Issue No. 6
Page 6
LibraryNews
Tickets for the Fi5h Emirates Airline
Fes&val of Literature are now on sale.
They will be available at Kinokuniya
booksellers in Dubai Mall and on the
LitFest website at www.eaifl.com
The Fes&val will be held in Dubai at
the Intercon&nental Hotel, Dubai
Fes&val City, between the 5-9 March
2013. The Fi5h Anniversary edi&on
of the Fes&val opens with a spectacular event on the evening of Tuesday 5th March. This is followed on Wednesday evening by the Dubai
Culture sponsored Desert Stanzas evening of poetry and music which
takes place at a Bedouin encampment.
Suzanne worked with Founda&on Stage children in England,
Finland, Spain, Egypt and Kuwait un&l June 2010, since which
&me she has been wri&ng books from her home in Cyprus.
A5er a teaching career that started in 1973 and spanned 37
years, Suzanne had her first book, The Aquarium is Scary Mum
published in 2009. Her most recent books are Panic in the Clinic
(2011) and Rocky Saves the Day (2012).
Suzanne is really looking forward to par&cipa&ng in the Emirates
Fes&val of Literature for the first &me in March 2013, and par&cularly to Educa&on Day, when she hopes to introduce even
more young readers to her rhyming animal adventures.
Author Adrian Hayes is coming to UAS Thursday March 7th
In the following days, visitors can enjoy literary discussions, panel
debates, master classes, workshops and readings as well as experience the Fringe and children’s events. There are cookery demonstra&ons, special art displays and Literary Lunches. Also new for 2013 are
the evening events which also include the Murder Mystery Dinner on
Thursday 7 March, The Lighter Side on Friday 8 March and a Closing
Ceremony on Saturday 9 March.
Headline authors include Kate Adie, Rachel Allen, Jeffrey Archer, Tony
Buzan, Bobby Chinn, Artemis Cooper, William Dalrymple, Shobhaa Dé,
Adrian Hayes, Anissa Helou, Ken Hom, Maitha Al Khayat, Anupam
Kher, Waciny Laredj, Alia Mamdouh, Ben Miller, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Ahlem Mosteghanemi, Jamil Nahra, Taghreed Al Najjar, Noura
Al Noman, Ben Okri, Ian Rankin, Tan Twan Eng, Shashi Tharoor and
Jeet Thayil.
Ticket prices start at a very reasonable AED40 and there are also
many events and ac&vi&es on offer free of charge.
The Fes&val will welcome more than 100 writers, thinkers and speakers from 30 countries to par&cipate in the Middle East’s largest celebra&on of the wri>en and spoken word, which brings people of all
ages, na&onali&es and background together to promote educa&on,
debate and a love of reading and wri&ng in a celebratory and enjoyable way.
Friday March 8, 2013 Universal American School Secondary music
students will perform from 15:30 – 16:00 at the Intercon'nental
Hotel Dubai Fes'val City during the Emirates Airlines Fes'val of
Literature
Author Suzanne Jankowski is coming
to UAS on March 6th to give a presenta'on to students in elementary
school.
Suzanne Jankowski was born in Hong
Kong and lived in several countries
while growing up, travelling back and
forth to boarding school in the UK
from Kenya and Uganda for her educa&on.
It was at boarding school that she first
realized that she loved rhyming anything and everything. Her group of friends at school spent a year
talking to one another exclusively in rhyming couplets, a dubious skill
at the &me, now put to clever and wi>y use in her books.
Issue No. 6
Adrian Hayes is a Bri&sh,
UAE based, record-breaking
polar explorer & adventurer, keynote speaker, business coach and sustainability ambassador.
Having been introduced to
a life of adventure in his
early childhood, he started
climbing in his teens and,
leaving school at 16 with
just five GCSEs, spent six
years travelling the world mountaineering and adventuring.
A5er serving in the Bri&sh Army for several years, he studied for
an MBA at the University of NoDngham, UK, before joining
Airbus as Regional Sales Director Middle East. Having studied
personal development since his MBA, he established his own
company in 2007 as a professional adventurer, speaker and
business coach.
He set a Guinness World Record in 2007 for reaching the Earth's
‘3 Poles’ - walking to the North Pole, South Pole and summi&ng
Mt Everest - one of only 18 people ever to achieve the feat. In
2009 he achieved a second Guinness World Record for the Arc&c’s longest unsupported kite-skiing journey, the documentary
for which has been broadcast on Na&onal Geographic channel.
His first book, Footsteps of Thesiger, details the story of his 44
day, 1600 km crossing of the Rub al Khali, or Empty Quarter,
along with Bedouin companions by camel and foot between
October-December 2011.
Richard Mitchell from Healing Hearts suppor&ng Pales&ne Children’s Fund is coming
to UAS on Thursday March 7 at 10:20am to
give a presenta&on to grade 11 students.
Parents are welcome to a>end this event.
The Pales&ne Children's Relief Fund is a
non-poli&cal, non-profit en&ty established in 1991 by concerned
people in the United States to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Pales&nian youths in the Middle East.
Join me on a journey to support sick and injured children.
Page 7
LibraryNewscont’d.
Issue No. 6
Page 8
ExperientialTrip
On February 12th-15th the Grade 7 – Class of 2018 - went on a camping trip in Fujairah.
It was an amazing experience, not only for the students but for the teachers who
came with us, too.
There were many ac&vi&es to par&cipate in, such as Kayaking, Ra5 Building, Rock
Climbing, an Obstacle Course, and Mountain Biking. I, for one, enjoyed every second
of these ac&vi&es, and I’m sure my friends did too. I learned many new skills and techniques; I learned how to ride a mountain bike properly on this trip and how to kayak.
My group splashed each other on the beach for some fun a5er our ac&vi&es in the
water. My group celebrated with a “Mexican Wave” which was amazing! I can’t wait
to see how the pictures turned out! Teamwork was a very important aspect in the
Ra5 Building ac&vity. My group managed to build a ra5 that wouldn’t sink or break
apart on water.
The Talent Show on the last night was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The whole group sat in front of a fire and got ready to watch some
amazing acts. There was a singing act, comedy act, dancing act, and more. My favorite was the comedy act. One of my friends, Lucci, made a
comedy act about how the air condi&oner in his room broke and then was fixed. He has quite the sense of humor. I think he should be a
comedian when he grows up.
The cabins we slept in were very comfortable; I stopped by my friends’ cabins and had a chat with them every night before I slept. Also, I got
closer to other friends who I didn’t know so well because we were sharing a cabin. The final morning was quite sad for me. I wanted to stay
longer but part of me missed home. I now know what luxury really is; I like waking up at 9 o’clock in the morning, more than waking up at
6:00!!
I cannot remember anything nega&ve about this trip. I won’t forget being scared to leave my cabin at 5am to go to the washroom and I
won’t forget not being able to sleep because I was excited to go to camp the next day. I made new friends on this trip. It was an experience
like no other, and I wouldn’t change anything about it.
~Sarah Salama Gr. 7
Issue No. 6
Page 9
News
Are there wild dolphins in UAE waters? Yes! Look for yourself and help the local research! The UAE Dolphin Project is a non-profit ini'a've that gathers informa'on regarding the local dolphin popula'on and raises public awareness about these species
and their environment. You can help too!
By Dr. Ada Natoli
Reprinted with permission from h>p://wp.uaedolphinproject.org/
UAE Dolphin project presented to the YR12 students at the American Universal School last December. Thanks to Time Out that posted our
advert and three enthusias&c students that contacted us and made this happen. They are now working on puDng together an informa&on
package to promote dolphin awareness among the younger students. Here is what they say:
Kevin Semasinghe, Year 12
“I was fortunate enough to come across Dr. Natoli while browsing through the newspaper for volunteer work for myself and group of
friends. Upon finding a lis&ng about dolphins in the UAE, my friends and I immediately gained an interest in it. Upon contac&ng her via
email asking her if she would like any help with the project, we were pleased to hear her confirming response. Since then, we have been
helping her raise awareness about dolphins in the Gulf as well as her project which is to learn more about them and how we may be>er
preserve their environment. Dr. Natoli was kind enough to come to our school and give a very informa&ve presenta&on about whales and
dolphins, the popula&on of dolphins in the area and a li>le about her project and how we can help her with it. A5er this, we decided to
con&nue spreading the informa&on within our school to the younger grades so they too can be informed. If &me permits we would love to
con&nue to help Dr. Natoli in her project in any way we can, as not only is it interes&ng, it’s the first I have heard about dolphin research
and preserving their popula&on and the marine environment in Dubai and I would love to play a part, regardless of how small it may be in
the preserva&on of these animals and their home.”
Faheem Naser, Year 12
“My name is Faheem and I am a senior doing the Interna&onal Baccalaureate program. To complete this program we are required to complete a certain amount of CAS hours which involve doing three categories of ac&vi&es: Crea&vity, Ac&on, and Service. To complete our service hours we began to look in the newspaper for volunteering opportuni&es when we came across Dr. Natoli’s ad for the UAE dolphin
project. My group mates and I were specifically intrigued by this ad as we have seen dolphins in the UAE before and we wanted to learn
more about them. So we decided to send Dr. Natoli an email to see her inten&ons and how we could help. When she replied she had described to us that she was interested in learning more about the dolphins in the Gulf region, as well as to raise awareness about these dolphins to help conserve their marine environment. A5er discussion with Dr. Natoli she came to our school and presented to the juniors of
our grade all about types of dolphins, what they look like, how they survive and the informa&on we know about them (which isn’t much
especially in the Gulf). This presenta&on got us more interested in the cause of dolphins as well as marine life in general to an extent in
which we are now going to present to other grades in our school to raise further awareness of the condi&ons of the dolphins and hopefully
get a chance to collect more data on the types we have in the Gulf and how we can help conserve their marine environment.”
Selim Younes, Year 12
“I met Dr. Natoli through my school’s “group-sustained project” as part of my CAS (extracurricular Crea&vity, Ac&on, or Service experiences) requirements. The project is undertaken by students taking the Interna&onal Baccalaureate Diploma program and my peers and I are
students enrolled in this program at the Universal American School of Dubai. We were looking for opportuni&es to provide some form of
service to the community, flipping through a local magazine, when we found a small adver&sement for the Dolphin Awareness Project. My
peers and I then debated on whether or not we should actually call the number, and of course we made the right call and have had the
pleasure of welcoming Dr. Natoli into our school. Dr. Natoli has already presented to the Juniors during one of their class assemblies. She
went over basic dolphin background informa&on which was very interes&ng, especially focusing on the different types and classifica&ons of
dolphins. She then linked that to Dubai and talked about their presence here, the lack of research on dolphins in the area, and finally, what
to do upon sigh&ng a dolphin. My peers and I hope to con&nue to help a5er her presenta&on by raising awareness and making the Dolphin
Project something that is known and talked about within the school. We hope to do this by having presenta&ons similar to Dr. Natoli’s and
hopefully reaching both the Secondary and Elementary sides of the school.”
Issue No. 6
Page 10
AthleticsNews
February Athle'cs
February proved to be a busy month as our many of our teams wrapped up their ECC seasons. Season summaries by our Varsity Boys
Football team and JV Basketball teams give a recap of the highlights.
Varsity Boys Football
We were on our way to ECC seeded first, and undefeated for the season with a record 36 goals scored, and only two conceded; a remarkable record.
Our first game of the ECC tournament versus DAA proved to be as expected and resulted in a rela&vely easy win for us. We had a few
hours of rest before facing ACS in the final. As the match began, so did the rain and wind. With only two goals scored against us the en&re
season, ACS ended up making that three in the first half, puDng us down 0-1. We managed to fight back however and &ed it up before half
&me. We knew we were in for one of the most difficult games of the season. The ba>le commenced with the second half whistle, and unfortunately it was not long before ACS managed to score again. We never gave up however, and managed to draw the game two minutes
before the final whistle. Thinking we were headed to over&me, and with only a few minutes le5 to play, ACS was awarded a corner kick.
A5er a fumble in front of the goal, they managed to score, sha>ering our goals of becoming ISAC and ECC champions the same season, and
breaking our undefeated record. It was a somber and sobering moment.
Despite the one loss of the season, we have to look back at the incredible season and the remarkable record we maintained this year. The
varsity boys should be very proud of themselves. As an assistant coach I would like to thank the team for their hard work, their great sense
of humor, and the fond memories I have from the season. I am grateful for the &me spent with this great group of young men, and proud
of all of them for their dedica&on and commitment. I would also like to thank all the seniors on the team this year; Hussein, Faheem, Karim, Rami, Farhad, Robin, Kevin and Ramy Omran. We will miss you boys and wish you all the best. Make sure you come back and visit us.
Last but not least, Coach Padilla should be recognized not only for his extraordinary knowledge and love of the game, but his unrelen&ng
commitment and discipline, and not to men&on his love for YELLOW. Without his leadership this team would not have achieved such great
success.
- Mr. Kuestermann
JV Boys Basketball
The core group of players remained commi>ed throughout the season. We had only one prac&ce the en&re season with as few as nine
players and all of the final eleven players that finished the year were regular in a>ending prac&ces. Our season began in November with a
mee&ng where expecta&ons were explained and basketball as a team sport was differen&ated from the lunch or playground game. Thirtynine students a>ended three days of tryouts before the team was cut to nineteen players. A5er three more days of prac&ce the team was
reduced to fourteen players.
- Mr. Lauer
Results:
UAS
UAS
UAS
UAS
UAS
UAS
UAS
64
12
12
26
21
21
30
AISA
DAA
DAA
GEMS
DIA
DIA
DIA
4
38
46
38
35
37
36
JV Girls Basketball
The UAS JV Girls basketball team had a great 2012-2013 year. Following a tough season in 2011-12 that saw 3 games won to 9 losses, the
team was able to turn the direc&on around and finished this season 7-1. The team won all of its division games, cruising to home and
away wins over AAM 46-22 and 42-14. The team was also able to best DIA 38-23 and 37-21. UAS won the ECC tournament, easily handling
DIA by the score of 35-19 to set up a promo&on/relega&on game versus UAS nemesis AISA.
The final game of the season saw UAS hampered by injuries (and transfer!), fielding a team of only 8 players! With a fantas&c and gri>y
effort, the team was able to overcome AISA 28-19, largely on the efforts of Stephanie Dimoulas’ 10 points, Ga Young Lee’s fantas&c 9 steals
and Sarah Lootah’s 4 offensive rebounds. Asma Anoohi also contributed with 30% field goal shoo&ng, earning 14 points with a sustained
offensive effort.
- Mr. Cour & Mr. Parina
Issue No. 6
Page 11
AthleticsNews
The High School Basketball Championship
The Varsity Boys’ Basketball team had a thrilling weekend par&cipa&ng in the 3SM High School Basketball Championships at the Al Wasl
Club. The boys played one of their best all-around games on Friday in the tournament semi-finals against Lycee Georges Pompidou winning 49-31 and advance to the finals against GEMs World Academy on Saturday.
In easily the year's most exci&ng match, the UAS varsity boys took GEMs World Academy into double over&me, but came up short losing
56-47 in a hard fought game. The boys showed tremendous hard work and tenacity throughout the tournament and Coach Miller and
Coach TroDer are very proud of their accomplishments.
The boys now will take a week off to prepare for their mock exams and will start up prac&ces again next week to prepare for their ISAC
tournament in Qatar next month.
The coaches would also like to thank all of the fan support from all of the students and teachers who came out to show their Scorpion
Spirit.
Issue No. 6
Page 12
StudentCouncil
The Student Council is back on a5er a mid-year break and we are going to be busy. Our main event of the year is coming up, the talent
show has been a main stay of the UAS social calendar for a few years now and the 2013 edi&on is going to be even bigger than usual,
thanks to some help from Mrs. Asha and from Lina Ibrahim. We will use “X-factor” like format for THE UNEXPECTED show. Part of the
proceeds will go to Team Mongolia to help the orphanage they will be traveling to in June.
At the same &me, like last year, we will organize an art compe&&on to show case the amazing talents of our students. This &me the public
will have a say and vote too.
Other projects include a treasure hunt for grades 7 to 9, a digital art compe&&on and of course you will be more than welcome to visit us at
our carnival stand during Interna&onal Day.
PTONews
UAS Interna'onal Day – March 9, 2013
A Li;le Piece of Us
Planning is underway for Interna&onal Day and it is promising to be a fun and exci&ng day for the whole UAS Community.
Interna&onal Day is scheduled on Saturday, March 9, 2013 from 11am un&l 4pm.
Each country represented will have a booth to display their ar&facts, pictures, and other items that give the community a feel for their culture. Some of the booths will have samples of their food to provide a taste from their country. The Interna&onal Café in the cafeteria will
also add flavor from each country. In addi&on, great entertainment is being scheduled throughout the day from students and staff that will
end with our famous Interna&onal Flag Parade.
For those of you interested in par&cipa&ng and contribu&ng to your own country booth or in a performance on stage, please contact the
PTO at [email protected]. Contact informa&on of country ‘ambassadors’ have also been sent via email. You can contact them directly if
you would like to help.
For more informa&on on Interna&onal Day, join the PTO and all the volunteers on Monday mornings at 8 am in the Secondary Teacher’s
Lounge.
Make sure your country is represented in this fun filled UAS Interna&onal Day! We are looking forward to your par&cipa&on and are
coun&ng on you to make Interna&onal Day a great success!
Issue No. 6
Page 13