In our Secondary school we have met the challenges that blended learning poses and are proud that we have offered a full timetable of live lessons across the curriculum. Our students have shown great resilience and responsibility to adapt to this mode of learning - we are very proud of them all. We are incredibly fortunate to have a team of exceptional teachers who dedicate their time and effort to ensuring our lessons are engaging, challenging and tailored to the needs of the students. I would like to thank you for your support and I look forward to the remainder of the year.

Mr Jonathon

Well done to all of our students who received merit awards at the end of last half-term. For those who were disappointed, or want to get the next certificate, keep working hard, and keep earning those merits!

Worried about the amount of time your child is spending online? Which websites they are using? How to keep them safe? We invite you to a parent workshop on E-Safety where members of the ICT department and leadership team will be discussing some of the challenges that our young people face growing up in the digital age. The 30 minute session will include an opportunity to ask questions and include links to useful websites to further help you support your child.

Primary parents-3pm Wednesday 18th November 2020

Google Meet Link meet.google.com/xgk-dtaf-psg

Secondary parents-4pm Wednesday 18th November 2020

Google Meet Link meet.google.com/bdh-wfpb-cin

Please email any questions you may have prior to the workshop to liz.hewitt@alrabeehacademy.ae

We are delighted to introduce you to our new safeguarding and child protection team at Al Rabeeh Academy and to share details of our upcoming Safeguarding Workshop for parents later this month. During the online webinar Miss Liz, our Head of Protection and Wellbeing, will introduce you to the team in person and deliver some of the key messages from our new safeguarding and child protection policy.

Based on the best practice from both the UAE and the UK, our new policy is based around the use of the award winning software MyConcern that allows our staff to track the wellbeing of all of our students in an efficient and safe way. The safety of your children is our number one priority at ARA and we are pleased to have a team of Arabic and English speaking staff dedicated to ensuring they feel secure and happy so they can learn and thrive.

Safeguarding Workshop for Parents 3pm Wednesday 25th November 2020 Online

Google Meet Link meet.google.com/obd-tkmc-vr

Throughout the term we have been supporting our students with their wellbeing and mental health. Here are a few things that we've been doing.

Our students participated in a competition to improve their home workspace and were given plenty of inspiration to work with. Pictures of their home learning environment were submitted and winners were awarded Merit points by Mr Dan. It's never too late to improve your space, students can even still submit a photo here https://padlet.com/dangriffiths/76fc966tjjkoatzv and earn some Merit points.

As part of our commitment to healthy lifestyles, Mr Dan encouraged our students to 'Raise Their Heart Rate' as much as they could and for as long as possible on World Heart Day. Students submitted pictures of their smartwatch data or screenshots of their phones fitness apps to the padlet here https://padlet.com/dangriffiths/m35ysg50dnh52zl you can still send in snaps of your exercise efforts and earn some merit points from Mr Dan. Stay active everyone!

In solidarity with people across the globe, Al Rabeeh Academy celebrated 'Pink Day' on October 15th in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Thank you to everyone who donated to this worthy cause.

Secondary Odd-Socks Day - Monday 16th November 2020

We are so very proud of all of our students for the resilience and commitment that they have shown to their learning.

Here are some important notices about teaching and learning.

Year 11 mocks exams will take place from Sunday November 15th, until Wednesday November 18th. All students will be expected to attend school for their mock examinations, unless they have a specific medical condition which restricts them from coming on to the school premises. Students who have opted for Distance Learning will be expected to come to school, but there will be strict precautions and measures in place to keep students and staff safe. Anyone who refuses to follow these strict precautions will be sent home and will score 0 in their exam.

Please see the exam timetable below.

If you have any questions about the Year 11 Mock Examinations please email Mr Jonathon at jonathon.dunn@alrabeehacademy.ae .

All students in Years 7 to 10 will have their end of term assessments in regularly timetabled lessons during the week beginning November 15th 2020.

Please see the assessment schedules that were previously emailed to all parents, and posted in individual Google Classrooms for the dates and times of each assessment.

If you have any questions about these assessments please email Mr Pete at peter.hughes@alrabeehacademy.ae .

Please note that there will be 2 Parent Teacher Consultations this term. More information will follow, however please keep these dates for your diary.

Year 11 only - Tuesday November 24th 2020

Year 7 -- 11 - Tuesday December 8th 2020 and Wednesday December 9th 2020

Please be aware that on December 8th and 9th 2020 there will be no live lessons, and students will not be allowed on to the school site. Teachers will set online work for classes to complete, whilst teachers meet with parents.

On November 3rd all students celebrated UAE Flag Day virtually at home and in-school. At 11:00 all students stood and sang the national anthem in honour of the UAE flag, whilst Ms Barbara, Ms Manal and Mr Mohammad raised the school flag in accordance with ADEK and the MoH guidelines. Well done to all of those who took part, and to the 213 students who participated in the Flag Day Competition.

Key Stage 3

In Term 1.2, Year 7 students looked at the 7 parts of speech and worked on developing their understanding of how words are used to form sentences. In Year 8 students were introduced to the Folk Tales unit of work where students listened to folk tales, before writing their very own, whilst Year 9 students began studying extracts from 'Paper Towns' (by John Green) and focused on developing their analytical skills through structured PEA/PETER paragraphs.

Key Stage 4

In Year 10 students have spent the first half term learning about their new exam board for IGCSE English, and English as a Second Language, and understanding how their IGCSE course will be structured. Our Year 11 students have been busy continuing with their IGCSE course, focusing on developing the reading skills required for all four texts of the Reading IGCSE, in order to prepare themselves for the summer examination.

Competitions

During the first half-term the English Department ran a competition for Library Month. Well done to everyone who participated, below are some of the entries that we received.

Today, critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning ability and the ability to communicate mathematically are essential skills. These processes are the foundation of mathematics instruction in Al Rabeeh Academy. The students started the term off with a new Cambridge curriculum and textbook.

Key Stage 3

Congratulations to Year 7 - they have successfully completed your first term in Secondary! It is a big change from Primary and they’ve made the transition a success. This term we have been working through our Cambridge curriculum. We have been laying a foundation of number skills in integer operations, geometry and data collection.

We are so impressed with the growth that our Year 8’s have shown this year. They’re inquisitive, engaging, and showing what good learners do. This year we will be expanding the topics taught last year. This term we have covered solving angle problems, sequencing and converting metric units.

Our Year 9’s are in full preparation mode for their IGCSE courses next year. This year we will be making sure they have successfully completed all basic knowledge for their IGCSE’s. Not only are we expanding their previous knowledge, we are also activating their higher level problem solving thinking skills.

Key Stage 4

The year 10 students have been working hard to understand their new IGCSE syllabus. This year is their first year in preparing for the IGCSE’s and staff have seen an increase in students' work ethic and commitment during maths lessons. Students are enjoying the online live lessons and some students were welcomed back by all staff into class. Year 10 started off with reviewing number concepts and ending the chapter with significant figures. They then continued to chapter 2, this is where they reviewed algebra concepts, brackets, substitution and indices laws.

Year 11’s are making great progress in completing their IGCSE course, and have completed Collecting, Organising and Displaying Data, Fractions, Measurement and Volume so far this term. They have also been working extremely well during the first term preparing for their first mock exam. We have gone over many questions and revision of previous years’ work during the first few weeks of the term and they are motivated and driven to do their best.

Key Stage 3

This term pupils in Key Stage 3 have studied the first sections of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. These have covered Cells, Atoms, Pressure and Forces in Year 7; Periodic Table, Static Electricity, Diet and Nutrients in Year 8. All pupils in Year 7, 8 and 9 have engaged fully with the curriculum producing some excellent pieces of classwork and homework. The energy each pupil brings to the lesson is fantastic!

Key Stage 4

Our Year 11 pupils are working hard to complete their courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The Year 11 pupils have stepped up as we approach external examinations in June 2021. They have worked consistently hard to master the final aspects of their courses. They have covered moles, enthalpy, equilibria, genetics, electrical circuits amongst revision of topics covered last year. The current Year 10s have started their ICGSE courses with enthusiasm – covering Cells, Mass and Weight, Particle Nature of Matter. The Year 10s are almost in the right frame of mind for IGCSE study, we will get there!

Year 7

So far this term, students have been exploring the elements of line and shape form and value through the works of traditional and contemporary artists.

Line: They looked at the different types of lines in nature and in art (organic and geometric). They also looked at the Seismic drawings of contemporary artists Carl Krull and they created their version of seismic drawings.

Shape: They explored shapes through the works of Henri Matisse. They learned about his life and analysed the different shapes in his works. They also created their own cut-outs of natural forms using geometric or organic shapes.

Year 8

Year 8 students have been exploring the elements of line, shape, form and value:

Line: They were introduced to different types of lines in art and created a drawing from observation using only contour and cross contour lines.

Shape: They looked at the organic and geometric shapes and experimented with transforming an organic object into a geometric drawing.

Form and Value: They explored the element of form and how to transform a basic shape into the illusion of form using values. They learned about the value scale and used it as a tool to compare and contrast values in artworks.

Year 9

Year 9 students have been exploring in-depth the elements of line, shape, form and value:

Line: They looked at expressing emotions using different types of lines. They explored the works of Alberto Giacometti and created a self portrait in his style.

Shape: They looked and negative and positive shapes in cubism still life. They created their own geometric still life using collage approaches.

Form and Value: They were introduced to the African American Artist, Charles Ethan Porter’s life and works and created studies of his painting analysing his use of light and values to create the illusion of form and depth.

Year 10

Year 10 students started their IGCSE induction period this term, where they learned about the course requirements, the assessment objectives and how to meet them. They started working on their personal themes exploring photography, recording and rendering approaches to cover AO1 and AO3.

Year 10

Year 10 have recently begun their IGCSE course, and have looked at Specialization in Business and Marketing. Below is some of the work that students have completed on Cash Flow Forecasting.

Year 11

In Year 11 we have continued the IGCSE course, and have recently been focusing on financial information and financial decisions. The work below was submitted are part of the students work into Cash Flow Forecasting.

Key Stage 3

During the first half-term students in Year 7 have studied the impacts of tourism, the advantages and disadvantages of tourism and eco tourism, whilst Year 8 students have studied Biomes and Ecosystems, in particular looking at the tropical rainforest before moving onto the desert biome. Year 9 students have been looking at global food supplies and the impacts of food security, global diet patterns and the future of food and rising global food prices.

Below are some examples of great student work.

Key Stage 4

In Year 11 students have been continuing with their IGCSE course, looking at tectonic hazards, why some people choose to live by volcanoes and also how different countries deal with disastrous events.

Key Stage 3

In Year 7, students learned about The Vikings, learning about their cultures and history last half-term, in particular looking at their travels and voyages across the world, their settlements and Viking Runes. In Year 8 students looked at the Native Americans, exploring their traditions and their cultures, focusing on many different Native American Tribes, including Cherokee, Apache and the Navajo. Students used research skills to understand the differences between Tribes. In Year 9 students have gone on a journey through time looking at numerous different historical periods, such as the Romans, Medieval times, The Tudors, the Victorian era and the Early Modern Period. Year 9 students have also studied the similarities and differences between Crime and Punishment through the years.

Key Stage 4

This term Year 10 students have began their IGCSE syllabus, starting with the Revolutions of 1848. Students have explored the reasons for the Revolutions, the reasons for their failures and what were the after effects of these Revolutions across four different European countries.

In Year 11 students have carried on with their IGCSE syllabus, studying Civil Rights in America, students have developed their understanding of Key Events and Key Figures during the Civil Rights Movement including Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. Students are discovering the historical importance of such a movement.

In PE and Wellbeing, students in secondary school have been learning about how they can lead a healthy lifestyle and ensure the mental, physical and social health are in peak condition. Students learnt about what a balanced diet is, how many hours of sleep are recommended for their age and how much physical training they should be completing each week. We also looked at the reasons people participate in sports and exercise and differences between us as individuals such as age, gender, culture and how that affects our opportunities to participate. Students are now completing a creative investigation into an invasion game; football which will form part of their assessment grade along with their performance in the weekly physical training.

National Day 2020

Meet the Student Leadership Committee, including our new Head Boy and Head Girl, as well as our Year Group Representatives.

Summary of Term 1