The Junction

28 January 2022

A Note From Mr Green

Building with bricks

This week has flown by, and for our Year 11 Students it has been a busy, full week of mock examinations. Our staff have also been busy marking and moderating in preparation for results day on Monday 7 February. On this day, the students will receive their grades along with advice, support, and targets to ensure they achieve their potential in the summer. Mock examinations are an essential part of school life because they enable the students to experience the closest thing to actual exams and then to reflect on areas of strength and areas that require development, to ensure they are fully prepared for the exams in the summer. The best way of seeing mock examinations is as part of the preparation process, an opportunity to identify the small parts of a whole which can help students to tackle the larger scale of examinations. The small tasks that students can identify to help them in the final GCSE exams can include: mastering skills, identifying gaps in knowledge, honing examination technique, and using the information to inform improvement.

The summer seems a long way away, but whilst I’m conscious, more than ever, that this will be upon us incredibly quickly, for others the thought of preparing and completing something important can feel daunting, somewhat overwhelming and so far away that it might be impossible to ever get there. I’m reminded at these times by something the actor Will Smith once recollected in his autobiography. In a chapter called ‘The Wall’ he describes a lesson he and his brother learnt as children, when their father got them to build a wall. Every day for a year, come rain or shine, they had to work together to build this wall. They did everything from digging the footings, mixing the mortar and carrying the buckets. Will Smith describes often looking at the hole, feeling totally discouraged thinking they would never be able to finish building the wall. One day, Will and his brother were complaining, saying the task was impossible. Their father said: “Stop worrying about the wall. Your only concern is one brick”. It took time, but Will Smith came to realise that his father was absolutely right. When you focus on the wall, the job feels unmanageable, never-ending, but when you focus on one brick, everything gets easier, he knew how to lay one brick well.

Students are not alone in sometimes feeling a sense of overwhelm at the wall of GCSE examinations ahead. We can all feel a sense of the greatness of tasks; it’s not just about exams, life can appear a little daunting, maybe overwhelming or even impossible, at times. Anything can be accomplished, albeit gradually, by taking on just a little at a time. If we can break our task down into manageable bricks, one at a time, with the knowledge that we have support around us, with teachers helping us with bricks, parents with mortar and friends with companionship, the task will become more realistic and manageable, and we will succeed in building our own walls, one small brick at a time.

Week in Review

EXPO Snippet

Expo Snippet - UN Goals

Did you know Expo isn't just about the pavilions? Every couple of weeks, Expo highlights a cause or concern and puts on activities, talks and shows to educate the 1000s of visitors touring the site.

Last week, the theme was the seventeen UN Goals.

Each goal had been placed in a location around the Expo site and the Expo Goal was to find them and collect their unique Goal Stamp.

As the UN Goals were spaced across the five different districts, we hired electric bikes and off we set.

At each UN Global Goal stop, we learnt more about the specific goal and were either asked to take a quiz or write a note about it. We then earned our stamp.

Visitors handwritten notes were then beamed on to the Al Wasl Dome as part of the UN Goals display.

We were delighted to earn all our seventeen stamps and learnt lots along the way!

Watch out for more themes and activities coming up at Expo in February!

PE

In PE, students have been following a new pathway system that has been created in response to being unable to do practical PE. Students have selected one of the following pathways to study during their PE lessons, allowing them the opportunity to develop knowledge in an area of PE that they are interested in.

Dance and Performance Pathway

In this pathway, students have been viewing and analysing a variety of performances they enjoy in order to develop an understanding of how different performance elements work together. Students have explored the impact that music, expression, style of movement and other factors have on a performance.

Students in the dance and performance pathway exploring the impact different performance elements have on the experience of an audience.

Sport Specific Pathways

There are a number of sports that students could select from for the sport specific pathways including; Netball, Rugby, Football, Swimming and Basketball. Students have learned about officiating in their chosen sport, observing clips from previous games and identifying the rules of their sport and how they are implemented.

Students have also had the opportunity to develop their coaching skills in their chosen sport. They have identified strengths and weaknesses that they, or others, may have in their sport and have discussed and planned a session that aims to develop these areas leading to improved performance. Another area that has been explored is event organisation for their chosen sport. Students have worked on the logistical planning that must take place before a sports event can take place.

Students on the netball pathway learn about the rules of the game and how umpires officiate netball matches.

Another student on the netball pathway planning her coaching session.

We would like to say a massive thank you to Empire Sports Academy for delivering the football option on our Sport Specific Pathway. The students who chose the football pathway have all benefited from the expert knowledge of the Empire Sports Academy coaches who have planned and delivered their sessions.

Students working with Empire Sports Academy to develop their understanding and application of the rules in football.

Students in Year 8 taking part in a mock media press conference surrounding their team selection and coaching strategies. Another excellent session run by Empire Sports Academy which was thoroughly enjoyed by all involved.

Sports Media Pathway

Within this pathway, students have had the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of sports media. The end goal for this pathway is for students to have produced a piece of sports media, whether that be a poster, video or article, which showcases the excellent sports facilities that JAS has to offer. Students have spent time researching promotional material that has previously been used for sports facilities to help inspire their own ideas. The students are really enjoying the challenge of trying their hand at something new!

Students research promotional material for sports facilities for inspiration.

Students photograph and video the facilities available at JAS ready to use in their own promotional media.

Mindfulness and Wellbeing

In this pathway, students have been working on strategies to put themselves in the 'present moment'. They have done this by using their five senses to divert their thoughts from potential stressful situations. The students have also been looking at gratitude, reflecting on the people and things in their lives that they are thankful for. They have been challenged to tell two people that they are most grateful in the world for why they appreciate them so much. Students will also analyse the reactions of those people and how it made them feel.

Our Year 7 students are excited to have started a project, this term about insects in art.

Last week we got creative with our colourful sketches of insects, using pen and watercolour.

Photos by Harrison 7AT

Compositions

This week the majority of classes were working on composition. Composition is a great way of showing how pupils understand certain musical techniques.

The Year 7 learnt about another key of Dr Pat Smith musical elements - Tempo. Pupils were busy beat matching their remix project and creating drum machine patterns that fit with a chosen remix track all at the correct tempo.

Year 10 were busy working on their GCSE coursework composition. Pupils are trying to incorporate many of the compositional techniques discussed in class, and develop them to access higher marks for their work. This particular composition is work that will be completed over many weeks, and I am sure the pupils will share their work once complete. Watch this space!

Tunes on Tuesday

Please make sure you stay tuned when restrictions are lifted and make sure you attend our new look concert series Tunes on Tuesday! We are excited to bring you a weekly slice of music performance and composition from across the school, so please keep an eye (and an ear!) out for our budding musicians.

Book Review for Older Readers

Theatrical

By Maggie Harcourt

Hope has always dreamt of working backstage at a proper theatre, and she is determined that she can make it without the help of her designer mother’s fame. So when she manages to get an internship in a proper theatre to work on a major production, she tells no one, not even her family to make sure that she has what it takes and to make sure there are no interferences. With the help of her best friend, Priya and her theatre friend, George, she has to keep it all a secret…

There is something for everyone in this book as it is filled with family, friendship, romance and lots of theatre. I really recommend this book to Drama students or anyone who enjoys acting!

Reviewed by Maya 10AR

If you are a keen reader and would like to write a review of a novel you have read, please submit an entry of around 150 words, including who you would recommend the novel for and we will feature it in The Junction!

We will be accepting reviews from year 5 and year 6 students and you can either email them to Mrs Horsham lhorsham@jebelalischool.org or Mrs Free vfree@jebelalischool.org.

Happy reading!

Looking Ahead

Bookmark Competition

JAS Bookmark Competition Poster (2).pdf

Movie Equipment Rental

Movie Night Flyer for the newsletters.pdf

Whole School: 21 January 2022 Latest Update to KHDA Protocols

We have been informed by the KHDA that for the time being, the changes implemented at the start of term 2 will continue until the end of January. As soon as we have any further updates from the KHDA we will notify you.

Distance Learning Provision

The latest guidance to all schools from KHDA advises that “From here on in we want distance learning to be provided only for the eligible categories (Positives, close contacts and those with the appropriate exemptions)”

In line with this directive please be advised that we will continue to provide Distance Learning (DL) to eligible students only, i.e.,

a confirmed COVID-19 positive case, or
a confirmed Close Contact to a positive case,
a student with a DHA medical exemption

The DL provision is no longer available for students absent for any other reason.

REMINDER: JAS Reporting COVID-19 Protocols

Please refer to the JAS Reporting COVID-19 Protocols (linked here) for step-by-step details of what you need to do if your child tests positive for COVID-19 or is identified as a close contact to a positive case.

The key instructions you need to remember are:

POSITIVE CASE - phone the JAS Health & Safety Team on 054 9961622. Please note: The DHA will not accept lateral flow test results for reporting any positive case.

CLOSE CONTACT CASE - email details to reportingcovid@jebelalischool.org. (There is no need for you to phone)

The email must include:

Specific details of contact with the positive case
Is the positive case in isolation away from the rest of the household?
Date of the student’s last contact with the positive case.

ABSENCE DUE TO ILLNESS - email the details to absence@jebelalischool.org. The subject line must include the student's name and class and the email must state the reason for the absence. (As per the latest KHDA guidance Distance Learning is no longer available for COVID related symptoms or otherwise).

SUBMITTING PCR TEST RESULTS - all PCR test results must be submitted to reportingcovid@jebelalischool.org. Once you have submitted a negative PCR result you must await confirmation from the school's COVID Administration team before the student can return to school. Please note that lateral flow test results are not accepted.

Thank you for your patience and continued support in keeping our school safe and operating face-to-face.

Article of Interest

Three Benefits of Having a Comfort Dog in School

Bringing a comfort dog into your school is a great way to build rapport with students and help them deal with all kinds of stress.

As a soon-to-be father of twins, I have been feeling a bit emotional recently, especially when looking at those pictures of my family and myself when I was a toddler. And, in all those pictures, there is always a common link: laugh, joy and our dog ‘Sugar’.

For us, our dog was everything. He gave us comfort, happiness and lots of good memories for almost seventeen years.

I hope that this article could give our JAS community some food for thought. I am sure that Mr. Brown and his dog ‘Loki’ would be very happy to volunteer.

Jose Guerrero

Teacher of Spanish and Year 11 Tutor

Bringing a comfort dog into your school

There’s more to supporting students and staff than simply bringing a dog to your school. Eli and our social worker were trained and certified in how to appropriately implement animal-assisted interventions by the Good Dog Foundation. The training was essential, as bringing a dog into a classroom or school requires careful consideration. Supervision is addressed by our school district mandating that all comfort dog schools develop a team to properly implement the program.

The entire school is briefed on the rules and expectations of having a comfort dog on school grounds. To ensure that Eli is not overworked, the program adheres to a schedule of three days a week, and frequent breaks are instituted throughout each day. Creating a comfortable, isolated space away from students for breaks in the dog’s schedule is important as well.

Students are required to submit a consent form signed by their parents to be able to interact directly with the dog or be part of a classroom activity, which prevents students who are allergic to dogs from encountering the animal.

Overall, this year has highlighted that students need more attention and support than ever before. Eli’s innate ability to comfort those in need has increased feelings of positivity and school pride among faculty and students alike.

There are fewer than ten comfort dogs assigned to high schools in the entire New York City Department of Education school system. The Maspeth High School community understands and appreciates this rare opportunity—having a comfort dog has made all the difference for both students and staff in our school community.

Considering that students all over the world have been out of school for eighteen months due to the pandemic, providing additional support is vital to helping them transition back into the school building and daily school life. There are three ways that having a comfort dog could help our students and staff.

1. Building confidence in students

During initial sessions, students participating in small counseling groups sometimes struggle with opening up to their classmates. Having Eli there with them during group sessions creates a comfortable and homelike setting that encourages sharing and interactions.

Students are also learning about positive behavior reinforcement by applying it in their interactions with Eli through petting and/or providing a treat or praise. We want students, through observing Eli’s positive reactions and how their positive reinforcement brings out better behavior from him, to transfer these experiences and observations to how they interact with friends and family.

In another example, public speaking can be stressful for students, as we have found with our ninth graders, who may not have had frequent experiences speaking publicly while in middle school. Activities such as debates in a Global History class typically result in students feeling stress and anxiety. The presence of a friendly pet like Eli helps to alleviate their fears.

2. Comfort dog as 'Rapport accelerator'

Utilizing Eli in one-to-one sessions between our students and social workers helps them to share information about themselves. Eli’s presence in such sessions has become what our social worker calls a rapport accelerator.

At the start of the new school year, for example, our ninth graders meet with our social worker. Typically, the questions at these meetings yield one-word or very short responses, possibly because students have initial hesitations about opening up to a stranger and question the need for the meeting. Sitting on a couch with Eli helps them become more comfortable.

In addition, when students witness the caring relationship between the social worker and Eli and find out that he is the dog’s owner, this window into Eli and the social worker’s relationship helps to convince them that they are in a safe and caring place, making them more receptive to him. His modeling of an empathetic and caring relationship and rapport between himself and Eli lets our students know that this type of relationship can be available between them too.

In another example from earlier this year, a student came down to the social worker’s office to discuss feelings of loneliness and isolation. She shared that the day’s events left her feeling overwhelmed and that she wanted to leave school early. However, while petting Eli and processing her emotions with the social worker, the student was able to de-escalate her heightened emotions, and then disclose what she was feeling and why.

3. A morale booster

Teachers tell me that Eli has positively impacted certain students’ attendance and lateness rates. They also share with me that whenever they tell their classes that Eli will be coming, their students are eager and excited for the day to come.

However, Eli helps not only students to feel better but staff as well. Faculty have expressed that they love seeing him in the hallways, that his presence makes them even more excited to come to work daily.

Helpful Hints

Helping Students with Anxiety

Help students to relax properly. Watching TV or scrolling through a mobile phone is not relaxing. Relaxation should have a physical effect on the mind: regular practice of deep breathing, physical exercise/walking, tai chi or yoga could help.
Focus on sleep, nourishment, and exercise. Physical health is really important for coping with anxiety and enabling students to handle life's ups and downs. Children need to get the right amount of sleep — not too much or too little. Food choices are also important - fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains for long-term energy (instead of the short bursts that come from too much sugar or caffeine). Exercise promotes good moods and increases oxygen supply to the brain.

Personal connections are very important. Students need to spend time with their friends and family. Organised activities are great, but just hanging out works too. Students need to feel connected and understood. Give students opportunities to talk - sometimes when we least expect it, they are willing to open up and share.
Importance of nature. Spending time in nature has been found to help with anxiety and mild depression. Natural light and fresh air may help to lift the mood - going for a walk, swimming in the sea, spending time in the desert all offer ways of spending time outside and enjoying our surroundings.
Paying attention to the positives. Encouraging students to focus on the positives may help to keep anxiety in check - instead of focussing on what is concerning them, focussing on the good helps to keep things in perspective.

If your child is struggling to manage their anxieties - there is support at school. Let your child’s class teacher, form tutor, Head of Year or the School Counsellor know.

Rhonwen Scott

Secondary Inclusion Teacher

Staff Profile

Dhara Patel - Teacher of Mathematics

Dhara has just joined the JAS Maths department in January. She is originally from London, UK where she completed her BSc at the University of Birmingham and her PGCE at Brunel University. She began teaching Maths in 2009 and has been in Dubai for the last five years with her husband and two children.

Dhara believes that Maths should be accessible to all and more importantly, should be enjoyed by all. She believes Maths is a beautiful subject that is relevant to so many different aspects of every day. She encourages students to push themselves and hopes to provide a nurturing environment for students to grow and develop confidence in their Mathematical abilities.

Outside of school, Dhara likes to spend time with her family and friends, at the beach, park or in the garden with the fire-pit, enjoying the weather when it is not too hot. She enjoys completing her daily Sudoku and Wordle challenges. Pre-pandemic and children, she would be travelling the world, exploring countries like Vietnam, Belize and Peru but for now, she is enjoying the many different sights of the UAE.

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