The Junction

Friday 26 May 2023

A Note From Mr Green

The Game

It’s no secret that I am a somewhat fanatical supporter of Liverpool football club. However, I also, quite simply, have a love of football, “The Beautiful Game” as it is romantically termed (by those who also love football). Being an art fanatic too means that I also proudly and fortunately own some pieces of art which depict my love of football. One such piece is by an artist called Mackenzie Thorpe. ‘The Game”. It features a small clearing surrounded by soot drenched, terraced houses, all within a looming industrial, ship building backdrop. In the shadow of one of these buildings something is happening – it is a football game, possibly impromptu rather than organized, with no grandstands or terraces around it. Surrounded by drudgery, cement, smoke, and work; people have found some respite in their lives. That hope and joy can be found through the simplicity of the game.

I’ll be looking at this picture during the summer as it will hang as a daily reminder that a new season of football will start again soon, because this weekend, for many millions of football fans, a sudden gap will appear in their lives as another footballing chapter ends. There will still be one or two more games for those teams successful enough to reach prestigious finals, but not for my team (at least for this year). Where once there would be a clear focal point for any weekend - a time when family and friends gather to watch their team, have something to eat and dissect the action, the referees performance and any perceived bias that might exist in commentary or analysis. And thus, appears a vacuum. There will be many already whispering ‘get a grip’ but for many others, you’ll already know and have experienced the terrible condition of ‘end of season withdrawal syndrome’.

The pining football fan will now look to other avenues to get their ‘fix’. For many this involves a daily dose of transfer rumours. Every summer transfer window is awash with rumour after rumour. The BBC even have a daily update on all the transfer gossip, not just through the summer but the whole year round. And it’s addictive. People luxuriate in them, rolling about and wallowing in them, no matter how implausible they are. This is what actually happens in the absence of actual football. We salivate over the prospect of a 70-million-pound midfielder signing on for the new season. Equally we exclaim calamity should one of our top players be rumoured to be joining another team (even worse if it were to be a bitter rival). The problem is that a lot of people in football tend to be rather liberal with the truth; in actual fact they keep lying; and we keep believing them.

So why are there so many rumours around? So much gossip? I suppose it’s for much the same reason that there are so many fast-food outlets around the world. We know that we should eat well, we know we should be a little more careful and look for the sort of nutritional alternatives that might take a little longer to prepare and might actually make us feel better, but we just can’t help ourselves. We know it’s not good for us and it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, but as long as we keep consuming it, it will always be there. And it makes for great drama.

Rumours and gossip can make for great drama in everyday life too. As parents and teachers, we have certainly experienced our fair share. It also occurs all too frequently for our students. Sadly, when the drama involves gossip and rumour it can lead to toxicity, broken friendships or worse. Much of this occurs on the numerous social media apps that exist, which act in much the same way as the fast-food outlets I described above. Consequently, students who are gossiped about are impacted negatively. They can destroy a person’s self-confidence, affect their self-esteem, alienate friends, ruin reputations and lead to ostracising behavior and other forms of relational aggression.

So why do young people, in particular, engage in rumours and gossip? For some, deflecting attention away from themselves on to others is a simple way to feel better. Peer pressure can also play a part as doing the same as others can make them feel accepted or gain popularity. Others do it because of a perceived wrong they may feel has been done to them in the past. More often, it’s just about boredom. Rumours and gossip can create the sort of drama that makes life a little more exciting, creating talking points and adding that little more fuel for the fire.

Which is why football fans experience ‘end of season withdrawal syndrome’. Excitement of the next game has gone and they feel bereft, bored and beleaguered. Transfer gossip and rumour mongering brings a sense of drama. No real harm done is there? Only it brings different problems of harassment, uncertainty and sometimes anger from fans being fed misinformation. Even an armchair fan like myself should be careful what I read, how often I see it and how influenced I may be by listening to so called ‘those in the know’. By doing so, I could make the wrong assumptions which in turn might prejudice opinions I might have. It’s just a game after all.

PS – Alexis MacAllister is definitely a Liverpool player next season – you heard it here first!

Mr S Green

Headteacher

Week in Review

Literacy Newsletter

Year 12 Skills Programme - First Aid

This week was the second First Aid session for 12LSJ hosted by Vic Moore from Empire Sports Academy.

On Thursday the students were shown how to deal with and look after babies, children and adults who have stopped breathing. They learnt and practiced how to perform CPR on the patients - an incredibly useful skill for our Sixth Form students to have.

JAS Sport

JAS Secondary Sport

Please see a reminder below of any key documents you need for any information regarding JAS Sport.

Water Polo

Our water polo teams are going from strength to strength in the water showcasing their fantastic strength as swimmers, keepers and shooters. Our U13 girls remain undefeated with another win this week whilst our U13 boys had a thrilling match against DESC just losing out 10-11. Meanwhile our U15 boys took another victory against WSO putting them in a strong position for the rest of the season.

U13 Rounders Tournament

On Monday afternoon 16 Year 7 girls represented JAS in the U13 DASSA rounders tournament. Both teams (A/B) had a fantastic afternoon with a mixtures of wins, draws and losses against other schools in Dubai! A special mention goes to Hanna (Y7) for multiple rounders and showcasing her fantastic batting skills.

U15 Rounders Tournament

On Wednesday afternoon 17 Year 9 and Year 10 girls represented JAS in the U15 DASSA rounders tournament. We were very proud to have 2 teams in the tournament and they worked so hard in what was a very warm afternoon. The U15A team progressed into the semi-finals after being unbeaten in the group stages. They came up against NLCS in the semi-finals and lost 3.5 to 5.5 rounders. They then played in the playoffs for 3rd place beating SES 8.5 to 3.5 rounders finishing 3rd out of 19 teams. Congratulations to both teams!

Basketball

Our U12 girls stole the limelight this week going into extra time against JESS after a final score of 18-18. They played an extra 5 minutes and managed to compose themselves taking the win 24-18. Miss Roberts said ‘ it was a very intense final quarter and the whole team put in a fantastic performance’. A special mention goes to Lemar (Y7) for powering through the JESS defence and scoring 10 points for JAS across the game. Leaving our final special mention to Miss Roberts who is leaving us this week to start her travels in Canada. Thank you so much for all of your hard work! We wish you all the best and will miss you!

Our U13 girls also played JESS this week winning 12-9 and a player of the match going to Daria. Our U14 girls took a defeat from JESS but put in a fantastic performance in the final quarter with the final score being 16-29 and Grace (Y9) receiving player of the match.

The U12 boys put in another fantastic performance this week scoring 28 points against RGS, not enough to take the win but nevertheless a brilliant result for a group of very hardworking boys! Keep it up!

Ultimate Frisbee

This week we started our first evening ECA for Ultimate Frisbee. This club is for Year 10-Year 13 students and takes place on a Tuesday evening at JAS from 19:00-20:30 pm. We look forward to seeing the numbers grow each week.

Meanwhile, the biggest excitement was our primary vs secondary student match that took place during training this morning. See the match report below from Mr. Bowen!

Years 5 and 6 took on Years 7 and 8 in a hotly contested match-up in Ultimate Frisbee club this week. This much-anticipated fixture drew in the morning crowds, as both teams battled it out for bragging rights at the end of the academic year. Some early complacency from the secondary students opened the door for Years 5 and 6 to storm into an early 3-0 lead. Soon after, Max, Sasha, and Amine carved through some sloppy defense to increase the score to 4-0.

At the water break, Alejando in Year 7 rounded up his somewhat deflated troops and demanded cool heads from his older, more experienced teammates. We’ll never know what was said in the half-time huddle but his team came out in the second half reinvigorated, composed, determined. Connor and Archie linked up with some laser-focused passing to bring the score quickly back to 4-2. Cracks in the primary defense were starting to show and, despite an excellent goal from Cillian in Year 6, the secondary students brought the score back to 5-5.

Stalemate. One minute on the clock. The primary team had the disc in hand. With some short, quick passing they worked the frisbee up the field with clinical conviction. Would this be the moment that they would finally overturn their rivals?

The disc soared high up into the air towards Eduardo in the endzone. He stretched his arms out wide to clinch the disc - and the victory - but a flying Rahul made a gravity-defying interception to claim possession back. He quickly laid the frisbee off to Zavi and, like a man possessed, cantered towards the opposite end zone. Zavi launched a thunderbolt backhand for Rahul to chase down and, sure enough, he snatched it ruthlessly from the air and landed inbounds. 6-5 secondary.

Elation for Years 7 and 8. Heartbreak for Years 5 and 6. But the battle isn’t over until it’s over. See you next week…

What’s On - WC 29 May

Living in the Online World

Helpful Hints

How to be More Sustainable

2023 will be a historic year for the UAE. The country is going to host the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) from November 30, 2023, to December 12, 2023.

With this in mind, I would like to provide some top tips in how we can be more sustainable.

1. Save electricity

Reduce the overall energy use in your household with simple actions such as refraining from using lights while there is enough natural light coming in, unplugging electronic devices and appliances when you’re not using them, and using energy-efficient lighting (LEDs) for light fixtures.

2. Reusable and eco-friendly products

Find items to replace those you constantly dispose of such as stainless steel water bottles for plastic bottles, reusable coffee cups, and reusable sandwich wraps for regular plastic wraps.

There are a plethora of eco-friendly products available in the market such as recycled tissue paper, compostable party plates, clothes made from recycled material, and other biodegradable products.

3. Shop local

A significant amount of waste comes from large grocery stores because of their bundle deals and exclusive offers with extra packaging.

Take advantage of local products available at the grocery store or local markets and make purchases based on necessity, rather than impulse.

4. Stop water wastage

Restrict the amount of water used on a daily basis by being cautious about when you leave the water running and reusing water whenever possible.

5. Say no to plastic

There are an abundance of alternatives for plastic products available in the market. For example, you could use canvas bags instead of plastic bags, and compostable cutlery in place of plastic forks and spoons

6. Go paperless

Since we now live in a digital world, we can easily focus our efforts on going paperless. For example, whether we shop in-store or online, we can opt to receive the receipts by email or text versus the standard physical copy.

7. Sustainable commuting

Consider switching to a fully electric vehicle, a hybrid, or public transportation as all these options can significantly reduce your carbon footprint. Vehicles are one of the largest factors causing pollution and any change to switch to a cleaner alternative would be a positive one.

8. Compost your food waste

This will help to reduce methane emissions and can help reduce the need for chemical fertilisers.

Mr M Rice

Head of Geography

Article of Interest

How to Focus and Concentrate Better

written by JAMES CLEAR

DECISION MAKING FOCUS MINIMALISM PRODUCTIVITY

Over a century ago, a lion tamer named Clyde Beatty learned a lesson that is so important that it impacts nearly every area of your life today.

What was that lesson?

Keep reading to find out what a lion tamer can teach you about how to focus, concentrate better, and live a healthier life.

The Lion Tamer Who Survived

Clyde Beatty was born in Bainbridge, Ohio in 1903. When he was a teenager, he left home to join the circus and landed a job as a cage cleaner. In the years that followed, Beatty quickly progressed from a lowly cage boy to a popular entertainer.

Beatty became famous for his “fighting act” in which he would tame fierce wild animals. At one point, Beatty’s act included a segment where he brought lions, tigers, cougars, and hyenas into the circus ring all at once and tamed the entire group.

But here’s the most impressive feat of all…

In an era when the majority of lion tamers died in the ring, Beatty lived into his 60s. In the end, it was cancer that took his life, not a lion.

How did he manage to survive? Thanks to a simple idea.

Clyde Beatty was one of the first lion tamers to bring a chair into the circus ring.

Here’s what happened…

The Whip and The Chair

The classic image of a lion tamer is one of the entertainer holding a whip and a chair. The whip gets all of the attention, but it’s mostly for show. In reality, it’s the chair that does the important work.

When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion’s face, the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time. With its focus divided, the lion becomes confused and unsure about what to do next. When faced with so many options, the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.

Clyde Beatty taming a lion with a chair. (Image from Harvard Library.)

Avoid the Fate of the Lion

How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion?

How often do you have something you want to achieve (i.e. lose weight, gain muscle, start a business, travel more) … only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress?

This is especially true in health, fitness, and medicine, where every person and company seem to believe it is their duty to make things more complex. Every workout routine you find is the best one. Every diet expert says their plan is the optimal one.

This frustrates me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best, the people who want to actually improve their lives (you and me) are left frustrated by all of the conflicting information.

The end result is that we feel like we can’t focus or that we’re focused on the wrong things, so we take less action, make less progress, and stay the same when we could be improving.

I think it’s time we change that. Here’s how…

How to Focus and Concentrate Better

Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face, remember this: all you need to do is commit to one thing.

In the beginning, you don’t even have to succeed. You just need to get started. Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people.

Most of the time, the ability to get started and commit to a task is the only thing you need to do to focus better. Most people don’t have trouble focusing. They have trouble deciding.

Have you ever had a task that you absolutely had to get done? What happened? You got it done. Maybe you procrastinated, but once you committed to doing it, you got it finished.

In other words: making progress in your health, your work, and your life isn’t about learning how to focus and concentrate better, it’s about learning how to choose and commit to a specific task.

You have the ability to focus, you just need to choose what to direct it toward instead of acting like the lion and dividing your attention among the four legs of the chair.

Want to lose 40 pounds? Awesome. Eat real food (anything that doesn’t come in a package or a box is a good start) and exercise more. You don’t need more information. You don’t need to learn how to focus on the right things. You just need to commit to the fundamentals. Build good habits first, there will be plenty of time to figure the details out later.

Want to perform like an elite athlete? Great. Quit dreaming and start living like one. Get to sleep earlier. Organize your day around your training. If you have to miss other commitments, then you have to miss them. If it’s important to you, then stop gazing at the other distractions and commit to it.

Want to start a business? You can! Sure, you’ll be uncomfortable. Every entrepreneur is uncertain. You don’t need to learn a new strategy or figure out how to focus better. You just need to commit to making it happen. Take the first step and trust that you’ll figure out how to take the second step when you need to do so.

We all have the ability to focus and concentrate, but only if we decide what is important to us and what we want to commit to accomplishing. The only wrong choice is no choice.

Stop Gazing at the Chair

Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. Whether you know it or not, you’re already in the ring. We all are. Most of the time, we sit quietly, gazing at the chair in front of us, silently debating about which leg is the most important.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

If you have somewhere you want to go, something you want to accomplish, or someone you want to become… then make a decision. If you’re clear about where you want to go, the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out of the way. Both of those are useful.

You don’t have to do it all at once, but there is something that you need to do now. Something that’s calling you, something that’s important to you, something that you’re destined to do. I don’t know what it is, but you do. Swipe the chair out of the way and choose it.

Mrs C Baker

Head of Mathematics

Student Focus/Highlight

After four months of intense training Year 7 student Mason bravely stepped into the ring for his first competitive boxing match. His opponent, a taller, more experienced boxer from Fujairah Martial Arts Club with three fights under his belt. Mason entered the arena to flashing lights and booming music at the Vic Sports Complex. He fought with great tenacity, executing a combination of punches, and used his excellent levels of fitness to tire his opponent, taking the win in the 2nd round. The boys went the full three rounds of three minutes and finished with a split decision in his opponent's favor. A huge congratulations to Mason for his bravery and courage upon entering the ring. He is already looking forward to a rematch!

Looking Ahead

Foundation Stage Vacancy

We have a vacancy for a Learning Assistant in our Foundation Stage. This unique role has responsibility for the Foundation Stage and Year One Library and FS1 music and movement, songs, stories and rhymes sessions.

To find out more or apply for this role, please email: ks1recep@jebelalischool.org

Staff Profile

Andrea Mossoni - Head of Year 12 and Teacher of Spanish

Andrea Mossoni joined the JAS team in September 2018 as a Spanish Teacher and he is currently also the Head of Year 12.

After having graduated in English and Spanish in Cagliari (Italy), he moved to England where he completed his teacher training. Andrea has lived and studied in Spain and France and has taught Spanish, French, and Italian for five years in England where he also had a pastoral role.

Andrea thinks that Kindness is the most important value that should be at the basics of everything we do and say. At JAS, Andrea witnesses this value in the compassionate and considerate behavior exhibited by students, teachers, and staff members toward one another. He believes that this creates a positive and inclusive environment where everyone feels respected, supported, and valued.

Photography and videography are Andrea’s hobbies. Thanks to these passions, in the past years Andrea was able to travel as a photographer for hotel brands to some incredible places including Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, and more.

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