The Junction

Friday 28 October 2022

A Note From Mr Parnell

‘Back Yourself’

In 2013 I was lucky enough to marry my incredible wife Victoria here in Dubai surrounded by friends, family and loved ones. As is tradition, there were speeches from myself, my brother as my Best Man, and Victoria’s father. Then, unexpected but clearly planned, my Father stood up to make a speech of his own. He talked about me as a young boy and the many swimming galas he would attend, sitting inside a hot humid UK leisure centre all weekend to watch me compete for all of 30 seconds. He recalled in admiration the numerous hours spent training, even waking up twice a week to go training at 5am on a cold winter's day. But when it came to competition I never really ‘backed myself’.

It’s easy to tell someone to “back themselves.” Not quite as easy for the person on the receiving end of such advice to know exactly how to do it. With age, it is something I have learnt to do better, even though self-doubt can still creep in at times, I understand that everyone experiences self-doubt, no matter what levels of seniority they’ve achieved or what they’ve accomplished.

A high level of confidence and self-belief is not something that can be easily taught. So whether it be a sporting event, a stage performance, a GCSE exam, or job interview, how can we teach our children to back themselves when the time comes?

1. Morals and Values

It starts with knowing your values and having moral standards. Your values make you who you are, but your standards define what you’re willing to accept in life. As long as you stay true to yourself then you will always feel justified in your actions.

2. Being Prepared

Taking the time to improve and develop the knowledge and skills required to do the job at hand. For example, I know many teachers who do not like public speaking despite the fact they do it everyday! Taking the time to learn and understand the content of your presentation builds your confidence. Then practice!

3. Take Risks & Reflect

Things don’t always go to plan and that’s ok. One should also consider the fact that continued improvements in achievement are not automatic consequences of more experience. It is essential for one to understand and evaluate their own performance so they can advance by recognising their strengths and areas for improvement.

4. Celebrate the wins

When things go well, be proud, recognise and celebrate the success. Progress and recognition creates positive feelings, and builds confidence.

5. Block out the noise

No matter who you are, where you go, or what you do, there are always people judging or offering an unwanted opinion. Our children are growing up in an online world where they are consistently open to criticism and comparison to others 24 hours a day. At this point I would like to highlight that there is a difference between constructive feedback and outright criticism. Being open minded and receptive to feedback is important.

6. Provide Support

It always helps to have people in your corner. Family, friends, teachers, who are there to encourage you and recognise your efforts and achievements. but also support and guide you when things don’t go to plan.

Being able to “back yourself” is about dismissing the niggling self doubts and getting on with the job. It’s not about blowing your own trumpet. It’s about believing in yourself enough to eliminate or at least hide self-doubt, to take a risk, to promote your worth, to throw yourself into an opportunity or try something new. It’s taking a risk and placing yourself in an awkward or uncomfortable position in order to better perform or develop oneself. People who back themselves are not necessarily extroverts, or the people who’ll speak up first in a group situation. They’re the individuals who believe — quietly or publicly — that they have what it takes to achieve their ambitions.

Ultimately, you can put in hours and hours of practice, have all the talent and ability in the world, but if you don’t believe in yourself, you don’t believe that your goal is achievable, then it will impact your outcome. I challenge everyone to ‘back themselves’ this term.

#BelieversAreAchievers #BetterIsAlwaysPossible

Mr Parnell - Deputy Headteacher of Secondary

This week our GCSE Photography students got creative, painting with light. Using torches covered with coloured acetate, students worked in groups to compose creative photos using slow shutter speeds. This task concludes our exploration of the exposure triangle consisting of aperture, ISO and shutter-speed.

Ahead of the construction of our specialist darkroom, the JAS Art Department spent a couple of weekends refreshing their film photography skills at the Tashkeel dark room in Nad al Sheba. The vibe was calm and relaxed as we worked with the chemicals to produce photographic experiments in black and white.

JAS Secondary Sport

Saxobank Tournament

“It was the first ever women's only tournament in the whole of the Middle East! Sponsored by Saxobank and the JAS girls won the U15 rugby cup!! They went undefeated in each and every game! They played with passion, grit and never gave up”

“It was an incredible tournament all around, so amazing to see women’s sport, especially Rugby progress and be supported and recognized in this way. The girls were amazing and seeing all the clubs from around the city turn up with pride was beautiful”

UAE U17 Netball Squad Practice Game

On Sunday 23 October the U17 UAE squads competed in 2 practice games against a netball club team from England. Inaaya (Y12) competed against the club team with the UAE U17 long squad and Tessa (Y11) has been recently selected to compete with the squad attending the european championships in 2 weeks. Tessa is the first JAS student to compete and represent JAS in the UAE U17 netball programme and we wish her the best of luck for November!

It was also fantastic to see Miss Gordon umpire the U17 UAE match as she moves towards finalising her B award umpire qualification.

JAS Secondary Sport

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

• JAS Sport Information Booklet

• Team Kit Guidlines

• JAS Sports Website

• Kukri Online Shop

Football Highlights

It has been a fantastic week for our senior football teams with the U16 and U19 boys kicking off with their first games of the season. After a very tight first half at 1-1 the U16 boys won their first game 3-1. The U19 boys won their first game of the season 2-1, with a great cross from Harsh, finished off by Jack to put them in the lead in the second half! The U16 girls came away with a 2-2 draw against DC in division 1, the game was very closely contested with player of the match going to Tessa!

Basketball Highlights

Our U19 boys had their first home game of the season this week against a well organised team from Nibras! The scoreline was tight throughout the whole game which took both teams into 3 overtimes. Unfortunately JAS lost the game 40-41 however that doesn not take away the amazing performance, sportsmanship and teamwork put out by both teams! We look forward to seeing how the rest of the season plays out! The U16 girls are still undefeated in their league with one draw and 2 wins after their first 3 games! Keep up the good work!

Cross Country

This week was the first event of the secondary cross country season, in the form of a mixed relay, with competitors completing approximately 1 km each. It was great to have 2 full teams from JAS competing in the U13, U15 and U19 categories.

The event started with the U19’s, of which the A team finished in an impressive 4th place, and the B team in 12th, out of 36 teams. Stand out performances came from Ilyes Hall (year 11) with a split time of 3:17, and Nina Allmark (year 11) with a split time of 3:25.

The U15 team were next finishing 33rd and 34th out of 55 teams with Cade Brodrick (year 8) and Charlie Ralph (year 10) as the stand out performers in that age group.

The event finished with the U13 teams where JAS A team finished 16th and the B team finished 27th out of 53 teams. Elisha Vanderheyden had a very strong run overtaking 5 runners in the final 100m before her changeover.

Dubai Netball Youth Sevens

On Friday 14 October our U11, U13 and U15 JAS netball teams competed in the first round of the youth sevens. The first round of the competition saw all 3 teams competing in 3 group stage games with the knock out rounds taking place this Friday 28 October.

We are extremely proud of all of the students representing JAS in such an exciting and high profile tournament, this is fantastic opportunity for the students to develop their netball skills, teamwork and knowledge of the rules.

Good luck to all of the teams competing again this Friday!

What’s On - JAS Secondary Sport - WC 31 October

School Photoshoot

Helpful Hints

Helpful Hints for Taking Good Photographs

Written by Anna Thompson and Hania Haq, students of GCSE Photography

Whether we are aware of it or not, photography plays a significant role in all of our lives. From taking pictures while on holiday to capture our memories, to quickly snapping a photo of delectable, new cuisines that we try. Photography is all around us, and with a few straightforward techniques, you can upgrade your photo gallery and go from a beginner to a skilled photographer.

1. Start out with what you have!

If you are interested in photography but aren’t sure if it’s the right hobby for you, don’t go out buying a brand-new camera and try and see what you can do with whatever you have available. Smart phones these days are incredibly suited for beginner photography and can even compare to some DSLR cameras. The aim is to capture beautiful pictures and to achieve this it is more important to improve your creative skills.

2. Light is important

Lighting can transform your photographs in so many ways and is probably the single most important part of photography. A photograph with good lighting means that it is likely that your photograph will turn out to be better than before. For example, if you’re photographing a sunset, make sure that there are no harsh shadows to ruin the beautiful colours of the landscape.

3. Try, try and try again

Often photography is about experimenting with new ideas and getting as many different shots as possible. The best way to do this is to slow down and take your time, try to think about all the different ways you can photograph that item or place and all the different compositions and then choose what you want to convey through your photograph.

4. Learn to hold the camera properly

The way you hold your camera/smartphone can have a significant impact on the outcome of your photos. For example, you might not be happy with the results of your images if your finger is in the frame and additionally if the image turns out blurry. These are easily avoided if your device is held straight either landscape or portrait. Furthermore, you need to hold your camera steadily without your fingers in front of the lens.

5. Pay attention to the background

When taking photos you should make sure the background should be simple and clutter-free to prevent it from distracting viewers. Fixing this can be simple by moving your subject and changing the angle or zooming in. These tips can prevent the viewer's attention from being pulled away.

6. Play with perspective

To be more creative with your photos an easy change to your images could be experimenting with angles. The same scene can appear very different when different angles are approached. Some angles may work and some may not and by experimenting you can test which look best for your photos and change the feel.