November 13, 2019 | Issue 2 CES NEWSLETTER Newsletter Director Headlines Thank you to all of our families who attended the Oriental Festival Picnic! This event was organised by our amazing PTSA and was a huge success. The theme of 'Oriental' fitted well into our Global Citizen theme for this term celebrating all that we love about Egypt. The event raised a huge 309,000 LE for the charity VeryNile which is an organisation working to secure the future of the Rive Nile. Co-founded in July 2018 by Egyptian startups Greenish and Bassita, VeryNile is a community grown service that raises awareness of the importance of protecting and saving the environment. It's the first ever initiative to focus on the Nile and removing trash from the river so we are thrilled to be able to support such a project. Well done to the CES Swim team! They had a successful swim event with CAC on Saturday 9th November and brought home 93 medals, 45 of which were Gold and an amazing 15 trophies. Our swim coaches Coach Mahmoud, Coach Eid and Coach Abdo are a dedicated team who have passionately led this team to success and I know that the students push themselves hard to be the best that we can be. We are very lucky to have such a strong swim team in school so please do support our swim events. Thank you to all the parents from Foundation Stage through to Year 6 who made such an event with Orange and Black day an enjoyable experience. This opportunity was a splendid example of a community event when we all come together to celebrate dressing up and bringing a sense of fun to our learning environment. You will see from this newsletter that there has been so many amazing opportunities for the children this past few weeks and I know that the students are focused and dedicated to their own success during the assessment week. The results from this assessment week will ensure that we have the knowledge to ensure that all students are reaching their aspirational targets and it will also inform us of where we need to put more focus for the upcoming half term. Thank you to all of our CES families for all of your support and making this school as great as it is! Ms. Beth Meldrum Director
News from the Early Years Since starting back to school in September, all of the Foundation Stage have been focusing on the Characteristics of Effective Learning and how they underpin learning and development in Early Years. Whether the children are playing and exploring, active learning or creating and thinking critically, we recognize that the way in which children engage with other people and the environment is vitally important. Our FS assemblies have become a focal point for this new initiative and the weekly certificates now highlight the Characteristic of Effective Learning being demonstrated by the children in class. We have seen 'Go for it Gorilla's', praising children who are willing to have a go at something they might find difficult, 'Creative Chameleons' for those who have independent ideas and 'Concentrating Crocodiles' rewarding children who can sustain attentive listening. There are 10 different animals altogether and each week it is exciting to see which ones will be awarded. Using animal names makes it an accessible and child centred-approach to learning and it also encourages children to develop different learning styles and qualities. There are two colourful display boards in the Foundation Stage corridor celebrating the Characteristics of Effective Learning. Each week the children who have been awarded a certificate have their photo placed next to the animal they represent with a speech bubble explaining how they achieved their certificate. Learning in FS1 For some, the start of school-life can be daunting, and so we began developing the expectations for learning gently, easing children in. Surprisingly the children didn't take long to settle and were soon beginning to explore the classroom and participate in the activities on offer, with curiosity and eagerness. We began by learning about our new school environment. This started with getting to know our peers and classroom teachers. We discussed rules and boundaries and together we devised our own set of classroom rules. We then explored the school focusing on the areas we would be visiting and using, such as the Clinic, Auditorium and the FS1 garden and its play equipment. We also got to know the specialist teachers in FS1 for Arabic, P.E, Music and the Library. Our first topic was called 'This is me', in which we investigated ourselves: our family, our homes, what we can do, healthy eating and why we are special. During this topic in our Literacy we used the story of 'Handa's Surprise' as a focus story. The children were introduced to the concept of the different characters, sequencing events in stories and story maps. They really did enjoy this story and were soon able and confident enough to recall the story in their play, using character puppets and mark making. We have already begun to learn about sounds and the importance of listening carefully through our Phonic sessions and been introduced to numbers and their shapes. The children have been very busy learning and we have been busy learning about them! What's been happening in Key Stage 1? Y1SR, The Guppies Class: The Guppies class have made a lovely transition to Year 1 involving many new and fun experiences. We have had a particular focus on 'talk' activities, building the children's capability to express and verbalise their point of view. It has been great to see this develop since the start of term. We looked at artists from around the world and painted tigers in the style of Henri Rousseau. We also explored our senses using our school grounds and linked them to beautiful poems. We are now preparing for our first Year 1 assembly where will join with the wonderful Rainbow Fish class, 1JA. We are really looking forward to it! What's happening outside of school for our students.... Our Sporting Super Stars and more! Well done to Hamza Yehia, Y2MF, who was awarded a medal for his participation in the Egyptian Tennis Association Official tournament for under 9's. Congratulations Zeyad Sherif Kamal, 2AW for achieving a 1st place and receiving a gold medal in the recent National Gymnastics Competition for boys under 8 years old. Great effort paid off for Layla Adham Serry Y1IM, who received a gold medal in the National Gymnastics Competition for girls under 7 years old. Youssef Mansour, Y1IM, recently achieved fourth place as part of the UCMAS National Visual Competition of Egypt! Congratulations to Yehia Ahmed Bedair, Y2MM, who won two medals in the 3 Stars free swimming competition. He was awarded gold for the 25 m where he clocked in at 20 seconds and a silver medal in legs kicks, also 25 m, where he clocked in at 22 seconds and because he was the only swimmer to place with two medals he was awarded a trophy for Best Swimmer! Super effort from Dana Ramez (Y1IM) who was awarded a gold medal at the Egyptian Gymnastics Republic Championship on October 24th. Bravo!
Letter from the Head of Primary Dear Parents Despite there being Half Term this month we have still managed to have a very busy October. I have been impressed by many examples of the work being undertaken in class; in books, electronically and for displays. Our first Global Citizens Day was a great success. Many of the children came to me to say, not only how much they had enjoyed the day but also how much they appreciated celebrating their own Egyptian culture. Children from year 3 wrote their Top 10 Reasons to Love Egypt and listening to them read these out at Anthem made us all proud. Black and Orange Day has also been a highlight. It was great to see the effort that so many of the children put into their outfits and I could have awarded 'best' costume many times over. We had our very first Whole School Assembly in the Auditorium. It was great to get Year 3 to 6 altogether. Miss Victoria helped us understand more about how festivals like Halloween are celebrated all over the world, in many different cultures and Miss Toya told us all a very scary story – with all the children adding the sound effects! It was wonderful to meet and talk with so many of you during the Parent Teacher Conference day and I look forward to more work and fun during November, Yours sincerely Richard Horn Head of Primary Year 3 – Miss Heba The past month was packed with a variety of events! From class assemblies to Global Citizens as well as Black & Orange Day, Year 3 have been enjoying a different side to teaching and learning at CES. To celebrate Global Citizens Day, we have enjoyed a French breakfast while dressed up in traditional/ancient Egyptian outfits. We learned about what it takes to be a global citizen and affirmed our love to Egypt in writing with the '10 Things to Love about Egypt'. Moreover, Year 3A and 3D had their class assemblies held and the audience were in for treats. 3A performed their assembly with the theme 'Read Like You're Dancing'. 3D's assembly discussed environmental awareness with the theme 'Save the World, Make it a Better Place'. It is not only the themes of the assemblies that made them remarkable, but it was also the talent and effort which children have put in performing their lines, songs and dances. Black and Orange Thursday, or Halloween, was another exciting occasion. With children dressed up in costumes, they learned about the history of Halloween and took part in many of the traditional activities of the day. The bustle never stops in Year 3! Our Year 3s continue to work diligently and therefore inspire their teachers to plan thrilling experiences... Year 4 – Miss Amanda Year 4 has kicked off to a fantastic, well round start this year. Our year 4 students have met new teachers, made new friends and have begun to take on new subjects such as french and ESS with an open mind. So far, students have had the opportunity to celebrate Global citizen's day by embracing their rich Egyptian culture, as well as partaking in a traditional French style breakfast. In P.E, students have learned about the importance of team work and have been praised by their coaches on their readiness to learn and actively participate during their lessons. We have celebrated Black and Orange day by dressing up and learning about the history of this global celebration. Along with working collaboratively during both core and foundation subjects, this year 4s have also begun to mature with regards to their self-motivation and ability to work hard as independent learners. An excellent start so far! Year 5 – Miss Andrea Wow! What an amazing month Year 5 has had. The highlight of the month was of course the Greek Day! Who would not want to be Zeus or Aphrodite for a day? How about Poseidon or Athena? This choice alone was a Herculean task for Year 5 as Greek Mythology came to life! Not only were the children able to dress, play and write like a Greek for a day, but they were able to broaden their knowledge about Greek monsters, heroes, gods and goddesses, allowing them write poems, fact files and some entertaining quest myths. Did you know that whales used to live on land and birds have evolved from dinosaurs? During our Evolution and Inheritance unit our Year 5 scientists learned about how animals have adapted to suit their environments and the important role of palaeontologists such as Mary Anning. They explored how blubber help seals to adapt to their environment by coating one finger with a thick layer of margarine. It was really messy, but extreme fun! Year 6 – Miss Desi Year 6 have been investigating the rate of diffusion and how temperature effects this. We have been discussing anomalies within our investigations, how to produce more accurate results as scientists and discussing other variables that will also test our hypotheses. We have been having fun on the field in our PE lessons and perfecting our rugby skills as well as coming together as a team and building our very own 'towers of strength.' Global Citizens Day saw us explore why we love being Egyptian and celebrate the best parts of Egypt and why we love being here and we even enjoyed a scrumptious French Breakfast!
News from the Head of Secondary The first half term has passed and the school year is now in full swing, students are fully absorbed in their studies and at the time of writing are preparing hard for their examinations for Assessment Week 1. These assessments, combined with the continual assessment undertaken by teachers throughout the term will give students, parents and teachers alike the first clear indication of progress and attainment, that can be tracked alongside the newly introduced targets for each subject. September feels a long time ago due to the incredible number of positive happenings that have taken place, and I am pleased to share with our school community some of those highlights. At the end of October our students had the opportunity to support the PTSA's charity by donating money to participate in Orange & Black day, and students revelled in the chance to dress in an array of Halloween themed costumes and the orange and black colours filled the Secondary School. The caring and charitable nature of Cairo English School was a repeating theme through the last 2 months and it was great to see our students supporting the Oriental Fiesta. One event that was new to calendar which brought the school community together was the charity football tournament organised by our IB students as part of their CAS work. The tournament saw teams from all secondary year groups, boys and girls, participating and even an appearance from 2 staff teams. The eventual winners being our Senior School students who thoroughly enjoyed lifting their trophy into the air. I feel the CAS students and Ms Erika Hughes deserve a massive thank you for organising this event. Our students have also been working hard to raise funds for Banati and these positive activities really do highlight our school values. Academically we have seen our students motivated to produce their best, and the school's IB Coordinator Ms Heba Serry along with Ms Emily Aderibigbe were incredibly proud of how the IB students performed in the recent TOK presentations. It shows that when our students are given the opportunity to work independently and produce their own work that they are capable of excelling. This is a trait that I would want all parents and students at CES to promote; the motivation to work hard to achieve something great and the open-mindedness to accept challenges in the multi-cultural community of the school. The School's Head Students, Sami Karass and Zeina Omar have been a guiding influence for students so far this year, they have been very active in talking with students and have worked very hard to promote the atmosphere of a school family where students young and old care for the place that they call home from 8am until 3:05pm. The interaction between students and staff is a cornerstone for a successful school and we are looking to continue to grow our Student Councils and improve how we listen to the student voice within the school. These two students along with all other students in Year 12 are now at that time of the year where they are looking to their futures and life after CES. I am proud to see that our students have ambitions to study and travel the world in search of continuing learning and I have the faith that these students will do the school proud. I want to thank all of the staff and students for everything they have done so far this year and for all the great things they will do in the coming months. Mr Andrew Lennie Head of Secondary Secondary CAS football tournament
CAIRO ENGLISH SCHOOL PO Box 8020, Masaken Nasr City 11371, Cairo, Egypt • (+202) 2249 0200
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