Senior School Weekly Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 8

From the Head of Senior SchoolRepton Senior School Weekly NewsletterFollowing a weekend packed with SeniorSchool events, it is my pleasure to write theopening article for a bumper edition of theNewsletter.Last week, we welcomed the Chairman of theBoard of Governors, Sir Henry Every Bt., andthe Headmaster, Mr. Robert Holroyd, fromRepton, Derbyshire, UK. Both thoroughlyenjoyed their visit that served to furtherdevelop closer ties between both schools. Inthis regard, details of the Repton Exchange forour Year 10 pupils will be published shortly.This annual event sees a number of pupilstravelling to Repton UK to experience life in atraditional British boarding school. Followingthis, pupils from the UK will join us for theBritish based international experience!The coming week will see us marking the UAE’s 41st anniversary with a day ofactivities and celebrations to which you are all warmly invited. With the Winterbreak almost upon us, the pace of events has anything but slowed with our pupilsexcelling across the activity range including Rugby, Cricket, Football, Duke ofEdinburgh Award and Debating. In all cases, our pupils have shown themselves tobe the very best in every way whether they are debating a motion, undertakingresearch as part of their IB studies or being awarded their Gold Level Award forthe Duke of Edinburgh.We live in exciting times and I have been privileged to see some of the highestlevels of participation in inter‐house activities with a strong team spirit anddetermination to succeed being commonplace this week. Inter‐house football sawa long day for all but an energy and determination across the age range that isenviable. Very well done to all whether you were a player or supporter!Week Ending29th November2012Inside thisissue:TEDx 2Inter‐HouseFootballYear 8 OECampOutdoor Ed34DofE Gold 5PresidentialElectionsYear 7 OECampYear 13Biology Trip678DofE Award 9FootballReport &Week AheadEditorial Team10Layout Editor:Mrs N J PowsneyEditor:Miss S NorwellWishing you all a positive and celebratory week!

Page 2Repton Senior School Weekly NewsletterTEDxZara Zaman (Year 9) took part in an exciting TEDx conference at WinchesterSchool last Saturday and gave a superlative presentation in front of a largeaudience of parents and visitors in a beautifully decorated conference hall.Zara asked the question:“It was a dazzling,richly–layered andbeautifully presentedtalk which raisedvery manyfundamentalquestions”What if we made no excuses?and talked around issues to do with personal accountability and responsibility. Itwas a dazzling, richly–layered and beautifully presented talk which raised verymany fundamental questions about the nature of truth and how relationships, andindeed, the world itself, could be improved if each individual took responsibilityfor their actions. Zara reminded us all that responsibility starts and stops with us.It was a wonderful day of exchanging ideas and exploring a range of exciting andinventive ideas‐ and Zara Zaman played her part to the full and her talkchallenged and excited, educated and informed. It was a quite breath‐takingperformance from a super‐talented pupil.Mr C. Crowley

Page 4Repton Senior School Weekly NewsletterYear 8 Outdoor Education Camp“we continuedthrough the wadi,swimming throughnumerous pools,climbing upnumerous wadi wallsand generally havingfun.”Last Sunday it was Year 8’s turn to go on camp. On day one, half of us took a busstraight to Wadi Wurayah, whilst the other half went to the camp. Luckily I was inthe group who went to the wadi. When we arrived there, we split up into twogroups and abseiled down into the wadi. Once inside Wadi Wurayah, we set off insearch of the first natural pool, being careful to watch out for snakes. Eventuallywe found the pool which was also where lunch was being served. We had a bit of aswim in the freezing cold pool and then sat down for some food. After some restand re‐nourishment we continued through the wadi, swimming throughnumerous pools, climbing up numerous wadi walls and generally having fun. Toget back to the bus we realised we had to climb back up the wall we’d abseileddown, whilst being timed. Then we all got back onto the bus and headed for thecampsite. The bus ride was about two and a half hours but when we finallyarrived, we were met by the other half of Year 8 and dinner! To end the day off,we all gathered around the camp fire and told scary stories.Day two dawned early; at 6 o clock to be precise as we were woken by Mr Sutton’sshouting! The groups swapped around so the ones who had gone to WadiWurayah stayed at the camp and vice versa.At the survival camp we learnt various skills such as: making fires with a flint andsteel, tinder and resources around us (wood, litter etc.); creating a shelter with aplastic sheet, rope and our surroundings; purifying water with littered bottlesrocks, moss, sand and string; first aid and how to treat general wounds such asstabs, big cuts etc. We also learnt how to treat snake bites and electric shock.Day three may have been the last day of the camp, but the last day isn’t always theworst! We all woke up with big smiles on our faces; not because we were goinghome but because we had had so much fun.After breakfast we played a game called... CAPTURE THE FLAG! Everyone was soexcited about it and we had a lot of fun. After two long but fun games we atelunch, said huge thank you’s and goodbyes to the instructors, and hopped on thebus to return home.We all adored the camp and hope to go again sometime.Alex Paschialis Year 8 Dahl, Abishai Thamaraj Year 8 Dahl, andPrachet Argawal Year 8 School

Page 5Repton Senior School Weekly NewsletterDuke of Edinburgh Gold Award InterviewThe Duke of Edinburgh Award is an award given for completing a programme ofactivities that can be undertaken by anyone aged 14 to 24. There are three levelsof the programme which are Bronze, Silver or Gold. The main differences betweenthem are the length of time it takes to complete, the difficulty ofchallenge, and the minimum age you can start.The students that qualified for the Gold expedition at Repton are CharlesWallace, Oliver Musty and Abdul Gafar. Abdul Gafar was interviewed regardinghis experience on the Gold award:What were the most enjoyable and most difficult aspects about the DofEaward?“The most enjoyable thing about the DofE expedition was getting to know mypupils better. The most difficult thing was walking up the mountains of Nepal.”What do you think are the skills that you can use in the future from the DofEexperience?“First Aid, cooking, navigation and working as a team.”Did the group you were in help in a lot in the expedition or hold you back?“They helped me a lot, I had lots of moral support.”Do you consider the award that you received as one of the top achievementsthat you have made?“Yes, because it helped me feel empathetic towards underprivileged people.”Did you face any problems during the expedition?“I got lots of blisters on my feet and had to walk 20 km with them!”Overall, was it a positive or negative experience?“Positive, because I gained lots of life­changing knowledge.”“it helped me feelempathetictowardsunderprivilegedpeople.”Ali Juma Year 12, Foremarke and Anindita Argawal Year 12, School.

Page 6Repton Senior School Weekly NewsletterPresidential ElectionsAmerica may well have elected Barak Obama but Repton took an entirelydifferent route at a hugely entertainingAmerican‐style election in the senior schoolon Tuesday.It really was the Best of Days as talented andconfident Repton pupils, from Year 5 to Year9, used their energy and inventiveness toconvince a distinguished panel of judges (MrMedcraft, Zara Zaman and Mansoor AlGhurair) and a huge audience (electorate), tovote for them to be the nextPresident of the USA.“Special mentionmust be made of theexcellent Year 5 and6 pupils who were soimpressive, withstand outperformances fromNadia Roeske”There were stunning performances from a massively impressive group ofcandidates, who combined sharp wit, passion, good grace and a strong set ofcompelling policies to dazzle our Repton people. Mitt Romney stood no chance atall.Special mention must be made of the excellent Year 5 and 6 pupils who were soimpressive, with stand out performances from Nadia Roeske. After a plethora ofspeeches and sustained arguments the distinguished judges decided that themedal winners were as follows:Year 5 – Sophie ArmitageYear 6 – Nadia RoeskeYear 8 – James ArmitageYear 9 Dhabya Al ManaHonourable Mention – Noah’s Mum!Special mention must be made of Noah’s Mum who endeared herself to the largeaudience with her charming tale of Lost Opportunity when she met MichelleObama. It was a terrific performance and a wonderful speech! At the end of thedebate there was a secret ballot where over 150 pupils voted for who theythought should be the next President of the USA. The results were counted andthe Returning Officer is delighted to announce the next President and his two VicePresidents.President elect: James ArmitageVice President: Nadir RoeskeVice President: Dhabya Al ManaCongratulations to all the candidates; and we thank the judges and the large groupof parents, students and teachers who supported this exciting event! The nextPresidential Election will take place in 4 years time.We look forward to President James Armitage’s inauguration in January!Mr C. Crowley

Page 7Year 7 Outdoor Education CampOn the 4 th of November 2012, a group comprising of Year 7 Repton students,Ecoventure instructors and Repton teachers (Mr Malkin, Mr Face, MrsCockerton and Miss Ball) gathered in the Repton Circle at 7:30am to depart forthe Year 7 camp. We went on two coaches with one group going to Umm AlQuwain and the other going to the desert camp location. I was in the group whoheaded out for Umm Al Quwain. Full of energy after sitting on the long bus journey,we were all raring to go.Our first activity was pool games. This included ‘Sharkey Sharkey’; a game whenthere is someone in the middle of the area (in our case the pool) and everyoneone must run or swim to the other side without being tagged by the person inthe middle. After a few games of this the whistle was blown for a swap over.Next we did Raft Building; this involved six pieces of wood, four barrels and afew pieces of string! How we were supposed to build a raft from that? However,we successfully managed to build one despite accidentally snapping a piece ofwood! Then it was time for lunch which consisted of the best burgers and friesin the UAE. Finally we had arrived at my favourite activity: kayaking! We wereall excited about getting in the sea, and we played many games, including danceon the tip of the kayaks. Our final activity was canoeing. Our whole groupmanaged to get soaked which seemed to please our instructors very much!After a long day everyone sat down by the campfire to listen to some scaryhorror stories. That night everyone should have fallen asleep after our day’sactivities but everyone was just too excited! I felt sorry for the teachers havingto stay up nearly all night.“That nighteveryone shouldhave fallen asleepafter our day’sactivities buteveryone was justtoo excited! I feltsorry for theteachers having tostay up nearly allnight.”The following morning greeted me with yet another yummy meal. We stayed inthe desert and did a range of activities which included archery, Jacobs ladder,and abseiling (which let me tell you was one of the scariest things I have done inmy life!) Strapped to harness I was told to lean back and take a step. But therewas nothing behind me! Luckily I knew I was safe with our instructor Jack. Thelast activity of the day was rock climbing. To end the spectacular camp therewas a talent show for everyone and our tent came second. In conclusion thecamp was AMAZING!Charlotte Buxton­ Year 7 Orchard

Page 8Repton Senior School Weekly NewsletterYear 13 Biology TripWhile many students can be found in school learning about Biology throughdreary PowerPoint presentations, work‐intensive laboratory experiments, andeven watching somewhat dull scientific videos, our group of biologists changedthe norm and went out on an adventure that would change our entire perspectiveof this subject.“This is how ourschool teaches us tolearn; not throughsitting downwatching otherpeople conductfieldworkinvestigations andscientific videos, butrather throughplacing the learnerat the centre of theinvestigations.”A group of Year 13 biologists ventured off into the mangroves of Umm Al Quwainin search of ways to ensure our fieldwork investigations were mastered. Frombeaches to mangroves we conducted fieldwork investigations with the transectlines and quadrats on our backs, from the driest of deserts, conquering our waythrough the dense brush of the mangroves, with creatures lurking in shallowholes beneath every footstep. This is how our school teaches us to learn; notthrough sitting down watching other people conduct fieldwork investigations andscientific videos, but rather through placing the learner at the centre of theinvestigations.What would a casual observer think while watching a group of biologists like ustrudging through the mangroves in near triple‐digit heat for up to 6 hoursstraight, staring at the ground, walking fixed transects like rats in a symmetricalmaze, usually silent, except for the occasional burst of frightened commotionabout finding tiny species of crab that looks no different from every other crab?How could you blame the casual observer, wisely sitting in the shade with a colddrink, for thinking that these people have simply gone mad? But all this madnesshowever is not without method. This represents a never failing truth in ouruniverse. We may never find it, but all these organisms, all this strange organicmatter (from the smallest of marine plants to the biggest crabs we encountered),it is all part of that truth. Studying plants and animals involves looking at small,obscure, and seemingly insignificant things in order to figure out the biggerpicture.This trip helped us biologists not only to learn the ins and outs of conductingtransects, or determining the species for different plants and animals inmangroves and desert, but in the end, it all helped us bond together on a subjectwe all have a passion for.George Agbakoba– Year 13 School

Page 9Repton Senior School Weekly NewsletterDuke of Edinburgh AwardCongratulations to Oliver Musty, Charles Wallace and Abdul Gafar as we canconfirm they have been officially certified by London for the GOLD Duke ofEdinburgh Award.In order to certify the participants needed to have shown commitment for 12months minimum to a Physical Activity, given a Service to the community andalso have learned a new skill.They also trained for a practice expedition in the desert learning survivaltechniques as well as first aid, learn how to navigate with only a compass andmap and develop team and leadership skills. The participants also completed anexpedition on foot to Nepal and gave up a week of their time to helpbuild/maintain an orphanage in Nepal which is to their credit. They all deservethe very highest praise!The most impressive thing is that Oliver Musty and Charles Wallace have alsocompleted their Bronze and Silver Awards at Repton and so are our first everstudents to go through the full Award here. Who will be next? Are you aparticipant? I hope so!Congratulations also to the following pupils who have all successfully completedand been certified by London for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award:Sebastian de Castro GrayArsalan BarhaniHanying LinSuhail Ganchi“The most impressivething is that OliverMusty and CharlesWallace have alsocompleted theirBronze and SilverAwards at Reptonand so are our firstever students to gothrough the fullAward here.”These students have chosen to continue on with the Silver Award. Well done!Mrs A. Arnold

Page 10Repton Senior School Weekly NewsletterFootball Report­ Under 12 A TeamTwo more games completed and two more very convincing victories toreport on. On 12 th November, the team built on their previous wins overRashid School for Boys (4‐0) and Repton B (7‐1) by beating a strong sidefrom JESS Arabian Ranches. With a brace of goals from Gregor Sword, andone apiece from Laween Kadir, Harvey Cairns and Isaac Sinclair, Reptonstrolled to a 5‐1 home win.A week later, the boys once again took to home turf and faced WellingtonSilicon Oasis. Despite a tight opening five minutes, and several spells ofevenly‐contested battling, Repton eventually emerged as convincingwinners, keeping a clean sheet and registering six goals in the process.Scorers this time around were Harvey Cairns with two, with Isaac Sinclair,Laween Kadir, Callum Mackay and Gregor Sword also getting on the scoresheet.With only three games of the season remaining, the target of goingundefeated now seems a realistic possibility. The passion and maturitywith which the boys are playing the game, and the fluid style of attackingfootball they have embraced, should ensure they are a force to be reckonedwith no matter who they come up against. The next game is against DubaiInternational School on 26 th November. It is an away fixture and will kickoff at approximately 3:45pm.Mr R. MiottiThe Week Ahead25 SWeek 13/ B26 M Senior School Music Recital 17.00hrs27 Tu Year 11 Parents’ Evening28 W29 Th National Day Celebrations*Please note that pupil buses will leave at 14.15hrson National Day*