Graduation 2018 Grade 10 and Grade 12

 

First Class of SEK-Qatar Students achieving the International Baccalaureate MYP and DP Programs

SEK International School Qatar has achieved a high important milestone by celebrating the graduation of the first class to complete the Middle Year Program (MYP) and the Diploma Program (DP) of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB).

Twenty MYP students and eleven DP students celebrated their graduation in the presence of SEK President, Ms. Nieves Segovia, and the Ambassador of Spain to Qatar, HE Ignacio Escobar Guerrero.

The objective of these programs is to train young people on engaging actively in the learning process and offer them all the opportunities to join the best universities all over the world.

The Middle Years Program is dedicated to students between 12 and 16 years old. And through the program, the students will understand the complexity of the societies in which we live and will develop an open and sympathetic attitude toward the world.

On the other hand, the Diploma Program is allocated to the 16-18 age category. It promotes the development of community conscience at local and international levels, and allows the students to explore their interests and passions.

SEK International School Qatar was established in 2009 within the scope of the Outstanding Schools Program of the Qatari Ministry of Education. In the context of this project, the Ministry elects the best international schools and invites them to set up in the country. The school embraces currently more than 70 nationalities among students, and more than 25 among teachers. SEK-Qatar is a mixed and multilingual international school in Qatar, comprising an advanced learning campus located in the modern district of West Bay – Doha. The English is the teaching language, knowing that the school offers as well Spanish and Arabic courses to all students.

SEK-Qatar offers the IB programs since pre-school until Grade 12. SEK schools use the curriculum framework of the IB, which combines a strict course of study with a methodology which promotes competence development. The IB offers high quality courses of study to a community of prestigious schools all over the world.

Currently, SEK International Schools embrace more than 5500 resident and non-resident students, aged between 0 and 18 years old, of more than 70 nationalities, in their locations within Doha (Qatar), Madrid, Barcelona, Almeria, Pontevedra, Dublin (Ireland), and the Alps (France). On its part, Camilo José Cela University has 3500 students, and considers the innovation, the interdisciplinarity, and the internationality among its principal marks of identity.

Graduation 2018 Preschool 5 and Grade 5

 

On the 6th of June, 2018, SEK-Qatar celebrated the Graduation for Preschool 5 and PYP Grade 5. The Preschool 5 students are moving into the next phase of their PYP journey and the Grade 5 students are moving to the Middle Years Program.

Students, parents and the SEK community attended this vibrant ceremony. Several students presented their graduation speeches, Preschool 5 performed a poem and both groups surprised the audience with some videos to remember how amazing this year has been in the school.

Thank you to all who have helped everyone successfully graduate from their programs.

This is just the beginning of the journey. Congratulations and good luck to all of you!

 

We are a Microsoft Showcase School!

 

We would like to announce that, after the collaborative effort of all SEK Qatar Staff this year to embrace digital transformation in our school, we have become a Microsoft Showcase School.

We are the second school in Qatar to have achieved this, meaning that we are a role model for other schools in the best practices implementing technology into the curriculum.

We are joining an exclusive community of more than 850 premier schools from around the world who are empowering the students of today to create the world of tomorrow. We truly believe that all these technology skills will make our students more competitive and productive, opening them new ways and possibilities to develop their creativity and to express themselves.. We look forward to sharing our experiences with other schools in our community and the world to continue finding innovative ways to equip our students with the proper tools needed for success inside and outside of the classroom.

As a Showcase School, SEK-Qatar will work closely with Microsoft to lead innovation in education and communicate a vision for education enabled by technology through the hosting and mentoring of other schools in the community on transformational educational practices. Microsoft Showcase Schools are the change makers in education.

Leaders and educators in Showcase Schools thoughtfully consider the role of technology as they explore new ways to redesign learning spaces, restructure curriculum, reinvent pedagogy and reimagine what 21st century leading and learning looks like across diverse contexts.

SEK Qatar Achieves NEASC Accreditation

SEK International School Qatar is delighted to receive formal accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in addition to their IB World School status and authorization for the PYP, MYP and Diploma Programmes. A globally recognized standard of excellence, NEASC Accreditation attests to a school’s high quality and integrity.

Founded in 1885, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) is an independent, voluntary, non-profit membership organization which connects and serves over 2,000 public and independent schools, technical and career institutions, colleges, and universities in New England plus International Schools in more than 65 nations worldwide.

In the final report, the NEASC team expressed, “Many of the identified strengths are the unique balance of this school, which has comprehensive and complete processes, policies, and procedures, as well as an organic professional culture that is nurtured by the Vision and values of the school. This unique balance of structure and innovative freedom gives rise to and supports the strengths identified”.

NEASC has recognised SEK Qatar as an accredited member after having successfully passed its accreditation, which is a thorough objective process of peer review through Self Study and visits from NEASC professionals.

The Visiting team commended the School on the warmth and openness of their community and the depth of their engagement in the reflective accreditation process,

“The school, while only in its fourth year, is already an outstanding educational program and environment. The faculty is talented, dedicated, and has formed an effective and cohesive professional community with a shared vision of excellence. The SLT is simultaneously collaborative and supportive, while still setting high standards of professionalism and performance”.

SEK Qatar Principal, Vivian Arif commented, “We are really proud of this achievement; it is a validation of the collaboration and expertise of our school faculty and a testament to the strength of commitment from our parents and the outstanding profile of our talented, globally minded students. Obtaining NEASC accreditation supports our commitment to rigorous continuous improvement and certifies that SEK Qatar students receive a first class education that meets Internationally recognised quality standards”.

 

School Garden

SEK-Qatar students have been enjoying our new garden in the front area of the school. This project has been achieved thanks to the sponsorship of ACCIONA, to whom the school has entrusted full facility management services for the last five years.
The garden has a mixed selection of trees and flower borders and it includes a seating area in the center. It has been built with an irrigation system underneath to facilitate watering the grass.
Hope you all enjoy it!

MYP Community Project Exhibition 2018

The G8 students held their Community Project Exhibition on Thursday 19th April. It took place in the gym from 12:00 to 15:00

The Community Project focuses on community and service and gives Grade 8 students an opportunity to develop awareness of needs in various collectives and address those needs through service learning. As a consolidation of learning, the community project engages in a sustained, in-depth inquiry leading to service as action in the community. All students have been working in groups since the beginning of the school year and the exhibition is the celebration of the accomplishment of their learning through the process.

The exhibition was a huge success and the students had the opportunity to share their important work with our SEK Community.

 

Book Week 2018

SEK-Qatar school has celebrated Book Week from 15th to 19th April, with different activities taking place around the school, to engage students, staff and parents into different reading challenges.

PYP students have guessed the identity of mystery readers that recorded themselves reading a book. Each class had set a reading goal for a Read-A-Thon that took place all week. Classes have also been taking extra time for DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) and we encouraged students to read at home in the evening as well.

Students and parents could purchase books during our Book Fair from Monday to Wednesday in the main hall. Each class had also a few special activities from writing a story, to buddy reading, to having guest parents read to the class. Grades 1, 2 and 3 have received the visit of an author Omer Naqi in the library, and the Student Council had the chance to interview him.

The week culminated with a Costume Parade in the Main Hall on Thursday morning for Preschool and PYP students.

MYP students celebrated Book Week on Tuesday and Wednesday. Grades 6 and 7 spent one English class during Book Week creating blackout poetry, where students took a preexisting text and obscured words to create a new meaning. Students voted on a top five from each class, and the selected poems will be displayed outside Mr. Berent’s room.

Grade 7 students heard from SEK Qatar’s very own published author, Shaikha Al-Obaidan, during their Tuesday Tutor Session; Shaikha talked about the writing and publishing process and answer questions from students, which they had prepared during English class.

To synthesise their sterling work on Themes and Shakespeare, the G9 students created display posters on a Shakespearean play of their choice. This included choosing their favourite quotes and writing their own summaries of these influential works.

Grade 10 students researched and chose a book that would save from destruction. They have debated, and only ‘save’ half the books. It was connected to the play they are reading, The Enemy of the People.

Native speakers in MYP Spanish and Arabic Language and Literature classes spent a period as Spanish or Arabic reading buddies with native speaker students in PYP.

Four Mystery Readers recorded themselves reading a book and the students from different grades had to guess who it was.

It was a great week enjoying and engaging students into reading. Check the pictures below!