SEK-Qatar is excited to take part in the SEK Global Education Forum (GEF) conference starting tomorrow, 13th until 15th October 2021. The GEF was developed out of a “think-tank” in March 2021 and centers around one key questions: “How should the university of the 3rd millennium response to the current society needs?”

In the leadup to the conference, students across the globe were asked to compete against each other in either a “Challenge” or a “Hackathon”. In the course of this students developed innovative solutions on how to transform and improve the future of higher education. Results where submitted a few days ago and the lucky winning team will be announced at the GEF conference this week.

We at SEK-Qatar are particularly proud to see such a high quality of collaboration between our students and are looking forward to sharing the outcomes of the projects with the wider GEF community over the next few days.

Here you can find a link to find out more about Global Education Forum, its mission and to register for the virtual conference 13th – 15th October 2021. @GEF3act #FutureHigherED

SEK International School Qatar is excited to take part in the Global Education Forum (GEF), challenging the topic around “The future of Higher Education”.

The SEK Global Education Forum is an alliance between SEK Schools and our University and was created as a movement that proposed changes and alternatives to the traditional education systems.

Yesterday, we at SEK-Qatar had our first kickoff event and over the next three weeks our students will be part of the SEK-Qatar teams competing against schools and universities from all over the world.

They will be competing in either a Hackathon (MYP) or a Challenge (DP) debating the following questions:

“What does today’s university need to be better? What 3 things should it keep, 3 things should it add, and 3 things should it eliminate?”

“How can digitalization transform the current educational model?”

In addition, GEF will be holding online “microevents”. The first microevent will be on 28^th September all about entrepreneurship. 

Eventually, from 13th – 15th of October, all participants will be able to join the vitual “Global Education Forum 3rd Act” where the results of the Hackathon and Challenge will be revealed. Participates will come together and get the opportunity to discuss key issues and conclude the debate.

For more information and registration please follow this link Home – GEF (globaleducationforum.org)

“The future of higher education is in our hands. Let’s reimagine it and redesign it together.”

Today, 9th of September – is The International Day to Protect Education from Attack

In honor of this day, our Grade 5 students were inquiring into our understanding of why #educationforall is important. After reading the first few chapters of The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis, and learning about the plight of children not having access to education in other countries around the world, our G5 students had a discussion about why they think access to education is important.

They spoke about how education of some children around is world is under attack due to reasons such as their race, gender or political/economic status to name a few. We used online collaborative tools to capture all students’, at home and at school, understanding of this issue.

We are proud of being awarded this recognition for the 4th time in a row. Requirements for the award continue to remain very strict, hence only five other schools in Qatar have been recognized as Microsoft Showcase Schools.

325 schools spread across 58 countries, we are part of an exclusive global network of schools and educators who support the culture of learning, innovation and continuous improvement. The community offers space to connect and share ideas as school life is moving towards a new area of digitalization.

As Microsoft likes to put it:

“Showcase Schools create student-centered, immersive, and inclusive experiences that inspire lifelong learning, stimulating development of essential future-ready skills so students are empowered to achieve more.”

And at SEK-Qatar we live and breath this quote daily. We are committed to school-wide digital transformation to improve learning outcomes of our students and focus on future-ready skills.

From Grade 4 every student has his/her own laptop, as the device is being used in almost every single class. IT is not only a single subject once or twice a week, IT is the foundation for our every day teaching and learning. 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.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we have become even more alert to inquire and learn about the digital potential in our school. Thanks to various MS applications, remote learning has been made smooth, accessible and fun. This has increased our appreciation of the critical work educators and school leaders do to help every student achieve more.

As we start this academic year, we are excited to share our experiences with our community to finding innovative ways to equip our students with the tools needed for success inside and outside of the classroom.

Welcome to the new academic year 2021-2022. SEK International School Qatar is thrilled to be back after a well-deserved summer holiday.

Before the official start of the new academic year, on August 29th 2021, SEK-Qatar staff and teachers had the opportunity to prepare for the 11 months ahead.

Like every year we first introduced our new teaching staff to the school and its environment. Members of staff, who were still unable to travel to Qatar, due to Covid-19 regulations, were able to connect via MS Teams which showed great practice on how we can use today’s technology to collaborate regardless of circumstances.

A week later all returning teachers joined and the Head of School, Verónica Sánchez Ruiz, held a virtual meeting to give a warm welcome to everyone.

Fortunately, our teachers have taught and lived in many different countries, therefore exchanges between them offered a fantastic way to share knowledge, challenge each other, listen and learn from different perspectives.

After introductions and formalities we were able to work profoundly on the curriculum, revising, adapting and planning the learning for the upcoming school year. Many teachers had completed courses or readings over the summer and were excited to share their learning with their colleagues. We also reflected on  our experiences last year which allowed us to grow and  improve.

On top of that most staff attended our yearly First Aid training, hosted by Enertech Qatar. During a fun and interactive afternoon they learned how to react in case of an emergency.

When joining a new school it is almost like joining a new family. We share the same mission and vision and work together on the common goal to encourage our students to become life-long learners with the help of the IB learner profile.

We are proud to see such high degree of collaboration, and believe that all teachers will act as wonderful role models for their students. With all the challenges that may lie ahead of us, the whole of SEK-Qatar is excited for this academic year and wishes all students and staff a wonderful start!

As part of a physics unit on “energy and to address the global context of globalization and sustainability”; students organized an inspiring Service as Action project, about recycling and how everyone at SEK-Qatar could get involved.

The main objectives are to encourage students to work collaboratively with others and be engaged with issues of global importance.

The project had 2 parts:

1. Students sent invitations to members of our school community to participate
2. Students also did a reflection about how humans can have a positive impact on the environment by changing patterns of behavior and developing the use of sustainable energy and the long- term conservation of the natural resources. 

Furthermore, SEK-Qatar is also looking to all areas of our communities to take action and actively participate and reflect about our individual actions.  

We salute to our students for setting an example!

Here you can find a short fun video on how PK 1-3 “invites” our staff, teachers and students to recycle at school.