SEK International School Qatar

On 12th October, SEK students celebrated Hispanic culture and language through interactive games and activities throughout the day. Some of our students and teachers wore traditional clothing from Hispanic countries and the youngest students from Preschool prepared songs and read in Spanish.

Diploma Students spent some time playing classic games with their younger peers such as “la gallinita ciega” and learnt some new vocabulary and had a lot of fun together.

PYP students enrolled in different activities related to Hispanic art, music and dancing.

The students from PYP Spanish classes painted hearts and made bracelets with the colors of flags from countries from the Hispanic world.  In addition, students used other games and resources to familiarize themselves with the countries, their flags and their capitals.

MYP students participated in activities related to Spanish language and culture (music, traditional games and role-plays in Spanish).

It was a truly memorable experience for all SEK Community.

On Tuesday, 10th of October 2017, we have received a visit of different MYP teachers from other schools in Qatar. Qatar Academy Sidra and Arab International Academy together with SEK International School Qatar, participated in this event to share the best IB practices among their MYP teachers.

During the afternoon, professionals from each subject groups met to share good practices and experiences, including teaching and learning strategies, the use of ICT in our lessons, challenges and solutions. We all left the meeting plenty of fresh ideas to use in our classrooms.

It is that time of year again, when some groups of students make that exciting leap from one stage of their education to another – the Preschool 5’s are moving into the next phase of their PYP journey, the Grade 5’s move to the Middle Years Program, and our Grade 10’s are making their way to the Diploma Program. Their proud teachers wanted to write some words of congratulations for them.

Ms. Yasmin and Ms. Gillian, Preschool 5 Homeroom teachers: “Congratulations Preschool 5! This year has been such a great year for our students. We made new friendships, learned about the world we live in and became inquirers. We enjoyed the different activities and field trips we had in Preschool 5. We discovered the skills that have helped us grow and become more internationally minded. Our units of inquiry opened our imaginations and made us knowledgeable about the world. The attitudes we developed throughout the year helped us build better relationships and become more responsible.
We are now ready to move on! Grade 1, we are coming to share what we have learned and see what is in store for us!”

Preschool 5 Graduation playlist:

Ms. Catherine and Ms. Cassandra, PYP Grade 5 Homeroom teachers: “Congratulations to all who have graduated from PYP today. The Grade 5s have been looking forward to their graduation day from the first day of term and we honestly cannot believe how quick this year has flown in. We have made many inquirers and demonstrated all of the IB learner profile attributes. This year we have recognized our strengths and our developmental areas. We have had many great experiences and made many memories, but it is time to leave the nest for our Grade 5s. They are ready to take the next step in their journey.
Graduation is a time to celebrate your achievements and to mark the next stage of your life.
This year we have seen the Grade 5s blossom and we can happily say they are ready for the next challenge!
Well done to all of the Grade 5s!”

Mr. Scott MacGregor, Grade 10 Tutor: “Our Grade 10 class is abuzz right now with excitement and nerves; expectations and some fears. They have been able to be distracted with the preparations for their Graduation day on June 20th but they have spoken about how the reality will be fully realized when they stride across that stage, accept their certificate, and move the tassel to the left of their graduate’s cap.

As their tutor, I can say this – they are ready. Whether they want to be or not. They will face and meet the challenges that lie ahead in the DP and whatever path they choose beyond that. I am very proud of you all and it has been my privilege to be your teacher and tutor this past year.
Congratulations and good luck!”

Grade 5 and Grade 10 Graduation playlist:

We are celebrating one more year the Arts Night, this time at the Movies, on Thursday, 25th of May, 2017.

This year we will be showcasing our students’ achievements in our Arts programs with movie themes. Our celebration will begin at 5:00 p.m. with performances from our PYP program including dance, drama and music. Afterwards our guests will have a chance to explore our PYP, MYP and DP student art exhibitions, Grade 8 Community Projects, partake in art, music and drama workshops, games and activities, as well as watch short films produced in our after-school film club. We will wrap up the night with final performances from our PYP and MYP music classes and clubs.

In PYP Visual Arts lessons, students have been exploring a broad variety of films as a starting point for their art making over the past number of weeks.  They have drawn inspiration from characters, scenery and concepts in many well-known films. Some of the classes have created individual pieces, whilst others worked on collaborative projects. They used a broad range of media including drawing, painting, collage and animation.  In extra-curricular art clubs, students worked on movie themed 3D props for the stage scenery and decoration.

Hollywood Mural Painting Workshop with Miss Maire

Location: PYP Art Room

Ever wondered what it would be like to have your own star on the Hollywood walk of fame? Now you can! A mural painting workshop will take place in the PYP Art Room on Arts Night. The tickets will be provided at the school entrance from 4:30 pm on a first come first served basis, so if you’re interested in taking part please arrive early. The workshop is open to artists of all ages willing to be creative and try their hand at painting their own Hollywood star.

Interactive Film Music-Making Workshop with Mr. Fernando and Mr. Devin

Location: PYP Music Room

How many times have you wished it was you up on the stage? How many times did you wish you could feel what it’s like to play music in front of an audience? Do you enjoy film music? This is your chance to answer those questions and enjoy the thrill of performing on stage. During three 20-minute slots, we will work on three famous pieces of film music and will prepare an accompaniment to perform together with Grade 5 students on the closing show for the evening. No previous music experience is necessary for this workshop. Only 10 people will be able to join each slot, so come early to make sure you get your ticket.

Parents, families and friends are welcome to enjoy the Arts Night with us. We look forward to seeing you all there!

The second SEK Qatar PYP Exhibition took place on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th May. Our Grade 5 students enthralled their audience and captured the imaginations and attention of all the guests who attended. Each of the fifteen groups have worked closely with mentors from our school, DP student mentors as well as their homeroom teachers Ms. Cassandra and Ms. Catherine. This was a true collaborative effort from the PYP team, led by our PYP Coordinator Ms. Nikki.

For the past seven weeks, students have been following the inquiry cycle and expanding their knowledge in relation to a shared central idea: “People have a shared responsibility to promote sustainability through positive and proactive interactions with their environment.” Students selected a wide range of issues connecting to this central idea such as endangered animals, eco-warrior animals, deforestation, pollution, water conservation, climate change, recycling, universal education, sustainable energy and food sustainability. They have developed their own lines of inquiry and formulated key questions to drive their investigations forward. They gained new perspectives by going on numerous field trips and conducting interviews with professionals, experts and specialists in their chosen fields of study. This process has been immensely challenging and rewarding at the same time. We have witnessed our student’s inquiry skills develop at an impressive rate over the past couple of months. This invaluable experience has laid the foundations for continued skill development in MYP next year.

Monday’s performance and presentation welcomed students from other local IB schools as well as our own PYP classes, who wanted to share in this joyous occasion. The visiting students asked questions and engaged in dialogue with SEK students who were well able to display excellent communication skills as they delivered their speeches and presented their inquiries. This was a wonderful learning experience all round. The Grade 5s were true ambassadors for change and excellent role models, inspiring others to become more conscious about sustainability.

On Tuesday, we had our long awaited parent’s evening. The excitement was palpable as students, parents, family friends and members of the school community turned out in force to support the Grade 5 in their final stage performance. This was by far the student’s best performance and there was a real sense of achievement in the air. Students confidently performed a poem entitled ‘Mission Exhibition’, followed by a contemporary dance. One of our DP students, Lafan Hasan created an inspirational and uplifting video, which evidenced the entire learning process. Next, the students shared their own fairytale about sustainability before the entire grade level took to the stage for a musical display, which consisted of a soundscape and the student’s own musical rendition of ‘What a Wonderful World’. The audience response was amazing and it was truly heartwarming to witness the culmination of the student’s efforts.

Here you are the full playlist from our YouTube Channel Play SEK Qatar.

Our SEK Qatar Specialist Teacher, Ms. Maysa Taha, had the opportunity to present at the Teaching and Learning Forum on 22nd April 2017 held at the Qatar National Convention Centre.

The Teaching and Learning Forum is designed by Qatar Foundation’s Education Development Institute (EDI) to be one of the premiere teaching and learning conferences in the region. The aim is to select the most dynamic, innovative and effective presentations from the top education professionals. Aside from sharing practice, the aim of the conference is to inspire and motivate teachers to reach for the highest level of student engagement and achievement. To complement the teacher presentations, EDI invites the top international speakers and authors in the field of education to present keynote and featured presentations.

Ms. Maysa’s presentation addressed the issue of teaching Arabic for non-native students. The presentation shared teaching strategies that are used in our school and it revealed the importance of the integration of technology in communicating information.

It also included the general difficulties faced by the non-native Arabic language learners and the audience received a host of simple and practical ideas to make their lessons rich with communication and participation.

Personal Project Exhibition 2017

One of the highlights of the school year in the MYP is the Personal Project Exhibition. If you are new to the Middle Years Program, a brief explanation is necessary.

 The Personal Project is an independent research project in the final year of the MYP. It is a significant piece of work that is the product of the student´s own initiative and creativity, completed in their own time under the supervision of a teacher in the school. It is a chance for them to investigate and create anything that they want. It should be something that they are passionate about and it should be all of their own work.

 This year we had projects ranging from a lookbook on the development of the abaya, videos on how to redesign furniture or to coach someone on football skills, or an art exhibition. Although the product is extremely important, so is the journey, and all the students are expected to produce a report that documents the learning process they undertook, including a journal, a record of their research techniques along with what primary and secondary sources were used.

 This is the day where the teachers, the students and the parents celebrate their success. The students get to discuss their project and answer questions from everyone attending.

 The students are visited by all the MYP classes and upper PYP classes, so that they can share with their peers as well.

 See photos from the event below!

 A Big Thank You!

Today, 12th April, we are celebrating International Day at SEK Qatar.

This is a great opportunity for our community to enjoy our cultural diversity and share our diverse backgrounds in a festival of learning.

Students did a great job preparing presentations and performances representing many regions of the World installed in exhibits and displays all around the school. After a welcome message and a few performances, visitors can walk around the school and learn about many regions of the World.

The main hall is devoted to Africa and the Middle East, where African performances and artefacts are presented, as well as Arabic lanterns made by Preschool students.

The library hosts Oceania, where we can find Australian Aboriginal Art, New Zealand Koru Art and performances of Maori songs connected to historical events.

In the Auditorium, Asia plays Ukuleles for us, and the Cafeteria is devoted to North, Central and South America, where we can enjoy a Mexican Piñata.

The Gym is taken by Europe. In this section, we can enjoy Greek, Spanish, Swedish, Scottish, Swiss, Cyprus and Italian shows, dances, food and artefacts donated by parents.

In all of these areas, students and parents are able to watch presentations and performances, admire displays and artwork, join in with interactive workshops and taste some delicious food provided by parents and staff sharing their culinary expertise.

All performances, presentations and activities are timetabled and repeated twice to give everyone the chance to enjoy as many of these experiences as possible.

Join us and enjoy this special celebration of our cultural diversity!

Find below the playlist of the event from our YouTube channel Play SEK Qatar