PYP-Sharing the Planet

In Grade 4, we explored conflict resolution as part of our unit Sharing the Planet! As a grade level, we discussed bullying in depth and its consequences on the bully, the victim, and the bystander. We also learned about our emotions and how we can self-regulate in order to maintain personal peaceful relations. 

Students then chose and researched about a peace maker that has contributed to peace in his/her community and/or the world. The process of the inquiry started with brainstorming different peace makers, then choosing one that has resonated with each student, and finally creating a detailed PowerPoint showcasing the information learned. Students researched about the peace representative’s life history, quotes, and peaceful contributions.  Below are pictures from our presentation day! 

Let’s Stay Healthy with Grade 1 Students

During our unit of inquiry Who we are, the students learned about ways to stay physically and emotionally healthy. We invited a guest speaker Dr. Manasik to join us online and share with the students the importance of staying healthy and living a balanced lifestyle.  

Students in class and at home listened to the doctor and engaged in appropriate discussions about their health. They also had some questions to ask the doctor. We had a great session that helped students reflect on their daily habits. After that, each student created their own healthy recipe to add to their menu that they will make and share with the rest of the class.  

How to find the right career path and stand out when applying for your dream degree?

Today, at SEK-Qatar we had the pleasure of welcoming Marc Garnett, Commercial Director at LLS, a sports academy specialised in inspiring and training the next generation of multi-sports industry professionals, and ambassador of the Steven Garrard Academy.

Marc took our Grade 10 and Grade 11 students on a journey through his personal life, from playing sports at school, to becoming a sport coach and now working on the business side. He interactively showed that if you want to persuade your dream, it is essential to stand out and offer something different to your peers. Key elements to help this practice, Marc called it “Winning Formula”, are Qualification, Experience and Networking.

Whether your dream is to travel the world, performing sciences projects, play sports, work in media, write, calculate, learn, teach etc. as a student of the 21st century look beyond and push further.

This links fantastically with the SEK-Qatar Mission and Vision as well as the IB curriculum, as we encourage our students daily to volunteer, think outside the box and nurture agency.

Exploring Patterns

The grade 2 students have been inquiring into patterns under the transdisciplinary theme ‘How we express ourselves’. During this unit of inquiry, students have learned what a pattern is and how patterns work.  

Students have investigated patterns in fruits and vegetables using magnifying glasses. They observed how patterns manifest within tomatoes, kiwis, lemons and apples and they recorded their findings through detailed observational drawings.  

Students also had the opportunity to express their knowledge about different forms of patterns. They created bracelets and necklaces from beads using repeating, increasing and decreasing patterns. 

Visual Art Class

In art class, students have been exploring how art can be created using patterns. As a part of their inquiry, students looked at the work of Canadian artist Sandra Silberzweig and created an artwork inspired by her style. Students learned about the role of color, line, shape and symmetry in artistic patterns.   

Migration in Minecraft

In our Grade 5 Unit of Inquiry, ‘Where we are in place and time’, students continued to work together within their Minecraft world to tell a story of movement. 

Using the knowledge and research collected within our Unit of Inquiry, students took action developing detailed storylines that included push and pull factors related to movement of people and animals. Students collaborated with other groups and made connections through writing persuasive letters to different characters in our world. We learned that we are all connected, and that movement is important to how we thrive on this planet.  

Body Parts by Preschool 4

In preschool 4, we are learning about our bodies as part of our Who We Are unit of inquiry! The students learned to name and describe different parts of their bodies and their functions, “my knees bend so I can run fast”. Each student had their body traced and then they chose the color they would use to paint their traced bodies. After the painting process, the students individually looked at their craft and named their familiar body parts. The students and teachers then had the opportunity to name the body parts in their home languages. 

Proud to be a part of GEF 3rd Act

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

Global Education Forum (GEF)

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 28th 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.”

Unite to Protect

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.

SEK International School Qatar has been recognized as a Microsoft Showcase School for the academic year 2021-2022!

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.