SEK International School Qatar

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!

Congratulations to all of our students graduating this week!

This year, as it is our priority to stay safe and comply with the Covid-19 restrictions, the graduation ceremony runs over several days and is split up into different sections.

Preschool 5

This is a very special day for all our Preschool 5 students as they attend their first IB graduation. The IBPYP Programme, which runs from Preschool 3 to Grade 5 (aged 3-12), “nurtures and develops young students as caring, active participants in a lifelong journey of learning” (ibo.org, 2021). All of our teachers and staff at SEK International School Qatar have thoroughly enjoyed teaching our brilliant Preschool 5 students this year. We are proud to send them off into a well-deserved, joyful summer holiday and we are looking forward to welcoming all our returning students back next academic year when they enter Grade 1 at SEK-Qatar.

Grade 5

Next up are our Grade 5 students ready and eager to start the MYP Programme after the summer! Congratulations to all of you for completing PYP. As we look at their happy faces, they show that they have worked very hard and learned how to view challenges and opportunities in our fast changing world. SEK International School Qatar is honored to offer the PYP Programme as it has grown an example of best educational practice globally.

Grade 10

MYP Grade 10 students – well done! Happy graduation day!

The IBMYP Programme runs from Garde 6 to Grade 10 and is essential for laying solid groundwork for the final DP stage. During the MYP years, students have the opportunity to get involved in community and personal projects.

DP

Class of 2021!

Congratulations SEK International School Qatar Diploma Programme graduates.

Over the past two years they have studied incredibly hard to complete the ambitious International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme.

Not only did they battle through Extended Essays, Theory of Knowledge, CAS and many exams, yet it is also worth mentioning they spent most of their diploma stage living and studying through a global pandemic. This alone was another added challenge that all of our students took on like pros!

They now hold their certificates in their hands and step out of school life into a world beyond the safe and almost home-like  SEK-Qatar.

It was a great pleasure to have taught and equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills for the next stage. All of SEK-Qatar wishes the 15 graduates the very best for their future studies and lives!

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.

To visit the virtual exhibition double click on the link below. We recommend using a big screen (tablet or laptop) for a better experience.

DP Visual Arts Exhibition

The final exhibition is the culmination of the students’ IB Art experience. They have made a selection of their best work produced during the 2 years course and these were presented in the form of a curated virtual show which articulated their purposes and intentions as artists.

The students had the opportunity to present the work in any medium and we can find Acrylic paintings, Lino printing or casting sculptures. However, there is a noticeable propensity to use digital techniques such as Photo Edition, Animation or Software developed painting among others. Such preference could be the result of a pandemic that has definitely affected the way our students experiment with different techniques at school. Due to the implementation of an online and blended-learning, we have been given the opportunity of exploring a bit further the digital world.

Nonetheless, this has been a very successful exhibition where the students have experienced the concept of the space and its importance for the display of the work and its impact on the audience.

The virtual exhibition will be soon published and the SEK community will be able to visit it online and watch the results of the tough but enjoyable journey of our DP Art students.

This week we celebrate the teacher appreciation week 2021!

First and foremost, we would like to thank all teachers, and especially our teachers at SEK International School Qatar, for all their hard work throughout the past year. They had to find new ways of teaching and, despite living through a global pandemic, managed to succeed when schools all across the world had to adjust.

As SEK-Qatar is part of a global community of 325 Microsoft Showcase Schools, we are delighted to share an inspiring video, created by students who are part of the Microsoft Showcase family.

The official Microsoft Showcase School Website puts it in these words:

“Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

“For what is poetry, if not beauty?” -Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate Dear teacher, Thank you for opening our minds and hearts to the beauty of poetry, math, science, history, art, technology and so much more. Love, students everywhere.”

Watch the students’ video here!

SEK International School Qatar held a DP Info Session on Tuesday, 20th of April 2021. 

During the IBDP Info session participants were able to gain a deeper understanding of what the IB Diploma Programme entails, what subjects, projects and classes it offers, and how it compares to the IBMYP. 

The event was a two hour live stream hosted by the DP Coordinator, Mr. Kim Derudder, and our DP teachers.

• At the start, the live stream covered the general framework of the IBDP programme. Followed by a deeper discussion on the three mandatory DP classes: extended essay (EE), theory of knowledge (TOK) and creativity, activity and service (CAS).
• Once the main topics were presented, parents were able to join virtual rooms, one for each subject, to meet with the teachers and learn about each subject, expectations, content and assessment.

This event was a great way to show how SEK International School Qatar, as Microsoft Showcase School, uses technology to educate, inform and create relations through digital platforms.