Welcome to Dunecrest American School's bi-monthly community and project showcase: Making Waves. Take a peek and learn about the Dunecrest Difference! Helping Students Become the Best Version of Themselves THINK-IN LAB Design Thinking at Dunecrest "Design thinking" originated as a way for engineers to test design feasibility with prototypes. This process captured the imagination of educators and was adapted as a dynamic method for teaching problem solving.
At Dunecrest we support students in exploring and understanding a problem through the Design Thinking framework. We also lead by example; therefore, you'll find teachers and principals applying Design Thinking frameworks throughout their project implementation. Light & Sound Grade 1 students are learning about light and sound. Students have been tasked with creating a device that uses light that can send a signal for help to people far away. They need to use the design thinking process to build a model of their device and to be able to explain to the class how it would work.
Initial Problem People can get stranded on deserted islands due to shipwrecks or because they have not properly communicated with the people that are transporting them there. The Government of the UAE is worried about this happening with their new World Islands. Many people are traveling to Lebanon Island for the day, but some people have recently got stuck!! Unfortunately mobile phones do not work there and so the Government is running a competition to see if someone can develop a device that uses either light or sound that could signal for help in case of an emergency.
Research Experiment
Predict & Re-test
In order to create a model, students researched different scenarios when light has been used to communicate a message. Some of the samples studied included the "Bat signal" as well as light-houses. Students correctly identified that the "Bat signal" used shadows. What is a shadow? How can you make it? The class carried out a field study. They began by going outside early in the morning and observing their partner's shadows. The shadows were very long and the sun was quite low in the sky. They drew outlines of their partner's shadows. In the afternoon, they were surprised to see how short the shadows were and how high the sun was in the sky. Would the same principles hold for smaller objects?
Using EPIC research, students learned how to make foil sculptures. They then predicted what would happen in their second experiment and why. They repeated the experiment but changed the size of the object whose shadow they were measuring. The same phenomenon occurred with the smaller objects. Students concluded that the position of the light source impacted the length of the shadow!
Further Information
Proto-type
Reflect
Students then studied how objects varied in how they transmitted light. What does it mean to be transparent, translucent or opaque? Students created stained glass windows with tissue paper using their knowledge of the properties of light and color. Using all of their newly acquired knowledge, students are ready to develop their models. The students will create their device and present it to the class when we return to school after National Day. WATCH THIS SPACE!!! At the end of an investigation, it is important to reflect on which skills have been learned and what to change next time. INSPIRATIONS & ASPIRATIONS At Dunecrest you will continually witness people being the best version of themselves. In some instances we showcase these individuals, in others we highlight the support team & tools that help these fine individuals reach new heights. IBDP Mock Exams- Visual Art Sophia Makarem, Year 2 Candidate for IBDP My body of work is centered around the essence of time and different factors that affect an individual. Specifically, the theme is focused on my family- immigration, migration, medicine, and struggle. My family is extremely important to me and through my work, it can be interpreted that there is always a common link to personal relationships. The series presented, titled CHAOS + Debris, conveys the theme of war and depicts different scenarios of violence. Firstly, there are three pieces (Buried Rubble, Boom, and Untitled) that are part of the CHAOS series and are positioned to be viewed right to left. This is due to the reason that the Arabic language reads right to left; the locations of the pieces are in the Middle East. Specifically, Buried Rubble and Boom are theoretically in Syria and Untitled in Lebanon. The mini-series was influenced by the work of Diana Al-Hadid as she incorporates architecture and the chaotic energy of war into her work. I was inspired to do the same as my dad escaped from war himself by seeking asylum in the United States. In regards to Debris, the collection of materials displayed on, through, and within this canvas resembles the base of a warzone. The sporadic and unintentional placement of the objects symbolizes the destruction of an environment and the displacement of day-to-day use items. I was inspired by Maurizio Anzeri and incorporated the technique of creating the meaning of a piece by adding subliminal messages on top of it, rather than on it directly. Debris acts as a 'finale' so to speak, tying together the CHAOS series. Comes and Goes in Waves was influenced by my family lineage. By burning into the wood panels to outline each of the seven continents, the importance of immigration is elaborated on. Travel and exploration have played a big role in my identity and the formation of my family. The intent of this piece is to convey these travels and signify the diversity of cultures through art. The use of wood and yarn symbolizes the Earth's natural elements and, too, its evolution through time. Through this exhibition, my hope is to ignite a spark within the audience that allows them to make their own connections to and between my works. It is my intention to provide guidance through the art, but not too much where the viewer is unable to internally ponder and reflect on what is exhibited. * With thanks to the Artist, Ms. Sophia Makarem, Year 2 Candidate for IBDP. From the top of the page: Debris; CHAOS (viewed right to left): Buried Rubble, Boom, Untitled; Debris; Comes and Goes in Waves. BRIGHT SPARKS Dunecrest prides itself on being an innovative and future-forward school. Bright Sparks highlights our incredible classes, competitions, and experiments in our science, math and computer science departments. Introduction to Statistics, Grade 11 & 12 One of the new courses for the 2020-2021 academic year is Introduction to Statistics (Intro to Stats). This grade 11 and 12 American Diploma math course is taught by the very experienced and much loved Ms. Heather Anslow. Although this is Ms. Anslow's first year at Dunecrest, she has a long history of working with Esol Education in one of its previous Dubai-based schools. Intro to Stats is a foundational, non-calculus course, which is incredibly useful for students wanting to pursue post secondary education in business and marketing. In this unit, students learned the following: what is data?, how is it collected?, the differences between qualitative and quantitative data, how data is organized and represented, how to group data, how to calculate measures of central tendency and how to interpret trends and calculate outliers. For this particular project, students have been tasked with designing and carrying out four studies. For their first study, students chose an experimental study in partnership with the grades 3 and 4 students at Dunecrest. The other three studies need to be designed and carried out by the students themselves under the umbrella topic of "Everything Dunecrest." The studies are intended to help students learn more about the school community.
Intro to Stats students need to conduct observational and experimental studies, as well as a survey study for their projects. Examples of some of the experimental studies we observed were "how long does it take a grade 4 student to run 100 m?", "how many jumping jacks can 3rd grade students do in 1 minute?" and " what are the heights of 4th grade students?" Data needs to be measurable and experiments needed to be conducted so that the sample students (grades 3 and 4) can all participate. Once data is collected, students must practice representing, analyzing and interpreting data using appropriate graphs . Some of the graphs students have studied thus far include: histograms, box and whisker and time series for quantitative data and pie graphs or bar graphs for qualitative data. All data must then be analyzed for trends and outliers as well as for measures of central tendency. According to grade 11 student, Ahmed, thus far the studies have gone according to plan. The data is clean and he is confident he will be able to draw accurate conclusions from his studies. ARTS@ DUNECREST Dunecrest is buzzing with creative energy this year! Ms. Asha's Introduction to Film and Introduction to Theatre have generated alot of excitement on the Al Barari campus Ms. Mari Carmen is once again at the helm of the Music Department and is undertaking fantastic collaborations across the school with homeroom and specialist teachers. Ms. Cindi and Ms. Darien continue to captivate students hearts and minds with their engaging artistic lessons and initiatives. Subscribe to our new YouTube Channel to witness our creative bloom! Oscar Wilde once said, "It was only in the Theatre that I lived." And here in the Theatre Department of Dunecrest, we want everyone to feel the same. We want audiences, be it live or through the lens of the video, to live in our space, to experience the magic of Theatre. Part of this magical experience is the space in which an artist can create and explore. And, oh boy, do we have that space! What was once an ordinary classroom has now been transformed into the Eagle Theatre. A place where performances come alive! Take a look… Before.... After... And this Theatre is even outfitted with lights and sound… But no Theatre is complete without a props and costume closet. Yes, we have that too! Now wait! Don't think that all we have done is beautify our space. After all, what's a space if you can't use it? The students have been creating works of art we can all enjoy. From dramatic Mask pieces in grades 9 and 10, real life stories in grade 7 and 8, slightly warped versions of children's stories and fairytales in grade 6, all the way down to mirrored image pieces in grade 5, there should be no doubt that Theatre students of Dunecrest are a talented lot! Stay tuned for more information on our after-school Theatre program. Hint…there is another musical coming! See more MIGHTY & MINDFUL Our community's well-being is at the heart of all we do at Dunecrest. Mighty & Mindful is dedicated to showcasing our fitness via PE classes, athletics and extra curriculars as well as our student counselling to bring balance and mindfulness to all we do. 30 x 30 Dubai Fitness Challenge- Elementary and EC The Dubai Fitness Challenge was very successful this year. In PE the students logged their activities on the extra large calendar on the gym wall. Many students participated in activities organized throughout the school day, extra curricular activities and at home. Students signed their name with their "house color" so they could keep track of which house was the most active over the 30 days. The Elementary Student Council encouraged the students to get involved by organizing and running fitness challenges during their lunch recess. All students who participated received a 30x30 sticker and 10 dojo points. The fitness challenge ended with Elementary and Early Childhood participating in the Great Turkey Trot. Students were encouraged to run around the track at recess, lunch and in PE class. Most of the students completed over a mile a day! Every day the students wrote their name and the amount of laps they had completed and added it to their Class Turkey. Every lap will be counted as a house point and will help determine the next house winner.
IN THE MONEY This year Dunecrest American School launched a Financial Literacy course for Grade 12. Using real-world situations and problems this course gives students the knowledge and overall understanding of all key personal finances topics and necessary information to be successful now and throughout their adult lives. The structure of this class will reflect real-world situations as closely as possible using projects and personal experience to build their personal finance knowledge. How to Budget After College in the United States of America Joshua Lillehagen Should you buy that new iPhone that came out or do you want to put part of your monthly salary to saving up for that Chevrolet Camaro? Maybe you would much rather spend that money on food and entertainment. Is it a necessity? A nice to have? These are some of the expenses you should evaluate after college graduation when getting that beautiful monthly cheque from your manager. In this article we will review how to budget your salary, what expenses you should cover, what luxuries you should allow yourself, and what money you should save. After you graduate from university, we will focus on America for our financial situation.
To start your budget, you should follow these six steps:
◦ Assess personal & financial situation ◦ Set personal & financial goals ◦ Create a budget for fixed & variable expenses based on projected & current income ◦ Track or record current spending patterns. (Saving, investing…) ◦ Compare budget to what you have actually spent. (Revise your plan as needed) ◦ Review financial progress & repeat!!! It is very tempting to go out into a mall or a virtual market place and splurge your money on food, clothes, and other miscellaneous goods. When you get your first paycheck, you should look into splitting the paycheck into different categories such as necessary expenses, elected expenses and savings. Let's say, for instance, you get a paycheck of $5,000 per month without tax. To begin, your annual salary would be $60,000, which is considerably above the poverty threshold, which is $12,760 in America. Let's say per month, with the $5,000 you get, you put $1,000 into personal savings. That would give you $4,000 left to put into other categories regarding mandatory expenses such as food, transport, rent, insurance, and taxes (These are the mandatory expenses or the necessities you need to survive). Then there is a certain amount of money you are going to have to spend on rent. Housing close to work may cost more but housing farther away will require additional expense on transportation as well as your time. You will soon discover that clever money management is about trade-offs. Read more here * National Day and Commemoration Day
IN THE COMMUNITY Even in the tempered climate of Covid, there is always something happening at Dunecrest! This segment of Making Waves takes a look on some of the fun and exciting happenings around the school that you may have missed. The shelves and racks of the Prop Room for the Eagle Theatre are not full just yet, but soon they will be overflowing! If you are doing an Autumn clean-out and have items that could benefit our Theatre program, please donate them! We take costumes, props (kitchen ware, tablecloths, household decorations, etc), and even small piece of furniture! Not sure if it is useful? Please feel free to contact Asha Lynch at alynch@dunecrest.ae to ask any questions. Covid or no Covid, Theatre is made for an audience. So, please be our audience. Join us in the growth and development of the Theatre program at Dunecrest. Unfortunately, in this time of change, we cannot have live audiences, but everyone can still enjoy by heading to our ARTS YouTube page. Here's our Channel ID:UC9fcAHA-J26WJVG4FReO-bg. Check it out! Dunecrest has been buzzing with activity. Male teachers, principals and students participated in the UN Foundation, Girl Up's "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event to raise awareness about gender equality. For Thanksgiving, students ran Turkey Trots, created murals of what they were thankful for, wrote thank you cards to security and janitorial staff and even cooked Thanksgiving lunch for the admin team. Finally for National Day, each class has studied and celebrated Emirati culture in a unique way from learning the Yolo dance to Emirati fashion shows to presentations on Emirati culture, industires and healthcare. We have learned so much on this wonderful, diverse country we call home.
PASS IT ON Thank you for taking the time to read our Project & Community Showcase, Making Waves. We would be delighted for you to share all of the amazing happenings at Dunecrest American School! The below "Pass it On" button, enables you to download a pdf, which can easily be shared on email or via What's App.
Educationally yours, Team Dunecrest Dunecrest American School Dubai, UAE +971 4 508 7444 | info@dunecrest.ae
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