Secondary Learning Without Walls
International day at ICS
International Day this year was celebrated on 1st April based on the IB Community theme –Young People in the 21st Century. This was an excellent opportunity for our students to add a new dimension to our annual celebration of internationalism and diversity.
Students participated in several workshops and projects in order to think about and reflect on the future of our planet and society. Some of the themes covered included “How has science changed us and how will it change in the future?”, “The influence of movies on society”, in which students looked at how to produce films, “Mass-hysteria and persecution” and “What is a 21st Century teenager?” the latter with a focus on the languages spoken, travel interests, technology usage and general knowledge of young, culturally diverse people.
We welcomed a guest speaker Tim Moss for a stimulating workshop on future society. ICS students responded in a thoughtful, imaginative way, displaying themselves as sound and balanced thinkers and action-takers of the future.
The second part of the International Day was lead by students. Each year group explored and presented aspects of how technology will influence our society. Parents and other family members were invited to come into classrooms and observe a range of presentations .
The International Day culminated in an informal, shared lunch with meals from more than a 20 countries. This ending gave a true taste of ICS diversity and traditions.
Home Languages Week
ICS Home Languages Programme is based on the belief that the native or mother tongue plays a very important part in a young people's identity and self-esteem. Furthermore, the mother tongue provides the basis for the student’s ability to learn. Therefore our ultimate goal is developing students’ bilingual identity and proficiency.
Here at ICS we share this vision with a wider global community and were happy to take part in UNESCO’s global celebration of the mother tongue language by marking 22nd February as the Home Language Day. In fact, at ICS we devoted a whole week, beginning on February 23rd, to celebrate and raise awareness of the linguistic diversity within our school.
Every day during the Home Languages week, students participated in a range of the assembly activities designed to develop a greater appreciation for the diversity of languages within the student body. We had the opportunity to hear and learn greeting conversations in every language spoken at ICS. The Home Languages Quiz challenged our students to sharpen their senses and recognise the sounds and intonations of the twenty-five languages spoken in our community.
Furthermore, students participated in different subject activities with focus on Home Languages. MYF1 designed a poster and wrote a patent for a simple machine in their Home Language and English, which was followed by a presentation in their Home Language. MYP 3 posed mathematics questions in their home language while the rest of the class tried to guess the meaning of the question. In Science, students were researching about famous scientists and presented their biographies in their Home Languages. Finally, the whole school got down to the task of translating IB Learner Profile description into the languages spoken by ICS students.
The Home Language Week proved to be fun and meaningful for the whole ICS community. It also showed our commitment to supporting students’ individual language profile.
Helping the Homeless
As part of the ICS Community and Service programme, students have been working with a charity called "North London Action for the Homeless". For this activity, MYP 4 student helped to prepare and serve lunch to homeless people. It was a truly rewarding experience for the students as they learned about the lives of homeless people and the circumstances that made them homeless. By the end of the visit the students had a deeper understanding of the lives of homeless people. The charity was really impressed with the students' hard work and positive attitude and they invited us to come back during the next term.
ICS Dances Thriller
On the 10th March, ICS students danced Thriller as a whole school group. Students had practised the dance in their Physical Education classes with Mr. Sjors. The students enjoyed working as a community to produce this fabulous piece of entertainment.
Thriller Dance Video - .avi 8Mb
Paper free day at ICS
The fact 2.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard are used annually in the UK and It takes 24 trees to make 1 ton of newspaper is something that calls for an action in opinion of ICS community. We decided to challenge ourselves by declaring the 26th January Paper-free day. The mutual task both for teachers and students was to reduce the amount of paper we use every day. The rules were simple: no photocopying, no printing, no handouts. Teachers were encouraged to use the projector and all homework had to be sent by e-mail.
The paper free day raised awareness within our community and encouraged teachers to use different teaching methods to reduce the paper we use.
The Soup Kitchen Challenge
As part of our Community Action module, Life Skills class decided to take part in the Salvation Army’s Soup Kitchen Challenge on the 27th of November. The Salvation Army is a charity that aims to help people in practical ways through its social service centres and community welfare programmes. Life Skills students worked extremely hard to make the event a success making fresh soup and bread and selling it to students and staff at lunch time. This experience was an opportunity for our students to reach out to a community that has enriched the educational and social well-being of so many families in need; a societal ethic and accomplishment that Life Skills supports and works hard to sustain. Life Skills raised more £60.00 and they are very pleased with the support they received from the student body, faculty and staff.
Health and Social Education Day
Health and Social Education Day took place on Tuesday December 1st, World Aids Day. The learning objectives for the day were for students to develop a deeper understanding and awareness of the MYP Area of Interaction ‘Health and Social Education’ and related topics. Students were challenged to develop a deeper sense of community by sharing thoughts and knowledge of HIV/AIDS with others and to raise money for the National AIDS Trust.
The day started with a whole school assembly led by Mr. Ean emphasising the importance of dedicating one day to the tragedy of AIDS and its consequences. Working in their form groups, students participated in various stimulating workshops throughout the day including ‘Basic Sex Education: The Changing Body’, First Aid and ‘Developing Positive Relationships’.
At the end of the day students gave thought-provoking presentations of what they had learnt during the day. MYP 3 impressed the whole school with their unique outcomes of a workshop entitled “How are We Different from One Another?” As they discussed and explored their differences, their teachers witnessed a new sense of awareness, sensitivity and appreciation for other people. It was a true celebration of diversity within our community.
Finally, students evaluated and reflected on what they had learned during the course of the day. The event was another highly successful exploration and development of the MYP Areas of Interaction. The success of Health and Social Education Day was also highlighted by a noteworthy donation to the National AIDS Trust.
Classroom without Walls in Bawdsey
Our outdoor educational programme at Bawdsey in Suffolk is organised twice a year, in the autumn and spring terms, and allows students the opportunity to make the great outdoors their classroom. During the visit this November, students engaged in a range of activities designed by the ICS educational team in order to consolidate their knowledge and learning experiences in a new environment.
Our MYP students brought mathematical theory into practice by calculating the slope of landscapes at Bawdsey with the use of range poles. They also investigated the power of the sea and the energy that can be produced from waves.
MYP 4 students were involved in an interdisciplinary Language A and Technology unit, in which they devised and filmed the opening sequence of a horror film. MYP 5 students visited the Bawdsey Radar museum and in a joint Language A and Humanities unit, and had produced fascinating creative stories about the Bawdsey Radar site during World War Two.
MYP 5 students were developing important social skills, such as teamwork and leadership. They independently organised a set of team building activities which involved entire school participation.
The students went orienteering in Rendelsham woods and played football against the Bawdsey resident students.
While everybody worked hard to make most of the learning outdoors, there were also plenty of opportunities to enjoy the relaxation that the countryside has to offer. We appreciated the vibrant colours of the changing season, had a bonfire on the beach and danced the night out at the school disco.
Our outdoor educational centre proved once again to be an opportunity to reinforce our team spirit, create rapport and take the classroom into an outdoor environment.
Community and Service Day at ICS
ICS 15th of October 2009
Community and Service day is held annually and is one of the most important parts of the ICS Community and Service programme which encourages the development of the qualities of empathy, citizenship and responsibility amongst our students. The ICS Community and Service programme requires students to take part in activities which benefit and help their community and this is why one school day per year is devoted to projects of benefit to our school community.
This academic year the ICS Community and Service Day was held on Thursday 15th of October. Students participated in several projects which were of benefit to our whole school community such as preparing for the annual school production, reorganising classrooms and the resource centre, producing a school newsletter and making delicious desserts to feed the hungry workers!
Middle Years Foundation classes took upon themselves the project of translating general school information into the different languages spoken at ICS. By doing this, our ICS language pioneers helped not only linguistic diversity to flourish, but they also helped students whose English is not their first language.
Community and Service Day proved to be a great opportunity to give back to the community where students study and develop interpersonal skills. It was also a day when all school members worked as one big team.
Outdoor School in Bawdsey
This May, ICS Secondary students had an opportunity to attend ‘classrooms without walls’ in the ICS outdoor campus in Bawdsey. We decided to make our own patches a stimulating laboratory for fun and learning
This term our outdoor programme was designed to provide hands-on experiential learning in the four core subjects: science, maths, geography and technology.
The focus was on the collaborative learning activities in which students conducted a series of studies of the geographical and the scientific problems at Bawdsey. Year 4 and MYF2 investigated how nature shapes our environment by doing beach profiles. Year 1, 2 and 3 undertook the testing of the water quality at different Bawdsey sites. Students gained an understanding of how science contributes to the stewardship of our environment and how scientific tools can help us become active participants in preserving our environment.
As a part of the technology outdoor programme students were assigned to use their knowledge of the design cycle to build obstacles from the objects they could find on the site. They used these obstacles later for the cross-country running activity. Teachers were proud to report that ICS secondary urbanites were quick to transform into skilful outdoor explorers.
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Apart from the great academic success, the Bawdsey outdoor programme provided students with different type of memorable experiences- they enjoyed a Bonfire at the beach looking at the stunning Suffolk sunset. Tents were built on the campus to provide the opportunity for some of the students to sleep outdoors for the first time. Finally, as some of the Bawdsey campus residents informed us, they were surprised to discover that very loud cheering came from the sports fields. Who can blame us; it was the competition during the teacher- student’s games responsible for the high decibels.
The great success of the Bawdsey outdoor learning campus was not only in promoting awareness, understanding and appreciation of the natural world but also enabling students to discover the relationships with the natural world independently and in an engaging, challenging, and fun way.
International Day
Traditionally ICS Secondary annually dedicates a day to celebrate the internationalism and diversity, using our own experiences and knowledge as resources. This year International Day focused on exploring the theme of Identity. Students were divided in groups according to the continents they have connection with. As a result of their group efforts we have witnessed engaging and thought provoking presentations. Every group produced a unique presentation encompassing drumming, capoira dancing, debates and poetry. It was a day in which the whole school remembered the richness of the diversity within the ICS community.
International day in the words of students:
For International day, the groups in different continents had to practise what they would perform in front of the whole school and parents. Every group had appointments to see other groups’ performances. Everyone was excited and scared at the same time. Everyone got a chance to see others work. The groups that we were divided into were the following: North America, South America, Africa, Middle East, Europe and Australia.
In my group Africa there were: Daniela, Nesrin, Doha, Saja, Alla, Zinab, Fodhil, Anes and Alex. We had a performance about different places in Africa. Doha, Saja, Nesrin and I were drumming and Daniela was playing some music. We had some Angolan music and dances. Before the drumming we had a video showing different things people do in Libya, Angola and South Africa.
The South America people had some people come in to show us the Capoeria dance. The North America group showed us the behaviour of American people in public places. International day was scary when it came to doing your presentation, but it was very rewarding to present in front of your classmates and parents.
Alla Bayoud (MYP1)
The ICS Prom – A first hand account
On the 12th of June 2009, Mr. Ean organized an Oliver Oscar Ceremony and a Goodbye Prom for the Y11 and the A-level students. We went to Arturo’s restaurant. Every morning, in assembly before the dinner, the ICS Academy nominated a group of students that took part in the cast and the crew of the musical production of Oliver.
Fashion
Students were asked to wear formal clothing. Most Y11s and A-level boys wore a white shirt with a bow tie and suits. The girls wore pretty dresses with high heel shoes. All the others students wore smart clothing such as shirts and any trousers except for jeans. I wore a blue Gap shirt, blue Gap trousers and black shoes. Most lady teachers such as Miss. Brenda wore pretty pink dresses. Miss. Andrea wore a flower in her hair. Miss. Anelle’s baby, Peter came as well and he wore a cute waistcoat. He kept crawling everywhere.
The Food
The restaurant served tiramisu, salads, meat and vegetarian meals. For dessert there was also cheese cake. We drank fizzy apple juice as a drink. At Arturo’s Restaurant, I ate beef fillet and potatoes. It was very tasty.
What Happened
In the restaurant Mr. Ean assigned me to a table. I sat with Ofir and some other girls. After dinner Miss Brenda, Miss Rose, Miss Joanna, Miss Alexandra and Mr. Ean gave speeches about the Year 11 and A-level students. Miss Amanda and Miss Lucy said funny poems about the Year 11 students. Mr Ean then gave out the Oscars to the cast and crew. I won an Oscar for Best Interpretive Performance and I was very proud. The prom ended at 9:45pm.
Ardeshir Farmanfarmaian (MYP2)
Life Skills Pottery Exhibition
Life Skills Pottery Exhibition is the second major Life Skills exhibition this year which took place on Friday 19th of June, 2009. This event brought together not only secondary students but also the members of the whole ICS community- parents, teachers, former students , school leaders. The exhibitory presentation was truly a state of the art itself; an open gallery that only slightly resembled the school’s communal open space. The ambiance spoke of the professional, serious and thoughtful organisation of the Life Skills team. The pottery art exhibition provided an opportunity to see the work of the great originality and creativity of the Life Skills Students.
The artists behind the most important summer term art project are John, Suleiman and Goutham. The work exhibited comes from their personal outlook of life, family and love. They describe some of the exponents in their own words:
THE FORBIDDEN MOUNTAIN
This piece is called the “Forbidden Mountain” because when I created it I wanted it to look adventurous and give the illusion that fire was coming out from inside. The piece is very big and has a lot of texture like a mountain. My inspiration for this piece stems from my interest in learning about mountains and my passion to one day climb a tall mountain.
Artist: Goutham Rohan
DINOSAUR NEST
My inspiration for this piece comes from the movie Jurassic park and my interest in large creatures such as Dinosaurs. I decided to make eggs in a nest to symbolize the beginning of life.
Artist: Suleiman Al Sakhran
THE YARD
It is called “The Yard” because it has a fence around it. It is also interesting because it has some worms in it too which a yard usually has. This piece can be used as decoration in your own yard or on the wall inside your home.
Artist: John Gionfriddo
THE KING’S CROWN POT
This is an interesting piece in my opinion because on the top of this pot the design looks like a king’s crown. This piece can be used as a decoration.
Artist: John Gionfriddo
ICS takes part in the Big School Birdwatch!
ICS Secondary took part in the RSPB Big School Birdwatch at the Regent's Park Wildlife garden. This is an annual event that happens all over the UK to find out which bird species are increasing and which are decreasing. The students counted birds and then analysed their data back in their maths class. This data are then entered on to the recording sheet and the numbers are collected and analysed nation wide. Everyone participating in Big School Birdwatch helps the RSPB to asses the state of garden birds in the UK. ICS students reported seeing lots of feral pigeons, crows, a robin and a Jay, but no starlings or sparrows which are declining in the UK. This activity was a great way for students to escape the confines of their classroom, to learn more about their local environment whilst contributing to a valuable research project.
EXCITE: Life Skills holds first photography exhibition
EXCITE is the first major photography exhibition ever to be held by the Life Skills Team. It takes a unique look at the journey of the life skills students. More about EXCITE photography exhibition ...
Building Bridges:
Bringing Cultural Awareness to Young Minds
In an average day at ICS one can expect to be chatting to Kazakh and South African classmates over the lunch break, eating a Spanish tortilla made by a New Zealander, while sitting across from the teacher from the Maldives. Diversity is not just a word or concept here at ICS; it is our every daily environment. ICS is proud to be a micro community that embraces all through the year manifestations such as International day which celebrates its diversity. However we are aware that accepting the ‘difference’ is not always straight forward and that eliminating prejudices is a life-long task. Here at ICS there is an understanding that awareness is commitment and a work in progress rather than a set of rules which are easy to understand and adopt.
In order to investigate our own attitudes and to enrich our commitment towards diversity we have decided to liaise with the experts from the National Coalition Building Institute. NCBI is an international organisation that provides training on how to successfully deal with prejudices and conflicts in any form.
CBI has guided MYP year 3 and 4 and the teaching staff through a series of workshops that tackled the issues that might arise from our diverse identities. It was a day in which ICS was reminded of how mistreatments continue to exist. With NCBI helpful guidance we became aware that not only that each one of us is different in some way but also that being different is something we all share. There was a general acknowledgement that only through self awareness can we continue building bridges and start focusing on commonalities rather than on features that may draw us apart.
NCBI’s visit made for a successful day which began with applauding our diverse identities and ended with learning strategies to successfully cope with mistreatments when they arise. This one day training allowed us to see our ICS year 3 and 4 students being transformed into leaders, who take initiative to counter the mistreatment and prejudices that exist. They became empowered by the knowledge of the bridges that unifies us as individuals.
Becoming a “Safer” Zone
By: Patrick Negus
On the 17th of September, a National Coalition Building Society visited ICS with the goal of helping to increase everyone’s tolerance. These people did many activities with MYP year 3&4, which raised the entire class’ self-esteem and taught all of us different ways to change peoples’ “hearts”. They told us of the ways to stop racism, discrimination, and oppression of all types.
The first activity was meant to get everyone exited and relaxed. One of the leaders called out names of identities and if someone belonged to one, that person would stand up and everyone would clap voraciously. No one expected it to work, but by the end, everyone was laughing and having a good time.
After this, the group leader told us to partner up. One person was supposed to jump in the air and shout, “I’m proud to be…” or “I want to be…”. While this was happening, the partner would smile and clap encouragingly, making them feel more confident whether they realized it or not.
There was also an activity where everyone got into a group based on an identity that they wanted to celebrate. (Keep in mind, everyone has multiple identities including; race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, heritage, religion, etc.) Each group received a poster board and on it, they wrote why they were proud to be that identity. In the end, each group presented it to the rest of the class.
We learned about the cycle of oppression. It all starts with a little misinformation or anger, leading one group to being labeled. More misinterpretations lead to persecution of those people. The saddest thing is when the persecuted group adopts this fake identity and turns it into a real one for them. The unofficial rules are made through which these innocent people are repressed and stopped from living their lives freely.
One of the most important (and hardest) activities was learning about effective intervention and how to make a difference. The point of effective intervention is to change the hearts of people and to change their minds. The students were taught that most negative racial comments arise from minor things- such as bad days, anger, or more serious things- such as bad upbringing. In order to make a difference, we are taught to calm the other person down and once they are calm enough, talk them out of believing the comments they made earlier. It looks easy when practiced professionals do it, but when it was our turn, we realized how difficult it may be.
Overall, the NCBS visit had a positive effect on the school. They came hoping to set up a new community; one that is supportive and helpful and helps us create a “safer” zone for kids of all identities. Throughout the workshops, they put things into a new light. We realized that some things we do or have done in the past could actually hurt people, regardless of our initial intention. Understanding this helped us to change our attitudes, not only towards others but also towards ourselves.
ICS Explores Argentina
During the half-term a small ICS team thirsty for knowledge, went on a ten day expedition to explore the diversity and beauty of Argentina. On our travels through Patagonia we hiked on a glacier, saw icebergs, went whale watching, visited a penguin colony and yes, watched tango in the cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires.
Students went beyond the limitations of geography text books to see in action the process of glaciations. We saw how glaciers have shaped our landscape and we learnt about the consequences for the future if global warming continues.
After leaving the glaciers we explored the desert scrublands typical of Patagonia, our team was surprised by the rich biodiversity found on the Peninsula Valdes. The native wildlife in this area has to compete with sheep farming, introduced species, over-fishing, poaching and pollution. We were lucky to see a wide range of species and to appreciate how human actions can impact natural behaviour and ultimately survival.
Argentina is the perfect classroom for environmental literacy, but we still found the time to indulge in the wonderful Argentinean sweet, dolce de leche.
OLIVER!
A MEMOIRE OF MY EXPIERIENCE
BY MATT HORN
‘Oliver!’ play was my first time on a proper stage and using an authentic drama script. My role was Sowerberry the Undertaker; I thought that to be a good first role. It was challenging in an unusual way, since it required no singing and barely any lines. Though my role was fairly easy at the end, preparing for it was exhausting.
The first practice was simple; all we did was have our character introduced by Mr Ean; that is what I naively thought all of the other practices were going to be...and boy I was wrong in that statement. The next practice began with the choreography of ‘Consider Yourself’ which was, in my opinion, the hardest song to dance in entire play. This was because of all the action and quick intervals within the choreography. On top of sweeping and twisting our brooms in the air we had to sing too! Now for an experienced actor or actress this may be nothing; but for me, who at that time was a novice, it was pretty difficult.
Our rehearsals continued at the school campus in Bawdsey. Being in a different environment meant we needed to adapt to a different stage. It is there where the most memorable blooper for me occurred. In my scene with Oliver (Vlad Postovaru), Mr Bumble (Patrick Negus) and Mrs Sowerberry (Eleanore Pond), we were saying our lines when Vlad and I just randomly began laughing and Patrick followed suit. Then in about take 5 of the scene Patrick says ‘Liberal Pounds, Mr. Sowerberry’ then I said ‘liberal pounds?’ he was supposed to say ‘Liberal terms’, and the laughing resumed. About three or so takes later we got it right. That was my fondest memory of the practises.
When the time to start using the actual props came I thought half of the cast would be in a cast, but it went smoothly to my surprise. The only irritation was getting the coffins on and off stage, these things are huge - 7 and half feet long, about 35 kilos. At least now we know that musicals are not all about being on stage and shining. The most amusing thing with the props was when the bed broke onstage during one of the musical numbers. I was backstage so I didn’t know until they brought the bed back to the workshop, but even when it broke Vlad carried on professionally.
Overall the play was a great success. All the money in the world could not buy back all of the great memories that I have collected during this fantastic experience. Well maybe £20 could...
ICS discovers Ancient History and Music of Egypt
Just as snow was descending upon London, a group of eleven ICS ‘explorers’ headed of to sunny Egypt to discover the sights of Ancient Egypt and cruise down the Nile. Our aim was to learn about the music in Ancient Egypt as well as the history of this northern African country. Our busy week started with a stop over in crowded Cairo (home to 22 million people!) before heading off to Giza and experiencing the breathtaking Great Pyramid and the famous Sphynx.
After a night on the sleeper train, we arrived in Luxor where we visited Karnak and Luxor temple and “walked like Egyptians” on Sphynx avenue. Back on the “Grand Princess”, Miss Marjana taught us about music in Ancient Egypt and we made the most of the pool on the sun deck! In the evening, we all got on horse-drawn carriages to visit the city and got to practise our haggling skills at a local market!
After a good night’s rest we arrived in Edfu where we visited an astonishingly well-preserved temple. Later that day we have experienced the Egyptian hospitality in an alabaster factory. However, the highlight of the day was Kom Ombo also known as the Crocodile Temple where we saw mummified crocodiles! Back on the boat we headed for the kitchens where the chef gave us a chance to make falafels for dinner.
The next day, we all got up at 6.30 bright eyed and bushy tailed to go hot- air ballooning over the Valley of the Queens and in the distance we could see the Valley of the Kings where we headed off to once we returned safely to the ground. Captain Hussein achieved a very smooth landing along the bank of the Nile! In the Valley of the Kings, we went inside three stunning tombs covered in hieroglyphs. In the evening Miss Allison thought the ICS explorers the hieroglyphs which was followed by journal entries in hieroglyphic writing.
On Thursday we had another eventful day with visits to Philae temple, the High Dam in Aswan, the unfinished obelisk, a journey to a Nubian Village on board a felucca and then on camel back. Once in the village we went to the local school to learn numbers in Arabic and Nubian. We finished off the day with a galabeia party on the boat.
As the week was unfortunately drawing to an end, we had to leave our cruise boat to fly to Abu Simbel where we saw the four magnificent statues of Ramses II and the temple he had built for his wife Nefertiti. We then made our way to Cario where we arrived just on time for a dinner-cruise with a local music band, a wonderful skirt dancer and a belly dancer.
Before it was time to wrap things up and head back to cold London we went to the Egypt National Museum and also visited the Citadel and its impressive mosque.
It was truly an amazing week. A very special thanks to Miss Debra, Miss Marjana and Miss Allison who made this trip very special.”