THURSDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2016
GENERAL
PRIMARY
SCHOOL NEWS
SECONDARY
SCHOOL NEWS
PE NEWS
Issue 207
COMPETITIVE
SPORTS NEWS
I N N O V E N T S - B OX A P P E A L 2 0 1 6
Innoventures Education kicked off our first event this year in September with the
Charitable Box Appeal. This appeal aims to give essential items to laborers less
fortunate than we as a “thank you” for all they do every day. It is a citywide appeal for
the benefit of our community men across the city as a token of our appreciation for all
the hard work they do.
Each class at DIA and each one of our sister schools came together and collected
essential items for each box. These hard working men across Dubai’s labor camps will
be very happy to receive these care boxes and will hopefully feel like they are a valued part of our community.
Small Box. Big Difference.
Dear Parents,
Re: Gift of Innoventures Education (GIVE)
I am pleased to share some details about the Philanthropic arm of Innoventures Education, GIVE.
The Gift of Innoventures Education Foundation (GIVE) was launched in 2014 to mark the 10 th anniversary of the
founding of Innoventures Education.
This foundation is committed to bringing the community together to provide ongoing support to causes identified by
our students. This will enable our students to develop values and skills they will use throughout their lives. The
students of Innoventures schools have chosen the GIVE Foundation focus to be on providing access to clean water
and education in areas of the world that are less fortunate than the one they live in.
The GIVE Foundation works with organisations such as The Aqua Initiative www.theaquainitiative.com, Al Noor
www.alnoorspneeds.ae and World Vision www.worldvision.org with the aim to provide education and clean drinking
water for all.
Over the past two years numerous events have been organised by IVEI schools to raise funds for the GIVE
Foundation. Some examples are the much-loved Bake Sales, Charity Runs/Walkathons and Pink Day for Breast Cancer
Awareness. This demonstrates the amazing dedication and enthusiasm of our students and staff, as well as the
generous support of our parents, so a huge THANK YOU to you all.
So far the foundation has donated substantial funds to its chosen charities, including
the construction of two primary schools in Nepal. We are happy to announce that GIVE
has now submitted funds to construct the third primary school in Nepal in partnership
with Dubai Cares.
This project will provide the opportunity for a group of students from Innoventures Education to go to Nepal in the
month of November to participate in the actual construction of the first sponsored school. This group of 11 students
and 3 members of staff will reside with local families in western Nepal for a week and interact with the community. It
is hoped that we will be able to support the building of our fourth school by the end of this academic year.
Over the course of this year there will be a variety of events to help us achieve our goal. We look forward to your
continued support to GIVE so that we can help those less fortunate than us achieve their dreams.
Warm regards,
Pratibha Rao, Principal
NEWS FROM THE FINNISH MOTHER TONGUE PROGRAMME
Our association was founded in June 2012 in order to develop Finnish language skills, raise
awareness of Finnish culture, and celebrate Finnish national holidays, traditions and
customs. The programme has the full support of the management at DIA as part of its values
around diversity and multi-culturalism.
The Finnish classes are held during regular school hours as per other language classes. All teaching follows the
curriculum as defined by the Finnish National Board of Education.
We offer lessons from KG children all through to secondary students.
We must ensure the continuity and quality of teaching in order to maintain a high standard of Finnish language skills
and reinforce the connection with the home country. Our goal is to ensure that students find the Finnish language
curriculum engaging and stimulating. We also want to achieve the same proficiency levels as schools in Finland. We
hope to have an opportunity this year to use the latest technology and online learning tools during the
programme. As always, we aspire to facilitate the successful return of young Finns education-wise back home to
Finland.
For information contact [email protected]
ACADEMIC YEAR 2016 - 2017
OCTOBER 2016
Thursday, 13 October
PS - Arabic B Parent Information Session, 7.45am-8.30am,
L2 Library
Friday, 14 October
PADIA Wild Wadi Night
Saturday, 15 October
DIA International Swimming Championship at Hamdan’s Sports
Complex
Sunday, 16 - Thursday, 20 October
SS School Photos
Tuesday, 18 October
Thursday, 20 October
Innovents - Science Fair, hosted by RIS
PS - Math Parent Information Session, 7.45am-8.30am, Exam
Hall
UN Assembly
Thursday, 20 - Tuesday, 25 October
Mediterranean Football Cup Verona Italy
Sunday, 23 October
IVEI Sports - Football - U8, U9, U10 & U11 – PS - @ RWA
Monday, 24 October
KG1 & KG2 Parent Focus Group at 12.30pm in PS040
Tuesday, 25 October
PADIA Bake Sale
Tuesday, 25 October
Year 1 & 2 Parent Focus Group at 1.30pm in PS040
Wednesday, 26 October
Year 3 & 4 Parent Focus Group at 1.30pm in PS040
Thursday, 27 October
Year 5 & 6 Parent Focus Group at 1.30pm in PS040
Thursday, 27 October
Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Day
Thursday, 27 October
Thursday, 27 October
SS Current Attainment 1 Reports to Parents
Innovents - Secondary School Debate hosted by CAS
Thursday, 20 October
NOVEMBER 2016
Tuesday, 1 November
ePortfolio exam period begins
Tuesday, 1 - Thursday, 3 November
Year 6 Camp
Tuesday, 1 - Tuesday, 8 November
Wednesday, 2 November
Thursday, 3 - Friday, 4 November
Innovents - GIVE trip to Nepal
DIA - Open House Secondary Only (Timing: 6pm- 7.30pm)
Silver DOE training
Saturday, 5 November
Thursday, 10 November
SAT exams
SS PTC (no school for SS students)
Thursday, 10 November
Wednesday, 16 - Friday, 18 November
PS PD Full Day (no school for PS students)
Silver DoE Assessment
Wednesday, 16 November
Thursday, 17 October
Innovents - A Night Of Instrumental Music hosted by DIA
World Robotics Olympiad
Sunday, 20 November
Monday, 21 - Wednesday, 23 November
IVEI Sports - Swimming – U12, U14, U16 & U18 – SS – @ DIA
ACER IBT testing
Wednesday, 23 November
Innovents - GIVE Walkathon
Thursday, 24 November
Sunday, 27 November
Sunday, 27 November
Monday, 28 - Tuesday, 29 November
Tuesday, 30 November
PADIA Winter Souk
IVEI Sports - Volleyball - U14, U16 & U18 – SS – @ CAS
IVEI Sports - Netball - U8, U9, U10 & U11 – PS - @ DIA
SS Play
UAE Assembly
Please Note: The above dates are subject to change.
For calendar updates please refer the school website - http://www.diadubai.com/learning/academic-calendar/2016-2017/
GENERAL
PRIMARY
PRIMARY
SCHOOL NEWS
NEWS
SCHOOL
SECONDARY
SCHOOL NEWS
PENEWS
NEWS
PE
COMPETITIVE
COMPETITIVE
SPORTS NEWS
NEWS
SPORTS
PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS
THE HIJRAH
EMIGRATION OF THE PROPHET TO MADINAH
HIJRAH, THE TURNING POINT IN ISLAMIC HISTORY
Hijrah, no doubt, kindled the light of hope in the hearts of the early Muslims who set a shining example for all
Muslims, in every generation, to emulate.
Hijrah, in essence, is a process of transfer to a better situation. It is not meant to find a comfortable place where one
would relax and stop to endeavor (attempt). Rather, it is a search for an environment more favorable to continuous
and constructive effort. Immediately after reaching Madinah, the Prophet undertook an all-embracing process to
establish a faithful and strong society. This is a significant aspect and important lesson to learn from Hijrah.
It was a great opportunity to be able to celebrate the new Hijri Year 1438, to allow the Primary School Islamic
students to focus on this important event in the life of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). It took great faith and courage
for the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) to trust in Allah and proclaim the message, knowing very well the negative response that
would be likely to follow. But this was not the only act of faith that the Prophet (P.B.U.H) exemplified; in fact, making
Hijrah to Madina took enormous reliance on Allah and fortitude to face fierce enemies while laying the foundation of
a solid Muslim community.
HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS
The world famous Harlem Globetrotters visited DIA on Monday, 3 October!
We couldn’t believe this slam dunk…3 Globetrotters at our very own school!
Cheese, Handles and TNT came to chat to our Year 4 to 7 students about the A B C’s of Bullying…..and treated us to
some tricks and moves. It is always great to hear when celebrities share the same thoughts as what we teach…not to
mention how well their A B C’s match our IB Learner profiles.
They even got some teachers involved…who knew Mr Lewis, Mr Colm and Miss Heidi were undercover basketball
pro’s. Take a look at our schools Facebook page for photos of the day.
https://www.facebook.com/DubaiInternationalAcademy/
GENERAL
PRIMARY
SCHOOL NEWS
SECONDARY
SCHOOL NEWS
PE NEWS
COMPETITIVE
SPORTS NEWS
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS
THE PROPHET’S HIJRA FROM MAKKAH TO MADINA
Throughout the course of this
academic year, the Year 9
students are learning the
significance of Prophet
Muhammad’s (PBUH) Hijra
from the city of Makkah to
Madina, which took place in the
year 622 CE.
The calendar year of Islam
begins neither with the
birthday of our Prophet (PBUH),
nor from the time that the
revelation came to him, nor
from the time of his ascension
to heaven, but with the
migration (Hijra), from an
undesirable environment at the
time being (Makkah) into a
desirable place (Yathrib),to
fulfill Allah's command.
It was the migration from a plot
that was set by the leaders of
the Quraysh, who were plotting
to kill Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH), and to destroy the truth
that today is being conveyed to
mankind everywhere (the
religion of Islam) against tyranny
and injustice. Their intention
was to destroy the foundation of
Islam, the Sunnah of the
Prophet, and to prevent the
revelation being delivered by
Allah's messenger to all of
mankind. There are also many
lessons learned from the
migration of the Prophet
Muhammad, which include:
 Faith comes first
 Great achievements don’t
happen without sacrifices
 Find Support and be
trustworthy within it
YEAR 12 SKYPE SESSION WITH AUTHOR
On the 9th of October in our Arabic class with Mr. Reda, we engaged in a
skype session with the famous Emarati author Mariam AL Saidi who wrote a
well known short story that we studied in class. We started off by introducing
her to our class. We asked her some questions about her story and the
message she wanted to convey to the readers. We also asked her for advice
on how young writers can start out writing creative stories. It was a very
informative session that helped us to understand more about the process of
creative writing.
Noor El Hammamy
Year 12
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
DEBUT SOLO KATHAK DANCE PERFORMANCE PRESENTATION BY SWARASHRI SHRIDHAR OF YEAR 1 0
Kathak is classical dance from from India. The three popular styles of Kathak originated from the northern cities of
Jaipur, Benares and Lucknow, and Kathak Guru, Pali Chandra has been responsible for spreading the art form in the
UAE, both through her own performances and that of her students
My Guru or teacher - Ms. Pali Chandra is a dancer, teacher, choreographer, educationist and social activist rolled into
one. She is also the artistic director of Gurukul in Dubai, Zurich and London. Although she experiments with
contemporary dance forms such as flamenco and tap in her productions, she still remains true to Kathak.
After seven years of intense training under my guru, I presented my first solo Kathak performance, called a
Rangmanch Pravesh. This is an important milestone in the life of a Kathak dancer. The performance highlights my
mastery over different facets of the dance form, namely — ‘nritta’ or technique, ‘abhinaya’ or emotive movements
and ‘natya’ or drama. To enrich the Lucknow style of Kathak, live musicians from the cultural city of Lucknow were
flown in for the performance.
The performance, titled Swatantra (or Freedom) was held on Sept.24 at the Emirates Theatre, Emirates International
School, Dubai.
Swatantra is the freedom to dance, to move, and to bring about a difference to the world through this brilliant art
form. Kathak has taught me not just to dance but also instilled in me a sense of discipline, rhythm, dedication and
helped me enjoy every nuance, every step of my art.
Previously, I have performed in some shows, and at the age of nine I received the Rising Star Award at the Dubai
International Dance competition, 2010. Dance has also brought out the humanitarian side of the me. I have been
visiting Shikshayatan, a charity school in Tamil Nadu, India, where I teach dance to underprivileged children.
I also learn South Indian classical music from my mother Rajani Shridhar on top of learning Konnakol, an ancient art
form comprising a vocal rendition of percussion sounds under the tutelage of Guru Shri D. Govindarajan.
As a student of Pali Chandra, I have a legacy to continue. Having undergone training under an acclaimed teacher who
has had the honour of performing for the Queen of England and also at the opening ceremony of the Millennium
Dome in London, I have indeed learnt from the best.
PREFECTS AND HOUSE CAPTAINS INVESTITURE CEREMONY
The investiture ceremony for the House Captains and Prefects took place on 3 October 2016 in the Secondary School
PE Hall. The event was attended by peers, parents and school staff. The ceremony was led by the Diploma Program
Coordinator, Ms. Pam Parasram with meaningful speeches made by DIA senior leaders Ms. Rao – Principal, Ms.
Needham – Head of Secondary, and Mr. Jennings – Deputy Head (Pastoral).
The eight House Captains and 36 Prefects are very important to the success of the school. They provide a positive
role model to all members of DIA and the wider community through their promotion of the school’s aims and values,
and through enhancing the operation of the learning environment.
DIA is very proud to have the 2016-2017 these new leaders as representatives of the student body. We are certain
that they will serve the school well and carry out their duties with the utmost professionalism and dedication.
Invested as the leaders of the Prefect Body and the House Captains for the 2016-2017 academic year were:
Head Boy
Allen Lopez
Fire House Captain
Elias Farah
Fire Deputy House Captain
Kaveesh Mehta
Deputy Head Boy
Suhail Mayor
Earth House Captain
Uday Jalan
Earth Deputy House Captain
Ziyad Jallad
Head Girl
Marta Ortega
Water House Captain
Tyra Sabharwal
Water Deputy House Captain
Ebrahim Shaikh
Deputy Head Girl
Sarah Abu Al Haj
Air House Captain
Renee de Geus
Air Deputy House Captain
Havana Thompson
UAE NATIONAL AGENDA - THE YEAR OF READING
BOOK REVIEW BY SAMANEH MOSALLA NEJAD 9C
Title: A Thousand Pieces of You
Author: Claudia Grey
Publication date: October 2014 by Harper Collins
Pages: 368
“Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their innovative achievements.
Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into
multiple universes, and vows to transform science forever. But then Marguerite's
father is murdered, and the killer, her parent's handsome, mysterious assistant Paul,
escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him…”
I recommend this book because it is full of wonder and science. It is for all young
adults/teenagers who read sci-fiction books. I also recommend this book to people
who don’t usually enjoy reading because when they start the book, in a matter of
seconds they will fall in love with it. It is an amazingly twisted multi-universe book
where destiny is inescapable, the truth ambiguous, and love the greatest mystery of
all.
BOOK REVIEW BY JESSICA HUGHES, 9C
Title: “War Horse”
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Setting: Germany, England and some parts of France
Publication date: First published in 1982 by Kaye and Ward then later
reissued in 2007 by Egmont UK Limited
Pages: 181
“I saw the grey soldiers ahead of us raise their rifles and heard the death rattle of a
machine gun…”. This is an extract from the “War Horse” written by a former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo.
This book is told through the eyes of a horse named Joey.
The genre of this book is considered a war novel and I agree with that because the
story revolves around Joey’s World War 1 experiences and his constantly changing
owners and masters.
He starts off telling the reader about his first memories as a foal, where he lived and who his masters are. These are
the first clues that tell readers about Joey and start to form a picture of what his life is like. I found this new kind of
perspective refreshing and different because it is very rare you ever have a book told through the eyes of an animal.
The language throughout the story is clear and convincing. You feel the emotions going through Joey and you have
empathy for him. But unlike some other books, readers also get the opportunity to feel the emotions of less
important characters along Joey’s journey. For example, the perspective of a little Emily’s grandfather when she is
dying is sad and you feel the pain that the grandfather is going through.
I love this book because it opens the reader's eyes to what life was like during World War 1- especially for a horse.
Due to the fact that the book is quite short I would recommend it to anybody from age 10 and up. This is a really
great read even for adults and I feel like this is something everyone should read before dying. I don’t feel that I would
change anything in this book except for maybe a small part in the ending… but I don’t want to give it away!
104.4 VIRGIN RADIO DUBAI’S MORNING SHOW
PRESENTER, KRIS FADE VISITS DIA
On Tuesday, 11 October, students at DIA were treated to a visit
from 104.4 Virgin Radio Dubai’s morning show presenter, Kris
Fade, for a talent show with difference. Students congregated in
the PE Hall that morning in excited expectation for the wellknown presenter and his team before he took to the stage with
great applause. After a nice introduction and greeting by our
Master of Ceremonies, Allen Lopez (Head Boy, Secondary
School), our students wowed the presenters, students and staff
with their musical and dancing talents. The event was also not
without some comedic effects with staff being called upon stage
for a fun performance too.
A lovely event and well-enjoyed by all who took part…..
GENERAL
PRIMARY
SCHOOL NEWS
SECONDARY
SCHOOL NEWS
PE NEWS
COMPETITIVE
SPORTS NEWS
SECONDARY PE NEWS
SPORTS ASSEMBLY 2016
FIND YOUR GREATNESS – DIA CHALLENGE
The idea behind ‘Find Your Greatness’ is simply to inspire and energize DIA students to celebrate their achievements,
participate and enjoy the thrill of achieving in sport at their own level, find their own moment of greatness in sport.
This can be achieved in school in PHE lessons or competitive sport and also in their own time outside of school.
Using a Nike advert, the students have been given many examples of how they can find greatness….
“Greatness is just something we made up. Somehow we’ve come to believe that greatness is a gift reserved for a chosen few. For prodigies. For superstars. And the rest of us can only stand by watching.
You can forget that.
Greatness is not some rare DNA strand. It’s not some precious thing.
Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing.
WE’RE ALL CAPABLE OF IT. ALL OF US”
JFK CHALLENGE
In 1962, John F. Kennedy announced a new Physical Education Program he strongly believed in, called La Sierra PE
Program. The High School based in California was known for its intense and strict Physical Education class which
involved a high level exercise program and education.
JFK believed that ‘a country is as strong as its citizens’. He pushed this ‘Great National Effort’ to make America not
just a physically healthy place, but an emotionally and mentally healthy place as well. The goal was to spread this to
every school district in the USA, but sadly this movement didn’t catch on. Many parents had an issue with it and it
never stretched to any other school districts.
DIA CHALLENGE
From the JFK challenge, we have created our own, and this year, we are introducing the #DIAchallenge.
GOLD CHALLENGE
500M Row
1000M Run on treadmill
30 Chest Burpees
SILVER CHALLENGE
350M Row
600M Run on treadmill
20 Chest Burpees
BRONZE CHALLENGE
200M Row
400M Run on treadmill
10 Chest Burpees
During the fitness CCA and PHE classes, students will have the opportunity to
complete the following challenges which include rowing, running and the exercise
we all love…BURPEES.
A lot of students will find greatness through the DIA challenge, however, the PHE
department would like all students, teachers and parents to find their greatness in
sport.
In PHE, there are many ways to find greatness; whether it’s in criterion A through
the knowledge and understanding of the sports, planning for performance in
criterion B, the practical element for criterion C or reflecting and improving for D,
there is a way we can all find it!
GENERAL
PRIMARY
SCHOOL NEWS
SECONDARY
SCHOOL NEWS
PE NEWS
COMPETITIVE
SPORTS NEWS
COMPETITIVE SPORTS NEWS
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Shreyas Raman of Year 11B was successful in winning all the matches at an inter
-school chess tournament conducted by 'Chess Knowledge'. In his category of
16-18 age division he competed against students from Deira International School,
ASD, GEMS World Academy and a French School.
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DIA FOOTBALL BOYS-U12 VS NORD ANGLIA INTERNATIONAL 1:1
DIA FOOTBALL BOYS-U16A WON VS THE SHEFFIELD PRIVATE 4:1
U14 BOYS VOLLEYBALL VS ASD (AWAY MATCH) WON 2:1
DIA FOOTBALL GIRLS U14 WON VS SAFA COMMUNITY SCHOOL 4:1
U16 BOYS BASKETBALL VS DBS WON 23:11
U18 GIRLS FOOTBALL VS EIS MEADOWS WON 3:1
DIA BASKETBALL GIRLS-U16A WON VS EMIRATES INTERNATIONAL 29:13
DIA CRICKET BOYS (U18) WON VS REPTON SCH OOL