1. Connect
Bloom
Grow
Learn
Nurture
Play
ABU DHABI issue 2
2012/2013
AL YASMINA SCHOOL STRIVES TO BE AN
OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
SCHOOL, MAXIMISING THE LEARNING
POTENTIAL OF ALL
THE PRIMARY
PARTNERSHIP
AL YASMINA
SCHOOL

2. CONTENTS
WELCOME From the HEAD OF SCHOOL 3
ACTIvE LEARNING EMBRACED 4
FOCUS ON YEAR 6 5
OMAR A PRIZE WINNING WRITER 6
FOCUS ON YEAR 4 7
YEAR 2 CLIENTS FOR DT STUDENTS 9
YEAR 5 DOMINATES JUNIOR F1 10
THE WIZ 11
SCIENCE WEEK 13
SPORTS AWARD WINNERS 14
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH 16
FOY UPDATE 16
Welcome to thelatest issue of The Primary PARTnership
for the 2012/2013 academic year. The Primary
PARTnership is the publication for Al Yasmina's primary
school.
It gives Al Yasmina School the chance to celebrate
progress and achievement and provide more in depth
information to parents on a wide variety of subjects.
We welcome your feedback.
communications@alyasmina.sch.ae
The second Primary PARTnership for this academic year
Topics, trends, updates, views and news from the Al Yasmina Primary Department
WELCOME
Pictured on the cover: Students enjoying Science Week
2

3. I continue to be in awe of the primary school. On a daily basis,
I have great admiration for what is achieved inside and outside
of the class room.
I am privileged to be invited to attend both the days, be a guest
speaker, judge science projects, watch drama rehearsals and
to see the childrens' learning in action.
We have so many children of noteworthy praise. I am
fortunate to be part of that. We are therefore introducing a
new award within the primary school - Student of the Month.
Each month, a boy and a girl will be nominated from each year
group. Students who represent the very highest standards will
receive this prestigious award, and students are challenged to
aspire to achieve it.
FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL, MR GALE
“If everyone is moving forward
together, then success takes
care of itself” - Henry Ford
The students will receive their awards in my monthly primary
assembly. Their names will also be displayed on the ‘board of
honour’ in the main reception area. Students will also feature
in the Primary PARTnership.
Well done and congratulations to our first students in
the month of May. The new award will complete a suite
of graduated rewards to ensure we are acknowledging,
encouraging and appreciating our students.
Enjoy leafing through this edition of the Primary PARTnership.
I am proud to share it with you.
issue 2
2012/2013
AL YASMINA SCHOOL
3

4. Primary students have enthusiastically embraced the emphasis
this year on encouraging deep thinking and active learning.
The concept of higher order questioning is being implemented
right across the primary school and is an ongoing focus after
being identified in the term one ADEC inspection as needing
further development. Staff have been working hard on this
and the results are tangible, says Mrs Barber, Assistant Head,
Teaching and Learning.
What it really means is that the teacher becomes less of an
information provider and more of a facilitator, encouraging
students to think in more detail, come up with their own ideas
and concepts, and to justify them.
There is now much broader discussion of a question and the
need for students to listen to other points of view, and perhaps
debate them. “We consider these life-long skills. In adult life
you need to be able to think for yourself, to problem-solve,
be able to have high-level debate with other people and see
reasons behind other’s viewpoints.”
Mrs Barber says the children have responded to the new
approach. “They are more animated in their answers and they
are more able to listen to each other’s opinions and debate
them. It has reduced the amount of time the teacher is talking
but requires the skill of the teacher to ask the right questions to
enable the children to think at a higher level.”
The next step is to get the students to take their own learning
forward, by assessing how to be “successful” in a given question
or project, and how to measure that success. To be “super
successful” is a further challenge so the students can take
their work to the next level. This particularly targets the more
able children, removing any ceiling which can limit them.
“It’s exciting learning. There’s a buzz with the children about
what they are learning, where they are going next, and how they
are going to get there. Rather than trying to guess what’s in
the teacher’s head, they are taking responsibility for their own
learning.”
Teaching and learning are impossible to separate, and the
teachers are feeding off it and sharing ideas. “My role in school
is to focus on the methodology that the teachers use. We’ve
looked very much at how we can involve all the children all the
time in an exciting and stimulating curriculum that is relevant
to them.”
Mrs Barber says the children are so keen to learn that
implementing changes such as these is easy. “The children at
Al Yasmina love learning so you are not trying to overcome the
barriers of reluctant learners. The children are at a platform
already where they want to find out more.”
Add to this a supportive parent community and the flow-on
effect is high teacher satisfaction. Wearing her other “hat” as
the lead professional for Continuous Professional Development,
Mrs Barber says it’s exciting to be able to use all the strengths
of the different teachers, and the different experiences they
have had, to enable each teacher to be become the very best.
There are training days for staff throughout the year which are
focused on raising the quality of teaching, understanding new
practices, and sharing ideas. Al Yasmina is a member of British
Schools of the Middle East (BSME) which also offers courses
for staff. Al Yasmina’s next goal is to become a BSME training
centre in order to share the good practice and “fantastic” skills
of our staff with other schools.
New to the school and the UAE in September, Mrs Barber
doesn’t regret for a moment giving up the headship of a school
of 200 children to come to Al Yasmina and be part of a primary
school of 1000 students and a through school of 1600.
“There is nothing I would change. I think the school is fabulous,
I think the children are wonderful, I think the opportunities we
have within the school are so rich. My children are at school
here and the opportunities they can have are far beyond
anything they could experience in the UK.”
issue 2
2012/2013
AL YASMINA SCHOOL
4
ACTIVE LEARNERS ACHIEVE LIFE-LONG SKILLS

5. issue 2
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AL YASMINA SCHOOL
Year 6 leader Mrs Griffiths is immensely proud of “her” students,
the progress they have made since the beginning of the year, and
their readiness to move into secondary school.
Term two wrapped up with the four-night Al Ain residential camp,
where the students tested themselves to the limit at the Wadi
Adventure outdoor activities. It gave the children the opportunity
to develop in a social and an “outward bound” sense, with
activities which included white-water rafting, abseiling, ziplining,
and a ropes course.
“They faced fears they haven’t been given the opportunity to face
previously. It was also interesting to see a vulnerable side to the
more confident children who usually race through everything,”
Mrs Griffiths says.
“I think that’s what’s nice about a residential trip – they see a
completely different aspect of their teachers and their peers. It
was just brilliant, it was a huge success.”
Since half-term in February, the students have been studying
the Greeks. The “hook” into their topic was a recreated
archaeological dig. The teachers laminated pictures of ancient
Greek artefacts and painted over them, before burying them in
big boxes of sand.
When the students unearthed them, they had to scratch away
some of the paint and decide what they thought it was, what
was it made of and what its purpose was – just like a real
archaeologist.
After many weeks delving into their topic, it concluded with Greek
Day, which saw the students dressed up as Ancients Greeks,
participating in their own Olympic Games, sampling typical Greek
food, and staging another archaeological dig, this time involving
Year 2.
The older students smashed up Greek vases they had made out
of papier mache and tiles made out of clay and then buried them
in a gridded area of the sandy car park, where the Year 2s had
the exciting task of digging them up, piecing them together and
identifying them.
Year 6 is a pinnacle year for the children. It’s their last year in
primary school and they are expected to take responsibility.
“There are no excuses any more, they have to step up and behave
in the right way.” They also have had to prepare for their SATs
tests which began on May 19. We didn’t want the children worrying
about them unnecessarily, but equally they needed to know that
this was an opportunity to showcase what they have done, how far
they have come.”
Mrs Griffiths says the students returned to term three with
renewed energy and focus in all aspects of their school life.
“There is such drive in them and it’s important to keep that going.”
She finds particular reward in teaching Year 6. “You see this
blossoming from a young child into a pre-teen. This is quite a big
step in their development and I love being part of that change in
their lives.”
There is excitement in the air as the children look ahead to
starting secondary school in September.
“They are an amazing year group, there are some fantastic
personalities, and they will do very well in secondary school.”
"AMAZING" YEAR 6 READY FOR SECONDARY
5

6. Year 6 Owls student Omar Zeidan has taken out a top prize in
the inaugural SARD (Arabic Short Story) writing competition,
contested by 185 participating schools across the emirate of
Abu Dhabi.
Omar, from Jordan, secured third place with his short story
titled “My Name is Little Nazeh” which is about a young boy
nicknamed Nazeh (the Emigrant), who lost his friends, father
and brother during a war. Nazeh was given responsibility
to take care of himself and his mother at a very young age.
However, with very few resources at hand, he is forced to
migrate to another country and start from scratch.
“I wrote this story in Arabic because I wanted to enhance my
Arabic writing skills and because I wanted to express how
unnecessary war is in the Arab world, and that everyone
should simply live in peace,” says Omar. “Writing has been
my hobby since I was eight years old and now that I have won,
I feel desperate to write more stories. My next story will be a
biography about Bill Gates, but in English.”
Mr Abu Saleh, Curriculum Team Leader for Arabic at Al
Yasmina, says the story was meant to portray the message
of peace across the world. “When I read Omar’s story I
recommended that he add a positive aspect to it, which is that
suffering must turn Nazeh into a successful and peace-loving
person who wishes to accomplish good things for children and
other people around him.”
Omar receives his award at a special ceremony from ADEC Director-General Dr Mugheer Al Khaili.
Omar’s third place is a stand-out achievement as all the
other prizewinners were from purely Arabic medium schools.
Other non-Arabic schools took part in the English writing
competition.
SARD was the first Inter-School Creative Writing Contest
organised by ADEC and was run as part of Abu Dhabi Reads
Initiative & International Book Fair. The other students who
took part were Mohammad AlSaadi, Year 6 Eagles; Omar
Abusin, Year 7 Reem; Ali Al Hashmi, Year 7 Yas; and Mera Al
Fawares, Year 7 Maryah.
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AL YASMINA SCHOOL
6
OMAR A PRIZEWINNER IN WRITING COMPETITION

7. YEAR 4 SWAP DESERT FOR RAINFOREST
The Year 4 shared area has taken on new life as a vibrant and
colourful rainforest. Vines hang from trees and animals lurk
behind the leaves.
“Rainforests” is the last general topic of the year for Year 4,
which also neatly ties in with their science topic of Habitats.
One of the highlights will be kayaking through the Eastern
Mangroves. It will be a hands-on approach to learning about
how animals survive in certain habitats and will provide an
understanding of habitats in our local area.
The Eco Tour will be an excellent way to enjoy and understand
the unique ecosystem of the mangroves. The children will
paddle themselves in a sit-on kayak for an hour early morning
under the guidance of experienced and knowledgeable guides.
Supported by informative graphics, the children will learn
about the role of mangroves and their importance in local and
regional coastal environments.
To round off the topic, the children will open the Rainforest
Café, which will create recipes with ingredients that are from,
or influenced by, the environment of the rainforest. “The café
will create an understanding of what the rainforest can give us,”
says Year 4 Leader Miss Gale.
The students hope that any money raised by the end of the
term will be donated to the Rainforest Alliance. The children
are currently researching the different programmes the
money could be specifically directed to. These include helping
communities reduce deforestation, planting new trees, and
complying with rigorous environmental standards.
Science Week was the last week of April, where the focus was
on friction. This included testing magnets, studying push and
pull forces, attraction and repulsion, and lots of hands-on
activities to test out the effects of rough and smooth surfaces
on friction. There was no better way to check the theories than
with the Wacky Car Race, where the children built their own
cars and checked out their efficiency on different surfaces.
Each class presented their winning car at a Year 4 race final
and Wagtails were proud to discover that their “Mean Machine’
was the overall winner, beating friction!
Photo taken by a Year 2student, Zane Dooley Cullinane
Looking back as far as Term Two, the highlight was the
residential trip to Hatta in early March. For the first time for
most students, they were away from their families for two
nights. The students stayed in a desert safari camp, where
they experienced dune-bashing and camel-riding, got to
meet a falcon, visited Hatta Fort, did a wadi walk and had fun
swimming in the streams and identifying wildlife.
Year 4 is the youngest age group which experiences a
residential trip at Al Yasmina. “It’s not like Dibba (for older
students) where they are challenged to extend themselves and
reach new levels. The aim of this first residential trip is to take
students out of their comfort zone and get them confident with
being away from home in a very safe and secure environment.
“It was timely that our topic was ‘Explorers’, as we became
explorers ourselves at Hatta,” Miss Gale says. The students
put into practice exploration skills they had studied at school.
During the camp they stayed in tents, used compass skills in a
treasure hunt, made diary entries and maps, studied the nature
that is hidden in the wadi pools, and stargazed. They also
understood that early explorers did not have cameras so they
made a number of observational portraits and drawings. “It
was absolutely amazing and the children were brilliant.”
issue 2
2012/2013
AL YASMINA SCHOOL
7

8. issue 2
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AL YASMINA SCHOOL
8
HATTA FUN

9. Year 2 students and teacher Miss Dean took on the role of clients
this term for A Level Design Technology students who have created
fabulous furniture for the children’s shared area.
The Year 13 (A2) DT students were fulfilling a course requirement
that they undertake a major project that specified they work with
a client, just as professional designers would operate in industry.
Alistair Mains, Stefan Bennett and Hasan Al Mashani chose to work
with the primary school, and specifically with Year 2.
The designers had a client interview with Miss Dean where the
brief was set and they generated some initial creative ideas. Miss
Dean then offered some additional client direction and the students
made some small and full-scale models of a number of different
components from their designs, which allowed them to resolve some
technical challenges. They used a variety of different skills, from
sand casting to sewing, as well as using the computer-controlled
router and laser cutter.
Hasan produced a round artist’s table with integral storage and a
light box. Stefan made a drawing table with its own magnetised ruler
and table top ,and with a built-in paper roll. Alistair made a nautical-
themed seating unit with built in book drawers and portholes with
fish decals.
Miss Dean says it was a fantastic opportunity to be involved in the
A Level DT projects, and that the furniture has transformed the
children’s learning environment. “It is difficult to believe that they
were not shop-bought items!”
“The Year 2 children now have a tailor-made, multi-purpose
workbench with objects to help them with pencil control,
handwriting, group work and word building; a reading area that is
comfortable and encourages them to share books with their friends,
and finally a brightly-coloured art table with easily accessible pots to
store brushes and pens, not to mention a fully functioning light box!”
Miss Dean says the designers were very professional and asked
detailed questions to ensure they fulfilled the needs of Year 2. “They
found out what the Year 2’s liked doing, what they needed help with,
or what was missing from our learning environment.”
Mr Wood, Curriculum Team Leader Design and Technology, says the
client-led process is a rewarding experience for the students, as they
get constant feedback throughout the process.
DT CREATIONS A HIT IN YEAR 2 SHARED AREA
“The art table is my favourite!
Hassan is amazing! It is so bright
and colourful, with pots to hold
all our pens and brushes.” -
Alannah
“Stefan, the workbench is
awesome! It has a whiteboard,
paper and the Spirograph helps
me get better at my pencil control
and my writing.” - Oliver
“I love the
reading bench,
it reminds
me of the sea
which I love!
Thanks Ali!” -
Laurie
issue 2
2012/2013
AL YASMINA SCHOOL
9

10. Al Yasmina’s Year 5 hit top gear last month, with four out of five
teams taking top slots in the F1 in Schools Junior Race Event
2013 at Yas Marina Circuit. Well done to Blazing Flames for being
the fastest F1 Junior team in the UAE!
A total of 16 teams of students from Years 4 to 6 raced their
hand-made cars down the 20m F1 in Schools track. Al Yasmina
dominated, coming in first, second, third, fourth, and eleventh
place. The top three teams received special Ferrari World Abu
Dhabi prize packs, with race winners Blazing Flames being
awarded the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi F1 Junior Challenge
Champions trophy.
All team members were given a tour of the circuit and the
opportunity to sit in the control centre with its 44 screens!
The junior tournament ran alongside the professional event
which saw secondary pupils from across the UAE compete. The
winners of the professional category go on to represent the UAE
in the World Championships in Austin, Texas, USA. Let’s hope to
see Al Yasmina students there in the not too distant future.
PODIUM FINISH FOR
YEAR 5 AT F1 EVENT
The Al Yasmina teams, and their final placings:
1. Blazing Flames – Riley Forbes, Marta Angelone Lopez,
Hindh Imad, Mohammed Al Hammadi and Louis Pujol.
2. Fast & Furious – Findlay Smith, Amir Farah, Ali Al Mulla
and Holly O’Sullivan.
3. Silver Speeders – Nikolay Smyslenov, Bareera Zakir,
Amelia Pearson, Saif Al Nuaimi and James Kay.
4. Lightning Speed – Elliott Pollendine, Nicholas Hallett,
Jana Al Armouti, Alexandra Charalambidou and Hamdan
Mehairi.
11. Viperz – Jad Hreiki, Nora Wall, Mariam Al Magboul,
Karim Moulayess and Jake Officer.
issue 2
2012/2013
AL YASMINA SCHOOL
10

11. THE WIZ WOWS AUDIENCES
The Yellow Brick Road led all the way to Al Yasmina this week, where Key Stage 2 staged their stunning performance of The Wiz.
The musical, based on the story of The Wizard of Oz, was the funky 1970s version of the original show. The audiences who attended
the two evening performances were wowed by the colour, energy and professionalism of the show. Mrs Knapton, Head of Primary
Music and Director of the show, says The Wiz worked perfectly as a school production as there was a role for everyone. “I only audition
for the key roles. The show is open to anyone who wants to be in it. I don’t ever count the numbers,” she says. “It’s about kids having
fun, getting involved, and having their moment to shine on the stage and develop their confidence.”
There were 10 soloists who performed alongside Year 3, who
were the Munchkins; Year 4, the Winkies; Year 5, the Crows and
Flying Monkeys; and Year 6, the Emerald City citizens. Behind the
scenes was a committed group of helpers, including eight Year
9 students who worked backstage, fulfilling the volunteering
component of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Primary teachers Miss Orr, Miss Dean and Mr Crowter were also
an integral part of the production crew, and Miss Orr, who is a
qualified dancer, can take credit for the fabulous dance routines.
Parents and staff worked tirelessly on costumes and scenery,
with spectacular results. This is the third KS2 production and
each gets more ambitious than the last. A live band was used
for the first time this year, made up of members of the Music
Department, including Year 7 drummer Sam Hudson and Year 13
guitarist Liam Troup . “It’s fantastic for the students to be singing
and dancing to a live band, it a really good experience for them.”
Mrs Knapton says she couldn’t have put the show together
without the goodwill of volunteers and three key sponsors –
Friends of Yasmina, clothing company The Children’s Place, and
the Shake Shack at Dalma Mall.
But most of the credit lies with the students, she says. “They
have done a fabulous job and really deserve such praise for what
they’ve achieved.”
11

12. Main Characters
Dorothy: Aine Griffiths
Scarecrow: Sofia Bustamente Perez
Tinman: Alex Rashed
Lion: Jade-Anne McLean
The Wiz: Flynn Donnelly
Evillene: Sophia Meshal
Addaperle: Fayza El Hazek
Glinda: Caoimhe Dooley Cullinane
Aunt Em: Harriet Juby
Uncle Henry: James Kay
Lord High Underling: Ty Power
Messenger: Anica Mirza
Gatekeeper: Hannah Burns
Munchkins
Sara Wall, Zoha Ali, Lucy Amor, Katherine Vandy,
Ethan Duruba, Umar Ibn Yahya, Jack Fenwick,
Daniel Florence, Zohaa Chaudary, Abdulla
(Boody) Alriyami, Dexter Power, Luke Gillroy,
Stella Da Silva Buttkus, Layal Al Mukhtar, Sidney
Venus, Juan Diego Moreira, Tom Goodwin,
Barnaby Wells, Mackenzie Kenyon, Numan
Kurkcu, Georgia Coulston, Charlie Stanley, Lottie
Commons, Ummehani Ghadially
Winkies
Bernadette Tamas, Anisa Al Barwani, Elisa
Vliegen, Noemie Queromain, Noora Al Braiki,
Freddie Atkins, Sulieman Ibsais, Zacharia Aker,
Zane Said, Erin Ashdown, Declan Griffiths,
Hashem El Nadi, Anna Rayner, Luna Gulec, Molly
Forbes, Olivia Williams, Grace Lewis, William
Tweddle, Christian Willsher, Faisal Sankari,
Jana Al Ramahi, Abigail Whitcher, Jordan Card,
Armaan Syed Anwar, Taylor Pharoah, McKenzie
Venus, Katie Raisbeck, Isabelle Darling, Ella
Vosgimorukian, Antonie Crouchman, Alexander
Richmond, Imogen Baig, Molly Barber, Amalia
Angel Velasquez
Crows
Tyra Jeyalingam, Iman Mohd Husni, Julia Wahed,
Sacha Pujol, Natali Alexan Girgis, Jad Hreiki,
Edmund Chung, Zaina Al Humiri, Amelia Pearson,
Zeina Fouad
Flying Monkeys
Eve Miragliotta, Natalia Moreira Ponce, Jana Al
Armouti, Layla Hasan, Alyaa Alhosani, Sarah
Priestley, Salome Gliddon, Christiane Nahu, Nora
Wall, Halle Evans, Gabrielle Loftus
Emerald City Citizens
Swa Vanswijgenhoven, Nicholas Hallett, Leila
Mohamed, Annabelle Harrison, Alice Wright,
Alexandra Charalambidou, Bethany Sturt, Abigail
Thorpe, Laoise Devlin, Joshua Young, Aaisha
Hassan, Afif Mokaddem, Marta Angelone Lopez,
Salma Alriyami, Jordan Spykerman, Fatema Al
Humiri, Ghala Al Breiki, Nicole Mueller, Areesha
Hassan, Rinki Gupta, Matilda Noble-Ditchfield,
Sandali Weerasekera, Mia Vosgimorukian,
Jessica Priestley, Garance Queromain, Zainab
Hameed, Jasmine Cheah Yen Yi, Zeina Samarah,
Emmanuelle Vuilleumier, Alyazya Al Bloushi,
Alexa Rayner, Kristina George
Yellow Brick Road/Kalidah dancers
Habiba El Nadi, Hannah Burns, Klara Suleiman,
Maryam Hanashi, Hannah Shahrani, Lara Saleh,
Aya Al Mukhtar, Iona Pollock, Abigail Stanley,
Tanami Loftus
12

13. Science Week came to the primary school at the end of
April, with science topics central to as many lessons as
possible.
The students were invited to take part in the Science
Challenge in which they chose their own question to
investigate. Year group winners were selected and
presented with a prize at the school assembly. Children
were also asked to participate in a photo competition in
which they took photos of “science in the world around
them”. Winners were announced for each Key Stage.
On Tuesday morning of Science Week parents were invited
to come to see their children taking part in practical
science lessons. Co-ordinator Miss Ritchie says this was a
great success, with both children and parents having fun.
For the “wow” factor, the secondary school’s Curriculum
Team Leader for Sciences, Mr Donald, came along to
assemblies and showed the children some weird and
wonderful tricks using science.
SCIENCE WEEK
CAPTIVATES
13
PRIMARY FRENCH TO BE TOPIC-BASED
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AL YASMINA SCHOOL
When they study the UAE, I can do a comparison of the geography
and way of life with French-speaking countries.” Madame Cuven
says that students will continue to follow the Rigolo programme, as
specified in the British curriculum, but the topic-based approach
adds another dimension which should help make their learning
relevant to what else they are studying. She sees the change as a
positive thing.
In the meantime, the French classes are preparing for their end-
of-year performance. They have each been asked to choose a song,
poem, or role-play to perform to other students in their year group
during June. “The students really enjoy performing. They feel like
they are participating in the language, rather than just being taught
it.”
Topic-based learning in the primary school will be extended to
include French next year.
In what will be a more collaborative approach, the French teachers
will work with other primary teachers to give a French “take”
on the topic being covered in the rest of the students’ learning.
Madame Cuven, head of primary French, says she has a list of the
topics the children will be covering and is already thinking about
how she can add a French perspective to them.
“For example, when they study the ancient Egyptians, and learning
about the clothes they wore and the animals they kept, I can do all
that in French with them.

14. Conor Gammell
Male Sportsperson of
the Year
Isobel Hughes
Female Sportsperson
of the Year
Ben Elliott
Athlete of the Year
Anber Johnson
Athlete of the Year
Hayden Woodrow
Male Swimmer of
the Year
Mette den Haese
Female Swimmer of
the Year
Omer Shakeel
Cricket player of
the Year
Yarrow Ansell
Sailor of the Year
Sultan Al Khoori
U9A Football player
of the Year
Mustafa Syed
U9B Football player
of the Year
Daniel Blake
U11B Football player
of the Year
Jimmy Alley
U11A Football player
of the Year
Holly O’Sullivan
U11BFootball player
of the Year
Alyazya Al Bloushi
U11A Football player
of the Year
Eoghan Cumbers
U11 Rugby player
of the Year
Liam Vorster
U9A Touch rugby
player of the Year
Elisa Vliegen
U9B Touch rugby
player of the Year
Alex Buckingham
U11B Touch rugby
player of the Year
Nithila Karunatileke
U11A Touch rugby
player of the Year
Libby O’Sullivan
U9 Netball player of
the Year
Zainab Hameed
U11 Netball player of
the Year
SPORTS AWARDS
14

15. SUCCESS IN SAILING
Sailing, a new ECA introduced for Years 5 and 6 in September, has
proved a huge success, with a number of students going on to win
medals in the schools weekend league which ended last month.
The students travelled to Abu Dhabi Sailing Club, near Marina Mall,
every Monday for tuition and practice. In addition to this, some of the
children took part in the weekend races against other school teams.
At the end of April, the students competed in the final race of the
season and despite some of the races being cancelled for safety
reasons because of bad weather, they secured third place overall for
the season, and first place among the Aldar schools. The children were
all awarded their Level 1 and 2 Sailing RYA certificate, logbook and a
medal.
”It has been a pleasure to take the children down to the sailing
club every Monday,” says Miss Favier, the teacher in charge of the
programme.“They have had great fun but have also worked very hard to
develop their skills as confident sailors.”
She says the weekend sailing was well supported by parents and she
was told by the instructors who worked with the students that they
were “very polite and great fun”. She hopes the club will continue in the
new school year and perhaps attract more local students.
The top three places in the Abu Dhabi Varsity Sailing League were:
• Brighton College Team 1
• American Community School
• Al Yasmina School
The students who participated in the varsity races and received medals
were:
Jo Vanden Auweele, Matthew Wood, Yarrow Ansell , Bruce Donald , Max
Palmer (left for New Zealand before the last race but had attended all
others) and Riley Forbes
Players player Award Commitment Award
Football (boys)
Under 9A Sulieman Ibsais Matthew Gammell
Under 9B Zach Aker Henry Bustamante Perez
Under 11A Ben Elliott Rashid Wardeh
Under 11B Joshua Corpus Omar Zeidan
Football (girls)
Under 11 A Isobel Hughes Sofia Bustamante Perez
Under 11B Garance Queromain Natali Alexan Girgis
Swimming (boys) Thomas Clifton Alexander Darling
Swimming (girls) Megan Rees Tanami Loftus
Netball
Under 9 Lucy Amor Lily Den Hertog
Under 11 Holly O’ Sullivan Klara Suleiman
Touch rugby
Under 9A Akram Kabbani Callum Dooley Cullinane
Under 9B Tyler Goyea Adam Joumma
Under 11A Nicolas Vorster Alexander Darling
Under 11B Senne De Rooy Nora Wall
SPORTS AWARDS (continued)
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AL YASMINA SCHOOL
15

16. NEWS FROM FRIENDS OF AL YASMINA
This month has been another busy one for Friends of
Yasmina. Fifteen multi-coloured beanbags were bought for
the primary school and these are being enjoyed and well
used by the children in the library and the FS1 shared area.
A Welcome Coffee Morning is held at the beginning of each
term. It is a very informal morning to help welcome new
parents into the school.
It is open for anyone to attend, new and old, and a perfect
opportunity to help someone out or just meet some new
faces and make them feel more at home in Abu Dhabi.
Thank you to all those who attended the coffee morning last
month.
Our final fundraising project for the year is the Table Top
Sale, to be held inside at school on Saturday, June 1,
9.30am-12.30pm. Last year it proved very popular and this
year should be no exception. Clothing and household items
will be for sale.
Congratulations to this month’s winners:
Foundation Stage 1: Abdulla Al Hammadi
Maria Arce Zepeda
Foundation Stage 2: Alfie Johnstone
Sukie Crowter
Year 1: Ali Massad
Charlotte Barnett
Year 2: Kornelius Tysse
Alissar Nizameddin
Year 3: Harry Young
Libby O’Sullivan
Year 4: Christian Willsher
Noora Al Braiki
Year 5: Youssef Sasagawa Okba
Zeina Fouad
Year 6: Robbie Matchett
Ahad Bakhit
INAUGURAL STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
16
issue 2
2012/2013
AL YASMINA SCHOOL