DESC Newsletter 11

“You’ve done what?”

“Really?”

“But it’s only November?”

I know you’re intrigued. What could have possibly solicited such impassioned responses? Tread carefully. You may not like what you find.

Yes, I am taking a risk. No this is not all a dramatic ruse to use the newsletter as a vehicle to discuss rugby- again. This time I’ve really done it. I’ve been controversial. I’ve been bold. I’ve thrown out the rule book.

Last chance… ok then. Take a deep breath.

Here it is.

I put my Christmas decorations up three weeks ago.

I’m talking: the tree, the lights, the garland, the new special Christmas doormat from Ace, the whole nine yards.

I’ve watched ‘Christmas with the Kranks’, ‘Elf’, ‘Deck the Halls’, ‘Christmas Chronicles’ and even ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ already at least twice each.

I’ve been to ‘Park n Shop’ and spent a year’s wages on tubes of Smarties, tins of Roses, selection boxes and special Christmas Freddos and yes – most of them have already been eaten.

I’ve dug out my special festive onesies from Pink, and barrel rolled into the house after work to change into them and the matching slippers- obviously.

And why not? It really is the most wonderful time of the year. The rain day last week when everyone was feeling cold and damp, I went home and snuggled up with the tree. The lights were twinkling, the fake Netflix fireplace was on repeat and all was right with the world. I just love this time of year. Those of you that have been to my office will be in no doubt of this seemingly obvious statement, because my office is home to a seven-foot Santa Claus who lives there all year round. For the first few months students jumped as they passed or reeled back in horror. Everyone asked about him and no meeting could begin without literally addressing the ‘Santa in the room’, but now no-one even notices. They stand him back when he topples over, pop different accessories on him to let me know that they came to visit and even ask his opinion when they don’t like mine! When Slade wished that it could be Christmas every day, I just decided to make their song a reality and live my own Christmas on repeat.

Why wait to spread cheer? Why wait to spoil someone you love? Why wait to get together with friends and family? Christmas means different things to all of us. For some it is nothing like the one I describe. Many don’t even use the word ‘Christmas’ instead replacing it with ‘Festive’ or ‘Holidays’ and that’s my point. Your feelings about my behaviour at this time of year are irrelevant. Whether you are reading this and dashing home to put up your own tree or laughing at my idiocy, one thing we can all agree on is that any opportunity to be happy and to make others feel the same way is worth celebrating and cherishing.

Life is short. Buy the shoes. Book the holiday. Put up the tree. Don’t spend it waiting around for the correct moment or the ‘approved’ time. Treasure every moment that makes you happy. Invest in others and invest in yourself. Enjoy the simple things and smile. If, like me, it only takes a light up reindeer with three different settings to make your day – go with it. Don’t let the Grinch win!

Have a lovely weekend.

Louise Ford
Assistant Headteacher

2019/2020 Emirates Schools Karting Championship

Sunday evening saw the first round of the 2019/20 Emirates Schools Karting Championship; an endurance karting championship that requires students to enter as a team of two to four drivers. The format of each race meeting includes a 30 minute practice and qualification session and then a 75 minute endurance race against other school teams. As in previous years, DESC were superbly represented with eight teams entered. It was great to see such a mixture of experience in the teams that had entered – we had newcomers to the championship in Year 8 (DESC Team 3 – Joshua White, Kaiden McIver, Sofia Dias and James Treble), through to seasoned racers. All students were supportive of each other and hints and tips were shared by the more experienced teams.

Following the driver weigh-in and kart draw, students planned their race strategy; the rules require three pit stops, which necessitated the racers to consider how long each driver’s stint time would be and how they would communicate between the team in the pit lane and the driver on the track. Following the driver briefing, a 30-minute practice and qualifying session followed, where students were able to find the quickest line and set a fastest lap for qualifying.

The start of the 75-minute endurance race went smoothly for all of the DESC teams, with no major collisions or spins. Pit stops and driver changes, for the most part, were dealt with efficiently. Each of the students found their lap times incrementally improving throughout the race as tyres warmed and they found the racing line.

At the end of the race, DESC Team 1 (Caden Poulton an Jospeh Nachaty) had secured the quickest DESC team position in seventh position overall. DESC Team 7 (Vukan Sarenac, Ayaan Chaudhry, Ahmed Mansoor) secured second quickest DESC team and DESC Team 4 (Flynn Eglen and Josh Duncan) secured third quickest DESC Team.

Well done to all of the drivers! I am sure they will be working on their race strategy for Round 2 on Monday, 9^th December.

Chamber Choir at the Poppy Ball

With the majority of the Performing Arts department away in London this week, we were working hard to prepare for a performance at the annual Poppy Ball last Friday.  The evening started with a wonderfully emotive presentation about the D-Day landings, including a superb reading given by Ruby Wormald in which she described the horrors of war from the perspective of an evacuee.  The Chamber Choir then sang Edward Elgar’s Ave Verum to a hushed crowd, including military personnel past and present and the Consul General, Andrew Jackson.  As Mr Walton, DESSC’s brass teacher, played an emotional Last Post, poppy petals came raining down in the Raffles Hotel Ballroom to signify two mintutes’ silence to honour our brave soldiers.  Regardless of the small number of the choir available, the singing was absolutely flawless and the audience members were, as always, immensely impressed with the professionalism and maturity of our students during this important event. This is the fourth year running we have been invited to perform at this prestigious event, run by the Royal British Legion in Dubai, and we would like to thank the organisers for once again giving us this fabulous opportunity.

Year 12 BTEC Enterprise Trip to Dubai Garden Centre

Here are some images of our Year 12 BTEC Enterprise students who visited Dubai Garden Centre. They received a talk from Desert Group CEO Michael Mascarenhas, who was inspirational and provided a really interesting insight into their business! During the talk, students learned about the main source of Desert Group’s revenue streams (building golf courses!) and the variety of flora and fauna in the UAE that has come through their business. Students asked some insightful questions about the future of their business and Michael shared some tips about how they should run their micro-businesses.

Overall, a really worthwhile ‘Exceptional Experience’ for the students that provides context for the content they learn about on this popular vocational course.

DASSA 7s Football Tournaments

The yearly DASSA 7’s Football Tournament was another exciting and enjoyable experience for our students, as we sent multiple teams to compete at a range of Dubai schools in a feast of football.

Throughout the day in varying locations, the students demonstrated the exciting style of football our teams are renowned for, along with plenty of energy, desire and commitment. With too many highlights to note down from each of the 10 teams competing for DESC, please check our twitter feed, @descpe, to see more photos and results.

Well done to all the players, coaches and spectators who were involved. With a huge congratulations to the winners. Please see the official results below:

• U12 Girls – Cup Winners
• U13 Girls – Cup Winners
• U14 Girls – Cup Semi Finalists
• U16 Girls – Cup Winners
• U18 Girls – Plate Winners
• U12 Boys – Cup Winners
• U13 Boys – Cup Semi Finalists
• U14 Boys – Cup Winners
• U16 Boys – Bowl Winners
• U19 Boys – Plate Winners

Lastly, as the DASSA Football League seasons reach their climax and with three weeks of exciting games to go, It would be great to see as many people heading to the football pitches to support our talented teams during the run in. With so many of our squads fighting to secure titles, the extra support on the side lines is always a major boost to our students.

To keep updated on the latest fixtures, results and league standings, please don’t forget to check DESCSPORT.COM.

BTEC Sport Trip to MEFIT Teen Fitness Summit

The Year 12 BTEC Sport students were lucky enough to spend last Thursday morning at the annual MEFIT Pro Fitness Summit. After slowly making our way through the rush hour traffic, we eventually arrived at the Fairmont on the Palm to be welcomed by the friendly MEFIT staff.  Quick picture and the students were straight into their first session, brain games, speed and agility with Michael Cummings, a well renowned fitness professional involved in product development for SKLZ.

The second session was a combination of Bodyweight Training, CrossFit and Martial Arts. A session which definitely got the group outside their comfort zone, attempting some extremely challenging movements. This was followed by the relaxing atmosphere of yoga for young athletes, which took place in the calming surrounding of the Arabian garden.

The morning was rounded off by a fantastic session on Teenage Mind-Set and Nutrition with online fitness coach, Brian Keane. Brian covered some important topics linking the relevance of nutrition, body image and mental wellbeing.

BSAK 7s Tri Series

The BSAK 7s Tri Series started this month with Rugby and Netball travelling down the E11 to Abu Dhabi to play against a range of schools from across the Emirates. As ever, DESC had the most teams there providing as many of our students as possible with the opportunity to represent the College, fielding nearly 20 teams on the day.

Notably, our support for each other and from families on the side lines was terrific, with cheers heard across the playing fields and courts on a regular basis. Some highlights from the day included top five finishes for all our Netball A teams and some B teams and reaching finals in multiple age groups, showing our strength and depth. For Rugby, U12, U16 and U19 came away winners in their respective competitions and managed to have two B teams place in the top four as well. Brilliant efforts on the day and strong support from the side lines made it a really enjoyable weekend of sport in Abu Dhabi.

Thanks again for your support and we hope you managed to enjoy the DESC special discount rate at the Marriot Al Forsan on the weekend, a huge thank you to them for providing us with this for our DESSC community. Hopefully, we will see you at the upcoming tournaments including DC 7s and Dubai 7s!