ISF - Monthly Newsletter Issue April 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we move further into spring and Term 3 at ISF, I am pleased to reach out once again to update you on the latest happenings at school. The ISF halls are abuzz with the energy and enthusiasm of your children, and I know I speak for everyone at ISF when I say it’s a privilege to see their minds and creative spirit excelling within our community.

Speaking of creativity, six of our students recently participated in the biennial SABIS^® STARS competition in Muscat, Oman. SABIS^® STARS is a global arts and sciences contest in which students from SABIS^® schools around the world compete in categories that are designed to showcase their talents and creativity.

I was selected to represent ISF in Creative Writing. It took a lot of preparation overall, but I am really thankful for my teacher, Ms. Harb, who helped me through this journey. The experience itself at SABIS^® STARS was amazing. At first, I was extremely nervous, but after seeing the school atmosphere, I felt more excited. I had a great time and I am so glad I went. I made so many new friends from ISF and the other SABIS^® schools. My favorite part of the experience was the Friday performance, which was done by the talented students and staff from ISC-Muscat. I got the privilege to see and learn about the different cultures. This experience taught me a lot and promoted many key life skills such as independence and self-efficiency, while reinforcing skills such as teamwork and problem-solving. Overall, my journey to SABIS^® STARS was a great one, and I really enjoyed it.

- Anureet Kaur, G8

The theme " Journey " showed up before we began to paint. At first sight, it seemed like a piece of cake to come up with the original idea, however, I was frozen with my brush for several seconds. The broader the theme is, the harder it is to come up with a new idea.
I knew that I couldn't rely on my references, that's why I accessed my photographic memory. I had a lot of journeys in my past years, but I wasn't sure which setting I should choose. Suddenly, I recalled my visit to "Green Planet" in Dubai. I was fascinated by the tropical environment and the surroundings of it. Furthermore, the mountain from my window's view approached my mind. Consequently, I determined to combine the tropical environment with the mountains in the background.

Both the setting and atmosphere were decided for the painting, however, who will be the character of this vivid journey? Suddenly, I recalled the bus driver. His garments were luxurious and unique, which I thought would highlight the Omani culture. I adored how on the simple white dress, I could observe various golden patterns. The image of that dress was bright and definite in my mind. Ultimately, I drew an old man with these garments walking on the wooden bridge.

The aim of this painting is not only to entertain the viewer, but also I wanted to convey the meaning. The bridge on the painting symbolizes the life path of the old man. The pose of the figure is exhausted and he barely makes another step. The foreground is shadowy and dark, only sunlight rays penetrate through the foliage. I wanted to convey an approach to the end of life. As the old man comes closer to the end of the bridge, he ages and slowly reaches his end.

After finishing the painting, I was invited to the stage. It was the most thrilling moment in my life. Indeed, with my reserved personality, I have never been shining on the stage. I also understood that I was chosen to be in the top 3. I was extremely excited to be noticed by the judges and feel the social acceptance. As I went out to the stage, I heard a bunch of screaming from the audience's side, I understood that there was an enormous public looking at me. I was excited and at the same time intimidated, I actually felt a sense of fame and glory.

- Sofiya Voronich, G11

Last weekend, our table tennis teams traveled to the Franconian International School in Erlangen to participate in the first official German International Schools Sports Tournament (GISST) for this discipline. This event marked the culmination of a journey that started in November 2023 with the selection process here at ISF. After 15 weeks of training and hard-fought matches, 16 players out of 65 had earned a place to compete against 6 International schools from all over the country.

Right from the start, it was clear that our players had not traveled to Erlangen to make up the numbers. Motivation and excitement were high. Early victories put the Varsity and U14 boys on top of their groups, while the girls were on track to win Gold after the first day. Unfortunately, the second day did not prove to be as successful as the first one. After a series of fierce matches, our Varsity boys came agonizingly close to qualifying for the final, only losing on points average (218 vs 217 points)! Nevertheless, the team received the award for Sportsmanship, an achievement they should be proud of.

Meanwhile, our Varsity girls and U14 boys took third place in their respective categories, both losing out on a place in the final by the smallest of margins. Our U14 girls, who had two of the youngest players in the whole tournament (Linda Wilz & Sena Yesilhark), finished 4^th in their category, but deservedly won the Sportsmanship award.

All our players showed fantastic skills and great composure throughout the two days, and the coaches were very proud of the team spirit and camaraderie showed by all of them. Finally, a huge congratulation to Emily Gibney Moreno and Yewon Hwang for winning the medal for Best 2^nd Seed Double, a fantastic feat achieved against more experienced pairs.

Table Tennis GISST