We were absolutely delighted to welcome our first ever university admission officer to the school from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology – Dubai) this week. RIT is a respected American University that has established a campus in Dubai Silicon Oasis. I invited Brad Hilbrich down to talk to grades 9 to 12 about ‘how to be successful in making a university application’. Other than sharing some great tips like ‘get in contact and show interest’ appropriate to all university admissions, he revealed why ‘RIT – Dubai’ may be a good option for some of our students (only $17k a year, based in Silicon Oasis, SAT not required for entry, guaranteed internship with a good company!). Find out more http://www.rit.edu/dubai/
We hope many families will go to the Crowne Plaza on Thursday to see the university Expo that we have promoted. The first of its kind in Sohar. Please show support so they come back!
Part of our focus this week has been concerned guiding students on how to use technology appropriately in a school context. This is very much a 21st century issue and something that virtually all schools who have wifi and student machines need to manage.
Finding a good balance between trust and monitoring remains a challenge for the school and for parents, but we hope that the clear guidelines and structure students receive will help us get the balance right. As part of the pastoral (Homeroom/advisory) programme students have addressed the idea of the ‘digital footprint’ and how damaging it can potentially be to their futures, as well as how to ‘respect oneself and others’ online. This is very much an area that we will continue to focus on in terms of supporting students on using the internet and social media safely. As parents we strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with your child’s activities online, especially with applications like Snapchat. Some of the media can be very unsocial!