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The workshop focused on how to take interesting portrait photographs, using the latest Apple technology. The students also had the opportunity to photograph interesting shots around the city, which they will use for their GCSE projects.
This is what Mahra from 10B had to say about her experience:
"In Art GCSE, we are currently doing a project looking at Architecture and the Urban Environment. We need to take photographs ourselves for this project as we will use these to make our own original artwork later. Before we went to the Galleria Mall, we received a Photography brief from Miss. Funnell to give us an idea of what aspects we should take pictures of during our trip and how to take interesting shots. We were able to capture Abu Dhabi through our own lenses, taking our time whilst getting a range of pictures of the buildings, signs, street furniture, surface patterns, and reflections in different scales and perspectives. We tried to get the most captivating angles.
Our Apple workshop session was also brilliant! In this Portrait Photography session, we had the opportunity to not only learn how to take pictures of our subjects from interesting angles, experimenting with different poses, props, and techniques but to also do it from their latest iPhone.
We were challenged to take our pictures in black and white, which meant we had to put extra effort into the composition and details of our pictures, making our subject stand out as the ‘star of the photo’. We were given certain themes, which had us trying to come up with creative concepts behind our images, a few of these themes were: ‘Stretching’, ‘Framing’, ‘Album Covers’, ‘Pointing’, and ‘Telling a Story’. Everybody had great fun and took some excellent photos. These will be helpful skills for one of our future units on Portraiture, which we will do later in the course. Overall, the trip was a great opportunity for Photography and Art students to learn more about how to take great photos and use technology well. Thanks to Mr. Mitchell for organising this trip!”
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A few weeks ago, as part of our IB DP Language programme, Year 12 students in the French Ab Initio and French B classes united to celebrate Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday). Originally a catholic event welcoming the ritual fasting of Lent, Mardi Gras is celebrated in France with festive parades and sumptuous public celebrations.
At BIS Abu Dhabi, students came together to not only recognize the festivity but rejoice at the opportunity to share and learn about the international traditions fostered within our community. With the help of Monsieur Depose and Mademoiselle Merchadier, the French DP classes baked tasty treats, including crepes, waffles, brownies, and traditional beignets!
As a teacher at BIS Abu Dhabi, I have the privilege of watching students grow — not just academically, but as young people finding their path in a complex world. One thing I’ve learned time and again is this: success doesn’t come from rare moments of brilliance — it comes from the quiet power of habits.
Research tells us that up to 40% of what we do each day is driven by habit, not active decision-making. That means the routines our students form — the way they begin their morning, how they handle a setback, whether they choose to read or scroll — are shaping who they become.
I was really touched by Áine’s newsletter piece last week, posing the question: ‘What would I tell my younger self?’
I spent some time afterwards thinking about my own parenting journey, and what it’s all been about, now that my two are adults and have ‘flown the nest’. Parenting isn’t easy for any of us, and that’s true even if you’re an experienced school leader – at home, I’m just Dad.
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