One of Abu Dhabi's oldest schools is moving to a new campus in the capital after almost half a century.
American Community School is relocating to a state-of-the-art facility housed on six hectares on Saadiyat Island, which is expected to be ready in the autumn of 2023.
The emirate's only American non-profit community school has been based at its present home in Khalidiya since 1975.
The school site was built on land donated by the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed.
ACS is still a big part of my life. Now, almost 30 years later, my children attend ACS
Khaldoon Al Mubarak,
group chief executive of Mubadala Investment Company
At the time, the school had eight classrooms, a kindergarten, a large library, offices, and a capacity for 200 pupils.
“Construction of our current campus began in 1974 … and that was back when our capacity was only 200 pupils,” said Monique Flickinger, superintendent at the school.
“And then we kept growing and growing over time. We've literally been growing right alongside the UAE with the country.
“ACS and the UAE, I think, are a shining example of the partnership that has existed between the Emiratis and Americans here in Abu Dhabi.”
Last month, the school broke ground on its new campus, after planning the expansion for three years.
The new campus will include a new Arabic Institute of Excellence to promote fluency among its pupils and in the region.
Several dignitaries as well as Abu Dhabi and US government officials attended the ceremony including Khaldoon Al Mubarak, an alumnus of the school and group chief executive and managing director of Mubadala Investment Company; Sara Musallam, chairwoman of the Department of Education and Knowledge; Sean Murphy, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy Abu Dhabi; Matt Ayoub, ACS alumnus and chairman of the ACS Board of Trustees, and Mariet Westermann, vice chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi.
Distinguished former pupil proud of achievements
“ACS is still a big part of my life. I was in the first graduating class and now, almost 30 years later, my children attend ACS,” said Mr Al Mubarak.
“As a family, we are proud to be part of the school’s long history of academic innovation and excellence.
"It is a wonderful school. I think it has made an immense contribution to this country and to Abu Dhabi over the years.
“We are about to celebrate our 50th anniversary as a nation and this school has been part of this journey hand in hand, with the journey of the UAE and of course of Abu Dhabi.
"I think ACS is going to bring a lot of happiness to a lot of children for many generations to come. A lot of pupils that will graduate from this institution will go on and do great things."
Designed by international architectural firm Broadway Malyan, the campus will be double the size of the current site and will be able to accommodate 1,600 pupils.
Ms Flickinger told of the huge scale of the move.
“We're transitioning our entire campus over to the new location,” said Ms Flickinger.
“We will be moving all 1,200 pupils over to the new campus, and then slowly over time, we'll be growing the capacity of the school up to 1,600 pupils.
“The purpose of the expansion was for us to be able to reimagine our current facilities in a much more modern way.”
Bright future for school
The new campus will have design-technology labs focused on robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and virtual reality. A greenhouse in a fully-equipped science wing will serve as a hands-on classroom for teaching about food security and energy conservation.
The sprawling grounds will also have two swimming pools, three full-sized indoor basketball courts, a Fifa-sized football pitch, a six-lane running track and a wellness centre.
“We were thinking of how we could create a new campus that focused on sustainability, not only through the facility, but through the programmes we teach,” said Ms Flickinger.
“We're going to be doubling the size of our campus, but only increasing our student capacity by about 30 per cent.
“This allows us to expand in space because we had many pupils who wanted to get in and we unfortunately, did not had the space for other pupils to join us here at this campus.
“We're, we're in a tight squeeze here, or we're living elbow to elbow, and I'd like to be able to, like, wiggle out and have a little bit more room.”
The school will be working to promote teaching of Arabic, science, mathematics, theatre and technology.
The school will also have a focus on engineering, innovation and sustainability.
The school will take a fresh approach to its environment, with hallways used for learning as part of a shift away from traditional classrooms.
Tuition fees at the new campus will not change drastically from their current level, the school said.
Fees are regularly reviewed by their board of trustees.
Ms Flickinger said about 85 per cent of the budget goes towards paying staff salaries.
“So our campus was not designed to be paid for by our tuition,” she said.
“Our school fees are determined by what we need to hire the best teachers in the world.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
RESULTS
Manchester United 2
Anthony Martial 30'
Scott McTominay 90 6'
Manchester City 0
Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
%3Cp%3E1984%20-%20Apple%20unveiled%20the%20Macintosh%20on%20January%2024%3Cbr%3E1985%20-%20Steve%20Jobs%20departed%20from%20Apple%20and%20established%20NeXT%3Cbr%3E1986%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20Macintosh%20Plus%2C%20featuring%20enhanced%20memory%3Cbr%3E1987%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20Macintosh%20II%2C%20equipped%20with%20colour%20capabilities%3Cbr%3E1989%20-%20The%20widely%20acclaimed%20Macintosh%20SE%2F30%20made%20its%20debut%3Cbr%3E1994%20-%20Apple%20presented%20the%20Power%20Macintosh%3Cbr%3E1996%20-%20The%20Macintosh%20System%20Software%20OS%20underwent%20a%20rebranding%20as%20Mac%20OS%3Cbr%3E2001%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20Mac%20OS%20X%2C%20marrying%20Unix%20stability%20with%20a%20user-friendly%20interface%3Cbr%3E2006%20-%20Apple%20adopted%20Intel%20processors%20in%20MacBook%20Pro%20laptops%3Cbr%3E2008%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20MacBook%20Air%2C%20a%20lightweight%20laptop%3Cbr%3E2012%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20MacBook%20Pro%20with%20a%20retina%20display%3Cbr%3E2016%20-%20The%20Mac%20operating%20system%20underwent%20rebranding%20as%20macOS%3Cbr%3E2020%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20M1%20chip%20for%20Macs%2C%20combining%20high%20performance%20and%20energy%20efficiency%3Cbr%3E2022%20-%20The%20M2%20chip%20was%20announced%3Cbr%3E2023%20-The%20M3%20line-up%20of%20chip%20was%20announced%20to%20improve%20performance%20and%20add%20new%20capabilities%20for%20Mac.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
