TOP TALK

The LaTesT News aNd updaTes of Top from our CEO

MARCH 2020 | ISSUE 7
 C E L E B R AT I O N S
We had amazing graduations at each of our
four Colleges. Each one was special and unique.
More news inside of the fabulous celebrations.
Soman, our lovely driver at Qurayat, has much
to celebrate – his daughter, Amrutha, was 6th
place in the Indian National cycling competition
– what an amazing achievement.
team coming together – Nura at Khobar,
Sophie at Madinah and Zubayda in all colleges.
They are my dream team and I am so proud of
everything they are doing to drive the quality
agenda in Team TOP. They are supporting our
amazing teachers to become Outstanding –
which means Outstanding students – which
means Outstanding Careers – I am so excited.

Dr. Kathy Bland Ibtesam has had a gorgeous baby girl, named See inside more celebrations of those teachers
Tahani. who have gone above and beyond last
CEO Semester who absolutely deserve recognition
The Oxford Partnership I am personally celebrating my new quality and commendations.

Welcome march!
New month, new chapter, new page and new wishes.
May this month send you courage, strength, confidence, patience, self-love & inner peace.
May every day in March fill your days with hope, love, sunshine and energy.
Let there be Joy, Fun and Laughter.
March is a wonderful month – it is the third
month of the year, and named after Mars in both the Julian
What is surprising is how quickly time goes by. Before we
know it, semester 2 exams will be upon us, and then we will
and Gregorian calendars. In the Northern Hemisphere, the have the long summer break to recuperate, and charge our
meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of batteries. In the meantime, have a great month of March,
March, and it is one of my favourite months. full of kindness and goodness.

The month of March is always full of hope for me personally.

I have always loved being able to get into the garden planting
flowers and crops, as well as giving the house the proverbial
‘spring clean’ - not that I have been home much during the
past 6 years to do any of this!!

TOP TALKS – the monthly newsletter that aims to keep all staff informed of
what’s going on within TOP.
Thanks to everyone who sent in suggestions (baby pictures and recipes –
particularly as I can’t cook) for this issue, please keep them coming in.
Email toptalks@top.ic.edu.sa This is your News and Views so all
contributions are very welcome. Obviously, they need to be appropriate
and therefore please consider if this is the best vehicle to relay the news
you wish to share.
TOP TALKS will be released the first week of every month and each issue will
be sent via email and shared on the one drive under TOP TALKS folder. All
there is left to say is ……enjoy (hopefully!)

2 March 2020 | Issue 7

 Guard Well within yourself,

That treasure
Kindness
Know how to give without
hesitation
How to lose without
regret
How to acquire without
meanness

3 March 2020 | Issue 7

 ANNUAL
CALENDAR

This section of the Newsletter will remind colleagues of the month by month actions that we need
to work through. One of the very important key indicators for us is our student attendance.

If they don’t attend then they obviously are not learning, if they are not learning, they will not get
a good job.

Attendance up to week 5 – still some way to go:

College Count of student Average of Cumulative Attendance

Al Khobar Female College 1639 84.48%

Al Quwayiyah Female College 134 88.78%
Madinah Female College 2056 86.93%
Qurayat Female College 106 84.19%
Grand Total 3935 85.90%

?
?

4 March 2020 | Issue 7

 I M P O R TA N T C A L E N D A R
EVENTS FOR THE MONTH OF
MARCH 2020

- Monthly Team Meetings

- Health and Safety Committee meeting

- CPD throughout the month

- Class Captain Meetings

- OJT throughout the year

- IV, Moderation Plans and Actions

- Advisory Board Meetings:

• Qurayat: Monday 2nd March

• Quwaiyah: Wednesday 4th March

• Khobar: Monday 9th March

• Madinah: Wednesday 11th March

- Self Assessment Reports and Quality Improvement Plans

by College

NO
NN N
NM O

VP

U Q
T R
S

5 March 2020 | Issue 7

 TO P TA L K S TO . .
Our wonderful and caring Reem, Student Affairs Manager at Qurayat,
who is amazing – so full of kindness and goodness.
Reem took this photo of the lovely Qurayat Garden, capturing a butterfly in the mature
evergreen – it is so beautiful …..

Q: What was your very first Job? Q: What book or film did you last read/watch
A: My first job was an Examiner A:
Book: Dream it, Do it, Live it
Film: Korean Movie Parasite

Q: Home Country: Q: Something that nobody knows about you

A: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia A: No one knows that I write poems.

Q: What are the best parts of your role with TOP Q: Your life motto or favorite expression
A: To be able to show my humanity in helping the A: A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing
students with their problems and trying to create ever grows there.
an appropriate environment for them.

6 March 2020 | Issue 7

 Love, joy, peace, patience
Kindness, goodness, faithfulness
Gentleness, and self-control
To these I commit my day
If I succeed, I will give thanks
If I fail, I will seek his grace
And then
when this day is done
I will place My head on my pillow
and rest

7 March 2020 | Issue 7

WELCOME
NEW EMPLOYEES!

S. no Name Loacation Job Title

1 Abdulsalam Jalal Alruwaily Al Qurayat Female College Site Superintendent

2 Amina Alharbi Al Madinah Female College Cleaner

3 Malak Homoud Abdullah Alsharari Al Qurayat Female College Female Facilities Officer

4 Memoona Abdlrazaq Batt Al Madinah Female College Lecturer

5 Rahaf Maeid Alharbi Al Madinah Female College Student Achievement Support

6 Samya Mufarreh Alsharari Al Qurayat Female College Junior Librarian

7 Shatha Aljubayri Al Quwayiyah Female College Junior Librarian

8 Shomoua Alnasser Al Quwayiyah Female College Principal Assistant

welcome

8 March 2020 | Issue 7

 INTRODUCING
SWANKY NOODLES
AND THE LEARNING TRIP
TO CHINA

Students: Nadia Aljabri (Madinah); Rahaf Alamri (Madinah);

Samah Al-Hader (Khobar) & Nourah Alsaad
Staff: Gemma Masoud, Tammy Feeney, Sarab Salamah

9th January: The first trip to Dubai

Preparing to travel to China

10th January: The first day we took a tour
around the hotel and we got to know each
other more.

11th January: The second day, which is the

important day, is the noodle course.

9 March 2020 | Issue 7

 INTRODUCING
SWANKY NOODLES
AND THE LEARNING TRIP
TO CHINA

Through this course we have learned:

1. How to make handmade noodles

2. The professional way to cut vegetables
3. The history of the noodles

12th January: On the fourth day we

visited some beautiful places in Beijing

Kind of dish that we cooked & will bring to

Madinah & Khobar, it was very delicious

14th January: We returned back home after a wonderful trip of

our lives. After learning a lot, we got to know China and increase
our encyclopedia about cooking
10 March 2020 | Issue 7
 2020
Graduation Ceremony

G R A D UAT I O N S I N P I C T U R E S
THEY WERE ALL SO VERY SPECIAL AND A
W O N D E R F U L C E L E B R AT I O N O F S U C C E S S
MADINAH COLLEGE

11 March 2020 | Issue 7

 2020
Graduation Ceremony

G R A D UAT I O N S I N P I C T U R E S
Q U WAY I YA H C O L L E G E

Jacqui ALWAYS gets the best

chocolates :)

12 March 2020 | Issue 7

 2020
Graduation Ceremony

G R A D UAT I O N S I N P I C T U R E S
Q U R AYAT C O L L E G E

The young daughters of Qurayat

performing magnificently

A special moment for Dr Esther

A special moment in Qurayat –

3 Principals who have loved and
cherished the baby sister

13 March 2020 | Issue 7

 2020
Graduation Ceremony

G R A D UAT I O N S I N P I C T U R E S
KHOBAR COLLEGE

14 March 2020 | Issue 7

 2020
Graduation Ceremony

G R A D UAT I O N S I N P I C T U R E S
KHOBAR COLLEGE

15 March 2020 | Issue 7

 Reward and Recognition
“Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for
ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.”
(Fred De Witt Van Amburgh)

We all have so much to be grateful for and should remind ourselves and those around us of our
blessings.

We are grateful to everyone within our organisation that contributes to the success of the learning
experience and outcomes for our students.

This contribution comes in many forms.

Transforming lives of others through excellent teaching and learning is our mission, and we will be
acknowledging those individuals to have demonstrated this at various levels across our colleges.

Outstanding Impact & Outcome Recognition

• Retention above 90%

• Achievement 100%
• Significant distance travelled in students learning in one semester

Those people are:

Dhineshree Pillay Quwayiyah QU-DIP-BUS-S2-1 Vocational

Faiza Bouharir Khobar KHO-FND-A1+-S2-1 Foundation
Lubna AlSaltey Madinah M-DIP-GD-S2-1 Vocational
Qudsiyyah Toffar Khobar KHO-FND-A1-S2-1 Foundation
Roaa Alfadli Madinah M-DIP-SOFT-S2-2 Vocational
Saira Arjumand Madinah M-DIP-SOFT-S2-1 Vocational

16 March 2020 | Issue 7

 Reward and Recognition
“Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for
ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.”
(Fred De Witt Van Amburgh)

Good Impact & Outcome Recognition

• Retention above 90%

• Achievement above 90%
• Considerable distance travelled in students learning in one semester

Those people are:

Asma Aldossary Khobar KHO-DIP-NITT-S2-1 Vocational

Dina AlKhatib Khobar KHO-AD-GD-S2-1 Vocational
Filsia Mohammed/Shagufta
Khobar KHO-AD-ITT-S2-1 Vocational
Iqbal/Syera Hafsa
Mariam Alshaik Madinah M-AD-SOFT-S2-1 Vocational
Saba Jahan Madinah M-DIP-BUS-S2-1 Vocational
Shagufta Iqbal/Filsia
Khobar KHO-AD-ITT-S2-3 Vocational
Mohammed/Syera Hafsa
Shagufta Iqbal/Filsia
Khobar KHO-AD-ITT-S2-2 Vocational
Mohammed/Syera Hafsa
Sommaiyah Minhas Khobar KHO-DIP-NITT-S2-2 Vocational
Tasnim Ghorbel Khobar KHO-DIP-STT-S2-1 Vocational
Walaa Emam Khobar KHO-DIP-GD-S2-1 Vocational

17 March 2020 | Issue 7

 Reward and Recognition
“Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for
ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.”
(Fred De Witt Van Amburgh)

Commendations – being difference makers

Commendations below are for various good achievements that College leadership teams felt
should be recognized. Keep up the great work and contributions that you are making, some
in very challenging situations.

Those people are:

ZUBAYDA ALSOUDI Qurayat Q-DIP-ITT-S2-1 Vocational

Amina Baker Khobar KHO-FND-A1-S2-2 Foundation
Angeanette Hoston Madinah M-FND-A2-S2-1 Foundation
Asmaa Alworaik Khobar KHO-FND-A2+-S2-5 Foundation
Huda Noor Khobar KHO-FND-A2+-S2-2 Foundation
Karen Mcallister Madinah M-AD-GD-S2-1 Vocational
Lorraine Aslan Khobar KHO-FND-A1+-S2-2 Foundation
Luisa Sirvent Khobar KHO-FND-A1+-S2-3 Foundation
Mervat Jarrah Khobar KHO-FND-A2+-S2-3 Foundation
Mokgadi Margaret Khobar KHO-FND-A2+-S2-4 Foundation
Naeema Kazi Khobar KHO-AD-SLE-S2-1 Vocational
Rabab Abouzeid Madinah M-FND-A2H-S2-1 Foundation
Reham Kamal Khobar KHO-DIP-EVE-S2-1 Vocational
Reham Syed Khobar KHO-FND-A1-S2-4 Foundation
Renee D Pass Quwayiyah QU-AD-BUS-S2-1 Vocational
Samira Sofyani Quwayiyah QU-AD-ITT-S2-1 Vocational
Shaden Alkaltham Khobar KHO-FND-A2+-S2-6 Foundation
Suzan Abdirahman Khobar KHO-FND-A1-S2-3 Foundation
Vuysiwe Maluleke Madinah M-FND-A2H-S2-2 Foundation
Yasmin Abdirahman Khobar KHO-FND-A2+-S2-1 Foundation

18 March 2020 | Issue 7

 Reward and Recognition
“Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for
ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.”
(Fred De Witt Van Amburgh)

The team members that are highlighted in pink are our fabulous Saudi Nationals, which we
should celebrate as they are also part of the reason that we are all here.

We would also like to take the opportunity to thank the Student Achievement Managers for
their contribution to the feedback, guidance and support provided individually to students
across our colleges.

A high commendation for the leadership and managers across our colleges who support
indirectly all of the progress that teams are making, namely, Nura, Sidra, Sophie and Zabida,
along with Jacqui for their contributions to success and achievement, as well as supporting
our new colleges in being operationally successful in such challenging circumstances.

Finally, there is no cap on the gratitude that we have and feel for the superb people in our
organisation who contribute to transforming lives through excellent teaching and learning.
Ultimately the opportunity to shine lay in each of your hands and the contribution we make
to the experience for students in our colleges.

Gemma Masoud
Executive Director, Corporate Professional Development

19 March 2020 | Issue 7

 We can’t heal
the world today
But we can begin
with a voice of compassion
A heart of love, and
An act of kindness

20 March 2020 | Issue 7

 BIRTHS, MARRIAGES AND
S P E C I A L C E L E B R AT I O N S

Ibtesam, our wonderful Madinah

SAM, announces the arrival of her
bundle of baby joy named

Tahani

SOMAN’S DAUGHTER, AMRUTHA

CELEBRATING WONDERFUL CYCLING ACHIEVEMENTS

21 March 2020 | Issue 7

C o o k ’s C o r n e r

4-INGREDIENT FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

It’s unbelievable this banana bread is made with just 4 ingredients: bananas,
oats, peanut butter & chocolate chips. That’s it and it’s so AMAZING!

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 pounds ripe bananas (about 4-5 medium

bananas)
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter (or
another nut butter such as almond butter)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking
spray and line with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Add the bananas, oats and peanut butter to a blender and blend until smooth.
Try not to over blend the batter as this will lead to a denser loaf. Blend just
until the oats are ground. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Garnish with thin banana slices and more
chocolate chips, if desired.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out
clean.
5. Let bread cool completely in loaf pan. Store bread covered tightly with plastic
wrap in the loaf pan or in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

22 March 2020 | Issue 7

Fun Stuff!

Coffee time
“Which side of the force do you belong to?” I am on the Light Side :)
Just copy and paste -
https://www.zimbio.com/quiz/pq9UX61Nwfe/Side+Force+Belong

Light Side
You are someone who is disciplined. You are known to be a rule-
follower. You are loyal and enjoy sticking to the life path that has
been set for you.

23 March 2020 | Issue 7

 Goodness is about character
integrity
honesty, kindness
generosity, moral courage
and the like
More than anything else
it is about
how we treat other people

24 March 2020 | Issue 7

S E E Y O U W H E N I D R O P I N U N E X P E C T E D LY T O V I S I T
OUR WONDERFUL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN
OUR COLLEGES