Activities

Extracurricular activities are an essential and extended part of education. They provide experiences that are not included in the formal courses of study. They also help to develop skills in working in groups, cultivate hobbies and interests and present many opportunities to students for discovering and developing talents that will greatly benefit them in their adult life. These activities can also work to build professional skills that a classroom alone cannot always foster. In short, extracurricular activities can arm students with many of the skills future employers will be looking for.

 But extracurricular activities are not solely about imparting stronger professional skills and supplementing education. These programs are also fun and offer students the opportunity to spend time with others, with similar interests. Students can meet friends from different social groups by joining a debate or sport team, playing chess or performing a play, or doing many other interesting things together.

Extracurricular activities are found at all levels of our school system. They include, but are not limited to, activities such as debate, arts, music, drama, math and engineering, chess and many others.

What kinds of activities can you find at Oxbridge Academy?

Chess

by UlviyyaSultanova (Year 2 and on)

Chess is a classic game of strategy, originating more than 1500 years ago in India. Legend has it that the ruler of India asked his wise men to devise a way to teach the children of the royal family to become better thinkers and better generals on the battlefield. Chess was the result.

We have brought chess to the schools because we believe it directly contributes to academic performance. Chess makes kids smarter. It does so by teaching the following skills:

• Focusing - Children are taught the benefits of observing carefully and concentrating.
• Visualizing - Children are prompted to imagine a sequence of actions before it happens.
• Thinking Ahead - Children are taught to think first, then act.
• Weighing Options - Children are taught that they don’t have to do the first thing that pops into their mind. They learn to identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various alternatives.
• Planning - Children are taught to develop longer range goals and take steps toward bringing them about.
• Over time, chess helps develop patience and thoughtfulness, analyzing, abstract thinking, evaluating the consequences and plenty of other important skills.

"Math Magic Land" Math Club

by Agdes Mursalova

In this club, our young Math Magicians apply Math rules to create various models from paper. It has long been known that origami has many benefits like developing eye- hand coordination, sequencing skills, attention skills, patience, temporal spatial skills, math reasoning etc. but it also helps to activate language portion of the brain.

"Young Scientists" Club

by Farah Seyidahmadova

The mission of The Young Scientists Club is simple – to offer children quality, science-related activities and experiments that will fascinate them with the wonders of scientific discovery and spark their interest in future scientific endeavors. 

Arts

Oxbridge Academy provides a whole range of arts activities and clubs. Why do we pay so much attention to it? There are many reasons. First, it develops a child's creativity. The arts allow kids to express themselves creatively better than math or science. Then, they help to develop motor skills, which is essential, especially for younger kids. Arts also foster visual learning and confidence, and, as the latest research has determined, students who received more arts education are often more proficient at reading, writing and math, and those children did better on standardized tests, improved their social skills and were more motivated than those who had reduced or no access to arts.

"Paint Box" Art Club

by Agata Alizade

In this activity, kids can feel they are real artists! They create paintings and art works in different styles: decoupage, dough and clay models, glass and ceramic painting.

Doll-making

by Farah Aliyeva (Secondary School)

Every girl likes dolls, but a doll made with your own hands is something special. Together with our teacher, Farah Aliyeva, everybody can create his/her own little masterpiece - a doll expressing your personality.

Ceramics and Handicrafts

by Farah Aliyeva (for Primary and Lower Secondary School)

Handicrafts are unique expressions and represent of your inner self and a perfect opportunity to create a toy or a souvenir with you own hands. Such a present from a child will be especially valuable for every parent.

Drama/Performing Arts

by Novresta Huseynova

Aspects of performing arts, especially improvisation, help young people to understand how to appraise situations, think outside the box and be more confident going into unfamiliar situations. Students learn to trust their ideas and abilities. Confidence gained from learning performing arts skills applies to school, career, and life. Being creative and learning to make creative choices helps students to be better at thinking of new ideas, allowing them to view the world around them in new ways. Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

"Rhythmic Eagles" Dance Club

by Helen Nagiyeva

Helen Nagiyeva, our dance teacher, will teach your child move graciously and perform numerous dances from national Azeri to Latino. Through dance lessons, children can become healthier, more flexible, reduce stress and overcome shyness.

Guitar

by Stafano Muscaritolo, Stephen Corney

Has your child ever dreamt of being a guitarist or rock musician? He has such an opportunity! Under the supervision of the two enthusiastic teachers and amazing guitar players, every child can not only learn to perform, but also to become a part of the school band. Apart from the musical aspect of it, playing an instrument is proven to enhance motor skills, reflexes and brain activity, especially memory, all of which will help your child academically and in life.

Fashion & design

by Novresta Huseynova

In this industrialized world, people always look out for branded or individual products. Hand-made style is at the peak of fashion. Therefore, unique, exclusive jewelry, shoes, bags or clothes fashioned in these lessons can become a bright element of your style or, who knows, a beginning of your own fashion collection and a first step to a future career.

Debates and Public Speaking

by Jamila Musayeva

Debate is a sport truly worthy of the Olympics – it trains your analytical, critical, and quick thinking, persuasive speaking, note-taking, speed reading, and in-depth research. Debate does not only teach a person how to win an argument, but also instructs the person for a great amount of life essential skills:

• Debates can help you practice and demonstrate your critical thinking skills.
• Debates can help you learn to discuss complicated topics calmly, clearly, and competently.
• Debates can help you cultivate your persuasion skills.
• Debates help deepen your understanding of topics when you "actively" listen to opposing views.
• Debates help sharpen communication skills – you can learn to say more with fewer words.
• Debates can be mind-opening – "actively" listening to opposing opinions can help you think out of the box – they can offer a broader range of alternatives, excite imagination, and ignite creativity.
• Debates help remind you that while business is about competition it is also about compromise and cooperation.
• These are qualities that colleges and jobs look for in people to succeed. Also, many schools will offer a scholarship to a hardworking debater.

Model United Nations

by Kamilla Sadigova

Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an extra-curricular activity in which students typically role-play as delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees. 

Why to try it?

• First, Model UN motivates students to learn. Students enjoy exploring new places, sharing common experiences with teammates and friends, and making new friends with smart and interesting students from other schools – which includes the best and the brightest from other countries.
• On an emotional level, Model UN is a motivational experience. It’s fun to pretend being a world leader solving the world’s most important problems in 48 hours or less. Model UN activates students’ imagination and creativity – activities that students are naturally inclined to do.
• It develops leadership skills. MUN is an exercise in research, public speaking, and teamwork. These are skills that you will need throughout your career, and MUN gives you a chance to practice them while you’re a student.
• And last, but not least, students joke that “MUN is F-U-N,” but it’s true – that’s why it works so well. Students attend Model UN conferences because it’s fun – they just happen to learn something along the way. And when students have fun while learning, what they learn is more likely to stick.

Robotics and Engineering

Robotics engages students in complex, strategic problem-solving and higher-order thinking - a set of skills that is a high priority for 21st century education. This program allows students to improve themselves in computer science, technology, engineering, robotic and so on.

Judo

by Huseynov Farrux

Judo helps any child to become stronger, healthier and more self-confident. It enhances flexibility as well as overall strength, develops balance and dynamic strength.

Arts: There’s no doubt that the arts are fun for kids of all the ages. But it also helps kids develop on many fundamental levels. As you persevere through painting or singing or learning a part in a play, focus is imperative. And certainly focus is vital for studying and learning in class as well as doing a job later in life. In our case we lead students to focus on their visual learning, decision making, language development skills. Which is why arts take a serious role in our school’s program. 

The visual arts curriculum in this school comprises interrelated activities not only in making art, but also in looking at and responding to it. It presents a range of activities in perceiving, exploring, responding to and appreciating the visual world. Such as watching movies, visiting exhibitions and later on writing a review of what we’ve seen . The curriculum also suggests the following as accessible media for expression through which the child can explore, respond to and interpret the world visually:

• Drawing
• Paint and colour
• Print making
• Art & Design
• Collage making
• Fabric and fibre.

We believe that, when kids are encouraged to express themselves and take risks in creating art, they develop a sense of innovation that will be important in their adult lives. Children need to know more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers. Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based on it.

Library

Oxbridge Academy Library was established in 2016. The library is open from 8.30 - 17.00.

Students and parents can access our Library Online Catalogue. The online catalogue provides access to the Oxbridge Academy Library catalogue and a range of online resources and encyclopedias. 

The Primary and Secondary School students participate in a Drop Everything and Read programme. The goal of DEAR is to promote and highlight the importance of reading, encourage independent reading on a daily or weekly basis. Students choose the book they wish to read based on interest.

PTA

The primary role of the Parent-Teacher Association is to provide a forum through which parents can become more involved in the education of their children and draw the whole school community together. The main roles of the PTA include:

• building strong working relationships among parents, teachers and schools, in support of students
• recruiting and coordinating volunteers
• providing special recognition in award ceremonies
• organizing parent education events
• organizing and supporting fund-raising activities to benefit the children and association
• Identifying issues of concern and work with educators to address these issues (a variety of educational issues, student discipline issues etc.)

Qualities selected parents should hold:

• knowledge of English language
• flexible schedule
• willingness to support school

Student Council

At Oxbridge Academy, Student Council is a group of students elected by other students. Student councils exist at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, though generally student councils are more prevalent at the high school level. The council was created for Secondary School Students, and two students from each class were selected by voting. Generally, councils participate in the planning of:

• School events such as prom and spirit rallies.
• Student council members bring ideas, requests, and feedback to the meetings
• A democratic process is used to give students a voice and make decisions in creating a yearlong calendar.
• Students who participate in student councils, under the supervision of a teacher or administrator, learn about the democratic process, civic responsibility, leadership, problem solving, and teamwork.