Secondary

Message from Ms. Alicia Bakey

Greetings GAA Families!

Can we believe that it’s already mid-November? This year is flying by with parent conferences completed and heading towards winter break. The feedback from conferences was incredibly positive and very helpful for teachers to look deeper at best practices in supporting students. The conversations between teachers, students, and parents confirmed that learning is our focus and regardless of distance learning or in-person, academic progress is the goal! Please continue to discuss with your students about school and keep a close eye on PowerSchool for feedback on how your student is doing.

This week was the last full 5-day week of school for the 2020 year. The next three weeks have us ending with shortened days and a holiday week with National Day. The schedules may be altered slightly, but we all know that students will continue to work hard and be present in their classes. Students should take this time to refocus, and not let these weeks go to waste. Grades 6-9 will be finishing up their last few weeks of distance learning to hopefully rejoin the campus in January. We encourage students to keep working hard, as they are preparing to come back to GAA. Don’t let this time go, we don’t want students to be surprised by the classes and academic expectations when they are back on campus.

We also ask parents if they have not completed the parent survey on winter break travel and January start, please do so HERE. This information is imperative to creating a plan that centers on student wellness, health and safety.

Thank you,

Alicia Bakey

Interim Middle School Vice-Principal

NEWS FROM ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Grade 7 students have been arguing! There’s no need to worry, though. We’re not talking about the sort of argument that involves raised voices and heated words. We mean something altogether different: an attempt to establish a convincing point of view using rational thought, careful structuring, and relevant evidence. And what could be more civilized than that?

Mr. Cugley led the way with his argument about vampires, which was truly fangtastic!

Working collaboratively in small groups, students set about creating and then presenting arguments on some of the most hard-hitting topics of the day: Marvel or DC? Starbucks or McDonald’s? Jeans or sweatpants?

Throughout the process, they reflected on the key characteristics of an effective argument. For example, Keira observed how it was important to “have sensible and logical claims as well as strong supporting evidence that will back them up.” Another student, Ghalia, picked up on the theme of evidence, claiming that arguments were “more believable when they settle on expert opinion, statistics, or facts.” Finally, Abduljalil added a touch of drama when he warned that “without good reasoning, your argument will crumble like a cookie.”

This work isn’t simply about writing essays or winning debates. The skills involved in building an argument go well beyond that. They contribute hugely to our lives, helping us make the right decision in all manner of situations. So, Grade 7 students, keep on creating those formidable arguments. Think rationally, structure ideas clearly, and choose evidence wisely. Don’t let your cookies crumble!

In 9 Honor English class students are working on understanding their personality and how that connects to the world around them and their experiences. This fascinating new animal was created by Zara Uzbeck.

After reading Shirley Jackson’s short story “Charles” students were asked to assign 5 traits that they felt best represented the protagonist. Through this assignment students are developing their character analysis skills, which is one of the Common Core standards for grade 9. This unique approach asks them to connect those traits to 5 different animals.

The students then blend parts of their animal bodies together to create a new creature that represents the physical and emotional aspects of the character. While the assignment is creative, it also get students thinking about the skill of characterization in a new way. At the end of the assignment students compose a paragraph describing why this new creature best represents Charles.

CEMC Mathematics Contests

The Mathematics Club at GEMS American Academy (GAA) is inviting your student to participate in the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC, University of Waterloo Canada) Mathematics Contests for the 2020 – 2021. Our grade 11 student, Injoon Jun, is spearheading this exciting journey this year with Ms.Jugnee, Mr.Plasil, Ms.Lodhi, and Ms.Megan at our school.

About the mathematics extension opportunities, they aim to be accessible to all students in secondary school students from grades 6 to 12. The main emphasis on these mathematics extension opportunities is on problem solving, and the questions are engaging and fun for students.

The CEMC Mathematics Contests are internationally recognized. All participants will be awarded a certificate of participation. Depending on the qualification, students can earn Distinction Certificate(s), Medal(s), Honor Roll, and much more. All students will be provided detailed reports of their work within 4-6 weeks upon submission. Once we receive our students’ reports, we will notify each student.

Specifics about these mathematics contests can be found below:

CEMC: https://www.cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/dates.html

If your student is interested in participating in these contests, please have your student fill out the survey by Tuesday, November 24.

The Mathematics Club at GAA will invite your student to our Google Classroom upon receiving your student’s survey inputs.

Finally, having your student participating in these mathematics competitions is a great way to motivate your students to learn mathematics and challenge their mathematics skills.

Should you have any question regarding these mathematics contests, please reach out to the following individuals.

Ms. Jugnee (Mathematics Contest Coordinator) – k.jugnee_gaa@gemsedu.com
Mr.Plasil (Head of Mathematics Department) – f.plasil_gaa@gaa-ad.com
Ms.Lodhi – Grade 7/8 – m.lodhi_gaa@gaa-ad.com or
Ms.Hahlbeck – Grade 6 – m.hahlbeck_gaa@gaa-ad.com

For more information on CEMC: https://www.cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/contests.html

Registration Deadline:

Grade 7/8 Gauss - BEFORE APRIL 1, 2021
Grade 9-11 Pascal, Cayley, Fermat - BEFORE January 3, 2021
Grade 9-11 Fryer, Galois, Hypatia - BEFORE MARCH 1, 2021
Grade 12 Euclid - Free Response -BEFORE MARCH 1, 2021

Montegrappa English v2.mp4

Write a letter to express what you want to say to a book character! The key to a good letter is not only in the words and tone you use, but also in the penmanship, the choice of paper, and most of all, the feeling it evokes in its recipient!

How to Enter:

On a single side of an A4 sheet of paper, write your letter to one of your favourite characters from a book with your best handwriting.
The word limit is 200.
Entries should be handwritten using a fountain pen or any other type of ink pen, such as a rollerball or ballpoint pen. No other mediums allowed.
Complete all sections of the online entry, attaching your scanned handwritten letter as a PDF.
Entries can be in Arabic or English.
You should submit under the appropriate age category (Primary: Ages 9 -13 and Secondary: Ages 14 – 18), which relates to your age on 22 November 2020.
Participants must be residents of the UAE.
The deadline to submit your letter is 22 November 2020.

Click here for more details!

Enter the competition here.

QUARTER 1 THEATER HIGHLIGHTS

Grades 7-9

Quarter 1 Theater Highlights Video - Grades 7 - 9 .mp4

GRADE 6 FINE ARTS SHOWCASE

Students from each of the the four programs (Drama/Theatre Studies, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, and Visual Art) share their talents and demonstrate what they’ve learned over the course of 9 weeks. Check out the link below to view the virtual presentations of grade 6 students.

Grade 6 Fine Arts Showcase

YEARBOOK 2020-2021

ORDER FORM 2020-21.pdf

We can all agree that this year is very unique and our lives are very different than before.

The 2020/2021 yearbook will have a very personal feel to it and will capture the craziness of this school year.

Due to safety restrictions and considering that number of our students are still on full distance learning, we will not have Stu Williamson take student formal photos at school this year. In case things change, we may schedule the photoshoot for March 2021.

This is where we need our Parents and Students' help:

For KG/Elementary, we ask that parents send a recent picture of their child doing anything they like, eating, playing, exercising... clear face and good lighting.
For MS/HS, we ask that students send us a selfie, that can be funny but appropriate.

Homeroom and advisory teachers will reach out to their students/parents shortly with details. We hope to get the photos before the Winter Break.

Let's make a delicious lemonade out of the lemons, so generously given by 2020!

If you didn't get your copy of Yearbook 2019-2020, it is still available. Contact Ms. Fatma, Parent Relations Executive, at pre_gaa@gemsedu.com for payment details.

SECONDARY LIBRARY

Welcome to GAA Secondary Library website! Your access to the library collection, research databases, learning resources and more!

SECONDARY LIBRARY WEBSITE

Library Newsletter November 2020

EBSCOhost is the search interface for a variety of proprietary full text databases that provides access to current information on dozens of study areas. Check out the poster below!

Username: Gemsaad

Password: Gaa@2020

Databases available in EBSCO:

Academic Search Elite
eBook Collection
ERIC (Education Resource Information Center)
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
GreenFILE
Health Source - Consumer Edition
Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts
Newspaper Source
Professional Development Collection
TOPICsearch
Primary and Middle Search Reference eBook Collection
Primary and Middle Search Plus

Visit the Library webpage for more details!

GAA SECONDARY LIBRARY.pdf

November 25: Volksmarch @ Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque 6:30pm-8:30pm
November 26: Half-Day. School dismisses at 12. Secondary Dress Down Day. Wear UAE Traditional Dress
December 1-3: Commemoration Day and National Day: NO SCHOOL
December 10: Half-Day. School dismisses at 12:00.
December 13 - January 2: Winter Break
January 3: School Resumes

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE GAA EVENTS CALENDAR

(please note, updated regularly)

VOLKSMARCH!

We would like to invite GAA staff, students, and family to the Grand Mosque this coming Wednesday November 25 for a Wellness Wednesday Volksmarch in order to help promote fellowship, wellness, fitness, and Wildcat pride! It is a nice public track with breathtaking views of the Mosque.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: