Secondary

Message from High School Vice-Principal,

Ms. Erin Lumpkins

Dear GAA Community,

Welcome back! I hope each of you had a restful break, whether you were abroad or in the UAE. Seniors have been actively completing their college applications and we should start to hear about acceptances soon. As we begin 2021, I hope you each have set some goals that you hope to achieve, both academically and personally.

Although we hoped to welcome our students in grades 6-9 back to campus this week, we are still looking forward to welcoming back everyone who chooses to return to in-person instruction. In the coming weeks, you will receive an email that confirms whether you are an A Day or B Day student. Please note that students have been grouped with siblings, but we cannot accommodate requests to be grouped with friend groups.

Re-entry orientations for students in grades 6-9 have been rescheduled for our anticipated return on January 17th and 18th. We have some exciting activities planned for our students, so we hope to see you in person!

The next few weeks will move quickly and there are many dates to keep in mind:

January 12: IB Diploma Program information session
January 21: end of Semester 1. Check student progress on Powerschool prior to the end of the term to address any concerns directly with teachers.
January 26: PSAT testing for all Grade 10 students who attend in person
January 30: TEDx

We are excited to set and exceed our goals and expectations. We encourage each of you to put your Approaches to Learning to practice so you can continue to succeed both in and out of the classroom.

Best,

Erin Lumpkins

High School Vice-Principal

NEWS FROM ARABIC DEPARTMENT

Arabic newsletter.pdf

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT!

We would like to take this opportunity to recognize our wonderful students, who, despite the circumstances, continue to pursue their dreams!

If you have a success story to share about your child, please feel free to email pre_gaa@gemsedu.com

This winter break, a GAA Student, Preethika Kannan from Grade 11 participated to the UNITY MUN Conference, and won best delegate in her committee, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)! The agenda was: The Prevention of Nuclear Trafficking by Non-State Actors.

Unity MUN 2020 is a conference that aims to provide an advanced platform for experienced delegates to have high-quality geopolitical discourse, while also enabling beginner delegates to acquire the skills that will, one day, make them advanced.

The conference was organized by UNITY MUN in Singapore over the 17th and 18th of December, 2020. During this conference, delegates were able to debate various current issues.

Congratulations and best of luck in your future endeavors, Preetika!

Best of luck to Noah Tamasker from Grade 8 in his next race in Ras Al Khaimah, as part of the IAME Junior X30 in the IAME Series UAE!

Noah wants to one day be able to race in Formula 1, which we are sure he will with his hard work, perseverance and positivity!

IMPORTANT REMINDER FROM UNIFORM STORE

Please remember to pre-book your visit to Threads store in Capital Mall.

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

January 12 - IB Diploma Program Information Session
January 17 - Scheduled return on campus for All Grade levels
January 19 - TrainYas with Wildcats
January 21 - End of Semester 1. Check student progress on Powerschool prior to the end of the term to address any concerns directly with teachers.
January 26 - PSAT testing for all Grade 10 students who attend in person
January 30 - TEDx