Hello GAA Secondary Families

Time is quickly approaching for us to celebrate our Class of 2025 Graduates. Key points of information will be sent out repeatedly to ensure that you are best informed about the most salient pieces of information. Key dates are as follows:

Week of 25--29 May is Senior Celebration week

• Graduation Rehearsal: 28 May

• Graduation: 29 May at National Theater

• Culminating events leading up to these days will be forthcoming

Information about receiving transcripts has been sent twice:

• Transcripts will not be released until:

  • 1. Students have completed destination data on Unifrog (this will tell counselors where to send transcripts)

    2. Financial responsibilities to the school, IB and Library have been met

• Attestation occurs once ADEK accepts the transcript data that we send to them.  Typically email sent is mid June for families to pick up hard copy diplomas and access TAMM to receive attested documents

• Equivalency requires the attested ESIS transcript plus uploading IELTS or TOEFL score and SAT score into the MOE application 

Note:  18 April is the last day for May SAT registration.  June sitting will be too late for students to receive their scores in anticipation of a 30 June upload as required for most entities for scholarships and universities.

Larger secondary information:

Students Grades 6-10 will sit MAP assessments the month of May.  We will host a MAP bootcamp to help prepare students for success.  Please partner with teachers and your students to help them show their best selves and connect with the preparatory work teachers are providing to help your scholar achieve. 

With testing and graduation conversations comes a greater sense of anxiety and awareness of academic outcomes.  This level of scrutiny on outcomes can make some students feel uncomfortable.  Things that you can do to help your child feel secure are as follows:

• Make sure your child eats well - have a balanced diet that does not include a great deal of sugar or caffeine as this can cause students to feel irritable or moody.  Talk about healthy snack choices that they can bring for between assessments and our mid day break. Include plenty of water (refillable bottles are encouraged)

• Encourage that your child gets adequate rest.  Older students need rest.  Help them plan their agenda so that they can see where they can invest in some rest time and actual sleep. They should build in some down time that helps them step away from their studies and begin the mental relaxation process approximately 30 minutes ahead of their planned bed time.  Possibly discuss that they step away from using their phone as a means of relaxation. 

• Help them study - help them customize a place for them to study, discuss their approaches to studying, share how you have been successful when studying or approaching your work.

• Talk about exam nerves - acknowledge that this is part of the process.  Help them find means to alleviate nervousness - walking, yoga, riding a bike, talking to you or other trusted role models. Help them understand that nervousness can be used positively and not as a distraction. Our counselor staff and Dean of Students also have some best practices that they are happy to share.  Encourage them to visit their counselor or Head or Grade.

Find time to celebrate small milestones - a trip to the zoo, an icecream or coffee with you after a big day can help restore their confidence and energy for another evening of study.

Helpful resource

GAA Family wish all of our students a successful exam season and thank you for allowing us to be part of your child’s academic journey.  

At GAA, we believe in a holistic approach to education. In addition to Standards-Based Assessments, our students also engage in a series of standardized assessments. The valuable insights gathered from these assessments play a pivotal role in shaping our teaching methods, ultimately enhancing the educational journey of your child.

In this week's newsletter, we are eager to shed light on the significance of this data. We want to ensure that parents understand how this information can be harnessed to provide tailored support for your child's growth and development.

What are they?

Stay tuned for upcoming updates on informative parent sessions led by our Curriculum Coordinator, Ms. Andreia Barbu. 

Regards,

Ms. Zahra Bhatty (Grades 9-10 Vice Principal) z.bhatty_gaa@gemsedu.com   

Ms. Andreia Barbu (Secondary Curriculum Coordinator) a.barbu_gaa@gemsedu.com  

Dear Parents and Guardians,

With the Spring MAP testing approaching us in May, we are committed to fostering a learning environment where students take ownership of their academic learning and growth. As a standards-based school, we use a grading scale of Incomplete, Emerging, Developing, Proficient, and Mastery to communicate student progress.

To encourage students to take the MAP test seriously and recognize the importance of academic growth, we are implementing a new approach in GAA’s Middle School program: the MAP test will now count as a summative assessment in Math, Science, and English Language Usage. This ensures that these assessments reflect student growth and effort, rather than just an external test score.

Students will be graded based on their grade level rather than their raw scores. The grading scale is as follows:

• Mastery - At least one band above grade level and has shown growth

• Proficient - On Grade Level

• Developing - Achieved 5 or more points in growth but still performing below grade level

• Emerging -Performing 5 or more points below grade level and has achieved no growth

This approach ensures that all students are assessed fairly and have a clear pathway to demonstrate growth. It encourages them to set goals, put forth their best effort, and take ownership of their learning.

Finally, all MS students will use GAA iPads for the MAP tests. In this way we can ensure that the NWEA lockdown browser is applied, creating an equitable testing environment for all students.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you for your support in making this a meaningful learning experience for our students.

Thank you,

Mollie Williams 

Middle School Vice Principal

Exciting International Trips Announced for Grades 8–12

We are thrilled to share the next round of International Trips available to our Grade 8–12 students at GAA!

This year, students will have the opportunity to travel to Bali and Madagascar—two incredible destinations that offer rich cultural experiences, outdoor adventures, and personal growth opportunities.

📅 Trip Dates: June 21 – June 28 (final week of school)

📎 Please refer to below flyers for details on each trip.

More information will be shared soon. We look forward to these unforgettable learning experiences!

• April 15 - IB Arts Exhibition opening and IB Awards Night, @5PM

• April 16 - Night of Music, @6PM

• April 18 - Spring Fair and Movie Night by GAA Parent Association, @5PM

• April 21-25 - Book Fair

• April 25 - Book Character Day (Dressdown day)

• May 1-June 11 - MAP Testing