Kindergarten

Message from Ms. Niamh Callanan,

KG Vice Principal

Dear Kindergarten families,

First and foremost, I hope that your family is safe and well. The moment your children have all been waiting for is upon us; The First Day of School! Our teachers, educational assistants, and support staff have been working diligently to ensure a safe return to school for 2020-2021 school year. I truly appreciate their effort to facilitate an engaging learning environment for our students; Thank you. For those of you returning, you will know me as Ms. Niamh (Neev) Callanan, Vice Principal of KG. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of our new families on tours and for those I have not yet met, I am excited to see you all for our KG staggered start on August 30th and 31st. It has been an unprecedented time and we are committed to supporting you and your family through ‘the new normal’ of social distancing practices, wearing of masks and all other guidelines that may seem challenging for our younger students. I have included the below information to ensure the safe and effective drop off and pick up procedure for students. We will continue to keep you informed and updated through our communication platforms.

Kindergarten Kiss and Ride:

We understand that families wish to escort their KG students into school on the first few days. We encourage student independence and recommend families use our kiss and ride drop off in the morning. There will be staff in front of Gate 3 (The KG entrance) at the front of the school. These staff are there to assist your child from the car to the classroom and enables you to avoid parking, set down and drop off.

NEW SECURITY UPDATE:

Access to the school building (including classrooms) will be restricted. All parents wishing to enter for specific reasons (accompanying young students with separation anxiety or students of determination) must present a 72-hour valid negative COVID-19 test at the security gate entrance. Please have your test result ready to display on the AlHosn App or by SMS on your phones. Security will log the parent/guardian name and mobile number in the Security Logbook.

Parents entering the classroom in KG:

We understand that for some students, the first day of school can present lots of emotions and anxieties, which is expected. For safety reasons, we ask, that if parents wish to remain with their child, they do so in a designated area outside of the classroom. It is imperative that the classroom remains sanitized with approved adults only inside the classroom.

Designated Entry Points:

The designated entry points will be fitted with thermal imaging cameras which will record each student and staff member's temperature so it is imperative that these entry points are used. NO EXIT FOR VISITORS WILL BE ALLOWED FROM ENTRY POINTS. See below map for exit directions.

A designated and trained security officer will monitor the system throughout the day. A process is in place to manage any students identified as having a temperature greater than 37.5 degrees celsius.

Gate 1 (Front of School main entrance) - Grades 2 - 12.
Gate 3 (Front of School KG entrance) - Kindergarten and Grade 1 only. (This entrance is recommended for KG students and is designated specifically for them)
Gate 4 (Back of School) - Buses and Grades K-12.
Gate 5 (Back of School) – Closed

Thank you for your continuous support during these challenging times and we look forward to welcoming you in the coming weeks.

Niamh Callanan

KG Vice Principal

n.callanan_gaa@gemsedu.com

Welcome message KGVP.mp4

Arabic Version_ Welcome Incoming Class of 2020! (1).pdf

KG STAGGERED START

In the first two weeks of school KG1 & KG2 will be operating a staggered start to ensure the children can accustom themselves to their new environment and class teacher. This process enables them to have some extra time to adapt, build routines and confidence with their new surroundings.

For the first two weeks, your child will be placed in either Group A or Group B. Group A students will start school on Sunday, August 30^th and Group B will start school Monday, August 31^st.

***School for KG will resume regular hours from Sunday , September 13^th, 8:00am- 2:00pm.

‘A’ Group and ‘B’ group will remain in place.

Kindly note that because KG will have a shorter day during the first 2 weeks of school, KG students will not be able to take the school bus during the staggered start. Bus transport will only be available from September 13^th. Please provide your child with a packed lunch and arrange transportation accordingly.

Parents with twins or more than one child joining KG may bring them on the same day. Please email the KG Vice Principal, Niamh Callanan at kgvprincipal_gaa@gemsedu.com to indicate your preferred group.

KG BACKPACK GUIDELINES

Kindergarten has a no backpack policy (this includes carried and rolling backpacks). Students will need their lunch box and a water bottle for school. If you would still like a small book bag for your child, we advise bags with measurements no greater than 9.5 inches (width) and 10.5 inches height, to fit inside our cubby space. Students may still need to bring bags for swim kits and there will be common areas to store these, yet for most days the smaller bag and their lunch bag will be the only required bags for KG1 and KG2 students.

Please note: Large backpacks and rolling/wheeled backpacks take up space we want to use for your child’s learning.