Dear Grade 8 Students and Parents, 

We would like to thank those who attended the information session on the high school program at GEMS American Academy.

I promised to share the Program of Studies document. Here it is!

Please find a recording of the event here as well.

We are available to answer any and all questions you may have regarding the High School Program.

Thank you, 

Garth Wyncoll

Secondary Principal

What are we learning?

DELF at GAA

DELF is a certification of French-language abilities for non-native speakers of French administered by France Education International (France Éducation international or FEI) for France's Ministry of Education. It is composed of four independent diplomas corresponding to the first four levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: A1, A2, B1 and B2. These diplomas provide the candidate with a quality French-level certification, useful to carry out specific personal, academic, or professional projects. These diplomas are valid for life.

Check out THESE SLIDES for more information, or contact Ms. Liliane Beayni to sign up! (l.beayni_gaa@gemsedu.com)

Grade 9 Team Dynamics

Grade 9 PE students have been learning about team dynamics. They have been working in various groups, ranging from people they are friends with, to people that they have never worked with before. Most importantly, they have been given opportunities to reflect upon their interactions and to consider the role of themselves and their team mates in their team’s effectiveness.

Hamdan (Grade 9): “We were being assessed on team dynamics. How well you can communicate with your team and how you have faith in them etc. This will help us in the real world, that in the future we are going to have to work with a lot of people, so communication is going to play a really big factor.”

Take a look at some of our students’ reflections:

Read Bowl

READBowl is the FREE global reading competition where PK-8 aged teams around the globe compete to read for the most minutes. As part of this the PE Department have been playing ‘Flag Football Friday’ each week in both MS and HS classes to help develop a strong GAA community between the grades and create connections with the READBowl event. It has been a massive success and brought out a competitive nature, collaboration skills and teamwork within the students and they are excited to take part in more events like this.

CAS Students have been supporting the READBowl by running the Book Mobile checking out books for students to read in the competition during advisory times this week.  

Upcoming Dates

• February 16-28: DP2 Mocks

• February 20-24: Cultural Appreciation Week

• February 25: International Food Festival (4-7pm)

• March 1-3: Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences

This weekend, the following students had the opportunity to participate in the GEMS World Academy – Dubai Model United Nations (MUN): 

• Yashbrata Ghosh (won 3nd place best delegate in his committee)

• Bogdan Delcea

• Yahia Luay Darweesh (won 2nd place best delegate in his committee)

• Manaka Yamakawa

• Twisha Shah

• Hanseo Lee

• Amey Varma (won best Position paper in his committee)

• Malak Nour

• Mariska Ramos

• Rida Ahmed

• Thaphoom Juemjarung 

• Azan Ahmad 

We were honored to have His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon, former Secretary General of the UN, as the keynote speaker in the opening ceremony. Over 500 delegates and chairs attended this event where students debated, collaborated, and provided solutions to real-world problems. Some of the topics discussed were nuclear disarmament, the response to mass corruption, and the current global energy crisis.

Congratulations to all students who participated!

Check out our Instagram Page for photos. 

• February 8-9: GAA High School Musical @6:00pm Auditorium

• February 8-9: Stu Williamson Official School Photoshoot (for new joiners and students who missed previous photoshoots)

• February 8-12: NESAC Championship in Qatar

• February 13-14: Mid-term break (no school)

• February 15: Learn About IB Diploma and GAA Diploma Pathways @1:30 Gym (for Grade 10 Students and Parents)

• February 22: Course Sign-ups for Grade 10 @2:00 Auditorium (Grade 9 Parents)

• February 23: Course Sign-ups for Grades 7-8 @8:00 MPR Room (Grades 6-7 Parents)

• February 23: Parent Session on Artificial Intelligence and Education @8:15, GAA Auditorium

• February 24: Pizza Day by GAAPA

• February 25: International Food Festival