Strong Start to January: Elementary Learning in Full Swing

As we return from the school break, it has been energizing to see our elementary classrooms once again filled with curiosity, connection, and purposeful learning. Students and teachers have jumped right back into our curricular programs, setting a positive tone for the remainder of the school year.

Across grade levels, instructional routines are firmly re-established and learning is well underway. Teachers are intentionally building on the strong foundations laid earlier in the year, using high-quality curriculum, targeted instruction, and meaningful learning experiences to support every student’s growth. Classrooms are buzzing with collaboration, thoughtful discussion, and a shared commitment to learning.

As we move into the coming weeks, we are looking forward to gathering valuable insights into student progress through upcoming assessments such as MAP, NGRT, and DIBELS. These assessments are an important part of our instructional cycle, helping teachers celebrate progress, identify next steps, and tailor instruction to meet the diverse needs of our learners. We are excited to see the growth our students continue to demonstrate academically and developmentally.

Partnership with families remains a cornerstone of our elementary program. Upcoming parent-teacher conferences will provide an opportunity to connect, reflect on student progress, and collaborate on goals for the remainder of the year. In addition, community shares, workshops, and other school events will offer meaningful ways for families to engage with learning and celebrate student achievements. As we look ahead to the latter part of the school year, there is much to be excited about. We are proud of the strong start to the term and look forward to all the learning, growth, and community-building that lies ahead.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we take on the rest of the year together.

Kim Melloy

Elementary Curriculum Coordinator

We are proud to announce our newly elected Little Wildcat Ambassadors! These students were chosen by their peers, making this a special honor that reflects leadership, kindness, and respect. Families should be very proud of their children for earning the trust and voices of their classmates, and we know that a huge part of making them into those AMAZING ambassadors is due to your raising of some pretty incredible kids! 

Little Wildcat Ambassadors represent student voice at GAA. They help share ideas, drive positive change, and make our school more fun, inclusive, and connected. We will also be building on the many thoughtful ideas students shared during their campaigns.

• Saif Alnuaimi G1D G1 Ambassador

• Mubarak Alqezmi G1D G1 Ambassador

• Sky El Ward G2A G2 Ambassador

• Zayed Almarri G2B G2 Ambassador

• Dana Almanhali G3B G3 Ambassador

• Yasma El Tawil G3B G3 Ambassador

• Leon Bukovac G4B G4 Ambassador

• Naomi Haswell G4A G4 Ambassador

• Alreem Alteneiji G5C G5 Ambassador

• Nayla Alkatheeri G5D G5 Ambassador

• Saif Almansoori G5D G5 Ambassador

• Hessa Almheiri G4D Vice President

• Nadeen Mohamed G5E President

Ambassadors will help lead initiatives, such as:

• Leadership Day (January 30)

• Ramadan/Eid/Iftar (March 5)

• Book Week (April 6–10)

• Promotions Week (June 22–26)

Student ideas include improving recess, kindness initiatives, spirit and dress-up days, inclusion efforts, school events, and service projects. 

We are excited to see our Little Wildcats grow as leaders and make a meaningful difference in our school community!

Happy New Year to all families. 

KG1D have settled in well coming back to school after the winter break. The students enjoyed sharing their stories with their friends and were excited to explain what fun events and activities they took part in. Some students flew to different countries and others had family come to the UAE to visit.

This week in Literacy we have been looking at the story “What the Ladybird Heard” by Julia Donaldson. We have been looking at the characters in the story and creating our own puppets. The children have been working hard to retell the beginning, middle and ending of the story correctly. We have also been learning about our letters and practicing how to write them in our phonics lessons. 

We enjoyed our first assembly for the year and celebrated the achievements of our peers. The children have enjoyed collecting critter coins and are excited to choose their prize from the critter coin cart soon.

This week, Grade 1D did an amazing job settling back into school after the long holiday. They worked really hard and had a lot of fun reviewing topics from Term 1. We looked at subtraction and used whiteboards to demonstrate everything we know and the children really enjoyed sharing their thinking. I am also so proud of how well they have adapted to having a new teacher this week. What a fantastic start back!

Class 3D has had a wonderful start to the term after our long holiday break. The students returned full of energy and excitement, ready to learn and reconnect with friends. We were also very happy to welcome a new member to our class.

This week, we began our new Maths unit on area. Students explored what area means by using concrete materials such as tiles and grid squares to help them understand the concept in a hands-on way. We discussed how area is connected to our previous unit on multiplication, and students practised using multiplication strategies to calculate the area of four-sided shapes.

As the week progressed, students were challenged to find the area of compound shapes, breaking them into smaller rectangles and applying their multiplication knowledge. Class 3D showed great teamwork, curiosity, and problem-solving skills, and we are looking forward to building on this learning in the weeks ahead.

Here are the photos of the classes who earned the first-ever Double Daily Doodle Award, recognizing those who achieved the highest CALM points over the term. This accomplishment reflects consistent excellence in being Clean, Artistic, Listening, Mindful, and CALM during every art class.

Walid the Wildcat had a busy and exciting winter break! Thanks to our wonderful families, we received many creative photos showing Walid joining students on their adventures near and far. From cozy reading corners to fun outings, Walid truly embraced the spirit of learning beyond the classroom. 

Thank you to all the families who participated and shared these special moments. Your enthusiasm helped keep the joy of reading alive throughout the winter break!

GAA READ Marathon is Back!

We are excited to announce that our annual “Read Marathon” is baaaaaack! The challenge will begin January 19th and ends February 12th. 

• January 12-15 - STEM Expo

• January 13 - Elementary Choir Parent Showcase @3:45pm

• January 26-30 - Book Fair

• January 29 - Coffee with GAA Leaders

• January 31 - International Food Festival by GAAPA