Issue # 12 - March 1, 2024
As we approach our upcoming parent-teacher conferences, I want to take a moment to emphasize the immense value these meetings hold for your child's education and overall development. Parent-teacher conferences are not just routine appointments; they are essential opportunities for us to work together in ensuring your child's success both academically and personally.
At the heart of these conferences lies the fundamental aspect of relationship building. Strong partnerships between home and school are crucial for fostering a supportive learning environment. When parents actively engage in their child's education by attending conferences, it sends a powerful message to your child that education is a priority and that you are invested in their journey.
During these conferences, you will have the chance to gain valuable insights into your child's progress and areas of growth. Together with your child's teacher, you can set specific goals for the next steps in their learning journey. Whether it's improving reading comprehension, mastering math concepts, or enhancing social skills, setting achievable goals provides a roadmap for success and empowers your child to take ownership of their learning.
Parent-teacher conferences also offer an invaluable opportunity for you to learn how to support your child's learning at home. Teachers can provide valuable resources, strategies, and tips tailored to your child's individual needs. Whether it's establishing a consistent homework routine, incorporating enrichment activities, or fostering a love for reading, your active involvement at home can significantly impact your child's academic achievements.
Looking ahead to the next school year, parent-teacher conferences also serve as a crucial platform for planning and preparation. By discussing your child's strengths, challenges, and areas of interest with their teacher, you can collaboratively identify strategies to ensure a smooth transition and continued growth in the upcoming grade level.
I encourage each and every one of you to take advantage of this opportunity to connect with your child's teacher, gain valuable insights into your child's progress, and actively engage in their educational journey. Together, let's work hand in hand to provide the support and guidance our children need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to your child's education.
Sincerely,
Leia Kraeuter
Elementary Principal
Since November, our school's PreK A and 5A students have been participating in the Class Buddy Project, initially introduced during Kindness Week. This ongoing initiative pairs Grade 5 students with their PreK counterparts, promoting empathy and understanding through regular interactions. Grade 5 students have served as role models, promoting leadership skills among their younger peers. Through activities like reading stories and creating art projects, students learn the value of kindness and support. The little ones adore their big buddies, fostering a sense of admiration and friendship. What began as a weeklong event has become a beloved monthly tradition, showcasing the profound impact of the Class Buddy Project on our school community. It exemplifies our school's commitment to inclusivity and empathy, nurturing compassionate individuals and building strong, supportive communities. As we continue this journey together, I am looking forward to watching our students grow and learn from each other, creating lasting bonds that will shape their futures.
On Thursday, February 29th, students in 2D inquired about Leap Year, its history, and its purpose. We looked at slides, watched a video, and then participated in rotations, each exploring Leap Year in a different academic way.
For numeracy, students put numbers in order counting by 2s and solved addition and subtraction equations with the totals being a multiple of 2. Literacy rotations included writing about what they would do with an extra 24 hours using a checklist to correct mistakes, rearranging the letters in the words "Leap Day" to see how many different words they could make, reading a decodable book about Leap Day and identifying the heart words they read, and answering comprehension questions about a story of a little girl celebrating her birthday on Leap Day.
We had a lot of fun asking questions, learning, and incorporating this extra special day into our learning.
Today marked a great milestone for my 3C 3rd students as they took the stage in the auditorium to present their very own TED Talk on sustainability. With excitement and Google Slides presentations full of creativity, they captivated the audience as they shared ideas on preserving our planet.
The giant screen in the auditorium illuminated with their presentations, showcasing their hard work.
Hello GEMS American Academy! In UOI 5D has been working on spheres. Spheres are things that make earth. The central idea is, The Earth Changes over time as a result of natural and human activity. We identified the four spheres and how they interconnect. The four different spheres are hydrosphere, hydro means water. Biosphere, bio means trees, plants and all living organisms. Atmosphere, atmos means air and geosphere, geo means rock soil. The word Sphere is a three dimensional shape. As you can see we have been working very hard and well. We also did note taking and we drew diagrams. We also did presentations in front of the whole class.
Our challenge was to be a risk taker and try a different style of presenting, our options were, powtoon, slideshow, google doc, imovie, video, play, itrailer, skit, and song. Then we had to use these styles to make the presentation and show the class. We found it more interesting watching different presentation styles.
No need to worry, Little Wildcat leaders are here. We try to solve problems, create opportunities and help elementary students.
Last year our little wildcat leaders came up with the idea of a buddy bench. The buddy bench is for students who feel lonely, they can sit on the buddy bench and this signals to other students to go and be friendly.
This year we have made mailboxes, the purpose is for students to have an opportunity to make suggestions. The mailboxes are distributed around elementary school and checked regularly. Suggestions are discussed at meetings and we try to solve any problems.
We recommend that when you are in Grade 4 & 5 you should become a Little WildCat leader so you can develop your leadership skills, have your Voice heard and make changes in our school community.
Hi, I am Mateo Samuela from 5A and I am part of the wildcat leaders.Today I am going to tell you about Wildcat Mail Boxes. Throughout the year we have had over 25 wildcat leaders from grades 4 and 5! Our 1st round of wildcat leaders thought of an idea to make mailboxes for students to write their issues, problems on a piece of paper. We check them every 2 days.
The locations to find them are Reception, Library, outside Mr. Marcus’s Room, outside Ms. Melanie's room, and the end of the Grade five corridor.
We encourage our students to write their problem,issues on a piece of paper and put it in a box. For example, a student from grades 3, 4, or 5 can write their name and class and write their problem and put it in the box.
If you are going to be in grade 4 next year i would think about being a wildcat leader.
Credits to Vivaan 4C, Xander 4A, Ali 4C for helping me with what to write.
Hello GAA families,
The Elementary Arts Department is excited to invite you to our 2024 Art and Music Festival held on March 6th and 7th. Please see the attached flyer for dates and timings for your child’s grade level. Come join us for a fantastic time filled with performances, drumming, singing, dancing, painting, creating, art gallery and more! The event will be outside so please have your child wear their PE uniform/house shirt with a hat and water bottle. We look forward to a wonderful event!
March 4-5: Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences (no classes in session)
March 6: KG1, KG2, GR1, GR2 Arts Festival, 8:00 - 12:00, GAA Tennis Courts
March 6: Upholding UAE Heritage and National Identity at GAA, by Samah Awad @2:00pm, Auditorium
March 7: GR 3-5 Arts Festival, 8:00-12:15, GAA Tennis Courts
March 13-14: Absentee and New-joiner Official School Photoshoot
March 14: GAA Community Iftar @6pm GAA field
March 25: SPRING BREAK STARTS!
Head of School
Robert Rinaldo, email: hos_gaa@gemsedu.com
ADMISSIONS
Registrar: registrar_gaa@gemsedu.com, ext. 515
Admission Secretary (GR6-GR12): c.dumo_gaa@gemsedu.com, ext. 603
Admission Secretary (KG-GR5): s.ramakrishnan_gaa@gemsedu.com, ext. 604
FINANCE
Email: finance_gaa@gemsedu.com, ext. 102
CLINIC
Email: nurse_gaa@gemsedu.com, ext. 688
Parent Relations Executive
Fatma Chabanova: pre_gaa@gemsedu.com, ext. 502
Government Relations Executive (for ADEK issues)
Shahd Hamdan: s.hamdan_gaa@gemsedu.com ext. 505
SLICES CATERING
Email: slicesgaa@gmail.com, ext. 566
BBT BUS TRANSPORTATION
Rameez Rasheed, email: rameez.rasheed@sts-group.com, ext. 608
GAAPA (GAA Parent Association)
email: gaa.parentsteam@gmail.com
Booster Club
email: boosterclub.gaa@gmail.com
IT
Email: support_gaa@gemsedu.com, ext. 666
ATHLETICS & ACTIVITIES
Email: c.davies_gaa@gemsedu.com, ext. 627
Elementary Principal
Leia Kraeuter, email: l.kraeuter_gaa@gemsedu.com
Elementary Vice Principal (Gr. KG-2)
Lauren Sargent, email: l.sargent_gaa@gemsedu.com
Elementary Vice Principal (Gr. 3-5)
Douglas Sherrill, email: d.sherrill_gaa@gemsedu.com
Elementary Secretary
KG-Grade 1 Guidance Counsellor
Alison Haswell, email: a.haswell_gaa@gemsedu.com
Grades 2-5 Guidance Counsellor
Melanie Moses, email: m.moses_gaa@gemsedu.com
PYP Coordinator
Tiffany Pulci, email: t.pulci_gaa@gemsedu.com