Dear GAA Families,

Please take a moment to view my video message.

Warm Regards,

Robert Rinaldo

Head of School

Congratulation to Aisha Alzaabi, grade 10 student, who presented her ZEAH Waste Management Project at Expo Dubai at the Quality Education in the University of the Future conference on February 22.

As a distinguished and gifted high school student, Aisha is part of iMentoring program and had the honor to present her stem and sustainability project, which is aimed to reduce waste in UAE.

Thank you Aisha, for your dedication and ambition to make our world a better place!

Next round of in-school PCR testing for students aged 16 and above will be held on March 14.

If your child is going to be tested at school, please make sure that they carry original or copy of both sides of Emirates ID or Diplomatic ID.

Passport copies are not accepted by MenaLab. If your child has not received Emirates ID yet, you can test at our designated testing center in Masdar City with a passport.

If your child does not get tested at school on March 14, please make sure that Green Al Hosn status is maintained by testing every 2 weeks. Our designated testing center Biogenix G42 Lab in Masdar City conducts biweekly free testing for students aged 16 and above (our school code 9086).

Students aged below 16 will continue testing every 28 days.

Contacts of Positive Cases

In line with the announcement by Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee regarding the reduced COVID-19 precautionary measures, please note that the protocols for contacts of positive cases at schools have been updated as per the table below effective March 1, 2022.

Contact Tracing Rules:

Furthermore, the rules and definition of a close contact as that has been updated as well. A close contact is anyone:

• within a one meter proximity of a positive case,

• for more than 15 minutes with or without a mask on,

• going back two days of displaying symptoms or testing positive.

Covid-19 Reporting Procedures:

This is a gentle reminder for our Community to notify the school in case a student tested positive. Please email pre_gaa@gemsedu.com to activate school COVID-19 reporting procedure in line with Department of Health and ADEK Guidelines.

If your child is unwell with symptoms to be able to attend online classes, please notify the divisional secretaries:

• KG & Elementary School: elemsecretary_gaa@gemsedu.com

• Middle and High School: secsecretary_gaa@gemsedu.com

Visitor Entry Requirements:

Entry requirements for visitors and parents will remain unchanged until further notice from ADEK.

To enter school premises all visitors (including parents), aged 12 years and above, must present:

• Negative PCR test result not older than 96 hours

• Green Status Al Hosn is required for students, parents and visitors aged 16 years and above.

Masks and Physical Distancing:

• Masks and physical distancing are optional in outdoor spaces.

• Students aged 6 and above must continue to wear masks indoors.

We are happy to inform you that re-enrollment for next school year is open!

What is re-enrollment?

Re-enrollment or Re-registration is your opportunity to let us know whether your child/children will be returning to GAA for the next academic year.

In order to secure a student’s continued place at GEMS American Academy- Abu Dhabi for the following academic year, an online re-enrollment form must be completed via GEMS Parent Portal along with a paid deposit of 5% of the school fees by 1st May of each academic year. This deposit is non-refundable should a student not take up the confirmed place in September, but is fully adjustable against the first term fees. The deposit may be paid online with a credit card, in person at the school accounts office or via bank wire transfer.

Please note that the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) issues the guidelines regarding the admission and re-enrollment processes for private schools in Abu Dhabi.

How to re-enrol your child/children:

• Log into the GEMS Parent Portal using your parent username by following this link: https://oasis.gemseducation.com or log onto the GEMS Connect app on your phone.

• If you have forgotten your password, you may reset it by clicking on the Forgot Password option in the top right-hand corner of your screen. For new families this option can also be used to create a password.

• Please complete the entire re-enrolment process for each child.

• If you would like to pay at the school cashier’s office, please complete the online process before proceeding.

Important things to remember:

• Change of circumstance - If your personal circumstances change after paying the re-enrolment fee, and you cannot take your 2022-2023 place due to leaving Abu Dhabi, you can request a refund of these fees in keeping with the policy of the relevant regulatory authority (ADEK)

• More than one child - This needs to be completed for all children in your family, this is not a ‘family re-enrolment’, and each student needs to be re-enrolled individually.

• Not re-enrolling - If you are not re-enrolling for September, this process still needs to be completed, as this is what will prompt a Transfer Certificate to be generated. A Transfer Certificate may be required by your new school, and is a required process when leaving our school.

• Unregistered children, as well as, children with an outstanding tuition fee balance, will not be able to begin class next academic year.

If you require any further details regarding re-enrollment, have questions regarding the process or wish to discuss your individual circumstances with us, please do not hesitate to contact our Registrar at registrar_gaa@gemsedu.com

The annual Lockdown Drill for the school will be held at 09:00 am on Tuesday morning, March 15th.

What is a lockdown drill?

A Lockdown is a safety procedure that many schools in the UAE and beyond practice routinely. We practice this drill once per year, as a routine.

Why have this drill?

It’s a good idea to prepare a school to handle different situations. Just like a fire drill, the adults in the building learn how to organize students and teach everyone how to be quiet and out of sight. We calmly and routinely conduct this drill to practice being quiet and out of sight.

The drill should take about 5 minutes.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

• March 15: Rising Grade 9 Virtual Parent Meeting with Counsellors (for Grade 8 families) @4:30

• March 17-18: Secondary Musical "Annie" Virtual Production

• March 21-25: IBDP Virtual Arts Exhibition

• March 24: Book Character Dress Down Day for KG & Elementary (5 AED donation goes to support School Community through GAA Parent Association events).

• March 25-26: Elementary Musical "School of Rock, Jr." Virtual Production

• March 28-April 8: Spring Break - NO SCHOOL

• April 11-12: School resumes as asynchronous learning.

• April 13: School resumes face-to-face.