The student uniform is compulsory and students are to arrive at GAA in their complete school uniform, including: 

• Any color athletic, closed toe shoe. No sandals, no crocs, no open toe

• Socks: Solid black, blue or white

• If girls wear leggings/stockings/pantyhose/tights under their skirts, color must be solid navy blue or black.

• For Physical Education, Athletic shoes must be worn.

Students wear the PE uniform for the entire school day on days when the student has scheduled PE classes.

On swim days, students should wear their GAA school uniform and bring the recommended school swim kit.

The GAA uniform supplier is Threads. The uniforms for GAA will only be distributed from Threads’ Retail outlet in Dalma Mall. Uniforms can be purchased online at www.threadsme.com   

GAA may not require uniforms whilst participating in after or out of school activities or on designated special dress days. However; students should be properly dressed in a manner that is not offensive to our host country. The following rules will apply: 

• No tight clothes

• No spaghetti strap shirts

• No exposed midriff

• No offensive logos or expressions on clothing

Personal Presentation

Students are expected to arrive at school and depart from school in full school uniform. During school hours and while in school uniform, the following rules apply:

• No makeup or loose jewelry is allowed.

• Necklaces should not be visible.

• Non-regulation outerwear may not be worn in school; it should be kept in lockers.

Spare Clothes Requirement:

All Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten students  need to have an extra set of clearly labeled uniform clothing (shirt, shorts, underwear, and socks) sent to school in a Zip-Lock bag in case a spare is needed. 

The aim of our uniform policy is for students to present a neat, school-like appearance at all times and to take pride in being members of GEMS American Academy.  In accordance with ADEK policy, the school’s uniform is compulsory and should reflect the school’s commitment to honor UAE traditions, culture and religion.

All students must adhere to the GAA dress code policy. 

• First dress code violation: Contact with parents and warning given to the student.

• Second dress code violation: Contact with parents and a change of clothes brought to school by parent/ guardian.

• Third dress code violation: Contact with parents and student sent home for the day.

Personal Presentation:  

Students are expected to arrive at school and depart from school in full school uniform. During school hours and while in school uniform the following rules apply: 

• No excessive makeup or jewelry is allowed.

• Students with pierced ears may wear studs or small hoop earrings. 

• Rings should be small without sharp edges or loose parts.

• No visible body piercings or tattoos.

• Outerwear may not be worn in school; it should be kept in lockers.

Dress Down Days 

On the last Friday of every month, students can wear their choice of clothing, as long as it is is respectful of UAE culture and in line with our Handbook guidelines:

GAA does not require uniforms whilst participating in after or out of school activities or on designated special dress-down days. However, students should be properly dressed in a manner that is not offensive to our host country. The following rules will apply:

• No tight clothes (this includes no leggings or yoga pants)

• No skirts/ shorts above the knee.

• No spaghetti strap shirts

• No exposed midriffs

• No hoodies with hood up

• No holes in jeans

• No offensive logos or expressions on clothing

• No hats.

If a student is not in alignment with these expectations, their parents will be contacted to either drop appropriate clothing off or pick them up from school. 

Spirit Days- every Friday, except the last Friday of the month

A day where students can wear items of clothing created and sold by GAA groups, such as Booster Club, Sports and Activity teams and Student Government. These may include:

• Powderpuff T-shirts

• Spirit Wear (cohort related)

• House Shirts

• Athletic’s Sweatshirts

• Booster Sweatshirts

• Old Senior Sweatshirts

• National Dress is not permitted on Spirit Days. 

If a student is not in alignment with these expectations, their parents will be contacted to either drop appropriate clothing off or pick up the student from school. 

All students arriving at school past 7:45 a.m. are considered tardy and must receive a late pass before entering the classroom. Tardiness is discouraged as it interrupts the learning process in the classroom.

School staff will record every time a student is late to school. During the day, staff will record tardies in PowerSchool. Disciplinary action and re-enrollment considerations will result from excessive tardiness to school and/or individual classes for students.

• Late attendance for Kindergarten and Elementary will be marked after 7:45 at Main and KG Reception.

• KG Gate 3 will be closed after 8:15. Please get your child’s late slip from Main Reception if you are arriving after 8:15

• Late attendance for Secondary Students (Grade 6-12) will be marked on Second Floor by Attendance secretaries.

• 2:45 Access Doors Open

• 2:55 Elementary Bus students dismissed to walk to Buses

• 3:00 Elementary students who are not collected from classroom, are accompanied to Cafeteria for supervision

• 3:00 Middle and High School Students are dismissed

• 3:30 Elementary late pick-up students accompanied to cafeteria for supervision

• 3:15 Afterschool Activities (ASAs) begin

• 4:20 ASA elementary students are accompanied to Cafeteria for supervision

• 4:45 Late bus departs

We understand that there are times when you need to pick up your child early from school, whether for a doctor’s appointment or a family emergency. However, frequent early pick-ups can affect your child’s learning and overall well-being. When students leave early, they miss valuable lessons and activities that help them stay on track with their classmates. It can be tough for them to catch up, and we want to make sure every child gets the most out of their school day.

Moreover, early pick-ups disrupt the class, making it harder for other students to focus on their learning.

To best support your child's education, we kindly ask that early pick-ups be kept to a minimum and only for essential reasons.

• IMPORTANT! No early releases at or after 2:30pm

• If a student is leaving school early, parents should inform the classroom teacher or relevant divisional secretaries at least an hour in advance by email

• Parent/Guardian must come to the Main or KG Reception for “early release” slip.

• Students will be collected from classrooms by assistants and brought to parents in the Main or KG reception for collection. For safety and security reasons, parents are to refrain from entering the corridors or classrooms while instruction is taking place. 

• Parents should not pick-up directly from classrooms before 2:45 pm. 

All students are expected to abide by the ADEK provided school schedule and attend school on the days before and after school vacations. All students are also expected to follow ADEK Policy 55 on absenteeism which states that students with an absenteeism rate of more than “10% should be regarded as a cause for concern.” Acceptable attendance, as reported to and mandated by ADEK, is being present 95% or more of the time.

We understand that absences happen—whether due to illness or other reasons. While some absences can’t be avoided, it’s important to remember that regular attendance plays a big role in your child’s success at school. Studies show that missing too many days can impact reading levels and overall engagement in the classroom.

If your child’s absences reach more than 10% of the school year, we’re required to report this to our safeguarding team for review. This will include a meeting with parents to discuss how we can work together to improve attendance. When a student is absent for more than 10% of the school year, it may lead to lower grades (which will be reflected in their reports) and could even impact their re-enrollment for the next academic year.

WHAT TO DO: If your child will be absent, it’s important to inform the school and let us know the reason. Please contact the Elementary or Secondary secretaries by email before 7:30 a.m. on the day of the absence. If the absence is due to a medical issue and will be prolonged, please submit a medical certificate.

• Elementary Secretary: elemsecretary_gaa@gemsedu.com 

• Secondary Secretary: secsecretary_gaa@gemsedu.com  

For planned absences, we ask that you apply for Authorized Absence ahead of time. Requests for extended leave will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

• Please be mindful of UAE Traffic Laws (UAE Government Website and LIST OF TRAFFIC OFFENCES AND VIOLATIONS)

• Please exercise Culture of Kindness towards your Community members.

• Be attentive and follow the guidance of our staff members! You will see them directing traffic and ensuring the safety of our students.

• Instruct your drivers to follow the pickup/dropoff guidelines and instructions of our staff members.

• Park in designated parking spaces.

• Please continue forward in the pick-up lane if the car in front of you has picked up his/her child and is exiting. Do not stop midway – continue forward to allow cars lining behind you to enter parking.

• Keep the sidewalks and crosswalks clear.

• Do not double park.

• Do not exit your car if waiting in pick up lane.

• Do not park on the sidewalks (red-bricked areas near back gates) – this is in violation of UAE Traffic Rules.

• Do not drop off or pick up students from the Main Road. For the safety of your children and to avoid traffic congestion, PLEASE DROP OFF AND PICK UP FROM DESIGNATED SCHOOL GATES.

• If you arrive early to park in designated areas within school parking, please be mindful that you may find it difficult to exit immediately after pick up, as transiting cars may be blocking your way. We recommend to arrive during dismissal time. Alternatively, please park in designated parking areas in public roads (for example, after Beverly Cakes pastry shop, on Al Mutaabid Street, or Al Waqaa street).

• Carpool when possible

• Consider using school bus service

• Weather permitting, consider using bikes or walk, if living near school. 

• We have assigned 2 entry points and 1 exit point in the back parking area (see attached map). NO EXIT IS ALLOWED THROUGH DESIGNATED ENTRY POINTS.

• To enter the back parking area, please use one of the entry points indicated in the map. The 1st entry point is near tennis courts (in front of SmileRite), the 2nd entry point is through Bus parking. If the 1st entry is full, please continue forward on the main street towards the 2nd entry (through the Bus Parking). 

• Please continue forward in the pick-up lane if the car in front of you has picked up his/her child and is exiting. Do not stop midway – continue forward to allow cars lining behind you to enter parking.

• Exit from center (EXIT ONLY POINT) as indicated in the map. Please use common courtesy and Culture of Kindness when exiting from parking and follow our staff members’ directions.

• Students exiting from the back gates will be waiting in the designated waiting areas to be picked up. Please make sure you discuss the pick up timing with your child before school.