Greetings GAA Families,

Many may not realize that the UAE has National Agenda as part of its future planning to ensure success for all, in a balanced way in the UAE. One of the goals established is a first rate education system.

“Education is a fundamental element for the development of a nation and the best investment in its youth. For that reason, the UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda emphasizes the development of a first-rate education system, which will require a complete transformation of the current education system and teaching methods. The National Agenda aims for all schools, universities and students to be equipped with Smart systems and devices as a basis for all teaching methods, projects and research. There will also be significant investments to promote and reinforce enrollment in preschools as this plays an important role in shaping children’s personalities and their future.

Furthermore, the National Agenda has set as a target that our students rank among the best in the world in reading, mathematics and science exams, and to have a strong knowledge of the Arabic language. Moreover, the Agenda will aim to elevate the rate of graduation from secondary schools to international standards and for all schools to have exceptional leadership and internationally accredited teaching staff.”

https://www.vision2021.ae/en/national-agenda-2021/list/first-rate-circle

As we come into a planning time at GAA for National Day and Commemoration Day it is a great opportunity for all students, no matter where we come from, to recognize the amazing history and sacrifice of the country we are in today. The national identity goals for the country as well as the efforts our leaders make daily to enhance education to provide rigorous opportunities in safe and supportive learning environments is a great opportunity to elevate our efforts at GAA. We are excited and proud to provide a rigorous American curriculum in the United Arab Emirates.

Be sure to consider all the ways your families can enjoy the National Day holiday or perhaps go visit Wahat Al Karama (Oasis of Dignity) across from the Grand Mosque to learn more about the country’s contributions and sacrifices.

Sincerely,

Leia Kraeuter

Elementary Principal

Dear GAA Families,

So many of you have gotten some GREAT books this week at our book fair! We are so excited that you have some new adventures and informational text to explore with your children! This book fair had some GREAT choices and I’m not embarrassed to say I spent a pretty penny there myself.

Exposure to books earlier is the crucial to a child’s development and understanding of language, it is also the biggest factor in oral language development! Not only is reading with your child incredibly important for their literacy journey, but…. Building the ‘joy of reading’ in our children is so important!

Here are some tips to help you enjoy story time together:

• Ask your child to choose what they’d like to read. You’ve made great strides getting these new books- when students choose their own book, they’re more likely to feel engaged and ownership over your story time (and don’t worry if they keep repeating the same one- repetition is important too!)

• Try to have zero distractions- turn off the TV, computer, tablet, or phone. You’ll both benefit from taking the time away from a screen!

• Snuggle up together- find a spot where you can sit close and share holding the book together. This might look like bringing your little ones into your lap- and let’s be honest, don’t we need that sometimes?

• Take time to explore the pictures- don’t just read the words, take time to look at the pictures and talk about what you see. Maybe there’s something funny in the pictures that you can laugh about together or perhaps you can guess what happens next using context clues.

• Ask them questions as you read- what do you think will happen next? Why do you think something happened? How do you think that made the character feel?

• Enjoy yourself too- children pick up on adults’ feelings in situations. As much as we look for signs that something is wrong with them, they do the same to us. They’re also picking up on your attitude as you read with them- do you love it? Are you enjoying yourself? Are you delighted in having them close? They’re taking it all in!

• And finally…reach out to your child’s teacher to find out which skills you can support at home to. Teachers LOVE at home support to reinforce concepts, don’t be shy to ask them for help!

Thank you for jumping in to your children’s learning journeys head first- we loved seeing so many of you this week joining us! And…. Enjoy reading those new books with your sweet children!

Mrs. Lauren Sargent Alkhalifah

Vice Principal, PreK- Grade 2

KG1A building school-wide kindness chains. Each child wrote a way they are kind at home or school as we continue celebrating kindness week at GAA.

November has been an eventful month for the kindergarten students. Kindergarteners were inspired to keep moving in an exciting fitness event, Dubai Fitness Challenge throughout the month once in a week. They also participated in the event of Kindness week to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us. See some pictures taken in KG 1E class.

The students in KG2E have been learning about plant needs and the plant life cycle. This week, we investigated plant parts, created plants with different crafts, and started to grow our own bean plants in the classroom.

Grade 1E has been learning about how “Communities provide interconnected services designed to meet peoples’ needs.” To show what we have learned, the students built a community, making sure to include all the services that a community needs. The students used their thinking skills to brainstorm all the different services that we might need in our community. Then they worked collaboratively to make the community with recycled materials. Throughout the process, the students shared their ideas with each other, took turns, and solved problems. The students imagined that they were community members and described why they like living in the community, what services they use, and how they help the community.

Grade 1’s yearlong unit is about how “People recognize important events through celebrations and traditions.” We enjoyed our Kindness Week celebration. Here is what the students helped write about our World Kindness Day Celebration:

Grade 1E celebrated Kindness Day on Monday. We were wearing orange clothes. Then, we went outside to the field to Dance for Kindness. We danced happily with our whole class. The whole school was dancing!! Some parents were there too. We wrote kind messages in chalk on the playground at recess. Grade 1E took pictures in front of the Kind Poster at the reception. Be KIND on Kindness Day AND every day!

Last week, Grade 3D IB Thinkers were introduced to different multiplication strategies. It is critical to teach students different strategies to represent multiplication facts. We discovered how to show a multiplication sentence using equal groups, arrays, repeated addition, skip counting, and number lines. The students applied their knowledge on equal groups using counters and drawings on their tables. With my consent and guidance, students were happy and excited to write on their tables to represent their equal groups! In addition, using their own multiplication facts, students wrote different strategies they learned on a hot air balloon template. We glued each part of the hot air balloon together to make a three-dimensional shape and hung it in our classroom. By incorporating fun manipulatives, our 3D Thinkers gained a deeper grasp of the concept by linking multiplication to real-life problems.

Grade 5 students started learning about the ancient civilization ( Majan and Delmoun ) . they recognized Sarouq Al Hadid the archeological site in the desert of Dubai , visited it virtually and discovered that the Expo 2020’s logo was inspired from a gold ring found there.

تلاميذ الصف الخامس بدأوا منذ بداية العام الدراسي بالتعرّف على الحضارات القديمة ( ماجان ودلمون ) ، حدّدوا مكان نشوء هذه الحضارات واستنتجوا الأنشطة والمهن التي قام بها سكّان الحضارتين . كما تعرّفوا أيضاً على الموقع الأثري ساروق الحديد وقاموا بجولة افتراضيّة في متحف ساروق الحديد واطّلعوا على محتوياته وخاصة القطعة الذهبية الدائرية التي اتّخذت شعاراً لإكسبو ٢٠٢٠.

Grade 4 students are learning about the different land forms in UAE ( mountains , plains , and islands ) and how do we benefit from each place. Students specified each landform on the UAE map.

في الصف الرابع ، تعلّم التلاميذ عن الأشكال المختلفة للأرض في دولة الإمارات ( جبال ، سهول وجزر ) واستنتجوا مميّزات كلّ شكل والأنشطة التي قام بها الإنسان في كل مكان.

In grade 3 , students learned about the characteristics of the planets and the rotation of the earth around itself and around the sun and the effects of this rotation . They also learned about the problems of water shortage in the UAE .

All grades celebrated the UAE Flag Day and they are preparing to celebrate the UAE National Day on November 29^TH.

تلاميذ الصف الثالث تعرّفوا على المجموعة الشمسيّة واطّلعوا على خصائص المجموعة الشمسيّة. استنتج التلاميذ في هذه المرحلة مشكلة نقص مياه المطر في الإمارات وحاولوا إيجاد الحلول لهذه المشكلة.

التلاميذ في كل المراحل الدراسيّة أحيوا يوم العلم وهم يستعدّون للاحتفال باليوم الوطني في التاسع والعشرين من نوفمبر .

Please check out the weekly Elementary School Update by our Student Leadership comprised of 4th and 5th graders.

Dear Parent,

All Grade 2 and 4 students will be taking a CAT4 Test next week Monday to Friday.

Grades 2 and 4 will take their tests when timing allows room in their homeroom schedules from Monday 21st November – Friday, December 9th.

Please note that the CAT4 Tests are online tests similar to MAP. They are designed as cognitive ability tests and are short duration exams. Teachers will notify you of your CAT4 testing days and students should arrive on time to school for the CAT4 tests so that there are no unnecessary interruptions.

CAT4 tests are a requirement of both GEMS schools, as well as ADEK.

We have created a CAT4 Information Sheet for Parents to help parents better understand what CAT4 Tests are, why our students take them and how we use the data. Please click on the link to access the document.

Please feel free to contact our elementary vice principals, should you have any questions regarding the CAT4 Tests:

• Lauren Sargent (PRE KG - GR2) l.sargent_gaa@gemsedu.com

• Douglas Sherrill GR3-GR5) d.sherrill_gaa@gemsedu.com

• November 22: 1st Grade Art Festival

• November 25: Pizza and Popsicle Day by GAAPA and Booster Club

• November 26: Fall Family Fun by GAAPA

• November 28: Grade 4 Art Festival at GAA Auditorium @1:30pm

• November 29: UAE National Day Celebration at GAA