Kindness Challenge Accepted at GAA

Many thanks to Ms. Jennifer Thompson, Elementary Librarian and GAAPA for the Great Kindness Challenge. Last week was full of 5 kindness challenges for our community.

• On day 1 we were challenged to be kind to ourselves. Life is challenging and remembering that, recognizing when we are feeling low, and giving ourselves grace to feel that way from time to time can sometimes lessen the pressure and help us turn things around.

• Day 2 challenged us to appreciate others through compliments. Boy does that feel good - when someone recognizes you and your contributions.

• Day 3 challenged us to write a thank you note. The act of writing, taking the time and the thought, helps us to look outside ourselves and that can be just the nudge we need to have a great day ahead.

• Day 4 challenged our community to bring in a gift for those less fortunate. Gifts donated will be handed over to the Red Crescent - thank you to those who participated. If you didn't manage that this week - drop off a gift at Red Crescent near you - the act of giving will make your day!

• Day 5 was a blank page - think about how to be kind and just do it! I saw some wonderful acts of kindness from student to student, student to teacher and visa versa. Beautiful.

Upcoming Events at GAA

I’ve just counted the days remaining before the winter holidays - 12 school days - that’s it. While we have many fun events and activities planned AND while the World Cup is running, let’s all remember that the learning does not stop at GAA. Our expectations for learning will remain high. Formative and summative assessments will continue. Semester I ends on January 13, 2023. Thank you for supporting your child’s learning by respecting our school calendar and ensuring your child remains engaged in the learning process.

CAT4 Testing

Students in grades 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 at GAA will take the CAT4 tests over the next week or so. The CAT4 stands for Cognitive Aptitude Test and is a further data point by which GAA can learn more about the population we serve and individual student areas of strength. Grade 6, 8 and 10 will test next week in the Secondary division.

GAA World Cup Challenge

Students are welcome to join and submit their World Cup brackets by Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The overall winner will earn a pizza party for him/her and 3 friends. Click the link above to play!

Powder Puff Games November 23

Juniors vs Seniors comes head to head on Wednesday the 23rd for our annual GAA Powder Puff Game. There will be a school pep rally for the students during their Advisory. Our students have been working hard with Ms. Massman, Ms. Jamieson, and coaches Courson, Rogers and classmates to practice their cheer moves and football skills in order to represent their grade level. May the best grade win!

Family Festival November 26

GAAPA is hard at work preparing for this year’s Family Festival. Please mark your calendars and enjoy all of the offerings available as GAA celebrates our community.

(My apologies for not attending this year’s Festival. I and a few other administrators will be at a recruiting fair that weekend in Dubai.)

UAE National Day, November 29

The UAE National Day Committee has been hard at work planning the activities for this year’s celebration. Students and faculty are encouraged to wear traditional dress. If students choose not to wear national attire, then they can wear the school GAA uniform. Secondary students will attend their 4 periods until 12:00 p.m. During this time, students will learn about the UAE through different activities. At that point, students will head to advisory for a potluck lunch - thank you for providing your student with a UAE food item to share with their friends, as well as utensils to serve and eat with. Students will not be able to order food into school, the food must be prepared at home and brought in with them at the start of the day. No deliveries will be accepted at school. Once lunch is over, students will head to the field to enjoy the activities created by the committee.

There will be many activities during the day for all our Secondary Division. Those activities include a falcon demonstration, henna and face painting, photo booth, traditional Arabic poetry and celebrations, and a graffiti presentation to feature art representing the Emirates. As the day will be warm, please make sure that your child has a water bottle that they can refill and a hat for sun protection. There will be little opportunity to reenter the building during the time their division (middle or high school) is assigned to be outside. Buses will leave promptly at the normal time.

Enjoy your weekend!

Mr. Wyncoll

After weeks leading up to this debate, the Model United Nations (MUN) delegates and chairs finally held their first mock debate! For those who are unfamiliar with MUN, it is essentially just a simulation (or better yet, a model) of the United Nations (Which is why it's called MUN) – the club aims to assign its members, known as delegates, a specific country. The delegates then attempt to use the research they have gathered to solve real-world issues from their country’s stance. This mock debate was aimed to build on the confidence and debating skills of the delegates and prepare them for future conferences! The many delegates that gathered for this debate through many grade levels worked hard for this debate! Although it was long, they had a lot of fun! Yet, why stop there?

You too can join in, earn CAS credit, or even build your skills, all while forging lifelong friendships in the many conferences we will attend! For instance, the upcoming THIMUN conference in Qatar or the conference in NYC are all prospective conferences that the MUN club has a chance to attend! Once again, kudos to the delegates for their hard work and courage to speak in front of everyone else!

• November 23: GEMS For Life Partner: The Profs | Next Webinar for Grade 11 & 12 parents

• November 23: Powderpuff Football Game Juniors v Seniors @4:00pm Football Field

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

• November 26: Fall Family Fun by GAAPA

• November 29: Study Medicine or Dentistry with Medical Doorway Student and Parent Webinar for Grades 9-12

• November 29: UAE National Day Celebration at GAA