Happy November GAA Families!

We have so much to look forward to this month! We celebrated Flag Day this week and have been having a blast getting in shape with the PE team during the Dubai Fitness Challenges this month. We are also gearing up for our first Arts Festivals of the year, the Dance of Kindness, our Bookfair, the GAAPA Fall Festival, Commemoration Day and our National Day celebration! What an amazing school community and culture we have here at GAA!

Along with all those exciting activities, we are also super excited to reopen our school to face to face (and virtual option) Parent Teacher Conferences. These will be held November 9-11. No school for students these days. Conferences can sometimes be stressful for parents. We look forward to having positive conversations about your child, what the present levels in learning are and what our next steps in working together are all about. School is a partnership and is most successful when teachers and parents can work together to link learning from school to home.

We look forward to seeing you all for conference week and appreciate the partnerships our parents bring to our GAA Culture of Kindness.

Sincerely,

Leia Kraeuter

Elementary Principal

Kindergarten students have been learning about Kelso’s choices. This is a fun and engaging program to help students learn how to peacefully resolve conflicts with other children. With the use of videos, arts and crafts, role-play and games students have learnt the difference between big and small problems. They are currently working on using the ‘choice wheel’ to help them solve small problems. Here are some photos from our lessons.

Alison Haswell

Student Counsellor

From 21st of November 2022 until May 2023, GAA will host advanced swimming training for students from Grades 1-5. These are competitive swimming teams and are for students interested in representing the GAA in competitions. This is not a “Learn to Swim “ program.

Due to limited spaces, swimmers will be required to meet specific stroke requirement skills and endurance to participate in this opportunity.

Tryout days are:

• Grades 1-2 and 3-4 Teams: Monday 14th and Wednesday 16th of November from 3:05 to 4:15pm.

• Grades 4-5 Teams: Tuesday 15th and Thursday 17th of November from 3:05 to 4:15pm.

To register your child for this competitive level swimming tryout, please use this LINK.

For more details please check out below slide.

October and November have been busy months for KG1D. There have been many school events that the children have thoroughly enjoyed. We practiced our first fire drill evacuation, and the children were so brave when they heard the alarm and made sure to be safe and follow instructions. They were also very inquisitive and had the chance to ask a real firefighter some questions! We also started the initiative “Dubai Fitness Challenge” to celebrate the month of November. The children were full of energy and pushed through the morning heat by following and completing all the exercises that were being modeled by the various teachers.

KG1D also celebrated Flag Day on November 3, by dressing in UAE colors and proudly singing the National Anthem as a school-wide activity. In the classroom, we decorated flags and distributed some treats with classmates to celebrate this special day.

The students in KG2C have been reading the story The Very hungry Caterpillar this week. We inquired into the life cycle of a butterfly. The students decided to write their own books about butterflies and painted some works of art.

يسعى قسم اللّغة العربيّة على بناء جسور التّواصل والمحبة مع طُلابنا الأعزاء، وعلى تفعيل دور الطّالب في رحلة التّعليم والتّعلم عبر استخدام وسائل وبرامج تعليميّة مُتنوعة ومُشوقة عند الطّلاب.

كما نسعى إلى تشجيع الطّلاب باستمرارٍ على إظهار مواهبهم وإبداعاتهم في اللّغة العربيّة وذلك من خلال ممارستهم لها في حياتهم اليوميّة ومن خلال التّعبير عما يتعلموه بطرقٍ إبداعيّةٍ .

إليكم بعض الصّور من صفوف اللّغة العربيّة للنّاطقين بها وللنّاطقين بغيرها من صفوف الثّالث والرّابع والخامس .

The Arabic Language Department seeks to build bridges of communication and love with our dear students, and to activate the student’s role in the teaching and learning journey using various and interesting educational tools and programs for students.

We also seek to constantly encourage students to show their talents and creativity in the Arabic language through their practices in daily life and by expressing what they learn in creative ways.

Here are some pictures from the Arabic language classes for native and nonnative students of grades 3, 4 & 5.

To help close out our first Unit of Inquiry, How We Organize Ourselves, 2A worked in teams to plan and create the tallest structure possible using only mini marshmallows and spaghetti. We discussed the engineering design process, and students worked in their groups to plan their structures. During the build, it was inspiring to observe how the students organized themselves and which teams followed their plans or adapted it as they started their builds. Our top three teams had structures at 23cm, 22cm, and 19cm. They all worked hard and earned CritterCoins for being inquirers and thinkers throughout the process. Way to go, 2A!

This year we have been focusing on fostering a positive and holistic learning community within the classroom. It has been great working together to help create this positive environment.

In our unit of inquiry, the kids have been super excited to learn about the body systems. This began with a very hands-on Provocation “Organ Gallery Walk”. The students were able to see, think and wonder about different organs and their functions. Students also experienced all the different body systems in 3D using the “Merge” app on the school iPads. It's been great to see all the students interested and engaged in their learning.

In our writing unit we have been working very hard on our Persuasive Essays. We spent last week coming up with the different things we are passionate about in our lives. This week each student used this information to generate a “Thesis” on what is important to them. We can’t wait to see what they come up with over the next few weeks.

Dear Families,

Our 1st book fair of the year is coming up! Little Thinker will have a wonderful selection of books for our students for Pre-K to Grade 12.

• When: Monday, Nov 14 -18 (the week after Parent Conferences) from 7:15 Am to 4:30 daily

• Where: Main Reception Area

The Book Fair is an opportunity to purchase quality books and support a local business, but purchasing is NOT required.

Your child will bring home a book fair envelope and informational flyer today. If you would like to purchase books for your child, please:

1) Enclose money in the envelope, clearly write your child’s name, class, amount inside, and seal it closed. Send the envelope back to school before your child visits the fair. Elementary students will visit the fair during their scheduled library time. Teachers will keep envelopes in a safe place until their class visits the fair.

**If there is anything that you would NOT like your child to purchase, please write a note on the back of the envelope. (Ex. Do not buy activity books, etc.). This will help teachers and book fair staff guide your child in making the best selections.

OR

2) Come to visit the fair with your child! You may:

• stop in on your own at any time of day

• come when your child visits during library time, or

• stop in after school to shop with your child.

(**If visiting the fair after school, please make sure to pick up your child at the regular pick up points FIRST, then come around to main reception.)

A green Al Hosn pass is required to enter the school.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me directly.

Kind Regards,

Mrs. Kirby

PYP Librarian

• November 9-11: Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences (no classes in session)

• November 14-18: Great Kindness Challenge

• November 14-18: Little Thinker Book Fair

• 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