Issue # 6 - November 22, 2024

ELEMENTARY NEWS

(PreK-Grade 5)

Please read whole school news section for all school updates!

Message from Elementary Principal

MS. LEIA KRAEUTER

email: l.kraeuter_gaa@gemsedu.com

Dear Parents,

Please take a moment to read our student arrival and dismissal procedures. These guidelines are designed to prioritize the safety of our students, to maintain an orderly process for everyone and to cause minimal disruption to our learning environment. This information has been shared with all families at the beginning of school year.

By working together, we can ensure a safe and efficient process for everyone. Thank you so much for your continued cooperation and understanding!

Thank you.

Leia Kraeuter

Elementary Principal

PARENT HANDBOOK 2024-2025

Elementary Handbook 2024-2025 (For Parents).docx.pdf

Late Arrivals

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.

Student Dismissal Timings

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

Early Dismissal Procedures

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.

Absences

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.

News from KG1B

Ms. Micheline Peiterse

This term, KG1 B has been buzzing with curiosity and creativity! We’ve explored How We Express Ourselves and Who We Are by learning about kindness, building friendships, and discovering more about ourselves.

A highlight was our first field trip to StuDIYo Lab, where the children explored woodwork and even used a jigsaw! Back in the classroom, we’ve been enjoying storytime, practicing phonics, counting, and experimenting with shapes through hands-on activities.

We’re so proud of how our little learners are growing in confidence and independence every day!

News from Grade 1D

Ms. Sharon Dasari

The last week has been filled with excitement and positive energy at our school. We started with our Dubai Fitness Challenge where our students participated in fun -filled exercises modelled by our teachers.

We showed our support during Kindness Week by making cards for our friends in class, choosing some special character about our friends that were outstanding! We enjoyed eating delicious popsicles sponsored by GAA Parents. We enjoyed participating in a kindness dance which was a blast.

In our lessons it was so wonderful to see how our learning and engagement of developing a healthy lifestyle was followed by our Grade1D students practicing Eating Healthy Foods.

Ms Sharon gave our class incentives for bringing in healthy foods on a daily basis , by rewarding the students with critter coins. Our new Benchmark Reading program and Math Reveal enables students to reach high levels of thinking ,reasoning and problem solving. You can view our students engaging in our ongoing Ufli program, which develops phonemic awareness and a strong sense of sight word recognition.

Let’s keep the momentum going as we embrace fitness and wellness in our school community. Here’s to exciting days to come !

News from Grade 3D

Mr. Warwick Crawford

This week, Class 3D had an exciting visit to Emirates Park Zoo, tying in with our recent units on animal adaptations and survival strategies across various habitats. The trip sparked thoughtful discussions back at school, reinforcing prior learning and encouraging us to explore new ideas. A highlight of the day was hearing our guide praise the class for their excellent behavior and insightful questions. Well done, 3D!

giraffes.MP4

News from Grade 5

In Grade 5, students are wrapping up their UOI unit on ‘How the World Works’- Salama from 5A encapsulates all things ‘Matter’ perfectly.

Salama UOI Matter.mov

5D Art Festival Photos and Videos

Photos and videos can only be accessed using GAA Student's school gmail account.

News from UAE Social Studies

Fifth-grade students began exploring ancient civilizations, specifically Majan and Delmoun. They learned about Sarouq Al Hadid, an archaeological site located in the Dubai desert, and had the opportunity to visit it virtually. During their exploration, they discovered that the logo for Expo 2020 was inspired by a gold ring unearthed at the site. At present, the students have shifted their focus to studying the culture of the UAE.

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.

Fourth-grade students are studying the various landforms in the UAE, including mountains, plains, deserts, and islands, and exploring how each area benefits the country. They identified and marked each landform on a map of the UAE.

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

In Grade 3, students studied the characteristics of the planets, as well as the Earth's rotation both on its axis and around the sun, and the effects of this movement. They also explored the issue of water scarcity in the UAE.

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.

Students across all grades celebrated UAE Flag Day on November 3rd and are now preparing to celebrate UAE National Day on November 29th.

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

UAE Social Studies Photos

November 14 - World Tennis League Session

Photos Here

UPCOMING EVENTS

November 27 - Dubai Fitness Challenge (KG-Gr5) @8:00am, GAA Field
November 28-29 - UAE National Day Celebration
December 2-3 - UNION DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY (subject to confirmation by Abu Dhabi Authorities)
December 16 - WINTER BREAK STARTS
January 6 - SCHOOL RESUMES