Dear GAA Families,

The past two weeks have been filled with a lot of excitement, achievements, and community spirit.

The Fall Festival was a huge success! A big thank you to our GAAPA and Booster Club, and all the volunteers, including students, teachers, support staff, cleaners, and security personnel. Your hard work made this event an example of community collaboration. 

Season 1 athletics ended, highlighted by GAA participation in the NESAC tournaments. Our students made us proud showcasing their skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

• JV Volleyball teams in Bahrain received the Sportsmanship Award.

• Academic Games teams secured an impressive 3rd place in Kuwait.

• JV and Varsity Swim Teams traveled to Egypt and broke several school records, with standout performances by Seth Aborot grade 9, who earned 40 points, the highest among hundreds of swimmers, and leading the JV team to a 1st place finish.

For more detailed results and highlights, please see Mr. Rodrigo’s article in this week’s featured section of the GAAzette.

This week we also celebrated Creativity, with the GAA Arts Festival, November 21- 22. KG and Elementary students took the stage to showcase their talents. It was an opportunity to celebrate creativity with parents and faculty supporting our young artists.

Looking ahead, next week we will honor the UAE with the 53rd Union Day celebrations. The two-day event will feature performances and activities that highlight UAE culture and heritage.

In the area of academics, IB DP 1 students visited NYUAD this week and their extensive library to explore Extended Essay topic options, and weekly university/college visits continue at GAA to help our high schoolers make informed decision.

Lastly, I want to thank you for being an important part of our community. Your support and participation make GAA a special place to learn, grow, and celebrate.

Warm regards,

Robert Rinaldo

Dear GAA Community,

We will be celebrating Eid Al Etihad - Union Day on November 28 and 29 in our school. Please take a moment to read Ms. Samah's letter below with more details.

Important Note 1: this event is limited only to GAA students and parents and not extended to family members or friends who are not GAA students. Both parents and students are strongly requested to wear their school lanyards when entering the premises.

Important Note 2: Please take a moment to complete this Online Waiver. You must agree to the Terms and Conditions of the Waiver to enter the Eid Al Etihad - Union Day celebrations. This is a requirement from ADEK and GEMS Health and Safety Division and we appreciate your cooperation.

Dear GAA Community,

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at our Fall Festival! It was a fantastic evening filled with laughter, games, and unforgettable memories. From the bouncy castles to the magic show, food trucks, and all the fun activities, we couldn't have asked for a better turnout or a more supportive community.

A big congratulations to 5D for winning the Best Decorated Pumpkin competition, our pie contest winners, and all our raffle winners – well done! We are so grateful to all our student and staff volunteers, families, support staff, and vendors who made this event such a success.

We look forward to creating even more joyful events together in the future. 

Thank you for your support!  

GAAPA Team 

As we close the Season 1 sports season, with our Varsity Volleyball teams competing here in Abu Dhabi and our Swimming squad traveling to Egypt to represent GAA at the NESAC tournament, we are presented with an opportunity to not only celebrate our accomplishments but also reflect on the journey we’ve all been part of. This season has been a testament of intense work, commitment, and passion of our student-athletes, coaches, and constant support from our parents and community.

When representing our school, we always expect our student-athletes to compete with heart and bravery, giving everything they have to fight for victory. We encourage our athletes to be resilient, to push through adversity, and to support each other at all times. ALL of this must — and was — done with respect for our opponents, with integrity in every situation, and a clear demonstration of sportsmanship, whether in victory or defeat. The way we conduct ourselves reflects the values of GAA, and it is these values that will guide our athletes not just in sports, but in many other aspects of their lives.

Our positive accomplishments are the result of collective effort. A few examples of many include our JV and Varsity Volleyball teams, Swimming team, and Academic Games teams competing in both the ISAC and NESAC leagues, achieving impressive results. 

• The Varsity Boys Volleyball team finished in 2nd place in the ISAC league and 3rd place in the NESAC tournament. 

• Our Academic Games teams performed excellently in the NESAC competition in Kuwait, securing 3rd place overall. 

• Our swim team had their first-ever international trip to Cairo, where the Junior Varsity Boys team ended the competition as the NESAC 2024-2025 Champions!

Additionally, our Middle School Volleyball team and Little Wildcats Soccer teams did an incredible job representing GAA in the EAC and JEAC leagues, demonstrating the same spirit of dedication and sportsmanship that defined our varsity and JV teams. They exemplified the spirit of collaboration, unity, and resilience that we strive to foster at GAA. Every victory, every personal best, and every team achievement is a direct result of the collective commitment to excellence from all involved.

As we reflect on this season, we are reminded that each competition is an opportunity for growth. It’s about learning from each experience, fine-tuning our strengths, addressing our weaknesses, and always striving for excellence. We are proud of how far our teams have come and excited for what’s ahead as we continue to provide an environment where our student-athletes can thrive, both on and off the field. There is no other way to call this season but a successful one, and we are already gearing up for more in the upcoming Season 2!

Rodrigo De Marco

Athletics Director

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

Please take a moment to read tghe eedback from our parents about the Arabic Parenting Program that ended last week. Ms. Mariam and Ms. Hadeel are certified facilitators, and parents had great things to say about them and the program. Please stay tuned for more programs like this in the future.

Dear Parents / Guardians, 

We are delighted to inform you that GEMS Titanium Card has been upgraded to World Tier (GEMS World Card) which is a premium card now and all the Card holders can benefit from existing features, namely:

• discount on School fee 4.25%,

• Free EPP (Easy payment plan) on the school fee,

• 10% Cashback on School transport, Uniform purchase and on School canteen

• & more (see below for more details)!

FAB School Assigned Staff:​​​​​​​

• Amjad Nazir

• Mobile: +971564010406 Email: Amjad.nazir@bankfab.com

Congratulations to: 

• Ahmed Alraeesi (Grade 3)

• Salama Al Ali (Grade 5) 

• Sultal Al Ameri (Grade 9)

for their outstanding performances at the Emirates NBD Poetry for All competition, run by the Emirates Literature Foundation! and hosted at GAA.

Their talent and passion for poetry shone brightly as they celebrated the art of performance and recital. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and wish them continued success on their literary journeys! 

• November 27 - Dubai Fitness Challenge (KG-Gr5) @8:00am, GAA Field

• November 27 - Grade 9 Official School Photoshoot

• November 27 - IB/AP Information Session for Grade 10 Parents @6:30pm

• 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