Dear GAA Families,

I hope that you had a relaxing and peaceful mid-term break.

For the remainder of the month of October, Senior leaders will be organizing events to spread awareness and educate the school community about the effects of Breast Cancer and what we can all do to help eradicate the disease. Activities ranging from informational workshops in our secondary advisory classes, to school decorations and posters, pink dress down day, bake sales, and a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk are scheduled.

It is an appropriate time to bring attention to the harms of the disease, but also to the foundational priority at GAA to actively promote and model the Culture of Kindness that we aspire to as a community.

At GAA a Culture of Kindness is written into our school values, where respect is at the core of all practices and decision-making.

I have learned throughout my professional career that simple acts of kindness do have the potential to make the world a better place. An act of kindness toward others can contribute to your own feelings of hope, confidence, and happiness. Modeling an act of kindness can also encourage others to repeat the good deeds they have experienced themselves.

Let us support our student leaders with their efforts and look to this activity as a starting point to find ways to show kindness in our own lives. Simple steps, like a daily focus on actively listening to others, making eye contact, demonstrating empathy, and being aware of and respecting the needs of others can make a difference.

Warm Regards,

Robert Rinaldo

Head of School

Congratulation to all Middle school, Junior Varsity and Varsity swimmers for their great performance on October 11th at Cranleigh school, Abu Dhabi.

Our Swim Teams competed with 4 schools, over 150 participating swimmers and we won 2nd place overall with 42 Individuals results in the top 3 positions.

Our Varsity Swim Team; Hussein Ayyad, Riley Oben, Sudki Al Khateeb and Santiago De La Flor, in 200 meters Freestyle Relay broke school swim record with new time of 1:56.59.

Congratulations Boys!

Special thank you to all parents who came and supported our Wildcats Swim teams!

Thank you Coach Jackie, Coach Nadia and Coach Iliana for your hard work and constant motivation!

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 24: Grade 3-5 Parent Coffee with Principals, 8-9 am @GAA Auditorium

• October 27: Grade 6 Arts Showcase, 11:15 am @GAA Auditorium

• October 28: Dress Down Day. PreK-Grade 5 theme: Real Life Heroes, Grade 6-12 theme: Wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness (all proceeds go to Red Crescent)

• October 28: Pizza and Popsicle Day by GAAPA and Booster Club

• November 1: GAAPA Board Meeting (all parents are welcome)

• November 3: UAE Flag Day Celebration at GAA

• November 7: Introduction to Unifrog for parents (Grades 9-12) 18:00 GST (45 mins) via ZOOM LINK.

• 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 15: Grade 12 Photoshoot (headshots and cap/gown)

• November 22: 1st Grade Art Festival

• November 26: Fall Family Fun by GAAPA

• November 29: UAE National Day Celebration at GAA