KG & Elementary

KG SECTION FOUND IN DROP DOWN MENU

Message from our Elementary Principal,

Mike Hopaluk

Dear GAA Community,

Please view the video below to get information on:

Parent Teacher Conferences
Support the Yearbook
Dress Down to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month

With thanks,

Mike Hopaluk

Elementary Principal

email: esprincipal_gaa@gemsedu.com

KG AND ELEMENTARY PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES

November 4 and 5

We are looking forward to your participation at Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday November 4^th and Thursday November 5^th.

IMPORTANT: There will be no school for students (both in-campus and online).

Conferences will be held online using Zoom. During this meeting you will discuss your child’s transition into the new school year and look at some key learning goals for the semester.

Teachers will be available for Zoom meetings between the following times:

November 4th - 11:00am to 7:00pm
November 5th - 7:30am to 3:30pm

Booking Your Conference

Below are the links to book your conference times:

Homeroom: https://www.schoolbookings.net/code?code=yyawt
Specialists: https://www.schoolbookings.net/code?code=6pwkd

Before booking, please be aware of your child’s homeroom section and teacher. You will need to select the correct teacher when signing up.

You will be able to book with your child’s homeroom teacher, their Arabic Teacher, and their Islamic Studies teacher. Due to the high number of students each Specialist Teacher (PE, Arts, UAESS, Library) teaches, we are unable to offer individual conferences with families. Please be on the lookout for how you will be able to learn more about learning in these subjects.

Guidelines for Zoom conference

Parents must sign in using their student’s ‘GemsElearning’ account (for example, mike.h_gaa@gemselearning.com)
While 30 minute slots will be available for homeroom teachers, conferences will be 20 minutes and allow 10 minutes transition time for the next family.
Your child’s class teacher, Arabic and Islamic Studies teacher use separate meeting links. Please be sure to use the Zoom meeting link that your child uses with each teacher.
Please ensure that your camera is on during the entirety of the conference

While this format will be different from previous years, we look forward to very successful conferences.

نتطلع لمشاركتكم في اجتماعات أولياء الأمور في يومي الأربعاء والخميس الرابع والخامس من نوفمبر.

ملاحظة مهمة: يرجى العلم بأنه لا يوجد حصص دراسية للطلاب يومي الرابع والخامس من نوفمبر سواءً في المدرسة أو عن طريق التعلم عن بعد

ستعقد الاجتماعات عبر الإنترنت باستخدام تطبيق زووم (Zoom). اثناء الاجتماع، ستتمكن من مناقشة انتقال طفلك للعام الجديد وتلقي نظرة على بعض أهداف التعلم الرئيسية للفصل الدراسي.

سيتوفر المعلمين في الأوقات التالية للاجتماع عن طريق (Zoom):

4 نوفمبر – من الساعة 11:00 صباحًا حتى 7:00 مساءً
5 نوفمبر – من الساعة 7:30 صباحًا حتى 3:30 مساءً

احجز الوقت المناسب لك - اضغط على الروابط أدناه

انقر هنا لحجز وقت الاجتماع الخاص بك مع معلم الصف

انقر هنا لحجز وقت الاجتماع الخاص بك مع معلمي مواد التخصص

قبل الحجز، يرجى التأكد من الصف والشعبة واسم معلم طفلك. سوف تحتاج إلى تحديد المعلم الصحيح عند التسجيل.

ستتمكن من حجز موعد مع مدرس الصف لطفلك ومعلم اللغة العربية ومعلم الدراسات الإسلامية. ولكن نظرًا للعدد الكبير من الطلاب الذين يدرسهم كل من معلمي مواد التخصص (معلمو الرياضة، معلمو الفنون، ومعلمو الدراسات الاجتماعية والمكتبة) لن يتمكن هؤلاء المعلمين من القيام باجتماعات فردية مع جميع أولياء الأمور، لذا سنقوم بإعلامكم لاحقاً عن كيفية التواصل مع هؤلاء المعلمين لمناقشة التعلم في هذه الموضوعات.

إرشادات للاجتماعات عن طريق تطبيق (Zoom).

يجب على الآباء تسجيل الدخول باستخدام حساب "GemsElearning" الخاص بطلابهم
- مثال:(mike.h_gaa@gemselearning.com)
ستتوفر فترات زمنية مدتها 30 دقيقة للاجتماعات مع معلمي الصف، ستكون الاجتماعات لمدة 20 دقيقة وتتيح العشرة دقائق الإضافية للمعلمين الوقت للانتقال للاجتماع مع العائلة التالية.
يستخدم مدرس الفصل لطفلك، ومدرس اللغة العربية والدراسات الإسلامية روابط اجتماعات منفصلة. يرجى التأكد من استخدام رابط (Zoom) الصحيح للاجتماع والذي يستخدمه طفلك مع كل معلم.
يرجى التأكد من تشغيل الكاميرا الخاصة بك طوال فترة المؤتمر.

بالرغم من اختلاف الطريقة التي سيتم فيها الاجتماعات لهذا العام، لكنا نتطلع إلى مؤتمرات ناجحة كالسنوات السابقة.

Message from our Elementary Vice-Principal,

Mr. Joe Aldus

Our approach to Mathematics in the Elementary School.

At Gems American Academy, we believe all students are able to succeed as mathematicians through a growth mindset. Students build an appreciation of mathematics in a supportive and challenging environment. They question and explore to construct deep, conceptual understandings through engaging in rich tasks and by moving from the concrete to the representational to the abstract. By developing flexibility of thought, strong number sense and fluency, students are creative, take risks and persevere in order to communicate and authentically apply mathematical skills and understanding.

Students are challenged and supported to build their own deep conceptual understandings of mathematics through engaging in rich authentic tasks and problem solving. Students build understanding by engaging in reflective, collaborative discussions to explore flexible approaches to solve authentic problems and demonstrate their thinking. Students construct meaning through the use of concrete materials, pictorial models and abstract notation (standard algorithms).

Students are assessed in a way that supports continuous learning through regular formative assessment tasks and classroom observations. Students engage with rich mathematical tasks to demonstrate their reasoning and communication, conceptual understanding, and problem solving skills as well as fluency with arithmetic.

Using this approach all students can develop confidence in mathematics and achieve together.

International Mathematics Education Consultant, Jo Boaler, writes “Mathematics is about learning, not performing. Being a mathematician is not focused on things you know but rather how you approach problems when you do not know.”

For more information on our philosophy of mathematics education please visit the following link; https://www.youcubed.org/

Joe Aldus

Elementary Vice Principal

News from Grade 3D

Ms. Katherine Cummins

What’s happening in 3D?

In our Unit of Inquiry, How we Express Ourselves, students are inquiring into how The arts engage an audience and invite a response.

Students are exploring different types of art and using various applications to showcase their creativity.

Last week, students created a song using Garage Band. This week, they had the opportunity to use Adobe Sketch as a tool to add elements of emotion to an everyday object.

Student’s creativity and confidence really shine during this 6-week unit.

Message from Ms. LaTanya Weaver,

Elementary Counsellor (KG - Grade 1)

My Movie 5.mp4

This book is located on Epic. Please check out the Parent/Caregiver tip sheets at the end of the book.

Now more than ever we are in need of Mindfulness. Practicing Mindfulness increases feeling of well-being, giving us tools to manage our stress. Our Grade 1 Guidance Counsellor Ms. LaTanya and the students did mindful breathing, listening, movement and coloring, which is definitely beneficial.

News from Elementary Physical Education

Our Grade 1 and 2 students have answered a simple question: "What do I like the most in PE?"

IMG_0098.MOV

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IMG_0105.MOV

IMG_0101.MOV

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YEARBOOK 2020-2021

We can all agree that this year is very unique and our lives are very different than before.

The 2020/2021 yearbook will have a very personal feel to it and will capture the craziness of this school year.

Due to safety restrictions and considering that number of our students are still on full distance learning, we will not have Stu Williamson take student formal photos at school this year. In case things change, we may schedule the photoshoot for March 2021.

This is where we need our Parents and Students' help:

For KG/Elementary, we ask that parents send a recent picture of their child doing anything they like, eating, playing, exercising... clear face and good lighting.

For MS/HS, we ask that students send us a selfie, that can be funny but appropriate.

Homeroom and advisory teachers will reach out to their students/parents shortly with details. We hope to get the photos before the Winter Break.

Let's make a delicious lemonade out of the lemons, so generously given by 2020!

If you didn't get your copy of Yearbook 2019-2020, it is still available. Contact Ms. Fatma, Parent Relations Executive, at pre_gaa@gemsedu.com for payment details.

October 24-25: SCOPE 2020. Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/gemseducation
October 27-28: Elementary Dress Down Day. Theme: Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. Donations to go to the Red Crescent.
October 29: Public Holiday
November 2-3: National Flag Day celebrations
November 4-5: Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences (no school day for students).
November 8-9: World Kindness Day Celebration: wear orange!

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE GAA EVENTS CALENDAR

(please note, updated regularly)

EXCITING AFTER-SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES

VIRTUAL ACADEMY GUIDE

2020-2021 Term 1

ESM and DELTA is offering a range of online Sport and Enrichment activities for TERM 1. You can contact academies directly using the information in this brochure.

For general information referring all ESM Academies, please contact: