Dear GAA Community,

Please view the video below to get information on:

• Parent-Teacher Conferences

• Vaccinations @ GAA

• GAA Kindness Week

• GAA Fitness Challenge

Have a great weekend!

Mike Hopaluk

Elementary Principal

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/

Regards,

Joe Aldus

Lower Elementary Vice Principal

In second grade, we are working on our second unit of inquiry, Who We Are. Students have started exploring how beliefs and values shape who they are and how they interact in their communities. Following on from our last unit How We Organize Ourselves where we learned about working together to achieve a common goal, we branched into discussing the values essential to finding success. This week we emphasized the importance of cooperation. Students engaged with various types of media to define cooperation and enthusiastically enumerated the various values essential to successful cooperation. Students then demonstrated their understanding of the term and their cooperation skills by working in teams to complete the Tallest Tower Challenge.

The students really enjoyed demonstrating their skills through this practical challenge. Class 2F students will continue to deepen their knowledge of beliefs and values in the coming weeks and will have many opportunities to apply their understanding by demonstrating and applying their learning. Next, in view of kindness week fast approaching, we look forward to developing a deeper understanding of what kindness is and what it means to be kind.

2F students are creative and curious and love to apply their learning to new challenges. Through our unit of inquiry pupils will investigate what makes each of them unique, and what is special about their family community.

Class 2F is filled with brilliant little minds excited each and every day to continue our learning adventure!

3D has had a great start to the 2021 school year! This year, 3D has been completing a lot of STEM building challenges. They have created functional catapults, paper towers, and even designed and created custom LEGO brick projects. STEM activities build resilience, promote a growth mindset, encourage teamwork and experimentation, and foster knowledge application and technology use.

Dear Parents,

Your child's photo will be live and available for purchase in 6 weeks.

The following additional photoshoot dates have been scheduled:

• February 6-7: ABSENTEE PHOTOSHOOT for students who were absent during Elementary and Secondary Photoshoot.

• March 5 & 12: CLASS OF 2022 CAP & GOWN PHOTOSHOOT - for Grade 12 students and their family members.

IMPORTANT: We are currently working with Stu Williamson on solutions for Distance Learner photoshoot. We will inform families soon.

• November 3: UAE Flag Day: KG & Elementary students invited to dress in UAE Flag colors or Emirati traditional clothing.

• November 10-11: Parent-Teacher Conferences (NO SCHOOL DAYS)

• November 14-18: Kindness Challenge Week

• November 14: Dance for Kindness for Elementary: Wear Orange Color!

• November 14-16: Red Crescent Coin Drive

• November 25: Half-Day, school dismisses at 12.