Dear Parents,

September is done, and October is here. The pace of the school year is brisk. We have had a great start to the school year. We want to thank parents, students, and teachers for their hard work. As we continue with the year, I’d like to highlight some work being done and upcoming dates:

• Last week, we had Jennifer Aquino come and work with our counselors to create a comprehensive Career and College Readiness plan. We will be implementing most of the initiatives this year, so please pay attention to notifications from counselors.
• We have two consultants who will be at the school next week. Erma Anderson will be working with Mathematics teachers in both the secondary and elementary divisions, and Michele Kuhns will be working with the entire secondary division on improving our Standards-based Learning approaches.
• On Tuesday, October 8, we will have MS/HS Parent Night in which we will discuss our curriculum, course offerings, and program of studies. Then, on Tuesday, October 15, we will have our IB College Night. Ms. Monica Martin will inform parents and students about advantages and practicalities of the IBDP in regards to university requirements and acceptance. We hope to see you on those nights.

We will continue to work hard for you and your students. Please speak with your students about their classes to stay informed of what is happening. Students who have set goals and are prepared have the best chance of success. We want to partner with you for better learning outcomes. If you are wondering what you can do at home, speak to teachers and administrators for ideas.

Best regards,

Kain Klinkhammer

Secondary School Principal

MotherTongue Studies at GAA

We are very excited to announce that, for the first time at GAA, this year we have opened a class to give IBDP students the opportunity to continue studying their mother tongue.

The “Self-Taught Language A” course is the ideal option for those students who have studied the language in an academic context and are interested in continuing to develop oral and written skills in their mother tongue while studying in a different language of instruction. Moreover, they will be rewarded with the prestigious “IB Bilingual Diploma”.

Is this an option you would like to consider for the future? This is what our students have to say about it:

"I am very happy to study the language and literature of my country. I've seen a lot of people studying abroad whose native languages have been stopped at their elementary or middle school level. However, thanks to IB Self Taught course, I can be prepared to compete with the students with the same age as me, when I go back to Korea." -Byeonghyung Park (Grade 12)

“The reason I'm excited to be in Self-Taught is that I get to reconnect with my culture; which I haven't interacted with in years. And also because I am actually interested in how Italian culture has evolved throughout the years and how it manifests within the texts I read. Another reason is that I get to increase my proficiency in Italian, which was very slowly getting worse. By reading in Italian, I start thinking in Italian too!” -Donato Baldassarre (Grade 11)

Should you have any questions, please see Mrs. Carmen Gil in room 276.

CONGRATULATIONS to Natalie Humphrey and Arim Lim from Grade 10, for being the finalists of Mawhibaty, a Talent Development Program in Arts, by ADEK!

The program aims to identify the talented students in visual and performing arts, and to improve and develop their capabilities and art skills to enable them to represent the United Arab Emirate in local and international events.

Our preferred Apple provider, JTRS (Just The Right Solutions), has created an e-store from which you can purchase a number of Apple products below retail costs. JTRS Education is offering discounts on MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs and iPads, as well as add-ons, cases and extended warranties.

Below, you will find a document on how to locate and sign-up for the e-store to see the discounted products and make a purchase. Once purchased, JTRS Education will be in communication with you about when they will be delivered to the school. Once they have been delivered to GAA, you may pick your devices up from the ICT office here at the school.

If you have any further questions, please contact JTRS directly at +971 4 338 0990 or info@jtrs.ae

• October 6 - October 10 - Secondary Stu Williamson School Photo Session
• October 8 - MS / HS Program at GAA Presentation @ 5:00 pm
• October 10 - GAA Parent Association meeting @ 08:30 am
• October 10 - Parent Information Session with K-12 Math Expert, Erma Anderson @ 1:45 pm
• October 15 - IBDP/ College Night @ 6:00 pm

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE GAA EVENTS CALENDAR

(please note, updated regularly)