Updated March 1, 2023

Kindergarten

(PreK, KG1, KG2)

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM

pre-K to gRADE 2 vice principal

ms. lauren sargent alkhalifah

Dear Kindergarten families,

First and foremost, I hope that your family had a wonderful and restful summer. The moment your children have all been waiting for is upon us: the First Day of School!

Our teachers, educational assistants, and support staff have been working diligently to prepare for your students to join our 2022-2023 Kindergarten family. I truly appreciate their effort to facilitate an engaging learning environment for our students. We have a lot of exciting things planned for your children and in their new learning environments!

I’d like to introduce myself as the new PreK-Grade 2 Vice Principal. My name is Lauren Sargent Alkhalifah.I have worked in the UAE for over 10 years and am excited to join the GAA family. I look forward to meeting and engaging with you as we continue the legacy of greatness that has been set out for our early learners.

Kindergarten ‘Drop and Go’:

We understand that families wish to escort their KG students into school on the first few days, and we encourage you to do that during our ‘KG Staggered Start’ to help ease their minds and help them transition.

After the first week is complete, we highly encourage student independence and recommend families use our ‘KG Drop and Go’ in the morning. There will be staff in front of Gate 3 (the KG entrance) at the front of the school. These staff are there to assist your child from the car to the classroom and enables you to avoid parking, which helps with traffic flow for all parents.

Parents entering the classroom in KG:

We understand that for some students, the first day of school can present lots of emotions and anxieties, which is expected. For the ease of transitioning into their new environments and promoting independence, we ask that parents leave the classroom setting by 7:45am.

Designated Entry Points:

Designated entry points will be fitted with thermal imaging cameras which will record temperatures so it is imperative that these entry points are used.

Gate 1 (Front of School main entrance) - Grades 2 - 12.
Gate 3 (Front of School KG entrance) - Kindergarten and Grade 1 only.(This entrance is recommended for KG students and is designated specifically for them)
Gate 4 (Back of School) - Buses and Grades K-12.
Gate 5 (Back of School) – Open for Grades K-12.

Thank you for your continuous support during these challenging times and we look forward to welcoming you in the coming weeks.

Lauren Sargent Alkhalifah

PreKG- Grade 2 Vice Principal

KG Orientation 2022-2023.pdf

PRE-KINDERGARTEN

Pre-K Communication

Letter to PreK families.pdf

PreK Orientation .pdf

PreK Uniforms

We are aware of the uniform size shortages for PreK students in Threads store. We have been communicated by Store management that smaller uniform sizes will be available by September 10th.

Until the uniform stock is replenished, we recommend that PreK students wear loose and comfortable tops and comfortable bottoms in blue/white colors (GAA Colors).

Please send a change of clothes for your child to keep in the classroom.

PreK Dismissal

There is a separate entrance for PreK by their classrooms at the back. Please use this in the afternoon to collect your children. We will have security on standby to help show you where that is. All parents trying to enter through the front KG reception will be redirected as to not disturb our Kindergarten (KG1 & KG2) students’ learning and emotions.

Extended ‘Stay and Play’ updates

We are settling in at the moment, but will have a nap time regularly in this time.

Needs:

pillowcase stuffed with a blanket, a stuffed animal/pillow (if they need one to transition).
These pieces need to be labeled with the child’s name and class.
They will be sent home every Friday to be washed and returned for the next week.

BACKPACK GUIDELINES

Kindergarten has a no backpack policy (this includes carried and rolling backpacks). Students will need their lunch box and a water bottle for school. If you would still like a small book bag for your child, we advise bags with measurements no greater than 9.5 inches (width) and 10.5 inches height, to fit inside our cubby space. Students may still need to bring bags for swim kits and there will be common areas to store these, yet for most days the smaller bag and their lunch bag will be the only required bags for KG1 and KG2 students.

Please note: Large backpacks and rolling/wheeled backpacks take up space we want to use for your child’s learning.

NO SCHOOL SUPPLIES ARE REQUIRED FOR KG STUDENT.

WATER, SNACK AND PACKED LUNCH MUST BE PROVIDED FROM HOME.

LEARNING AT KINDERGARTEN

General Information about KG

Curriculum: American Common Core Standards.
Framework: IB Primary Years Programme.

Through a play-based learning approach we have:

All teachers that are early childhood specialists.
Educational assistants for every class.
Early years student support team with a counselor and inclusion specialists.

Purposeful facilities that support learning:

The Kitchen lab cultivates science and inquiry as well as hygiene and safety practices.
Students develop techniques in aquatics and safety in the swimming pool.
Our outdoor learning areas enhance gross motor skills and fosters an active learning.
Early literacy skills and a love of books is promoted in the KG library.
The Auditorium brings us together as a community to celebrate our learning.

Innovation and Technology:

Our research-based approach ensures learning engagements remain current.
Makerspace in every classroom ensures that students use design-oriented thinking to plan, create and build their ideas.
The provision of iPads in the classroom include a range of educational applications and understanding how to use technology responsibly.
All classrooms are equipped with interactive white boards and Apple TV’s to accommodate all learning styles in a fun and engaging way.

Student support and well-being:

Built-in nap time for Pre-K students.
2 separate entrances for Pre-K and KG.
Mindfulness practice is intertwined in our day through the MindUp Curriculum.
Through the Zones of Regulation, students develop their self-management skills.
Inclusive practice with the student support team, ensures every child has access to an outstanding education.

What Does a KG Day Look Like?

School arrival time for Pre-K and Kindergarten students is at 7:30 a.m. with class beginning at 7:45 a.m. and ending at 2:15 p.m for Pre-K and KG. Recess and snack/lunch woven throughout our day.

We encompass the holistic approach by exploring the below specialists:

Physical Education
Arabic Language
Islamic Education
Kitchen Lab
Library

Our main pedagogical approach is inquiry, which moves students from their current understanding to new understanding by actively building connections between experiences and knowledge. Students become responsible for their learning by asking questions, carrying out investigations, and reflecting on their observations and processes in order to make a conclusion. Kindergarten classrooms are full of enriching, play-based engagements. Students manipulate the environment around them in order to make sense of the world.

KG1 Curriculum Guide

KG1 Curriculum Guide 2022.pdf

KG2 Curriculum Guide

KG2 Curriculum Guide 2022.pdf

KINDERGARTEN DIGITAL PLATFORMS

For parent communication

Parent teacher communication in the Kindergarten is via Seesaw, which is a student e-portfolio. KG parents can also expect to receive direct emails from teachers, and an KG weekly newsletter.

For classroom and home learning

At GAA we have a wide range of technology platforms and applications that we use to support the needs of our students and their families.

Seesaw (K-5) is our digital portfolio that allows students and teachers to share a snapshot of the learning that is taking place at school. Activities can also be created and shared with the students to work on when they are at home.

Learning A-Z Raz-Plus (K-5), Lexia (K-5) are literacy platforms that provide our students with support for their reading, comprehension and literacy skills.

BrainPOP Jr (K-2) is educational website that provide many animated movies to help students develop their understanding of many different topics in all different subject areas (Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Technology, etc).

We also have a host of other website subscriptions and applications that are used by various classes and teachers to support the learning both in and out of the classroom, some of those include Zearn, Epic, Zorbits, Starfall, Nearpod, Generation Genius, CritterCoin, Padlet, Teach Your Monster, among many others.

ClassLink

In order to allow both students and parents easily access all of these amazing resources and accounts without needing to remember all of the login information, we use ClassLink (K-5) which is a platform that is used to securely store all login information and create a simple single sign on access – this means that you do not need to remember all of the login information – usernames, passwords, etc for each site or resource, you will simply need to sign in to your ClassLink Launchpad and access everything through there.