Secondary School

Advisory Connection Meetings

Each family will meet their child’s homeroom/advisory teacher for an 8-minute session. Bookings are made via PTC Fast https://ptcfast.com/schools/GEMS_International_School_Dubai

Please use this time to share insights and strengthen the partnership between home and school.

Guiding questions to consider:

• How has your child settled into school in these first weeks?

• What are the teacher’s initial observations so far?

• Is there anything important we should know to support your child this year?

Introductory Presentations

Alongside advisory meetings, families may attend short presentations delivered multiple times throughout the day. These include:

• Welcome to Secondary (from Aaron, Nic & Jen)

• Children Support Services (from Hannah, Jordan & Ellerinn)

• Wellbeing & SEL (from Fred & Lewis)

• The MYP (from Sandy)

• The IBDP & IBCP (from Burcu & Ged)

• Higher Education Pathways (from Meena)

• Athletics & Activities (from Tom)

Transportation Reminder

If your child is not taking the bus to or from school, please notify both the homeroom teacher and the Service Delivery Executive (sde-gis@sts-group.com). Afternoon changes must be sent by 1:00 p.m. (Mon–Thu) and 10:00 a.m. (Fri). Buses leave promptly at 3:30 p.m. and cannot be delayed.

Bus Behaviour & Safety

For everyone’s safety, please drive slowly around campus and do not use phones while driving. We also ask all families to carefully review the Bus Behaviour Code of Conduct with their child: [Bus Behaviour Conduct Document].

On Friday, our aviation-focused students, supported by Mr. Ged welcomed Mariano from PLD Space. His inspiring story of how the company grew from two amateur rocket enthusiasts to a 400-person company now leading Europe’s reusable rocket sector captured the imagination of both the staff and students watching. With a €350 million launch scheduled in Oman in 2027, PLD Space demonstrates what is possible when innovation and persistence combine. This aligns strongly with our IB philosophy of empowering students to become innovators and disruptors and we look forward to our students sharing many more experiences like this.

We are always looking to build similar opportunities for our students. If you have ideas, or connections to industry partners who would be happy to collaborate with our teachers and students, please reach out to me or a member of the Secondary Leadership Team. Partnerships like the one with PLD Space provide real-world inspiration and help our students see the future they can create.

We look forward to seeing all families on Thursday, September 18 for this important day of connection and partnership. Your ongoing support and collaboration are what make our community strong. Please continue to reach out whenever you have questions, celebrations, or concerns to share.

Warm regards,

Aaron Kane

Head of Secondary

GEMS International School – Al Khail