Week Thirty Four - June 2nd, 2023
Dear Parents & Guardians,
Welcome to another Week, and what a week it was!
GIS celebrated all things artistic and I am so impressed with the standard of work that has been on display this week. We have had performances in the front reception in the morning and the cafeteria during lunchtime. Students danced, acted and sang their hearts out in front of large crowds of supporters.
There have also been films related to the arts, showing at lunchtimes for students to sit back, escape the heat and appreciate the arts.
The art exhibition, which will be on show for the month of June, showcases the visual art talents, so many of our students possess. Our Grade 11 Art students have been instrumental in assisting with the set up of the exhibition and it is good practice for them in the lead up to Grade 12 requirements.
Thank you to all of our budding artists and Ms Mel for the transformation which has taken place in the secondary building. Students have been working exceptionally hard on these pieces for many months and they should be very proud of the end result. The variety and quality of art forms, the willingness for our students and the effort from our staff is outstanding.
I would like to thank our amazing Art team in secondary Ms Ellie, Ms Melanie, Ms Emma, Ms Jessica and Mr Rick who have done an amazing job. Bravo!
Also, this week, Ms Anrie accompanied by two students from the Eco-Club (Vasiliki and Alisa), visited the beach early one morning. They participated in a plogging photoshoot which will be used at the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) exhibition in Geneva later this year. The pictures, highlighting the work of our students in the wider community, will be printed on large displays at the exhibition! Well done to all involved.
I’d like to take this opportunity to remind parents that MAP testing takes place next week for students in Grade 6 to 10. As highlighted in recent correspondence from Homeroom Teachers and Mr Harry, these tests are vital in allowing us to gauge the level of support that your child will need next academic year. The data from the tests will be analyzed over the summer so that students are suitably challenged upon their return to school in August. To ensure your child is set up for success, please do follow previous instructions in setting up your child’s laptop in preparation for next week.
On that note, enjoy the weekend ahead.
Best wishes
Amanda Murphy
MYP
CP/DP
PHE
MYP/CP/DP
PHE
IMPORTANT DATES FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS
June 5 CP2 and DP2 courses begin for all Grade 11 students
June 21 Secondary School Academic Awards (Grade 6-8: 2:30-4:00pm | Grade 9-11: 5:00 - 7:00pm)
June 22 Secondary School Sports Awards (4-5:30pm)
June 26 Last day of school (students will be dismissed at 12pm)
Last year, the amazing Student ELT launched the Secondary Student Hub for secondary students. This is an ongoing collaborative project between the Student ELT, Inclusion Team & Grade Leaders.
The Secondary Student Hub will remain the students access point for the new social groups and peer mentoring, as well as signing up for the already established peer tutoring programme.
Students will also be able to find links to ECAs, student voice initiative, counsellor referral forms, mindset matters and homeroom information. We are really proud of the work that the Student ELT have put in to this so far and look forward to seeing their expansion of the site.
*Students must be logged into their gemsisak gmail account to access the site.
Language Stars of the Week
May 22-26
G6
Maryam Kauser, Michael Faiz, Jennifer Tohme, Luna Moya Aleman, Madalena Ferreira, Mohamed Jr Abdulhussein, Ameli Abzhanova
G7
Noah Memon, Maliha Pathan, Maryam Ibrahim, Termah Ghorbany, Lea Al Beainy, Sidonie Roux
G8
Haluk Kocer, Rebecca Sanna, Tobias Madsen, Tamara Algebori, Yalda Ahmadi¸ Can Ozgoren, Yasseen Negm, Abdurrahman Khawar
G9
Riccardo Fabretti, Kareen Elskaf, Jashan Tejani, Lara Borges, Yassin Hamroush, Zina Ben Mousa
G10
Kyraa Lulla, Nigora Alisherovna, Gabriele Simo, Sarra Bouzambou, Chahine Ouchari, Yusuf Ergasev
We are thrilled to announce the release of Episode 2 of "GIS Speaks" in Arabic, our delightful program that highlights the most important events happening at Gems International School (GIS). Kindly view the episode here.
In this episode, our Secondary students take center stage once again to bring you the latest updates on academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and important announcements. Their enthusiasm and dedication are sure to leave you feeling inspired and proud of our school community.
But that's not all! We have prepared some surprises to brighten your day. This episode is designed to bring joy and laughter, leaving a smile on your face from start to finish.
Don't forget to participate in our "As the Proverb Says" segment. Share your interpretation of the featured Arabic proverb by leaving a comment, and you might just win a special prize!
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. We hope you enjoy Episode 2 of "GIS Speaks" in Arabic.
Grade 10
Well done to the whole of the grade 10 Textiles class who made these fabulous designs from their Fashionable Armor Unit. Students were tasked with creating an item based on their inquiry into medieval armor. I think you can agree they did a great job! More items are displayed on the 3rd floor corridor.
Grades 6
Uyi from 6c proudly showing off his efforts with the completion of his jigsaw puzzle. Uyi based his jigsaw puzzle on the theme of the Movie Frozen and developed lots of new skills in the workshop along the way.
Grade 6-8
Congratulations to the ‘Drama Llamas of the month’ for May! This is an indication of their excellent engagement and hard work in Drama lessons and tasks this month . Keep up the amazing work!
Katia Elshal(6B)
Aarit Duggirala (6F)
Foteini Fasoula (7A)
Emmerieck De Guzman(7D)
Saleha Kauser(8A)
Vasiliki Chrysochoou (8D)
Grade 6
The walls of ancient Egyptian buildings are covered in carvings of scenes from everyday life. In this activity, student reenacted their own scenes from Ancient Egypt, depicting different social groups from that time.
Grade 6
Grade 6 students worked collaboratively to demonstrate their understanding of the text by using the Round Robin strategy and creating a mind map as a technique that organizes information around the text.Students show their work and get feedback from their classmates based on specific rubrics.
Grade 6
This week, our grade 6 students started with a new unit on Data Management. In this unit, students will learn how to collect, classify and represent information that is gathered from a variety of sources as they explore the global context of identities and relationships. In some classes, students took turns, rotating per group, to choose which type of data representation their group would like to work on.
Grade 7
This week, our grade 7 students were investigating rates of change, determining if the rates of change in different scenarios are constant or not. Some students were working on their ‘puppy project’, using given data to determine what the mass of each of their puppies were at birth. Some students worked online (EP), completing tables and graphs involving rates of change. A few students were doing coloring-in activities: their answers determined which color they should use.
Grade 6 and 8
We have started the last round of the 6-week Lexonik Advance programme for the year. This programme is offered to selected students in grade 6 and 8. Through this programme, students rapidly improve reading, spelling, vocabulary and comprehension, with average reading age gains of 27 months in just six weekly one-hour sessions. Looking forward to seeing which group can read 74 syllables in 60 seconds!
Homeroom begins at 8:10am, following the UAE national anthem.
students are considered late if they arrive to class after the anthem.
Monday to Thursday: 3:15pm
Friday: 11:40am
Please arrange for students to be collected promptly after dismissal. Secondary students are not permitted to gather inside the Main Reception or Slices Cafeteria while awaiting collection. They may wait in the adjacent courtyard or the outdoor area at the front of the school, being careful not to block doorways.
*Parents may enter the school campus via Gate 4, Gate 6 and Gate 8.
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Digital devices, such as smartphones and tablets, make online platforms and content easily accessible. And, while there are many benefits of seamless accessibility and connectivity, there are also many potential risks - to the health, well-being and even the safety of young people - that must be considered by young people themselves, as well as by parents and schools. Technological advances are faster than ever and new online platforms are released at a rapid rate, making it challenging to effectively monitor and control (for their own well-being) the online activity of the young people in our care.
Young people will, at times, seek out and/or be inadvertently exposed to inappropriate online content. If and when this is the case, it is important that they feel comfortable and confident to disclose and discuss the matter with trusted adults. While banning smart devices may not be practical (or desirable), implementing agreements around device usage (for instance) is a healthy and productive approach to online media balance and safety. There are a number of useful tips and strategies available to support healthy and well-informed approaches to media use. Please take some time to explore the E-safety: Parent Guidance, which has been created to support GIS parents in this regard.
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