Our Grade 5 students are particularly excited at the moment, as a wonderful giant chess set now adorns the shared area. The children are thrilled, and we have already seen some tough battles of mental strength. I am very keen on chess as an enjoyable way for children to develop strategic thinking and predictive skills, and so I was delighted to have been lobbied for chess materials by three members of Grade 5: Adam A, Daniel S and Rayan A. Rayan was extremely convincing in the emails he sent me, which promoted the game of chess throughout the school. Here they are enjoying the new set.

Our Grade 10s have reached the end of their MYP years and the completion of this was celebrated in style by Mr Dexter, Ms Amanda and Ms Sandy. What a pleasure to see so many parents and students enjoying this final assembly, during which the Grade 10s received certificates issued from the school and from the IB. We are so excited for this year group as they enter their final two years at GIS – we know they will be a fine example, whichever route they are pursuing here. 

On Monday our U12 boys basketball squad travelled to Safa British School for their 2nd last game of the season. The boys put on a great team performance and ended up with a 14-11 victory.

On Tuesday our U12 girls basketball squad travelled to GEMS Founders for their last game of the season. The result of this game would decide the league winners. The girls battled valiantly throughout and in the end suffered a heartbreaking 1 point defeat. The girls had a fantastic season and can be extremely proud of their efforts. We look forward to seeing them on the court again next season.

On Wednesday our U14 boys basketball squad travelled to DESC for the Division 1 playoff semi-final, in what was the biggest game in the schools history. The boys knew that they had a tough task ahead of them after losing out to DESC in overtime in the first game of the season. As expected this was an extremely close encounter and unfortunately the boys just fell short with a 33-36 loss. The boys will play JESS Ranches next Wednesday in the 3rd place playoff and we wish them all the very best.

Also on Wednesday our U11 girls welcomed GEMS Silicon Oasis (WSO) for their last game of the season. The girls have been improving game on game and went in to this game quietly confident. The game started at a frantic pace and GIS went up 8-0 in the first quarter. WSO came back into it, but the girls were able to hold on for a 20-16 victory. A great end to the season and the girls can be very proud of their efforts.

On Thursday morning our U11 cricketers played a sunrise game against our close neighbors WEK. The players and coaches both thoroughly enjoyed the game, which in the end finished as a draw.

On Thursday our U11 boys basketball squad welcomed Southview School for the penultimate game of the season. The boys have been steadily improving game on game and have been learning to play together as a team. The boys played some great basketball and scored some fantastic baskets, but were unlucky to lose 24-22 in the end.

On Thursday afternoon a group of secondary students travelled to DIA to participate in the DASSA chess championships, the boys were unlucky to miss out on a top 3 spot, but were fantastic ambassadors for the school.

The secondary badminton squads played in the Dubai Schools Games across the week. They came up against some tough competition after doing very well in the DASSA Championships earlier this year. The stand out performers across the week were Pushkin S, who finished 2nd in the U15 individual competition and Ananya T & Shruti S who finished 4th in the girls doubles competition.