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Week Seven - October 13th, 2023
Kim Conlin
Head of Primary
Good afternoon parents,
Well, what a fun day we had today! It is such an honor to have been a part of GIS for half of the school's journey, and today was a big celebration for us all! Thank you to all our special guests who joined in the celebrations today and to GISPA for providing celebration activities for us in each grade. It has been a decade of excellence in education, and we are immensely proud of the progress we've made together. Our PYP Treble choir performance at the 10th Birthday ceremony was my highlight of the day! The song they prepared was not only beautiful but also symbolic of our amazing community at GIS!.
We hope all our families will enjoy the midterm break and take part in activities local to Dubai or in places further away. Monday the 23rd is also a holiday for students, but our dedicated teaching staff will be engaged in Professional Development workshops and training sessions. These opportunities allow our teachers to enhance their teaching methods, stay up-to-date with the latest educational trends, and ensure your child's academic experience is the best it can be.
We are ecstatic to announce the grand opening of our state-of-the-art Innovation Hub! This innovative space will be a focal point for creativity, hands-on learning, and technology integration. It's designed to inspire and empower our students to explore new horizons and foster a spirit of curiosity.This fun day holds even more significance since it coincides with our school's 10th Birthday celebration!
Have a wonderful half term break!
Newsletter at a Glance
Newsletter at a Glance
In this edition you will find:
Announcements / Reminders / Upcoming dates
GIS 10th Birthday and PYP Innovation Hub Grand Opening!
Peek Into Learning
Primary Pages - link to Grade and Class pages
PYP reminders and resources
Absence Procedure
Whole School Calendar
Upcoming Dates
Upcoming Dates
October 16h-23rd - Mid-Term Break
Students return to school on Tuesday 24th October
October 31st - Creepy Crawly Dance Party
The GIS Innovation Hub Grand Opening!
The GIS Innovation Hub Grand Opening!
Today, alongside GIS' 10th Birthday Celebration, we opened our PYP Innovation Hub! The Innovation Hub is the newest addition to our facilities in primary and will be used by students in Grades 2-5 for a wide range of learning experiences. Students will be able to bring ideas to life with an extensive array of learning tools, including 3D printers, robotics kits, VR headsets, music production hardware and software, and much more! Students can create, ideate, and produce as far as their imaginations take them.
Announcements and Reminders:
Announcements and Reminders:
We are excited to announce the first event, which will be co-created with the 2023/24 student council - Creepy Crawly day.
It is time to start getting creative and thinking about what your costume might be for our upcoming Creepy Crawly Dance on October 31st. Please refrain from violent or overly scary costumes (no weapons or scary masks). Students from PreK-G5 will be asked to donate 5AED to participate in the costume dress-up dance, which will be donated to a good cause.
Connect Ed - SAVE THE DATES
Connect Ed - SAVE THE DATES
Please Save the Dates for the upcoming Connect Eds.
The purpose of the Connect Eds is to support our parent community with social, emotional and academics for their children.
We have a plethora of knowledge and expertise in our Primary School Team and they will provide practical information and strategies.
The parent community is an integral part of GIS and we feel it is important to make them part of our learning community.
We hope to see you many of you at the Connect Eds and closer to the time we will send you more information on the ConnectEds in our Newsletter.
Peek into Learning: KG2
Peek into Learning: KG2
Our KG2 students have been focused on the unit Who We Are - 'Understanding relationships build community,' Their engagement has been thoughtful and enthusiastic. Throughout the unit, the students explored the various communities they belong to, including their families, classroom, school, and even broader contexts like Dubai and the world at large. They discussed the unique roles and responsibilities within these different communities.
During the 'finding out' stage, the students enriched their understanding through reading books, conducting interviews, and listening to guest speakers. These activities allowed them to reflect on the different aspects of a community. As a practical application of their learning, the students worked collaboratively to identify essential agreements for their classroom. These agreements aim to foster a principled and caring community within the class itself. Students respresented their different communities using drawings, lego blocks, construction blocks and playdough to further demonstrate their understanding.
Additionally, the students applied their writing skills by labelling members of their community and writing about the roles within their own families, integrating their learning across subjects. You can see some examples of students' writing in the photos below.
Keep up to date with what is happening in your child's class!
Keep up to date with what is happening in your child's class!
Parents have all received a notification to sign up for the Toddle platform. This is an exciting enhancement to our parent communication, and this year you will receive weekly updates through the Toddle platform.
This IB affiliated platform will offer opportunities for parents to remain up to date with their child's academic progress.
The below class pages will host resources for parents and will no longer have weekly messages. All information will be sent through Toddle, so please inform your class teacher if you have any trouble registering.
Please remember that weekly updates will come to you through Toddle.
Please remember that weekly updates will come to you through Toddle.
Information for new/starting families
Information for new/starting families
Drop off and Pick up
Drop off and Pick up
Drop Off (7:50-8:10): Parents PK-G1 drop in classroom
Drop Off: (7:50-8:10) Grade 2-5 through gate 8 or gate 4
Late: any student arriving after the national anthem must get a late slip at front reception/gate 4.
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Pick up (3:05 or 11:30 on Friday): PK-G1 pick up from classroom
Pick up (3:15 or 11:40 on Friday) Pick up through gate 8 or 4
*due to crowding at gate 4, we have allocated a safe space near the pirate ship for PYP students to wait for parents. During adverse weather or lengthy waits, students will be moved to the canteen. Follow up with with a parent or guardian will take place after 30 min. We appreciate parents effort to collect children in time.
My child will be absent
My child will be absent
Any absence (whether it is planned or unplanned ) must be communicated via email to the homeroom teacher and gis_primaryleaverequest@gemsedu.com by 8:00 AM. STS/bus users must also copy the STS manger on the email. vijesh.kumar@sts-group.com
A planned or extended absence beyond 2 days requires the completion of an absence request form.
Absence for more than 3 days requires prior approval if planned or a doctors clearance for illness related leave (in some cases a medical certificate is requested )
My child will leave during the school day (exceptional/unavoidable cases only)
My child will leave during the school day (exceptional/unavoidable cases only)
Parents are urged to schedule medical, dental and other appointments after school hours or during vacations.
A request must be submitted before a child can be released once in school for health and safety and reasons.
Filling in the form 24hrs in advance is expected where possible.
At the time of collection, please come to the Primary Reception at Gate 4.
Key Contacts
Key Contacts
GIS Primary Behavior Policy 2.pdfPage updated
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