Embedded Files
Week three - September 17th 2020
From the Head of School's Desk
From the Head of School's Desk
Dear Parents,
If you think this week has been ‘gloriumptious’ or even a real ‘razztwizzler’, you would have appreciated the Oompa Loompas greeting your children on Sunday! No, I am not writing gibberish – I am of course referring to the celebration of famous children’s author, Roald Dahl’s birthday on Sunday 13th September. A huge thank you to our Primary School librarian, Ms Macleod, for encouraging the primary teachers and teaching assistants to dress as Oompa Loompas (Willy Wonka’s helpers in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’). I had no idea that our Primary Staff had such amazing wardrobes. It was quite difficult to concentrate when Ms. Kim was talking seriously to me in her green wig, or when I was interviewed on Educational Philosophy by Willy Wonka (Mr Javier)!
Ms. Sarah dressed as the perfect Oompa Loompa
Our very own Willy Wonka , Mr. Javier
On the subject of interviews, it was a pleasure to meet two Grade 11 students this week, Nourhan F and Sarah A, who are the creative force behind ‘Link TV’ at GIS. I was honoured to be their first guest this year. Their warm-up questions included, ‘Would you rather meet your ancestors or your great-grandchildren?’, ‘Would you rather be able to talk to animals or know all languages?’ and, ‘Would you rather rewind your life or press the ‘pause’ button?’ These turned out to be the easy ones! The topics moved on to educational themes, plans for GIS and how we shall cope and thrive during the current pandemic. I was so impressed by the professional attitude of these students, their preparation and organization. What a credit to the school.
This week, we were able to thank a set of valued colleagues, our teaching assistants. As part of a day dedicated to teaching assistants and their role, we were asked to say what our teaching assistants mean to us. At GIS, teachers and teaching assistants co-plan, work in collaborative units and treat each other with respect. This leads to trust and a greater sense of purpose, and inevitably, better outcomes for our students. Our Teaching Assistants are invaluable to us and our teachers have expressed this eloquently. If you’d like to click on this LINK, you’ll find out more.
I hope that you will find GIS to be a school which listens and follows up on suggestions, even if we cannot grant every wish. One change made this week has been the introduction of a booking system (one in, one out) to help parents who would like to bring cheques to our cashier at more convenient times of the day. We have listened. Whilst maintaining the most stringent health and safety measures, we shall give more flexibility. We know that this change is appreciated. I would like to thank the parents who brought that constructive idea. Our front of house team and cashier are also here on Saturday mornings throughout the month of September.
Finally, in the melee of the start of any new school year, it is easy to overlook the most important raison d’être of all schools: the teaching and learning and the smooth educational journey for our students. This can only happen in a safe, secure and healthy environment, so I am grateful to all our staff for close adherence to the rules and in particular to our Operations Team, led by Mr. Ranjit Menon, for ensuring we have the safest environment and allowing us to focus on education. It has been such a pleasure to see our students engage in their learning, both remotely and on campus. I have one request of parents, which will help us ensure that we can contact you rapidly if needed. If you have an updated email, telephone number or children’s Emirate ID number, please adjust on the parent portal or communicate this to school. Thank you for your understanding.
I wish you a safe and happy weekend,
Kind regards,
Simon Herbert
Late pick up - adjustments and reminders
Late pick up - adjustments and reminders
We have been delighted with the way that our community has adapted to the new pick up and drop off expectations. We have developed new habits swiftly and this has been largely due to our parents following our guidelines and being punctual at the beginning and end of the day; thank you!
We would like to bring your attention to the very important points below:
We would like to bring your attention to the very important points below:
Students should be picked up at the standard dismissal (2:30 or 2:40 - house dependent) OR the late dismissal at 3:30pm. It is not possible for us to manage pick up between these times. Families that are late for standard dismissal will be asked to wait until 3:30pm
REMINDER - Very few families have required the late pick up so we have adjusted our protocols slightly to reduce the staffing pressures at late pick up. ALL late pick ups will take place from the main gate/reception and they will ALL take place at 3:30pm
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