Week Nine - October 28th 2021
Dear Parents,
I hope that you are well and that you enjoyed the short break.
Just before the break, some excellent preparations went into the Prophet’s Birthday, Mawlid un Nabi, on 18th October, from our Heads of Islamic Studies, Ms. Nomah and Ms. Rasha. Together with the Islamic teacher teams, along with Ms. Suad from GISPA, Mr. Sujay from the Design Department, and student helpers, they made the day truly special and meaningful. Not only did we learn and share values, we enjoyed a livestream, decorations and goodies, and special classroom activities. Well done to all involved!
Also, just before the break we saw some wonderful learning in KG2 classes, where the children were studying ‘Communities’. Key members of the GIS community visited classrooms and talked about their roles. Visitors included security staff, cleaning staff, Ms. Emely and our school doctor, Dr. Sanam. In the photo below, Dr. Sanam is answering questions on hand hygiene and healthy eating and explaining the role of a doctor in a school community. This is real life learning at its best – well done to the children of KG2 and thank you to all the visitors and of course our teachers for organizing this.
This week I had the honour of representing GIS and GEMS on a webinar panel organized by KHDA. This focused on the return to school this term, and the ‘Joys and Challenges’ experienced by educators in the last eighteen months. Thanks to the vibrant GIS community and the dynamism of staff, students and parents, I was able to recount many positives, and also relate how we have approached the challenges as a community. I also enjoyed learning from other educators and hearing about their contexts.
Another highlight for me this week was the very special invitation by Mr. Kieran, to introduce the sport of hockey (field hockey, that is) to our Grade 9 PHE group. I was a little apprehensive at the thought of making a technical sport fun and engaging for a group of teenagers, nearly all of whom are beginners. However, they were all so enthusiastic and determined. Mr. Kieran and I thought they had a super attitude. In a question-answer session at the end, they asked how long I had played (I think they imagined I started when the sport was invented!) and wanted me to show them how hard I could hit the ball. I obliged and managed not to break a window.
I am delighted to say that GISPA has been as busy as ever, and I commend the team for their weekly ‘breakfast and coffee’ sessions at the Hillhouse Brasserie every Tuesday morning. This week’s event focused on inclusion and our Head of Inclusion, Ms. Diana, and her team were also present.
As an IB school, we are exceptionally proud of Mr. Michael Norton, who presented to 245 teachers and principals this week at the annual IB Conference. GIS has an excellent reputation for student voice and Mr. Mike’s lecture, entitled ‘Unleashing the Power of Student Voice: Integrating Student Voice into School Development Processes’ was a huge success and reflected so well on GIS and GEMS. Credit to Mr. Mike for planning and presenting this at such a busy time.
Finally, on the subject of student voice and leadership, this week saw the GIS annual Student Leadership Team Handover. Applications and interviews have taken place in our Secondary School and the new Committee Heads and Vice President and President have been selected. It was such a privilege to be involved in the final interviews and to hear from such mature students. Please see Ms. Amanda’s newsletter for full details. I thank the last Leadership Team for their superb work and welcome the new!
Kind regards and have a good weekend,
Simon Herbert
We are delighted to say that it has been a busy week of Extra Curricular activities at GIS. Students have been deprived of these extra learning opportunities for a long time, so we are delighted to be able to offer our teacher led activities once again.
Term 1 DASSA fixtures kick off next week. Our squads have been training very hard over the past few weeks and a huge thanks must go to all our coaches and student coaches, who have worked hard to get all squads prepared. We have 10 squads competing in both football and basketball and we wish all teams the very best of luck in their respective competitions #GoJaguars
If you would like to see what Extra Curricular Activities we have available please go to SOCS (Parent Log In Help)
Dubai 30x30 Fitness Challenge
“Dubai Fitness Challenge is an annual celebration of fitness and wellness".
Back for its fifth anniversary year, the challenge is simple: complete 30 minutes of activity each day for 30 days. Dubai Fitness Challenge helps create a fitness-focused mindset and inspires us all to seek healthy, active lifestyles. With a month-long calendar of free workouts, exciting fitness events and wellness-centric entertainment, there’s plenty of inspiration to keep moving.
Join us! 29 October – 27 November 2021
Join the GIS STEPPI team.
GIS has accepted the Dubai Fitness Challenge and will be competing with other schools in the STEPPI CHALLENGE. Join our team by downloading the STEPPI app and contributing towards GIS being the fittest school in Dubai.
Throughout the Dubai Fitness Challenge we will be running fitness sessions every morning for grade 2 and above from 07:30-08:00 in the Indoor Sports Hall until November 25th. PE Staff and some of the Gr 11 & 12 students will be leading a wide range of activities including yoga, flexibility training, dodgeball and many more.
As well as this we will reintroduce the daily mile where students can run, walk or jog around the Main Football Field between 07:30-08:00. We will play some music and students can enjoy some exercise with friends and siblings.
All of these activities will also be a part of the GIS Fittest House Competition. Students will be able to earn points for attending these activities and can earn more points for extra effort, enthusiasm and encouragement to others.
We will also be running some family fitness challenges where families can get involved together at home and earn house points so keep an eye on our social media platforms.
ARE YOU UP TO THE CHALLENGE?
As the end of the month is nearing, we wanted to reflect on a wonderful month for Women's Health. The school raised over 12,000dhs for the Al Jalila Foundation through the pink day festivities - thank you everyone for such a wonderful effort!
Please see below for our winning students collecting their prizes.
Nova - KG1
Bachir - Grade 6
Yeva - Grade 6
Ghadi - Grade 10
We have some exciting news regarding the Tuesday GISPA coffee break mornings.
We were able to get the time extended. The new timing will be from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. The menu and price is still the same, just more time to enjoy it all.
This Tuesday, we will have special guests attending; Dr. Jayacy Chandrassery Jayankar, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology and Marlies Rashad-Klok; a fellow GIS mom and Head Academic Training Affairs in medical sector.
Our guest will join GIS families at the tables to discuss topics regarding women’s health. Such as, when your daughter should visit a gynecologist, HPV related information, as well as, demonstrating how to do a breast self exam. They will answer any questions or concerns GIS families might have regarding these topics.
We look forward to seeing you all!
GREAT NEWS
STS are now offering a bus service to Akoya Oxygen.
For more details please contact STS representative.
E-mail: indu.tripathi@sts-group.com
Contact: 055-8775488