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.

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.

Kind regards and have a good weekend,

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 25^th. 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.

GIS Community Calendar 21/22

If you would like to subscribe to the the GIS Community Calendar, please click HERE for the link.

This calendar will be continually updated to reflect key dates and events.