Week Thirty Eight- June 30th 2021

Secondary School

And in the blink of an eye, the school year has come to a close once again!

Thank you students for your hard work and resilience this year. It was a pleasure speaking to each grade level this week during their end of year assemblies. You have all achieved so much in such challenging circumstances this year and I could not be prouder as the Head of Secondary.

Our teachers really have been superstars this year and have had to juggle so many demands this year but have done so with the usual character, spirit and passion for students; thank you all.

GIS is poised for a great year next year and there should be excitement in our community about the thought of some form of 'normality' returning to our lives. Good luck to our class of 2021 as results are published next week and I wish our entire community a wonderful summer break (we certainly deserve it this year!!).

MAP Reports

Please note that these will be published on Sunday 4th at approx. 2:00pm. We can only publish the reports once certain aspects of the testing window have been completed and checks have been done.

Next Year

Please take note of the start dates that are listed later in this edition. These could be adjusted if there are any mandated changes from KHDA but it is important to note that new families (including all G6 - you're new to secondary) have an earlier start date to the rest of our returning families.

COVID 19 reminders for all families

Travel declaration and return to school after any travel out of the UAE.

All families should use the link to the GEMS travel declaration form at the bottom of this page and complete this form to indicate any travel

If you are intending on traveling please ensure that your child has completed a PCR test and received a negative result within 48 hours of returning to school.

Students should come to school fully prepared for socially distanced education:
- 1. A well fitted mask - if the mask is constantly slipping then it should be replaced. The disposable masks remain the ideal mask for school
  2. Sanitizer - this is available in school but we do suggest that students carry their own in addition
  3. Food and water - we still prefer students to be self sustaining rather than purchasing in school. We do have handsfree water stations in school so water bottles can be refilled
If your child is ill, they should stay home
- 1. We understand the pressures of missing school and we appreciate families that are committed to ensure their children attend school regularly but students must stay away from school if they have COVID related symptoms
  2. In most cases, this will only be for a day or two. If symptoms persist beyond this time then a PCR test would be advisable and at that point, we can provide remote access to learning
DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL IF YOU ARE AWAITING PCR RESULTS
- 1. If you have to have your child tested for any reason then we ask that you please do not send your child to school while awaiting results
Provide GIS Medical Alert (GIS_MedicalAlert@GEMSEdu.com) with any and all information related to your family and COVID as soon as possible
- 1. This really helps the school to manage to widespread impact of individual cases on other students.
  2. Delaying information by even an hour can be the difference between 2 or 3 students having to isolate and 6 to 10
IF YOUR CHILD IS IDENTIFIED AS A CLOSE CONTACT TO A POSITIVE CASE, THEY SHOULD BE IN ISOLATION
- If a person is considered to be a 'close contact' of a confirmed positive case of COVID19, they are placed on isolation from school
- If they are on isolation, they should not be socializing and should be isolated

Pandemic Phenomenon

Congratulations to all of our Grade 9 and Grade 10 performers as they wowed us with their perseverance and raw talent last week. The cast delivered the production Pandemic Phenomenon which included the titles Commence and Pandemic Pancake.

Even with the challenging year we have had, they did not let that dampen their spirits and together with Ms. Emma and Ms. Aislinn, they found a way to perform - the show must go on! The cast delivered this production adhering to social distancing guidelines, wearing masks and even including other cast members not able to attend live.

These students have been working tirelessly on this project, and it was wonderful to see how much they have grown not just as individuals but as a collective team. BRAVO GIS Drama students!! We are so proud of you!

MYP Grade Leader Team

Academic Year 2021-22

Grade 6Ms. Alishaa.muir_gis@gemsedu.com

Grade 7Ms. Hodah.alawady_gis@gemsedu.com

Grade 8Ms. Sangitas.thakrar_gis@gemsedu.com

Grade 9Mr. Dexterd.sinclair_gis@gemsedu.com

Grade 10Mr. Conorc.dineen_gis@gemsedu.com

We are excited to share that our students are invited to participate in the Global Social Leaders Summer of Change. It is being delivered by Future Foundations and supported by the Wellington Leadership and Coaching Institute!

This opportunity is open to 11-17 year olds. The programme aims to; develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values students’ need today to thrive in and shape their world; nurture wellbeing; and develop the skills to implement real social action challenges and projects, and learn about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The price per individual student is £220.

A Q and A Webinar is being offered for Students and families that may be interested on Wednesday 2nd June 2021 at 8am and 3pm BST (you can access the details of this via the button below this news item.

Some key dates for consideration are:

Second Programme

Registration & Payment Deadline 11th July

Course Dates 26th July – 30th July

Challenge: 30 Days of Action 31st July-29th August

Celebration: 14th September

Where?

This programme will be delivered online via ZOOM.

Who

Young people from all around the world aged 11-17 years old.

Application

You will need to register them online, or they can register themselves with your consent, by going to the following website in the button below this news item and clicking ‘registration’. Following registration further information will be shared with participants and parents direct. By joining this programme, you will give your child the potential of an opportunity of a lifetime.

If you have any questions prior to registering, please contact the GSL Team direct by emailing - gslcatalyst@future-foundations

Q&A webinar information

To register

GIS Community Calendar - subscribe by clicking

Upcoming Key Dates

Sunday August 29th - New Families in school (New families only)

Monday August 30th - New School Year Begins (All students)

A Final Message From Student Body President

It was an honor to serve as Student Body President this year, although it was an unusual one with online ECAs, masks, social distancing, and sometimes remote learning, we still persevered. This year was not easy, but our driven group of student leaders in the StuELT were able to organize many successful initiatives and events with your support.

To the student leaders across GIS from the Primary Student Council, the Deputy Heads of our committees, and our committee members across the secondary school; thank you for all of your hard work. I was especially privileged to work with our Student Body Vice-President, Neila, and our heads of committees: Sarah, Tara, Kiana, Eashani, Zoya, and Akshita.

But our work as student leaders would not be possible without the support of our community. Thank you to GISPA and the parents in our community, our teachers who make our initiatives possible, fellow students, Mr. Simon for his continued support of the StuELT, and Mr. Lee who has continuously uplifted and empowered student leaders at GIS -- the StuELT would not be where it is today without your help.

The StuELT is looking forward to next year! Once we are back from summer break we will have our final event from our current StuELT, Spirit Week. Later on, starting mid-October we will begin the interview process for the 2021-2022 StuELT. Grade 10s and 11s: take the summer to begin thinking about your applications to the StuELT positions of Deputy Heads (Gr. 10), and Heads of Committees and President and Vice President (Gr. 11). We are so excited to welcome you to the team!

Have a great summer break everyone!

Thank you

Taleen

Student Body President 2020-21

Peer tutoring

Peer remains available for all students and the founder of the project has further developed the process to make it more personalized and easy to manage.

If you're a student that would like some support from an older student in one of your subjects then click on the button below and find a tutor that fits your needs

If you're a student that thinks that you could support someone else in a subject that you have a strength in, why not sign up as a peer tutor

If you're a parent and would like to consider this for your child then take a look at the platform and give your child a nudge in our direction!

PEER TUTORING PLATFORM