Week Six - October 7th 2021

Secondary School

Welcome to Week 6

Another busy week has flown by!

Our Grade 6 & 7 students were treated to a Book Fair kindly organised by Ms Wessell at the start of the week. Rather than place our new library collection of several hundred books, which arrived over the summer, on to the shelves to get lost in the mix, they were displayed instead on banquet tables. During Advisory and Literacy period, students were invited to borrow a book and many were snapped up by our very keen young readers. Ms Wessell promises to organise something similar for Grades 8 & 9 shortly.

Ms. Wessel also hosted a Research Skills session for our Career-related Programme students earlier this week. Students were able to explore different types of resources and the importance of assessing their reliability by cross-checking information. These skills are essential for our students' upcoming iBTEC assessments and Reflective Project. Thanks Ms Wessel, you have been very busy this week!

Today saw the opening of the GIS Expo. Our very own Expo was organised by the StuELT Deputies. They have worked tirelessly on organising this event where the School based ECAs were promoted. Homerooms were invited to attend at various times, so students could learn more about what is on offer and to sign up if interested. Signing up allows students to learn a new skill and/or gain credit for CAS or Service As Action. Those grades that did not attend today, will have the opportunity on Sunday to visit. The Deputies have had to collaborate with multiple stakeholders to ensure that all aspects of the Expo were organised. Well done Team!

While on the subject of StuELT, just a reminder that applications close this weekend for StuELT Executive! I look forward to chatting to applicants in coming weeks.

Finally, Tuesday was World Teacher Appreciation Day where we recognised the wonderful work of our Teacher's. While we appreciate our teachers everyday, it was so nice to be able to deliver some healthy snacks to staff while in class. It really was the highlight of Mr Nic and my week. We are extremely fortunate to have talented, supportive and caring teachers influencing our young people on a daily basis. Well done everyone!

Amanda Murphy

Head of Secondary

StuELT Handover

Don't miss out; the deadline for applications is approaching!

Further information about the application process can be reviewed in the StuELT Handover Process.

GIS Community Calendar - subscribe by clicking

October 11th School Production Auditions (3:45-5pm)

October 12th Pink Day

October 18th Prophet's Birthday - GIS celebrations (students and staff are invited to wear white clothing)

October 19-20th Mid-term break

October 21st Prophet's Birthday (public holiday)

October 24th Extra Curricular Activities begin (more info for sign up next week)

October 24-28th Secondary School Spirit Week

November 3rd UAE Flag Day (dress in UAE flag colours)

November 4th Diwali | Progress Reports Published

November 10th FCD Workshops - click here for information about the FCD

November 28th GIS' UAE National Day Celebration

GIS is committed to personal development opportunities beyond the school curriculum. We encourage students to seize local and international opportunities, so that they may develop their understanding of what it means to be internationally-minded, global citizens. The Expo 2020 team has developed a set of unique opportunities for students to experience innovation and sustainability on a world stage. The Expo 2020 team has made each visit free of cost, and GEMS will cover the cost of all transportation.

To ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience at Expo 2020, it is imperative that all GIS stakeholders understand their roles and responsibilities. A letter was sent home to all students which details our expectations. At the bottom of this letter was a permission form to confirm student attendance.

We request that all students return the permission form to their Homeroom Teacher as soon as possible. Students will not be able to attend the Expo 2020 school visit unless we have signed permission. Each year group will attend one trip and the first trip is scheduled for Grade 6 on October 24^th.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s Homeroom teacher or Mr. Michael Norton at m.norton_gis@gemsedu.com.

From the Classroom (and beyond)

Inquiry question: Are language and culture the same thing?

Grade 6 were researching French speaking countries and made fact files about them, showing them that although they share the same language, the culture is different.

Grade 11 students watched (at the beginning of the lesson) a video about different celebrities of the Spanish speaking world. After that, students had to choose one of those celebrities, research about them and make an oral presentation to the class with the support of the slides they had created while researching.

GRADE 6 & 7 BOOK FAIR

On Sunday morning Mrs. Wessel, the Secondary School librarian, hosted a “Free to Borrow Book Fair” for younger MYP students. This was not your traditional book fair but rather a display showcasing some of the new library books which arrived over the summer. We are happy to report that many of our new books were checked out!”

CP Research Skills Workshop

WORLD TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY

GIS EXPO

Arabic Department Competition

ART COMPETITION

Stars of the Week

Congratulations to

Emmereick, Zahra, Maryam, Ameera, Albert, Zalarah, Malik, Nabya, Shaina, Chayce, Vasiliki, Moonkang, Mostafa, Pranay, Reda, Mingsheng, Suhani, Laura, Maxim, Sanjna, Lina, Arav, Yazen, Fares, Christian and Sia

Wonderful effort in French & Spanish this week.

We are delighted to inform you that UAE's biggest and longest-running Art Festival for children, Kukdukoo Art Fest is scheduled to happen from 1st October 2021.

The Global Art festival is a wonderful event for children to engage and learn about various Indian & International art forms and to experience some really amazing art shows.

The reasons, why you should enroll your child in Kukdukoo Art Fest:

· Not 1 or 2 days, but a 60-day long online Art Festival for the holistic creative experience

· 75+ entertaining, engaging, and informative workshops and art shows for children and parents

· A Global Art Contest with encouraging rewards and amazing awards

· A Global Virtual Art Exhibition for children with featured e-auction

The festival will be held between 1 October 2021 and 30 November 2021 and comes action-packed with an intense value proposition for students and parents.

Registration Fee: 100AED

(Covers all workshops, art shows, Participation in Art Contest, and Virtual Art Exhibition)

Partner School Privilege

Students can avail of a 30% discount on the registration fee with the coupon code GIS30U

Register now via: https://www.kukdukoo.com/art-fest-uae

Parents can take this opportunity to participate in the Art Festival to rejuvenate and enhance their child's creative passion, interests, and pursuits.

Grade Level WhatsApp Groups

Our Grade Level WhatsApp Groups offer parents another means to remain informed key events and developments in the secondary school. Parents can join the relevant groups by scanning the QR codes below. While we have a temporary admin for the Grade 8 WhatsApp group, we are seeking a permanent replacement. If you would like to volunteer your support, please complete this brief Google Form.

More information about the roles and responsibilities of secondary school parent representatives can be found here.