News from Head of School - Kathy Miner
Arabic Studies In Touch Parent Coffee, Tuesday, April 28, 1pm-3:00 pm
We would like to invite parents to participate in a feedback session on our native and non-native Arabic language, UAE Social Studies and Islamic Studies program. We are interested in hearing your ideas, suggestions and feedback as we develop school-wide goals for improvement.
Our newly appointed Director of Arabic Studies for GEMS American Academy, Ms. Samah Award, will facilitate an In Touch feedback session on Tuesday, April 28, from 1pm to 3:00 pm in the IB lounge on the second floor.
Table discussions will be facilitated in Arabic except for the non-native Arabic language discussion table, which will be facilitated in English.
An “In Touch” session is a Parent Coffee event in which parents can choose among a number of table discussion groups. Every 20 minutes, participants rotate to different tables in order to participate in various discussion groups. School leaders facilitate engaging discussions and take notes on chart paper to document feedback and suggestions. Parents have commented that they enjoy this type of format as they can engage in dialog with school leaders as well as with other parents.
For those parents who are working or otherwise busy, and not able to attend, we are happy to make personal appointments to meet at another time or schedule phone calls according to your busy schedules.
GAA is the first school in the GEMS Group to designate a Head of Department for Arabic Studies. We believe this is the first step in raising the emphasis of the Arabic Department within the school. Our Director of Arabic Studies will serve as a member of the GAA Senior Leadership Team, giving voice and representation to the Arabic Studies program.
Although we have made strides in developing our program this year, we have much work to do in reaching our goals. Our School Development Plan is clear- we aim to become a leading international school in Abu Dhabi known for its high quality native and non-native Arabic language, UAE Social Studies and Islamic Studies programs.
Gathering parent feedback is an important part of our efforts to continually improve through a cycle of taking action, monitoring results and gathering feedback. Thank you for taking an active role in this process.
We also hope to gather names of interested parents who would like to serve on an improvement committee, which would serve as a sounding board and support network for our Director of Arabic Studies.
Together we are building the future of the Arabic Studies program.
*Information about the school schedule during the Holy Month of Ramadan will appear in next week’s newsletter issue.
Dr. Kathy Miner
Head of School and CEO
We would like to invite parents to participate in a feedback session on our native and non-native Arabic language, UAE Social Studies and Islamic Studies program. We are interested in hearing your ideas, suggestions and feedback as we develop school-wide goals for improvement.
Our newly appointed Director of Arabic Studies for GEMS American Academy, Ms. Samah Award, will facilitate an In Touch feedback session on Tuesday, April 28, from 1pm to 3:00 pm in the IB lounge on the second floor.
Table discussions will be facilitated in Arabic except for the non-native Arabic language discussion table, which will be facilitated in English.
An “In Touch” session is a Parent Coffee event in which parents can choose among a number of table discussion groups. Every 20 minutes, participants rotate to different tables in order to participate in various discussion groups. School leaders facilitate engaging discussions and take notes on chart paper to document feedback and suggestions. Parents have commented that they enjoy this type of format as they can engage in dialog with school leaders as well as with other parents.
For those parents who are working or otherwise busy, and not able to attend, we are happy to make personal appointments to meet at another time or schedule phone calls according to your busy schedules.
GAA is the first school in the GEMS Group to designate a Head of Department for Arabic Studies. We believe this is the first step in raising the emphasis of the Arabic Department within the school. Our Director of Arabic Studies will serve as a member of the GAA Senior Leadership Team, giving voice and representation to the Arabic Studies program.
Although we have made strides in developing our program this year, we have much work to do in reaching our goals. Our School Development Plan is clear- we aim to become a leading international school in Abu Dhabi known for its high quality native and non-native Arabic language, UAE Social Studies and Islamic Studies programs.
Gathering parent feedback is an important part of our efforts to continually improve through a cycle of taking action, monitoring results and gathering feedback. Thank you for taking an active role in this process.
We also hope to gather names of interested parents who would like to serve on an improvement committee, which would serve as a sounding board and support network for our Director of Arabic Studies.
Together we are building the future of the Arabic Studies program.
*Information about the school schedule during the Holy Month of Ramadan will appear in next week’s newsletter issue.
Dr. Kathy Miner
Head of School and CEO