From our Elementary Vice Principal, Sofia Lyons
Dear Parents,
Please accept our sincere appreciation for your understanding and flexibility with the late announcement of our half day for the Qasr Al Hosn Festival road closures. We recognise the challenges this creates for families – especially those with younger students.
We had a fantastic Sports Day with our Grade 1-5 students and they showed great sportsmanship and enthusiasm for all the events. A special thank you to the PE Department who worked tirelessly to make sure this day was successful and enjoyable for all.
We would also like to recognise the wonderful efforts from the Grade 1 classes and their Arts teachers, Miss Diana, Mr Erik and Miss Fabiana, as well as the Homeroom Teachers and Educational Assistants. The children’s presentations and artworks showed creativity, imagination and demonstrated the wonderful learning that is happening as part of their unit of inquiry that fall under the theme of How We Express Ourselves.
We would like to thank all the staff and the parents who supported these school events. It is an active and caring community that contributes to a happy and successful school.
Sofia Lyons
Elementary Vice-Principal
Please accept our sincere appreciation for your understanding and flexibility with the late announcement of our half day for the Qasr Al Hosn Festival road closures. We recognise the challenges this creates for families – especially those with younger students.
We had a fantastic Sports Day with our Grade 1-5 students and they showed great sportsmanship and enthusiasm for all the events. A special thank you to the PE Department who worked tirelessly to make sure this day was successful and enjoyable for all.
We would also like to recognise the wonderful efforts from the Grade 1 classes and their Arts teachers, Miss Diana, Mr Erik and Miss Fabiana, as well as the Homeroom Teachers and Educational Assistants. The children’s presentations and artworks showed creativity, imagination and demonstrated the wonderful learning that is happening as part of their unit of inquiry that fall under the theme of How We Express Ourselves.
We would like to thank all the staff and the parents who supported these school events. It is an active and caring community that contributes to a happy and successful school.
Sofia Lyons
Elementary Vice-Principal
How We Express Ourselves in Grade 3!
In Third Grade, students have been inquiring into the central idea “the arts engage an audience and invite a response”. Many learning engagements have taken place in the homeroom and across subject areas throughout this unit to explore our lines of inquiry:
1. The Creative Process
2. Audience interpretation
3. How the arts can be improved.
Our Third Graders have observed a variety of art forms from music, dance, visual art, to poetry to inquire into, and communicate about how people become engaged by art and how perspectives influence their interpretation and appreciation for art.
Across the curriculum, students have been developing an understanding of the Creative Process by designing art, creating songs and music, visually representing poems, and becoming characters in the play “The Legend of Slappy Hooper”, amongst other things.
In the homeroom, students have been immersed in reading poetry and learning about how poets use devices or special “tools” to express feelings to an audience. This learning was carried through to the Writer’s Workshop, where students learned to write poems ‘from the heart’, use ‘poet’s eyes’ and poetic language to express themselves.
The students looked at ways to improve their poems through gestures, expression, and pacing. Each classroom held a Poetry Slam, where students performed a poem that they had written to classmates and parents as a celebration of learning. It was so exciting to see their poems come to life!
As this unit comes to a close, our Third Graders continue to prepare for the upcoming Arts Festival on February 16th, where their creativity and effort in Art, Music, and Drama and Dance classes will be showcased. It’s sure to be an exciting celebration of learning!
In Third Grade, students have been inquiring into the central idea “the arts engage an audience and invite a response”. Many learning engagements have taken place in the homeroom and across subject areas throughout this unit to explore our lines of inquiry:
1. The Creative Process
2. Audience interpretation
3. How the arts can be improved.
Our Third Graders have observed a variety of art forms from music, dance, visual art, to poetry to inquire into, and communicate about how people become engaged by art and how perspectives influence their interpretation and appreciation for art.
Across the curriculum, students have been developing an understanding of the Creative Process by designing art, creating songs and music, visually representing poems, and becoming characters in the play “The Legend of Slappy Hooper”, amongst other things.
In the homeroom, students have been immersed in reading poetry and learning about how poets use devices or special “tools” to express feelings to an audience. This learning was carried through to the Writer’s Workshop, where students learned to write poems ‘from the heart’, use ‘poet’s eyes’ and poetic language to express themselves.
The students looked at ways to improve their poems through gestures, expression, and pacing. Each classroom held a Poetry Slam, where students performed a poem that they had written to classmates and parents as a celebration of learning. It was so exciting to see their poems come to life!
As this unit comes to a close, our Third Graders continue to prepare for the upcoming Arts Festival on February 16th, where their creativity and effort in Art, Music, and Drama and Dance classes will be showcased. It’s sure to be an exciting celebration of learning!
Join GEMS Education for Maker Day!
Sat. Feb. 6 from 10-3 at GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis, Dubai
Sat. Feb. 6 from 10-3 at GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis, Dubai
- Invent something with the Makey Makey
- Learn to build and program a Lego Robot
- Play with a Junkbot
- Drop in to the pop up makerspace to try 3D printing or laser cutting
- Join a workshop in robotics, circuitry, upcycling, knitting, coding, or jewellery making
- See the students' projects showcased from GEMS schools in Dubai (Rube Goldberg, fashion show, street food, musical performances, robotics, things that fly, and more!)
- and EVEN MORE FUN: Hourly raffle draws, Rocket launch, Drone demonstrations, Robot Parade, Amazing food, Bouncy castle
Dear parents,
Next week, we are looking forward to our Sports’ Day which has been organized by Miss Vicky and Miss Claire. KG1 will be on the field on February 8th from 8:10 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. KG2 will take to the field on February 9th from 8:10 until 10:30 a.m. Parents are welcome to join us and cheer on the teams!
We wanted to let families know that we will be changing the daily schedule for our KG students. There has been ongoing collaboration to create a suitable schedule that promotes effective learning throughout the day. Upon reflection we felt that the little ones would benefit more from a lunch or snack between their specialist classes. You will notice minor adjustments have been made. The new schedule will be implemented on February 14th. There is no impact to drop-off or pick-up times.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sally Potts
KG Vice Principal
Next week, we are looking forward to our Sports’ Day which has been organized by Miss Vicky and Miss Claire. KG1 will be on the field on February 8th from 8:10 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. KG2 will take to the field on February 9th from 8:10 until 10:30 a.m. Parents are welcome to join us and cheer on the teams!
We wanted to let families know that we will be changing the daily schedule for our KG students. There has been ongoing collaboration to create a suitable schedule that promotes effective learning throughout the day. Upon reflection we felt that the little ones would benefit more from a lunch or snack between their specialist classes. You will notice minor adjustments have been made. The new schedule will be implemented on February 14th. There is no impact to drop-off or pick-up times.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sally Potts
KG Vice Principal
KGCORNER
We just finished the PYP unit How We Express Ourselves and this week started a new Unit of Inquiry called Sharing the Planet. The Central Idea for this unit is that Plants are a life sustaining resource for us and other living things. The Math focus beginning this unit will focus on measurement – students will understand that attributes of real objects can be compared and described, for example, longer, shorter, heavier, empty, full, colder and hotter. In class we will explore what plants provide for us and other living things, the structure of a plant and caring for plant life.
The past weeks at school were extra busy with the Scholastic Book Fair, Arts Festival, Class Photos, Sports Day and other activities.
The children enjoyed getting outdoors and playing with the lovely cooler weather. They are learning to be inquisitive and ask questions throughout their learning as they problem solve throughout their school day. Please continue to keep an eye on the Launcher Page for parent information and updates!
The past weeks at school were extra busy with the Scholastic Book Fair, Arts Festival, Class Photos, Sports Day and other activities.
The children enjoyed getting outdoors and playing with the lovely cooler weather. They are learning to be inquisitive and ask questions throughout their learning as they problem solve throughout their school day. Please continue to keep an eye on the Launcher Page for parent information and updates!
This week KG2I have had a very exciting week!!! We signed up at the start of the year to be part of the Heidi and Peter project.
Heidi and Peter are two puppets that came all of the way from Switzerland to visit us in Gems American Academy. They stopped in other schools along the way too in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Bahrain.
We had so much fun showing Peter and Heidi around our school and introducing them to everyone.
We really do hope that they will visit us again soon :)
Heidi and Peter are two puppets that came all of the way from Switzerland to visit us in Gems American Academy. They stopped in other schools along the way too in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Bahrain.
We had so much fun showing Peter and Heidi around our school and introducing them to everyone.
We really do hope that they will visit us again soon :)
KG Art Festival
The past few weeks have been taken up with rehearsing for the Kg1 and Kg2 Arts Festival performances.
The Kg1 took us on a ‘Safari of the Senses.’The classes sang songs about animals, with a focus on one or more of the senses.
Kg2 performed a story about two children who loved to sing and dance, and who wanted to find out if other children around the world enjoyed it too.
Each class presented a mixture of songs and dances and there was even a Chinese New Year Parade!
The children learned about the process of practicing for a performance, as well as learning about appropriate audience behavior.
The Kg1 took us on a ‘Safari of the Senses.’The classes sang songs about animals, with a focus on one or more of the senses.
Kg2 performed a story about two children who loved to sing and dance, and who wanted to find out if other children around the world enjoyed it too.
Each class presented a mixture of songs and dances and there was even a Chinese New Year Parade!
The children learned about the process of practicing for a performance, as well as learning about appropriate audience behavior.
Kitchen Lab
Thank you to all the families who were able to stop by the Kitchen-Lab after the Arts Festival performances last week. We hope that you enjoyed sampling the cheese crackers and chocolate chip cookies which the children prepared for the event. The baking began two weeks in advance and the children practiced being patient as they waited to share them with you. During our baking lesson we learned the four moving parts on the scoop we used to form the cookies. For each part we used a body motion and sound. The children had a chance to explore the scoop closely before we used it.