News from our Elementary Principal, Ben Voborsky
Hello GAA Community,
The GAA Elementary Student Council led a fantastic Community Share this morning and shared why they are excited about student council. The members also shared a short video from Kid President:
Top 20 things you should say more often!
Our student council members also highlighted that November is Mother Tongue month and to be on the lookout for many activities. Eowyn Crisfield was back again at GAA this week working with groups of students, teachers, and parents. Eowyn provides professional development around Bilingualism in education and Mother Tongue Programming. This is her second visit to GAA. With 94 nationalities, she is a great person to guide one component of learning for our community.
Please remember as the season changes to send your student to school in the approved GAA Sweater. You can find GAA uniform guidelines on page 14-15 in the Elementary Community Handbook If you have any questions please contact Ms. Naseera Timm – Holland at [email protected].
As the weather also changes, some of our students are coming down with colds and flu like symptoms. Please keep your child at home if they are sick and must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. If you are unsure, please check in with the GAA school nurse before going to your classroom in the morning. Guidance can be found on p. 24 in the Elementary Community Handbook. Teachers are being very diligent about our students washing their hands and coughing into their arm appropriately. Ask your child how they are keeping germ free at school.
Three Way (student-parent-teacher) Conference scheduling went live today. Please schedule your conference and bring your child. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday or Thursday!
Have a great weekend with your family,
Ben Voborsky
Elementary Principal
The GAA Elementary Student Council led a fantastic Community Share this morning and shared why they are excited about student council. The members also shared a short video from Kid President:
Top 20 things you should say more often!
Our student council members also highlighted that November is Mother Tongue month and to be on the lookout for many activities. Eowyn Crisfield was back again at GAA this week working with groups of students, teachers, and parents. Eowyn provides professional development around Bilingualism in education and Mother Tongue Programming. This is her second visit to GAA. With 94 nationalities, she is a great person to guide one component of learning for our community.
Please remember as the season changes to send your student to school in the approved GAA Sweater. You can find GAA uniform guidelines on page 14-15 in the Elementary Community Handbook If you have any questions please contact Ms. Naseera Timm – Holland at [email protected].
As the weather also changes, some of our students are coming down with colds and flu like symptoms. Please keep your child at home if they are sick and must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. If you are unsure, please check in with the GAA school nurse before going to your classroom in the morning. Guidance can be found on p. 24 in the Elementary Community Handbook. Teachers are being very diligent about our students washing their hands and coughing into their arm appropriately. Ask your child how they are keeping germ free at school.
Three Way (student-parent-teacher) Conference scheduling went live today. Please schedule your conference and bring your child. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday or Thursday!
Have a great weekend with your family,
Ben Voborsky
Elementary Principal
Dear GAA Parents,
At Gems American Academy, we recognize the diversity of our community and we are committed to support and nurture our multicultural and multi-linguistic students. That is why during the month of November, we have been celebrating all around the school The Mother Tongue Awareness Month. From singing Happy Birthdays and reading books in different languages; to having special guest speaker presentations to make us more knowledgeable and open minded about the importance that the Mother Tongue plays alongside the school language.
We think this is a great time to begin challenging our bilingual children. Below, you will find some advantages and facts of being bilingual, along with a variety of fun and easy activities that you may find useful to support Mother Tongue at home.
Have a Happy Mother Tongue Awareness Month!
* Please find attached, these ideas to support Mother Tongue at home in Arabic, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Korean.
At Gems American Academy, we recognize the diversity of our community and we are committed to support and nurture our multicultural and multi-linguistic students. That is why during the month of November, we have been celebrating all around the school The Mother Tongue Awareness Month. From singing Happy Birthdays and reading books in different languages; to having special guest speaker presentations to make us more knowledgeable and open minded about the importance that the Mother Tongue plays alongside the school language.
We think this is a great time to begin challenging our bilingual children. Below, you will find some advantages and facts of being bilingual, along with a variety of fun and easy activities that you may find useful to support Mother Tongue at home.
Have a Happy Mother Tongue Awareness Month!
* Please find attached, these ideas to support Mother Tongue at home in Arabic, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Korean.
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GRADE 5
SHARING THE PLANET
It has indeed been an incredibly busy start to the year, both for the staff and students of grade 5, with that trend continuing into our second Unit of Inquiry. After a highly successful first Unit, the challenge has been to maintain that momentum going into our, ‘Sharing the Planet’ Unit. In no uncertain terms, all classes have risen to the occasion, already inquiring and acquiring large amounts of new knowledge, each and everyday, through a myriad of activities.
In order to understand our highly pertinent, ‘Sharing the Planet’ Unit, one needs to examine the related Essential Elements, i.e. The respective, Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, Concepts, Action and Learner Profile attributes, associated with the Unit.
The vast knowledge component of the Unit focuses on students gaining an understanding into, “the rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people, and other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution. Naturally, the sum total of all of the above is a nearly inexhaustible and immensely broad area of study. In light of this, and as with every Unit, the PYP helps to support students by narrowing the scope to one enduring understanding, known as the Central Idea. Specifically, “Energy may be converted, transformed and used to support and sustain Earth’s resources.
Within, the Central Idea, students are provided with further scaffolding known as the, ‘Lines of Inquiry,’ which help to illuminate specific areas of knowledge students need to inquire into. The Lines of Inquiry for Unit 2 are:
1. Finite and Infinite resources.
2. How energy is used, and
3. Sustainable energy practices.
Within these Lines of Inquiry, students will be acquiring knowledge on various renewable and non-renewable energy sources. They will be examining how energy is used, but more specifically the mechanics of its transformation in the context of the various means of power generation. This is undertaken in order to understand their respective efficiency and viability.
As with all Units, students broach various areas of knowledge by examining them through the lens of certain, ‘Key Concepts.’ In Unit 2 the relevant Concepts are:
1. Form.
2. Function and
3. Responsibility.
These Concepts are directly related to each of the Lines of Inquiry. I.e. Line of Inquiry 1 is directly linked to Concept 1. For example – energy and it’s various forms etc. Naturally, each Concept lends itself more to a particular, Line of Inquiry, as can be observed.
In conjunction with these Elements, as mentioned earlier, students are also required to demonstrate certain Skills, Attitudes and Learner Profile attributes, thoughout the course of the Unit. With respect to Skills, students need to be able to demonstrate Thinking Skills, which should be illustrated, in part, through the acquisition of knowledge. Students also need to display Comprehension and Writing Skills as they read and record applicable subject matter. As the Unit is Science based, they will need to be able to demonstrate the ability to formulate questions and make observations.
As the PYP always looks to develop desirable attitudes within learners, in Unit 2, students need to display the Attitude of Appreciation, which will be encouraged through learning about the planet and all it provides. Moreover, this Appreciation should translate to students advocating conservation and sustainable practices. Curiosity will be an Attitude students exemplify as they inquire into a variety of Science based, learning contexts. Finally, students need to be developing in the Learner Profile attributes of ‘Thinker’ and ‘Knowledgeable.’ When considering the depth and breadth of the proposed student engagement in Unit 2, it is envisaged that the development of these attributes will be organic and authentic.
At this point in time the Grade is now well into the Unit, having completed the ‘Tuning in’ phase, and are currently deep into the, ‘Finding Out,’ phase. Classes have begun by making connections between the Transdisciplinary Theme, Central Idea, Concepts and Lines of Inquiry, in order to establish the foundation and relevance of their learning. Last Thursday, Grade 5 had a specialist in sustainable practice speak, which was extremely informative. Definitions of specific Unit vocabulary have been identified, to ensure understanding of important terms and concepts. Classes have also been conducting experiments to inquire into and observe, the transformation of different forms of energy.
The advent of all of the above has meant every class in Grade 5 has been thoroughly immersed in a plethora of highly engaging learning, integrated into all areas of the curriculum; the result of which being, the exciting, ever evolving, fruition of the PYP at GEMS American Academy. Take a look at the pictures below, evidencing all of the fantastic learning occurring though out the Grade.
It has indeed been an incredibly busy start to the year, both for the staff and students of grade 5, with that trend continuing into our second Unit of Inquiry. After a highly successful first Unit, the challenge has been to maintain that momentum going into our, ‘Sharing the Planet’ Unit. In no uncertain terms, all classes have risen to the occasion, already inquiring and acquiring large amounts of new knowledge, each and everyday, through a myriad of activities.
In order to understand our highly pertinent, ‘Sharing the Planet’ Unit, one needs to examine the related Essential Elements, i.e. The respective, Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, Concepts, Action and Learner Profile attributes, associated with the Unit.
The vast knowledge component of the Unit focuses on students gaining an understanding into, “the rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people, and other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution. Naturally, the sum total of all of the above is a nearly inexhaustible and immensely broad area of study. In light of this, and as with every Unit, the PYP helps to support students by narrowing the scope to one enduring understanding, known as the Central Idea. Specifically, “Energy may be converted, transformed and used to support and sustain Earth’s resources.
Within, the Central Idea, students are provided with further scaffolding known as the, ‘Lines of Inquiry,’ which help to illuminate specific areas of knowledge students need to inquire into. The Lines of Inquiry for Unit 2 are:
1. Finite and Infinite resources.
2. How energy is used, and
3. Sustainable energy practices.
Within these Lines of Inquiry, students will be acquiring knowledge on various renewable and non-renewable energy sources. They will be examining how energy is used, but more specifically the mechanics of its transformation in the context of the various means of power generation. This is undertaken in order to understand their respective efficiency and viability.
As with all Units, students broach various areas of knowledge by examining them through the lens of certain, ‘Key Concepts.’ In Unit 2 the relevant Concepts are:
1. Form.
2. Function and
3. Responsibility.
These Concepts are directly related to each of the Lines of Inquiry. I.e. Line of Inquiry 1 is directly linked to Concept 1. For example – energy and it’s various forms etc. Naturally, each Concept lends itself more to a particular, Line of Inquiry, as can be observed.
In conjunction with these Elements, as mentioned earlier, students are also required to demonstrate certain Skills, Attitudes and Learner Profile attributes, thoughout the course of the Unit. With respect to Skills, students need to be able to demonstrate Thinking Skills, which should be illustrated, in part, through the acquisition of knowledge. Students also need to display Comprehension and Writing Skills as they read and record applicable subject matter. As the Unit is Science based, they will need to be able to demonstrate the ability to formulate questions and make observations.
As the PYP always looks to develop desirable attitudes within learners, in Unit 2, students need to display the Attitude of Appreciation, which will be encouraged through learning about the planet and all it provides. Moreover, this Appreciation should translate to students advocating conservation and sustainable practices. Curiosity will be an Attitude students exemplify as they inquire into a variety of Science based, learning contexts. Finally, students need to be developing in the Learner Profile attributes of ‘Thinker’ and ‘Knowledgeable.’ When considering the depth and breadth of the proposed student engagement in Unit 2, it is envisaged that the development of these attributes will be organic and authentic.
At this point in time the Grade is now well into the Unit, having completed the ‘Tuning in’ phase, and are currently deep into the, ‘Finding Out,’ phase. Classes have begun by making connections between the Transdisciplinary Theme, Central Idea, Concepts and Lines of Inquiry, in order to establish the foundation and relevance of their learning. Last Thursday, Grade 5 had a specialist in sustainable practice speak, which was extremely informative. Definitions of specific Unit vocabulary have been identified, to ensure understanding of important terms and concepts. Classes have also been conducting experiments to inquire into and observe, the transformation of different forms of energy.
The advent of all of the above has meant every class in Grade 5 has been thoroughly immersed in a plethora of highly engaging learning, integrated into all areas of the curriculum; the result of which being, the exciting, ever evolving, fruition of the PYP at GEMS American Academy. Take a look at the pictures below, evidencing all of the fantastic learning occurring though out the Grade.
LIBRARY
In the Library we aim to encourage the students in becoming both independent and responsible library users. We have many systems in place which support the students in reaching these goals – students in Grade 2 to 5 check in and out their own books, Destiny Quest is used to independently search for books, ipads are available for research and the children use shelf markers so they can return unwanted books to the correct place.
Grade 5 students have been working with Mr Richard and learning about responsible digital citizenship, which involves caring for your device, internet safety and adhering to copyright rules. They are learning how to research effectively and use information or images from the internet without infringing on copyright rules.
In Grade 4 the students have been trying to answer the question “What does Science mean?” They brainstormed their ideas in groups of 4 then we listed all their suggestions on the board. Next week Grade 4 will work with Mr Richard to learn more about responsible digital citizenship and using the internet for research.
In Grade 1 and 2 the students have been learning about the difference between fiction and non-fiction and how we use the features of non-fiction texts to help us locate information. We wrote our ideas about these texts on the window.
In Grade 3 the students have been listening to stories about characters who display a growth mindset and thinking about ways they can be more like these characters.
As part of Mother Tongue Awareness month it would be great if parents would volunteer to come into the Library during your child’s library class to read stories in mother tongue to the students. If you feel that you would be willing to do this please let Miss Kerryn know and you will be sent more information.
In the Library we aim to encourage the students in becoming both independent and responsible library users. We have many systems in place which support the students in reaching these goals – students in Grade 2 to 5 check in and out their own books, Destiny Quest is used to independently search for books, ipads are available for research and the children use shelf markers so they can return unwanted books to the correct place.
Grade 5 students have been working with Mr Richard and learning about responsible digital citizenship, which involves caring for your device, internet safety and adhering to copyright rules. They are learning how to research effectively and use information or images from the internet without infringing on copyright rules.
In Grade 4 the students have been trying to answer the question “What does Science mean?” They brainstormed their ideas in groups of 4 then we listed all their suggestions on the board. Next week Grade 4 will work with Mr Richard to learn more about responsible digital citizenship and using the internet for research.
In Grade 1 and 2 the students have been learning about the difference between fiction and non-fiction and how we use the features of non-fiction texts to help us locate information. We wrote our ideas about these texts on the window.
In Grade 3 the students have been listening to stories about characters who display a growth mindset and thinking about ways they can be more like these characters.
As part of Mother Tongue Awareness month it would be great if parents would volunteer to come into the Library during your child’s library class to read stories in mother tongue to the students. If you feel that you would be willing to do this please let Miss Kerryn know and you will be sent more information.
From our KG Vice Principal, Sally Potts
Dear Parents,
It was an atmosphere of celebration and positive energy radiating from KG this week during our student-led conferences.
I would like to thank each and every parent who joined us. I was so impressed with the quality of the interactions among the parents, the students and the teachers. Celebrating the learning and how far each child had progressed was such a positive experience. Our teachers worked hard with their students to prepare them to share their learning.
Thank you also to our specialists who set up a “fair” with all of the hands-on activities. It was truly amazing and everyone looked like they were having fun while learning.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the contributions of our educational assistants. They are such important members of our team and I thank them for their dedication as well. They make our classrooms richer with their contribution.
Regards,
Sally Potts
It was an atmosphere of celebration and positive energy radiating from KG this week during our student-led conferences.
I would like to thank each and every parent who joined us. I was so impressed with the quality of the interactions among the parents, the students and the teachers. Celebrating the learning and how far each child had progressed was such a positive experience. Our teachers worked hard with their students to prepare them to share their learning.
Thank you also to our specialists who set up a “fair” with all of the hands-on activities. It was truly amazing and everyone looked like they were having fun while learning.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the contributions of our educational assistants. They are such important members of our team and I thank them for their dedication as well. They make our classrooms richer with their contribution.
Regards,
Sally Potts
KG CORNER
KG 1 A are busy learning about patterns. The ability recognize and create patterns not only supports mathematical learning and contributes to broader social developments. We can now predict about what comes next on our daily schedule.
For the past couple of weeks KG1B have been tuning in to our new unit ‘How we express ourselves’ we are learning how to express ourselves through paint, how to be a communicator and a risk taker and how to understand and create patterns.
The KG2J scholars preparing for another fun-filled day of learning.
Students practice handwriting skills for 15 minutes daily. They learn proper letter formation, line placement, and pairing sounds to symbols during this period. This has really improved the quality and quantity of their writer’s workshop pieces. It has especially improved their levels of confidence.
Students practice handwriting skills for 15 minutes daily. They learn proper letter formation, line placement, and pairing sounds to symbols during this period. This has really improved the quality and quantity of their writer’s workshop pieces. It has especially improved their levels of confidence.
KG2I Community Share
Last Wednesday, KG2I and J had their very first community share this year. We had such fun writing our own song about healthy foods. We invited some parents to help us pack a healthy lunchbox and play different games. Now we can help pack our own lunch boxes for school, making healthy choices. Thank you for coming to watch our show. We hope you enjoyed it!!
Last Wednesday, KG2I and J had their very first community share this year. We had such fun writing our own song about healthy foods. We invited some parents to help us pack a healthy lunchbox and play different games. Now we can help pack our own lunch boxes for school, making healthy choices. Thank you for coming to watch our show. We hope you enjoyed it!!
KG SPECIALISTS
KG Library
This week in the KG Library we are exploring various stories using Speakaboos! The students love it. The stories are interactive and they give students the opportunity to play games while learning to read. It truly makes reading fun! You can use Speakaboos at home as well! Please use the sign in information below.
Website: http://www.speakaboos.com/kids/home
Username: gaalibrary
Password: gems
Please remember to return all books to the library drop box located in the KG hallways. Have a great week of reading!
This week in the KG Library we are exploring various stories using Speakaboos! The students love it. The stories are interactive and they give students the opportunity to play games while learning to read. It truly makes reading fun! You can use Speakaboos at home as well! Please use the sign in information below.
Website: http://www.speakaboos.com/kids/home
Username: gaalibrary
Password: gems
Please remember to return all books to the library drop box located in the KG hallways. Have a great week of reading!