News from our Elementary Principal, Ben Voborsky
Hello GAA Community,
It has been six exciting weeks since GAA kicked off our school year. Today, you will receive a brief Transition Report on Seesaw updating you on your child’s transition into the new school year, their new classroom learning environment, their new peer group, and with their new teacher. K-5 Transition Reports will focus on your child through the lens of the PYP Approaches to Learning (ATLs) of Self-Management Skills, Communication Skills, and Social Skills.
The Transition Report is based on the GAA student expectations of their grade level at this time of the school year. Your child has been learning these new expectations, daily routines, and work habits that will support successful learning throughout the rest of the school year. These expectations provide the framework for our students to safely grow socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually.
Our primary focus during the first weeks at GAA has been for your child to become integrated into their new learning environment and build relationships with other students and educators in their class, through their grade level, and all around GAA.
Be on the lookout for your child’s Transition Report on Seesaw which gives you that brief glimpse into how your child is settling into their new grade level experience and responding to their new class. Teachers will post the Transition Report on Seesaw today.
If you have any questions about your child’s Transition Report, please contact your child’s teacher directly.
This week the GAA teaching community has been engaged in Professional Learning and Development. Erin Kent has joined us for the third time as a visiting consultant representing Columbia University Teachers College Readers and Writers Workshop (http://readingandwritingproject.org). This best practice research based approach to reading and writing instruction supports the 5 Essential Elements of the PYP. Erin worked with the Elementary Administrative Team and PYP Coordinators on Sunday and will continue to work with the entire K-5 Educational Team all week. This will include focused workshops on tomorrow. Please thank your teachers for their dedication and giving up one day of their weekend to enhance instruction in your child’s classroom.
Coming up this week at GAA is Culture of Kindness/Bullying Awareness Week. You should have received some questions via Seesaw to go over with your child. Another valuable resource to read is When does teasing become bullying?
At GAA, we take a proactive approach to preparing our students to take a stand against bullying with our Second Step Anti-Bullying Units. We are preparing our student for not only bullying in person but also cyber-bullying. Our children have more access to technology and online communication than ever before and this is here to stay. GAA has a comprehensive digital citizenship curriculum. One key resource is Common Sense Media. I suggest you have a look at this website. Our technology coaches are more than happy to assist with any questions you have on how to keep your home network cyber-safe.
I look forward to another action packed week at GAA but first…
Enjoy your weekend,
Ben Voborsky
Elementary Principal
It has been six exciting weeks since GAA kicked off our school year. Today, you will receive a brief Transition Report on Seesaw updating you on your child’s transition into the new school year, their new classroom learning environment, their new peer group, and with their new teacher. K-5 Transition Reports will focus on your child through the lens of the PYP Approaches to Learning (ATLs) of Self-Management Skills, Communication Skills, and Social Skills.
The Transition Report is based on the GAA student expectations of their grade level at this time of the school year. Your child has been learning these new expectations, daily routines, and work habits that will support successful learning throughout the rest of the school year. These expectations provide the framework for our students to safely grow socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually.
Our primary focus during the first weeks at GAA has been for your child to become integrated into their new learning environment and build relationships with other students and educators in their class, through their grade level, and all around GAA.
Be on the lookout for your child’s Transition Report on Seesaw which gives you that brief glimpse into how your child is settling into their new grade level experience and responding to their new class. Teachers will post the Transition Report on Seesaw today.
If you have any questions about your child’s Transition Report, please contact your child’s teacher directly.
This week the GAA teaching community has been engaged in Professional Learning and Development. Erin Kent has joined us for the third time as a visiting consultant representing Columbia University Teachers College Readers and Writers Workshop (http://readingandwritingproject.org). This best practice research based approach to reading and writing instruction supports the 5 Essential Elements of the PYP. Erin worked with the Elementary Administrative Team and PYP Coordinators on Sunday and will continue to work with the entire K-5 Educational Team all week. This will include focused workshops on tomorrow. Please thank your teachers for their dedication and giving up one day of their weekend to enhance instruction in your child’s classroom.
Coming up this week at GAA is Culture of Kindness/Bullying Awareness Week. You should have received some questions via Seesaw to go over with your child. Another valuable resource to read is When does teasing become bullying?
At GAA, we take a proactive approach to preparing our students to take a stand against bullying with our Second Step Anti-Bullying Units. We are preparing our student for not only bullying in person but also cyber-bullying. Our children have more access to technology and online communication than ever before and this is here to stay. GAA has a comprehensive digital citizenship curriculum. One key resource is Common Sense Media. I suggest you have a look at this website. Our technology coaches are more than happy to assist with any questions you have on how to keep your home network cyber-safe.
I look forward to another action packed week at GAA but first…
Enjoy your weekend,
Ben Voborsky
Elementary Principal
Greetings from Grade 1A!
We have had a great start to the year here in 1A! We had lots of fun in our first Unit of Inquiry, filling buckets and learning how to be safe, respectful, learners in Grade 1. Last week, we started our second Unit of Inquiry, Who We Are, where we will be taking a look at how making informed choices will enable us to have a balanced lifestyle. To kick off this unit the students had to inquire into ways to make Ms. Ciara feel better one day when I was “sick.” The students had lots of fun sharing with me different reasons I may have been feeling sick and what better choices I could make to feel better. We will be inquiring into four areas for this unit: healthy eating, hygiene, mindfulness, and fitness. As this unit progresses, make sure to ask your child how he/she can help your family make more informed choices when it comes to living a balanced lifestyle.
Hope you have a great year!
Ciara Rodgers
Grade 1A PYP Teacher
We have had a great start to the year here in 1A! We had lots of fun in our first Unit of Inquiry, filling buckets and learning how to be safe, respectful, learners in Grade 1. Last week, we started our second Unit of Inquiry, Who We Are, where we will be taking a look at how making informed choices will enable us to have a balanced lifestyle. To kick off this unit the students had to inquire into ways to make Ms. Ciara feel better one day when I was “sick.” The students had lots of fun sharing with me different reasons I may have been feeling sick and what better choices I could make to feel better. We will be inquiring into four areas for this unit: healthy eating, hygiene, mindfulness, and fitness. As this unit progresses, make sure to ask your child how he/she can help your family make more informed choices when it comes to living a balanced lifestyle.
Hope you have a great year!
Ciara Rodgers
Grade 1A PYP Teacher
KG Corner
In KG2-A we have been learning about what good readers and writers do in our Reader’s and Writer’s Workshops. We are learning How to express ourselves in writing and that books can take us to many cool places and teach us about things!
Arabic
َولياء الأمور الكِرام،
تحيّة طيبة وبعد،
استقبلَ أطفالنا الصّغار عامنا الدّراسي الجديد بابتسامةٍ مُشرقةٍ، فقد بدأنا مع طلاب رياض الأطفال بحروف الهجاء، فتعرّف هذا الأسبوع طلاب الرّوضة الأولى حرف التاء بالإضافة إلى العديد من المفردات الّتي تحوي حرف التّاء ( تفاح – تمر- تمساح - تاج)،كما قمنا بشرح مبسط عن فوائد التمر لربطه بالهُويّة الإماراتيّة .
أما طلاب الرّوضة الثّانية فقد تعرفوا على حرف السّين مع المفردات وقد ميّزوا بين الأصوات القصيرة والمدود من خلال أنشطةٍ متعددة أثناء العمل الجماعي التّعاوني، فقاموا بتشكيل الحرف بوسائل متعددة منها: الصلصال، المكعبات الخشبيّة . كما ميزوا كلمات تحتوي الحرف نفسه من خلال الاستماع إلى قصّة الحرف السّين.
تحيّة طيبة وبعد،
استقبلَ أطفالنا الصّغار عامنا الدّراسي الجديد بابتسامةٍ مُشرقةٍ، فقد بدأنا مع طلاب رياض الأطفال بحروف الهجاء، فتعرّف هذا الأسبوع طلاب الرّوضة الأولى حرف التاء بالإضافة إلى العديد من المفردات الّتي تحوي حرف التّاء ( تفاح – تمر- تمساح - تاج)،كما قمنا بشرح مبسط عن فوائد التمر لربطه بالهُويّة الإماراتيّة .
أما طلاب الرّوضة الثّانية فقد تعرفوا على حرف السّين مع المفردات وقد ميّزوا بين الأصوات القصيرة والمدود من خلال أنشطةٍ متعددة أثناء العمل الجماعي التّعاوني، فقاموا بتشكيل الحرف بوسائل متعددة منها: الصلصال، المكعبات الخشبيّة . كما ميزوا كلمات تحتوي الحرف نفسه من خلال الاستماع إلى قصّة الحرف السّين.
As we are well under way with our new school year, it is nice to see the students arrive with a nice smile on their face after the summer break. Students have come in with high spirits and a liveliness ready for the new academic year. KG2 students participated in Arabic classes, learning the third letter (seen) and some vocabulary words that start with these sounds. Students chose words that initially start with these letters. Students showed their interest by using clay, wood cubes, whiteboards and cutting the shapes of these sounds to form a story.
Students of KG1 learned to sound (Taa) letter with some vocabulary words that begin with these sounds. Students made crowns and colored the letter ‘Taa’ in addition to recognizing the initial sounds that start with these vocabulary words (apples, dates) which also link with learning the UAE culture and identity.
Students of KG1 learned to sound (Taa) letter with some vocabulary words that begin with these sounds. Students made crowns and colored the letter ‘Taa’ in addition to recognizing the initial sounds that start with these vocabulary words (apples, dates) which also link with learning the UAE culture and identity.