News from Head of School - Kathy Miner
Arabic In Touch Session
Our Director of Arabic Studies Samah Awad, will host an In Touch Session to gather feedback and suggestions from our parent community about our Arabic Studies program. We regularly schedule parent In Touch feedback sessions throughout the year to gather valuable information and suggestions important for the continuous improvement of our school programs and practices. These sessions help us stay in touch with our parents.
How does an In Touch Session work? We organize a variety of table discussion groups, focused on different topics. Parents rotate among the topics that interest them the most. Parents have commented that they enjoy the engaging discussions. Parents appreciate having the opportunity to comment on the positive aspects of the school as well as make suggestions about areas in which they feel there could be more improvement.
Please mark your calendar for our next Arabic In Touch Session planned for Wednesday, November 4 from 1:45pm-2:45 pm, to be held in the IB Lounge on the second floor.
Those unable to attend are welcome to contact Samah Awad either by phone, by email or in person, to speak personally about aspects of our school, just contact Ms. Awad to make an appointment that fits your busy schedule. ([email protected])
U.S. Embassy Official at GAA
Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi will be at GAA from 3:00 pm-6:00 pm on November 10 to assist families with the following services:
Please refer to the U.S. Embassy website directly for specific information about the paperwork, identification and fees required for the services listed above so that you may arrive with everything you need.
Offering evening hours will assist families with services that require both parents to sign documents. We understand that U.S. Passport renewals will be completed and processed in time for the winter holiday.
To access this service please email Naseera at [email protected] for a 10-minute appointment. Embassy representatives can also answer questions on how to get student visas for non-American students who may want to study in the U.S.
Observing Martyr’s Day and National Day
We have received an announcement from the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, Martyr’s Day will be observed on December 1st and National Days will be celebrated on Wednesday and Thursday, December 2nd & 3rd.
School will be closed from Tuesday, December 1st through Thursday, December 3rd. School will resume on Sunday, December 6th, 2015.
*This is the first year that Martyr’s Day will be observed, which is why it does not appear on our 2015-2016 GAA School Calendar.
Our Director of Arabic Studies Samah Awad, will host an In Touch Session to gather feedback and suggestions from our parent community about our Arabic Studies program. We regularly schedule parent In Touch feedback sessions throughout the year to gather valuable information and suggestions important for the continuous improvement of our school programs and practices. These sessions help us stay in touch with our parents.
How does an In Touch Session work? We organize a variety of table discussion groups, focused on different topics. Parents rotate among the topics that interest them the most. Parents have commented that they enjoy the engaging discussions. Parents appreciate having the opportunity to comment on the positive aspects of the school as well as make suggestions about areas in which they feel there could be more improvement.
Please mark your calendar for our next Arabic In Touch Session planned for Wednesday, November 4 from 1:45pm-2:45 pm, to be held in the IB Lounge on the second floor.
Those unable to attend are welcome to contact Samah Awad either by phone, by email or in person, to speak personally about aspects of our school, just contact Ms. Awad to make an appointment that fits your busy schedule. ([email protected])
U.S. Embassy Official at GAA
Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi will be at GAA from 3:00 pm-6:00 pm on November 10 to assist families with the following services:
- U.S. Passport applications and renewals
- Additional passport pages for U.S. Passports
- Notarial services and authentications
Please refer to the U.S. Embassy website directly for specific information about the paperwork, identification and fees required for the services listed above so that you may arrive with everything you need.
Offering evening hours will assist families with services that require both parents to sign documents. We understand that U.S. Passport renewals will be completed and processed in time for the winter holiday.
To access this service please email Naseera at [email protected] for a 10-minute appointment. Embassy representatives can also answer questions on how to get student visas for non-American students who may want to study in the U.S.
Observing Martyr’s Day and National Day
We have received an announcement from the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, Martyr’s Day will be observed on December 1st and National Days will be celebrated on Wednesday and Thursday, December 2nd & 3rd.
School will be closed from Tuesday, December 1st through Thursday, December 3rd. School will resume on Sunday, December 6th, 2015.
*This is the first year that Martyr’s Day will be observed, which is why it does not appear on our 2015-2016 GAA School Calendar.
ADEC Inspection Next Week
GAA will be hosting the ADEC Inspection Team beginning on Monday, November 2nd through Thursday, November 5th. The normal school routine will continue next week during our inspection.
We are proud to share and showcase the amazing progress that we have made as a school in the last year. We are also anxious to share our students’ achievement and progress toward learning goals. All five of the visiting inspectors are educators themselves and are here to validate our accomplishments, confirm our direction and school development plans and support us with recommendations for continuing improvement.
Thank you to our parents for your ongoing support and belief in the work that we do on behalf of your children.
Regards,
Kathy Miner
Head of School and CEO
GAA will be hosting the ADEC Inspection Team beginning on Monday, November 2nd through Thursday, November 5th. The normal school routine will continue next week during our inspection.
We are proud to share and showcase the amazing progress that we have made as a school in the last year. We are also anxious to share our students’ achievement and progress toward learning goals. All five of the visiting inspectors are educators themselves and are here to validate our accomplishments, confirm our direction and school development plans and support us with recommendations for continuing improvement.
Thank you to our parents for your ongoing support and belief in the work that we do on behalf of your children.
Regards,
Kathy Miner
Head of School and CEO
1.Parents as language Partners
Next week GAA will be welcoming guest speaker Eowyn Crisfield to present workshop sessions to parents on “Parents as Language Partners”. Eowyn is an expert in the field of Bilingual Education and runs workshops all over the world for both parents and teachers, focusing specifically on the development of mother-tongue language in children and strategies for supporting bilingualism.
Workshops for parents will be held at GAA on the following days:
2.In Touch with our Arabic Team
We are hosting an "Arabic in Touch" Parent Coffee on Wednesday November 4th 2015. We are interested in hearing your ideas and feedback for our Arabic language program, UAE Social Studies and Islamic Studies. You will meet most of our Arabic team to discuss with them your Ideas and Feedback, so we can take them into consideration for improving our department. The parents can choose among a number of table discussion groups, and we will take notes on chart paper to document the feedback and suggestion.
3.Three Way (Student-Parent-Teacher) Conferences
We are looking forward to your participation at Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 11th and 12th. It is important to understand that during this Conference your child, and you, as parents, attend. Your child will be provided with the opportunity to share their learning with you and the class teacher. They will be responsible for reflecting upon and communicating to you work samples that have been previously selected with guidance and support from their teacher.
Please note that only Kindergarten and Elementary require appointment, see below for more details.
Secondary School:
Secondary have a walk-in conference arrangement in which all Secondary teachers are seated at desks in the Gym. You and your child will meet with each of your child’s teachers, as they are available for a brief 10-minute conference. Students should attend with their parents.
*There is no need to book ahead for a conference time.
Kindergarten and Elementary School:
All teachers in KG and Elementary will host 30-minute student led conferences with families in the classroom. Parents are able to book conference times by selecting from the available spaces on the conference schedule. For conference booking Go to the KG and ES Conferences page of The Launcher, click on a teacher name, select an available time, complete your booking details and submit the request.
*The KG and ES conference booking will go live on November 5th. An email with the link will be sent to parents prior to its activation.
KG and ES Specialist teachers:
Parents can find specialist teachers in the Elementary School library. Please feel free to spend 10 minutes with a specialist teacher to learn more about our programs that support Arts, PE, Arabic, Library, Music, Dance, Drama and Cooking.
*There is no need to book ahead for a conference time with a specialist teacher.
Please note that there will NOT be regular classes on these two days and students should attend the conferences with their parents.
Next week GAA will be welcoming guest speaker Eowyn Crisfield to present workshop sessions to parents on “Parents as Language Partners”. Eowyn is an expert in the field of Bilingual Education and runs workshops all over the world for both parents and teachers, focusing specifically on the development of mother-tongue language in children and strategies for supporting bilingualism.
Workshops for parents will be held at GAA on the following days:
- Monday 2nd November – 5:00pm – 6:30pm (Auditorium)
- Wednesday 4th November – 9am-10:30am (Auditorium)
2.In Touch with our Arabic Team
We are hosting an "Arabic in Touch" Parent Coffee on Wednesday November 4th 2015. We are interested in hearing your ideas and feedback for our Arabic language program, UAE Social Studies and Islamic Studies. You will meet most of our Arabic team to discuss with them your Ideas and Feedback, so we can take them into consideration for improving our department. The parents can choose among a number of table discussion groups, and we will take notes on chart paper to document the feedback and suggestion.
- Date: Wednesday November 4th
- Time: 1:45pm-2:45pm
- Place: IB Lounge
3.Three Way (Student-Parent-Teacher) Conferences
We are looking forward to your participation at Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 11th and 12th. It is important to understand that during this Conference your child, and you, as parents, attend. Your child will be provided with the opportunity to share their learning with you and the class teacher. They will be responsible for reflecting upon and communicating to you work samples that have been previously selected with guidance and support from their teacher.
Please note that only Kindergarten and Elementary require appointment, see below for more details.
Secondary School:
Secondary have a walk-in conference arrangement in which all Secondary teachers are seated at desks in the Gym. You and your child will meet with each of your child’s teachers, as they are available for a brief 10-minute conference. Students should attend with their parents.
*There is no need to book ahead for a conference time.
Kindergarten and Elementary School:
All teachers in KG and Elementary will host 30-minute student led conferences with families in the classroom. Parents are able to book conference times by selecting from the available spaces on the conference schedule. For conference booking Go to the KG and ES Conferences page of The Launcher, click on a teacher name, select an available time, complete your booking details and submit the request.
*The KG and ES conference booking will go live on November 5th. An email with the link will be sent to parents prior to its activation.
KG and ES Specialist teachers:
Parents can find specialist teachers in the Elementary School library. Please feel free to spend 10 minutes with a specialist teacher to learn more about our programs that support Arts, PE, Arabic, Library, Music, Dance, Drama and Cooking.
*There is no need to book ahead for a conference time with a specialist teacher.
Please note that there will NOT be regular classes on these two days and students should attend the conferences with their parents.
Great News! We're running a Scholastic Book Club. Leaflets are going home so that you and your child can choose from the latest exciting selection of books. Please place your order online at http://world-schools.scholastic.co.uk/gems-american-acad-abu-dhabi by November 14th, 2015.
ALL ASA activities and updates can be found on the GAA website The Launcher. To View the activities calendar kindly click on the link below:
https://gaa-ad.haikulearning.com/administrator/activitiesathletics/cms_page/view/22661913 alternatively click on the activities tab at the top of the page.
https://gaa-ad.haikulearning.com/administrator/activitiesathletics/cms_page/view/22661913 alternatively click on the activities tab at the top of the page.