News From Secondary Vice Principal Tim Fryer Randall
Dear Secondary Parents,
Please note the following important events that are taking place in the next two weeks:
• Gradebook will open at 3.00pm on Tuesday 4th November for you to view first quarter progress grades.
• Secondary Three Way (parent, student, teacher) Conferences take place in the Gym from 7:30-3:30 on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th November. There will not be regular classes on these two days and students should attend the conferences with their parents. In order to provide flexibility for parents with children in KG and Elementary school, for which conferences are pre-booked, we have a walk-in conference arrangement where all Secondary teachers will be in the Gym and you may approach each teacher when they are free. We recommend around 10 minutes per teacher. There will be seating for parents in the Gym while you are waiting and refreshments will be provided.
• MAP testing starts on Sunday November 2nd as per the schedule below. All students in Grades 6-10 take Reading, Language, Math and Science tests and only one per day, with normal lessons for the rest of the day. The MAP parent toolkit is attached for your information. Students have already been briefed and have received further information in homerooms this week.
College Counseling News
Each week’s main story has featured some aspect of the college admission process that is most relevant or current in the college planning timeline. Recognizing that this process may be new to many of you, I thought it might be good to focus on the “the basics.” A nice starting point is reviewing the terminology that is used when applying to college. Below is a list of widely used terms and definitions in the college admission world compiled from The College Board, ACT, and First In the Family
"COLLEGE “LINGO”
College readiness: The courses students take in high school show colleges how ready they are for college level classes. Colleges want to know if a student is signing up for advanced classes or honors sections, if they are choosing electives that reflect their abilities—or are they doing just enough to get by
Electives: Courses students may select to meet total graduation requirements.
GPA& (Grade Point Average): The GPA is figured by averaging the numerical value of a student's grades: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1,F=0. It is cumulative, starting freshman year; grades count every year. A poor GPA in ninth grade can drag down the overall average, despite, for example, good grades junior year. The higher the GPA the better, but colleges also look at academic levels: a “B” in a hard class can be worth more than an “A” in an easy class.
Weighted Grade Point Average (GPA): A grade point average that’s calculated using a system that assigns a higher point value to grades in more-difficult classes. For example, some high schools assign the value of 5.0 (instead of the standard 4.0) for an A earned in an AP or Honors class.
Admission Tests: Also known as college entrance exams, these are tests designed to measure students’ skills and help colleges evaluate how ready students are for college-level work. The ACT and the College Board’s SAT are two standardized admission tests used in the United States. The word "standardized" means that the test measures the same thing in the same way for everyone who takes it.
Associate's degree: A degree earned after completing the equivalent of the first two years of a education at a four-year institution. Degrees include Associate of Arts, Associate of Sciences and Associate of Applied Sciences for completing a vocational or technical program.
Bachelor's degree: A degree earned after completing a prescribed course of undergraduate study at a college or university. The two most common degrees are a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.).
Class Rank: A measurement of how your academic achievement compares with that of other students in your grade. This number is usually determined by using a weighted GPA that takes into account both your grades and the difficulty of the courses you’ve taken.
College Application Essay: An essay that a college requires students to write and submit as part of their application. Some colleges offer applicants specific questions to answer, while others simply ask applicants to write about themselves. Colleges may refer to this as a “personal statement.”
College Credit: What you get when you successfully complete a college-level course. You need a certain number of credits to graduate with a degree. Colleges may also grant credit for scores on exams, such as those offered by College Board’s AP Program® and CLEP.
Common Application: A standard application form accepted by all colleges that are members of the Common Application association. You can fill out this application once and submit it to any one — or several — of the 475-plus colleges that accept it.
Deferred Admission: Permission from a college that has accepted you to postpone enrolling in the college. The postponement is usually for up to one year.
Early Action (EA): An option to submit your applications before the regular deadlines. When you apply early action, you get admission decisions from colleges earlier than usual. Early action plans are not binding, which means that you do not have to enroll in a college if you are accepted early action. Some colleges have an early action option called EA II, which has a later application deadline than their regular EA plan.
Early Decision (ED): An option to submit an application to your first-choice college before the regular deadline. When you apply early decision, you get an admission decision earlier than usual. Early decision plans are binding. You agree to enroll in the college immediately if admitted and offered a financial aid package that meets your needs. Some colleges have an early decision option called ED II, which has a later application deadline than their regular ED plan.
Financial Aid: Money given or loaned to you to help pay for college. Financial aid can come from federal and state governments, colleges, and private organizations.
Legacy Applicant: A college applicant with a relative (usually a parent or grandparent) who graduated from that college. Some colleges give preference to legacy applicants (also called “legacies”).
Priority Date or Deadline: The date by which your application — whether it’s for college admission, student housing or financial aid — must be received to be given the strongest consideration.
Rolling Admission: An admission policy of considering each application as soon as all required information (such as high school records and test scores) has been received, rather than setting an application deadline and reviewing applications in a batch. Colleges that use a rolling admission policy usually notify applicants of admission decisions quickly.
Selective admissions: The policy of admitting only well-qualified applicants, based on high school grades, admission test scores, and additional personal information often provided through essays, resumes, interviews, and letters of recommendation.
Transcript: The official record of your course work at a school or college. Your high school transcript is usually required for college admission and for some financial aid packages.
Undergraduate: A college student who is working toward an associate or a bachelor's degree.
Universal College Application: A standard application form accepted by all colleges that are Universal College Application members. You can fill out this application once and submit it to any one — or several — of the 44 colleges that accept it.
"COLLEGE “LINGO”
College readiness: The courses students take in high school show colleges how ready they are for college level classes. Colleges want to know if a student is signing up for advanced classes or honors sections, if they are choosing electives that reflect their abilities—or are they doing just enough to get by
Electives: Courses students may select to meet total graduation requirements.
GPA& (Grade Point Average): The GPA is figured by averaging the numerical value of a student's grades: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1,F=0. It is cumulative, starting freshman year; grades count every year. A poor GPA in ninth grade can drag down the overall average, despite, for example, good grades junior year. The higher the GPA the better, but colleges also look at academic levels: a “B” in a hard class can be worth more than an “A” in an easy class.
Weighted Grade Point Average (GPA): A grade point average that’s calculated using a system that assigns a higher point value to grades in more-difficult classes. For example, some high schools assign the value of 5.0 (instead of the standard 4.0) for an A earned in an AP or Honors class.
Admission Tests: Also known as college entrance exams, these are tests designed to measure students’ skills and help colleges evaluate how ready students are for college-level work. The ACT and the College Board’s SAT are two standardized admission tests used in the United States. The word "standardized" means that the test measures the same thing in the same way for everyone who takes it.
Associate's degree: A degree earned after completing the equivalent of the first two years of a education at a four-year institution. Degrees include Associate of Arts, Associate of Sciences and Associate of Applied Sciences for completing a vocational or technical program.
Bachelor's degree: A degree earned after completing a prescribed course of undergraduate study at a college or university. The two most common degrees are a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.).
Class Rank: A measurement of how your academic achievement compares with that of other students in your grade. This number is usually determined by using a weighted GPA that takes into account both your grades and the difficulty of the courses you’ve taken.
College Application Essay: An essay that a college requires students to write and submit as part of their application. Some colleges offer applicants specific questions to answer, while others simply ask applicants to write about themselves. Colleges may refer to this as a “personal statement.”
College Credit: What you get when you successfully complete a college-level course. You need a certain number of credits to graduate with a degree. Colleges may also grant credit for scores on exams, such as those offered by College Board’s AP Program® and CLEP.
Common Application: A standard application form accepted by all colleges that are members of the Common Application association. You can fill out this application once and submit it to any one — or several — of the 475-plus colleges that accept it.
Deferred Admission: Permission from a college that has accepted you to postpone enrolling in the college. The postponement is usually for up to one year.
Early Action (EA): An option to submit your applications before the regular deadlines. When you apply early action, you get admission decisions from colleges earlier than usual. Early action plans are not binding, which means that you do not have to enroll in a college if you are accepted early action. Some colleges have an early action option called EA II, which has a later application deadline than their regular EA plan.
Early Decision (ED): An option to submit an application to your first-choice college before the regular deadline. When you apply early decision, you get an admission decision earlier than usual. Early decision plans are binding. You agree to enroll in the college immediately if admitted and offered a financial aid package that meets your needs. Some colleges have an early decision option called ED II, which has a later application deadline than their regular ED plan.
Financial Aid: Money given or loaned to you to help pay for college. Financial aid can come from federal and state governments, colleges, and private organizations.
Legacy Applicant: A college applicant with a relative (usually a parent or grandparent) who graduated from that college. Some colleges give preference to legacy applicants (also called “legacies”).
Priority Date or Deadline: The date by which your application — whether it’s for college admission, student housing or financial aid — must be received to be given the strongest consideration.
Rolling Admission: An admission policy of considering each application as soon as all required information (such as high school records and test scores) has been received, rather than setting an application deadline and reviewing applications in a batch. Colleges that use a rolling admission policy usually notify applicants of admission decisions quickly.
Selective admissions: The policy of admitting only well-qualified applicants, based on high school grades, admission test scores, and additional personal information often provided through essays, resumes, interviews, and letters of recommendation.
Transcript: The official record of your course work at a school or college. Your high school transcript is usually required for college admission and for some financial aid packages.
Undergraduate: A college student who is working toward an associate or a bachelor's degree.
Universal College Application: A standard application form accepted by all colleges that are Universal College Application members. You can fill out this application once and submit it to any one — or several — of the 44 colleges that accept it.
"COLLEGE “LINGO”
Fall College Visits
NOVEMBER
3rd – American University Sharjah, UAE, 9:15am
4th – Gulf International University Tour, USA and International, 9:15am
16th – Vassar College & Grinnell College, USA, 1:30pm
17th – Queen’s University, Canada, 12:00pm
19th – Bennington College & Wartburg College, 9:15am
NOVEMBER
3rd – American University Sharjah, UAE, 9:15am
4th – Gulf International University Tour, USA and International, 9:15am
16th – Vassar College & Grinnell College, USA, 1:30pm
17th – Queen’s University, Canada, 12:00pm
19th – Bennington College & Wartburg College, 9:15am
From GAA SWIMMING TEAM
Dear, Secondary Parents
We had a very successful swim meet on Monday 20th October 2014 at Al Bateen Secondary School. We had 30 swimmers competing against 7 schools to achieve excellent individual and team results. Here are the GAA top results from the events: Team Relay: Girls 11-12 200 SC Meter Medley Relay - 3rd Place Girls 15 & Over 200 SC Meter Medley Relay – 1st Place Boys 15 & Over 200 SC Meter Medley Relay – 2nd Place Individual Events: Girls 13-14 50Meter Butterfly - 2nd place Peyton Karlsen Time: 34.65 Boys 13-14 50 Meter Butterfly – 2nd place Georgios Tarasi Time:34.05 Boys 15 & Over 50 Meter Butterfly – 2nd place Khalil Boukhris Time:31.78 Boys 13-14 50 Meter Freestyle – 2nd place Georgios Tarasi Time:30.72 Girls 15 & Over 50 Meter Freestyle –3rd place Eva Tarasi Time: 34.46 Boys 15 & Over 50 Meter Freestyle – 2nd place Alec Karlsen Time: 27.49 Girls 13-14 50 Meter Backstroke – 2nd place Peyton Karlsen Time: 39.55 Girls 15 & Over 50 Meter Backstroke – 3rd place Eva Tarasi Time: 40.28 Boys 15 & Over 50 Meter Backstroke – 1st place Alec Karlsen Time: 31.74 Girls 15 & Over 50 Meter Breaststroke -3rd place – Kinga Krzymowska Time:44.92 Grade 6 Learning in the Lab |
Congratulation to All GAA Swimmers .
We are looking forward to competing in our next swimming competition, which will be held at ACS, on Friday 7th November 2014. We welcome any supporters to come and cheer our swimmers on. Best Regards from all swimming coaches, Ms. Kirsten Baillie, Ms.Terileigh Skillman, Ms. Kimberlyrobyn Masters and Ms.Iliana Jaltova. |
Grade 6 Science students had a great time in the lab this week. We’ve just completed our Inquiry unit and ended off by discovering how the addition of Borax can affect the stretchiness of slime. Students were wonderful at applying their investigation skills and were carefully able to carry out a controlled experiment to make a fun, gooey and stretchy slime. Well done 6th graders!
Here is our Community and Secondary School Calendar - Scroll through the months to see what's planned for this year at GAA
Please make sure you check this calendar regularly for updates and new events