News from our Secondary Principal, Katherine Banner
Mark Your Calendars
Secondary Division has been hard at work not only making this year meaningful for students but also keeping an eye toward next year. On April 19 the Secondary Division will host a Preview to Secondary 2017-18 informational session from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Main Auditorium. We hope you will come out to see the new and exciting things we are putting in place for next school year for our grade 6-12 students.
Secondary Division has been hard at work not only making this year meaningful for students but also keeping an eye toward next year. On April 19 the Secondary Division will host a Preview to Secondary 2017-18 informational session from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Main Auditorium. We hope you will come out to see the new and exciting things we are putting in place for next school year for our grade 6-12 students.
New Vice-Principal for Secondary
We are excited to welcome Kain Klinkhammer as our new 2017-18 High School Vice-Principal. Kain will work with our grade 9-12 students and teachers next year. Kain brings a wealth of experience in both American curriculum and the IB Diplomma Programme. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education and a Masters in Journalism/Mass Communication and has completed a principal certificate program. Prior to becoming an administrator, Kain taught English, Psychology, IB English and IB TOK. In addition, Kain has coached and participated in wrestling for many years and is also a member of the South Dakota Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Originally from South Dakota in the US, he is joining us from Egypt. He will be accompanied by his wife, Emily and 21 month old son, Theodore. He enjoys reading, exercising, golfing, and most sports. A quote he lives by is "One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes, and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility." - Eleanor Roosevelt. Welcome Kain!
New IB Diploma Coordinator
Paddy Lyons, our esteemed IB Coordinator, will be leaving us for Chile, where he will serve as Deputy Head of School for the Craighouse School in Santiago. Paddy has contributed mightily to ensuring our IBDP Programme is a quality program and we appreciate all of his hard work these last few years. We wish him and his family all great success in their new adventure in South America.
I am delighted to announce that Donald Caldwell is moving from Director of IT to IB Diploma Coordinator. Along with his strong experience as an IB teacher Donald carries a vast knowledge of GAA from scheduling to technology to resources and beyond; his institutional memory is vast! Donald is respected by his peers and students alike and will be terrific in this new leadership role.
Donald has already attended IBDP Coordinator training and will be working closely with Paddy as he moves toward the full-time position in August. Donald’s vision for the IB at GAA is built on the idea of continuous improvement of the program as well as personalization for student success.
Donald and his wife Dina (also an IB Business teacher and CAS Coordinator) have been a part of the GAA family for 4 years and were previously in Kuwait and South Korea. Please join me in congratulating both of these gentlemen when you see them!
Student Spotlight
Congratulations to Muhammad Abdel-Motagaly who has received The Banneker/Key Scholarship from the University Of Maryland! This is a full scholarship awarded to a select group of students for their academic achievement.
Muhammad’s hard-work and dedication has paid off and as we know, behind every student are parents who encourage and support them. Congratulations once again, not only to Muhammad but also to his parents.
We are excited to welcome Kain Klinkhammer as our new 2017-18 High School Vice-Principal. Kain will work with our grade 9-12 students and teachers next year. Kain brings a wealth of experience in both American curriculum and the IB Diplomma Programme. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education and a Masters in Journalism/Mass Communication and has completed a principal certificate program. Prior to becoming an administrator, Kain taught English, Psychology, IB English and IB TOK. In addition, Kain has coached and participated in wrestling for many years and is also a member of the South Dakota Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Originally from South Dakota in the US, he is joining us from Egypt. He will be accompanied by his wife, Emily and 21 month old son, Theodore. He enjoys reading, exercising, golfing, and most sports. A quote he lives by is "One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes, and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility." - Eleanor Roosevelt. Welcome Kain!
New IB Diploma Coordinator
Paddy Lyons, our esteemed IB Coordinator, will be leaving us for Chile, where he will serve as Deputy Head of School for the Craighouse School in Santiago. Paddy has contributed mightily to ensuring our IBDP Programme is a quality program and we appreciate all of his hard work these last few years. We wish him and his family all great success in their new adventure in South America.
I am delighted to announce that Donald Caldwell is moving from Director of IT to IB Diploma Coordinator. Along with his strong experience as an IB teacher Donald carries a vast knowledge of GAA from scheduling to technology to resources and beyond; his institutional memory is vast! Donald is respected by his peers and students alike and will be terrific in this new leadership role.
Donald has already attended IBDP Coordinator training and will be working closely with Paddy as he moves toward the full-time position in August. Donald’s vision for the IB at GAA is built on the idea of continuous improvement of the program as well as personalization for student success.
Donald and his wife Dina (also an IB Business teacher and CAS Coordinator) have been a part of the GAA family for 4 years and were previously in Kuwait and South Korea. Please join me in congratulating both of these gentlemen when you see them!
Student Spotlight
Congratulations to Muhammad Abdel-Motagaly who has received The Banneker/Key Scholarship from the University Of Maryland! This is a full scholarship awarded to a select group of students for their academic achievement.
Muhammad’s hard-work and dedication has paid off and as we know, behind every student are parents who encourage and support them. Congratulations once again, not only to Muhammad but also to his parents.
Mark Your Calendars
Secondary Division has been hard at work not only making this year meaningful for students but also keeping an eye toward next year. On April 19 the Secondary Division will host a Preview to Secondary 2017-18 informational session from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Main Auditorium. We hope you will come out to see the new and exciting things we are putting in place for next school year for our grade 6-12 students.
MAP Testing
From May 7 to May 25, students in grades 2 through 10 will do the Spring NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessments. Students will receive preparation including test-taking strategies and mindfulness.
NWEA MAP is a form of standardized assessment done on a computer that allow students and teachers to track progress as well as providing a comparison to school and international standards. The purpose of MAP is to see what students are capable of and to monitor and set goals for further learning. In addition, MAP testing results are one data point used for determining acceptance into the IB Diplomma Programme. Grade 2 students sit three assessments: Reading, Language Usage, Mathematics. Grade 3 to 10 students take four assessments: Reading, Language Usage, Mathematics, Science. While MAP is untimed, each assessment takes about one hour and have anywhere from 40 to 54 questions.
This assessment is an opportunity for your student to show what they know. Please encourage your child to take their time on this assessment and to try their best - it is not a race! Ensure that your child is well rested the night before the assessment. (Students will have only one assessment per day and may have one or two days of rest in between.) MAP assessments are unique in that they adapt the questions based on your child's previous answers; questions get progressively more challenging with each correct response. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed, show growth and maintain a positive attitude toward testing.
If you would like to look at some practice questions of how the test will look, follow this link with your child: http://warmup.nwea.org/map_student_menu.html
Please bare in mind these are questions that go up to Grade 5 so don't be alarmed! This is just to show you the format, not the exact questions given. The actual MAP assessment will adapt Results of the Spring MAP will be sent home at the end of the school year.
For more information visit: https://www.nwea.org/assessments/resources-for-parents/
Upcoming Dates of Interest
Examination update
Regards,
Katherine Banner
Secondary Division has been hard at work not only making this year meaningful for students but also keeping an eye toward next year. On April 19 the Secondary Division will host a Preview to Secondary 2017-18 informational session from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Main Auditorium. We hope you will come out to see the new and exciting things we are putting in place for next school year for our grade 6-12 students.
MAP Testing
From May 7 to May 25, students in grades 2 through 10 will do the Spring NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessments. Students will receive preparation including test-taking strategies and mindfulness.
NWEA MAP is a form of standardized assessment done on a computer that allow students and teachers to track progress as well as providing a comparison to school and international standards. The purpose of MAP is to see what students are capable of and to monitor and set goals for further learning. In addition, MAP testing results are one data point used for determining acceptance into the IB Diplomma Programme. Grade 2 students sit three assessments: Reading, Language Usage, Mathematics. Grade 3 to 10 students take four assessments: Reading, Language Usage, Mathematics, Science. While MAP is untimed, each assessment takes about one hour and have anywhere from 40 to 54 questions.
This assessment is an opportunity for your student to show what they know. Please encourage your child to take their time on this assessment and to try their best - it is not a race! Ensure that your child is well rested the night before the assessment. (Students will have only one assessment per day and may have one or two days of rest in between.) MAP assessments are unique in that they adapt the questions based on your child's previous answers; questions get progressively more challenging with each correct response. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed, show growth and maintain a positive attitude toward testing.
If you would like to look at some practice questions of how the test will look, follow this link with your child: http://warmup.nwea.org/map_student_menu.html
Please bare in mind these are questions that go up to Grade 5 so don't be alarmed! This is just to show you the format, not the exact questions given. The actual MAP assessment will adapt Results of the Spring MAP will be sent home at the end of the school year.
For more information visit: https://www.nwea.org/assessments/resources-for-parents/
Upcoming Dates of Interest
- Thursday 13th April 2017 - Middle School Awards Ceremony in the Auditorium @ 6.00 pm. Free tickets available to all athletes from the Booster Club Spirit Shop from 2:30-3:30
- Tuesday 18th April 2017 - IB Art Exhibition in the IB Lounge
- Thursday 20th April 2017 - Grade 12 Half day (Hawaiian themed) and Senior Wildcat Walk from 2.00 to 2.30 pm.
- Saturday 22nd April 2017 - Var./JV Award Celebrations - 6:00pm @ the Marriott Hotel Al Forsan. Tickets will be available from the Booster Club Spirit Shop starting April 9th.
- Thursday 27th April 2017 - International Day - Dress Down day for all students to wear national dress or colours of flag. All MS students will be in the auditorium for blocks F and E on that day. More to follow.
- Thursday 27th April 2017 - Half Day Pizza/National Dress Down Day. Students will finish school at 12 noon. Skinny Schedule is H,G,F,E
- Saturday 29th April 2017 – Innovation Day @ 10.00 am to 2.00 pm at GAA.
Examination update
- The last day of classes for IBDP2 students (Grade 12) will be April 27th (exams start on April 28th)
- Non-IB Grade 12 students will be writing all of their final assessments in class (there will not be an “exam week” for Non-IB Grade 12 students), Their last day of classes will be May 23rd (Graduation is May 24th)
- Grade 9-11 exams (non-IB) run May 28th through June 8th. Last day of classes for these students is May 25th.
- IBDP1 students (Grade 11) do not start their exams until June 1st, so their IBDP1 classes will run through May 31st.
Regards,
Katherine Banner
GAA welcomes jazz icon; Wynton Marsalis
GEMS American Academy - Abu Dhabi enjoyed an interactive workshop led by the American Jazz icon; Wynton Marsalis on Thursday, 23rd March 2017. The Wynton Marsalis Septet were among the headline artists performing at the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival on the 27th March. Whilst in the UAE, Wynton offered to visit the music students at GAA.
An audience of 450 people were captivated as Wynton introduced concepts of jazz music through demonstration and audience participation. He was joined by two of his students from The Julliard School and invited GAA’s Hunter Keith to the stage with his instrument for the first hour of the workshop.
In addition to performing for the students and talking about music, Wynton and members of his ensemble spent some time working with the GAA Big Band as they showcased some of their current repertoire. This was an incredible opportunity to learn from an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, educator and leading advocate for American culture.
Students at GAA were delighted to be joined by a number of music students from our GEMS network and other schools across the UAE for this event.
Wynton Marsalis is a nine-time Grammy Award winner and the only person to achieve 5 consecutive awards (between 1983-1987). He has produced over 80 albums that span the jazz and classical sphere and has been awarded 25 honorary degrees from America’s leading academic institutions including Columbia, Harvard, Howard, Princeton and Yale.
In 1987, Wynton co-founded the jazz program at the Lincoln Centre in New York. He currently serves as Manager and Artistic Director for the established Jazz at the Lincoln Centre, which has become a mecca for learning as well as a hub for performance.
Once again, we would like to thank the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) for their commitment to educational outreach projects and further details of the festival can be found here.
In 2016, music students from GAA visited the Emirates Palace to watch an open rehearsal with the Orchestre de Paris under a similar initiative.
Dave Holland
Secondary School Music Director
GEMS American Academy - Abu Dhabi enjoyed an interactive workshop led by the American Jazz icon; Wynton Marsalis on Thursday, 23rd March 2017. The Wynton Marsalis Septet were among the headline artists performing at the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival on the 27th March. Whilst in the UAE, Wynton offered to visit the music students at GAA.
An audience of 450 people were captivated as Wynton introduced concepts of jazz music through demonstration and audience participation. He was joined by two of his students from The Julliard School and invited GAA’s Hunter Keith to the stage with his instrument for the first hour of the workshop.
In addition to performing for the students and talking about music, Wynton and members of his ensemble spent some time working with the GAA Big Band as they showcased some of their current repertoire. This was an incredible opportunity to learn from an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, educator and leading advocate for American culture.
Students at GAA were delighted to be joined by a number of music students from our GEMS network and other schools across the UAE for this event.
Wynton Marsalis is a nine-time Grammy Award winner and the only person to achieve 5 consecutive awards (between 1983-1987). He has produced over 80 albums that span the jazz and classical sphere and has been awarded 25 honorary degrees from America’s leading academic institutions including Columbia, Harvard, Howard, Princeton and Yale.
In 1987, Wynton co-founded the jazz program at the Lincoln Centre in New York. He currently serves as Manager and Artistic Director for the established Jazz at the Lincoln Centre, which has become a mecca for learning as well as a hub for performance.
Once again, we would like to thank the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) for their commitment to educational outreach projects and further details of the festival can be found here.
In 2016, music students from GAA visited the Emirates Palace to watch an open rehearsal with the Orchestre de Paris under a similar initiative.
Dave Holland
Secondary School Music Director