News from our Secondary Principal, Katherine Banner
2016 December High School (Grades 9-12) Non-IB Exam Schedule
The following is GAA’s December exam schedule for 2016. Please note the following:
The following is GAA’s December exam schedule for 2016. Please note the following:
- Exams listed apply to all students in grades 9-12 in non-IB courses
- Regular classes are in session at all times
- All exams will happen in regular class times with the exception of Grade 9 & 10 Sciences:
- Physics 1, Chemistry 1&2, and Biology 1&2 will occur on Thursday, December 8 in the auditorium at the scheduled times.
- Regular classes for Grade 9&10 students WILL NOT be in session that day. Students need only attend for their exam. Students who choose to stay at school during non-exam times that day will be expected to remain in designated classrooms for quiet study.
- Students should not have to write more than 2 exams in one day. If a student has three exams in one day, they should contact Mr. Lea as soon as possible to reschedule one of those exams.
- The Prophet’s Birthday is scheduled for Monday, December 12th. If the school closing date changes, adjustments will be made to the schedule.
Exam Schedule by Date:
Music Abounds!
This has been an eventful week at GAA! We had the Grade 6 Egyptian Fair which gave students the opportunity to present inter-disciplinary projects in an authentic way to parents, peers and teachers. It was wonderful to see so many creative projects. I especially enjoyed the math board games!
Last week the GAA family had the pleasure of attending the GAA Winter Choral Concert, a brilliant evening of beautiful music which culminated in all of the choirs performing a piece in Swahili. Though this was the first time for many of Ms. Meninger’s students to perform in front of an audience in this way, they conducted themselves with great confidence and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. Only the attending parents and teachers seemed to enjoy the performance more.
This week we were treated to an evening of instrumental music by a number of ensembles at the Middle and High School Winter Concert. Under the direction of Kelley Taylor, the Middle School Beginner Band opened the show with an entertaining demonstration of their progression from their first days in the music class to what they know now.
Following the beginners, Mr. Dave Holland directed five high school ensembles including a classical violin duet and the High School Concert Band performing symphonic and traditional music, as well as a medley of contemporary popular tunes. The selection of Coldplay was particularly awesome! After the HS Concert Band was a beautiful flute and piano trio, the ever confident High School Jazz Band, and an exciting and entertaining closing number by the combined HS Jazz & GAA Big Band (including Mr. Thorpe joining in on his trumpet). Thanks also to Dave and his Jazz ensembles for performing a variety of mini lunch and after school concerts in recent weeks.
National Day Celebration
Tuesday we celebrated the United Arab Emirates 45th National Day. The holiday marks the unification of the seven emirates and the founding of the country in 1971 under Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president.
Students, teachers and parents alike had a terrific time watching student traditional Arabic dance performances, art demonstrations, poetry recitations and dramatic readings in the auditorium. The henna tent and falcon demonstration were especially popular on the field. All were treated to a delicious traditional Arabic lunch including a shawarma station. This was indeed a fabulous celebration and we owe tremendous gratitude to our Arabic Department under the leadership of Samah Awad.
We thank you for the high quality Arabic, UAE Social Studies and Islamic Studies instruction that enables our students to perform with confidence and be fully engaged in our National Day assemblies and to understand the meaning behind the celebration. Thank you to all of our teachers, educational assistants, support staff and admin staff who helped make this day a success.
This has been an eventful week at GAA! We had the Grade 6 Egyptian Fair which gave students the opportunity to present inter-disciplinary projects in an authentic way to parents, peers and teachers. It was wonderful to see so many creative projects. I especially enjoyed the math board games!
Last week the GAA family had the pleasure of attending the GAA Winter Choral Concert, a brilliant evening of beautiful music which culminated in all of the choirs performing a piece in Swahili. Though this was the first time for many of Ms. Meninger’s students to perform in front of an audience in this way, they conducted themselves with great confidence and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. Only the attending parents and teachers seemed to enjoy the performance more.
This week we were treated to an evening of instrumental music by a number of ensembles at the Middle and High School Winter Concert. Under the direction of Kelley Taylor, the Middle School Beginner Band opened the show with an entertaining demonstration of their progression from their first days in the music class to what they know now.
Following the beginners, Mr. Dave Holland directed five high school ensembles including a classical violin duet and the High School Concert Band performing symphonic and traditional music, as well as a medley of contemporary popular tunes. The selection of Coldplay was particularly awesome! After the HS Concert Band was a beautiful flute and piano trio, the ever confident High School Jazz Band, and an exciting and entertaining closing number by the combined HS Jazz & GAA Big Band (including Mr. Thorpe joining in on his trumpet). Thanks also to Dave and his Jazz ensembles for performing a variety of mini lunch and after school concerts in recent weeks.
National Day Celebration
Tuesday we celebrated the United Arab Emirates 45th National Day. The holiday marks the unification of the seven emirates and the founding of the country in 1971 under Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president.
Students, teachers and parents alike had a terrific time watching student traditional Arabic dance performances, art demonstrations, poetry recitations and dramatic readings in the auditorium. The henna tent and falcon demonstration were especially popular on the field. All were treated to a delicious traditional Arabic lunch including a shawarma station. This was indeed a fabulous celebration and we owe tremendous gratitude to our Arabic Department under the leadership of Samah Awad.
We thank you for the high quality Arabic, UAE Social Studies and Islamic Studies instruction that enables our students to perform with confidence and be fully engaged in our National Day assemblies and to understand the meaning behind the celebration. Thank you to all of our teachers, educational assistants, support staff and admin staff who helped make this day a success.
UAE National Day
On the 45th national day of our beloved country, the United Arab Emirates we had a lot of fun, enjoyed and learned about the history of this great day. We started our day full of activities with the national anthem then the national songs started in the field followed by the puppet show for elementary kids.
The falcon is considered one of the icons of the UAE, so we made sure that our students learned about it. We brought a real falcon to enable our students to have a real experience with this bird.
And when it comes to traditional and heritage Ayyalah, which is one of the most important folklores in UAE, we asked professional locals to perform this dance for different periods.
Generosity is a trait of the Emirati people, so they insisted on showing all the students and the staff their hospitality and generosity by bringing different kinds of food which was way more than enough for everyone. And the students insisted on doing something to express their feelings towards their country regardless if they were locals or residents, so they started their show with a recitation from the holy Quran and then the national anthem followed by traditional dances including the Yolah and Na’sh followed by a silent show about the importance of being united, after that, one of the talented students read a poem about loving the country.
The high school students preformed the loyalty oath for His Highness Sheikh Khalifah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates. Then, it was followed by a minute of silent prayers for the souls of the martyrs for the UAE. A big surprise was when one of the students drew a picture of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, (may Allah have mercy upon him) in only two minutes. It was a really fantastic day!
We ask Allah to protect this country from all the evil, to have more prosperity and success.
And in this occasion we would like congratulate our Sheikhs and Rulers and specially for His Highness Sheikh Khalifah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan the presidents of UAE and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum the vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Secondary Head of Arabic and Islamic studies
Mhd Ghofran Zamrik
The falcon is considered one of the icons of the UAE, so we made sure that our students learned about it. We brought a real falcon to enable our students to have a real experience with this bird.
And when it comes to traditional and heritage Ayyalah, which is one of the most important folklores in UAE, we asked professional locals to perform this dance for different periods.
Generosity is a trait of the Emirati people, so they insisted on showing all the students and the staff their hospitality and generosity by bringing different kinds of food which was way more than enough for everyone. And the students insisted on doing something to express their feelings towards their country regardless if they were locals or residents, so they started their show with a recitation from the holy Quran and then the national anthem followed by traditional dances including the Yolah and Na’sh followed by a silent show about the importance of being united, after that, one of the talented students read a poem about loving the country.
The high school students preformed the loyalty oath for His Highness Sheikh Khalifah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates. Then, it was followed by a minute of silent prayers for the souls of the martyrs for the UAE. A big surprise was when one of the students drew a picture of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, (may Allah have mercy upon him) in only two minutes. It was a really fantastic day!
We ask Allah to protect this country from all the evil, to have more prosperity and success.
And in this occasion we would like congratulate our Sheikhs and Rulers and specially for His Highness Sheikh Khalifah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan the presidents of UAE and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum the vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Secondary Head of Arabic and Islamic studies
Mhd Ghofran Zamrik
Winter Concert
Musicians from Grades 7-12 took to the stage on Monday, 28th November to present the very best of their current repertoire at this exciting annual event.
This year’s concert featured performances from our Middle School Beginner Band, Middle School Advanced Band, High School Concert Band, High School Jazz Band, GAA Big Band and a number of smaller student-led ensembles. Many of the younger students joined the music program in September and this was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their achievement as well as that of our more experienced instrumentalists.
There was an obvious theme of collaboration throughout the evening as students from middle and high school combined under the musical direction of Ms. Kelley Taylor and Mr. Dave Holland.
Thank you to the parents, relatives and staff that attended this event and we look forward to doing it all again in the new year at our Spring event.
IB Diploma Music - Lunchtime Concert Series
Students from the Grade 11 IB Diploma Music class presented the first of their Lunchtime Concert Series on Monday, 28th November. This is a student-led project that aims to get music out of the classroom and into the wider school community. They entertained students from Grade 1 through to Grade 12 with solo and group performances. As we enter the new year, they hope to make this a regular event. In a touching conclusion to this fantastic event, students from the Elementary School wrote letters of thanks to the class.
Musicians from Grades 7-12 took to the stage on Monday, 28th November to present the very best of their current repertoire at this exciting annual event.
This year’s concert featured performances from our Middle School Beginner Band, Middle School Advanced Band, High School Concert Band, High School Jazz Band, GAA Big Band and a number of smaller student-led ensembles. Many of the younger students joined the music program in September and this was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their achievement as well as that of our more experienced instrumentalists.
There was an obvious theme of collaboration throughout the evening as students from middle and high school combined under the musical direction of Ms. Kelley Taylor and Mr. Dave Holland.
Thank you to the parents, relatives and staff that attended this event and we look forward to doing it all again in the new year at our Spring event.
IB Diploma Music - Lunchtime Concert Series
Students from the Grade 11 IB Diploma Music class presented the first of their Lunchtime Concert Series on Monday, 28th November. This is a student-led project that aims to get music out of the classroom and into the wider school community. They entertained students from Grade 1 through to Grade 12 with solo and group performances. As we enter the new year, they hope to make this a regular event. In a touching conclusion to this fantastic event, students from the Elementary School wrote letters of thanks to the class.
Tunes on Tuesday
In the midst of the concert preparation, our after school music offering has continued in the foyer every Tuesday. This has included performances from the joint HS Jazz Band and GAA Big Band on the 22nd November and a trio featuring Mini Park, Hannah Sudarsan and Sieun Kim on the 15th November. This short performance is an excellent opportunity for students and parents to catch a glimpse of the music taking place on a daily basis at GAA. A huge thank you to the students that have taken their time to be involved in these events as it often means catching the late bus home in order to deliver 10 minutes of entertainment as our community finish a long day of learning.
In the midst of the concert preparation, our after school music offering has continued in the foyer every Tuesday. This has included performances from the joint HS Jazz Band and GAA Big Band on the 22nd November and a trio featuring Mini Park, Hannah Sudarsan and Sieun Kim on the 15th November. This short performance is an excellent opportunity for students and parents to catch a glimpse of the music taking place on a daily basis at GAA. A huge thank you to the students that have taken their time to be involved in these events as it often means catching the late bus home in order to deliver 10 minutes of entertainment as our community finish a long day of learning.
Association of Music in International Schools (AMIS)
Hunter Keith (G11) has successfully auditioned to become the ‘Reserve Tenor Saxophone Player’ for the Association of Music in International Schools (AMIS) Honor Band. If called up, he will attend the residential performance in Luxembourg in 2017. He is only the third music student from a GEMS school to achieve this success following Yuki Kaneko and Hyunseo Park last year. The AMIS audition process is rigorous and the successful musicians represent the best musicians from International Schools globally.
National Day
Another vote of thanks to students from the High School Concert Band. Twenty four students were on call throughout our National Day celebrations on the 29th November to perform the National Anthem at various times. They once again demonstrated their professionalism by sacrificing ‘shawarma time’ to perform to capacity audiences in the auditorium. Well done.
Martyr’s Day
Mr. Dave Holland led students from our Elementary School as they sang the National Anthem in honour of Martyr’s Day on Wednesday, 30th November.
A huge thank you to everyone that has supported the music department this term!
Mr. Dave Holland
Secondary School Music Director
Hunter Keith (G11) has successfully auditioned to become the ‘Reserve Tenor Saxophone Player’ for the Association of Music in International Schools (AMIS) Honor Band. If called up, he will attend the residential performance in Luxembourg in 2017. He is only the third music student from a GEMS school to achieve this success following Yuki Kaneko and Hyunseo Park last year. The AMIS audition process is rigorous and the successful musicians represent the best musicians from International Schools globally.
National Day
Another vote of thanks to students from the High School Concert Band. Twenty four students were on call throughout our National Day celebrations on the 29th November to perform the National Anthem at various times. They once again demonstrated their professionalism by sacrificing ‘shawarma time’ to perform to capacity audiences in the auditorium. Well done.
Martyr’s Day
Mr. Dave Holland led students from our Elementary School as they sang the National Anthem in honour of Martyr’s Day on Wednesday, 30th November.
A huge thank you to everyone that has supported the music department this term!
Mr. Dave Holland
Secondary School Music Director
ASMA (American Scholastic Mathematics Association) CONTEST
GAA will be running 6 ASMA contests this year for Secondary School Students.
Contest #3: December 6th, Tuesday (After School 3:10-3:45 pm)
The competition is 35 minutes long.
Last year GEMS American Academy participated in the ASMA’s and received first place, if you want to find out more about the competition please go to http://www.asan.com/asma1.htm.
Contest #3: December 6th, Tuesday (After School 3:10-3:45 pm)
The competition is 35 minutes long.
- Start Time: 3:10 and finish at 3:45.
- Where: Ms. Farah Sami’s Room - 240
Last year GEMS American Academy participated in the ASMA’s and received first place, if you want to find out more about the competition please go to http://www.asan.com/asma1.htm.