Volume 5, Issue 9 Nov 8th 2012

The Academy promotes inquiring, knowledgeable, reflective, and caring learners who develop personal skills to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. Reflected in a variety of defined outcomes and assessments, our divisional I.B. programs support students to become compassionate, lifelong, and actively involved learners who recognize the differences among people and will contribute to a better future global society.

A Note from the Elementary Principal

Welcome back! I hope that you had a wonderful 10 day break and that your families were able to take advantage of the lovely weather. There is a lot happening in the week ahead! Please read the newsletter carefully and mark your calendars. We look forward to welcoming Mums and Dads into our classrooms next Tuesday 13th November for our first round of Student/Parent/Teacher conferences in the Elementary School. By now you should have had the opportunity to arrange an interview time with your childs teacher. The focus of the interviews will be to share student goals with you, so that you have a clear idea of where your child will be headed in the coming months and how we as an educational team of student, parents and teacher, can assist in the learning process.

3 A Day
A focus on Good Health

Ask your child to TALK to you about the Movember campaign for mens health awareness during the month of November. During assembly this morning students were asked to support the awareness campaign by sharing the Movember initiative with their families and encouraging Dads and Following on from Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences, our Quarter 1 Progress other male family members to Reports will be issued on Wednesday 14th November. Reports will be electronically schedule important health delivered, in PDF format. They will no longer be printed, as part of our commitment checks. Our teachers and students to reducing our carbon footprint. By now, all families should have received an are having great fun with this automated email from the Managebac system with login information so that you important message! can access the report. If you have NOT received this, please contact our Elementary SHARE some time with your child Secretary, Mrs Jill Strachan, j.strachan_gwa@gemsedu.com who will be able to reviewing todays Grade 5 assembly assist you. on the GWA Weebly. Did you know th th that students in the UAE walk a lot From Sunday 11 - Wednesday 14 November, a vendor will be in school selling less than students of the same age UAE national dress in preparation for our upcoming National Day Celebrations on th in Canada? Discuss the reasons why November 28 . The entire school community (teachers, students and parents) is this might be so. encouraged to dress in the colours or traditional costumes of the UAE. Part of our commitment in developing international-mindedness in our school community, means respecting and understanding our host country and its culture more deeply. We hope you choose to be a part of these wonderful festivities by wearing UAE national dress on November 28th. ENCOURAGE your child to take on a healthy challenge such as the GCC in Grade 5. What are some Good Health Resolutions that you could make as a family? Encourage each other for the whole month of November and beyond!

Sincerely Megan Brazil

Quick Glimpse at the Week Ahead!

Sunday, Nov 11
Day 2 Dental screening Gr 1-5 All week

Monday, Nov 12
Day 3

Tuesday, Nov 13
Day 4 Parent / Teacher / Student conferences No regular classes

Wednesday, Nov 14
Day 5 Pre-kG1 Assembly Progess Reports via Managebac GWAPA Coffee Morning

Thursday, Nov 15
No School Islamic New Year

To view the GWA cafeteria menu, please visit the GWA website at www.gemsworldacademy-dubai.com

The KG1 students have been busy exploring their 5 senses and how senses help them learn about themselves, the world and each other. We tuned into this unit of inquiry by taking a trip to the Motor City Spinneys where the children were able to take their learning out of the classroom and into the real world. The students were encouraged to use their five senses while being guided to explore the different sounds, scents, textures, sights and flavors found in the grocery store. They were able to realize that most of the time we tend to use more than one of our senses at once. The KG1 children have been acquiring new vocabulary, using their fine motor skills, reading books and conducting lots of experiments to inquire into their senses. We were able to visit different parts of the school which provided us a variety of sensory experiences. The students are scheduled to visit the music department and the planetarium to investigate their sense of hearing very soon !!

During the month of November each year, the Movember campaign asks men across the world to grow a moustache with the aim of raising awareness for mens health issues. Movember moustaches were first grown in Australia back in 2003 and since that time word of Movember and its mens health messages have spread across the globe. Movember currently runs official campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, South Africa, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, Hong Kong , Singapore, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, Movember is aware of supportive Mo Bros and Mo Sistas here at GWA. In our campaign to start the discussion of mens health issues in the UAE, GWA has started a Movember campaign of their own. For the first week of November, some of the male teachers have volunteered to start growing a full beard. On Thursday, November 8, all students at GWA will have the opportunity to vote on how the teachers shave their beards into a stylish moustaches. Throughout the month we will look at how closely the teachers moustaches are to the real moustache category. So mengrow the Mo and take action towards getting regular checkups and maintaining a healthy lifestyle!

Scholastic Update
Dear Parents, Our first Scholastic Book Club order this year was a great success! We had over 70 orders placed across the elementary school, and many children received a wide variety of books. All of the orders have been distributed except for one. Unfortuately, we have one order that did not contain a student name or class, and we are trying to track down who placed the order. If you ordered books online from Scholastic and have not receive them, could you please contact me. Please forward me the confirmation/ receipt email from Scholastic and I will sort things out. Hopefully, we can get the books to the right child as soon as possible. Thank you, Melanie Hart Scholastic Book Club Coordinator (m.hart_gwa@gemsedu.com) P.S. We will be organizing another Scholastic Book Club order in the spring. Look for our next flyers at the end of February!

IMPORTANT
Outstanding Documents, Fees and Managebac Reports
Any outstanding documents, including residency visas, transfer certificates and medical forms, must be submitted as soon as possible so that students can be legally registered with the KHDA/Ministry of Education. Until all documents are submitted for a child, and all outstanding tuition fees paid, GWA cannot distribute quarterly progress reports on Wednesday as the student is not yet officially recognized by the Ministry. Please help us to register your child today!
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Book Fair Nov. 11th through 14th with BookWorm

The books are coming! BookWorm is returning to our school for another book fair. The fair will run from 8am till 4pm Sunday through Wednesday. You are welcome to stop by before and after school to browse or shop! Students in grades 1-5 have certain days they will attend with their class or during library time. Students in PK-KG2 are invited to visit the fair before and after school with parents. Students in grades 1-5 have received an envelope to bring money if you wish them to buy during school hours. If you have any questions please contact Ms. LJ by e-mail: j.martin_gwa@gems.edu.
Sunday Nov. 11th Grades 1 and 2 teachers to bring students to the book fair between 11am and 3:30pm Going during library class: 1KM (Sunday) 2CM (Sunday) 1RB (Monday) 2NW (Monday) 2AF (Wednesday) Monday Nov. 12th Grades 3 and 4 teacher will bring students to the book fair between 8:30am and 3:30pm Going during library class: 3CS (Monday) 4 BA (Monday) 3 LJ(Wednesday) 4 MO (Wednesday) Wednesday Nov. 14th Grade 5 teachers will bring students to the book fair between 8:30 am and 3:30pm Going during library class: 5KL (Monday) 5HJ (Wednesday)

Cashless Cafeteria Cards

Dear GWA Parent, GEMS Education and Accuro Food Services are ready to commence the cashless pay program for the school lunch service. The cards will be sent home with your child on Sunday November 11th. Accuros Dietician and Executive Chef have created a range of balanced, tasty and nutritious menus to ensure that students are provided with the correct nutritional intake during the school day. Balanced nutrition helps maximize student concentration and performance during the second half of the school day. The new card is provided free of charge to GWA students and will provide several benefits including:

A Convenient way of paying Queuing times reduced through speed-line service Specific items can be controlled/restricted from being sold to a student, with full transaction details available online Healthy eating can be achieved through the School Meal Program where parents can check on items being purchased and consumed.

Please visit https://school.gemsoasis.com/OASIS_accuro/Forms/Index.aspx to sign up for this free card. Parent GLG username and password provides you with access to this site. Once you have received the card you may load it with credit using your own bank credit card. Students may use their cashless cards in the GWA cafeteria immediately. We are inviting parent feedback on all aspects of this process. Feedback may be forwarded to Ms. Jan Egan, our Parent Relations Executive j.egan_gwa@gemsedu.com We look forward to your support as GWA works towards being a cashless school lunch program.

A reminder about Quarter 2 Curriculum Rotations Swimming and Visual Arts

As mentioned in the first newsletter of the year, this year we have created a rotation between Swimming and Visual Arts for students in the Elementary School. As we move towards our projected capacity of 2000 students (K-12), we have had to find a way to share our swimming pool across the entire school population. To compensate, we extended the swimming lesson times from 40 minutes, to 60 minutes, to give students more time in the water each week. Elementary school swimming will now take place for two out of the four quarters of the year for a few reasons:

Participation in school swimming significantly drops off during the winter months with so many students (or parents) opting not to swim as it is too cold. Scheduling swimming in only part of the cooler weather will hopefully mean greater student participation in the lessons as they run for a shorter period. Swimming for two out of the four quarters allows us to rotate 45 elementary classrooms through the pool each cycle (last year we only had 30 classes to schedule)

If your child was swimming in the Quarter 1, they will now rotate to Visual Arts (taught by homeroom teachers and Ms Huson in PreK and KG1; Ms Murphy KG2 Grade 5). If your child was taking Visual Arts in Quarter 1, they will now rotate to Swimming. Visual Arts with a specialist teacher is a new offering for students in KG2 Grade 5 this year. Offering Visual Arts as a specialist subject area provides students with the opportunity to develop more subject specific knowledge and skills. Drop by our Visual Arts classroom on the second floor of C Wing to see the wonderful work our students have been involved in during the first quarter.

I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing break. Both the Swim squad and the Football teams have been back in training, and the football team had great results in their last home game of the season against Wellington Silicon Oasis (see result below). Past results:

Date
Sun 21st Oct Sun 21st Oct Tue 6th Nov Tue 6th Nov

Opposition
Greenfield Community School Greenfield Community School Wellington SO Wellington SO

Team
Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 4 Grade 5

Venue
GWA Greenfield GWA GWA

Result
2-1 Win 3-0 Win 0-0 Draw 2-1 Win

Fixtures for next week:

Date
Mon 12th Nov Mon 12th Nov

Opposition
Collegiate American School Jumeriah Bradenton Prep

Team
Grade 4 Grade 5

Venue
CASJ Sports City Football Pitches (Next to Brand Prep)

Time
3:30pm 3:45pm

Swimming Squad After the Swimming squads success in the Raffles gala before the Eid break, they are back in training preparing for the upcoming Gala at DIA on 22nd November. Upcoming swimming competitions: Thurs 22nd Nov @DIA Thurs 6th Dec @ Wellington International School Golf As you may be aware Dubai hosts the culminating tournament in the European Golf tour the DP World Tour Championships. This involves the top 60 Golfers of the European tour competing against each other at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Thur 22 nd Sun 25th November. The golfers present will include 4 of the top 5 golfers in the world, including the world number 1 Rory McIlroy, it should be a truly amazing event. Tickets for the event are free, and can be obtained online, however we have received a number at the school that will be at reception for our GWA community to help themselves to. As always if you have any questions regarding the sporting program then please dont hesitate to contact me. Yours in sport. Ken Barker Athletic Director k.barker_gwa@gemsedu.com Sport quote of the week Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. - Vince Lombardi

 . . .

What is the significance of Islamic New Year?

This upcoming Islamic New Year signifies that 1434 years ago, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him), left Mecca and moved to Medina. This event has since become the basis for calculating the Hijri calendar. This blessed occasion will be marked with many activities across the Islamic Education curriculum. Students will get to know the story and the sequence of events and the heroes who endured difficult hardships. Students will learn the story of the Cave of Thoor, sing Tala Al Badru and write about their own wishes for the new Hijra year. Happy New Year from Mrs Nawal, Ms Madiha & Ms Feryal (Islamic Education Team Elementary School)

From the Writing Centre

An opportunity for student writes

The GWA Writing Centre is encouraging all students to flex their creative writing muscles and participate in the upcoming Emirates Literary Festival scheduled for 5-9 March 2013. This will be the first time that GWA students will be writing for the Lit Fest competitions and we are confident that more than a few of our talented writers will earn a spot right up there among the winners of the two writing contests: the Taleem Poetry Award and the Oxford University Press Story Writing Competition. The Writing Centre Lit Fest Team will be assisting writers in polishing and submitting their work to the Lit Fest; students are requested to turn their submissions in to the Writing Centre lit Fest Drop Box well in time if they require proofreading: Submissions to the Writing Centre Lit Fest Drop Box at: http://www.dropitto.me/gwastudentwrites Password: studentwrites Complete details of Students Name, Age as on November 25th and GWA English teacher should be noted on the entry The Writing Centre will be awarding its own prizes for one winner in each category of both contests: a Dhs 200 Gift Voucher for the Kinokuniya Bookshop at Dubai Mall. The submission deadline for both contests to the Emirates Literary Festival is November 25th. Parents are encouraged to check out complete details and terms of entry for both contests at : www.emirateslit.com

The Taleem Poetry Awards theme this year is Hero or Villain? although young poets can choose their own title within this theme. The competition is divided into age categories, with the winning entries published in a dual language book. Prizes, to be awarded at the Literature Festival (March 5-9, 2013) will include copies of the anthology, as well as an invitation to attend a creative writing workshop. There are four age categories which relate to the students age on 25th November, 2012: Ages 11 and under up to a maximum of 32 lines Ages 12 - 14 up to a maximum of 32 lines Ages 15 - 18 up to a maximum of 32 lines Age 18+ for undergraduates in full-time education - up to a maximum of 32 lines The Oxford University Press Story Writing Competition theme this year is Seeking the Truth. Here, too, the contest is divided into four age categories, with the word limit of the stories based on the age of the entrant. Again, the best entries from each age group are published by the Lit Fest as a book and presented to the winners at the Festival itself. Winners will be honored at the 2013 Festival by international authors. There are four age categories with different word limits which relate to your age on 25 November 2012: Ages 11 and under - up to a maximum of 500 words Ages 12 - 14 - up to a maximum of 1000 words Ages 15 - 18 - up to a maximum of 1500 words Age 18+ for undergraduates in full-time education - up to a maximum of 1500 words For more information please contact: Mariam Sandhu The Writing Centre

KG 2 Sharing with us in Assembly what they did over the Eid Holidays

Dear Parents, You are most likely aware that your child has brought home a notice about their Quran memorization goal. These goals have been set according to their level after assessing them on their Quran memorization skills. It would be greatly appreciated if you can assist your child in memorizing these Suwars. Reassessment will take place during the third week of November. If required the website www.mounthira.com can help you assist your child in memorizing these Suwars. For further assistance please contact me on m.patka_gwa@gemsedu.com Kind regards, Mrs. Madiha (Islamic Education B teacher, Grade 1-5).

We would like to announce at this time that the Islamic New Year holiday has been declared by Government Officials and will be observed on Thursday, November 15, 2012. See link below. http://www.gulftoday.ae/portal/15455c83ab24-4d31-a39c-6147f5fb1aae.aspx

Individual lessons on Nov. 13th (Tuesday) are cancelled due to Parent-Teacher Conferences.

GEMS MUSIC ACADEMY

Week 10th for concerned students will be on Dec. 11th .

A Note from our Head of School

Re-Enrolment Fees for 2013-14
Dear GWA Parents, This is an advance notice about a change in the re-enrolment fee for this coming April, intent to return. The KHDA has issued new guidelines regarding the admissions and re-enrolment process for private schools in Dubai. In order to align this school with these new regulations, GWA will need a confirmation for your childs placement for the next academic year (2013-14) that will require an assurance deposit fee of AED 2500. (This is an increase from the past fee which was AED 2000). As before, the re-enrolment fee is non-refundable, but will be adjusted against your first term fee tuition payment. We will remind you again of this deadline for re-enrolment as the time draws nearer. Any questions regarding this fee change and/or the re-enrolment process? Please let us help with better understanding. Our Registration/Admissions Office has all the details. Educationally yours, Dan E. Young Head of School

PYP Weebly Courtyard Dismissal Grades 1-3

Students have returned to school with smiling faces and a great enthusiasm for learning routines were smooth this week. A reminder for Grades 1 3 parents that our afternoon dismissal now takes place in the courtyard. Teachers will bring students to you at the end of the school day, avoiding congestion in our corridors and allowing you a more efficient pick up. We continue to pick up from the classrooms every Thursday, giving you the opportunity to look at classroom displays and student work if you wish.

We have put together this GWA PYP Weebly so that students, parents and teachers have a centralised space for online resources feel free to use it with your children at home!

Watch Us Live!
Dont forget you can watch us live online if you are unable to attend our weekly assemblys. There are two ways to join us in cyberspace. 1. If you have a GLG account (as all GWA parents do), you can log in and watch through the GLG page at https://www.gemslearninggateway.com/schools/gwa/Pages/VideosLiveStream.aspx 2. If you do not have a GLG account and want to allow grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends to watch, they can go directly to our Ustream.tv page at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/gwa-dubai Happy watching!

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VARKEY GEMS FOUNDATION NEWS

Important Upcoming Dates
Tuesday 13 November Wednesday 14 November Wednesday 14 November Thursday 15 November Wednesday 28 November Sunday 2 December December 20 December 23January 3 Student / Parent / Teacher Conferences GWAPA Coffee Morning 8.45 am First quarter reports go home via e-mail School closed for Islamic New Year GWA celebrates UAE National Day School closed for UAE National Day Early dismissal 12pm Winter Break