Dear Parents and guardians, As the count down to the end of the

From The Principal’s Desk
Dear Parents and guardians,
As the count down to the end of the
year is well and truly under way please note that
next week we have our Grade 10 and Grade 11
exams. Please be sure to check the information
herein to be sure you are aware of the schedules
including start times. Your support in getting the
students to school on time has never been so important and is very much appreciated.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our
GWA community for your continued support as
we head towards the finish line of all that we do
and to be sure to let us know if there is anything
we can do to help during these next two weeks.
Volume 7 Issue 35
June 11th, 2015
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
Bulletin Board
2
Grade 10/11 Final
Exams
3-4
ASA Central
4
Team Kili
5-6
Writers in Action
7
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend.
Sincerely
Andy
Cafeteria Menu
Grades 6-8 Assembly
Farewell Assembly
Achievement Assemblies
June 15th
June 14th
For Grades 6/7/8
Grade 6-10.20am
10.20am-12.05pm
Grade 7-1115am
Grade 8-12.10pm
MAP Tests are FINISHED
Thank you for your support. MAP
results will be communicated with
your through your child’s
Langauge A and Math teachers.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
June 14, 2015 June 15, 2015 June 16, 2015
Day 5
June 17, 2015 June 18, 2015
Grade 10 Final Exams-Rhonda Zaharko, MYP Coordinator
Grade 10 FINAL exams: June 14-18, 2015
As we begin to wrap up the 2014-2015 school year, we are coming to the end of MYP for our grade 10
students. It is an exciting time of celebration and creating culminating experiences to support and prepare students for the Diploma Programme.
In the MYP, final assessments are “conceptually based” summatives, supporting the students in the depth
and growth of learning over time, solidifying understandings through global contexts of learning, while
focusing on key and related concepts taught in each course.
Additionally, the Concept-Based Grade 10 Finals provide the students with the learning opportunity to demonstrate and apply
understandings using the characteristics of the MYP from ATL skills to the Learner Profile - thereby giving the students another
opportunity to demonstrate their highest level of achievement in the specific subjects below:
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


Mathematics
Sciences
Individuals and Societies
Language and Literature (English)
Language and Literature (ARABIC)
Language Acquisition (French, Spanish, Arabic, and English)
Islamic
The subject teachers in grade 10 (of the above mentioned subjects) will provide students with a “study guide”, and/or information on the content and skills required to be studied from the course, in order to be prepared for the upcoming Grade 10
Concept – Based exams.
Students should note these exams will be graded as any other summative the students have had this year, and in most cases,
will only assess one or two of the criterion in each of the subjects.
We are excited for the students to have this experience to prepare for the challenges and rigor of the DP and demonstrate the
Learner Profile by being principled, balanced, knowledgeable, inquirers and thinkers and achieve their greatest success during
exam week!
Please see the Grade 10 Exam schedule below:
**Please note Grade 10 students will not attend classes June 21-25**
Make-Up Exams are for emergency only and although conceptually the same the content will differ.
DP Grade 11 Final Exam Schedule-Brian Hull
ASA Central-Stephanie Clark
Hello from ASA Central!
The third and final round of ASAs is officially coming to an end! We hope
your children have enjoyed their activities!
PLEASE NOTE THE END DATES FOR OUR INTERNAL ASAS,
Sunday = Finished on Sunday, June 7th
Monday = Finished on Monday, June 8th
Tuesday = Finished on Tuesday, June 9th
Wednesday = Finished on Wednesday, June 10th
PLEASE NOTE THE END DATES FOR OUR EXTERNAL ASAS,
Sunday = Sunday, June 14th
Except Ski Dubai finished on June 7th
Monday = Monday, June 15th
Except Sailing will finish on June 22nd
Tuesday = Tuesday, June 16th
Wednesday = Wednesday, June 17th
Thursday = Thursday, June 18th
In addition, please note that once Ramadan begins (after
June 18th), we will no longer be offering the ASA or late
busses.
Should you have any questions, you may reach us at asa_gwa@gemsedu.com.
We also welcome any feedback J!
Wishing you a wonderful summer!
Actively Yours,
ASA Central
Tuesday 4th June 2015
Trek to the Roof of Africa
The world needs almost 7 million new trained teachers by 2015. And that’s just to address the needs of children
in primary schools. It’s equally important, however, that these teachers be of an adequate standard.
Unfortunately, current solutions for teacher training are unlikely to produce either the quantity or quality that
children in the developing world deserve. In many countries, teachers are required to have only slightly more
education that their students. In fact, in sub-Saharan countries like Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique, fewer
than 60% of primary school teachers have any professional qualification at all. The Varkey Foundation believes
that the biggest factor in the quality of teaching is the quality of specific, vocational teacher training.
Ultimately, such training can raise the overall standard of classroom pedagogy, helping more teachers to have a
significant positive impact on the lives of their students.
Our Solution
The Varkey Foundation has designed a low-cost teacher training programme ‘Train for Tomorrow’ that will address the issue of teacher quality in Ghana.
The 5-day face-to-face course, aimed at school principals and senior management team members, will focus on
the skills required to improve pedagogy within the school and will include an embedded “train-the-trainer”
course so that principals can cascade their learning and deliver the content to teachers at their schools.
You can support this great cause through the Kilimanjaro Challenge. A team of 22 GEMS teachers will be trekking to the summit of Kilimanjaro in July 2015 to raise awareness and to raise funds for this cause. As part of
this endeavour the team of teachers are also raising funds by completing a static cycle marathon, the
‘Kilimanjaro Cycle Challenge’. They will be cycling nonstop for 72 hours to see how far they can cycle. Please
see the attached flyer.
To support the teachers in their challenge we are asking that you help your son/daughter to calculate how
many meters the team might ride in a total of 72 hours. Your child can register their calculation at their school
for 10 AED. The closest guess to the final distance travelled, by the team will win a new bike from our supporter, Ride Cycles.
To register a guess please tear off the reply slip below and return it to your divisional secretary with 10AED in a
sealed envelope before 3pm, Monday 15th June. You can register more than one guess, simply print off the slip
again and put each guess in a separate envelope.
On behalf of the ‘Kili Team’ we would like to thank you for your support in the Kilimanjaro Cycle Challenge and
the overall goal of reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro to raise funds and support teachers in Ghana.
Team Kili!
Reply slip:
I would like to support the Varkey Foundation’s “Train the Teacher program” and the GEMS teachers attempting to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro by registering my calculation:
Student Name:
GEMS School:
Year/Grade and section:
Number of metres ridden in 72 hours:
Writer’s in Action-Anna Lysenko, Grade 6
Jason McBride is fun, smart and committed to his job.
He loves his family dearly. According to him the best
thing he ever did was becoming a father (twice) and
marrying someone way better than him (his very
words, trust me). His three wishes are for his two girls
to become great human beings, for his family and
friends to be healthy and for a Porsche 911 to fit a 6’6
person because they just don’t. It also seems to me he
is very observant and knows how to deal with life. When life gets hard
he loves to hike and remember his favorite sport, American football (the last time he played was in college). He is very reasonable
as I can see from his motto, “Trust but verify.” Not surprisingly he
would rather be respected than liked, “When you respect someone, you’re open to their ideas even if you don’t like them. If everyone respected everyone the world would be a better place.”
Just like all of us Mr. McBride has had some failures in life. He
failed his driver's test twice when he was 16 years old; the first
time he did not practise driving very much - probably deserved to
fail (his very own words). The second time he felt ready, but the
instructor got in his way. On the third attempt with a different
instructor, he SUCCEEDED! “That’s how the job goes,” Mr.
McBride laughs, “you have to be principled and sometimes go against the crowd. Be collaborative to be able
to work with other people and have a good sense of humor to be able to laugh it off.”
Writer’s in Action-Ilies Hasni, Grade 6
A Chat with Ms. Webster about this year;s MYP Art Exhibit
What is the art exhibition?
The annual MYP art exhibition is a celebration of artwork created by Visual arts students of Grades 8, 9 and 10. It is not just a showcase of finished
work but a display of processes and artistic journeys that the students
experience throughout the year.
Why is there an Art Exhibition in this school?
For the rest of the students, teachers, parents, and community to enjoy
and learn a bit about how the visual arts are studied. It is an experience
for all - we should not forget that the visual arts are forms of non-verbal
communication, a universal language that deserves an audience.
How would you rate the success of this year’s art exhibition on a scale from 1 to 10?
It is really hard to put a single number to the success of the exhibition. I rate it on the achievements of each individual student’s artwork and the growth and improvement reached in creating
an artwork that is strong in all the elements and principles of design.
What would you do in the next art exhibition?
I have already reflected on many things on how I would like it to be different. Like all my programs they are ever-evolving and dynamic but I want to keep that a surprise until next year.
How long have you worked on this project?
Every minute and every day of the school year and it is not only me but my students. It wouldn’t
be an exhibition without the works and experiences of my students.
Is there a specific art topic you enjoyed the most?
I really enjoyed all of them but especially the “one on one” tuition of the Grade 9 oil landscape painting as it was a personal, self-expression of my students connecting with nature.
Was there any inspiration you found that you used for this year’s exhibition theme?
There were many inspirations from local Dubai artists and Iranian artists. I am always searching and finding
inspiration all the time to design meaningful and relevant units of inquiry.
GEMS Islamic Programme Summer 2015 and GEMS Arabic Programme Summer 2015.
GEMS Islamic Programme Summer 2015 and GEMS Arabic Programme Summer 2015.
The programme is for children aged 4 to 14.
The programme is for children aged 4 to 14.
The Islamic programme is for children who wish to develop their Quran recitation skills and exThe Islamic programme is for children who wish to develop their Quran recitation skills and explore how to apply the teachings in real life through a variety of experiences and exciting activiplore how to apply the teachings in real life through a variety of experiences and exciting activities and the Arabic programme is for both native speakers (Arabic A) and non-native speakers
ties and the Arabic programme is for both native speakers (Arabic A) and non-native speakers
(Arabic B).
(Arabic B).
For registrations, please visit https://school.gemsoasis.com/GEMS_ELL/reg_form.aspx
For registrations, please visit https://school.gemsoasis.com/GEMS_ELL/reg_form.aspx
The programme will be offered at:
The programme will be offered at:
GEMS Wellington International School, Dubai http://www.wellingtoninternationalschool.com/
GEMS Wellington International School, Dubai http://www.wellingtoninternationalschool.com/
The programme will run in two blocks of two weeks as specified below:
The programme will run in two blocks of two weeks as specified below:
Block 1: Sunday 5th thJuly until Thursday 16th thJuly 2015 (inclusive)
Block 1: Sunday 5 July until Thursday 16 July 2015 (inclusive)
Block 2: Sunday 26th thJuly until Thursday 6th thAugust 2015 (inclusive)
Block 2: Sunday 26 July until Thursday 6 August 2015 (inclusive)
All classes run from 9am until 12pm Sunday to Thursday each week. The programme will cost
All classes run from 9am until 12pm Sunday to Thursday each week. The programme will cost
AED 3250 for each two-week course.
AED 3250 for each two-week course.
If you wish to make payment in person then please visit us at any of the Accounts Departments at
If you wish to make payment in person then please visit us at any of the Accounts Departments at
any of the following schools:
any of the following schools:
• GEMS Wellington International School, Sheikh Zayed Rd
• GEMS Wellington International School, Sheikh Zayed Rd
• GEMS Wellington Primary School, Sheikh Zayed Rd
• GEMS Wellington Primary School, Sheikh Zayed Rd
• GEMS Wellington Academy, Silicon Oasis
• GEMS Wellington Academy, Silicon Oasis
• GEMS World Academy, Al Barsha South
• GEMS World Academy, Al Barsha South
• GEMS Westminster School, Sharjah*
• GEMS Westminster School, Sharjah*
• GEMS Wellington Academy, Al Khail*
• GEMS Wellington Academy, Al Khail*
*No credit card payments
*No credit card payments
Transport will be available from STS for an additional cost and payments should be made directly
Transport will be available from STS for an additional cost and payments should be made directly
to STS as detailed below:
to STS as detailed below:
AED 250 within Dubai
AED 250 within Dubai
AED 350 from Sharjah
AED 350 from Sharjah
For further information and to book your transport requirements please contact:
For further information and to book your transport requirements please contact:
Mr. Arminder Singh. +971 52 6187005/ Email ID: activities@stss.ae
Mr. Arminder Singh. +971 52 6187005/ Email ID: activities@stss.ae
Places are very limited and all registration and payments must be completed by 28th June 2015.
Places are very limited and all registration and payments must be
For further enquiries,
please do not hesitate to contact us at:
completed by 28th June 2015.
E: arabic@gemseducation.com ; islamic@gemseducation.com
For further enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us at:
arabic@gemseducation.com
; islamic@gemseducation.com
T:E:+971
4 347 7770 x 355
E-Sports will be offering a multi-sports activity camp at various venues across Dubai over the summer period
(28th June-27th August 2015 venue specific).
Camp Date: 28th June-27th August 2015
Camp Timings: Drop off 08:30 | Start 09:00| Finish 13:30| Pick Up 13:30-13:45
Activities at Camp: will have lots of fun and stay active with mini-tennis, basketball, dodge ball, football, Arts
& Crafts and swimming sessions.
What to bring: Swimming gear, Towel, Water bottle, Snack and Lunch Everyday
Age: 4-14yrs
Camp Registration process: No More Messy Paperwork!
 Go to www.esportsholidaycamps.com
 Register by creating an account & completing your details.
 Choose a venue.
 Complete the registration information online and indicate the days you are interested in attending.
 Submit your info either by clicking on the “register and pay button” or “register now pay later button”
We require a minimum amount of Pre-Registrations at the venue for the Camp to go ahead. If you are looking
at attending camp please ensure that you go to www.esportsholidaycamps.com and complete the details.
Parents are advised to Pre-Register so that we can inform/update you with any venue changes.
Transport registration process:
Transport is available over summer
Cutoff date for transport enquiries is 14th June.
Pre-registration and advance payment is compulsory.
Download the transport registration and terms and conditions document.
Click here to download the registration form
Click here to download the transport terms and conditions form.
Complete the downloaded documents and email them to camptransport@stss.ae - For more transport info
phone: 056 9973 321
For Further contact us on:
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Esportsuae?ref=tn_tnmn
Follow us on Instagram (New) : https://instagram.com/esportsholidaycamps/
See our YouTube Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sbKSJmfhe8
E-mail: camps@esportsdubai.com
Contact numbers: 043697817 or 04 4434188
Michelle 050-3611547 / Jimmy 050-5868204 / Kaye 055-5875925
See you soon!!!
E-Sports Summer Camp Team