The elementary student council representatives would like the whole GWA community to wear red clothing on Thursday, May 4th as a token of our love and appreciation for our support staff, and everything that they do to help us. A 5 AED donation will be accepted to support SEWA.
Sewa is a sanskrit word that means to sacrifice your time and resources for the benefit of others without wanting anything in return. Sewa is a universal concept which involves performing an act of kindness without expectation of reward. It is performed selflessly and without an ulterior motive. At GWA our SEWA projects aim to relieve hardship and bring a little bit of joy to blue collar laborers and non-qualified staff in the UAE. Students are given the opportunity to volunteer and organize collection drives to support this. As part of our Unit of Inquiry “Tell Me a Story”, we will be exploring different ways stories are told. Next week we are focusing on oral story telling. Please orally tell your child an interesting story about him/herself when he/she was a baby. This can be a very short story (even just one sentence). Your child will then tell the same story to their friends in class. Our class story telling schedule is below.
Next week we will be starting our final unit of inquiry entitled “How We Express Ourselves - Tell me a Story”. The central idea behind this unit is: People from around the world create and pass on stories in a variety of ways. We will be focusing on the following lines of inquiry:
The government has decreed that the school will be closed on Sunday, April 23rd, in observance of Al Isra’a Wal Mi’raj - Ascension Day. Parents are also reminded that the last day of the school year will be Thursday, June 22nd and will end at 12:00 noon.
Please have a look below at upcoming events sponsored by our elementary Student Council and GWAPA. These events are optional participation.
We had a fantastic time at the Butterfly Garden, and saw many beautiful butterflies of various colors and sizes. A few of us were being risk takers and even held a butterfly! Have a look at some of our photos below. Swimming lessons in the pool with begin again after the spring break holiday. Our class has swimming every other Thursday on Day 10, from 12:05 – 12:45 pm. We will change for swimming in our classroom and walk to the pool with our swimming items and our clothes to change back into.
YOUR CHILD MUST WEAR THEIR P.E. UNIFORM TO SCHOOL ON SWIMMING DAYS! Please send the following items to school with your child for swimming:
Please ensure that ALL swimming items that your child brings to school are clearly labelled with their name. This includes their swim suit, all clothes, towel, swim cap and goggles. Swimming is a mandatory part of the curriculum at GWA and there is no option to not participate. If your child can not swim due to a medical reason, a signed note from the doctor must be given. Part of the KG1 curriculum here at GWA, is to foster independence and self-help skills. If your child is unable to dress themselves, please have them practice putting on their P.E. clothes, socks and shoes unassisted. The more they practice the better they will become. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact either myself or Ms. Lucas. The students have been learning about bugs as part of our PYP Unit of Inquiry “Sharing the Planet - Minibeasts”. To support this unit, KG1 will be taking a trip to The Butterfly Garden to learn more about butterflies and their lifecycle. This field trip will take place on Thursday, April 13th, 2017. The cost for entrance to the Butterfly Garden is 50 AED. If you would like your child to participate, please complete the permission form below and return it to school with the trip fee by Thursday, March 23rd, 2017.
Please find the words below for the "Every Insect" song that we are learning in class. It is sung to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
Thank you to all the parents who came out to support our KG1 Sports Day. It was a wonderful day and we all had a fantastic time!
On Wednesday, March 1st, GWA Elementary will be holding their yearly Student-Led Conferences. This is your child’s opportunity to lead you through their learning journey. The students will model, explain, and demonstrate what they have been learning this year. This experience is your child’s day, and it is not meant for parent-teacher interviews or conferences. Sharing their learning journey can be done in their home language and gives students opportunities to show their evidence of learning in a variety of ways. It also involves your child bringing you to their different learning spaces around the school, such as the gym, music room, art room, Library, etc. More information will be sent on February 21st which will include how to sign up for a conference time with your child. The site for scheduling a conference will be open on Tuesday, February 21st
(https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/GEMS_World_Academy_Dubai_Elementary). On Student-Led Conference day (March 1st), students are expected to wear their school uniform and will only attend school for their conference time and learning tour. All family members are invited to share in their conference. There will be no bus service for Elementary students on that day. Thank you to all the parents who were able to join us at the park. We all had a wonderful time looking for minibeasts. We found flies, worms, pill bugs, ants, earwigs, spiders, beetles, and crickets. Have a look below at some of our adventures at the park.
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Melanie HartPlease feel free to contact me at [email protected]
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