HIGH SCHOOL

September 9th, 2022
Welcome from your DAA High School Senior Leadership Team

Dear Parents,

At GEMS Dubai American Academy, we are focused on being an Inspired, Individualized, and Interconnected school. Over the past two school years, the Covid-19 pandemic has often made it difficult to be as interconnected as we would wish. We are excited that as we begin the 2022-2023 school year, we are able to be back in-person for many events, including our Back to School Night next Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. We also know that sports, activities, planning nights, and so much more are back in-person and that this gives us an opportunity to engage in community building. We look forward to having you join us at the Back to School event, where parents will be able to go from class to class and meet each of their children’s teachers and learn about each of the subjects!

Kind regards,

Dr. Cody Yocom

High School Principal

High school hub

The High School HUB website has been created for our high school parents and students. It has information on so many subjects including:

Subject selection
Counselors
Upcoming events
Student Government
Curriculum
And so much more!

HS Counseling

Sept 7 SPOTS HS Counseling .pdf

in the classroom

Innovation in English IB Literature Class

Students studying Sylvia Plath’s Bee poems were able to take part in an immersive experience of the life of a bee. This enabled them to explore questions such as: Is the bee symbolic of the internal oppression Plath fought against most of her life?

updates & Announcements

This year, Mr. Staveley is working with the counseling team as our HS Student Wellbeing advisor. If you have anything you would like to discuss with him, please find his office in T01, heading towards the music/islamic classrooms. You can also email him to book an appointment on p.staveley_daa@gemsdaa.net
There are a lot of students who were unable to order their senior uniforms, polos, hoodies and varsity jackets from last year. Threads have provided another link here to place your orders. Closing date is September the 9th.Please see the guidelines for placing your order with threads here. If you have any issues please let me know or contact threads here
Class of ‘23: IB Extended Essay. First drafts of the Extended Essay are due on 19th of September. In Core lessons this week, students will take part in a session on citation and formatting so that they are reminded of the requirements for Academic Honesty for the IB Diploma. Detailed information on the EE process can be found at: https://sites.google.com/gemsdaa.net/core/extended-essay
Core: Class of ‘24: Students have now been introduced to the Core and have been given guidance on how to begin work for CAS. This month we will be introducing them to the first unit of Theory of Knowledge: Knowledge and the Knower.

upcoming dates of importance

Middle & High School Musical Production 2022:

Meredith Willson’s THE MUSIC MAN

Auditions Open Now!!!

We are delighted to announce this year’s Middle and High School Musical Production is ‘The Music Man’. Wicked, funny, warm, romantic and touching, The Music Man is family entertainment at its best. Meredith Willson's six-time, Tony Award-winning musical comedy has been entertaining audiences since 1957 and is a family-friendly story to be shared with every generation.

Students in grades 6-12 are invited to apply to be part of the cast, band, or crew. It is a fantastic opportunity for students to be involved in this after school activity from now until December. We will have four performances over three days, 6-8 December.

CAST INFORMATION:

Audition applications are now open if you wish to try-out to be part of the CAST. We are looking for students who enjoy theatre, singing, performing and being part of a team. Students: please read carefully over these google slides, and complete your audition videos before 3pm on Thursday 15 September. We will be hosting call-backs in person the following week. The cast list will be announced by September 23, and our first rehearsal will be September 26. Rehearsals will take place after school Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, with a weekend dress-rehearsal Sunday 27 November.

BAND and CREW INFORMATION:

If you prefer to be behind the scenes as a member of the CREW (tech, sets, props, backstage, costumes or publicity) applications will open September 26 to sign up. Mr Holland will be auditioning for the BAND too – so stay tuned for more information, coming soon.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to email Miss Eversteyn, who is producing the musical: melinda.eversteyn@gemsdaa.net

Dear Leopards,

TEDxYouth@DAA is looking for your ideas! The theme this year is "Inertia", meaning a tendency to stay unchanged. You might have encountered this topic in physics before, however, don't be afraid to go beyond the literal meaning and express your metaphorical understanding of the theme. Our 2023 TEDxYouth@DAA event will be both DAA's tenth event and the first in-person event in three years! Past TEDxYouth@DAA talks have also been uploaded on the TEDx official website and on YouTube. That being said, being a speaker at TEDxYouth@DAA is not only an opportunity to work on your writing, public speaking, and communication skills, but it is also a chance for you to go viral! In the past, we've had student talks exceed one hundred thousand views on YouTube! If you have an idea worth sharing, please fill up this application form and get started on planning your speech!

Get involved today!

Duke of Edinburgh Award Parent Meeting (on zoom)

If your child has signed up to this award, OR if you would like to hear more about what is involved, please join us on this information zoom meeting.

When: Monday 19th September @5pm

Where:Zoom link here

Join Zoom Meeting https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8384976593?pwd=VitTK1k0V0VOUUorMXNubU5PdFJudz09

Meeting ID: 838 497 6593

Passcode: 328129

GEMS Alumni app

Step into this exciting world of connectivity with over 400,000 alumni worldwide in over 80 countries. This is an excellent opportunity to reconnect with former classmates and fellow GEMS students to establish a valuable social and professional network. Take advantage of this opportunity today! Click on the GEMS For Life Alumni Network link above and download the app so that DAA can confirm your request to join the Alumni Network.

technical issues

If you are having technical troubles, please make sure to raise a ticket if the teacher is unable to help your child with a fix. Send an email to helpdesk@gemsdaa.net and they will help you to resolve the issue.