HIGH SCHOOL

April 15, 2021

We hope you have come back refreshed after our spring break and enjoyed time with family and friends. As we close the year and look toward graduation, end of semester exams and the mid-course review we want to thank you for being so supportive. Below you will find end of year information, surveys and reflections on recent programs students were engaged in.

We wish you a lovely weekend,

Tammy Jochinke

High School Principal

The Holy Month of Ramadan

Student Expectations

During the Holy Month of Ramadan, we are asking our students to be mindful of those in our school community who are fasting. As a result, students in school who are not fasting are asked to only eat/ drink during break/ lunch in their designated class. Students who need to drink water during class are asked to do so out of the classroom in an area where they are not seen by others.

Students who are on Zoom learning from home are asked to wear their school uniform/ dress modestly, and to not drink or eat while on camera.

“Ramadan Kareem,

The HS Islamic team would like to wish you all a happy and blessed Ramadan!

We would like to take this opportunity to express our pride in the achievements of our students throughout the year, and to thank parents for their continuous support.

In spite of all the challenges, our Grades 9 - 12 students didn’t cease to amaze us with their hard work, resilience, and living up to the expectations. They have mastered solution fluencies, and empowered their learning through strong connections to real life and divine revelation.

Today we would like to celebrate and showcase some of the amazing work that our students have been producing, as our most rewarding experiences. Congratulations to all of you!

Stay tuned to celebrate more of our students outstanding work in our next SPOTS issues.”

Students Work on Spots.pdf

SENIOR UPDATES

Class of 2021 Graduation update

Over the last several months, our graduation committee has been working behind the scenes to ensure that we celebrate our graduating class of 2021! We have secured two outside venues as well as planning to host in our gymnasium. All plans which include a students, parents and staff members gathering must have prior KHDA approval which we are moving forward with. No matter which plan is able to move forward, please know that we will be relentless in planning the most intimate celebration as we all know you deserve, given how well you have adapted to all circumstances which have been out of your hands. We believe we will have more clarity on the venue after Ramadan and will continue to update you as information becomes available.

Senior Book Return Week (Sunday, April 18th to Thursday, April 22nd)

Part of the process of leaving school as a senior is returning the textbooks that have helped you with your studies during these last four years. In light of COVID and the exams being cancelled the process for returning books will be a bit different this year, please read the details below:

Senior Book Return Week will take place Sunday, April 18th to Thursday, April 22nd.
You must bring your textbooks to the HS Library between 7:40am and 1:40pm.
Your books will be scanned while you are there to ensure they all have been returned.
You will be instructed to place the books in the designated area to be sanitized.
Your exit form will be marked with “All books returned” or you will be informed of additional books you still owe.
For lost books, the Accounts department will be notified and you may pay there.

Note: if you are still using your textbooks for class or have any other concerns, please contact me at at a.brewer_daa@gemsedu.com.

Please do take care with the books so they are clean and free of marks and papers.

We look forward to seeing you next week.

GEMS Alumni APP

Seniors! Have you registered for the alumni APP? Remember to stay connected beyond DAA using the app. Here's a link to register for an upcoming session. Register for the alumni webinar HERE.

Grade 11 Learning Plan Survey

We are interested in gaining feedback from our grade 11 families about their choice of learning plans, we are looking at whether it is feasible for us to offer to our grade 11 families the option of 100% in person instruction or whether they wish to continue with the blended/remote learning plans. We will only be able to offer 100% in person instruction if we can ensure that social distancing can be maintained at all times while at DAA. Please complete the survey below to register your interest in the learning plan options.

Grade 11 Learning Plan Survey

Mid-Course Review- IB Juniors, class of 2022

The Mid-Course Review Is a time for students, teachers and yourself to sit down, reflect on the year and speak about the student’s progress and how their Pre-Predicted grade was calculated. These will be held in late June, via zoom using the school bookings website used for PTC.

Pre-Predicted grades are for internal use ONLY. These do not go to universities and this point has been clearly explained to parents and students. They are a reflection of a student’s learning journey during year 1.

Review DAA’s predicted grade infographic.

Student Reflection on HSC Week

By Tino Zaranyika -Grade 10

This was my first HSC week, and I finally got to understand for myself what all the grown ups meant by the “work side of life” was all about. To many people, jobs, careers, and work seems so far away, to others it's something scary, and to me it’s a whole other world I’m not ready to think about. However HSC week gave me that jump start at understanding what the future beholds for us. During this week I had taken a program for business-minded people called “Entrepreneurship and Innovation @ Silicon Valley”. They called themselves BizSmart, which seemed kind of corny at first, but there people really were business smart. Ahaha get it, BizSmart… Business Smart.

I absolutely loved the people there so much! We were greeted by the warmest smiles and people who were really interested in getting to know us.

We had spent the first few days getting to know a lot of business related people who came in and gave us all the basic information about starting a business, managing one, and what it takes to run one. We had then learned about a man who had wanted to bring his greenhouse company to Dubai. His greenhouse concept was really cool. His company built greenhouses using soap bubbles which is incredible and supper efficient by lowering the Co2 emissions in the air. In groups we had to help find ways for greenhouses to be fully operational in the harsh Dubai weather. With all our hearts, minds, and passion, my group (GreenSmile) and I had come up with the idea of a heat regulator to maintain the temperature within the greenhouse and added little cool features such as helping robots, and LED lights to help stimulate plant growth. We had worked on these all week until the final day. On the final day, each group shared their respected products and ideas, which I had to admit were really good ideas from all groups.

Overall, It was a wonderful experience. I had so much fun getting to know new people, opening new opportunities for future careers and connections, and honestly just watching as my group and I came up with great ideas and putting it into action. It was a really inspiring experience, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone! No matter what you are trying to pursue in life, you would not regret this experience.