MIDDLE SCHOOL

Dear DAA Middle School Families,

Thank you for your support and flexibility as we navigated the first two weeks of school after winter break!  We appreciate your understanding as we made sure that our campus and staff were safe for the students’ return.  

We were thrilled to have our grade 6 students join us from Wednesday!  It was great having a buzz in the building!  

As we welcome the rest of our student population on Monday, I’d like to give you a couple of reminders of our attendance and safety guidelines.

• Students should practice safety protocols such as proper mask usage, hand-washing, sanitizing, and social distancing.  These simple actions are crucial in limiting the spread of COVID and close contacts.

• All students are expected to be on campus from Monday, Jan 17, unless they are COVID positive, close contact, or have clearance from the DHA.  If your child feels unwell or is symptomatic, they are able to access classwork from Google Classroom, but cannot attend class via Zoom.

Upcoming Dates

• January 24 - Winter MAP testing expected to begin

• January 28 - End of semester 1

• January 31 - Start of semester 2

• February 4 - Middle School Semester 1 Report cards Issued

• February 17-18- Professional Learning Days (No school for students) *Subject to approval from KHDA

• February 26- March 5- Middle School Week Without Walls.

For all events, click here for the K-12 Academic Calendar.

We are waiting on KHDA and the governing bodies to give us the green light for ASAs. There is a good program ready to go, with all the COVID protocols in place and the health and welfare of your children at the forefront of that planning. It is tentatively looking like the end of the month, the start of February. 

Go Leopards! 

Believe it or not, MAP testing for Middle School students is rapidly approaching again! 

The MAP tests are a great opportunity for students to show progression in various subject areas.  We want to make sure our students do their best!  As always, please ensure they get a good night's sleep before their tests, have a healthy breakfast, and come to school prepared to “show what they know.”

Also, please note that for this session of MAP testing, students will be completing all their tests on their iPads, so please be sure that these are fully charged and brought to school each day. It has been observed that there are fewer technical issues that arise when students use iPads for these tests and it is our hope that this decreases undue stress and anxiety for students struggling to connect with the test and allows them to focus better, relax and do their best.

Please note the MAP testing schedule below:

Finally, please have a look at this article that outlines 12 Common Questions Parents Ask About the MAP Growth Assessment. 

As you know, KHDA has asked us to hold off on any activities outside of school for a couple of weeks.  It is our hope that we will be able to run our Week Without Walls activities by the end of February.

In a few week, students will begin to meet during CREW time to discuss ideas, plan their experiences, and design their T-shirts!  

As we navigated our return to school and KHDA protocols, we were able to revise the payment due date.  In order to secure our trips, payments are now due by January 20.  Please follow the directions to make payments below:

1. Go to https://www.gems.ae/

2. Click Parent Portal

3. Login using your username and password

4. Click the Activities Box (the green box)

5. You will see the activity for WWW (Please select student-assigned activity)

*We understand there are questions regarding payments and refunds.  In the event that we are not able to move forward with Week Without Walls in February, the school would be exploring options with the providers to have a make-up dates available later in the school year.

If you need help with your username and password please contact receptionist_daa@gemsedu.com.

If you have any further questions please email s.velasquezbar_daa@gemsedu.com. 

During the months of February and March, high school administrators, counselors, and teachers will host several sessions to guide parents and students in selecting student’s courses for the 2022-2023 academic year. We invite Grade 8 parents and students to join our virtual Pathway Evenings, where we will provide an overview of the programs and courses offered at Dubai American Academy High School.

Please join us via Zoom* from 6:00pm-7:00pm on Thursday, February 10th.

*Zoom details will be sent out prior to the evening.

We look forward to sharing information about the IB, AP, and US High School pathways available to Dubai American Academy high school students.

Kind Regards,

Ashley Szar, Director of High School Academic Pathways

Would you like to contact a middle school teacher or staff member?  Please see the list of email addresses here.

If you are still 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 studenthelpdesk@gemsdaa.net and they will help resolve the issue.