SPOTS
NEWSLETTER
UPDATES AND EVENTS FOR OUR DAA COMMUNITY
June 23, 2020
Read Elementary/Middle and High School News through the side menu bar or at the bottom of each page.
Highlights - summer learning
We have created Summer Learning opportunities for our students. Please have a look through the relevant divisional website below for a variety of resources and suggested learning opportunities for students over the summer months.
Superintendent's perspective
Looking ahead 2020-2021
WATCH NOW as Mrs. Murphy addresses our DAA Community in her last video message for the 2019-2020 school year.
FIND OUT ABOUT 20/21 - Read the FAQs!
Dubai American Academy held its annual State of the School Address on June 10th Mrs. Tammy Murphy and Dr. Lisa Ramshaw highlighted the state of the school, our strategic priorities and our commitment to our students and families as we look forward to 2020-2021. Thank you to the families who watched the session. If you missed it, please watch below. We have also drafted a Frequently Asked Questions document for further guidance as we plan ahead for 2020-2021.
FAQ StateofSchool.pdfKHDA Updates
The UAE government has recently announced that schools will reopen to students in the new academic year, subject to specific health and safety protocols. These protocols have been developed to keep our school communities safe, and to give schools flexibility to respond to changes.
Some of these measures include:
• Taking the temperature of everyone who enters the school building on a daily basis.
• Maintaining physical distance guidelines as recommended by the relevant health authorities and reducing the head-count capacity in classrooms
• Sterilising the school building, classrooms, laboratories and other facilities regularly, according to the recommendations of the National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management.
• Organizing and managing the students’ working day including mealtimes to avoid high concentrations of students in one place.
• Limiting gatherings and suspending group activities such as school trips, celebrations, sports events and student camps.
• Reducing bus capacity to 30%; maintaining social distancing on buses; taking all passengers’ temperatures on boarding
• Ensuring that support & maintenance service staff do not enter the school when students and staff are present.
• Appointing a trained health and safety official to ensure that people and processes in the school comply with health and safety protocols.
A message from our Health Clinic
Our DAA Health Clinic is 100% compliant with the guidelines set out by the CDC, WHO and the DHA with regards to the threat of the COVID-19. Here are a few of the changes:
Maximum occupancy of 10 people.
One student per nurse (emergencies exempted).
Waiting areas are measured for safe distancing with visible signage.
Hand sanitizers placed at the entrance with a pamphlet showing the correct way to use it.
Temperature bay at entrance , where triage will be performed and hand hygiene with sanitizer will be practiced.
Pre marked distances from nurses stations at 2m to protect cross contamination.
Separate collection point with measured safe distancing and shield for kids that are to be collected by parents.
An isolation room with hazard and signs preventing entry , pre measured distancing and all disposable essentials for treatment and observation.
Pantry closed off with a do not enter sign.
2 separate treatment rooms,K1-G5 and G6-G12 to prevent different age groups from coming in contact with one another.
Decluttered desks and surfaces to prevent infectious fomites.
Hand sanitizer on each desk.
Printer With sanitizing wipes and signage to wipe before and after use.
Separate area of entrance and exit.
Non porous disposable bed covers that will be changed between patients.
Nurses in full protective gear to prevent spread.
Only laminated papers to be displayed that can be wiped clean.
All nurses and doctor with up to date infection control certification.
Our DAA clinic Doctor and Nurses are proud to serve our community and are ready to rise to the challenge.
FROM ADMISSIONS
WELCOMING OVER 400 NEW STUDENTS
We will welcome over 400 new students to DAA next year. New families have been sent a Welcome Packet of information as they prepare to onboard with us. Please have a look at the Welcome Packet 20/21 below.
ARE YOU RETURNING TO DAA NEXT YEAR?
A small number of current students are still not re-enrolled for the new academic year. This is very important as scheduling has commenced for students who have completed the re-enrollment process. This process acts as a guarantee of placement and subject selection for upper year students. In the event a family leaves the UAE the re-enrollment fee is refundable. In addition, there will be no increase in school fees next academic year. If you have already completed the re-enrollment process and paid the re-enrollment fee, then no further action is required. However, if you have not completed this process and are planning to stay at DAA we highly encourage you to contact Finance_daa@gemsedu.com immediately.
If you are moving out of the UAE and will not be re-enrolling for the next academic year, please be reminded that a Transfer Certificate must be completed. See below. Please do not hesitate to contact a member of our Admissions team if you require assistance registrar_daa@gemsedu.com.
Pay full year tuition fees on or before 20th Aug 2020, and avail 4% discount on applicable fees of academic year 2020 21.
Please contact finance_daa@gemsedu.com for details.
ARE YOU LEAVING DAA?
In order to release final documents and a transfer certificate (TC) please complete the transfer request through GEMS Parent Portal or GEMS Connect App using your GEMS parent username and password. If you require a password reset or need assistance completing it, please email receptionist_daa@gemsedu.com
For High School transcript kindly click on the link and complete the request form, parchment.
If you require an attested TC from the KHDA, the fee is AED120 which can be paid at Accounts or via bank transfer. Please note an attested TC is mandatory for transfers within Dubai and GCC. Check with your new school if it is required. For those not requiring an attested TC we will provide a leaving certificate with our school stamp upon request.
TC’s will be released once all outstanding accounts are cleared, including finance, STS, Library and IT.
The TC will be available beginning June 28th for Elementary and beginning July 15th for Middle and High School.
Your child’s health records are available for pick up from the school clinic before June 25 or after August 3rd.
For students transferring schools within Dubai, the medical team will do a School to School transfer of the medical files.
For your convenience we highly suggest your children’s new school contact our admissions office directly regarding documents they may require. They can send an email to registrar_daa@gemsedu.com.
Upon request we will have your children’s school reports, CAT 4 and MAP’s available for collection, please allow 7-10 days. Documents may be collected on campus, via email or Aramex (AED 126) , kindly confirm with our admissions office how you wish to receive your documents.
Community news
Keeping our DAA Staff Talent show tradition was important this year more than ever! A wonderfully collaborative effort by staff to create a virtual medley of song, dance, comedy and strange but true talents kept Leopard Spirits high. Thanks to Ms. Eversteyn, Ms. Deakin, Ms. Robertson, to our hosts Mr. Last, and Mr. Kelly and to all staff who took part. Also a big thank you to the students and families who sent in fun and amazing talents to share with our community. We hope you enjoyed the show!
Do you want to watch it again! Click the link below:
All Star Challenge.pdfTSR-OnePageFlyer-V2.pdfThe Dubai Police Student Council is organizing Student Summer Activities for the year 2020. The program aims at enhancing students’ sense of the security system, develop their life skills and protect them from risks and challenges. These summer courses will be remotely implemented and participating students will be granted certificates attesting to their skillful, scientific and knowledgeable gains from these activities. Register via this link: https://hemaya.ae/students
"Let’s paint the world a different colour” - the perfect way for children to end the school year.
Over the coming weeks, Sacha Jafri will make Atlantis, The Palm, his home as he converts their Ballroom into one of the biggest art studios on the planet. He will be inviting children across the globe to ‘Paint the World a Different Colour’. These individual Works of Art will be pasted to the canvas, inside huge circular portals painted by Jafri, which will show the window to a better future through the eyes of our Creator’s greatest gift. The Child
We invite all schools, teachers, and parents to get involved.
The initiative is sponsored by UNICEF and Dubai Cares, The Global Gift Foundation and Atlantis.
For more information, check out the video that explains the initiative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuODwRoBlhY The link to get your children involved and to make their contribution through art is here: https://humanity-inspired.com/getInvolved.html
We're In this Together DAA!
Be sure to share your Remote Learning experiences with us by tagging us on our social feeds! Or send an email with photo/video to pre_daa@gemsedu.com!
@gems_daa
@gems_daa
KEY CONTACTS
ADMINISTRATIONADMISSIONS - Registrar_daa@gemsedu.com 04 704 9707
DIRECTOR of ADMISSIONSGabrielle Keane g.keane_daa@gemsedu.com / 04 704 9706
FINANCEfinance_daa@gemsedu.com 04 704 9740 / 04 704 9744
HEALTHhealthoffice_daa@Gemsedu.com / 04 704 9761
PARENT RELATIONSHilda Tabrizi pre_daa@gemsedu.com
GOVERNMENT RELATIONSSoheir Mohamed S.MOHAMED_DAA@gemsedu.com
SLICES CATERINGMikhail@slices.ae / 054 792 7509https://pay.slices.ae/support/ticket/submit
STS BUS SERVICEKelvin Sicat kelvin.rosario@stss.ae / 04 704 9755
