International Insight

News from GEMS International School- Al Khail

Friday, 16 January 2015
Edition 16.

Weekly Bulletin

Important Dates

PARENT COFFEE: Parents are invited for a parent coee morning on Thursday 29th January 2015. Further information will be communicated in due course.

EARLY

DISMISSAL:

Please note that Thursday 22nd January will be an early dismissal at 12:30pm.

Important Information

ACCURO SERVICES: Parents, kindly note that weekly payments for Accuro services must be submitted
by the Thursday before the week commences by 6pm. Parents who subscribe monthly must also pay
for the new month the week before.

GIS CHARITHON: Thanks to the participation of our students, sta and parents, GIS is proud to announce that we raised an outstanding 111,779.25 dirhams for Red Crescent! This is equivalent to
about one food parcel per student and is an amazing achievement. We are so proud of our school for
raising such an incredible sum and thanks to all for your participation and donations.

ASA SIGN-UPS: Please note that due to the technical issues from our original sign-up date for ASAs,
we will be holding new sign-ups on Monday 19th January from 3:00-4:00pm, as well as an additional
session on Tuesday 20th January from 7:308:15am. For those unable to make it, a friend or relative
may be nominated to sign up for you. For more information, please check your inboxes or contact our
ASA team via email at asa_gis@gemsedu.com.

International Insight
News from GEMS International School- Al Khail
Friday, 16 January 2015

Transitions PYP to MYP

Save the Date: January 26, 2015 from
8:00am9:00am

CALLING ALL GRADE 5 PARENTS AND THOSE NEW TO MYP

Ever wondered what happens to students at the end of Grade 5?
Where do all the, big kids go?
Then come along to the parent meeting on January 26, 2015.
Over the course of an hour I will explain the main features of the Middle Years Programme. I will
lead a discussion about PYP and MYP, including the similarities, dierences, transitions and possibilities within the programmes.
The MYP requires schools to teach a broad and balanced choice of subjects in every year of the programme, organized into eight subject groups. You will be able to see the link with the work that has
ongoing throughout the PYP and how this will be built on and further developed within the MYP.
As with the PYP the MYP has a broad base of disciplines to ensure knowledge and skills. Each subject includes skills, attitudes and knowledge + understanding of concepts. This enables students to
continue developing the ability to apply ideas into new contexts. The concurrency of learning component means dierent subjects are studied simultaneously, using higher-order thinking skills to explore various disciplines in depth, identifying how each are linked and establishing their relevance to
local and global issues. As with the PYP, the MYP focuses on the development of the whole person
(aective, cognitive, physical and creative).

International Insight
News from GEMS International School- Al Khail
Friday, 16 January 2015

Assessment within the MYP must be varied and valid. IB encourages assessment tasks that include:

open-ended, problem-solving activities and investigations

organized debates

tests and examinations

hands-on experimentation

analysis

reflection
All assessment is carried out internally by teachers, (MAP testing will still take place) but as an IB
school we are required to undergo a monitoring and moderation process that ensures we are meeting
and applying the global standards. At the end of Grade 10 there is an option for students to sit external and internationally recognized IB qualifications.
As with the PYP an important feature of MYP curriculum and pedagogy is its commitment to students interdisciplinary learningthat is, their ability to make meaningful connections across subjects
in order to understand, and act in, the world. By placing students at the centre of the learning process and building on a holistic view of students and knowledge, the MYP seeks to cultivate students
involvement in their own learning.
Within the MYP there is also a service-learning component. Again, this is something that you might
recognize from the PYP and particularly the Grade 5 Exhibition that the students will undertake later this year. The service learning is an important feature of MYP curriculum and pedagogy. It is a
link and commitment to students interdisciplinary learningthat is, their ability to make meaningful
connections across subjects in order to understand, and act in, the world.
If this has answered a few of your questions but left you asking more, then you are a true IB inquirer, and I look forward to seeing you on January 26.

Carolyn Mason Parker

Assistant Principal / MYP Coordinator

International Insight
News from GEMS International School- Al Khail
Friday, 16 January 2015

This week around our school...

Important Information:
KG1 learn communication through play!
In KG1, our central idea at the moment is Through play we express our
feelings and ideas which helps us come to new understandings. We are
currently focusing on communication through play and have been learning lots
of new games, learning to follow rules and play cooperatively.

KG2F are learning to count in tens. Miss Karen challenged the children in her
class to count a group of objects in the quickest way they knew. The children
worked cooperatively to count out groups of ten then count their groups of
ten to find the total number of objects. The children were astonished at how
quickly they could count such a large group of objects and very proud of their
teamwork!

KG2F learn to count in tens!

International Insight
News from GEMS International School- Al Khail
Friday, 16 January 2015

In Grade 5, we have just started our new unit of inquiry Where we are in
place in time. As we focus on past and present explorations, the students
have been introduced to maps and their features. In a math lesson, we looked
at measuring distances using the map scale. The students loved finding
dierent places along the Silk Road and measuring the distances. It made their
learning much more meaningful.

Grade 6 consider life without zero.

For the last few weeks the grade 6 students have been working on Number
Systems in Mathematics. The statement of inquiry is If number systems did
not change to include the zero, our world would look very dierent. The
inquiry question (conceptual) is What would life look like without zero? The
students found that to dial the emergency number 999 using the Egyptian
system, would mean they would have to dial 27 symbols!!!

Grade 5 explore maps.

International Insight
News from GEMS International School- Al Khail
Friday, 16 January 2015

Amazing 3D Printers at GIS!

GIS is developing an education/industry partnership with a company called
Originbase in Al Barsha. We will be purchasing two of these 3D printers for
the new Design Lab on level 2. The printer will be on display in the Foyer on
Wednesday 14th and Sunday 18th January. They are amazing technology as they
take 3D product designs and create a 3D model. Thanks to Andrew Blake for
his hard work in establishing the relationship for GIS, and to Ismail and Gerard
from Originbase for setting it up and supporting us in this exciting venture.
For more interactive content and to see the 3D printer in action, please visit
our online version of the newsletter at: http://gisclasses.weebly.com using the
password gisweebly.

International Insight
News from GEMS International School- Al Khail
Friday, 16 January 2015

Counsellors Corner

When children can talk freely

about how they are feeling, they
are more likely to have their
needs met. Be sure to validate
your childs feelings when he/she
is talking to you. Feelings are
normal and all of our feelings are
okay. Guide them to expressing
their feelings in appropriate ways.