External After School Activities

Dear Parents and Students, 

Trimester 3 External ASA sign-ups will be this weekend Saturday, March 18th from 11am - 1pm in the PS/ES lobby and Sunday, March 19th from 7:30am - 9am in the PS/ES cafeteria. The providing programs will be at the sign up session to provide you with information about their program and answer any questions you may have.

Please use the following website to view the offerings for Trimester 3. 

PS/ES After School Activities Website

Please note that Trimester 3 ASAs will only run for 7 weeks. These will begin on Sunday, April 9th and will end Thursday, May 25th.

Thank you for supporting our ASA Program. 

If you have any questions, please contact Beth Swartz (External ASA Coordinator): e.swartz_daa@gemsedu.com

Trimester 3 After School Activities

Dear Parents and Students,

Trimester 3 Online Internal ASA sign-ups will be open on Wednesday, March 8th from 7am and will be closed on Thursday, March 9th at 5pm. Please use the following website to view the offerings for Trimester 3 and for Internal ASA online registration.

PS/ES After School Activities Website

For answers to frequently asked questions, please view the Internal ASA Q&A document.

External ASA sign-ups will be available on Saturday, March 18th from 11am - 1pm in the PS/ES lobby and Sunday, March 19th from 7:30am - 9am in the PS/ES cafeteria.

Additional information about External ASA program dates, times, costs, and contacts will be sent out electronically next week. All providing groups will be at the sign up session to provide you with information about their program.

Trimester 3 Important Dates:

• Internal Online Sign-ups: Wednesday, March 8th (from 7 am) to Thursday, March 9th (until 5pm)
• External Sign-ups: Saturday, March 18th from 11am - 1pm in the PS/ES lobby and Sunday, March 19th from 7:30am - 9am in the PS/ES cafeteria
• Start Date: Sunday, April 9th (immediately after Spring break)
• End Date: Thursday, May 25th
• Please note: Trimester 3 ASAs will only run for 7 weeks. The sessions for the week of Sunday, May 21st - Thursday, May 25th will be 1 hour long.

Thank you for supporting our ASA Program.

For any questions, please contact the ASA Coordinators:

Mandy Gintaut (PS Internal ASA Coordinator) amanda.gintaut@gemsdaa.net

Laura Sarmiento (ES Internal ASA Coordinator) laura.sarmiento@gemsdaa.net

Beth Swartz (External ASA Coordinator) e.swartz_daa@gemsedu.com

External ASA Registration

External ASA registration will be available on Saturday, January 7th, from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM in the the PS/ES lobby and on Sunday, January 8th, from 7:30 AM until 9:00 AM in the PS/ES cafeteria.

Additional information about External ASA program dates, times, costs, and contacts can be found on the PS/ES External After School Activities Website. All providing groups will be at the sign up session to provide you with information about their program.

If you have any questions, please contact Beth Swartz (External ASA Coordinator) at e.swartz_daa@gemsedu.com.

ASA Registration for Trimester 2

Dear Parents and Students,

Trimester 2 Online Internal ASA sign-ups will be open on Sunday, December 11th from 7:00 AM and will be closed on Tuesday, December 13th at 5:00 PM. Please use this website to view the offerings for Trimester 2 and for Internal ASA online registration.

For answers to frequently asked questions, please view the Internal ASA Q&A document.

External ASA sign-ups will be available on Saturday, January 7th from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM in the PS/ES lobby and Sunday, January 8th from 7:30 AM until 9:00 AM in the PS/ES cafeteria.

Additional information about External ASA program dates, times, costs, and contacts will be sent out electronically next week. All providing groups will be at the sign up session to provide you with information about their program.

Trimester 2 Important Dates:

• Internal Online Sign-ups: Sunday, December 11th (from 7 am) to Tuesday, December 13th (until 5 pm)
• External Sign-ups: Saturday, January 7th from 11 am - 1 pm in the PS/ES lobby and Sunday, January 8th from 7:30 am - 9 am in the PS/ES cafeteria.
• Start Date: Sunday, January 15th
• End Date: Thursday, March 9th
• Make up Days: Sunday, March 12th - Monday, March 13th

Thank you for supporting our ASA Program.

For any questions, please contact the ASA Coordinators:

Mandy Gintaut (PS Internal ASA Coordinator) amanda.gintaut@gemsdaa.net

Laura Sarmiento (ES Internal ASA Coordinator) laura.sarmiento@gemsdaa.net

Beth Swartz (External ASA Coordinator) e.swartz_daa@gemsedu.com

Transportation Update and Communication in My Absence (revised at 7:20 PM)

As I mentioned in my last post, I will be traveling to Thailand for a conference this weekend, so I will be absent on Thursday and Sunday.

If you need to reach Ms. Csilla, who will be my substitute, please email her at csilla.missamou@gemsdaa.net. She will be checking her email periodically. If you do not hear a reply, please contact Ms. Rene by phone.

Also, please note that ASAs are starting on Sunday, so children will be walking to their ASA with an EA for the first week, just so they know where they are going.

Students who are not in an ASA will walk down to the lobby independently to meet you there. Please have a conversation with your child, so that he or she is crystal clear about where to meet you, your caregiver, or your driver. And, as always, if there are any transportation changes, please notify Ms. Csilla.

If your child has an ASA, please just confirm that he is she is going by writing me a quick note in the agenda or by sending me an email, so I am certain to send him/her. This really helps me to know where to send your child at the end of the day. Sometimes children tell me that they aren't going, but it's difficult for me to know if this is their decision or yours. I'd really appreciate your help with this, so a huge thank you in advance!! :)

Rest assured that while I'm away, your child will be in wonderful hands! Ms. Csilla is terrific! 

Welcome back...again!

I hope you each enjoyed a lovely Eid holiday. What a nice surprise to get a whole week off!  Now, let's see how we all do getting back into the school routine, once more...

Just by way of reminder, tomorrow (Sunday) is Day 3, so the students will have PE. Also, please remember that students will not have school on Tuesday, as it will be one of our first Professional Learning Day (for staff).  To find out what we are learning in 3LN this week, click here. 

Also, we will be having our individual class pictures on Wednesday, Sept. 21, so kindly remember to have your child wear his/her formal uniform (not PE), including the tie. I can't wait to see how crisp and cute the students each look. I always smile when I see their hair extra slick and sleek when they waltz in the classroom on Picture Day morning.

If your child is interested in joining an after school activity, please refer to my last post regarding the registration. There are some terrific activities being offered this trimester!

Our class will be choosing a Student Council Rep on Wednesday, so if your child is interested in this leadership opportunity, please be sure to return the application by Monday (Sept. 19) and have your darling prepare a little speech, which he/she will present to our class on Wednesday.

As an FYI, I will be attending a growth mindset conference in Bangkok, Thailand, from Sept. 22-25, so I will not be at school on Thursday and Sunday. Not to worry, though. Your child will be well cared for and well taught in my absence. I'm already looking forward to imparting what I'll learn in our classroom!

Lastly, on a personal note, below you'll find some pictures of a very last minute trip to Norway with my mom and sister, Julie. (Dad stayed home with the dogs, so it was just us girls.) We met in Oslo last Saturday and I just flew back to Dubai today (Saturday). It was a wonderful trip in every way as we relished in each other's company, laughed, learned new things, met new and old friends, explored, breathed in the cool, clean mountain air, ate interesting local food, like brown goat cheese, reindeer, whale, and moose. We made about a thousand new happy memories to treasure for a long time to come. I hope you will enjoy the pictures. :)

So thrilled to meet in the Oslo Airport! I had to wait a couple of hours for them to arrive, but time passed quickly with a pumpkin spice latte, reading, and people watching. 

While we were in Oslo, we were able to see Lauren Williams, who some of you may know as our former ES art teacher. She moved to Norway in August, so it was fun and interesting to hear about her new life there. She's doing great! 

We loved the cooler temperatures. (The Royal Palace is behind us.) 

Ha! Mom sneaked this candid of me reading. So enjoying this good book! 

We took in all of the gorgeous scenery while riding the Flam Railway. 

Somewhere near Finse...

The cultural museum in Oslo was so interesting. This church dates back to the year 1200! 

A must-do if you're ever in Norway. 

I was so happy to see a true autumn after so many years. 

We were surprised to see a glacier! 

Norway is so stunning and we feel so grateful to have had the time off and opportunity to visit such a beautiful country. My mother's side of the family is actually from Larvik, Norway, so it was special to learn about my heritage firsthand. I have about a thousand more pictures, but I'll spare you. (Plus, I'm just a little tired.)  I'm looking forward to hearing all about your child's week off, as well! 

ASA Info.

Dear Parents and Students,

DAA is looking forward to kicking off our Trimester 1 After School Activity Program. The ASA Program will be a combination of teacher led (INTERNAL) and externally run activities related to sports, the arts, and academics.

Online Internal sign-ups will be open on Sunday, September 18th from 7 am and will be closed on Monday, September 19th at 5 pm. Please use the following website to view the offerings for Trimester 1 and for Internal online registration.

PS/ES After School Activities Website

Due to the Eid break, External ASAs sign-ups will be available on Sunday, September 18th from 6-8 pm and Monday, September 19th from 2:30 pm in the cafeteria.

You are invited to sign up for a wide variety of external after school activities including soccer, basketball, yoga, gymnastics, street jazz, tennis, karate, horse riding, science, pottery, and swimming.  Additional information about program dates, times, costs, and contacts will be sent out electronically next week. All providing groups will be at the sign up session to provide you with information about their program.

Thank you for supporting our ASA Program.

Trimester 1 Important Dates:

• Internal Online Sign-ups: Sunday, Sept. 18 (from 7 am) to Sept. 19 (until 5 pm)
• External Sign-ups: Sunday, Sept. 18 (from 6-8 pm) and Monday, Sept. 19 (from 2:30 pm)
• Start Date: Sunday, Sept. 25
• End Date: Wed. November 16
• Make up Week: Sunday, Nov. 20-Wednesday, Nov. 23

For any questions, please contact the ASA Coordinators:

• Mandy Gintaut (PS Internal ASA Coordinator) mandy.gintaut@gemsdaa.net  
• Laura Sarmiento (ES Internal ASA Coordinator) laura.sarmiento@gemsdaa.net 
• Beth Swartz (External ASA Coordinator) beth.swartz@gemsdaa.net 

Trimester 3 ASA Registration Information

ASA Registration Information 

• Internal Registration is available online between March 15-20. 

• External Sign ups are on March 19 at 10:00 AM (ES lobby) and March 20 at 7:30 in the ES Cafeteria. 

Students will receive paper notices on Wednesday, March 23, informing them of their Internal ASA registration. 

• Trimester 3 ASA start:  Sunday, April 10

• Trimester 3 ASA finish: Thursday, June 2 

Summary of Session 3 Important dates:

• Internal sign ups: March 15-20 
• Registration: March 19-20
• Start Date: Week of April 10 (actual start day depends on the day your ASA meets)
• End Date: June 2

*News to Note*

There are a few exciting events occurring this week (and in the near future), which I've already spoken to the class about, but you'll also be able to read about them here, as well: 

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Our next DAAPA pizza lunch will be on Thursday, January 28th.  Order forms were sent home on Thursday.  All orders are due on Tuesday morning (Jan. 26th) with exact change please.  Unfortunately, NO orders will be accepted on Thursday. 

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DAAPA will be hosting a family movie night of the year on Thursday, January 28th. Gates open around 5:30 pm, with the movie starting at sunset. Admission and popcorn are free. Pizza, hotdogs/corn-dogs and drinks will be available for purchase.  

Bring  your mat or bean bag to get comfy.  If you are attending, kindly RSVP to stayintouchwithdaaes@gmail.com. 

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Lost and Found Items on Display:  Please note lost and found items will be on display in the foyer from February 8-15th. After that, unclaimed items will be donated to charity.  In order to assist us with getting your child's lost items returned, please ensure that any item your child brings from home is clearly marked with their name.  

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As a reminder, the playground is a nice option for families to meet and greet after school and after ASAs. In order to keep this a safe, fun and positive environment, your child may only play on the playground after school or after ASAs if they are supervised by a parent or care giver. Students who are waiting to be picked up after school must wait quietly in the foyer only. 

News from the Library

Mark your calendars! January 24-28 the PS/ES Library will be celebrating Love My Library Week.  Come and join us after school from 2:50-3:20 Sunday, Monday,Wednesday and Thursday for a range of fun activities including read alouds, a treasure hunt, a trivia contest, board games and more.  PARENTS please join us for a tour of the library on Wednesday, the 27th from 8:00-8:30.  The tour will include information on family library accounts, resources for parents, and an overview of the library curriculum and activities. Please join us!

A few items...

As this week begins, I wanted to take a moment to note a few items: 

• Thank you for your sweet get-well notes. After struggling with laryngitis and sinusitis at the end of last week and throughout the weekend, I'm feeling much better, thankfully. 

• Welcome back to those who are just returning back to school this week. We missed you and are very happy to see your smiling faces again! 

• As a reminder, this is the time to sign up for ASAs! (All of the important dates are included on the site. Be sure to check the tabs at the top.)

• Please remember to avail yourself of the weekly Assignment Sheet and News, which always includes a rough outline of all that we will be learning. This is also great way to connect with your child: "So, I read that you are learning all about getting to know the character in your book. What have you learned about his/her traits? (child replies, "He's very brave.") How can you tell that?" 

• As you may know, we will be hosting some special guests this week at school. Yes, it's our time to show KHDA all of the wonderful things that makes DAA so fantastic. To help make the week even better, please help us by remembering a few things: 

• Be on time, as any tardies this week will be noted by KHDA. 
• Dress in the proper DAA uniform (hoodies, sweaters, ties, shoes). 
• Be on your best behavior, as always! 

Thanks so much. We look forward to a terrific week! 

..............................

PS. A big congratulations to our breeder dog at home, Oakley, who gave birth (on Saturday evening) to 8 adorable puppies. She is the proud mama of 5 females and 3 males, who will grow up to be service dogs for New Horizons. My sister, Julie, and mom were there for the birthing and even helped. I hope you'll enjoy these sweet pictures of all of the puppy fun! 

View this video below... 

Videos: 

• Waiting for Mama
• Rolling off as they feed 
• Mom rubbing them down 
• Feeding time while Mama sleeps 

Mom is rubbing them to make them cry, which causes their lungs to clear after birth.

ASA Info. for Trimester 2

Dear Parents and Students,

DAA is looking forward to kicking off our Trimester 2 After School Activity Program. The ASA Program will be a combination of teacher lead (INTERNAL) and externally run activities related to sports, the arts, and academics.

Online Internal sign-ups will be open on January 7 from 3:30 PM and will be closed on January 12 at 3:30 PM. Please use the following website for Internal online registration. 

PS/ES After School Activities Website

External ASAs sign-ups will be available on Saturday, January 9th from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm in the ES Lobby.

You are invited to sign up for a wide variety of external after school activities including soccer, basketball, yoga, gymnastics, street jazz, tennis, karate, golf, horse riding, pottery, science, and swimming.  Additional information about program dates, times, costs, and contacts will be sent out electronically this week. All providing groups will be at the sign up session to provide you with information about their program.  

If you are unable to attend this weekend sign up session, the providers will also be available in the ES Lunch Room on Sunday, January10th from 7:30 am - 9:00 am for registration.

Thank you for supporting our ASA Program.

Session 2 Important dates:
Internal Online Sign-ups - Jan 7 (3:30) -12 (3:30)
External Sign-ups - Jan 9-10
Start Date - Jan 17
End Date - March 10

A few tidbits...

• The Famous Pumpkin Patch Returns:  For those children who have purchased pumpkin, they will be available for pick up in the ES lobby before and after school on Monday and Tuesday.  Kindly note that an adult must pick up the pumpkins, a voucher must be presented, and no pumpkins are permitted on school busses. Happy carving!

• The Jr. EAC soccer season is underway!  Please get all your updates on Allison's link:  Jr. EAC

• ASA information can be found on our DAA portal (http://www.gemsdaa.com/), on the Elementary School page found under the 'Divisions' tab.  Here's a shortcut:  After School Activities

ASA Information

Dear Parents, 

Thank you for your interest in internal and external after school activities. Trimester 1 sign ups are now closed. 

If you have registered and paid for an external activity with the provider on Saturday or Sunday, you have secured a spot for your child. 

If you registered on the ASA website for an internal activity, your child will receive one of their 3 choices. Please note that on the week of September 27th your child will receive notification, as in all years past, as to which internal activity they have been enrolled in. 

This notice will include the date, time, location and any fee required to participate in the ASA. If after receiving this notification your child is no longer able to participate in the ASA, you must contact the providing teacher.  After school activities will begin on October 4th. 

Reminder that you must arrange for pick up for your child after the ASA is complete. Internal providers will bring children to the lobby, external will remain at their location. Please have a ride arranged to pick up at completion times. Busses will not be running for ASA students. 

Thank you once again for your interest and support in the After School Activity Program. 

Kind Regards, 

Becky, Vhairi, and Adam