OUR OWN HIGH SCHOOL, AL WARQAA, DUBAI 23rd June 2013

CIRCULAR TO PARENTS Circular no.PNT/071/2013-14 Dear Parents,

Sub: Open House, Summer Vacations and Re-opening of School in September 2013 OPEN HOUSE

Wednesday, 26th June 2013 : Parents of students studying in KG2 to Grade 6 are invited to meet the teachers of their wards at the Open House from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Online Report Cards for Grades 5 & 6 for FA2 will be released on 25th June 2013. Diagnostic report cards will also be released for all students of Grades 1 to 6 on the same day. Thursday, 27th June 2013: Open House for students of Grades 7 to 12 will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Online Report Cards for Grades 7 to 12 will be released on 26th June 2013 along with the diagnostic report card. Thursday, 27th June 2013 will be a non-instructional day for students of KG2 to Grade 6. Class/Subject Teachers of Grades 1 to 12 will share some of the students subject portfol ios at the Open House. In order to save your waiting time on the day of Parent Teacher Meeting we request you to follow the given time slot to meet the teachers: Roll Nos. 1 - 13 (10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m.), Roll Nos. 14 27 (11:15 a.m. 12:15 p.m.) Roll Nos. 28 and above (12:15 p.m. 1:00 p.m.) Students must accompany their parents for the Open house in school uniform.

SCHOOL FEES Parents are requested to clear the school tuition and transport fees up to June on or before Sunday, 23 rd June 2013. The online result of your ward will be withheld if fees are not cleared. CBSE Board fees for enrollment and registration of students of Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 also to be cleared by Tuesday, 25th June 2013. Tuition Fees and Transport Fees for the summer classes for Grade 12 should be deposited latest by Thursday, 27th June 2013.

SUMMER VACATION AND REOPENING OF SCHOOL Summer holidays for KG2 and Grades 1 to 11 will commence on Sunday, 30th June 2013. School reopens for all students on Sunday, 1st September 2013. Summer holidays for Grade 12 will commence on Wednesday, 10th July 2013. Grade 12 will also resume classes after the summer vacations on Sunday, 1 st September 2013.

SUMMER CLASSES FOR GRADE 12 Students of Grade 12 are expected to attend additional classes in all subjects except English from Saturday, 29th June to Tuesday, 9th July 2013. Classes will begin at 7.50 a.m. and end at 1:15 p.m. Attendance is mandatory. SUMMER OFFICE TIMINGS During the summer holidays the school office and fee counters will remain open from 8:00 a.m.to 1:00 p.m. The Registrar will be on annual leave from Sunday, 9 th July to Saturday, 24th August 2013.

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APPROVAL OF NEW ADMISSIONS BY THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION Parents of newly admitted students who have not submitted the required documents for the admission approval till date are requested to do so by Tuesday 25 th June 2013. If you are unable to do so, kindly contact the Registrar immediately at 04-2800077 or at rexina.p_oow@gemsedu.com. Failing to do so can result in cancellation of your wards admission. As we come to the end of the first three months of this term, I would like to share a few highlights: We hosted the first Inter School Basketball Tournament and Ecophilia the first Inter school Environment Competition for Middle School. The students of the Middle School have started preparing for a musical NEWSIES, which will be staged in December 2013. The Board Results of Grades 10 &12 have shown considerable improvement with better subject average. The number of students securing above 90% has also increased. Subject Portfolio was introduced to encourage students to set targets in each subject, reflect on their own performance and undertake independent research in the subject to inculcate the spirit of enquiry and develop writing and analytical skills. The Prefect Body has initiated peer mentoring classes in Mathematics and Science for students of Grades 9 and 10 . Thoughts Aloud akin to TED T alks has just been launched by the Prefects, where students share their opinion on topics of their choice during recess. To encourage creative writing, the first issue of Expressions, an online magazine with articles written by students was put together by the English Department.

Looking ahead: With the increasing need to incorporate technology in our day to day teaching, the school has now been equipped with Wifi connectivity throughout the school. From September 2013, we will be introducing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) for students of Grades 7, 8 and 9. To begin with, students will be asked to carry an electronic device- laptop/tablet of their choice on designated days of the week. Further details will be shared with the students and parents in September 2013. This year with the support of parents, we have been able to organize an internship programme for students from the Commerce and Science stream of Grades 11 and 12 during the months of July and August. We are confident that this experience will be a great learning for our students.

All the above initiatives the school has taken for the continued improvement of our school, would not have been possible without the support of the parent body and the staff of the School. Our commitment to excellence is absolute and we will persist in our effort on the path of improvement. I take this opportunity to thank all for your continued support to the school and hope that your suggestions will help us move forward and take the school further towards excellence. Wish you a safe and happy vacation, Ramadan Kareem and Eid Mubarak. With best wishes,

Sanjeev K. Jolly Principal / CEO Pursuit of excellence is our Goal, Character building is our Mission, Inculcating values and respect for all is our Vision