GWA PARENTS WEEKLY

Week of June 19 — 23

Your Weekly Lower and Upper Schools Communication What parents need to know about this week @ GWA

ALL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS SCHOOL NOTICES & EVENTS Save the date

Aug 24—25 Registration Day in MPR

Aug 28 First Day of 2017-18 School Year

PLEASE NOTE DATES GWA DIVISIONS WILL BE CLOSED THIS SUMMER: Upper School - The Upper School Office will close June 26-August 4. Please request transcript, report card, and attestation hard copies before these dates. Mean- Please visit our Master Calendar while, High School students and alumni can sign up on or Facebook to see more events Parchment to get official digital transcripts online if and updates! (ctrl, click on ‘Master needed. Calendar’) Lower School - The Lower School Office will close July 3- Transportation Page: 3 August 4. Please request transcript, report card, and Lower School Announcements Page: 4 attestation hard copies before these dates. Upper School Announcements Page: 5 Admissions Office - The Admissions Office will close July Summer Reading US Page: 6 24-August 4. Please make any appointments for before Library Page: 9 or after these dates. 1

ALL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nurse:

Check out this video and these facts about pool safety! Enjoy being active and outdoors this summer with your family and please be safe! Dear Parents, It is our responsibility to ensure the overall health and safety of the students and staff here at GWA cam- pus and this can only be done with accurate, current information regarding your son or daughter’s health! We ask that you print the correct form below (available on the website) and visit your primary care physi- cian/pediatrician over the summer. Mandatory medical forms are required for all new students, 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th graders by Septem- ber 1, 2017. Failure to submit a completed form may result in an inability to participate in PE class, any GWA athletic team practice or game or ASA activities. 1st and 4th Graders (all new LS students)

7th Graders (all new US students)

10th Graders

It often takes hundreds of phone calls and many months to obtain all the medical forms we need. Please help us by completing and returning these forms to the Nurse Office as soon as possible. We hope you and your family have a wonderful, safe summer!

For a healthy GWA, Miss Hannah Hair, RN, BSN

2

ALL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

3

LOWER SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dear Parents/Guardians, Lower School Office It is truly hard to believe this is Principal: Kevin Brenner the last Weekly of the 2016-17

school year! Students are tran- Assistant Principal: Lu Edwards sitioning into summer and ES Coordinator: Zakia El Harouchi then another new school year beginning August ES Coordinator: Kaoutar Benkaddi 28 (Registration Days are August 24 and 25). It is im- Preschool Lead Teacher: Amal Hafidi Slaoui portant to recognize the im- portant change that is taking place in the lives of our children and celebrate this together.

I have found in fifteen years invested in teaching and school administration, and six years of being a parent, that parenting is seriously challenging work. I am convinced based on research and experience it is impera- tive we allow children to take risks, succeed, fail, and learn difficult lessons by solving their own problems. That said, it is much more difficult to empower and facilitate this approach than to step in and prevent mis- takes and solve problems for our children.

As your child(ren) enter(s) the summer and then a new school year it will be increasingly important that she/he is both empowered and encouraged to think critically, learn by making mistakes, and know with ab- solute certainty that she/he is unconditionally loved and supported by you as parents and us as educators.

Together as parents, teachers, and school administrators we will inspire, equip, build, and empower as we partner together investing in the lives of children and young adults. Congratulations on all you and your child have accomplished this year, and best wishes for a wonderful summer.

Bon été, Kevin Brenner Lower School Principal

Announcements: - Lower School report cards can be picked up in the Lower School office starting June 22 through June 30. The Lower School Office will close July 3-August 4. Please request transcript, report card, and attestation hard copies before these dates.

- Fidget spinners should not be brought to school unless provided by a teacher for learning purposes.

- Backpacks : As you are looking for backpacks for next year, please purchase bags without wheels. The backpacks with wheels are problematic. They are heavier and our students have a hard time carrying them. We do not want them to be dragged down the stairs. This is very loud and it destroys the backpacks.

4

UPPER SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dear Parents: Upper School Office

Wow! School is out for Principal: Dr. Audrey Menard summer. We have offi- cially finished the 2016- HS Vice-Principal: Dusty Smith 17 school year. For me, MS Vice- Principal: Luke Kollasch it has been one of the most rewarding experi- HS Coordinator: Badiaa Benchekroun ences of my education- MS Coordinator: Rim Aboudane al career. Our students are simply ter- rific. They bring me joy every day. I really look forward to the 2017-18 school year - it will be even better.

Listed below are important dates and announcements. Please read these carefully:

 You may pick up report cards on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of June. You can also view them anytime from the 21st on in PowerSchool.  The US office will be CLOSED from June 24 through August 6.  If you need a transcript, please see Miss Badia or Miss Casey prior to June 24.  You cannot pick up report cards unless you have cleared all fines owed to the library.  If you need to convert your GPA or transcript for a Moroccan (or other) school, please go to this or- ganization, WES: http://www.wes.org/ This is a professional organization that knows how to properly update your child’s GPA and transcript.  You can get an Attestiation for your child during summer hours from the Admissions department.  Student Registration for 2017-18 will be on August 24 and 25.  First day of school for 2017-18 will be on August 28.

Have a wonderful summer and we will see you next year! Dr. Audrey Menard Upper School Principal

5

UPPER SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS Summer Reading Dear Parents and Students,

It is extremely important for students to be reading over the summer. The teachers have put together a list of books we recommend that students read over the summer for enrichment. Some of the books are available in stores in Casablanca such as Calliope, FNAC, and Virgin. Books can also be accessed online from www.gutenberg.org, www.itunes.com, or www.amazon.com.

6-8 Grade Recommendations English History Wonder by R.J Palacio Number the Stars by Lois Lowery The Witches by Roald Dahl The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (series) by The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Cur- James Patterson tis Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan Letters from Rifka (Russia) by Karen Hesse Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart Computer Science The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Love that Dog by Sharon Creech Python for Kids by Jason R. Briggs Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine Science Cinder by Marissa Meyer The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi My Life with Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nelson Never Cry Wolf: Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi Wolves by Farley Mowat The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Di Camillo Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know about True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi Fast Food by Charles Wilson and Eric Schlosser Who Stole the Wizard of Oz? by Avi The World Without Us* by Alan Weisman. Al Capone Does My Shirts (series) by Gennifer Choldenko The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks Truth About Rats, Rules, and Seventh Grade by Linda Zin- Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History by Bryn Barnard nen Redwall Series by Brian Jacques The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall City of Ember by Jeanne Birdsall The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Koinsburg A Stranger Came Ashore by Mollie Hunter Call It Courage by Armstrong Perry The Chocolate War by Robert Cornier A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell 6

UPPER SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS Summer Reading: Grades 9-10 Recommendations

Science Arabic The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot Salma El Rayes - Grades 10/11 The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four سلسلة بيت الحكمة / المركز الثقافي العربي : الشريط المخملي - جوزفين Meals by Michael Pollen مسعود Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed األنامل السحرية - جوزفين History by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson مسعود The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of النجمتان - روز غريب Madness, Love, and the History of the World from وطلع الصباح - جوزفين .the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean مسعود الحب و الربيع - ميخائيل History خوري Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam 10,000 أسطورة البحر - أنطوان War, Caputo مسعود Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 يوم غضبت صور - نضال Years, Delany أبو حبيب Cheaper by the Dozen, Gilbreth غرباء - منصور عيد Farewell to Manzanar, Houston من أجل عينيها - ميخائيل The Hiding Place, Ten Boom خوري Chinese Cinderella, Yen Mah أسطورة البحر - أنطوان مسعود English جزيرة الوهم - إميلي نصر Life of Pi by Yann Martel هللا A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith النار الخفية - روز غريب Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky المنجم عصفور - روز The Fault in Our Stars by John Green غريب Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech ملح و دموع - أنطوان The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain مسعود -Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Co nan Doyle The Red Pony by John Steinbeck Mérimé- Carmen The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier Gide- La porte étroite Nothomb, Amélie. Le sabotage amoureux ; Stupeur French et tremblement ; Hygiene de l’assassin Maupassant, Une Vie. Perec, Georges. Les Choses L’enfant multiple d’ Andrée Cheddid Beauvoir, Simone de. La Femme indépendante Bazin, H. : Vipère au poing. Bosco, H. : L’Enfant et la rivière. Computer Science Dumas, A. : Les Trois mousquetaires. Le Comte de Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware Monte-Cristo. and Software by Charles Petzold Flaubert, G. : Un cœur simple. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fan- BUZZATI Dino, Le K / Le Désert des Tartares tastic Future by Ashlee Vance KESSEL, Le Lion Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Roy lewis, Pourquoi , j’ai mangé mon père The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas GARY R., La Promesse de l’aube Adams JOFFO J., Un sac de billes PEREC G., W, ou le souvenir d’enfance VALLES J., L’Enfant

7

UPPER SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS Summer Reading: Grades 11-12 Recommendations

Science Math A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin The Theory of Everything by Stephen Hawking A Abbott The Hot Zone by Richard Preston The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World’s The Selfish Gene Richard Dawkins Most Astonishing Number by Mario Livio Mathematics for the Nonmathematician by Morris Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Kline Mary Roach The Language of Mathematics: Making the Invisible Visible by Keith Devlin Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser A Mathematician’s Lament by Paul Lockhart Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

History French Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy Ben Jelloun, Tahar. Le Racisme expliqué à ma fille The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Camus- L’etranger The Jungle by Upton Sinclair Jr Voltaire – Candide Gods and Generals: A Novel of the Civil War by Boris Vian- L’écume des jours Jeff Shaara Flaubert- Mme Bovary Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Le Clézio, La ronde et les autres nouvelles Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Marivaux, Le jeu de l’amour et du hasard The Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau Mérimé- Carmen East of Eden by John Steinbeck Gide- La porte étroite King Leopold’s Ghost: A story of Greed, Terror, and Nothomb, Amélie. Le sabotage amoureux ; Stupeur Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild et tremblement ; Hygiene de l’assassin Gun, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Socie- Perec, Georges. Les Choses ties by Jared M. Diamond Beauvoir, Simone de. La Femme indépendante

Computer Science English Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway and Software by Charles Petzold One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fan- Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck tastic Future by Ashlee Vance The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson The Help by Tate Taylor The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt Adams Native Son by Richard Wright Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway The Color Purple by Alice Walker Beloved by Toni Morrison

8

LIBRARY With summer around the corner, it’s time for us to make sure that students continue to read during the break. There a number of things you can do to encourage your child to read and to develop strong reading and writing skills over the summer. Your library has compiled a list of summer reading and learning tips you can use: At home Make time for reading During the busy summer months, it can be hard for you and your child to find a chance to read. Set aside a quiet time each day for reading, and remember to include "reading time" when planning summer activities. Keep different kinds of reading materials at home To stimulate reading at home, keep reading materials throughout the house, including newspapers, magazines, and brochures. Keep some fun things on hand too, like word games, puzzles, or the kids' section of the newspaper. This will increase your child's access to books and printed material, providing more opportunities to practice reading Read aloud every day Try to find time each day to read aloud to your children — even the older ones. Reading aloud benefits chil- dren and teens, particularly those who are struggling readers. Read aloud in different places. And don't be afraid to use silly voices and act out the story! Encourage your child to learn new words Introduce your child to new words every day. Talk about what these words mean and how they are used Write away Keep writing materials handy such as pencils, paper, and crayons so that your child can practice writing. En- courage him/her to write letters or post cards to friends and relatives over the summer, to keep a journal, make a summer scrapbook, or to write stories and poems. Ask your child to help you when making shopping lists or copying a recipe.

Don’t forget to use the library’s online reading sources: Book Adventure TumbleBooks (French& Engish) (Contact the library to get the password) Read Watch Learn! Free ebooks

And more on informational and learning sites: Brain Pop! (Contact the library to get the password) Into the Book Brain Pop! French (Contact the library to get the password) interactive arithmetic lessons Khan Academy Interactive math resources Enchanted Learning I Know that Fun Brain

In closing thank you for all that you do to support your students and the library. We wish you a wonderful summer break and look forward to another year celebrating new achievements.

Mrs. Asmaa Rias El idrissi School Library Manager 9

10