Anchored in Excellence

Fathima Maha, our Grade 11 student has demonstrated her amazing Maths abilities by being the only student in the entire Gulf region to qualify for India's prestigious Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Indian Mathematical Board Olympiad competition (INMO).

‘Maths is Fun!”

"I can't believe I'm the only one in the entire Gulf," exclaimed Fathima Maha, a 16-year old, Grade 11 student at GEMS Our Own Indian School - Al Quoz. “I feel absolutely thrilled. I have to say it was difficult, but everyone at my school, including my teachers, the Principal, and even my friends, have helped me a lot, providing plenty of materials for study.”One of only of 35 students chosen to appear for the INMO from CBSE schools across India and internationally, Fathima says that she has always enjoyed maths, and her success has come as no surprise to the school. “Since junior classes, Fathima has shown immense interest in problem solving skills. All the maths teachers over the years are of the opinion that she is an enthusiastic learner and solves complex problems with ease. She is actively involved in all maths-based activities in school, including exhibitions, projects, maths quizzes and the maths challenge programme, in addition to inter-house

activities and Sudoku competitions," explained Mrs.Prathija Ramesh, Head of the Mathematics Department.Our Principal Mrs. Lalitha Suresh was equally delighted with Fathima’s performance and commitment, saying: “We're just ecstatic. Fathima has been a high-performing student throughout her time at school. This was the ultimate accolade. It's a

really proud moment."

The role of Mathematics cannot be denied in the age of rapid technological advancements and innovations, with the broad objectives of INMO being to identify ability in maths; grant opportunities to talented students to crack taxing problems; promote excellence in maths; and encourage young people to pursue careers in fields related to maths. All of these objectives certainly relate to Fathima, who is working towards being accepted into the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology.Fathima understands that not everyone has a natural aptitude for Maths, but states that those students who either don’t like the subject or are a little frightened by it can improve their performance and results by looking for ways to make it more enjoyable. “Maths is fun,” she says confidently. “It can be a daunting subject, but you can find enjoyment in that if you take it as a fun challenge. You can then discover what you are capable of." Also amongst the five finalists in a Twitter profile picture competition held by Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Fathima clearly agrees with the 13th century English philosopher Roger Bacon, who proclaimed: “For the things of this world cannot be known without a knowledge of Mathematics” , happily for Fathima, it all adds up to a fascinating and fulfilling life!

GEMS Our Own Indian School is definitely soaring on the wings of victory proving once again without a doubt that our badminton champs are unparalleled. Our students performed brilliantly in the GEMS Millennium Badminton Tournament and have won the following titles to their names.1. Arunima Baiju of 6B won U-12 Championship. 2. Abdulla Shaheer of 11N won championship in U-17 category.3. Rohan Jyothish 11O , Munnais Mohammad 10O pair bagged U-17 doubles Championship4. George Philip 9Q and Aaakash Manisekharan 9O won U-15 doubles runner up title.

Congratulations to TEAM GOOIS , Mr. Mahesh and the PE Department

Al Burooj Olympiad--Islamic Quiz Contest 2015.Al Burooj Realization had conducted Islamic Quiz Competition throughout India and abroad in the month of December 2015.GEMS Our Own Indian School was the only participant in this competition from Dubai. It was a prestigious moment for us as 15 of our students received Merit Certificates for winning the competition.Al Burooj’s main aim is to raise a sense of curiosity and interest in our children to love, learn and appreciate Islam and make them more inclined towards engaging, spreading and increasing awareness about their religion through this competition.

Graduation Ceremony 2015-16

Whether you call it Graduation Day, Move-Up or Step-Up Day, or Recognition or Promotion Day, the day set aside to

honour our school's outgoing class, was surely a memorable one celebrated with a sense of accomplishment and pride.

To make it a memorable evening, we were graced by the presence of the Chief Guests – Dr. Sangeeth Ibrahim, Guest of

Honour, Senior Vice President GEMS Education, Sir Christopher Stone . Our Principal Mrs Suresh, Headmistress, Mrs

Balachandran, Senior Supervisors – Mrs Bakshi and Mr James along with the teaching faculty and proud parents attended

the auspicious ceremony.

Head Girl, Liya Adabi, Head Boy, Vinayak Jaitley and Valedictorian, Afric Ali Akbar reminisced and gave snippets of their

memorable moments throughout their school lives on behalf of the entire Grade 12.

The Candle Lighting tradition and the heart-warming school song marked the end of the nostalgic evening. The formal

function was followed by the fellowship dinner organised by the school.

Scouts and Guides Enrolment

GEMS Our Own Indian School witnessed the enrolment ceremony of Dubai Scouts and Guides in-service programme on the 18th January, 2016. 128 students from the middle school were scaffed as scouts and guides. Vice –President GEMS Indian Schools, Mr. Darryl Bloud, the chief guest hoisted the Scout Flag. Dignitaries from the Dubai Scout Mission also graced the occasion.

SPORTS DAY GRADES 3 and 4

GEMS Our Own Indian School focuseson the all round development ofstudents and helps them to honetheir talents be it in academics or onthe sports field. Keeping this in mind ,Annual Sports Day was organized forGrades 3 and 4.

Our students showed exemplary skill,stamina, discipline and leadershipqualities. Under the guidance andtraining of our PE teachers Ms. Binduand Ms. Tania and their classteachers, students exhibited their drilldisplays with versatility andenthusiasm. They learnt that victoryand defeat is the reality of life and it istaught through games and sports.

Parental Engagement

Special Assembly-New Year Resolutions – Grade 3 C

A Special Assembly on “New Year Resolutions” waspresented by our students of Grade 3 C. Students helpedeveryone reflect on the meaning of New Year and howeach one of us make resolutions and the difficulties inkeeping them.The assembly ended with an inspirationalvideo and a peppy foot tapping song sung by the students.

Saving Our Environment Assembly – Grade 3 G

Save trees, save life is not only a slogan, but is a responsibility which should be followedby each and every person . Students of Grade 3 G demonstrated the great opportunitywe have to save our healthy environment and green earth by saving trees through amime. Trees are denotations of life on earth and natural home for many people and wildanimals. Saving trees has become crucial in our modern day and age where urbanization,industrialization and global warming play an important part. The assembly ended with asong on determination. To mark the event, parents sponsored a plant from the schoolgarden that was handed over to our Head of Primary Mrs. Narayanan and our SupervisorMrs. Sajna Santhosh. Thank you dear parents for your engagement and involvement inour endeavors.

CYBER SAFETY – 06/01/16

The Students of Grade 9 D presented aSpecial Assembly on the topic CyberSafety. The speech highlighted thenegative aspects of cyber bullying andcrimes like internet forgery, hacking, online disputes, usage of vulgar language,messages, gossips and rumors .

The speech ended with important tips onhow to treat your password, privacysetting, and posting of personal matters,pictures and usage of pirated products.The highlight was the rendition of a songbased on the theme written by thestudents . Overall it was an informativeand entertaining assembly.

Republic Day Assembly

If August 15, 1947 marks the day Indiagained independence from British rule, itwas only on January 26, 1950, that theConstitution of India was finally adopted,making the country a sovereign, socialist,secular and democratic republic.Republic Day is observed every year on 26th

January to commemorate the enforcementof the Indian Constitution that declared ourcountry as a Democratic Republic. It wascelebrated with great enthusiasmthroughout the school by hosting specialassemblies.Today nobody realizes the inherentsignificance of India becoming a republic:that we, the citizens of India, have thepower to govern ourselves by choosing ourvery own government . Middle School Boysspoke on the importance of the Republicday and used this opportunity to spreadawareness about the important dutieswhich each citizen of India must follow forthe smooth functioning of democracy.A nation's culture resides in the hearts andin the soul of its people. The rendition ofthe patriotic songs and dancesperformance instilled in us the feeling ofpride and honour for our nation.

Healthy Food Fiesta

The students and EVS teachers of Grade 3 organized a “HealthyFood Fiesta” to extend their learning beyond the book . This wasan integrated approach to wellness ,from teaching nutrition toadopting healthier food guidelines.Students reiterated on theneed to have a well balanced and varied amount of each foodgroup that is not based on strict dietary limitations. Studentsarticulated and vocalized about the different techniques andprocedures used for cooking food to help perpetuate the nutrientspresent in them. Students emphasized on the importance ofEating Healthy to Stay Healthy. The synergic efforts taken by theparents, students and teachers made “Healthy Food Fiesta” alucrative event.

STAR OF THE MONTH

Star of the month badges were awarded to our students of Grades 3 and 4 for their overall exemplary performance.

10TH Annual Environmental DrawingCompetition

EEG- Emirates Environmental Grouporganized its 10th AnnualEnvironmental Drawing Competition .The competition was divided accordingto age groups. The topics were“Sharing Our Planet” and “ResponsibleConsumption”. Two students wereshortlisted from each class for theircreativity and artistic talent.

The First round of 'The Max Star Quiz Challenge' UAE's most prestigious Inter School Contest took place on January 19th, 2016. 8 of our Grade 9 students participated in the event. Diya Bera, Arpitha Anil, Atharva Dhupkar and Rachana Hosahalli from SSG and Divyansh, Farzeen, Avrio and Sahil were the enthusiastic participants.

We at GEMS Our Own Indian Schoolhave always been open to serve thehumanity when the situation calls forit. Market Day was organized by thestudents of Middle School. It was anevent organized to raise funds forVarkey Foundation, a not-for-profitorganization established to improvethe standards of education forunderprivileged children throughoutthe world. The children brought andmade items such as books,bookmarks, stationary item ,toys,decorative pieces, designer jewelryand clothes to be sold among eachother during Market Day. They hadalso set up games stalls and raised agood amount that was donated toVarkey foundation.All the members of the seniorleadership team and teacherscommented on the tremendousamount of creativity andentrepreneur skills these youngstudents demonstrated and areproud of their hard work and results.We are indeed, very proud of the“culture of kindness” exhibited by ourstudents.

Market Day

KG Weather CenterThe KG Play area is now equippedwith a new colourful “WeatherCenter.” The weather center is filledwith clothing and accessoriesrelated to the different seasons thatpromote child-initiated purposefulplay. The children are alsoencouraged to record the weatherof the day using the weather cardsthat are kept in the center.

Cyber SafetyOur KG children were taught cyber safety rules using educational videos. Helpful tips were reinforced in the classroom using quiz sessions and songs.