GEMS American Academy-Qatar will welcome up to 1,550 students from kindergarten through to Grade 5 in the first year.
GEMS Education, a leading education provider in the region, has announced that it will open its first owned and operated school in Qatar in September.
GEMS American Academy-Qatar (GAA), an American curriculum school, will welcome up to 1,550 students from kindergarten through to Grade 5 in the first year and, in successive years, will grow and expand the secondary years.
The first day of school is September 7.
Located in Al Wakrah, GAA will be a “high-quality” American academy based on the US Common Core State Standards, according to a statement issued yesterday. It joins the GEMS American curriculum school network, which includes the flagship American curriculum school, Dubai American Academy.
Kenneth Jones, GEMS Education country head for Qatar, said: “At GEMS, we put values first and for students who will join us at GEMS American Academy-Qatar in September, this means that we focus on their personal, academic and overall development. The school will empower our students to develop the necessary intellectual, emotional, social, creative and physical skills they will need to lead successful and fulfilling lives.”
Michael Wood, principal of GEMS American Academy, explained what parents can look forward to at the new school. “The school will actively encourage all students to be a part of sporting and physical activity, as well as cultural and artistic activities, which will all be delivered in state-of-the-art facilities by our internationally experienced teachers.”
Tom Farquhar, who led the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC (US) for more than four years, has joined GEMS as the dean of American curriculum, and will work on further enhancing the GEMS American curriculum schools around the world, including GAA.
GEMS American Academy is committed to ensuring that the school community values the Islamic faith and celebrates the language, traditions, history and culture of Qatar by placing these elements at the heart of the curriculum framework and, where appropriate, within the experiences of its students, the statement adds.
Parents interested in registering their children for the coming academic year should contact the school registrar, Bernadette Riemer-Harris, at [email protected] or visit www.gemsamericanacademy-qatar.com/ for more information.