UAE Storm and Floods Clean Up Operation in Full Swing: Dubai Schools thank Remarkable Support Staff as "Heroes" for their Work Rebuilding Schools after UAE Floods

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UAE Storm and Floods Clean Up Operation in Full Swing: Dubai Schools thank Remarkable Support Staff as “Heroes” for their Work Rebuilding Schools after UAE Floods

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Safa Community School heart-warming message to school staff after terrible Floods of 2024

As the UAE recovers from the historic storms that lashed the country on Tuesday 16 April, schools are paying homage to the usually unsung heroes who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to repair the damage: the maintenance and support staff.

Record levels of rainfall have caused significant flooding and building damage across all seven emirates, leading the UAE government to order that schools switch to remote learning for safety reasons. But while students have been distance learning, and most parents have been working from home, the support staff have been onsite in schools sweeping, scrubbing, problem-solving, repairing and doing absolutely everything possible to get schools safe and secure, ready for students to return as soon as possible.

GEMS Education

Pictured, Dino Varkey, Group Chief Executive Officer, GEMS Education, who told us that he will never forget the actions of all those heroes of GEMS Schools who, behind the scenes, have saved the day for students following the floods of ’24

The professionalism and commitment of the GEMS maintenance and support team was celebrated by Dino Varkey, Group Chief Executive Officer, GEMS Education, who told SchoolsCompared.com:

“Like many schools, businesses, and service providers across the country, GEMS has not emerged unaffected by the recent storms. Our clean-up and repair efforts are well underway to restore our classrooms, playgrounds, and learning spaces for the safe return of students and teachers next week. And leading that charge are our amazing support staff, whose exemplary service, selfless dedication, and commitment to the safety of our school communities are nothing short of remarkable.

“We acknowledge, celebrate, and give thanks to the incredible work they do, not just now during challenging circumstances but at all times. They have shown resilience and professionalism as they work around the clock to ready our schools, and their tireless efforts have not gone unnoticed.

“We are indeed fortunate to have such outstanding teams across our schools.”

Safa Community School

Leanne Fridd, Principal of Safa Community School Dubai. As the weather finally breaks, Mrs Fridd thanked her team for their miraculous, above-and-beyond, and painstaking endeavours restoring Safa Community School to all its former glory after the worst floods in memory.

Safa Community School gave a shout out to their facilities team, led by Mr Frank Santos, for going above and beyond, stating:

“Over the past 48 hours, the UAE experienced what is the worst storm in the last 75 years. Like many other places, the school suffered extensive damages.

“We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our facilities team, led by Mr. Frank Santos.

“This team has been working tirelessly around the clock for the last 2 days, preventing a lot of more severe damage from taking place, not to mention getting the school ready and in a safe condition for our students and staff to return.

“Thank your Frank and team for everything you do for our school! We really appreciate you all!”

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Bloom World Academy

Pictured: John Bell, Principal, Bloom World Academy. Mr Bell recognises that the clear-up after the floods demands that we recognise the support of so many, from across school and broader society – including the “unequivocal leadership” of Dubai.

Bloom World Academy (BWA) officially recognised the hard work of the support team, who have been battling the elements to ensure that any damage to the building as a result of the storms was kept to an absolute minimum. John Bell, Principal of Bloom World Academy, said:

“These are unprecedented times – it has been a real challenge to manage and provide the best we can under extenuating circumstances- especially after a three-week Spring/Eid break. I am so impressed with all the support services that keep BWA and indeed Dubai going. My appreciation goes to parents and students for their understanding and the leaders of Dubai for their unequivocal leadership in this unique and quite disconcerting time.”

Meanwhile Alroy Kinney, Manager of School Operations at BWA, told SchoolsCompared.com how the crisis has brought everyone in the school together:

“I’m glad to hear that SchoolsCompared.com is recognising the hard work that has been going on behind the scenes at many schools, which isn’t always seen.

“The team at Bloom World Academy have been sweeping water out of the flooded areas continuously and securing these with sandbags, carpets and furniture had to be removed, the rooftop drains were monitored and cleaned to minimize the chance of water coming in through the ceilings. We were working tirelessly on the chance that the school would be open today, to protect the building and make sure it was dry and ready and in support of our school community.

“Throughout the last two days everyone from housekeeping, maintenance and security personnel have worked together as one team, not different departments. So that was really something nice to see, everyone coming together.”

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Dubai International Academy

Pictured: Hitesh Bhagat, Principal of Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills, who was passionate in his praise of all those behind the scenes who have worked around the clock to restore DIA Emirates Hills from all the worst excesses and damage of the terrible floods of ’24.

Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills celebrated their support staff with a social media post calling them all superheroes:

“Huge thanks to our Facilities and Security Teams to ensure the school campus is back to normal after severe storms. You all are Superheroes!”

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A post shared by Dubai International Academy (@diadubai)

Hitesh Bhagat, Principal of Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills, explained:

“Learning continues online at DIA Emirates Hills and the Support Staff are working beyond to ensure the building is safe and ready for students to come in.

We thank our entire Support Staff for their amazing efforts.

They are the heroes of the hour!”

Raffles Early Childhood Centres

Review of Raffles Early Learning Centre in The Springs Dubai - an Innoventures Education nursery school built around the British curriculum EYFS

Pictured Raflles Early Learning Centre The Springs in sun-filled days before the Storms of ’24

Lara Hudson, Director of Raffles Early Childhood Centres across Dubai, highlighted that connection, engagement and relevance have guided educational provision throughout the storms. Behind the scenes, the many support staff have been repairing the damage inflicted by the storms – and all the teaching faculty have done everything possible to ensure that whatever the challenges, the care and education of every child has remained centre stage:

“In the wake of heavy rain in Dubai, Raffles Early Childhood Centre’s have swiftly adapted their approach to education, ensuring that learning persists and children are kept busy despite the weather’s challenges. Using our parent communication app, Educore we have shared information with parents regarding our online classes, resources, ideas and more. Our educators have seamlessly transitioned to a virtual learning environment.

“Through this, they’ve maintained connections with both students and their families, keeping them informed and engaged in the learning process. Our teachers have demonstrated remarkable creativity, crafting engaging content that captures the imagination of young learners and encourages active participation.

“As we offer a very play based curriculum, the team have worked to share a range of activities that the children can enjoy using resources found around the home – this has included den building, scavenger hunts and making playdoh.

“Our ECC heroes – our facility management team who have worked tirelessly to rectify any damages caused by the heavy rain, carry out pro-active safety checks and cleaning before reopening and of course our teaching team. As educators and caregivers our team have adapted to the changing conditions, demonstrated resilience, creativity, and commitment to providing quality education, rain or shine!”

Collegiate International School

Pictured: Jonathan Cox (left), Principal, Collegiate International School, discussing with Tabitha Barda (right), Senior Editor, SchoolsCompared.com, the impacts of the terrible ‘Floods of 2024’ and the extraordinary capacity of students, support staff, parents and teachers to get through the many challenges, ensuring continuity of outstanding education and a return to school as the floods subside and repairs are completed.

Jonathan Cox, Principal, Collegiate International School, told SchoolsCompared.com that dealing with the students was driven always by compassion, sensitivity and the need to ensure that every student was treated as an individual:

“None of us expected this week to be quite the week it was! After Covid, we are all used to ‘distance learning, but we have maybe begun to forget the levels of effort involved in making it happen effectively. It’s also important to remember that perhaps the least effective response to school closures is to try to carry on as normal – just transferring everything online.

“At CIS, we moved to a blended model of learning. Asynchronous learning tasks were set via our online platforms, with scheduled class check-ins with teachers. Elementary students joined their class three times a day; secondary students had live classes for their core subjects.

“Just as we do with face to face classes, we have remained conscious that all students are different. Many don’t want to be on camera; some prefer to type responses than speak online; staying aware of students as individuals is even more important when you are not in the same room as them.”

Dubai International Academy Al Barsha

Pictured: Ian Thurston, Principal Dubai International Academy Al Barsha; for Mr Thurston, the Floods of 2024 have been about charting a course to look after everyone at his school – and ensure the education of every child continues at an outstanding level.

Ian Thurston, Principal, Dubai International Academy, explained to SchoolsCompared.com that dealing with the storms has been about looking after families, students – and ensuring that learning continues despite the adversities facing all in the school in so many different ways. Finally Mr Thurston has nothing but praise for his remarkable support staff who have saved the day in repairing his school from the damage inflicted by the storms:

“We’ve tried to keep parents and students fully informed about how to access learning and what we are providing – these are not days off for anyone, they’re simply a different way of working! Despite the disruptions, we strive to maintain learning continuity by enabling students to consolidate previous learning and gently introduce new topics and concepts. For those students preparing for external exams it has been important to continue their final revision and preparation. Through our distance learning initiatives, we are laying the groundwork for a smooth transition back to in-person learning, hopefully on Monday, ensuring no loss of learning.

“Throughout the Storms of ’24 we have recognised that families are in differing situations: some parents can support their children, some are working from home themselves, some are out supporting the clean-up effort, some don’t have electricity or Wi-Fi. We’re offering various flexible learning options to accommodate different situations: interactive video lessons, virtual classrooms, and collaborative online activities to engage students effectively in the hope that every student can progress in their learning how and when they can.

“We remain focussed on the wellbeing of our students. Daily check-ins are conducted to ensure the emotional health of our school community, providing a platform for students to connect and support each other. Our approach extends to our staff who may be facing similar challenges. Support measures are in place to assist them in delivering learning from home and supporting those affected, ensuring that their wellbeing is also safeguarded.

“Our school site has been affected by the rain with damage to some rooms, equipment and outdoor areas. We have trees and fences that have fallen down, shades that have torn, vast areas of water logging outside and some water damage inside.

“The roads around the school site have been largely impassable and it is only due to the dedication of our amazing support staff that we have managed to limit the impact and now begin to prepare for the site for a safe return of students and teachers.”

Raffles International School

Top Schools Award for Best Schools for Value Add in the United Arab Emirates 2023 - 2024. Pictured: Tabitha Barda, Senior Editor SchoolsCompared.com meeting with Steven Giles, Principal, Raffles International School

Pictured: Tabitha Barda, Senior Editor SchoolsCompared.com (left) meeting with Steven Giles, Principal, Raffles International School (right) in better times before the Storms of 24 wreaked havoc across the UAE. For Mr Giles, his Support Team have been no less than heroes in repairing the school around the clock to ensure that children have the beautiful and inspirational school they adore ready for them on their return.

Steven Giles, Principal, Raffles International School, explained it was all hands-on-decks to deal with the Clear Up Operation following the storms:

“RIS has met the unfortunate inclement weather with resilience and resolve. All students have accessed live learning and lessons from our wonderful staff; teachers have been positive and motivational throughout. All work has been set, marked with constructive feedback given. Lessons have received drop ins from senior leaders who have even attempted some of the work!!

“The school has met with some storm damage which is being remedied by our incredible support team. They have worked through the night to ensure our students return to school will be safe and without mishap. They really have gone over and above and are heroes.”

Raffles World Academy

Pictured: the view from Raffles World Academy on sunlit days before the Floods of 24 swept across the UAE

Dr. Armeena Tabassum, Vice Principal, told SchoolsCompared.com:

“In the wake of the recent storm and heavy rainfall in Dubai, Raffles World Academy remains committed to providing uninterrupted education to its students. Despite facing significant challenges, our dedicated teachers have risen to the occasion as unsung heroes, ensuring that learning continues seamlessly through online platforms.

“With remarkable proactivity and effectiveness, under the guidance of our fantastic leadership team our teachers swiftly transitioned to providing online learning opportunities for their students with minimal notice. This proactive approach, coupled with the unwavering support of parents, has enabled our children to maximize their home learning experiences.

“While the natural disaster has impacted several parts of our school building infrastructure, our hardworking support staff, under the capable leadership of our facilities manager Mr. Vikrant Sharma, have been tirelessly working since Tuesday to rebuild the affected areas. With invaluable support from our parent company, Innoventures Education, our facilities team has ensured that the school is clean, safe, and fully prepared for the return of our students and staff on Monday.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to all our unsung heroes – our teachers, support staff, and leadership – for their resilience, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the well-being and education of our students. Their collective efforts exemplify the spirit of Raffles World Academy, where excellence and perseverance prevail even in the face of adversity.”