meet the team

Joanne has been an integral part of the Physical Education Department at Wellington Academy, Al Khail for the last 9 years and developed sport to what it is today.

Joanne passionate about ensuring every student in our Academy and across the cluster has a positive experience of Physical Education and sport. She Is a firm believer in sport for all, and want every student to develop their knowledge, skills and ability in a range of activities to enable them to go on and live a healthy lifestyle. Through competition and teamwork, Joanne believes students have a unique opportunity to learn strengths and weaknesses in themselves and others that they do not see in the classroom and thus supports development of the whole child. Through high quality teaching and learning, Physical Education and sport opportunities every child will confidently achieve their full sporting potential and excel both academically and personally.

Since 2018 Joanne have been focussed on developing performance sport programmes for elite and performance students at GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail. We now offer comprehensive bespoke performance programmes and pathways for Swimming, Tennis and Football.

As Director of Sport for the Wellington schools, Joanne is working on extending these programmes to the wider cluster to ensure the Wellington Schools are developing excellent student athletes across a wide range of sports, and competing amongst the top sports schools in the UAE, GCC and UK.

Joanne has a strong, skilled and highly motivated Physical Education teachers working with her to ensure the Wellington schools sport offering is high quality. Joanne works harmoniously alongside our excellent academies and providers through ESM to ensure a wide range of provision or all students.

I am Mrs. Rasha Hijazi from Jordan, and I am honoured to be the Director of Arabic and Islamic Studies and the Head of the Faculty of Ministry of Education subjects. I have been teaching Arabic as a second language primary and secondary to non-Arab students at WEK for eight years. My educational journey began at Abu Dhabi University in 2009, where I graduated with a major in TEFOL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and a minor in business administration. In 2019, I also obtained a Higher Diploma in Education in the Arabic language and I am currently pursuing a master's degree in educational leadership. Additionally, I earned a diploma in teaching Arabic as a second language (TAFEL) in 2020-2021.

Although I was born in the UAE, I consider it my second home, having lived there all my life. I am a mother of two and have dedicated fourteen years to teaching, with seven of those years spent in leadership roles. As a department head and leader, my focus is on nurturing students to become self-reliant and joyful learners proficient in the four skills of the Arabic language.

I possess the flexibility to adapt my teaching methods to meet the unique needs of each student, always staying in the present moment during lessons. I am a dedicated and adventurous educator. While it was challenging initially, hard work and perseverance have made each school year successful, ensuring our beloved students receive the highest quality of education they deserve.

My ideal classroom is one where students actively engage in discussions and collaborate to solve problems or grasp new concepts. I believe in creating a comfortable environment where students are unafraid to express themselves, embrace mistakes as part of the learning process, and willingly take on challenges to acquire new knowledge. My primary goal is to enhance your child's Arabic language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

I am privileged to share my passion for the Arabic language with students at WEK, where I have taught Arabic as a second language and Islamic studies for eight years, covering primary, secondary, and GCSE curricula in GEMS Wellington Academy Al-Khail.

Prior to this, I taught as a class teacher for lower primary classes, covering subjects such as English, Math, and Science, at Trophies and Journeys Dubai National School from 2010 to 2015 (American curriculum). From 2008 to 2010, I worked as a teacher for Arabic B and Islamic B subjects for non-Arab primary students at Al-Salam Private School, following the British curriculum.

During my free time, I find pleasure in various activities including photography, leisurely walks, swimming, socializing and making new acquaintances, Zumba, hiking, travelling, and embracing new adventures.

Being a part of WEK has been an extraordinary honour for me, and I have dedicated eight years to my growth and leadership within this exceptional school. This journey would not have been possible without the unwavering support of the entire leadership team, working together as one family. Words cannot adequately express my feelings as I reflect on these eight years of teaching, coordinating, and leading my team. With each passing year, my responsibilities have grown, and I have encountered numerous challenges, but the support of my team has been instrumental in overcoming them.

I believe in teaching through discovery and exploration, and I eagerly anticipate sharing my learning experiences with my students at the start of each new academic year.

Rohan is an outstanding and multi-award-winning innovator and educational leader with over 19 years’ experience in the field of international learning, educational innovation, curriculum design, and future-focused entrepreneurship. As the only Global Teacher Prize finalist from Dubai, Rohan has been leading GEMS X Future Learning and now brings all his experience and insight solely to the Academy. Having been with GEMS for 19 years, Rohan has been invited to TED Global, has hosted the Global Innovation Summit, was an inaugural speaker at Expo2020 World Majlis, and was featured at the World Government Summit as one of six UAE residents embodying the Advanced skills of the Future. As a passionate educator, Rohan firmly believes in educating young people for the world of the future. As Director of Innovation and Future Learning at the Academy, he leads our new and unique curriculum offerings and oversees the innovation and entrepreneurship experiences for students of all ages.

Rohan is a published author and an exhibited artist. He is passionate about literature, astronomy and communicating popular science to the general public. He is an avid reader and has travelled to over 74 countries.

At the Academy this year, Rohan is keen to promote an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving and develop students’ future skills through Scientific Literacy, Moonshot Thinking, Cosmic Citizenship, Radical Openness, Intelligent Optimism, STEAM, Neuro-Education, and Innovation in pedagogy. He aims to help students make a positive impact on the world around them and help young people address some of the global grand challenges facing humanity.