Communication 

Open, honest and ongoing communication is critical to the success of the educational partnership we strive for between students, parents and teachers. We use a variety of means of communication to stay in touch with students and parents. Below is an explanation of each type of communication that you should use to stay connected to what is happening in the Middle School : 

• K-12 Activities Calendar: A calendar of all AIS-R events is distributed to all students. 

• Google Classroom: Google Classroom is the primary communication between teachers and students. Parents can elect to receive either a daily or weekly summary email. Students are the only people who can access Google Classroom. If parents or guardians would like to see what is happening in Google Classroom, they would have to ask their child for the login details. The summary email informs you of upcoming events, assignments, announcements or materials the teacher has posted. Please note that anyone without an aisr account, including private tutors are not allowed access to Google Classroom.  

• Email: Families can email Grade Leaders, Advisors, Counselors, Teachers and MS Administration with questions and concerns. In addition, each family is given a gmail account that can be used to communicate with the school. 

  • Grade 6 Level Leader: Leena Salih lsalih@aisr.org

  • Grade 7 Level Leader: Tracy Hill thill@aisr.org

  • Grade 8 Level Leader: Mandy Friedrichs mfriedrichs@aisr.org

  • MS Counselors: 

    • Allison Jefferson ajefferson@aisr.org 

    • Brandi Hamlin bhamlin@aisr.org

  • MS Learning Leaders

    • Math: Sara Glenn sglenn@aisr.org

    • Science: Jessi Fisk jfisk@aisr.org

    • Humanities ELA : Meeka White mewhite@aisr.org 

    • Humanities SS: Llewelyn Friedrichs lfriedrichs@aisr.org

    • Design: Christine Stein cstein@aisr.org

    • Specialists: Gael Thomlinson gthomlinson@aisr.org

  • Grade Level Teams & Advisory Emails: see here

  • General inquiries should be sent to msoffice@aisr.org.

• Eagle Central:  A weekly newsletter of upcoming events, articles, and items of special interest to parents and students is sent by email and accessible via the AIS-R app.

• PowerSchool:  This is a school information system used to store all information pertaining to our students and families. PowerSchool allows parents to view their child’s report cards, MAP scores, and school messages. Each parent is issued a PowerSchool ID and password. Please keep your PowerSchool contact information current. It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure all data recorded in PowerSchool is accurate and up to date. AIS-R is not responsible for personal data that may be compromised due to a breach in data from either an AIS-R community member or outside source.

• AIS-R APP: The AIS-R App houses the latest news, daily updates, events, social media, and pictures of what is happening at AIS-R (Apple and Android).

School Website:  Browse the school’s website to find general information about each grade level and general school information www.aisr.org. 

Parent Contact Information

It is extremely important to have up-to-date contact information, so that the school is able to contact parents in case of an emergency. If contact information has changed, parents can update their information via PowerSchool or contact the Middle School Office. To ensure that the privacy of our parent community is honored as well as in respect of AIS-R's communication protocols, information including, phone numbers, addresses, social media accounts, etc. will not be shared, regardless of the permission of the parent whom the request has been made. 

Parent Conduct and Communicating Concerns

When faced with a potentially concerning situation, parents are asked to be proactive, communicate effectively and keep in mind AIS-R's uniqueness and independence as a school entering its 62nd year in existence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We recognize that not all parents will understand every policy or school rule, but ask that parents follow the appropriate channel of communication and ask questions or submit suggestions to AIS-R faculty and administration in an open, constructive and positive manner at the appropriate time and place. 

Classroom concerns should first be directed to the teacher who is most closely involved with understanding and assisting with a parent concern. Parents should be mindful about scheduling appointments to meet with teachers and should refrain from showing up unannounced or while a teacher is in the middle of instruction to discuss a concern.

When a concern has not been adequately resolved to a parent's satisfaction, they may then be addressed with the Advisor, Grade Leader and eventually the Principals. If a parent is seeking advice about a broader issue or concern, they may seek further counsel following the flowchart (see AIS-R’s communication flow chart HERE). If a problem is not resolved to a parent's satisfaction, the issue may then be addressed to the Superintendent, but only after the parent has first gone through the appropriate channels of communication (i.e. addressed with the AIS-R employee most directly related to the concern, and the Principal thereafter). Concerns relating to School Board Policy may be addressed in written form to the Superintendent, who will review the concern, communicate the School’s stance on the issue and may share the issue with the Board of Trustees for review if warranted. No survey, petition, questionnaire, etcetera, soliciting information or feedback from or about students, faculty, staff, parents, or school issues or programs shall be distributed or organized independently by association members without the prior written approval of the Superintendent. AIS-R does not accept or respond to written and/or verbal feedback from a community or Association member (or members) who does not follow the established communication protocols implemented by the School, such as accepting anonymous letters/emails, hearsay, group or “group think” emails/responses, petitions, social media chats, online reviews, questionnaires/surveys, and/or vague authorship as these would contravene Board Policy and Saudi Arabian law. 

As valued community members, AIS-R expects all parents to adhere to the principles of our Core Values and Board Policy as acknowledged and signed via the Partnership for Success during the admissions process. If a parent chooses to act or react in a manner that does not uphold these values and principles, the teacher, principal or Superintendent will cease the interaction and/or meeting and reschedule to another date when the parent is able to act in a manner that is consistent with expectations of the organization. Positive, respectful communication is always the primary focus of all meetings between parents and AIS-R employees.

If a parent repeatedly chooses to behave in a manner that does not honor AIS-R's values and principles, and/or is not in line with Board policy, they will be subject to a Superintendent and Board of Trustees review, which could result in a written censure or termination of their child's enrollment at AIS-R. As a private, independent school, the AIS-R Board has the right to determine enrollment continuation or termination of any family who does not follow school expectations. Past instances of immediate action have included issues of slander (i.e. making false and damaging statements against an employee or community member), malicious gossip, and harmful acts and accusations that negatively impact the reputation of the school. As a matter of process, the Superintendent will review and assess the situation and inform the Board accordingly with details of the misconduct, to include a recommendation. In addition, should a parent at anytime demonstrate behavior that is not in accordance with our Partnership for Success or as outlined in this Handbook or Board Policy, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board is responsible for investigating and/or taking legal action for misconduct; harassment; dissemination of privileged information not deemed public; disrespectful, culturally insensitive, or defamatory comments and/or communication; inappropriate online activity; actions that may damage the reputation of any registered Association member and/or the School; or any activity that jeopardizes AIS-R’s status and/or licensure in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Upon investigation and substantiation of misconduct, the Board shall reserve the right and final decision, by majority vote, to de-register a parent or group of parents (leading to a change of enrollment status for their child/ren).

Parents as Role Models 

While AIS-R strongly encourages parents to attend events on campus, such as Back-to-School Nights, Parent-Teacher Conferences, assemblies, sporting events or performances, it should be noted that AIS-R expects parents to be positive role models at all times while on campus, especially when in the presence of students. Furthermore, parents are expected to adhere to and support all AIS-R rules and policies as detailed by the AIS-R Board of Trustees, Leadership Team, Partnership for Success, and Student-Parent Handbooks, especially in relation to student absences, dress code, expected student behavior, campus visitation and operating hours.

At AIS-R, we are committed to nurturing a relevant and dynamic community partnership. We believe that purposeful interaction, meaningful connection and an exchange of constructive ideas will enhance the AIS-R learning experience for all. 

As a matter of established direction, protocol, time, etc., the school has the right to depart from parent feedback or limit communication, especially if the feedback is excessive and not consistent with the following: the school’s mission; overarching goals; policies adopted; parent feedback surveys; in good educational standing; aligned with the School’s educational authorities and professional affiliations to include licensure with the Ministry of Education and other Saudi ministry regulations; and/or within the financial resources available. Parents have the right to speak on behalf of their own child/children, but are not authorized to speak on behalf of, or act as a proxy for, other individual registered members, or a select group, or the school in any capacity such as in the form of group emails, survey/questionnaires, petitions, etc. In addition, the  PTSO is not authorized to be a conduit for parent issues, complaints or concerns as individual parent issues must be addressed directly through the School’s communication channels/flowchart. Non-approved communication approaches contravene leadership function, governance processes, legal parameters in KSA, and the established “partnership” necessary to orderly conduct in a diverse community. Parent members are invited to discuss school experiences at Superintendent and Parent Coffee Meetings where senior school leaders and a representative from the Board reside to share school successes, challenges, and  listen to constructive feedback.

Campus Access

For safety and security issues, the AIS-R campus, exclusive of shared facilities with Al-Bustan Village, cannot be accessed by students, or their families for any reason other than official AIS-R school business beyond school operating hours. Outside of school hours, AIS-R is not responsible for the safety of individuals on the AIS-R campus.  AIS-R school hours are defined 8:10-4:30 from Sunday to Thursday, in addition to the scheduled hours of any AIS-R sponsored event such as, but not limited to, sporting events, PTSO events, performances, testing, etc.

Parental Access During the School Day:

• When entering campus, parents will be required to use their official AIS-R ID. While parents are encouraged to “Learn With Us” and are welcome on campus to participate in organized events, we kindly request that they not interrupt classroom activities, recess/break times, or participate in student lunch time in any way.  

• Beyond organized events, parents must call ahead or report to the respective divisional office and schedule appointments to access AIS-R faculty and/or staff members. During school hours, parents may not access their child without notifying the divisional office and receiving permission from the divisional Principal as this tends to be disruptive to the learning environment. This will allow AIS-R to maintain a high level of student safety, focused learning, and campus security.

Rules for Entering and Exiting Al Bustan/AIS-R Internal Gates:

• Non-Al Bustan residents, including AIS-R students and parents (who do not live at Al Bustan), may not pass through the AIS-R/Al Bustan internal gate at any time. Permission to enter Al Bustan via the AIS-R gate will not be issued by Al Bustan security, nor will AIS-R permit access to Al Bustan through the AIS-R gate.  

• Should Al Bustan residents wish to invite non-Al Bustan guests to visit, they must complete the standard procedures to have guests arrive at, and pass through, the Al Bustan main gate. This means that non-Al Bustan residents must arrange transport from the AIS-R parking lot to travel around to the Al Bustan main gate and proceed through the standard guest and security protocol.  

Gate Message for Parents:

In our continued efforts to provide a safe learning environment for all of our Eagle Community, the following will be strictly enforced for ALL visitors to the AIS-R Campus.

• All parent visitors are required to sign in and out at times other than drop-off/pick-up of students and school events

• All parent visitors are required to wear a lanyard at all times other than drop-off/pick-up of students and school events

• All parent visitors must have an appointment to meet with AIS-R personnel (e.g. teacher, school principal) to enter campus

• All parent visitors will be accompanied by AIS-R personnel at all times while on campus

• All parent visitors wait in the designated waiting areas until personnel are available to escort and/or until dismissal pick-up of students

• As you know, safety and security is a number one priority. We thank you for your patience and understanding as the well-being of our Students is a responsibility we take very seriously.

Eagle’s Nest

The Eagle’s Nest is a school-sponsored store that sells a variety of school-related items including school PE uniforms, tote bags, t-shirts, sweatshirts, pencils, notebooks, water bottles, and other miscellaneous items. Middle school students are welcome to make purchases at the Eagle’s Nest but must be accompanied by an adult. All MS PE Uniforms are sold in the Eagle's Nest. For further details, please see Eagle's Nest Rules, Expectations and FAQs for MS.

Dining Hall

Dining Hall services are offered for snack break and lunch break.   

• Students are supervised in the Dining Hall at all times by teachers on duty.

• All lunches are purchased through the AIS-R finance office and the amount is credited to the student’s ID card. Parents or students are responsible for adding money to their credit lunch account.

• Indoor and outdoor hand washing facilities are available. 

• Lunch card sharing between friends is not allowed. Parents are encouraged to monitor their child’s account closely to see if they may be purchasing items for their friends without parental permission. AIS-R faculty on duty are not responsible for monitoring students’ spending habits.

• We encourage families to provide healthy options for packed snacks or lunches.

Everyone is expected to follow the Dining Hall rules to ensure order and safety. This includes but is not limited to the following:  

• Walking in the Dining Hall

• Listening and responding to adult directions for dismissal

• Keep your place in line (no cutting)

• Use indoor voices and manners while eating (Saying “Please”, “Thank You” etc)

• Stay seated while eating

• Keep your eating place clean

• Clean as you go: Throw away waste into the garbage can when dismissed

• No cash purchases are allowed in the Dining Hall

With 60 + nationalities and a transient community, AIS-R is NOT an allergen-free (nut, milk, wheat, fish, etc.) campus and due to our food suppliers, we cannot guarantee that food prepared in our Dining Halls or food brought to school by students is nut/allergen free.

Consent Upon Admittance 

With admittance to AIS-R, comes conditions for a successful learning experience. Those conditions include: 

• Falsified information or withholding pertinent information forfeits a child's opportunity to attend AIS-R or remain enrolled at AIS-R. Such actions may result in immediate dismissal/withdrawal. No tuition reimbursement. 

• All children enrolled at AIS-R must be fully potty-trained and independent in toileting cleanliness and hygiene.

• AIS-R is not a nut-free environment. All allergies must be communicated on the application health form. If an allergy emerges after admittance, the divisional nurse must be notified. Epipens must be provided by the family and are stored in the K-12 Nurses station.

• All contact information in Powerschool must remain up-to-date and accurate.

• All families enrolled at AIS-R must adhere to all AIS-R policies and fees set forth by the AIS-R Board of Trustees.

• Images/videos/photographs of AIS-R Eagles are utilized in both digital and print AIS-R publications. Individual school photos are at the discretion of the photographer/AIS-R yearbook team.

• It is the responsibility of the family/parent/child to read and honor the rules and guidelines of the Student Parent Handbook as well as our Core Values, TRUA, and Child Protection Handbook. Updates are regularly made to these documents in the spirit of relevant, timely, and accurate information. 

Guardianship

For emergency purposes, the AIS-R MS Guardianship FORM must be completed prior to parents traveling or being away from home. The form is for parent(s) to sign and grant temporary guardianship to another adult when the parent(s) is out of the city/country.  Parents must complete this form to ensure that the MS Office and Advisory teacher are properly informed of an alternative caretaker.  The appointed guardian must sign the form and submit it to the MS Office before the date of travel. 

Communication Assistance  

For all PowerSchool, Gmail, and Google Classroom inquiries, parents can email info@aisr.org.

Daily Schedule

Learning Commons 

The Learning Commons (LC) is open for students to check out materials during break times or with teacher permission during classes. A student is expected to present their student card to sign out books. If the card is lost, borrowing privileges will be suspended until the student initiates the replacement process.    

• Students may check out up to five (5) items at a time from the Learning Commons

• Books checked out for up to two weeks, but must be renewed if needed for a longer period (if books are on a reserve list they cannot be renewed)

• Circulating magazines (not current issue) for one week

• Reference materials may be checked out on an overnight basis and must be returned before school the next morning

• Reserved books with teacher permission

Attendance

Students are expected to attend school regularly and to be on time in order to receive maximum benefit from the instructional program and to develop habits of punctuality, self-discipline and responsibility. There is a direct relationship between good attendance and school success. Students who have good attendance generally achieve better and enjoy school more.

Parents may demonstrate support for the education of their child by making a commitment to have their child attend school each day except when ill. Families who match school vacations with family vacations help their child receive the full benefit of the classroom instruction offered. 

Missed learning activities may be accessed via Google Classroom or by directly contacting the teacher(s). All assessments are expected to be completed for learning and reporting purposes. Extended absences due to traveling are discouraged and some activities may not be able to be made-up. 

During Middle School, our focus is that our students understand their mistakes and develop strategies to address the reason for the lateness in a positive way. It may not be the fault of the student that they are late to school, however we value every learning moment, therefore, time that is missed due to tardiness or absences need to be recovered. The following guidelines are designed for the majority of occasions, but we also recognize that there will be special circumstances that will need to be addressed outside of these guidelines.

Absences 

At AIS-R the learning experiences are essential to the student’s educational program.  Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every academic period. When a student is absent, we will make every effort to work with the student and parents to help complete all essential learning experiences.

If students are absent from school for an extended period of time, of 2 days or more, please notify the teacher(s) and the office.

• When the child returns from an extended absence, please provide a note of explanation. 

• Students who are present for less than twenty days in a semester may receive a mark on the report card that identifies a lack of evidence for a class. 

• Students who are absent for more than thirty days in any yearlong course during the school year may not be promoted to the next grade level and will be transitioned to Conditional Enrollment for the remainder of the year. In some cases, students may be asked to attend Summer School for specific courses in which they did not attend regularly (see “Promotion Standards”).

• All absences are recorded in Powerschool and documented on the report card as a record of present or not present in the class.

• Absences are categorized as either excused absence or absent. Excused absences are identified by the school when the school is notified of the absence by the family prior to the absence (note: all absences count towards a students total absences and are reported on the Report Card).

• When students are away for a field trip (school trips, sporting trips, WWW etc...), this is recorded by the office and not counted as an absence. 

• A Powerschool message can be enabled by the parent for the purpose of notification in the event of absences. For instructions please contact the Powerschool coordinator at anwhite@aisr.org.  

It is vital for the student’s academic success that they attend school on a consistent basis. The school calendar has clearly outlined dates the school will be in session.  All students are expected to be in school when it is in session.

Tardies

Students arriving late to school should go directly to their class where the teacher will update the attendance in PowerSchool, which is accessible to parents at any time. Students who are late to any class by 20 minutes or more are marked as absent (A) for that class. Students who leave school with more than 20 minutes of remaining class time are also marked as absent for that class. 

If a student is chronically tardy to school or class, then the MS Administration, a GLL, a teacher or the counselor can refer them to the Student Support Team once all other interventions have been attempted. These interventions include the following consequences:

• 1 to 3 Tardies – Excused.  Experience tells us that three “pre-excused” tardies per week allow for the unpredictable nature of morning traffic. Therefore, students who exceed the three will be required to attend tardy reflection sessions.

• 4 to 9 Tardies - A student will have a reflection for being tardy with their Advisor, Grade Leader and/or Administration. A meeting may be called to discuss how to best support the student in attending school on time.

• 10+ Tardies - A student may be assigned after school learning and/or a parent meeting. Students may also be placed on an attendance contract, be required to attend after school reflection sessions and/or lose after school or co-curricular activities privileges for the semester until punctuality for class has improved.

Students departing campus prior dismissal

Students must remain on campus from the beginning of the school day until dismissal time. Students are not permitted, under any circumstances, to depart campus without parent/guardian accompaniment during school hours. When a student departs campus during school hours (accompanied by a parent/guardian) a gate pass is required.  If the child rides the bus home, please inform the regular bus monitor or driver so the monitor/driver will not look for the child after school and hold the bus. Any child departing campus early must be accompanied by a parent/guardian (not an older sibling). 

Only persons with an Al Bustan Residence ID may pass through the Al Bustan gate.

Late pick-up

AIS-R Middle School does not provide after school care. All students must be picked-up at departure time. All students walking to and from school must depart the campus by 3:30 pm unless staying for an After School Activity (ASA) or Co-Curricular Activity. This policy applies when Middle School students are interested in staying late to support a co-curricular event, such as the MS Theatre Production. Students are encouraged to arrange a playdate with a friend who lives near to the school or arrange for transportation to attend school events in the evening. 

If a student has an ASA and the 4:20 pm transportation is late, students wait at the “Learn with Us” Student/Parent Waiting Area. Students waiting for transportation may not roam around the campus and must remain in the assigned designated area .