September 2026

Welcome Back, Dragons!

There is something special about the beginning of a school year. New schedules become routines, unfamiliar classrooms become familiar spaces, and students have an opportunity to decide what they want this year to look like. For the Counseling Team, these opening weeks are especially important because they allow us to reconnect with returning students, welcome new members of our community, and begin conversations that will unfold throughout the year.

Our comprehensive counseling program is designed to support the whole student. That means paying attention not only to academic performance and university planning, but also to well-being, relationships, identity development, transitions, and the skills students will need long after they leave ASD. Those priorities closely reflect the four domains of the ISCA Student Standards: Academic, Career, Social-Emotional, and Global Perspective & Identity Development.

With that in mind, here is something for every grade level to be thinking about as we begin.

Grade 9 | Belong Before You Become

Focus: Social-Emotional & Transition

For Grade 9, August is less about having high school figured out and more about learning how to be a high school student. New expectations, greater independence, different grading practices, new friendships, and increased responsibility all take time to navigate.

Parents can help by resisting the urge to solve every problem immediately. Ask questions. Encourage students to communicate directly with teachers. Help them develop routines for sleep, organization, study, and downtime. Most importantly, give them permission to make some small, recoverable mistakes. Developing independence requires opportunities to practice it.

Later this semester, the Grade 9 Counselor Course will give students dedicated time with their counselor to explore transitions, well-being, safeguarding, and four-year academic planning. Our goal is not to make ninth graders think like seniors. It is to help them build the habits, relationships, and self-awareness that will eventually allow them to become successful ones.

Grade 10 | Explore Before You Decide

Focus: Career

Sophomore year is an excellent time for curiosity without commitment. Students do not need to know exactly what they want to study at university or what career they will pursue. They should, however, begin noticing patterns. Which classes make them curious? What kinds of problems do they enjoy solving? Where do their interests, abilities, personality, and values begin to intersect?

This year, we encourage Grade 10 students to explore widely. Join something. Build something. Volunteer. Attend a university visit simply because the institution or program sounds interesting. Ask an adult how they ended up in their profession.

Our Grade 10 programming later this year will build upon these questions through career and personality exploration. The goal is not to select a job at 15 or 16. It is to develop the self-knowledge necessary to make increasingly thoughtful academic and career decisions.

Grade 11 | Begin With Yourself

Focus: Academic + Identity Development

Junior year represents an important shift. University planning becomes more tangible, but our first question is not “Where can I get in?” It is “What am I looking for?”

This year, students will begin using MAIA Learning more extensively for university research, visits, and exploration. Our postsecondary sequence intentionally builds toward this stage, with Grade 11 emphasizing university search and research before Grade 12 moves into document submission.

Families can support this process by allowing students to develop their own criteria. Geography, academic programs, campus culture, cost, career opportunities, size, and learning environment may all matter differently to different students. The strongest university list is not necessarily the one with the most recognizable names. It is the one that makes sense for the student whose name will ultimately appear on the application.

There will be plenty more to come this year. For now, explore, ask questions, attend university visits, and stay curious.

Grade 12 | From Planning to Action

Focus: Academic, Career & Self-Advocacy

Seniors, it is go time!

Much of the exploration of previous years now becomes action: finalizing university lists, managing deadlines, completing applications, requesting recommendations and documents, writing essays and personal statements, and making sure all of those moving pieces remain organized.

Students should begin the year by reviewing their university plans in MAIA Learning and ensuring that potential universities have been added to their Applying list. Families should also have open conversations now about geography, finances, testing, and other considerations that may shape the final list.

Our Senior Counselor Course will provide dedicated time and counselor supervision for application work, but ownership of the process remains with the student. This includes communicating with counselors, knowing application deadlines, and submitting transcript requests on time. Remember that ASD requires transcript requests 10 school days before a university deadline. An application does not need to be finished at that point; we simply need to know the student's intention to apply.

Parents, your role is enormously important, but increasingly different. Be a sounding board, proofreader, logistical partner, and occasional provider of snacks. Let your senior remain the project manager.

University Admissions | The Season Begins

University admissions activity will accelerate quickly over the coming weeks. Seniors should be finalizing preliminary university lists, confirming application platforms and deadlines, considering testing requirements where applicable, and scheduling conversations with their counselor as needed.

Students should also regularly review the University Events section in MAIA Learning. University representatives will visit ASD throughout the fall, and these conversations provide an opportunity to learn directly from the people who often know their institutions best. Sometimes a 30-minute conversation with a representative can answer questions that hours of browsing cannot.

And mark your calendars: University Night will take place September 14. The program is designed primarily for Grade 12 students and parents, but all ASD families are welcome. We will share more information about the evening shortly.

Welcome to Our Newest Dragons

A particularly warm welcome goes to the students and families joining ASD this year.

Transition is a significant part of international-school life. A student can be excited about arriving in Doha and ASD while simultaneously missing friends, routines, activities, or a previous home. Both things can be true. In fact, the ISCA standards explicitly recognize managing transitions as an important developmental skill within the Global Perspective and Identity Development domain.

Our message to new students is simple: give yourself time. You do not need to find your best friends, favorite teacher, perfect activity, and favorite lunch spot during the first two weeks. Try things. Introduce yourself. Ask questions. And when you need some help finding your footing, come see us.

We're glad you're here.

Counseling Programming | Connection Before Content

Last week, we welcomed our newest Dragons with a New Student Breakfast and Lunch. Students could join us during either morning break or lunch to grab something to eat, meet other new students, and spend time with our Student Ambassadors. Some stayed and talked; others stopped in briefly before heading to their next commitment. Both counted. Sometimes belonging begins with nothing more complicated than knowing a few more familiar faces in the hallway.

Yesterday, we also welcomed Grade 9 and new-to-ASD parents for our first Counselor Coffee of the year. The session provided a primer on the high school experience and introduced families to the breadth of our comprehensive counseling program, including academics, life outside the classroom, postsecondary planning, counseling programming, and communication. Those areas mirror the framework shared in our parent presentation.

ICYMI: VIEW THE GRADE 9/NEW PARENT COUNSELOR COFFEE SLIDE DECK

Coming Up: University Night | September 14

Our next major community program will be University Night on September 14. While the evening is targeted primarily toward Grade 12 students and their parents as application season gets underway, everyone is welcome. Families with younger students who are curious about what lies ahead are invited to join us as well.

More details and a formal invitation are coming soon.

One Last Thought

If there is a theme running through this first issue, it is that high school is developmental. We do not expect a Grade 9 student to possess the independence of a senior, nor should a sophomore feel pressure to have a career selected or a junior to have a perfect university list.

Our work is intentionally sequenced so that students encounter increasingly complex questions about who they are, how they learn, what they value, and where they might go next. Academic development, career exploration, social-emotional growth, and identity are not separate journeys. They inform one another.

We look forward to taking that journey with your children and partnering with you throughout the year.