LES Important Information FOR Parents

Drop-off & Pick-up Information

In the morning, for drop-off, Lower Elementary School students should enter the school through Gate 6. Gate 6 opens at 7:40 am. Before school supervision starts at 7:40 am, therefore for safety reasons students should not be on campus until that time.

As students enter Gate 6, they will be supervised by Lower Elementary School Staff. Parents can walk their Pre K 3 students to the classrooms. Pre-K 4 and KG students will be escorted to the MPR where they will be met by their learning assistants who will take them to class in the first 2 weeks of school. After this time, students should be dropped off at the gate and ASD staff will escort them to their classrooms. Students in Grades 1 and 2 will be directed to their classrooms by supervising staff. Students riding buses will be escorted by their bus monitors into school, with Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4, and KG students being taken to the MPR and Grade 1 and 2 students directed to their classrooms. There will be plenty of staff members to supervise students at all times.

In the afternoon, bus riders in Lower Elementary School will be escorted to their buses. Car riders will be escorted to designated dismissal locations where they will be supervised until their parents pick them up. Please note that parents can enter through Gate 6 at dismissal time.

Dismissal Locations

• Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4 & KG - MPR

• Grade 1 - Small Grass Field

• Grade 2 – Basketball Court

These locations are accessible through and close to Gate 6. Staff will be on duty to direct parents to these locations. Fifteen minutes after dismissal time, students who are not picked up will be escorted to the Elementary Office where parents will be called and they will be supervised until their parents arrive.

DragonCards

ASD’s DragonCards are used for identification as well as for making purchases at school. New students will be issued DragonCards on their orientation day. Returning students should all already have a DragonCard from last year. If a student has lost their DragonCard, please inform the Elementary Office. A new card will be issued to your child, and the amount of 50 QR will be deducted from your child’s card. For more information about DragonCard accounts please refer to THIS link.

PACT Tuesdays

On most Tuesdays during the year, ASD holds afternoon PACT (Professional and Collaborative Time) for faculty. Students are dismissed at 12:30 pm on PACT days. Please refer to the ASD school calendar, on the ASD website, for PACT day dates throughout the year.

Please ensure that your child brings a labeled water bottle to school every day to maintain adequate hydration during the school day.

School Day

Our school week is from Sunday through Thursday. Pre-K - Kindergarten Hours: 7:55 am -  3:00 pm. Tuesdays are 12:30 pm dismissal days for the students unless otherwise posted.

Arrival and Dismissal

All students are welcome on campus starting at 7:40 am. Elementary School (ES) students can enter through Gate 6. Parents can only enter the campus through Gate 8 or 10, except at pick-up time or if there is a scheduled event taking place.

Change In Pick-Up Plans

If there is a change of plan to your child’s regular pick-up arrangement, please let your child and your child’s teacher know, before the beginning of the school day.

If your plans change during the school day please call the ES Office at +974 4459 1550. You may also send an email to asdlesoffice@asd.edu.qa. Please make sure that the office is informed of any pick-up changes, as teachers do not always check their emails during the school day and may miss your communication. 

Absences

Student absences should be reported via email to the teacher and LES Office Manager at asdlesoffice@asd.edu.qa. Doctor’s notes should be sent to the nurses' office by emailing nurses@asd.edu.qa.

If you require an extended leave of absence for your child please contact the ES Office to obtain a Pre-Arranged Absence Form.

Tardiness

Students are considered tardy from 8:01  am.

When a student is tardy, they can enter through Gate 6 and must come to the ES Office to sign in and pick up a Tardy Pass.

Early Student Checkout

Students who leave early during a school day must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and must have a gate pass from the ES Office. No student is permitted to leave school grounds before 2:55 pm unless they have a pass in hand.

If you need to pick up your child for an appointment and need to enter through Gate 6 you must inform the ES Office in advance. 

Snacks and Lunches

Students are required to bring a snack to school to eat during their mid-morning break. The ES Cafeteria is not open during snack time for purchases.

Students in Grades 1 - 5 can bring a packed lunch or purchase lunch in our cafeteria. If students in Grades 1 and 2 want to make use of lunch from the school cafeteria, lunch must be pre-ordered using the DragonCard portal, where the weekly menu is also published. Lunch needs to be preordered a minimum of one day in advance.

Students must bring a refillable water bottle to school every day. ASD does not sell bottled water on campus. Students can refill water bottles in the hallways at the water coolers.

Red Flag Days

During the hot months, the number of days that students are actively participating in outdoor recess is limited because of the dangers associated with outdoor play in high temperatures.

On days when the temperature/heat index is extremely high, above 40°C, students need to drink plenty of water and stay in the shade.

Physical activity will be restricted, and students are offered the option of indoor recess areas.

Birthday Snacks

It is permitted for students to celebrate their birthdays at school, during snack time, by sharing a treat with their peers. Parents are highly encouraged to send in the treats first thing in the morning with their child. Parents will not be allowed to enter campus for their child’s birthday.

Teachers need to receive prior notification from the parent and every effort should be made to schedule these celebrations with no interruption to instructional time.

Birthday treat bags are not permitted and will not be distributed to students. Any bags sent to school will be returned home with the student.

We kindly ask for parent support in this matter in order not to disappoint students. Additionally, the intention of the class birthday celebration is for your child to celebrate with his/her classmates, and therefore school-age siblings are not permitted to attend.

Birthday invitations will not be distributed/placed in students' home folders unless the entire class is invited or only students of the same gender are invited.

Unfortunately, we cannot forward electronic birthday cards on your behalf.

After-School Activities and Sports Programs

ASD provides 3 sessions of after-school activities (ASA) programs for students in Grades 1 - 5. After-school activities are scheduled to run for 8 consecutive sessions.

Some activities are limited to certain grade levels and/or a certain number of students. A student must pre-register for these activities online. The school will provide instructions regarding student registration so every family can complete this process at home.

The ES after-school sports program (ES Sports) begins in Grade 2 and offers students the opportunity to participate in various sports after school.

The term of these sessions varies from sport to sport and is communicated to parents via Sahifa. Students interested in participating in any or all of the above sports must sign up during specified times once they have obtained parental permission and submitted the online registration form.

Home/School Communication

Sahifa, our school’s newsletter, is published online and sent out weekly on Thursdays. Sahifa provides information about special events and general information important to our families, as well as messages from the Director and the Principals.

Homeroom teachers send weekly emails to parents to provide general, class learning-focused updates and information about upcoming events.

If parents would like to discuss their child's progress with the child's teacher, they can make an appointment with the teacher directly through email.