November 16, 2023 - Volume 3 | Issue 15 - Director's Sahifa

Dear ASD Families,

Fall Musical Oliver

Compliments about the fall musical Oliver! were comprehensive and included praise for our performers, our stage crew, our musicians, and our technical staff. Playgoers I overheard after the show spoke to our school’s high ambition and to the joy of witnessing high schoolers tackle a big, bold show. Congratulations to our students and our staff, and to the CAST volunteers for their fantastic support. It’s rewarding to note how many different ways students can reach and stretch themselves at ASD; we saw sides of actors and crew which we simply don’t get a chance to see in classrooms or hallways…bravo!

Choir Festival - Soccer tournament - hosting of other schools here on our campus…

Last Tuesday showcased both singers and footballers in an interscholastic Choral Festival and an interscholastic soccer tournament. Approximately 300 singers from five local schools gathered and sang together on the same stage in the ASD auditorium. Approximately 200 footballers – during that same day – played matches on the varsity field. Boosters and CAST were there supporting both events. ASD’s ability to host calls on ASD to lead within Doha. Our teacher leaders and our administrators stretch themselves to share our facility and increase goodwill across the Doha schools network.

Week without Walls

Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Qatar. Students in each grade level of MS have grown through Week Without Walls. Rafting, hiking, climbing, and discovering are all part of our rejuvenated international and local trips. When we think of the skills in ASD’s Mission: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity, Character, and Citizenship the connections to Week Without Walls are straightforward and, hopefully, memorable. Thanks to our chaperones and our parents for supporting our return to these middle school trips as meaningful growth challenges for our Learners. Thanks as well to the staff who go above and beyond the call of any regular work week – we appreciate their commitment and their sacrifice to make these trips possible.

Lock down drills

ASD runs lock-down drills as protective measures in the case of a defined need to have students shelter in place. We malpractice safety and security drills hoping they never have to be used in any real event. That said, as we prepare for our drills to be conducted next week, please know that practicing these drills helps us identify how to move quickly into preferred ‘shelter in place' locations within classrooms. Please also know that and that these drills are not different this year than they have been in past years. Finally, please know that lock-down drills and evacuation drills are performed as a preventative practice informed by members of local law enforcement and by the U.S. Embassy.

Fever protocols

As many parents are aware, influenza has been noted recently with many families, and at times high fevers have been detected with some ASD students. On behalf of our ASD nursing staff, please see our fever guidelines below. In short, we respectfully ask students with fever higher than 37.5 remain home from school until the child is fever free for 24 hours. Thank you for helping us keep all of our students as healthy as possible, and feel free to call us if you need further clarification regarding what to do if your child is ill.

Parent Coffee Follow Up

Thank you to all parents who attended the November 5 coffee regarding ASD’s approach to Compulsory Subjects and more particularly to the question and concern regarding Islamic Studies offerings. Many of the parents expressed desire for expansion of Islamic Studies offerings to non-Qatari Muslim students. A number of parents expressed desire to expand offerings into the instructional day and to offer Islamic Studies in English. The school’s current and historical position on Islamic Studies was shared and explained during that meeting, and the matter will be continued as a discussion point in upcoming ASD Board meetings.

Sincerely,

Steve Razidlo

What's on ASD

Sun, November 19

MS/HS Day 3
ES Sports & ASA registration opens TODAY! 5:00 pm for ES Sports & 6:00 pm for ASAs. Mark your calendars. For more information & for the registration links, please go to our WEBSITE. (Click on Season/ Session 2.)
MS Musical Auditions Begin

Mon, November 20

MS/HS Day 4
CAST Holiday Sale Fundraiser, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, MS/HS Lobby: CLICK HERE to pre-order
MS Musical Auditions

Tue, November 21

FULL SCHOOL DAY
MS/HS Day 5
CAST Holiday Sale Fundraiser, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, MS/HS Lobby: CLICK HERE to pre-order
Grades 4 & 5 Girls Soccer, 1:00 pm, QA Doha
MESAC Fall Awards Night, 4:00 pm

Wed, November 22

MS/HS Day 6
MS Parent Advisory Forum (PAF), 8:00 - 9:00 am, MSPR
DEIJ Coffee Morning, 8:15 am - 9:45 am, HSPR - CLICK HERE to register
CAST Holiday Sale Fundraiser, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, MS/HS Lobby: CLICK HERE to pre-order

Thu, November 23

SCHOOL CLOSED - Thanksgiving

Reminders:

CAST Holiday Poinsettia Sale: pre-order available now - Click For Order Form!
LAST FEW Tickets for the PTA Dinner Dance are on sale! CLICK HERE!
Save the Date for the PTA International Buffet - Wednesday, December 6! CLICK HERE for the International Buffet Server Signup and CLICK HERE for the Food Allergy Table Information and Signups.
AMA Cooking Class followed by Breakfast - November 27 - Sign Up Here

INTERNATIONAL WEEK 2023-24

December 4 - 7, 2023

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Hello ASD!

Historically, ASD NHS has been privileged to organize an annual Thanksgiving-themed pie sale for ASD, a tradition temporarily halted due to the impact of COVID-19. This year we're excited to revive this cherished tradition to support the St. Pius fund. For more information about our cause, please visit this link. Your participation will support funding scholarships through the St. Pius fund, enabling students to pursue their educational aspirations.

You can fill out this form multiple times if you would like to bid for different flavors of pie. Pies will be distributed at school near the HS/MS office on November 22nd. Winning bidders will receive additional details for pie pick up.

To bid, fill out this form. Please fill out your name and email address, and select the pie flavour you would like to bid on. Enter the amount you would like to bid, with the minimum bid being 30 QAR. If a bid has already been placed on that flavor and you would like to place a higher bid, you must exceed the current bid by at least 5 QAR. If there are multiple pies available for a given flavor, the highest bids for the number of pies available for the flavor win (ie. if there are 15 Apple pies available, the top 15 bids win a pie). Your dragon card must have sufficient funds for your bid to be considered. A video walkthrough can be found here.

All pie flavors and highest bids for each flavor can be viewed here. This form will close on November 20th.

Thank you for your support.

Best,

ASD National Honor Society (nhs@asd.edu.qa)

Capture the memories of this school year! Pre-order the high school yearbook, "Through the Lens of Time," for 200 QAR each. Don't miss out on this opportunity to cherish the moments that matter. Secure your copy today and relive the journey with your child for years to come.

Click this LINK or scan the QR code on the post to fill out the purchase form!

(Act fast as the price will increase to 225 QAR in March. Secure your copy now at the lower price and cherish the moments that matter. Don't miss this chance to save!)

**Please check that your child has not already ordered one to avoid duplicate orders

- HS Yearbook Committee

QUICK LINKS

THIS WEEK IN ASD

FIRE SAFETY PRESENTATION

First and second grade students had firefighters from the Al Udeid Air Base visit classrooms to share about fire safety. They learned about fire safety at home and at school, what to do in case of an emergency, and why it's important for families to have a fire safety plan.