December 14, 2023 - Volume 3 | Issue 19 - Director's Sahifa

Happy Holidays & January 7 Return

Our first semester is nearing completion, and when the ASD community returns from Winter Break we will soon reach the midway mark to our 2023-2024 school year. We hope your next weeks are joyous, restful, and allow for family time and rejuvenation. Happy Holidays to all, and safe travels to those of us who have trips to family or special destinations away.

International Week

Just a week ago the campus observed Closing Ceremonies to International Week. Thanks are due to so many leaders and volunteers for their work sharing cultures and broadening the multicultural richness of ASD. Our Flag ceremony celebrated over 90 countries, PTA’s International Buffet offered tastes and homemade dishes from around the world. Our parent groups truly step up all year long, and the energy of the week is representative of pride and tradition coming together well. Tents, country booths, hospitality partnerships, and student performances enriched us all.

Giving Tree

Our community’s commitment to giving through the Giving Tree was strong again this year. This year our contracted workers – nearly 160 staff – were ‘gifted’ through the care of parents and staff. To all who participated, thank you for the shopping, the wrapping, and the generosity that supports this program. Gifts were given to our different groups on Wednesday and Thursday, and again we say thank you to all who took part.

The Giving Tree.mov

Calendar Update

At this week’s ASD Board meeting, three calendar drafts for 2024-2025 were previewed. The ASD Board looks to approve next year’s calendar at their next (January 30) meeting.

Islamic Studies Review

Recently, requests to consider expanding Islamic Studies were shared by a number of ASD parents. The requests were considered and reviewed by the ASD Board in recent subcommittee and full board meetings. After consideration of the school’s status as a non-sectarian Community School, after consideration of the current MOE agreement (which dates back to 2011), the ASD Board has decided to maintain the current limitations on Islamic Studies.

Traffic Safety & Asian Games

First we would like to provide a friendly reminder, that we will all benefit from additional awareness to drivers to please drive slowly and safely at pick-up and drop-off. We also like to note that our safety and security team is currently working with local entities and the Asian Cup organizers that have alerted us that 'access' at pickup time will be affected by road closures during 7 days of the Asian Games. In short from approximately January 12 to February 10, 2024 pick up routes to ASD will be affected. We hope to have more detailed information for you during the first week of school in January.

Qatar National Day

While this important holiday to our host country happens during our time away, we want to take a moment to wish our community a happy Qatar National Day. During international week we had an opportunity to celebrate our host country and its rich traditions and culture. Thank you to the Arab Mothers Association and all of our parent volunteers and students who help to shape the day by generously sharing Qatari culture with us.

Sincerely,

Steve Razidlo

What's on ASD

Sun, January 7

CLASSES RESUME
MS/HS Day 8

Mon, January 8

MS/HS Day 1

Tue, January 9

PACT TUESDAY - dismissal at 12:30 pm
MS/HS Day 2

Wed, January 10

MS/HS Day 3
Varsity Basketball Games, 4:00 pm, Boys - HS Gym; Girls - ES Sports Hall
Varsity Soccer Games, 4:00 pm, Boys - Upper Field; Girls - Lower Field

Thu, January 11

MS/HS Day 4
JV Basketball Games, 4:00 pm, Boys - HS Gym; Girls - ES Sports Hall

Reminders:

Empty Bowls 2024 (by MS Art): Chamunda School in Nepal Food Program Fundraiser - Friday, January 12, 2024, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, MS/HS Cafeteria, click here for the poster
Class of 2024 Graduation Photography (and Family Session) - CLICK HERE for details and booking
- - Saturday, 13th January, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
  - Saturday, 20th January, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
AMA BookFair, January 28 to February 1, 2024, 8:15 am to 3:00 pm, ESPR, check out the below activities:
- - Rukn Al-Qira’a Competition - Click here
  - Arabic Calligraphy Online Sale - Click here

INTERNATIONAL WEEK 2023-24

Parade of Flags

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Empty Bowls is back! For a donation of QAR 100, on Friday, January 12th, you can join us for an evening of home made soups, entertainment and the chance to purchase your choice of extra handmade ceramic bowls in the MS/HS ASD Cafeteria. All proceeds go towards funding a hot lunch program at ASD's partner school in Nepal, the Chamunda School. We hope to see you there.

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARBOOK

MS Yearbook Pre-Sale Price: 150 QAR

Embark on a journey through time with "Rewind" – more than just a yearbook, it's your ticket to reliving the incredible moments of middle school. Secure your copy now and let the memories live on forever!

How to Pre-Order and Pay:

Click here to access the ASD DragonCard Portal.
Log in and select 'Pay for Activities' from the left column.
Under the category 'Online – MS Office,' add 'MS YEARBOOK 2023-2024' to your cart.
Complete the payment using either a Credit Card or the balance from your DragonCard account.

Pre-sales during lunch in the Cafeteria:

December 10 - 11
January 31 - Feb 1
February 28 - 29

HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK

Dear High School Parents,

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. Don't miss this chance to save!)

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

- Yearbook Staff

QUICK LINKS

FEATURED UPDATE

Upper Elementary School - Back to the Water

Just after the winter break, our Upper Elementary students will be back to the pool for their second Aquatics unit as part of the PE program, taking place on the same days and times they have their regular PE classes.

Mrs. Barnwell’s classes (Grades 3B, 3D, 3F, 3G, 4B, 4D, 4F, 4H, 5B, 5D, 5F and 5H) will be on the pool deck from Sunday, January 7th until Thursday, February 1st.

Ms. Jordan's classes (Grades 3A, 3C, 3E, 4A, 4C, 4E, 4G, 5A, 5C, 5E and 5G) will be welcome to the pool from Sunday, 4th February to Thursday, 29th February.

Additionally, we will have an exciting biathlon from the week of 3rd to 7th of March and a safety week between the 10th to 14th March. More information about it will be shared before the events.

For the lessons, we need to remember the swimming equipment:

· Swimsuit (for the girls, a one piece swimsuit is required )

· Swim cap (mandatory)

· Towel

· Plastic bag for wet gear

· Goggles (recommended)

If any of those equipment pieces are forgotten, we have washed and cleaned spare pieces that can be borrowed. For the comfort of the students changing, and in case the pool is unavailable for any reason, they should wear their PE kit on the days they have swimming. Due to the weather being a bit cooler during this time of the year, we recommend having a sweater or warm attire for after the pool.

The ASD Aquatics program is focused on developing a broad range of skills to keep the students safe in the water environment that includes some swimming techniques, but also many other abilities and knowledge to protect them from any risk while being in this environment and developing a good and long-lasting relation with the water.

Our UE students are learning surrounded by their peers with similar abilities, in small groups of students. Lessons are directed by our very experienced Aquatics staff. We invite you to know more about our Aquatics instructors.

The lessons are being conducted at ASD outdoor pools. The pools are heated and stay between 29 to 31 degrees Celsius. We run chemical control every 2 hours, keeping the safety rages according to MOPH advice and a UV cleaning process. Our team assures that the time between the showers, changing rooms and swimming pool is reduced to a minimum to keep the students warm.

Please communicate with your child's PE teacher via email, prior to your child’s lesson (as soon as possible), in case your child is not able to join any of the PE Aquatics lessons.

Please contact us if you have any queries or questions:

Mrs. Susan Barnwell smbarnwell@asd.edu.qa

Ms. Laurel Jordan laurel.jordan@asd.edu.qa

Aquatics Director: Ana Gomez ana.milena.gomez@asd.edu.qa

From our School Community

FINAL MENA DAY - AMA International Week 2023.mp4

Planting - AMA International Week 2023.mp4

Qatar Day 2023.mp4

Rukn Al-Qira'a AMA Book Fair.pdf

Arabic Rukn Al-Qira'a AMA Book Fair.pdf

The Senior Class of 2024 was treated to a fun holiday surprise from our lovely and proud moms from the Jr/Sr Committee this morning. The seniors received beautifully decorated donuts and a nicely wrapped class of 2024 mug filled with lots of goodies.. A huge thank you to all the amazing parents who helped this month. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday break!