“I feel like I should provide some context for my last post about favorite cities to live in. No, I was not inspired by a Buzzfeed post Memphis. A few years ago, while living as a high school chemistry teacher in Boston, the desk attendant at my gym randomly read me a little snippet from the book he was reading: Cosmos by Carl Sagan. I devoured the book that summer and went down a real astrophysics rabbit hole. I became pretty obsessed with exoplanets and the search for life beyond Earth.

Around that time I also decided I wanted to return to research and pursue another graduate degree. A PhD in astrophysics seemed like a stretch given my educational and professional background. I decided to go for it anyway. So I read papers, emailed professors to chat about their work, took online classes, taught myself data analysis techniques, took the general GRE and the physics GRE, and took a job to teach high school

physics, and later science department chair (which sounds a little fancier than it is).I applied to a small handful of super competitive astronomy and planetary science graduate programs in fall 2019 (why not go big if we're doing this thing, right?) and got rejected everywhere... I asked for feedback and they all said I lacked research experience in the field. So I asked for remote research opportunities. Last summer, an astronomy professor at Caltech and a planetary science/engineering professor at Harvard invited me into their groups. I spent about 6 months learning exoplanet detection and atmospheric modeling methods from them. Some of my work will be published in the Astrophysical Journal (hopefully this year). I applied to twice as many schools last fall and got several acceptances and fellowships to study exoplanets, astronomy, and astrobiology: CU Boulder astrophysics/planetary science, U Washington astronomy, Johns Hopkins Earth and planetary science, Harvard EPS, and UC Riverside EPS. This felt like a pipe dream a few years ago when I was inspired by popular science writers like Carl Sagan, and now I've

been admitted to some of the best astro research programs in the world... It feels pretty surreal. I'm a little excited!”

Usually I consider an anniversary as an opportunity for celebration- a marriage, the birth of a child, the start of a friendship, the purchase of a house.  This Saturday marks one year since the closure of schools in Morocco when Covid began to massively change our lives. Some anniversary, huh?

When schools closed no administrator, teacher, parent, or student realized the impact it would have on us professionally and personally.  Most of us thought it would be a temporary thing...a couple of weeks, tops.  Boy, were we wrong.

Once I realized the impact  Covid would have on every aspect of our approach to education, I devoured every piece of information and professional learning I could get my hands on.  I stayed up late into the evening attending webinars through Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and Northwestern Education Association (NWEA) looking for information, collaboration, and solutions.  I worried about the social-emotional strain the pandemic would have on students, parents, and teachers.  I joined additional  FaceBook groups for school leaders to gather any ideas to guide the staff on student learning and support during an unprecedented time.  I regularly Skyped with my administrator colleagues around the world to question, wonder, and troubleshoot (and even cry).  I met, albeit virtually, with Lower School staff to offer support and was, in turn, supported by them; your children are so fortunate to have such wonderful teachers.  

In many of these webinars, posts, and discussions a major point of concern was learning loss that our students might face.  I know it was a concern for parents as well.  How could we possibly make up for missed school?  How will we build foundational skills?  Where are students going to get exposure to English?

In a letter to parents about one week into Distance Learning, I cited the example of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most damaging hurricanes to hit the United States.  They had to close schools then without even the ability to offer online school.  Despite an intense disruption in the school year, students, over time, began to meet learning targets and meet standards to much the same degree pre-Katrina.  I assured you our kids would too.  I know we, as educators, are experts at closing learning gaps.  We do this every year, why would 2020 and 2021 result in anything different?

I quickly changed my mindset from what was becoming doom and gloom that came with the projections and assumptions around learning loss to one of recognition and hope.  Think about the wonderful human beings our children are becoming as a result of school closure due to the pandemic.  We are developing growth minded, critical and creative thinkers; our children are resilient and adaptable problem solvers. Attributes they were forced into developing...that may not have come as quickly had the pandemic not occurred.   Our kids navigated attending school online with but a moment's notice...they are tremendous young people more than capable of overcoming obstacles.  I am not overly worried about our students and learning loss.  With what our children have gained from this experience, it's just a matter of time before any possible learning loss will be turned into gains.  

The past year challenged me professionally and tested me personally- I know 2020 did all community members.  Something I am happy to share as I'm recruiting potential teachers is how proud I am to have been a part of CAS during unanticipated school closure and the way in which we came together as a community.  I could not imagine having gone (and continue to navigate) this with any other team.  

Some articles of interest:

A Year of School Like No Other: How a teacher, a student, and a parent have coped

Why are some kids thriving during remote learning?

Playing in Uncertain Times

To commemorate this anniversary, I rewatched a few of the Principal’s Morning Messages and reread our communications to remember just how stellar we have been throughout this experience and how far we have come.  Thank you for your commitment to the learning journey, the Lower School, and CAS...it truly takes a village!

Following the Director's message above, these are some samples of the  Ramadan Food Drive items for our dedicated workers. 

If you are interested by Art Cantine services for your child/ children, please contact Ms. Sabrine Sekkat at: artcantine@gmail.com or by phone: 0663 16 49 30. The meals that Art Cantine provides are balanced, well proportioned and healthy. 

To view March's Monthly Menu Click Here. 

Ms. Haroun organizes regular university virtual visits. These are open to students and parents of grade 10-12. Please look out for emails announcing future visits and sign up! It is a great opportunity for students to learn more about university options and the university application process.

• Study Medicine in Europe Info Session - March 22 at 5:30 pm

Please contact Ms. Haroun if you are interested in this virtual conference.

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On February 17, M. Dan Seneker, from Bishop's University, lead a presentation about university admissions and financial aid in Canada.

If you missed it, please find the recording here and the presentation here. 

Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about university admissions in Canada.

Click here to see list of students admitted

Click here to see list of students admitted

Click here to see list of students admitted

Click here to see list of students admitted