Middle School
October 28, 2021
From the Middle School Principal's Desk
Dear Students and Parents,
With cooler weather now returning, we have opened up our MS Courtyard and fields for students to go outside and run around a little. We also have made available a variety of locations for students to eat lunch outdoors. As of today, we have begun our second quarter of the year. This means that Grade 6 & 7 students will have new quarter exploratory classes (please check your schedules, also posted in grade level commons, for details).
Coming up next week on Wednesday, November 3, and Thursday, November 4, we will host virtual parent-teacher-student conferences. These conferences are a time for parents who would like to schedule time with teachers to learn about the personal and academic progress of their child.
Note: Invitations to sign up for these conferences will be emailed out to parents this Sunday, along with instructions on how to sign up for a virtual conference with your child’s teachers. You will receive a Zoom link for the conferences you signed up for.
Conferences will take place on Wednesday, November 3 (from 4:00 pm-7:00 pm) and Thursday, November 4 (from 8:00 am-12:00 pm). We ask that parents and students prioritize the teachers they would like to meet with, as schedules will fill very quickly and it will not be possible for parents and students to meet with all of their teachers. There is no school on Thursday, Nov 4, but students are expected to join their parents online for scheduled conferences.
Because we are asking parents to sign up in advance for conferences, teachers will not be able to accommodate an unscheduled conference. Conferences will be limited to five minutes, in order to ensure that all parents have the opportunity to meet with their son/daughter’s teacher in a timely fashion. Should a parent require additional conference time, appointments can be scheduled through our MS Office. Follow-up conferences will be scheduled at a later time.
In summary:
Parents will receive an email invitation to sign up electronically (with instructions) for teacher conferences. A Zoom link will be provided for conferences.
Parents will be able to sign up for conferences with a limited number of teachers that parents feel warrant a conversation. It is not required that you meet with every one of your child’s teachers.
Space is limited and parents should prioritize the teachers they would like to meet with.
Parents are encouraged to schedule conferences any time they feel that need to speak with teachers. So, if you miss this opportunity, just contact the teacher and set a time with them in the future.
Have a great week everyone!
Sincerely,
Rob Gohr
Middle School Principal
American School of Doha
DragonCard to Access Campus
All students who attend ASD have been issued a school photo ID called a DragonCard, which contains a Smart-chip that provides them to access campus, allows them to make purchases on campus, borrow library books, and use photocopiers as needed.
Our security has noted that a number of students are arriving at school without their DragonCard, which means they need to be processed manually in order to access campus. This creates quite a long queue at our entrance, spilling into the parking lot. Each day (in the MS alone) there are over 80 students without their DragonCard, and it has created a challenge for security as they attempt to keep kids safe from cars and unnecessarily places kids in large groups (something the MoPH has asked us to avoid).
We need students to carry their DragonCard with them to school to help reduce these issues. In an effort to help, we will run a weekly report of students who have 3 consecutive days of entering campus without a DragonCard. We will then notify parents to let them know that if their child reaches 5 consecutive days without their DragonCard, we will automatically re-issue the student a card and deactivate their old card. The cost of the replacement card is QR50 and will be deducted from the family account. Our hope is that by the first reminder, families can help us to find ID cards and use them to access our campus. We appreciate your support with this.
Booster Club Hotdog Lunch! (Nov 1)
For those students who pre-ordered a hotdog for the upcoming hotdog lunch, please know orders will be delivered to grade-level commons (with student names on each order, organized by SWAT classes). There will be no sales on the day of the Hot Dog lunch (you’ll need to wait for the next sale!). Go Dragons!
Reminder from IT to MS Students
Students: Please upgrade your operating system to macOS Big Sur
A recent email was sent to students about needing to update their computer’s operating system, however, we still have a few that need to complete this. The OS has been tested and secure. This upgrade is required to make sure your OS is compatible with the latest and greatest applications we use at ASD, please do not run this upgrade at school. We ask that you do this from home as this upgrade process may take up to two hours to perform and would tie up your computer if done at school. Thanks for your help in this!
Yearbook Pre-orders
Pre-order your 2021-22 Yearbook, only 120 QR!
How to order:
Ensure you have 120 QR on your DragonCard (no cash purchases)
Visit room the MS Office to place your order.
If you would like to order a Yearbook from last year (2020-2021), there are a few still left. These are available for a reduced price (100 QR). Please visit the MS Office if interested.
What's On MS
Sun, Oct 31
Halloween Dress-up
MS/HS Day 2
MS Conference sign-up link emailed out to families
Mon, Nov 1
MS/HS Day 3
Tue, Nov 2
PACT, 12:30pm dismissal
MS/HS Day 4
Wed, Nov 3
MS/HS Day 1
All Divisions: Virtual Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Thu, Nov 4
No School for Students; parents & students expected to join conferences
All Divisions: Virtual Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Be sure to visit our What's On MS Teneen page, for more information on divisional ASD events. Updated every FRIDAY!
Check out our section on Teaching and Learning
FALL USED BOOK SALE!
Sun, Nov 7, through Thu, Nov 11
Students may come to the lobby outside the MS/HS Library to purchase good quality used books. Parents are welcome, too! (Must be vaccinated to enter campus.) Money raised will help Girl Up to support a school in Nepal. (No book donations accepted at this time.)
From our School Community
It was really lovely to see all the excited faces at the Jr/Sr Pumpkin Patch and so wonderful to be back on campus!
Booster Club Online Store
Our ASD Booster Store Online Catalog includes the store's most popular items so be ready to show your dragon spirit. The Booster Club provides positive support and assistance to the American School of Doha Athletics and Activities Program for all school divisions.
Shop Online by clicking on the link below; pick up your purchased items at school! The orders will be delivered on a weekly basis to each student and ASD staff.
Please fill out THIS form to purchase your items after you have explored the Catalog below!
Click HERE for the Booster Club catalog.
CAST is BACK and we need YOU! Are you a parent that would like to volunteer for CAST (Creative Arts Support Team)? Do you have a love for the Arts? Costuming? Front Of House? Design? Or Hospitality? Would you like to join a fun and creative team? If so, please fill in the google form or reach out to Jennifer Bendriss jbendriss@asd.edu.qa for information. We cannot wait to work with YOU!
