Dear High School Community,

I was fortunate enough to attend part of the first official Junior Senior Committee meeting of the year. So, we get to give them a huge thank you for the unwavering support they give to our students. Considering all the challenges caused by the pandemic they have continued to plan and provide for our students. We’re all excited at the prospect of getting more parent groups onto campus and at what greater opportunities the lessening of restrictions will bring us. Our Junior Senior Committee is always looking for additional support. Please contact Natascha Asselstine and Mckenzie Genetti juniorseniorcommittee@asd.edu.qa, if you are ready to lend a helping hand!

COVID-19 Updates

Thankfully we report that there were no cases in the High School this week. However, we remind parents to keep your child at home if they are sick. We have a high vaccination rate in our division but we remain vigilant and determined to sustain a safe learning environment for all our students and staff. Thank you.

We reiterate our plea to parents not to send their children to school if they exhibit symptoms related to COVID-19. Please err on the side of caution and take them to be tested.

We will host a virtual BTSN this Wednesday, September 15th. All the relevant Zoom links will be shared out via email on Sunday 12th.

Back-to-School Night provides an opportunity for parents to develop an understanding of their child(ren)’s learning in each of their courses. The event begins with an introduction by the High School Administration and after this parents are able to follow their child’s schedule and meet individual teachers.

The structure of the event is designed to allow parents to meet teachers and develop a general understanding about student learning in specific courses. If parents would like to have more in-depth conversations with an individual teacher about their child(ren), please schedule a meeting with that teacher at a mutually convenient time. Additionally, our first student-parent-teacher conferences on November 3-4 also provide opportunities to talk to teachers individually.

The schedule for the evening is as follows:

See you all, virtually, next week.

Alumni Visits

One of the things that always shows a great school is the impact it still has on its alumni. It was great this week to see the visit of two former graduates from the Class of 2017, Bruno Davies and Kamal Maayergi. Both Bruno and Kamal spent time visiting campus and chatting with faculty who taught them.

AP Updates

After a flurry of activity relating to course changes, our AP students are finally settled into their courses, which are already moving along at a fast pace. All students are reminded to register for all their courses using the Join Code that their teacher shared with them. Once they do so, they will have access to the AP Classroom, which is full of useful study materials, practice assessment tasks, and opportunities for collaboration. Again I encourage all students to self-advocate and reach out for help from their teacher or myself if they have any struggles. If you have any questions about our AP Courses or the AP Capstone Diploma program, please contact our AP Coordinator at: joshua.giddens@asd.edu.qa

IBDP Diploma Updates

Our Full DP Seniors submitted a full draft of their Extended Essay on September 5 for feedback. The Extended Essay is a mini dissertation of 4000 words that students complete on a topic of their choice. It is a phenomenal feeling they experience when they know they have been able to create a unique body of work. Some of our Seniors will begin the early university application process and, as such, will be receiving their first official sets of Predicted Grades by October 10. The purpose of these grades will be to support students in their applications as well as support students in understanding what their progress in the programme has been to date. Students will be supported if they are underperforming to ensure we offer early intervention in semester 1. If you have any questions or you would like additional information please do not hesitate to contact the IB Coordinator, Ms. Katrina Charles at katrina.charles@asd.edu.qa

PowerSchool Opens on Sunday

On Sunday, September 12 at 8:00 am, the grade portion of PowerSchool will open for all students and parents.

Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD)

Every three years, representatives from FCD come to visit ASD and spend time getting to know our students, while imparting upon them the perils and devastation that come from dependency on drugs, alcohol and other addictive agents. This year, they will be visiting our Middle and High Schools virtually from September 20 through 23. Grade 9 and 10 students will be learning with the FCD representatives during the Health and PE classes, while Grade 12 and 11 students will have opportunities during their study blocks to meet with them. They will also hold a session for ASD parents on Tuesday, September 21 at 6:00 pm to share insights about teenage risk-taking, patterns and tendencies when it comes to drug and alcohol use, among other things. We will share a Zoom link to that meeting on Teneen.

Key Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, September 15: Back to School Night

Tuesday, September 21: Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD) Parent Session

Wednesday, September 22: Curriculum Night

Thursday, October 7: Parent Advisory Forum

Details of these meetings will be shared with you closer to the dates.

Weekly/Monthly Calendar

Our day rotation schedule can be found here. Please note it will be updated as per directions from the Ministry of Health when necessary.

Teaching and Learning Moment: Matt Smith Graphic Novelist Joins Grade 9

Matt Smith, acclaimed Graphic Novelists joins Grade 9 classes for an analysis of American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

It has been an eventful week in Grade 9 English, as Matt Smith, acclaimed graphic novelist, joined Grade 9 English students on Zoom for workshops focusing on the conventions of graphic novels. Students are currently studying American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang and this was a fantastic opportunity to meet face to face with an expert in the field and to engage in a deeper dive into visual analysis and meaning.

More about American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

The graphic novel, American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang blends together three distinct, but ultimately entwined, storylines in order to comment on the psychological pain that is created by limiting people based on stereotypical understandings of who they are and what their potential is. In confronting these issues, Yang is able to provide readers with a powerful opportunity to consider who they are, how they treat others, and the challenging, but meaningful, work that it takes to embrace a multicultural or multiracial identity. It is the recipient of numerous awards including the Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association and the Best Book Award from the Chinese American Librarians Association.

Service Updates

In our desire to ensure our parent community has more access to Learning Service information, we have provided access for parents on the “Learning Service” tab on the HS Office Teneen page. The same information is available on the HS Student Teneen Page for students. Supplementary information can also be accessed on our Learning Service Libguide. This page is now updated and live.

Our Learning Service Libguide is the one-stop shop for all things related to service and IB CAS. Take a few moments to have a look at it. The landing page will give you an overview of our service program here at ASD. It will also introduce you to some of the guest speakers that will be joining our students this year via Zoom. Our Service Speaker Series is in its fifth year now where individuals from various NGOs are invited to speak to highlight the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which anchor all Learning Service and CAS Experiences at ASD. Upcoming speakers this year include representatives of The Gibbon Rehabilitation Project from Phuket, the Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic, the South African National Parks Service, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the Thirst Project to name a few. The second tab on the libguide takes you to a reading list of SDG related fiction and non-fiction books, many of which are perfect for book clubs.

This year’s virtual Service Job Fair will roll out on Sunday and we’d like to remind you of this video summarizing the graduation requirements. If you are the parent of a Grade 9 or 10 student, please ensure that students are familiar with the procedure and the contents and that they watch their emails on Sunday for the link. A few important upcoming dates that will help get students started on their service journeys are here:

Sunday, September 12: Students will receive in their email a link to this year’s virtual job fair. Each Service Club at ASD has created a slide that describes the group’s goals and aims, expectations, and digital signup for the first informational meeting. We have been collating this information and our Service Clubs are very excited to share what they do and invite new and returning members to their folds.

Thursday, September 23: This is the last day to sign up for a club’s informational meeting. Meetings should occur shortly thereafter. If a student does not hear from a club, they should reach out to the email on the slide. This is important as there are hundreds of signups going on at the same time so it is important that students are proactive in pursuing their commitments.

Our Year 1 IB Diploma Candidates have also been given their formal induction into CAS - Creativity, Activity and Service. CAS is part of the IB Core and challenges students to engage with issues of global significance on a local level through a range of voluntary activities that run the gamut from internships to leadership roles in our various service clubs. Good luck Year 1s!

For questions about service or IB CAS at ASD, please contact Mr. Shang at cshang@asd.edu.qa.

Counseling

University Visit!

We are having our first in-person visit since the beginning of the pandemic. If you like to meet Robert Aligbe-Nelson who is the Assistant Director of Admission at the Savannah College of Art and Design, please choose a time slot at the below links. If these time slots do not work for you, you can reach him via email (melson@scad.edu) to book a Zoom session.

We will send you a Zoom link for your appointment if you are not on campus on September 14.

If you want to meet him during the morning break on Tuesday, September 14, you can choose one of these 5 minutes slots by clicking on this link.

If you want to meet him after the morning break on Tuesday, September 14, you can choose one of these 15 minutes slots by clicking on this link.

Add/Drop

The Add/Drop period is now over! Thank you all for your patience as we facilitated about 400 requests over the past 2 weeks!

New Student Lunch

The HS Counseling team celebrated our new students and ambassadors by hosting a lunch for everyone on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. It was a wonderful celebration with everyone together. There were lots of laughs and great conversations with everyone as we got to reflect over the past few weeks as well as continued to meet people and make new friends!

Senior College Night

Save the Date! The Senior College Night will be on Monday, September 20! Click here for more information!

Counselor Coffee

We will be hosting our first Virtual Counselor Coffee of the 2021-2022 school year on September 20 at 8:30 am! We will be introducing the Counseling Team as well as talking about our services and events for the year. Please find the zoom link for the event here

Senior Counselor Course

We will begin our Senior Counselor Course on September 20. We will be sending information to all Grade 12 students and parents prior to the course so there is a common understanding as to what we will be covering and when it will be taking place.

Resources

We encourage students and parents to check out the HS Counseling Teneen page within the Main HS Office as it has lots of resources available for students and parents.

Have a great weekend.

Michael Roberts,

High School Principal