Dear Students and Parents,

This week we held our Middle School Curriculum Night, which gave us an opportunity to share more about our assessment and grading practices, as well as showcase the curriculum we follow for each of our classes here at ASD. For those unable to attend, please find a link to a recording of our presentation HERE.

If you have any follow-up questions regarding our curriculum, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Director of Teaching and Learning or our MS department chairs:

• Director of Teaching and Learning: Heather Vlach

• Language Arts: Joseph Teague

• Math: David Waters

• Science: Phil Sorbetti

• Social Studies: Eric Kumbier

• Physical Education: Trent Howell

• Fine Arts: Ashley Wright

• World Languages: Andrea Stadler

• Modern Standard Arabic: Sawsan Calfat

Just a reminder that on Sunday, September 19, our school will have a Professional Learning Day for faculty, so no classes for students on this day. Because it is a short week for students, Tuesday, September 21 will be a full day (dismissal at 3:00 pm).

Have a great weekend everyone!

MS Student Photos: September 20 - 23

School photos will be taken for MS students on Monday, Sep 20, through Thursday, Sep 23. Please check the schedule here (also on the MS Office Teneen page) to find out what day you'll have your photo on. We ask students to dress to impress on that day and that their choice of clothing be in line with our school dress code.

Parent Advisory Forum Meeting

This week on, Wednesday, September 22, from 8:00 am - 9:00 am via Zoom (link here), we will hold our first PAF meeting of the year. This is an open meeting for all MS parents interested in learning more about the Middle School. Its primary purpose is to facilitate conversation between the school and home and to provide a forum for parents to provide feedback to the principals. During these meetings, all are welcome. If you have a “burning question” that you would like to ask about, be sure to submit it via this online PAF form and we will do our best to answer it during our next PAF Meeting. Hope to see you there!

Upcoming MAP Testing in the MS

On September 26 & 27, Middle School students will begin taking a standardized assessment called the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) in the areas of reading and mathematics. These are adaptive tests, meaning that as students answer a question correctly, the next question becomes more difficult. If they answer a question incorrectly, the following question is easier. Upon completion of these tests, students will be emailed a breakdown of their performance, based upon the level of difficulty for the correctly answered questions (these are called RIT scores).

Please find below a handy guide to better understanding MAP testing:

• A parent’s Guide to MAP (English version) (Arabic version).

Students will take both tests on the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Please note that on these days, students will NOT have synchronous classes while at home.

Testing dates are as follows:

• Sunday, September 26: Group A students (only)

• Monday, September 27: Group B students (only)

Haas Hansen Award & Application

The award recognizes Middle School students (Grades 6-8) at NESA member schools who model the character traits we value most in our students: consistency, persistence, a willingness to take risks, acceptance of other cultures/points of view and a genuine interest in and commitment to the welfare of others. The award is not meant to recognize academic, athletic or artistic talent or achievement, though applicants may excel in any or all of these areas. Four awards of $1000 USD are awarded to four deserving students. Over the years, ASD has had many students apply, and on a number of occasions, we have had students receive awards of recognition. We hope to continue this tradition!

Please see your grade-level counselor if decide to apply so that they can guide you through the process. APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK.