Upper Elementary

September 30, 2021

From the Upper Elementary principal's Desk


Dear Upper Elementary School Parents,



By this time, you have most likely seen the guidance from the Ministry that we are going to be 100% open, starting Sunday, October 3. This is exciting news, and we will be ready to welcome back each of our students. Over the next week, we’ll be working hard to reconnect our A and B students into whole classrooms and begin our important work together. It has been a long time coming, and we’re so excited to have your children back full-time.


This week, we have a variety of informational pieces that are important in Sahifa. Below you will find updates about our arrival and departure procedures, thanks to the completion of traffic revisions around our school. You will also see information about our PTA Book Fair, Homeroom Parents, Recess and more. Please enjoy your weekend and reach out to our UES Office (4459-1550) if you have any questions during Office hours 7:30 am - 3:30 pm Sunday - Thursday.


Regards,


Mr. Toby Tebo

Upper Elementary School Principal

American School of Doha



The following information is available below: Arrival/Recess Before School, Daily Dismissal Routines, PTA Book Fair, Homeroom Parents, Recess


Arrival/Recess Before School

For the last month of school, students have been able to enter classrooms starting at 7:30 am. Beginning on Monday, October 4, students will enter school grounds and be outside for recess in the morning before school begins. Groups will be supervised and separate zones will be established for each grade. While outside, students will continue to wear masks and distance themselves. Please plan ahead and supply ice packs in lunches and ensure, as always, that your child has a water bottle. At 7:55 am, students will line up and enter school at their classroom’s designated locations.


Daily Dismissal Routines

We are also excited to announce changes to student dismissal at the conclusion of each school day. With road construction reaching its conclusion, traffic is now flowing both ways outside Gates 6 and 8. In addition, with our health and safety protocols being successful, our daily dismissal of students will be changing in order to run more efficiently and smoothly. Please note that students who ride the bus will continue their normal routine.


For those who are picked up by either you or a driver, we are inviting you to park and enter the campus to meet your child. A gentle reminder that we are allowing only those who are vaccinated and have an ASD Dragon Card to come onto campus.


Your students will be waiting for you at the following areas for the time being:

  • Grade 3 - Elementary Cafeteria

  • Grade 4 & 5 - Elementary Sports Hall


Students who will be picked up by a parent or driver must be collected by either a parent, designated adult (nanny, driver, etc.), or a sibling that is in the Middle School or High School. We are not allowed to dismiss UES kids to meet siblings on other parts of campus or at gates.


We recommend that you park outside of either Gate 8 or Gate 6 before entering campus, and also adhere to our health and safety protocols, such as mask wearing and having a visible ID. In addition, we expect that all follow our school values both on campus and also when driving.


PTA Book Fair

Our PTA is having a Book Fair on-site here at ASD next week, October 4-7 in the Elementary School Presentation Room. Students will each have a chance to visit the Book Fair at a designated time. During the day, students can buy books with money on their DragonCards. Small permission slips will be coming home in your child’s backpacks. If you’d like your child to buy at the Book Fair, fill out the slip with the amount they can spend. To recharge your DragonCard, follow the directions located HERE.


Homeroom Parents

We have received permission to restart our Homeroom Parents partnership that has been put on hold for over a year due to COVID-19 restrictions. If you are interested in serving the homeroom of your UES child, please consider filling out the UES Homeroom Parent form. Throughout the year, Homeroom Parents liaise with the homeroom teacher to help organize various classroom parties and activities. For example, we will be holding a class Halloween party soon and will lean on help from the Homeroom Parents to organize things that students can bring in to support the party. Other activities and celebrations will follow throughout the year. Below is the timeline of the Homeroom Parent selection and notification process:

  • Google form will be sent from the UES to parents to invite them to volunteer to be considered as Homeroom Parent.

  • The form will be open until 8:00 am, Tuesday, October 5.

  • The decisions for Homeroom Parents will be made by UES staff and shared with Trisha Slade (ES Homeroom Parent Coordinator), by Sunday, October 10.

  • Mrs. Slade will communicate directly with those chosen to verify their interest.



Recess

For the last month of school, students have had lunch and recess indoors, in their classroom. Starting on Sunday, October 3, we will allow students to start having recess outside. We have built a strong supervision system around the school, so students have many choices for recess outside. To keep our safety protocols strong, students will maintain social distance and wear masks for the entire time outside. If days are too hot (red flag days), students will have recess inside. If the weather continues to get better, we will also start shifting lunch outside as well.


What's On UES

Sun, Oct 3

  • All Students on Campus!

  • ES Book Fair, ES Presentation Room

  • UES Fall MAP Test

Mon, Oct 4

  • ES Book Fair, ES Presentation Room

  • UES Fall MAP Test

Tue, Oct 5

  • PACT Tuesday, school dismissal at 12:30 pm

  • ES Book Fair, ES Presentation Room

  • UES Fall MAP Test

Wed, Oct 6

  • ES Book Fair, ES Presentation Room

  • UES Fall MAP Test

Thu, Oct 7

  • UES Fall MAP Test

  • ES Book Fair, ES Presentation Room

Be sure to visit our What' On UES Teneen Page, for more information on divisional ASD events. Updated every FRIDAY!

Save the Date UES

Sep 20 - Oct 10

  • MAPS Testing Window

Oct 12 - 16

  • No School, October Break

Check out our section on Teaching and Learning

A message from ASD Nursing

Greetings From ASD Nursing,


We are very pleased that we have received so many responses to our COVID-19 vaccination form. We are now able to more readily and quickly see who is vaccinated against COVID-19 and plan accordingly. If you have not yet filled out this form and you have a fully vaccinated student at home please click here to access it. Make sure you have the vaccination certificate or card accessible because a picture of it will need to be uploaded. Please also ensure that the documentation has the dates of both shots notated on it. According to the form responses, approximately 39% of our Middle School students and about 66% of our High School students are vaccinated against COVID-19. (Please be mindful that our MS population as a whole also includes students who are not yet eligible for vaccination based on age and the lower percentage reflects this.)

In addition, we also ask parents to be mindful in regards to student illness. If your student is out sick and they receive medical clearance but are still symptomatic and not well please keep them home until their symptoms resolve or are minimal. We have noticed that often if students are out for a longer period of time they will be reassessed by a doctor before giving final clearance to return to school.


Kind Regards,

ASD Nursing

A message from the HS Student tutoring Org

Hello ASD!


STO is an organization that can help you succeed in school – it is the opportunity for all students to be tutored in classes they're struggling in by our very own High School students (for free)! If this sounds interesting, sign up as a tutor and/or a learner by using this linked form (which will be available all year round on the STO Teneen page under the “Extras” tab). After signing up, students will be matched with a tutor who will reach out to them to discuss a convenient time.


If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Gauri Sharma (24gsharma@asd.edu.qa), Prakrithi Jayanth (24pjayanth@asd.edu.qa), or our sponsor Mrs. Cice (kcice@asd.edu.qa).


Thank you!

The STO Executive Team

Gauri Sharma, Prakrithi Jayanth, Olivia Zanolari, Mrs. Cice

A Message from Admissions

Dear Parents,


Is your son or daughter turning three or four years of age by August 31, 2022? Are you interested in applying for our Pre-K 3 or Pre-K 4 programs for the 2022-2023 academic year? If so, please complete our online application as soon as possible!


If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@asd.edu.qa or by phone at +974 4459 1511.


We look forward to receiving your child’s application soon!


Sincerely,

Scott Barnwell

Director of Admissions

From our School Community

Booster Club Parent Volunteers Needed!

The Booster Club consists of parent volunteers whose primary goal is to support the Athletics and Activities program across all the divisions at the American School of Doha. Booster Club's main goal is to promote the school spirit within the ASD community and beyond. Please let us know if you can spare any of your time to help our community and join us by filling out the form HERE. We have specific areas of need or you can just sign up to receive any of our community emails.


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.

AMA welcomes back the ASD community and wishes you all a wonderful year ahead.

Please visit our page to see all the activities AMA is involved in.

If you would like to be added to the AMA registry to find out more about what we do, please join here

If you would like to contact us, have ideas to share or would like to volunteer on the committee please email ama@asd.edu.qa