Dear Lower Elementary School Families,

What a wonderful first week back in the LES! We began by welcoming our new students and families through New Student Orientation and inviting returning students back to visit their classrooms and reconnect with teachers.

On Monday, our Grade 1 and 2 Dragons officially began their school year, followed by our youngest Dragons in Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4, and Kindergarten on Tuesday. It has been a smooth and joyful start filled with new routines, growing friendships, and lots of excitement. Thank you to our families for the warmth, patience, and partnership you have brought to these first days.

This year, all students received new DragonCards to help support smooth, organized entry and exit from campus. These cards are part of our ongoing efforts to make arrival and dismissal as safe, efficient, and predictable as possible for students and families. 

There are so many ways to be part of our ASD community, both within Lower Elementary and across the school. Below are a few upcoming opportunities to connect, participate, and learn more. At Back-to-School Night, we will also share some of the ways we partner with parents throughout the year in the LES division.

Dear High School Parents,

We have enjoyed a wonderful start to the new school year! From welcoming our newest High School Dragons on Sunday with orientation and campus tours to seeing students settle into classes, drop by open gym or pool sessions, and jump into musical auditions, our campus has truly sprung to life. None of this would have been possible without our wonderfully warm Student Ambassadors, Parent Groups, and dedicated staff, faculty, coaches, and directors.

There is a palpable sense of warmth, community, and care in the High School this year. Seeing smiling teachers eagerly greet students in the hallways, watching essential learning habits take root, and observing students build genuine connections as a community of learners has been a true joy. I am proud of how we have begun this year—it is a strong foundation that will undoubtedly help our students soar to new heights.

To support this vibrant culture of learning, we shared three intentional focus areas with students during our Welcome Back Assembly: Attendance, Dress Code, and Cell Phone Use. These expectations are directly rooted in our ASD Values of Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, and Kindness.

• Attendance: Be on time and present. Consistent daily attendance ensures students stay connected, engaged, and fully supported in their learning.

• Dress Code: Respect local culture and community through modest attire.

  • Tops: Must have sleeves, completely cover the midriff, and avoid sheer or off-the-shoulder styles.

  • Bottoms: Skirts, dresses, and shorts must reach the knee.

  • Graphics & Content: Clothing and personal items must be free of revealing cuts, inappropriate graphics, or references to weapons and banned substances.

• Cell Phone Use: Focus on learning. Cell phones must be silenced and placed in designated classroom baskets or phone pouches during class time.

Our students have responded wonderfully to these norms, allowing us to maintain a deep focus on learning from day one. As a High School faculty, we remain committed to ensuring a welcoming, supportive, and learning-focused environment for each of your students. Thank you for your partnership in fostering a kind, respectful, and engaged community. Your ongoing support is essential as we work together to help our students thrive.

All my very best,

Ms. Jennifer Mendes
High School Principal

Important Updates and Announcements

Study Block: A Beneficial Element of the High School Program

To set students up for success, the Associate Principals and Principal met with students of all eight Study Blocks.  We used this time to clarify all aspects of Study Block, including its purpose, proper use, and available locations.  You can find the presentation that was shared with students here: Study Block 26-27.  Additionally, students with a Study Block may take the opportunity to leave campus early when their Study Block falls in the last block of the day.  If you would like your child to be able to leave early when they have a Study Block, please find the required permission form in an email titled “Study Block Info and Parent Permission” sent on August 18.   

Save the Date: Upcoming Opportunities to Learn More About the High School Program

High School Back-to-School Night

• When: September 9 | 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

• Where: High School Campus

• About: Back-to-School Night is a key opportunity to build a strong collaborative bridge between home and school. You will gain insight into academic expectations, course rigor, and classroom cultures, as well as meet the educators who will guide and support your teenager throughout the year.

High School Parent Advisory Forum

• When: September 16 | 8:15 a.m.

• Where: High School Presentation Room (HSPR)

• About: This forum offers a deeper look into specific elements of our High School program and provides a collaborative space to help us continue refining the student experience. Your perspective and partnership are invaluable as we work together to support our High School Dragons.

AP Updates

In early July, the College Board released the 2026 AP score reports, and once again, our ASD students achieved tremendous success on their exams, with 95% earning a passing score of 3 or higher. Given that this year saw the highest-ever number of exams taken and the disruption and uncertainty in the Spring, this represents a significant achievement by students and teachers and is a great cause for celebration!  Some specific examples of this outstanding achievement are:

• 75% of our AP students achieved a passing score of 4 or higher, which provides many benefits in terms of earning university credit and preferential admission to selective universities.

• We had an all-time high number of AP Scholars this year, with 163 students demonstrating success over three or more AP exams, and 91 of these were AP Scholars with Distinction, which is the highest accolade given by the College Board.

• We had an all-time high number of students attain the AP Capstone Diploma, with 34 students completing the required coursework and finishing with AP Research in grade 12.

Further, our AP program continues to grow, and this year we have – yet again – all-time highs in student participation and exam numbers.  We now have 23 AP courses, with the addition of AP Economics, which had 58 students take the exams in May. Taken as a whole, this is outstanding in every way and demonstrates the professionalism and dedication of our teachers, as well as the hard work of our students at ASD. Our student support systems clearly identify and provide guidance and support to students, and we will continue these processes this year. We wish all students a smooth start to their school year, and congratulate everyone on their success last year!

IB Diploma Programme Update 

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year. We are delighted to welcome back the families of our IB Year 2 students and extend a particularly warm welcome to the families of our new IB Year 1 students as they begin their IB Diploma Programme journey at ASD.

The IB Diploma Programme is a challenging and rewarding two-year experience, and the partnership between students, families, and schools is an important part of supporting student success. For our Year 2 families, the year ahead will be particularly significant as students complete their Internal Assessments, Extended Essay, TOK requirements, and other important IB milestones. For our Year 1 families, the coming months will provide an opportunity for students to establish strong routines, develop effective time-management skills, and become familiar with the expectations of the Diploma Programme.

Organization and planning are essential to successfully managing the demands of the IB. To support students and families in planning ahead, our comprehensive IB Deadline Schedule, together with other important dates and milestones for the 2026–2027 school year, will be shared next week. We strongly encourage families to review this schedule with their students and refer to it regularly throughout the year.

Celebrating Our May 2026 IB Diploma Results

As we begin a new academic year, we are very pleased to share the achievements of our May 2026 IB Diploma cohort. These results reflect the commitment of our students and the collective support of their teachers, families, counselors, and the wider ASD community.

2026 IB Diploma Programme Results.

• 41 students were awarded the IB Diploma, resulting in a 98% Diploma pass rate.

• The cohort achieved an average Diploma score of 36 points, an increase from 34 points in May 2025.

High Achievement

We were especially pleased to see continued growth in the number of students achieving higher Diploma scores:

• 40+ points: (24.3%), compared with (9.8%) in 2025.

• 35+ points: (56.1%), compared with (43%) in 2025.

TOK and Extended Essay Success

Our students also performed strongly across the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and Extended Essay (EE) core. Every Diploma candidate earned at least one core bonus point, meaning 100% of our students received TOK/EE bonus points, compared with 98% in 2025.

• 3 bonus points: (24.4%)

• 2 bonus points: (65.9%)

• 1 bonus point: (9.8%)

We are extremely proud of our May 2026 graduates and grateful to the teachers, families, and colleagues who supported them throughout their two-year IB journey.

As we begin this new school year, we look forward to working closely with our Year 1 and Year 2 families. Your partnership is invaluable as we encourage our students to remain organized, communicate proactively, meet deadlines, seek support when needed, and maintain balance throughout the year. We look forward to another positive and successful year for our IB community. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email the IBDP Coordinator at Katrina.Charles@asd.edu.qa.

Service Updates 

Useful Service Links (all of these folders are also available in students’ Teneen Courses under “Service”).  Questions about Service in the High School should be sent to Mr. Shang at cshang@asd.edu.qa. 

What I need to know about Service (contains rollout information, Service Handbook, etc.)

Nuts and Bolts of Service (List of Approved NGOs for fundraising, Global Citizenship Grant Request, etc.)

Managebac Support Materials

List of Service Clubs and their Contacts

We would like to congratulate our nearly 50 students who participated in one of our summer internships over the past holiday.  We are grateful to our community partners for welcoming our students, allowing them to extend their learning beyond the classroom.

We give thanks to the following organizations:

Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority

Step by Step School for Special Needs

Primary Health Care Corporation

Life Skills Hub

Graduation Service Requirement

Over the next few weeks, we will be rolling out our graduation service requirements to our Grade 9 students.  This will be done first in the August 25 Advisory and during our upcoming Service Job Fair.

All High School students are required to meet ASD’s graduation service requirement.  Students entering High School in Grades 9 or 10 achieve this by participating in two-year-long service commitments for their time at ASD.  For most students, this will primarily take the form of being an active member in one of our existing service clubs (listed above). Typically, one of these commitments is completed in Grade 9, and the second in Grade 10.  Other options include working with out-of-school organizations (e.g., QAWS, Step by Step School) or doing an extension from one of our service/study trips abroad (please see the information below). 

Students entering ASD in Grade 11 or Grade 12 can present the equivalent of 20 transfer service hours from a previous school to meet the requirement.  To do this, they should contact Mr. Shang, the Service and CAS Coordinator at cshang@asd.edu.qa.  If they do not have 20 transfer hours, they are only required to demonstrate a one-year service commitment to graduate. 

Students will have an opportunity to see everything on offer at ASD at our annual Service Job Fair, where all of our groups will have information booths and signups. This will take place on Tuesday, September 1, during the Advisory / Assembly block.  Our freshmen and sophomores will also be introduced to/reminded of the nuts and bolts of the service requirement at an assembly on this same day.

Each year, ASD offers students the opportunity to travel abroad to work with one of our international partners over March Break.  Please see our video trailer and the poster below for signups and more information.  Once you submit a non-binding sign-up, we can share detailed information, after which you can make a final decision about whether to travel.  Once the non-binding signup is submitted, it also secures a spot on the deposit list until the deposit deadline.

** Please note that the trip to Uganda is on standby.  We are accepting sign-ups from interested students, but we will not accept any deposits until we are sure the trip can run in accordance with the US State Department Advisory. All other trips are operating as planned.**

Counseling Updates

New Year, New Beginnings

New notebooks. New schedules. New teachers. New friends. And, for some of us, a renewed commitment to remembering our Teneen password. Welcome to a new school year!

There is something wonderfully optimistic about the beginning of school. Everyone gets a fresh start and another opportunity to learn, grow, take a few risks, and become a slightly better version of themselves. From the Counseling Office, we are excited to have our Dragons back on campus and look forward to partnering with students and families throughout the year.

A special word to our new Grade 9 parents: The transition to High School is a transition for you, too. One of the best gifts you can give your teenager this year is a little room to figure things out. Ask questions before offering solutions. Encourage them to communicate directly with teachers and counselors. Let the occasional small mistake become a learning opportunity. Stay connected, certainly, but resist the temptation to manage every detail. High School is an important laboratory for developing independence, self-advocacy, and resilience, and we are here to help them practice.

A Few Dates for Your Calendar.

August 31 | Grade 9 & New-to-ASD Parent Breakfast
New High School parents, this one is for you! Join us to connect with the Counseling Team, learn more about the High School experience, and start the year in community with other families.

September 14 | University & College Night
Our annual evening of university programming returns in September. More information about the evening's format and programming will follow.

Formal invitations and additional details for all events are coming soon, so for now, save the dates!

Finally, don't forget about our monthly High School Counseling Newsletter. While these weekly notes offer quick updates and reminders, our monthly newsletter takes a deeper dive into counseling programming, university admissions, student well-being, resources, and happenings across the department. Look for the first issue on the final day of the month.

Here’s to fresh starts, a little productive discomfort, plenty of growth, and a fantastic year ahead. Welcome back, Dragons!

SAT

Important Information for SAT on Saturday, August 22, 2026, on the ASD Campus

Please be reminded that the Bluebook App should be downloaded on your device before arrival.  Instructions for installing the Bluebook App were sent via the College Board.

All students, ASD or non-ASD, must bring a photo identification (no digital copies allowed) in which the name on the ID matches the name on the SAT registration ticket. 

• Click here for acceptable forms of identification

Check-in will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Gate 8 and will close at 8:00 a.m.   You will be provided with your testing room number at check-in.

Upon entering the campus, security will direct you to the HS Office lobby and to your testing room.

Good luck with your SAT!

Upcoming SAT Dates

Registration must be done through the College Board website, available here.

Any questions regarding the SAT at ASD can be directed to the SAT Coordinator, Rachel Rust, at rrust@asd.edu.qa.

THE DRAGON HEART AWARD

Sign up now for Season 1 (Grades 8-12)

Tryouts for Season 1 Varsity/JV Sports and Activities (Academic Games, Dance, Golf, Swimming, and Volleyball) begin on Sunday, August 23rd. We sent out information about the season earlier this week to all students in grades 8-12 and their parents. Missed it? See below for more details.

Please click the links below for information about the season, including sign-up links for each team. If your child is interested in participating in a Season 1 Sport or Activity, it is their responsibility to complete the sign-up form; parents do not have access to it. If they have already completed the form, it does not need to be completed again.

• Academic Games

• Dance Team

• Golf

• Swimming. (Swim recruit video)

• Volleyball

We are looking forward to a great first season of athletics and activities! Please let us know if you have any questions.

GO DRAGONS!

For more information on all HS SPORTS & ACTIVITIES, please visit the Athletics and Activities group page on TENEEN.