Dear ASD Community,

Over our first few weeks together, our communication naturally centered on the important logistics of starting the school year smoothly. Important routines and information, such as bus routes, drop-off patterns, back-to-school events, and curriculum nights, took precedence. 

Today, with our campus routines normalized, I have the welcome opportunity to step back from the operational details. In this edition of the Sahifa, I want to focus on a defining dimension of our school: how we celebrate and scaffold linguistic diversity in our classrooms.

Every Language is an Asset

ASD is a vibrant, multicultural, and multilingual international community. Every day, nearly 2,200 students of diverse backgrounds come to learn together. A strong percentage of our learners have a home language other than English. This linguistic diversity is not simply an interesting anecdote about our school; it is a testament to our diversity. And our diversity is one of ASD’s greatest strengths.

Our English as an Additional Language (EAL) program supports students who are developing English alongside one or more languages they already know.

At ASD, EAL isn’t a separate class or place. It’s classroom teachers and EAL specialists who work together to make learning accessible while maintaining rigorous grade-level expectations. The purpose is to ensure every learner has the academic and linguistic foundation necessary to fully access our rigorous curriculum. 

To support this work, we contract with the top international specialists who have dedicated their lives to studying how children actually learn languages. Next week, we’re hosting Dr. Eowyn Crisfield, one of the leading global experts in applied linguistics, multilingual education, language teaching, and language policy. 

During her visit, Dr. Crisfield will join classroom learning walks to observe language learning in real time, facilitate focused workshops, and collaborate with department teams on lesson design. Her work will help our specialists and classroom teachers deepen their use of research-validated practices, explicitly teaching academic vocabulary, utilizing visuals and models, structuring purposeful discussions, and leveraging students' home languages to anchor new learning.

To understand students’ strengths, identify appropriate supports, and monitor language development over time, ASD uses multiple sources of evidence, including classroom observations, student work, teacher feedback, literacy information, and the WIDA MODEL. However, the ultimate goal of our EAL program is to provide the targeted scaffolding students need to achieve independent proficiency and successfully transition out of EAL service.

Transitioning out of EAL is a major milestone to be celebrated, and we have recently celebrated nearly 60 students exiting our program.

We all know that at ASD, English is our shared language for learning. However, the many languages of our community, including Arabic, remain important expressions of identity, culture, and belonging that influence and enrich learning. 

Global Expertise in our Local Context

It’s important to note that welcoming leading global authorities to ASD is an ongoing strategy to sharpen our practice in all areas. We launched the school year with Jennifer Delashmutt focusing on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to make our curriculum accessible and challenging for all. Last week, Megan Holmstrom joined our math faculty to review and enrich our approaches to numerical thinking and inquiry. And alongside our work with Dr. Crisfield next week, we are eager to host Nick Haisman-Smith to work with our counselors and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) educators. 

Decades of educational research consistently substantiate that the single greatest influence on student learning is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. Bringing top-tier researchers and practitioners across disciplines is an investment in our students. It ensures that ASD stays at the forefront of intentional, research-based teaching.

In Closing

Whether it is celebrating students who have gained the proficiency to transition out of EAL or pairing world-class expertise with our faculty's dedication, our robust support programs contribute to ASD being the premier educational leader in Doha and model what a premier educational community looks like in practice.

With Gratitude,

Dr. Victor Guthrie

Dear ASD Community,

What a wonderful start to the year it has been! I'm happy to share our Board update with you. Much of the Board's work happens behind the scenes, but our focus is always on sustaining the things that make ASD special: excellence in teaching and learning, a strong sense of belonging, and a community that pulls together.

In September, the Board completed its annual training, reflecting on how we can continue to strengthen our governance. This year, our focus includes financial sustainability, the responsible and ethical use of technology, and supporting our Director and leadership team. Preparedness, communication, and community well-being remain central to our work.

Thank you to our students, families, faculty, staff, volunteers, and Board members for all you contribute to our One ASD Family.

Warmly,

Traci Hernandez
Chair, Board of Directors

Fri, September 25

• Dragon Invitational Swim Meet, ASD Indoor Pool

• Varsity Volleyball & Dance Exchange Trips, ACS Abu Dhabi

Sat, September 26

• Dragon Invitational Swim Meet, ASD Indoor Pool

• Varsity Volleyball & Dance Exchange Trips, ACS Abu Dhabi

Sun, September 27

• LES Day E

• UES/MS/HS Day 5

• JV Volleyball Games,  4:00 p.m. (Boys - Main Gym, Girls - ES Sports Hall)

Mon, September 28

• LES Day F

• UES/MS/HS Day 6

• LES Parent Coffee and Workshop: Transitions and Child Safeguarding, 8:20 a.m. - 9:20 a.m., ES Cafeteria - RSVP here

• PTA Book Fair, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m, ESPR

Tue, September 29

• LES Day A

• UES/MS/HS Day 7

• PACT DAY - Dismissal at 12:30 p.m.

• PTA Book Fair, 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m, ESPR

• PTA Book Fair Family Night, 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., ESPR

• Special MS Parent Coffee - Raising Engaged, Confident & Curious Young People in a Complex World with Nick Haisman-Smith, 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., MSPR

• QUESS U16 Volleyball Tournament - JV and JV Blue Boys in ES Sports Hall and ES Gym, JV and JV Blue Girls in Main Gym and Aux Gym, 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Wed, September 30

• LES Day B

• UES/MS/HS Day 8

• Pre-K to Grade 5 Parent Coffee - Parents as Language Partners by Dr. Eowyn Crisfield, 8:10 a.m. - 9:10 a.m., ES Cafeteria

• PTA Book Fair, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m, ESPR 

• MS Week Without Walls Parent Night, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., ASD Theater

• Varsity Volleyball Games, 4:00 p.m. (Boys - Main Gym, Girls - ES Sports Hall)

Thu, October 1

• LES Day C

• UES/MS/HS Day 1

• PTA Book Fair, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m, ESPR

• MS Amazing Race

Reminders:

• October 12: Green Day - Wear Green for Mental Health Awareness

• October 25 - 26: ASA Season 2 Sign-ups

• October 27: MS Parent Coffee - Tech Talks led by Mr. Daniel Mendes, 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., MSPR

• November 2 - 5: MHS Library Used Book Sale - Donations accepted from October 18 to November 1