ISG Superintendent's Message
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Dear Parents,
We are very excited to share that eight American School Dhahran 2024 graduates earned the AP Capstone Diploma, and they are:
- Leila Al-Amudi
- Zainab Chaudhry
- Maryam G. Farooqi
- Tia Marie C. Fay
- Soobin Ihm
- Ayat Kharbat
- Mudita Mathur
- Leena Usman
Approximately 21,000 students at participating AP Capstone™ schools around the world earned this distinction. The AP Capstone Diploma program helps students develop critical thinking, research, collaboration and presentation skills that are essential to academic success. To receive the AP Capstone Diploma, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research and on four additional AP ® Exams of their choice.
Congratulations to these graduates, their families and teachers on this outstanding achievement.
INTRODUCING THE ISG BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The ISG Board of Trustees is a group of parents who serve as volunteers to represent the ISG community and ensure the long-term viability of the district. This year, I will be providing you with summary updates on what the board is supporting at ISG.
The board focuses on generative and strategic discussions about the most important topics for ISG. They also review and adopt resolutions from their sub-committees and task forces. The board has two sub-committees and one task force. The first Board meeting of this school year focused on establishing committee assignments and planning out the topics for each meeting.
The Facilities & Finance sub-committee is responsible for reviewing and presenting recommendations regarding financial and business operations, as well as any construction projects, site maintenance and physical plant operations.
The Governance sub-committee is responsible for ensuring that ISG adheres to high performance standards. They develop and present recommendations relevant to the operations and general functioning of the board itself, including proposed revisions and changes to policies, trustee selection, training and board performance.
The Strategy task force reviews, monitors and synchronizes the development and progress on the strategic goals of the district. The committee's task is to generate ideas with the ISG leadership regarding achieving the strategic goals of the district.
For more information on our trustees for the 2024-25 school year, please click here.
On behalf of the ISG community, I would like to thank all of our trustees for their commitment and dedication to ISG!
SAVE THE DATES
Dates to Remember:
- September 22, 23: Saudi National Day Holiday
As parent partners, please see the opportunities to connect with ISG below:
- September 14: ASD Back-to-School Event
- September 19: ISG Jubail Principal Meet and Greet
- September 24: ISG Dammam Parent Council Meeting
- September 26: BSD Coffee Morning
- September 28: ISG Dammam Parent University Information Session
- September 29: BSD Coffee Morning
- October 1: ISG Dammam Coffee Talks (MS/HS)
MINIMUM DAYS AND VIRTUAL SCHOOL
ISG has six minimum days (MD) scheduled in our calendar for this school year. This week we had our first minimum day at ISG and our next minimum day is scheduled for October 7, 2024.
Minimum days are important as they create opportunities for educators and support staff to engage in professional development and continuous learning for the adults at ISG. Research shows that ongoing professional growth is essential for teachers to stay current with best practices and to refine their skills to the benefit of learning for students.
By incorporating minimum days into our calendar, we provide opportunities for teachers to collaborate, expand their knowledge and skills, reflect on improvements and enhance their instructional approaches, ultimately benefiting students in the classroom. As an educational organization, ISG also ensures that our support staff are engaged in ongoing learning to support their core roles at ISG as well as support their overall growth.
In addition to minimum days, it is important for ISG to engage in Virtual School (VS) to ensure our readiness and preparedness if a situation arises that requires this approach to learning. Those on the ASD and BSD campuses experienced this need in August when we had an unexpected, multiple-day power outage.
UPDATES FOR OCTOBER 7
The October minimum day was originally scheduled to combine a virtual school day with a minimum day at ISG. It will remain a virtual school day for ISG Dammam, ISG Jubail and Sara Village School, where students will not come to campus this day. However, for ASD and BSD students, this day will be a regular, in-school minimum day where students are on campus for part of the day, due to the campus closure in August from the electrical outage where we were able to utilize virtual school.
Virtual school (VS) days and minimum days play a key role in maintaining consistent, high-quality education. Virtual school days existed in schools before Covid but emerged more prominently as a learning approach during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While VS was instrumental in students engaging in learning during Covid, this approach to learning is also an effective method for continuing learning when in-person learning isn't feasible. These days provide continuity, ensuring that students remain engaged regardless of circumstances. We are confident that virtual days offer meaningful learning experiences, allowing students to progress while maintaining a flexible learning environment.
As ISG plans our calendar each school year, we carefully consider and balance between learning on campus, opportunities for students off campus, virtual school days to ensure readiness and minimum days to support professional development.
AP RACE SWIMMING ACADEMY: UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES
We are happy to share more information about the AP Race Swimming Academy and the exciting opportunity to attend an Olympic Champion Experience next week.
Please have a look at the attached information and register your interest for an assessment or to attend the session.
SCHOOL UPDATES
ASD
BSD
- Sixth Form Back-to-School Night: A Warm Welcome and Informative Evening.
- Inspiring Senior School Assembly: Striving for 1% More Each Day.
ISG Dammam
ISG Jubail
SVS PARTNERS WITH JUNIOR DUKES
SVS has partnered with Junior Dukes to offer students and parents a chance to recognize and reward the development of practical skills at home and in the community.
Students will undertake a variety of challenges, suited to their age, that teach important life skills, such as speed dressing, using a washing machine or planning a trip. These activities encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning while building agency and compassion.
Upon completing all challenges, students will receive an award badge and certificate during an assembly.
We look forward to seeing our students participate and grow in these challenges.
Thank you again to your family for choosing ISG for your child(ren)’s education. We look forward to partnering in learning and engaging in more wonderful activities throughout the school year!
Warm wishes,
Rhonda Norris
ISG Superintendent