Issue #3: August 29, 2024
Issue #3: August 29, 2024
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From the Principal
From the Principal
Dr. Jeff Wilusz
Good Afternoon
Thank you to all that were able to make it to Back to School Night this past Monday. It was great to see all your faces in person! If you were unable to make it, please take a moment to look through the BTSN Presentation and we encourage you to reach out to your kids' teachers.
Last week I supplied you all with the first three keys to a successful year. I had to do my best to fight off the parent community in order to keep the reveal for today and not let the cat out of the bag early. Here are the four remaining keys to a successful school year:
Go to the source
Coffee shop conversations have a way of twisting otherwise reasonable actions into bizarre stories of abuse. I think it’s the caffeine. A group of people talking about an absent “other” will never have the real story. It is remarkable how many times this comes to cause problems. The fourth key to a successful year is practically a corollary of the third key (which was communicate3) – go to the source of an issue and talk to them. You can save yourself considerable anguish and possibly resolve a problem.
Choose your attitude
You wake up every morning with choices. You decide what to wear, what to listen to, what to eat but many of us forget that we can choose our attitude also. Choose this well because your attitude is contagious. It is amazing how positive people light up a room. Get enough of these positively-minded folks together and you can create a high school. Well, a high school that you want your child to be a part of. We’ll do our best to do this and hope you’ll do the same.
Be there and be prepared
Woody Allen is attributed with saying that 90% of success is just showing up. While I think his percentage may be off, I’m fairly certain that there is a lot of truth to the statement. School at ACS is largely experiential: you have to be here to get the benefits from it. We don’t think for a moment that learning is confined to the school walls, but the real benefits and solidifying learning does happen at school and we need your child to be here. Our school calendar is published early (and often!) so that you can plan your holidays accordingly.
Keep your sense of humor
Life and raising children is a serious business and there is nothing more serious than keeping your sense of humor. “No one gets out of here alive” is a familiar bumper sticker and while it may not raise a chuckle it reminds me to keep things in perspective. Life isn’t always funny and sometimes you need to look hard for the humor in a situation, but trust me, it’s usually there. Finding it is well worth the trouble – laughter is good for the heart and mind. It is one reason I love working with children: laughter comes naturally to them.
Seven keys to a successful school year! This list is not exhaustive, but it is a good way to help hit the ground running as we start the school year.
MAP Testing - Our 9th and 10th grade students will be taking their MAP tests on Sunday & Wednesday of this week. We will be running an adjusted schedule for each of those days. Grade 11 & 12 students will be working with Ms. Kurdi on college-related activities
HS Couseling Office Announcements - Ms. Kurdi & Ms. Collings
HS Couseling Office Announcements - Ms. Kurdi & Ms. Collings
It was so nice to see so many of you at Back to School Night last Monday! Ms. Collings is currently continuing the meetings with 9th-grade students during Flex to give them an orientation to the high school counseling program and answer any questions they may have. Individual check-in meetings with all 9th graders and new students have started. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about how your student is adjusting to the new school year, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Seniors are continuing to meet with Ms. Kurdi individually to talk about the next steps. They are busy planning their timelines, editing their essays, finalizing their lists, and so much more. Seniors’ parents are encouraged to monitor their student’s progress and to schedule their own meetings with Ms. Kurdi too. As discussed in our College Night, we are all here to support the seniors in their next exciting steps while enjoying their final year of school. Next week, we have dedicated time for some college application work, and we’re certain to make big strides!
Our juniors have already started their college application journeys too! They met with Ms.Kurdi this week to take a closer look at MaiaLearning, our college and career planning platform. All parents have MaiaLearning accounts as well, and if you’re not sure how to login into your account, feel free to contact Ms. Ellen. Juniors will meet several times this semester with Ms. Kurdi during FLEX, and they will engage in some self-reflection on their own interests, values, and personalities as well as some career exploration.
You’re encouraged to visit our College Counseling website where some highlights are:
* Scholarships and Competitions
* In a Nutshell
Got more college questions? Ask Ms. Kurdi directly (rkurdi@acsamman.edu.jo), or schedule a meeting by emailing Ms. Ellen (ehindeleh@acsamman.edu.jo).
Our HS Counseling Team is:
Ms. Ruba Kurdi: College Counselor rkurdi@acsamman.edu.jo
Ms. Christine Collings: HS Counselor ccollings@acsamman.edu.jo
Ms. Ellen Hindeleh: Administrative Assistant ehindeleh@acsamman.edu.jo
All students and parents are highly encouraged to attend our college visits and fairs. We hosted almost 100 university representatives on our campus last year, and we continue to maintain positive relationships with representatives from universities across the globe. Not only is it very helpful to students and their families to engage with universities directly, but also some universities track student interest! Here are our upcoming visits:
All students and parents are highly encouraged to attend our college visits and fairs. We hosted almost 100 university representatives on our campus last year, and we continue to maintain positive relationships with representatives from universities across the globe. Not only is it very helpful to students and their families to engage with universities directly, but also some universities track student interest! Here are our upcoming visits:
Here are the dates and registration deadlines for the upcoming SAT test for those who are planning on taking the tests. Please note that there is no late registration.
SAT registration link: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/international
School Code: 54202
ACS Amman is the testing center and will not show up in the drop-down list. You must enter our code, 54202, in order to select our school as a testing center.
Athletics/Activities Announcements: (Jacob “Chip” Nielsen)
Athletics/Activities Announcements: (Jacob “Chip” Nielsen)
Athletics and Activities website- This is our central hub for athletics and activities information
All SAISA and AAC season 1 sports begin next week.
HS Girls Volleyball (continues)
HS Boys Volleyball (continues)
SAISA Swim (continues)
Cross Country begins
HS Girls and HS Boys soccer begins
Please see the Athletics and Activities website for the start date (you can select what activities you are looking for from the tabs)
Starting September 16th- Session 1 of our ASAs (After School Activities) will begin. Registration on PowerSchool will open on August 20th and close August 27th.
Auditions - The first wave of Auditions for the Play Production, “Matilda” also starts next week. Ms. Pike and Ms. Cayer have sent out that information.
Busing
If your HS child receives ACS busing transportation, they are also eligible for the HS Activities late bus which departs @ 4:45pm. Please see the Athletics and Activities page for more information.
Medical
Be sure to update your child’s medical information with the Health Office (Nurse Hiyam) and in PowerSchool.
Important Dates & Quick Links
Important Dates & Quick Links
Mark Your Calendars
Mark Your Calendars
September 1 - Start of AAC Cross Country, volleyball, soccer (All levels)
September 1 - HS MAP Testing (Day 1) - Grade 9/10
September 4 - HS MAP Testing (Day 2) - Grade 9/10
September 4 - Start of ASA’s
Sept 16-19 - HS Yearbook Pictures
Quick Links
Quick Links
The HS Weekly Update is sent out to students each weekend and updated daily. Feel free to bookmark the link so that you can see what is going on in the HS from the students' perspective.
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