Issue #14: November 20, 2025
Issue #14: November 20, 2025
Embedded Files
From the Principal
From the Principal
Dr. Jeff Wilusz
In today’s changing educational landscape, schools around the world are placing greater emphasis on helping students develop skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and self-directed learning, skills they’ll need to thrive in the future. As education expert Dr. Tony Wagner reminds us, “The world doesn’t care what you know. What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know.”
Today’s students, who are used to instant information and constant digital connection, are uniquely positioned to build these abilities. Everyday habits, such as looking things up online, working together in multiplayer games, or staying connected through social media, already give students chances to practice problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. At school, we want to help them channel those same habits toward their learning by engaging them in meaningful conversations about what they’re studying and supporting them in setting goals that connect their schoolwork to real-life situations.
At home, small shifts can make a big difference: inviting your child to plan their own study schedule, encouraging them to organize a group study session, or discussing an interesting article or current event together can all strengthen their independence and critical thinking. When schools and families work together in this way, we help students become more confident, adaptable, and ready to take initiative.
These priorities are closely aligned with our mission at ACS. We are committed to developing students who are not only well-informed but also flexible, resourceful, and prepared to contribute meaningfully to their communities. By intentionally nurturing these essential skills, we aim to support your children in both their personal growth and future professional lives, equipping them to succeed in an ever-evolving world.
Thank you for your partnership and support on this journey.
Annual Fall Potluck - Per the email that came out earlier this week, the high school ACS Fall Potluck Lunch, organized by the high school Student Council, is fast-approaching and will be held on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, from 1:25 to 2:55 pm in the ACS Scorpion Den. This wonderful ACS tradition spans well over 25 years. We hope to spread our thanks by each individual student taking responsibility to bring one dish to share with our student community.
HS Couseling Office Announcements - Ms. Kurdi & Ms. Touchton-Leonard
HS Couseling Office Announcements - Ms. Kurdi & Ms. Touchton-Leonard
College Counseling Program
The excitement is building! We are thrilled to announce that university offers and acceptances are continuing to roll in for the Class of 2026!
At ACS, we take immense pride in the accomplishments of all our students, and we celebrate the offers they are receiving from universities across the globe. A senior's first acceptance is a moment of communal joy! To honor this milestone, the student gets to wear a special celebratory robe at school for the entire day—a cherished tradition that reminds everyone of the bright futures ahead. This "buzz" serves as a great reminder for their classmates to finalize their applications and encourages our juniors to start imagining their own balanced college lists!
We’re also ramping up support for the Class of 2027:
Individual Meetings Begin: Starting next week, our juniors will begin their individual meetings with Ms. Kurdi to discuss their initial college thoughts and address any questions they may have.
FLEX Session on Testing: To keep the momentum going, Ms. Kurdi will host a dedicated FLEX session next week for juniors focused entirely on Standardized Testing—covering the when, where, and who of standardized tests.
Parent Presentation: We believe in keeping our parents fully informed. Parents of the Class of 2027 are invited to the first of a series of online presentations next Tuesday evening. This introductory session will provide a comprehensive overview of the college application process.
Social/Emotional Counseling Program
Counselors Consortium & Providers Breakfast
This week, ACS counselors hosted our annual Counselors Consortium and Providers Breakfast where we invited counselors from other private schools in Jordan along with therapeutic providers (therapists, psychiatrists, speech therapists, occupational and physical therapists etc) to meet, connect, and share learning. Events like this help the ACS school counselors stay up to date on the best external providers who can offer additional and ongoing support to your kids as needed. As always, it was great to see familiar faces and also meet new providers and counselors committed to supporting the needs of our students and families. I have contact information for all providers - please reach out if you have any questions or if you would like to be connected to anyone in particular.
PSAT Results
As I noted in last week’s WGO, students with College Board accounts should now be able to access their PSAT results. Many 9th graders will need to create their College Board accounts in order to view their scores. They will need this account to view not only these PSAT scores, but future PSAT scores, SAT scores, and AP scores if they plan on taking AP classes.
I have asked 9th graders to set up their College Board accounts independently and sent detailed instructions to them via email. Here is a link to the instructions for your reference. Cohort teachers also went over how to create their accounts and answered and set up and access questions during cohort on Wednesday morning. If any students are still having trouble logging in or accessing their scores, they can come see me next week.
I want to reiterate that the PSAT is a practice tool, not a high-stakes exam. The scores can help students identify their academic strengths and areas to strengthen before the SAT or other standardized assessments. Rather than focusing on the overall score, families are encouraged to look at the subscores and skill breakdowns (available in their score report within their College Board accounts), which offer valuable insight into reading comprehension, grammar and math reasoning skills. Ms. Ruba Kurdi and I are available to help students interpret their score reports and use the data to guide goal-setting and study plans for the coming year.
Finally, Ms. Griswold (one of the HS English teachers) is offering an SAT preparation after school activity in the coming ASA term that all high school students are eligible to join - they’ll just need to sign up. Do note that space is limited.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further, please don’t hesitate to contact me at: ktouchtonleonard@acsamman.edu.jo
Our HS Counseling Team
Ms. Ruba Kurdi: College Counselor rkurdi@acsamman.edu.jo
Ms. Kate Touchton-Leonard ktouchtonleonard@acsamman.edu.jo
Ms. Ellen Hindeleh: Administrative Assistant ehindeleh@acsamman.edu.jo
Upcoming Visits
Upcoming 2025-26 SAT Dates
SAT registration link
Note: ACS Amman is the testing center and will not appear in the drop-down list. You must enter our code, 54202, to select our school as a testing center.
Athletics/Activities Announcements: (Mr. Mo Hourani)
Athletics/Activities Announcements: (Mr. Mo Hourani)
ACS Activities Program: 2025–2026
Stay up to date with all athletics, arts, and activities information by visiting our ACS Activities Website Here
Afterschool Exploration Program – Session II
We’re excited to launch the Afterschool Exploration Program (former ASA program) for Session II! Sign-ups will open this Thursday, November 20 at 12 PM and will be available through PowerSchool till November 30th at 9 AM. All sign-ups are through PowerSchool. To view all available opportunities for ES, MS & HS, click here.
As a reminder, please note the timeline below:
December 4: Final placements shared
Week of December 7, 2025: Session II begins
February 12, 2026: Session II ends
HS Bus Riders Reminder - If you need to use the late bus but are not on the late bus roster, complete the form before 12:00 PM the same day.
Late Bus Sign-Up Form. The late bus departs at 4:45 PM. Students not registered will not be accommodated.
Important Dates & Quick Links
Important Dates & Quick Links
Mark Your Calendars
Mark Your Calendars
November 26 - HS Fall Potluck
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.
Help Navigating PowerSchool - The How to View Grades from Parent Portal is a quick reference to help guide you through the intricacies of PowerSchool. As always, if you notice something “off” or have questions, please reach out to teachers after speaking through it with your child(ren) and they can help.
Please find the HS PS Tutorial recording to give you a quick guide to help you navigate PowerSchool and generate some fruitful conversations at home.
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