WGO - MS Archive: Aug 27

WGO

Issue #3: August 27, 2026

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From the Principal

Mr. Chris McBride

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Back to School Night! We hope you enjoyed learning more about our Middle School program, meeting teachers, and connecting with other families. If you would like to review the presentation, the slides are available below.

MAP Testing Starts Next Week. MAP is a measure of growth rather than an assessment students can study or prepare for. It is not a high-stakes test, and students have no reason to feel stressed about their performance.

To help your child do their best, please keep the following in mind:

Prioritize Rest & Nutrition: Ensure your child gets plenty of sleep and eats a healthy breakfast.
Keep it Stress-Free: Reassure your child that this is simply a tool to help us understand how they learn.
Note the Schedule: We will run a modified schedule on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday to provide sufficient testing time.
Action Required: Prepare their laptop BEFORE Sunday, Aug 30

Once all students have completed testing, we will share individual performance reports with families through PowerSchool. For more information about the assessment, feel free to explore the MAP Family Toolkit.

Last call for MS Parenting Workshop participants. Please see the announcement below for details.

MS Celebrations

Our Middle School engineers are putting aerodynamics to the test! Students are applying background research on Bernoulli’s principle to design, build, and prototype custom gliders.

Their challenge is to create gliders with a 60cm–100cm wingspan that must achieve a stable, unpowered flight path of at least 5 meters. Through trial, error, and iterative testing of wing curvature and weight distribution, students are turning abstract physics concepts into real-world flight performance. Stay fly, engineers!

MS Updates

MAP TESTING (FALL)

MAP - ACTION REQUIRED

Middle School students will participate in the NWEA MAP testing

Sunday, August 30
Monday, August 31
Wednesday, September 2

These tests are designed to provide teachers with an understanding of competency levels in:

Reading Comprehension
Language Use
Math

From here we are able to better differentiate the learning in the classrooms to encourage student growth.

LOST STUDENT ID CARDS

If your child should lose their ACS ID card, please follow these two steps to secure their account and request a replacement:

Freeze the ACS Wallet Immediately: Open the ACS App and temporarily freeze your child's wallet. This prevents anyone else from using the lost card to purchase food or items on campus.
Request a Replacement Card: Parents can apply for a new ID card directly through the ACS App. Please note that there is a 5 JD replacement fee.

Thank you for helping us keep student accounts secure!

MS BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

For families who were unable to join us, we missed you! You are warmly invited to review the materials shared during the evening:

View the Back to School Night Presentation HERE
Read through the Teacher Information Sheets HERE

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in supporting our Middle School students!

MS ACTIVE PARENTING COURSE

Join our MS Counselor, Ms. Martinez, on Tuesday, September 1 for a 6 week parenting course.

Learn and practice parenting skills relevant to raising tweens/teens, like building cooperation, problem-solving support, and when to use different types of consequences.

Additionally, this is a great chance to build some connections with other middle school parents and grow together.

Check out the details and sign up here. You only need to indicate your interest once.

CAMPUS HOURS

For the safety and security of our students, please remember that adult supervision is only provided during regular school hours.

Unless students are participating in a school-sponsored, adult-supervised activity, they should not be on campus outside of these times:

Mornings: Campus opens at 7:40 a.m. (and 8:40 a.m. on Tuesdays). Please do not drop students off earlier, as there is no supervision.
Afternoons: All students must depart campus promptly at 3:00 p.m dismissal unless enrolled in an official after-school program.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe and our campus secure!

ATTENDANCE

Consistent school attendance is vital to the long-term academic learning and personal success of each student - nothing can make up for time missed from a classroom environment involving discussions, lectures, experiments, and other collaborative experiences.

To better understand our expectations around attendance please read through ACS Middle School Family Handbook.

Should your child be absent:

Please inform the school through the PowerSchool parent portal.
This video shows you how to report a student's absence.
Should you have any issues regarding PowerSchool, please contact powerschool@acsamman.edu.jo.

From the Athletics Office

AFTER-SCHOOL EXPLORATION PROGRAMS (AEP)

AEP Registration (Fall 2026)

Welcome to our new AEP sign-up platform. Please read through the details below before registering.

Afterschool Exploration Program Description:

The Exploration Program (former ASA program) runs for 8 sessions, about an hour each week. Students get a chance to try new experiences in a fun, low-commitment setting. Unlike the Deep Dive Afterschool Activities, Exploration does not include multiple weekly practices or a culminating event.

Key dates:

Registration opens: August 30 - 3PM
Registration closes: September 6 - 4PM
Placements shared: September 9
Program begins: week of September 13
Program ends: November 12

Before you register:

Full list of offerings: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SATYvl7JqBHrhUwtFdb78EwUJWqOhR4xdu3cpuLYnTk/edit?usp=sharing (a PowerSchool sign-up link is included at the top of the doc)
Sign up directly on PowerSchool: https://psforms.acsamman.edu.jo/aep
AEP calendar: https://activities.acsamman.edu.jo/aeps-clubs

How placement works:
Please select three activity choices when registering, in all divisions. Placement counts differ by division: ES students are placed in up to two activities, while MS and HS students are guaranteed at least one, to leave room for sports and Deep Dive commitments. If your child only wants one activity, list it as all three choices.

A note on the new platform:
The sign-up platform only shows what's available for your child's grade level, not the full list of offerings. For MS and HS, if your child is already signed up for sports or other activities, please cross-check their schedule before registering to avoid conflicts.

Bus riders during activities

ES buses depart at 4:15 pm sharp.
MS/HS buses depart at 4:45 pm sharp.
Students will not be on their regular morning/afternoon bus. Assignments change daily based on how many students ride the AEP buses.

Changing placements:
You can change placements yourself up until the September 6 deadline, after which they lock. If you need a change after that, email us and we'll accommodate it if space is available.

Spots are limited and some activities fill quickly, so we recommend registering early. Placements are confirmed once registration closes, and you'll receive your child's schedule on September 9.

From the Learning Commons (MS/HS)

GREETINGS

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the start of the 2026–2027 school year! My name is Ms. Lori Black, and I am excited to serve as your child’s Middle & High School Librarian this year alongside Ms. Kelli Harris in the Learning Commons.

Our goal in the Learning Commons is to foster a vibrant, welcoming space where students can cultivate a love of reading, develop strong research and information literacy skills, and find the academic support they need to succeed.

Throughout the year, we will be working closely with teachers and students to:

Guide students in finding independent reading books that ignite their interests.
Teach effective research strategies, source evaluation, and database navigation.
Provide quiet study areas, collaborative workspaces, and access to key digital resources, including Sora, The New York Times, and The Economist.

We encourage you to ask your child about their visits to the Learning Commons and what they are currently reading. If you ever have questions about our library collection, digital subscriptions, or research tools, please feel free to reach out to us at any time.

We look forward to a wonderful year of learning and discovery with your students!

Warmly,

Ms. Lori Black & Ms. Kelli Harris

From the Tech Office

GUARDIAN ACCESS TO GOOGLE CLASSROOM

We are excited to announce a new feature coming to Google Classroom that will help you stay more connected to your child's learning. Starting next week, we'll be rolling out the Guardian Access to Google Classroom feature for students in grades 4 through 12.

Click here for more information.