Description

The moment we are granted permission to return to our facility our plan for implementation of our Flexible Hybrid Model will be gradually applied beginning with grades Pre-K – 1st grade and our seniors. Specifics of how this could work will be provided once Ministry approval is granted.Many of you are aware of the human sacrifices this pandemic has caused on all aspects of society and our school staffing has not gone unscathed. Travel restrictions continue to impact the return of school personnel. Additionally, the reduction of personnel means the on-line platform will be different from last year’s digital experience, but it will be engaging and effective. Our priority will be to concentrate on the core curriculum to guarantee and eliminate any gaps in learning for Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. A focus on achievable and time-limited on-line sessions is critical to student success and their on-line experience. What teachers present must be quality instruction and not just a large quantity of miscellaneous work. We anticipate MOE waivers for some graduation/credit requirements due to the pandemic and accreditation agenciesare re-thinking what constitutes a full-time learning experience for students. The research is clear that meaningful on-line instruction for students is not sustainable for more than 3.5 – 4 hours daily. The number of hours decreases significantly for early childhood and elementary students. Our leadership team used data from the student, parent and teacher surveys conducted at the end of last school year to drive many of our academic decisions for meaningful on-line instruction. Building level administrators will provide specifics prior to the start of school.Our administrators, along with selected teachers returned August 9th to work with students that did not complete on-line learning last school year. This MOE mandatory intensive learning session is a 5- week instructional period for AUS. Beginning September 14th all AUS students will begin the MOE mandated review of curriculum materials from the previous school year for a 2-week period. This review period is calculated as part of the new school year and will allow assessment of student retention of last year materials, plus gives us additional evaluative data for each student. The new school year will officially start with a digital open house on September 29th & 30th, and introduction of new materials/instruction begins October 4th. The updated school calendar is now available @ www.aus.edu.kw .As stated earlier with the travel restrictions (PCR test, 14-day quarantine upon arrival), plus a large majority of our North American educators traveling from outside of Kuwait, returning has presented some obstacles. The date for return of educators is the 23rd of August but with the added quarantine and the need for teacher orientation and professional development it was imperative we move our start date for this year. Currently our newly hired educators are not allowed to enter Kuwait as we cannot obtain visas for them.Each school in Kuwait must make the best decisions for their entire school community and thus there will be different start dates and approaches to on-line learning. The method of delivering education will look dramatically different at every school this fall. You might remember we did not end last year at the same time as other schools, and our digital/e-learning platform was altered several times to meet the needs of our students.We believe learning is not confined to a classroom or a campus—it should be available wherever and whenever the learner needs it.At AUS we continually demonstrate how to be a caring community of learners— our students, teachers, staff and families are committed to educating the whole childOur school community acknowledges and recognizes the personal, cultural and social value of each individualWe believe technology is an integral part of students’ lives, expectations, and the future – this cannot be ignored but rather explored with a deep sense of intellectual inquiryWe are dedicated to the future global success for this planet which depends on having a diverse, well-educated workforce