ASD Strategy 3: We will foster the social, emotional, and physical development of our students and adults through positive school culture, engaging programs, and inclusive opportunities for understanding the world in which we live.
The Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program for the 4th and 5th grade students. Teams of students read the list of 10 books preparing for the widely anticipated battles. One team from each class is selected to move on to the semi-finals. The culminating final battle keeps everyone in suspense.
2018 Winners: Girl Squad
Upper Elementary students took part in creating emoji book recommendations for each other. Students created emoji bookmarks for books they enjoyed reading. They took a selfie with the book and it was posted in the library for others to see.
October saw the One Book One Community initiative in the Middle School. This years book "All The Broken Pieces" by Ann E. Burg is a story told in verse about Matt Pin. Two years after being airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975 Matt is haunted by the terrible secret he left behind and, now, in a loving adoptive home in the US, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past.
A book talk for parents and activities for students were held in the MSHS Library.
Think about one time in your ASD career when the school library really helped you. Write about the help that you got, and what you were able to do because of it.
"I use the library to study when I have a big test and am really stressed which helps me focus because there aren't as many distractions as there are in the commons."
"I found it as a sanctuary when I first moved here. I did all of my homework and spend most of my time in the library. Also, Mrs Hoiseth is pretty awesome, she has helped me so much with wiring my senior seminar papers."
"Right now. I am not almost on my way out. In the past two weeks and the upcoming two weeks I will spend more time in the library than in the rest of my ASD experience combined. As an IB student the printers are literally one of my greatest sources of joy, being able to print whatever I like to aid me in study and then feel the nice warm pages against my face brings me untold happiness."
The libraries publish summer reading lists via Libguides (see below) and encourage students who will be in Qatar for some or all of the summer to check out library books. Reading lists include suggestions from teachers, students, and national reading lists. Summer 2018 checkout numbers are: over 1800 books from the MS/HS library, and over 2,300 books from the ES library.
Today there are many options for parents and children when is comes to accessing books. Picture books, audiobooks, digital books and videos are just a few of these options. This study looks at what may be happening in a child's brain when they are engaging with story in different formats. The ASD library has large collection of books in print as well as some fantastic options for digital stories, just some of which are linked below.
BookFlix – Video storybooks Read along with online video storybooks.
Storyline Online Famous actors read these great picture books!
TrueFlix – Books & Videos Non-Fiction books about Earth Sciences, Ecosystems, the Solar System, and more!
These LES students checked out the most library books this year.
1. Hessa Al Neama Gr. 2
2. Gabriel Calfat Gr. 2
3. Haris Lughmani Gr.2
These UES students checked out the most library books this year.
1. Johannes Sebastian Maravive Gr. 5
2. Rafael Wijatno Gr. 3
3. Arshya Bindra Gr. 5
1. Kalani Staudacher (Grade 7)
2. Keira Van der Linden (Grade 7)
3. Ranad Beitelmal (Grade 8)
1. Iman Saif (Grade 9)
2. Noor Ghanam (Grade 12)
3. Mariam Giaedi (Grade 9)
In May, author and explorer Matt Dickinson visited ASD.
As a film maker Matt has worked extensively for National Geographic Television, the Discovery Channel and the BBC and is one of the very few director/cameramen who have ever filmed on the summit of Mount Everest.
Matt spoke to Upper Elementary and Middle School about his experiences of climbing Everest, what inspires him as a writer, and about some of his other amazing adventures. He spoke with the HS film classes about his career as a filmmaker and the importance of story in film. Matt continues to travel the world, and his talks inspire many students to think about what they may achieve in the future. He told the students, "My journey began in my school library."
Elementary students are readers! They love to see new books on the shelves. They love to read with their friends and to their friends. They love to read in a soft rocking cushion. They love to read to some of the same books over and over, but they are just as excited to find something new. They love for the librarian to read to them. They love for the computer to read to them. They love reading and it shows!
Elementary students are readers! It’s not unusual at all to find students sitting in the library, reading books, during classes as well as at recess time. Our fiction collection is now sorted by genre, including Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery and Historical Fiction. The new divisions have proven extremely popular with the students. It will be interesting to observe patterns of student checkouts over the next year.
Think about one time in your ASD career when the school library really helped you. Write about the help that you got, and what you were able to do because of it.
Think about one time in your ASD career when the school library really helped you. Write about the help that you got, and what you were able to do because of it.
"I really don't like reading but when I came to this library it changed a bit it was because of the great books last year and this year"
"I used to not like books but these book make me so happy and make me want to read more!!!!!!!!"
"When I was doing research about a topic in social studies the library website helped me do research and i had a lot more info after using the library websites."
| % in agreement | |
| The library staff is helpful to students. | 97% |
| I can find what I need in the library easily. | 89.8% |
| I have been taught how to use the library. | 88.8% |
Think about one time here at ASD when the school library really helped you. Write about the help that you got, and what you were able to do because of it.
"Once I was trying to find a book for my health project, without it I would get an approaching or limited. But because the librarians knew where everything was they helped me find the right book for my project. This helped me get an advanced. Thank you."
"I needed to film a video for a class and the library had everything we needed. They had a microphone, camera and tripod and helped us to upload the videos when we needed to."
As their coursework gets more time-consuming and the books they're reading become more challenging, students tend to read less for pleasure. The library and the English department continue to encourage pleasure reading by continually updating the collection, giving book talks and providing opportunities for students to hear about things they might want to read, and providing independent reading time in classes.
| The library staff knows how to help students find information. | 97% |
|---|---|
| The atmosphere of the library is inviting. | 92% |
| The library has an excellent selection of fiction books. | 93% |
ASD Library Mission:
The ASD libraries are committed to the intellectual and personal development of our students
by empowering them to be ethical users of information, critical thinkers, and lifelong readers.
