ACS News

During the first semester; students in MS Art class grades 7 & 8, have been exposed  to  diverse cultures that the world has to offer. Throughout their projects they have  learned about various traditional and modern works of art and have created beautiful pieces inspired by them.

The 5th graders have been learning about Pop Art and recently completed a project inspired by Andy Warhol. The students selected items from today's pop culture such as the COVID virus, Among Us, Harry Potter, Zoom and more and incorporated those items into their artwork.

Last week, you got to see a few 6th graders and their books; this week, we highlight 7th graders. One of the foundations of our Middle School Language Arts program is the belief that both literate and literary thinking can and should take place as we read any book. As a result, students choose the vast majority of the books they read and are able to practice analyzing texts even as they enjoy books of their choice.

As a community of readers in middle school, we like to encourage each other to read different texts. To embrace this, sixth-graders shared a book they have read and would strongly recommend to others. They created videos and presented 45 seconds to 2:30 minute-long book talks. They gave brief and original summaries of the basic plot, reasons why the book they chose is worth reading, and evidence to support the reason. The students also practiced making eye contact, maintaining adequate volume, using clear pronunciation, and varying tone and rate for interest. If you're undecided about what to read next, just ask a 6th grader!

Middle School Design Tech students have continued developing their creativity and learning at home during this time of distance learning. They have been encouraged to develop projects that can be completed with supplies around their house and encourage them to interact with their families. Several students have chosen to explore chain reactions through creating Rube Goldberg Machines and have had some amazing results! 

Seven and Eighth grade students have continued to work on their Still-life unit but with a Covid-19 twist! They viewed and analyzed the composition of historical still-life paintings and photographs at the Art Institute of Chicago. They then recreated the composition using items that are symbolic of this period in their lives. 

Our Early Years Program (EYP) students have adapted well to Distance Learning and have been keeping busy with all the tailored lessons and fun activities their teachers have especially prepared for them.

They are continuing to practice math, literacy, Arabic language studies, PE, as well as other stimulating hands-on fun mini projects.

EYP continue their learning from home.

Amazing distance learning work from 7th and 8th grade Middle School Art students during the first week.  Their first task was to create a photographic narrative of their Covid 19 experiences so far. They then interacted with each other using Padlet to give constructive feedback on others' work.

As part of their ES Art Unit on color, KG students took part in a global found object challenge. They had fun creating a color wheel with found objects from around their house. #DistanceLearning#DL@ACS #artproject #arts

Arabic D students visited the Jordan Museum in Ras AlAin as part of their unit of study, where they explored the 1001 inventions exhibition, and learned about the Arab Muslim civilization and the Arab scientists and inventors and their contribution in the development of science and technology. The exhibition was interactive for the students as they engaged in different learning activities

On Tuesday morning, 7th and 8th grade MS art students visited the National Gallery of Fine Arts.  They analyzed artworks using MUSE QUESTS (Questions FOR Understanding, Exploring, Seeing, and Thinking) developed by Project MUSE. 

In small groups they took turns posing questions such as 'What object or shape did you see first in this work of art? Why do you think this is the first thing that you noticed?' and 'What can you tell from this work of art about the story of the person who made it, or the time or place in which he or she lived?' These questions helped the students to look closely at the artwork in front of them, to each share their perspectives and responses, and respectfully encourage one another to to engage in looking closely, making connections, offering viewpoints, uncovering complexity, wondering, etc. The QUEST is as much about the journey as it is the destination.  

Today, Middle School Students from our B Level French class toured the French Institute of Jordan.   They learned about the different services the center offers, while also learning which universities in France teach in English.  They ended their visit with a french touch chocolat chaud!

Last weekend, we took a trip back to a wilder time with ACS Theatre's presentation of Rock of Ages. Whether the audience experienced the 80s first hand or viewed it as ancient history or both, they surely enjoyed our story about following your dreams on the Sunset Strip.

The ES LC hosted the Book Trivia Challenge on Monday, February 24th. The four teams prepared for the challenge by reading several books and becoming familiar with the plots and characters. It was a fierce competition but in the end, only one team can win.

Congratulations to the Vicious Readers on their remarkable win!

Thank you to all the participants for their enthusiasm and hard work, parents for their incredible support, and Readers Bookstore for sponsoring our event.

H.R.H. Princess Alia Al Hussein @aliaalhussein visited the 2nd Grade classes at ACS this week to share with the students about @almawa.jordan animal rescue & sanctuary.
Al Ma’wa for nature and wildlife rescues and rehabilitates animals from the region like bears, hyenas, tigers, baboons among many others.

As part of the Arabic program, we hosted the "Nutrikids" team for a workshop on encouraging our children to eat healthy and balanced food in the LC. This was done by reading a story about a boy who chose healthy food. Ms. Ala Al Omari and Ms. Lima Abu Al Furs read the story "Mufeed" to our KG students and engaged them in activities in Arabic about healthy eating.

This is a school project at ACS Amman that uses ISTE technology standards, as well as the Design Thinking method to create products through the lens of a social entrepreneur. By upcycling and recycling scraps found in the Design Mill @ACS, students were able to create 100% unique jewelry pieces to sell. All proceeds will be donated to the Collateral Repair Project, on sale Monday, Feb. 10th. Click here to visit the project website. 

The Design Tech classroom is full of creativity and imagination. Students develop project ideas and then set out on their own to conduct research and build the necessary skills to accomplish their goals. On any given day there may be students building robots, coding games, printing 3D models, laser cutting signs or making cardboard creations. 

Grade 7 and 8 art students are studying a unit on self-portraits. They have looked at the German Expressionists and Jawlensky and using oil pastels, created self-portraits in his style. 

The German Expressionists use non-naturalist colors that portray mood and emotion. Our artists created a color chart using colors that are significant to them to use as a reference when creating their own work. 

The High School Visual Art students have put in tremendous and impressive effort into their charcoal drawings, abstract paintings and the first batch of fired and glazed pottery from our new kiln. We are extremely proud of their work. Please check them out in the High School hallways and the Atrium gardens.

At the Middle School assembly on Sunday, Middle School tudents and staff learned about ACS Science Teacher Brendan Madden's experience climbing Mount Everest.  Mr. Madden's message to the students, "Live life outside your comfort zone!"

The ES LC Movie night in collaboration with the Compassion Committee was a hit with our students yesterday! It was a wonderful event in the library where students in 3rd - 5th grade gathered to watch The Water Horse. Each participating student brought in a warm blanket or jacket to be donated to the CRP. The ACS community was very generous in donating items to the Collateral Repair Project (CRP). 

Arabic B students created their own “in the restaurant “ and recipe books as part of their unit of study “ Food” and shared it with our Early Years Program students.

As part of their unit of study "Biographies," Middle School Arabic students level E had a Living Museum for their favorite Arab Celebrities in which each student impersonated scientists, athletes, architects, inventors, authors, singers, sport champions, Youtubers, kings and influential leaders who left their mark in the Arab history.

As part of their current social studies unit "All about me, the study of the world in which we live in", a mini Jordanian Museum was created at school for our KG students.
 

The Memory Project is a charitable nonprofit organization that helps to cultivate global kindness by creating portraits for children around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as violence, war, extreme poverty, neglect, and loss of parents. Read more about the project here https://www.memoryproject.org/about Last semester we created portraits for young Pakistani male orphans aged between 6 and 9 years old. Our students worked hard to create portraits that will be sent to the boys to show them that people do care. 

As part of their math unit this month, our Early Years Program students conducted a survey named "what's your favorite weather?" They interviewed some of our administrative staff and then graphed their findings. They discovered that most people like the sunny weather. We are so proud of our little thinkers!

The Booster Club organized this annual charity event to raise money for the Badwa Center for Special Education. The hallway chatter and good-natured ribbing between faculty and students was largely evident during the lead-up to this big game. Thank you to the Booster Club for their hard work in putting this together.

A long-standing tradition at ACS has been a joint project between the graduating seniors and their second-grade partners who are exactly a decade younger. Twice a month the seniors visit their “buddies” for a craft activity and bonding opportunity.

Amal Nasser, a nutritionist and advisor to the ACS Board, spoke with HS students on the value of developing good eating habits while young. Students were able to ask questions about the food served at school and make suggestions for new menu items.

Yesterday, we hosted eight alumni from the Classes of 2014, 2018 and 2019 who shared their experiences after graduation with our current seniors. The alumni shared first hand realities of going to college, decision making process, challenges and opportunities, and stories on friendships and roommates.

From the magical colors that paint the sun setting sky, to the beauty of the worn-out buildings that complete the balad, 'This is Amman'. Made collaboratively, and in spare time, this project is 100% upcycled.

The fourth-grade classes went on a field trip to the Citadel. This was a wonderful way to introduce the students to our Ancient Civilization unit, giving them a first-hand look at some #Roman ruins right here in Amman.

Our student-led club, Science Education for Refugees (SEFR), leading lab experiments and donating lab equipment to a school in the Za'atri Syrian Refugee Camp.

In an effort to instill gratitude in our students and to celebrate the upcoming holiday season, Grade 4 students visited a center in Al Ashrafieh, where they were met by 50 less fortunate children on Sunday, December 15th.

In honor of The Hour of Code, Grade 7 Design Tech students had visits from two interactive speakers who work in the technology field.

Our annual ES LC Book Swap was a great success as always. Students were thrilled with their selection of new reads for the holidays. Thank you to all who participated!

Today High School students held the annual Thanksgiving potluck, which has been a tradition since 1984. The purpose of this potluck is to give thanks to the non teaching staff who work diligently in supporting the school functions but may not always be in the forefront and visible to students and parents.