ANNUAL REPORT
2019-2020
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Table of Contents Principal’s Introduction
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Primary School Achievements
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Middle Years School Achievements
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IB College Achievements
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University Destinations
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Identity and Innovation
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Student Wellbeing and Achievement
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Additional Educational Needs
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Staff Professional Development
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Co-Curricular Activities
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Athletics
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Booster Club
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Community Engagement
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Overview of Income and Expenditure
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Master Plan and Premises
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Principal’s Introduction
I am sure many would agree that 2019-2020 has been an unprecedented year that has presented many challenges and opportunities, and truly showcased the ABS community’s adaptability. Starting the second semester of the academic year, we had a change in the leadership of the school – I was appointed by the Board of Trustees as the Acting Principal, and HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan accepted the role of School Director ad interim. As the community came together and demonstrated its overwhelming support to me personally and to members of the Leadership Team, the COVID 19 pandemic imposed significant challenges on Jordan and the world. Therefore, we completed our school year remotely, highlighting the strength and agility of our teachers and students to adapt to new environments.
ABS was the first school in the Kingdom of Jordan to resort to distance education in Mid March 2020. Our teachers did an incredible job teaching our students remotely, and the feedback from the community was indeed excellent. This had a very positive impact on our admissions as parents from other schools in Jordan and abroad were seeking to transfer their children to ABS even during lockdown. Our goal is to never be complacent with our achievements; we are always seeking ways and methods for improvement and enhancement of our procedures and practices as demonstrated during these challenging times. All throughout the summer, plans were put in place to ensure the safe return of our students to school campus. Procedures and protocols were devised to enable us to go back to face-to-face learning under safe conditions, considering that the health and safety of our big ABS community is, and will always be, at the forefront of all that we do. The resilience, experience, and adaptability of our ABS community demonstrated our school to be the most reliable, accomplished, and connected place during these uncertain times.
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Principal’s Introduction
Despite the challenges imposed due to the pandemic and to the cancellation of the IB Diploma External Examination and the MYP e-Assessments, our students surprised us with their outstanding results. We were very happy that the majority of Grade 12 students made their university offers. Overall, we were happy with the university placements of our graduating class of 2020. For more details, please check the section in this report about university placements. As this is my first introduction to the Annual Report, I would like to express my tremendous gratitude to all members of the ABS community for their support and commitment to the school. I cannot stress enough the wonderful sense of community and the one big family atmosphere, which is really what makes ABS so special. Thank you to all the staff for their dedication, flexibility, collegiality and friendship. Thank you to all the parents for their wonderful partnership and contribution to the special ethos of ABS. Thank you to all the students for their enthusiasm and genuine commitment to learning. I would like to finally thank our esteemed members of the Board of Trustees for their tremendous leadership, wisdom and support. Thank you to HRH Princess Sarvath El Hassan, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, for her great support and astute educational vision that has provided the foundation for ABS’ successes over the years. Thank you to HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan for her guidance and dedication without whom we would not have been able to handle all those unprecedented challenges. I wish the ABS community the best of health and safety with continued success and progress for the future. Sincerely, Bassma Marji Nimri Principal
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Primary School Achievements
Primary School Radio Station (Student Voice, Choice & Ownership)
Youth Empowerment – International Mindedness – Bilingualism – Team Work – Achievement The Primary School successfully launched its first ever Radio Station which will go live in 2020/21. A unique platform for our students to enhance their, agency, leadership, student voice and international mindedness. Students will broadcast school news as well as give commentaries on local and global issues. Students will also interview guests and broadcast events/celebrations throughout the year.
Primary School Stallions Cup Team work – Achievement
In collaboration with the PE Department, The Primary School House Representatives launched the first ever inter-house competitions. Students across Grades 1 – 5 engaged in activities during P.E. lessons and breaks while exemplifying the IB learner profile and sportsmanship. House points are collected and the Stallions Cup is handed over to the House that receives the highest points at the end of each month during the morning Assembly. Sportsmanship sessions were conducted for all grades in patnership with the well-being team and the PE department.
Wellness Space Holistic Education
The Wellness Space was created based on student initiated action and the greater ABS community. Our Wellness Space provides students and teachers with a quiet space to reflect, relax, recharge, practice mindfulness and self-regulate.
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Primary School Achievements
Student Agency Office Youth Empowerment
The Student Agency Office was created by students for students as a hub where they can come together during breaks to share ideas, concerns and suggestions and work collaboratively to achieve their goals and aspirations during their time in the Primary Years School.
Visual Arts Exhibition
International Mindedness – Holistic Education – Achievement Our Visual Arts Exhibition, for students of Grades 4 and 5, featured artwork under the theme of “Folk Art”. Students inquired into different forms of Folk Art. Students took pride in their work and reflected their creativity in using a variety of mediums to present their unique art work.
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Primary School Achievements
Primary Annual Concert – Once Upon a Fairy Tale!
Holistic Education – Achievement – International Mindedness – Excellence – Team Work Over three consecutive nights, ABS Primary School students treated the school community to a magical journey of music and dance. ‘Once Upon a Fairy Tale’ was a spectacular concert that drew in family and friends from out of the cold and into the warmth of the school theatre that was transformed into a mesmerising Enchanted Garden. A captive audience was transported to the Land of Fairy Tales, on Aladdin’s magic carpet! Our charismatic students presented a kaleidoscope of artistic and musical talents through Broadway inspired costumes, characterful acting, joyful singing, spirited dancing and breathtaking show pieces that wowed the audience with an electric energy, commitment and sense of love tangible to all. HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan’s presence on the opening night and the recognition of all participants, big and small, added a special touch to the wonderful event.
Primary School Distance Learning
Lifelong Learning – Team Work – Responsibility The Primary School shared a comprehensive distance learning plan with the Primary School community on 14th March 2020, which incorporated the aims, purpose, guidelines, tutorials and roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders to ensure smooth and successful transition to distance learning. Seesaw is the official platform adopted for Primary School distance learning for the following reasons: • Seesaw is a comprehensive platform that allows educators to document the entire teaching and learning process from day one. • Primary School students are familiar with the platform and use it regularly to support and enhance their learning. • Seesaw has many interactive features allowing the students to engage with their teachers by uploading their work via audio/video tools and receive audio, video or anecdotal formative feedback. • Seesaw is a living digital portfolio for each and every student. The Primary School Leadership Team has been able to track students’ engagement with the platform from day one and monitor and evaluate learning, teaching and feedback provided to students at any given time. • Seesaw allows students and parents to access, at any given time, the School Activity Library where all videos and assignments are archived. • Seesaw provides weekly reports and updates of usage, overall uploaded assignments, lessons etc.
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Primary School Achievements
During the first week, our aim was to consolidate skills and concepts taught and ensure all families received the technical support needed to access the learning and teaching digital platform Seesaw. Learners were exposed to various learning engagements using visible thinking routines, task sheets, links, educational videos and resources to reinforce their knowledge and understanding. Starting week two, specific concepts and skills were delivered in an explicit teaching method, starting with a teacher-created video. Teachers and Specialists worked collaboratively to create lessons, videos and upload as part of a balanced daily overview for each grade level, which included specific lesson objectives, detailed instructions and success criteria for core subjects, PE, Visual Art, French and Well-being. A survey was sent to parents at the end of the first week to rate their experience on the effectiveness of the process and the Seesaw digital learning platform. Below are screen shots of the results, rating key (1 lowest & 5 highest):
Moving forward, an extra layer of video conferencing via Microsoft Teams was added to the distance learning plan. Lessons were delivered in a synchronous and asynchronous method. Digital citizenship and e-safely expectations were shared with parents via email, and with students during the online information literacy lesson. A number of national and international events were marked and celebrated during the online lessons namely: Jordan Independence Day, Al Karamah Battle, World Book Day and World Earth Day. A comprehensive online resource page, which included a variety of digital resources and platforms for summer holiday, was also shared with parents at the end of the year.
Continuous Professional Development
Primary School staff were provided with multiple PD training sessions and opportunities to develop their educational technology skills throughout the distance learning period and over the summer. A Primary School resource center was created on Microsoft sharePoint. The resource center includes a variety of digital resources, articles, as well as webinars.
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Primary School Achievements
Grade 5 Completion Ceremony Achievement – Holistic Education
Over three consecutive nights, ABS Primary School students treated the school community to a magical journey of music and dance. ‘Once Upon a Fairy Tale’ was a spectacular concert that drew in family and friends from out of the cold and into the warmth of the school theatre that was transformed into a mesmerising Enchanted Garden. A captive audience was transported to the Land of Fairy Tales, on Aladdin’s magic carpet! Our charismatic students presented a kaleidoscope of artistic and musical talents through Broadway inspired costumes, characterful acting, joyful singing, spirited dancing and breathtaking show pieces that wowed the audience with an electric energy, commitment and sense of love tangible to all. HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan’s presence on the opening night and the recognition of all participants, big and small, added a special touch to the wonderful event. Looking across the school theatre at the sea of socially distanced students smiling proudly through their masks while adhering to all our new health and safety protocols, we were filled with confidence that these special young men and women will continue to flourish and grow as they move into the next chapter of their ABS journey – Middle Years School. Dima Azzam Qubain Head of Primary
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Middle Years School Achievements
2019-20 was an unprecedented academic year, full of changes and challenges, from the start. However, the MYS staff and students consistently rose to the occasion, showing great resilience, team spirit and collaboration in dealing with the difficulties and adapting to new realities. We revamped the academic model and the school day, to enable the MYS to introduce a discrete Civics lesson, and to allow more time for Innovation and STEM-related enrichment activities.
The first semester contained a plethora of events and activities, such as the English Spelling Bee. The English Production this year was ‘A Midsummer Night’s Mid-Term’, an interesting take on, one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays. Even though it was updated, students were still required to learn the original words, not an easy feat. The Student Council were active in organising a variety of events, such as a very popular Christmas lunch, raising a record breaking amount from the charity bake sale, and creating a fun-filled House Week. This culminated in a new look Sports Day, with some fantastic new events and games. It was an amazing example of organisation by the PHE Department, in cooperation with the Student Council.
Two departments were particularly active with regard to activities:
THE DESIGN DEPARTMENT:
Amman Design Week ABS students’ creative designs were exhibited as a creative space part of Amman Design Week. The Amman Baccalaureate School Exhibition took place at the Innovation and Design Center. It included digital and tangible prototypes of creations by students across Grades 2 – 12 under the theme of Possibilities.
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Middle Years School Achievements
Yalla Shabab Innovation and Design Conference MYS Design and IBC Design Technology students participated in the Yalla Shabab Innovation and Design Conference at the end of February, in the Mutran School. The students worked collaboratively with groups of students from other participating schools. Four of our Grade 9 students were winners of first prize for the best design solution. Two of our Grade 11 students achieved second place for their design solution. Our students participated in presenting innovative solutions of real life problems in the community, related to renewable energy and sustainable development. App Inventor Competition Design MYS Grade 8 students participated in the App Inventor Championship 2020. Our students worked collaboratively in this programming competition in a fun and engaging environment, putting their coding, design and teamwork skills to the test. ABS teams competed with teams from schools in Jordan and were qualified for the semi- finals. They presented their App to jury members virtually via Zoom at the Amman Pitch Day in April, 2020. The feedback was impressive, and the App was described as:� A unique and ambitious App�. THE ARABIC LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT: The Arabic Department held multiple events and activities, within the school, and with the local schools as well. These events helped students practise their knowledge and skills outside the classroom. Some of these included the following: Activities in school: Knowledge Competition - Students from Grades 6-8 were divided into teams based on their houses. The competition involved questions regarding many different fields of knowledge. Speech Competition - Students from Grades 6-9 each chose and practised their own speeches, and then performed them in front of a panel of judges. According to criteria set by the Arabic Department, 3 winners are chosen. Due to the COVID - 19 situation this year, the Grade 9 event took place online.
Spelling Bee - Grades 6-7 participated in a Spelling Bee competition on stage, with varying levels of spelling. This year, Language Acquisition students also participated in the Spelling Bee, which was a challenge for them, but they were willing to be risk-takers and do it. Arabic Language Club - An activity to practise language skills with a focus on writing skills for Grades 6-8 , in the second semester, during support time.
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Middle Years School Achievements
Activities with local schools: Creative Writing Competition with Sendaha Orthodox School - Students participated in the Creative Writing Competition with Sendaha Orthodox School, and wrote a creative story that stayed within the guidelines of the competition. Creative Writing Competition with Jubilee School Students participated in the Creative Writing Competition with Jubilee School to write a creative story. Arabic Reading Competition - Students from Grades 6-8 participated in a reading competition with other schools throughout the year. In the Second Semester, we had to face an unprecedented challenge with the onset of the pandemic and the countrywide lockdown. Almost overnight, the MYS staff were able to switch to online teaching and learning, first through using ManageBac. After a week, we moved to all lessons being taught through Microsoft Teams. For the next 3 months, over 6400 lessons took place online, with every lesson and all resources being checked by the MYS Leadership Team, with the support of the Grade Leaders. In addition, life in the Middle School carried on, with many other events happening virtually, such as: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Virtual meetings, for academic and wellbeing teams; Interviews for new positions of responsibility; Care Group met and created thank you videos for staff; Student Council meetings; Callido – online, pre-IB College preparation course for Grade 10; End of year assemblies, with prize giving; Student of the Year – GLs went to give them their trophies in person; Personal Project sessions with parents and students; Support sessions; Counsellor did online sessions with individual students; MYS Team and the GLs checked all lessons, both the materials on MB and the actual lessons +6300; Ongoing assessment in class, including PHE and the Arts; Planning for following year – calendar, timetable; Wellbeing Programme continued in Mentor Lessons; We adapted the reports to include how students were managing the online learning environment, so teachers were able to let parents know how students were doing; Fitness challenges for all - Students were introduced to the ABS Stay Safe, Active, and Healthy Campaign during our PE lessons via Microsoft Teams. Our MYS students started participating in different exercises during the quarantine, and they were asked to document their workouts via a reflection or video, to make sure that they are being active in these unique circumstances. They took things to the next level by filling the weekly workout and nutrition journals and submitting them on ManageBac every week, and by taking videos of themselves doing the exercises to share them with us and with their friends and family, to challenge them to do the same. By doing that, we hopefully helped our students be active for at least five days a week, and that they tried their best to eat healthily. Even though we were online, we were able to finalise all achievement levels for students, including ensuring Grade 10 were able to get the grades they needed to enter the IB College. 100% of Grade 10 students who were registered for the e-Assessments were able to get the IBMYP Certificate.
Sarah Byham BA, PGCE Head of Middle Years School
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IB College Achievements
The 2019-2020 school year was like no other which demanded of our teachers, parents and students the very upmost in resilience, positivity and commitment, and they did not disappoint. Such was the turmoil associated with the cancelling of the official IB exams and the extra weight added to the Internal Assessment component. Our students were indeed very well prepared, which resulted in a very positive outcome for our grade 12 students. As it stands, the IB results for the Class of 2020 were comparable with the best on record with 17 students achieving 40 and above with a class average of 37. The results were celebrated during a specially arranged “drive thru” and students and parents came to collect the IB results amidst balloons, music and yellow roses; aptly symbolizing affection, joy, friendship and caring.
The year 2020 was also the year that the traditional “Graduation” in June became the Grade 12 Completion Ceremony in August. This was a condensed event with respect given to mask wearing and physical distancing but, maintaining many of the well-loved features much to the rapture of the graduates and their parents.
Throughout this time the demand placed on the University Counselling Department to not only advise students on their best fit College, but to launch appeals and keep up with an evolving situation vis-à-vie the status of admissions, mode of delivery and the impact of increased deferrals, was immense. However, all 83 students achieved university places and are poised ready to embark on online learning from home or, where possible, travel abroad depending on the institution, visa restrictions and family concerns.
Prior to the nationwide lockdown, the IB College had managed to engage students in a variety of activities focused on their physical and mental wellbeing. The most memorable was the IB College Sports Day, organised in collaboration with the PE Department and extremely successful in terms of 100% student attendance and enthusiastic staff involvement. The annual AMMUN conference reached new heights and in response to a perceived need to empower our girls we also ran a Female Empowerment Workshop delivered by one of our alumni who specialises in this area and organised by the IB College Counsellor. Project work in Business Management and Design Technology focused on innovation and involved experts in various fields from the local community in advising and judging students’ work.
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IB College Achievements
The period of lockdown which followed put a halt to all other planned activities in the traditional sense and forced us all to reconsider our delivery of the curriculum and upskill in terms of our computer literacy in ways we are proud. It was a learning curve for many and not without its challenges but, one which was embraced wholeheartedly and redefined not only our relationships with each other but also with technology! Communication proved key to maintaining those relationships, despite our distancing, and gave rise to video messages to our students and wider community to express our concern for everyone’s emotional and physical welfare and show our appreciation for the support that we were shown. Cathy Souob MA, BEd Head of the IB College
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University Destinations
University Counselling Department
Despite the challenges imposed due to the pandemic and to the cancellation of the IB Diploma External Examinations and the MYP e-Assessments, our students confirmed our faith in them with their outstanding results. Overall, we were very happy with the university placements of our graduating class of 2020. Out of the 26 students who are going to the UK to continue their education, 15 will be matriculating to Russell Group Universities, which comprises the absolute best research-based institutions in the UK. The remaining have all chosen to attend selective universities that are highly ranked in their field of study, such as Loughborough University for Design and Architectural Association for Architecture. Indeed, our students collectively received over 80 offers from prestigious institutions in the UK and Ireland, including from the most competitive and prominent institutions, such as University College London, King’s College London, University of Bristol, University of Edinburgh, University of Warwick, SOAS, University College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons to name just a few. We had 3 students who received offers to study Medicine in the UK, which is arguably one of the most competitive placements in the world, with some of their conditional offers having an acceptance rate of just 5%. Out of the 37 students who applied to Canada, we had an astonishing 21 acceptances from the University of Toronto, which is ranked as the number 1 tertiary institution in Canada. Our students also received 21 acceptances from McGill University, 10 from the University of Waterloo and 4 from the University of British Columbia among many others. Out of the 25 students who applied to the United States of America, we had outstanding placements given from competitive institutions, such as the University of Pennsylvania, Tufts, UCLA, Georgetown and the University of Southern California. Our two-star athletes received substantial athletic scholarships from the University of Florida and the University of Denver, both housing top Division 1 swimming teams. Top design schools such as SCAD, Pratt Institute and Maryland Institute College of Art opened their doors to our creative designers. Many of our students chose to apply through the early track and received positive responses in December of last year.
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University Destinations
Name
University destination
Abdel-Rahman Ellauzi
University College London
Adam Kalbouneh
University of Cardiff
Ahmad Shahin
University of Cardiff
Ali Atta
Worcester Polytechnique Institute
Ali Krayim
Ryerson University
Amjad Qubain
San Diego State University
Ammar Mansoor
Northeastern University
Arije Abu Hassan
University of California, Los Angeles
Ashraf Alkurdi
Illinois Institute of Technology
Ayman Sammarai
University of Reading
Amro Al Wir
University of Florida
Aysha Batayneh
Loughborough University
Bana Al-Kurdi
Ryerson University
Bana Al-Khayyat
University of Exeter
Basel Al-Omari
University of Waterloo
Christina Matalka
George Washington University
David Nino
University of Toronto
Dina Alaeddin
University of Surrey
Fadi Matalka
Boston University
Fadi Mushahwar
University of Toronto
Farah Shaer
Northeastern University
Fares Haj Issa
IE University
Ghaith Rahhal
University of Warwick
Ghaith Al-Arabiat
Ryerson University
Hashem Al Saqqaf
Georgetown University
Hashem Abu Irshaid
University College Dublin
Haya Khoury
University of Reading
Jad Malkawi
University of Reading
Jafar Kloub
Architectural Association
Jafar Al Kubeysi
University of Bristol
Jana Sweiss
Technical University of Munich
Jood Therese Farkouh
Maryland Institute College of Arts
Joud Al-Kayed
IE University
Jude Al-Asali
George Mason University
Kamal Kola
King’s College London
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University Destinations
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Name
University destination
Khader Nassar
University of Manchester
Lara Al-Khafaf
University of Reading
Leen Ziadat
Nottingham Trent University
Majed Qutaishat
IUBH University of Applied Science
Marya Nabulsi
Loughborough University
Maya Al-Barq
University of Toronto
Michael Srouji
University of California, Los Angeles
Mohammed Al-Najjar
IUBH University of Applied Science
Nadeem Said
University of Waterloo
Nadine Housh
University of Exeter
Naya Said
Semmelweis University
Nour Hamdan
Ryerson University
Omar Dajani
Royal College of Surgeons, Bahrain
Omar Baalbaki
Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences
Rahma Al Fahoum
University of British Columbia
Raiyah Al Adwan
IE University
Rakan Joudi
Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
Rakan Al-Alami
McGill University
Ruqayya Farrah
McGill University
Ruwaid Hannoush
Coventry University
Saif Suheimat
Tufts University
Saif Bataineh
University of Toronto
Salim Khalilieh
University of Toronto
Sama Albashir
Ryerson University
Sanad Abu Eideh
University of Warwick
Sanad Ababneh
University of Exeter
Sara Sweiss
Ryerson University
Sharif Dahdaleh
University of Pittsburgh
Tarek Khreino
Marymount University
Tariq Al-Asali
Valencia College
Tayeb Mohammedi
Paris Nanterre University
Uzair Hassan
Ryerson University
Yara Share›
University of Edinburgh
Yasmeen Nabulsi
University of Kent
Yasmin Abu Kalam
LCI Barcelona
University Destinations
Name
University destination
Zaid Tabaza
University of Pennsylvania
Zain Nsour
Syracuse University
Zain Abu Irshaid
German Jordanian University
Zain Al Khudairy
Concordia University
Zara Al Lawzi
University of Exeter
Zeenah Awamleh
University of Bristol
Zeena Habboub
University of College London
Zeid Nuqul
Ryerson University
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Identity and Innovation
Identity and Innovation This academic year marked the introduction of two tenets to the Al Tarbiyeh Essential Agreements document. (Identity and Innovation) Identity and Innovation were emphasized on the Essential Agreements document and a clear vision for their integration into all aspects of school life was developed.
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Identity and Innovation
Identity In addition to focusing on identity and celebrating our local culture through national, cultural and religious assemblies, a more curricular approach is in place. Representatives from the school community met several times to decide on a set of aspects that would reflect a Jordanian IB student. For the first time, 16 aspects were identified and will be incorporated into the written and taught curricula where relevant.
In compliance with the Ministry of Education (MoE) directive, national education topics mandated by the MoE for PYP students were mapped and identified in the PYP programme of inquiry (PoI) content. An additional lesson was added for all grade 6-8 MYP students and an identity-based curriculum was backward planned building on the service as action (SaA) model. The model takes into consideration that all teachers reinforce national identity, and the 16 agreed upon aspects are well balanced and addressed in the first three MYP grades. This plan was later changed to build on the objectives of the Individuals and Societies (I&S) subject group with I&S teachers responsible for teaching and reinforcing the concept of identity. The curriculum was mapped against mandated Ministry of Education national education topics and the ABS developed identity aspects. All students from KG - grade 8 are required to be exposed to the 16 aspects across the student’s KG 8 journey. Identity Aspects Across the ABS KG - 8 journey, the student will become aware of and understand the following: - The meaning of positive citizenship and the rights and duties of a positive citizen; - The importance of human dignity, dialogue and societal peace; - Student’s role in building, developing and serving one’s country and nation; - The words and meaning of patriotic songs; - The geographical distribution of Jordan; - - - - - - - - - - -
The ties between Jordan and other Arab countries; The history of Jordan’s Hashemite Leadership and their message; The country’s economy; Issues that impact the Arab nation; The integral components of the Jordanian social fabric; The Hijri calendar and dating system; Students’ contributions to solving the problems facing family and country; The importance of respect for diversity and rejection of extremism; The national holidays, cuisine, social practices and traditions; The importance and significance of civic and national symbols such as the national anthem and the salutation of the Jordanian flag; Finally, the importance of taking pride in one’s culture and language.
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Identity and Innovation
The Interfaith Conference: The first ABS Interfaith Conference took place under the Patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, and in cooperation with the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies (RIIFS) and the Global Young Ambassadors Association. The Conference was organized under the theme of “The Role of Religions in Promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” . Participating schools were approximately 9 IB schools and 150 students participated in the conference. This year’s goal is to make this conference an annual event and to incorporate more participating schools. This completely student-led conference emphasized not only the collaboration between our ABS students but also those from other schools. Depending on the evolving Covid 19 situation, future conference might remain face-to-face or move to an online platform
Innovation Representatives across all school sections agreed on a set of “innovator attributes” that align with the IB learner profile and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards. These attributes will support innovative practices within all subjects and across all IB programmes. A hybrid approach for the integration of innovation was agreed on for the PYP as follows: - Grades KG - 3 will be working with LEGO kits that will help them implement basic coding principles. - Grades 4 and 5 will be learning native coding language, which they will implement in solutions for real life problems. This will be taking place in IT classes and in the PYP maker space, which was established last year as part of the PYP media centre. As for the MYP, grades 6 - 8 will be working on innovative Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based interdisciplinary units (IDUs). The MYP Science, Math and Design departments are currently developing STEM based units which will be implemented according to a staggered schedule for the above indicated grades. A special space in the Innovation and Design Department will be used as a STEM and innovation lab, in addition to the MYS maker space that is currently located in the main media centre. Teachers from across the school sections have been trained by an expert to use “Arduino: as an innovative tool to support the creation of smart products. Plans are in place to continue with Robotics and 3D printing and to introduce “Fusion 360” as an additional tool.
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Identity and Innovation
Grades 9 and 10 will be integrating innovation as they follow the service as action (SaA) model to address problems in the community and generate innovative solutions to tackle these problems. With regard to the IB College, grades 11 and 12 are currently integrating innovation through creativity, activity and service (CAS) and through the group 4 project. For the first year, grades 10-12 students participated in a school competition that consisted of multi-disciplinary teams that identified and addressed problems pertaining to the impact of Covid19 on the local community. Different innovative solutions were presented in front of a panel of judges, comprising experts in the fields of Engineering and Medicine and under the supervision of teachers. The jury members were extremely impressed with the creativity of the presented ideas, the professionalism of the teams and the thorough research that they undertook. The DP Group 4 team are currently preparing for an “innovative challenge day� for DP students that will see students competing to generate innovative solutions for authentic problems.
ABS Innovator Attributes An ABS Innovator is: - Problem solver - Collaborator - Self-regulated - Responsible - Visionary - Flexible - Resilient - Observant - Skillful - Initiator - Creative - Adaptable - Productive - Passionate - Committed - Agentic Iman Awwad BSc Director of Studies
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Student Wellbeing and Achievement
The year 2019-2020 was, again, a very busy and immensely productive year for the whole-school Wellbeing Team. This year turned from a year of planning and implementation to rapidly evolving situation with COVID 19, and this posed ABS with new challenges for the wellbeing of our students.
Progress made for 2019-2020: Strategic Goal One: School Culture • Student voice was further operationalized. ABS moved away from having an external consultant for food catering at ABS and re-engaged the Student Councils in developing, tasting and approving new food items. We had particular success in the Primary School, with “Taco” Tuesday which generated record interest. ABS is delighted to engage students in menu development to improve engagement and a sense of responsibility for what they are eating. Strategic Goal Two: Health and Safety • ABS again met our attendance Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of 95% attendance in School after deducting authorised absences, obtaining 96.2 % attendance. • Further to attendance, ABS started the process of investigating a facial-recognition attendance system to bring our process fully into the highest IT capacity on offer in Jordan. This would improve the start to the day and allow more time for the wellbeing curriculum delivery. • We also started a research process to investigate the possibility of a “Cashless” payment system at ABS. This would further improve the process of payments for students whilst also making the process more hygienic in food service areas.
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Student Wellbeing and Achievement
Strategic Goal Three: Wellbeing Curriculum • Improvements made from 2018-2019 continued. ABS entered an agreement with Protect Ed. This is a fully developed wellbeing curriculum from KG1 to Grade 10. ABS took one year to research and agree to work with Protect Ed to ensure we are moving forward with a welleing curriculum fit for purpose in a rapidly changing environment for young students. • COVID 19 presented ABS with the greatest threat to student wellbeing in memory. No curriculum could prepare the School or the students for the situation since March. The ABS Leadership Team developed five core principals in our “Road to Re-Opening”. The wellbeing of ABS students was and continues to be a central pillar for decision making. Great care was made to reduce the “risk” of transmission by developing ABS “Bubbles”. Looking forward to 2020/21, ABS will continue to strike the balance between the need to offer face-to-face learning with the wellbeing of students. Strategic Goal Four: Student Achievement • Firstly, we would like to take this opportunity to remind the community that we support and celebrate all types of student achievement. This may be athletic, artistic, co-curricular and of course academic. We take great pride in ensuring we celebrate international mindedness, role-model conduct and contribution to school life; these are all evidenced in our Grade 12 Graduation Awards.
• KG1 took the BASE test, while in Grades 1-5 students sat the InCAS test. In Grade 6, students took the MidYIS Test, Grade 9 took the Yellis Test and in the IB College, Grade 11 took the CEMIBE baseline test. As is normal procedure now, all results are available upon parental request so that you can better support your children with studying. • On an annual basis, curriculum changes can take place as a result of the baseline scores. Furthermore, the AEN department reviewed baseline scores to better facilitate student support if and when needed. ABS will produce a separate report analysing our projected scores against actual scores for both the e-Assessment and IB Diploma results in September 2020. Russell Peagram BSc Geography (PGCE) Director of Operations
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Additional Educational Needs
The Academic Year 2019-2020 was exceptional without a doubt. It had its challenges and triumphs, but as always, the Additional Educational Needs Department (AEND) focused on enriching its provision to meet the needs of students and ensure equitable access. Access and Inclusion The issue of Inclusive Access Arrangements for students has always been a priority for the AEND, and has been gaining momentum across educational institutions at all levels. The IBO has worked on developing its systems and procedures to facilitate the process of applying for Access Arrangements for students sitting for external exams both at Grade 10 (MYP e-assessments) and Grade 12 (DP external exams). To that end, the IBO published the Access and Inclusions Policy handbook, the aim of which is to streamline procedures that will allow students “to demonstrate their ability under assessment conditions that are as fair as possible”. The AEND in collaboration with the MYS and IBC teams worked to adapt the school’s existing policy to ensure the highest level of transparency, academic honestly and equity is being applied to all cases. This policy has been integrated into the AEND policy now known as the Access and Inclusion Policy. Continuing Professional Development As with every year, the AEND team continuously sought out opportunities for growth and development in the evolving field of SEN and inclusive practice. Achievements this year include: • Three members of staff completed their Certificates of Competence in Educational Testing and became registered members of the British Psychology Society Register of Qualification in Test Use. • One member of staff is now a qualified ADHD Life Coach. • One member of staff completed a Master’s degree in Special and Inclusive Education. • Two members of staff completed a Master’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies in Education. • Seven members of staff took on courses by Dyslexia Action covering a number of topics, including: Structured, cumulative multisensory tuition for learners with Dyslexia; supporting learners with memory weakness; developing numeracy skills in learners with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia; and developing reading skills in learners with Dyslexia. • Four members of staff completed a short professional development course on the Jolly Grammar Programme. Communication and Collaboration Consistency of message and clarity of communication was last year, and will continue to be, a focus for the department. In addition to the annually updated Additional Educational Needs Department Procedures Handbook, which is shared with all members of staff at ABS, the AEND also developed an intradepartmental AEND Teacher Reference Handbook to ensure consistency and clarity and help with the induction of any new staff. The Director and Coordinators also worked on updating the AEND student profiles. Profiles are living documents shared with the student’s teacher and Head of School at the start of the year to support transition and ensure access is facilitated from day one in their new grade. The update now includes more detailed information on the student’s area of need and subject specific information for core subjects. A list of learning strategies, taken from the IBO’s Meeting Student Diversity in the Classroom (Removing barriers to learning) booklet, published December 2019, also accompanies each profile after being curated specifically to each student.
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Additional Educational Needs
COVID19 Response Flexibility and adaptability were the Department’s motto as we navigated the unchartered terrain of supporting learners from a distance. The switch for MYS students was almost seamless as we had been trained on the use of Microsoft Teams along with MYS staff in early March, an adapted timetable was created and students began receiving support right away. With Primary School students the AEND worked with the PLT to stay in line with their progression of delivery. The first two weeks of online learning revision work focused on consolidating skills the students had been working on with their AEND teachers before moving to online learning. The next step was to use individualized PowerPoint Presentations with teacher voiceovers before finally using Microsoft Teams to work with students on meeting the goals of their Individualized Educational Plans. Team meetings were also held consistently through Microsoft Teams, where we shared good practice, updated staff on procedures and checked in on each other. Dima Masri MAEdL, BA, PGD Director of Additional Educational Needs
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Staff Professional Development
Professional Development at ABS has always been a strength that attracts many excellent educators who see the school as an excellent place for professional growth. ABS places a significant emphasis on professional development as a way to continuously improve the quality of teaching and learning in the school. A generous budget per academic year is specifically allocated for ABS teaching and non-teaching staff professional development. The Professional Development Committee decides on the priorities and the needs of the staff. There is a policy and its associated practices that are effectively implemented to ensure equity and transparency. Allocation of PD opportunities is linked to the school’s strategic plan, the outcomes of the teaching and learning audits, self-evaluation and appraisal process in addition to the areas that have been identified by the accreditation agencies such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Council of international schools (CIS). Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, many professional development opportunities that took place during the last 3 months of the academic year were taken online.
Primary school - - - - -
1 counselor attended Substance Prevention Workshop; 3 teachers attended the Classroom Calendar & High Behavioral Expectations workshop at QRTA; 13 teachers attended the ADHD Conference in Amman; 9 teachers registered at the ISTE (ICT Skills) online workshop; 5 teachers took the University of Bath University unit.
Middle Years School - - - - - - - - -
1 counselor attended the Substance Prevention Workshop; 4 teachers took IB MYP online workshops; 1 teacher took a CIS Evaluator workshop; 2 teachers attended the Alan November workshop; 2 teachers attended the Classroom Calendar and High Behavioral Expectations at QRTA; 5 teachers attended the ADHD conference; 1 teacher attended the Ta’alem – IB MYP Approaches to learning workshop; 9 teachers registered for the ISTE (ICT Skills) online workshop; 4 teachers took the University of Bath University unit.
IB College - - - - - - - - -
1 counselor attended the Substance Prevention workshop; 4 teachers attended an IB Diploma online course; 2 teachers travelled to attend IB Diploma workshops in Coventry, UK; 1 teacher attended Alan November workshop; 1 teacher attended the Classroom Calendar and High Behavioral Expectations at QRTA; 1 teacher attended the ADHD Conference; 1 teacher attended an IBICUS IB DP workshop in Prague; 1 counselor attended Inclusion and Wellbeing workshop in Dubai; 2 teachers attended the University of Bath unit.
Non-Teaching Staff -
4 staff took local courses related to their specific responsibilities.
Whole School Departments - - - - -
10 staff took the Leadership in Education Session by Malcom Nicolson; 4 teachers took the online training Jolly Grammar; 3 teachers attended the ADHD conference; 6 teachers took online courses; 2 staff took the online ISTE workshop.
Representation
-
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4 staff members attended a CIS conference, the World Science Forum in Budapest, a Round Square meeting in India and the University of Cambridge Guidance Counselor Conference.
Co-Curricular Activities
Co-Curricular Activities COMMUNITY SERVICE AND CAS PROGRAMME ABS always strives to expand students’ learning experiences by offering a variety of service projects within the curriculum, after school, on Saturdays, and during free time. Unfortunately, due to external limitations, the co-curricular programme was limited in 2019/20. Local overnight and international trips were prohibited this year due to changes made from government directive. However, where we could, ABS continued to provide some activities online. ABS successfully collaborated with many local, regional, and international organisations to successfully accomplish this. Grade 10 students visited the Bunayat Centre for Special Education to learn more about the school’s mission, and to serve the students there. Students in Grades 11 and 12 completed a wide variety of CAS projects, overall 25 projects. Some examples include developing an online platform to allow students to speak freely about civic reform and engagement, raising awareness about learning difficulties, mental health and the psychological effect of war on children. Students also worked with refugees in the Gaza Camp. Further to this, students engaged in many “green” projects such as the Shop Green Project replacing plastic bags with cloth bags. El Hassan Youth Award Unfortunately, all trips for the Bronze and Gold Award were unable to take place. However, over 70 students from Grade 10 successfully participated and completed the Silver Award.
Round Square Round Square continued to be an important co-curricular experience with approximately 30 students were involved in the Round Square Leadership Team and club during the academic year. They held weekly meetings where they prepared for bake sales and the Leadership Summit, as well as weekly club meetings which focussed on helping students explore the IDEALS. Further to this, RS students raised money for the Prince Alexander Fund, which supports RW global service projects. RS students engaged in a number of local community projects. Example includes the SOS Christmas Tree Wish project providing orphans a chance to receive a present. RS students also explored and learned more about the benefits of organic farming at Mujeb Farms. Ten RS students also represented ABS in the Round Square International Summit in Indore, India. Most notably, ABS RS students developed an international safety video about COVID 19 involving students from around the world. and learned more about the benefits of organic farming at Mujeb Farms.
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Co-Curricular Activities
What Really Matters Congress Twenty ABS students from G10-11 took part in the first “What Really Matters� Congress held in the Arab world, and in Arabic, on Sunday, September 15 ,2019 at the Royal Cultural Palace, Al Hussein Youth City, under the Patronage of HRH Crown Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah. They were among 1500 high school students from public and private schools in Amman, as well as students from UNICEF schools and refugee camps around Jordan. The students listened to inspirational lectures by special guest speakers who shared the personal challenges they overcame and their successful initiatives which help make this a better world for all. Model United Nations In-House: Weekly MUN training took place for Grades 8-10 to prepare them for local and international conferences and AMMUN. In addition, weekly meetings were held for over 110 students in Grades 6-7 to prepare them for participation in MUN conferences in Grade 8. Local Conferences: ABS sent approximately 100 delegates to MUN conferences at local schools. AMMUN XVIII: was an outstanding conference organised by the AMMUN Team. Approximately 110 students participated from 8 international and 11 local schools. International Conferences: ABS sent 14 delegates to THIMUN in The Hague, where they held leadership positions including Deputy Secretary General and Chair. Russell Peagram, BSc Geography (PGCE) Director of Operations
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Athletics
Athletics Structural changes • The ABS Estate Management team conducted structure changes to the heating system to ensure the gymnastics area will remain appropriately heated during cold weather. •
Main Gym: During the winter season of 2019-2020, a leak in the Main Gym caused major damage to the wood flooring of the basketball courts. The Maintenance Department repaired the leak in the ceiling and the wood floors. Due to the unavailability of the same kind of wood, a different wood was used. This was sufficient as a temporary fix, but should be reassessed for usability and safety as soon as possible.
Partnerships • FC Barcelona: This year, the FC Barca Academy grew to over 100 members and has become a very important partner. •
Tennis Academy: Our partnership with The Modern Tennis Academy ended on April 1st, 2020. A new contract will be signed with The Tennis Academy in the coming weeks.
Memberships • Amman Athletic Conference (AAC): ABS continues to be a leading member of our local league, the Amman Athletics Conference. • OASIS Activities Conference (OAC): ABS continues as a full member of the international OASIS Conference. During a virtual meeting in April 2020, and due to the Covid 19 circumstances, all tournaments in Season 1 of 2020/2021 school year will be cancelled. Season 2 tournaments will be decided in a virtual meeting in December 2020.
Fundraising • In partnership with the Booster Club, the Athletic Department raised over JOD17,757 through the Annual ABS 8 Hour Marathon. •
Unfortunately, in partnership with the Wings of Hope Society, we had to cancel the annual Wings of Hope Basketball Tournament that helps their programme of social and welfare assistance to underprivileged people in Jordan. We hope to see this back at ABS for 2020/21.
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Athletics
Facility Rentals • With the help of a dedicated member of staff to oversee the rentals of our sports facilities, ABS recorded, up to March the strongest rental financials to date. 2019/20 School Teams Performance Review • We offered over 35 teams across seven sports (Football / Basketball / Volleyball / Track & Field / Badminton / Gymnastics / Tennis) • More than 500 students showed commitment to various ABS teams during the time that they were able to participate.
Stallions Academy •
The Stallions Academy continued to grow as more activities were on offer than any other year, including options for Grades 4 & 5
• • •
In total, 17 different activities were offered during Term 2. More than 170 students participated from KG1 to Grade 5 during Season one. During Season 2, approximately 180 students were signed up and began participating until school closure in March.
Russell Peagram BSc, PGCE Director of Operations
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Booster Club
Booster Club The year 2019/20 was a very busy and productive year for the Booster Club. It was formed as an advisory body so as to assist the Athletic Department in tournaments and fixtures and also provides support for fundraising activities. The Booster Club is a voluntary organisation and so we would like to thank its members for their time and commitment for such an important part of our Home-School Partnership at ABS. Major Achievements • Organising and running the Annual ABS 8 Hour Marathon which raised over JOD 17,757. • The Booster Club had planned to fund a new scoreboard for the Indoor Main Gym, with an approximate cost of JOD 10,000, but was unable to complete due to school closure. On behalf of the entire ABS community, we would like to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to all parent volunteers in the Booster Club, who generously gave their time to ensure that the ABS Athletic Department continues to improve. Russell Peagram BSc, PGCE Director of Whole School Student Achievement and Wellbeing
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Community Engagement
As part of ABS’s social responsibility towards its local community, the school continued to organise activities within the restrictions of the Ministry of Education’s directive of banning external trips that was prevailing during the first semester, and during the lock-down period. There were several initiatives and activities that promote the sense of community within the school, and at the same time raise funds to support organisations and individuals in the local community. Revenue is usually generated from Student Council and PTA events, normal clothes days, Model United Nations, bake sales and other activities.
During 2019-2020, ABS supported its community through the following: • Winter Warmth Appeal: Fundraising, buying and donating around 800 winter jackets to students in a school for the Blind in Marka Amman, to students in a public school in Jerash and to familie s in villages at the south of Jordan. • Supporting orphans through the AMAN initiative by providing them with the means to pay for their education after leaving the orphanage. • Supporting several individuals from the local community whose needs are identified and authenticated. Such needs included food items and access to education. • Supporting the sales of calendars for the Palestinian Culture Center. • Providing general maintenance to an adopted public school in Madaba, painting it and adding shaded areas. • Fundraising to support Himmetna Campaign to improve the Oncology Department at Al Bashir Hospital. • Planting trees at Al Hussein Park. • Donating gifts through the SOS Christmas wishing tree. • Working at Tikiyet Um Ali to provide food to the less privilidged sectors. • Participating in the Zero Waste project to collect and recylce plastic waste from the school and from neighbourhoods. • Working at the Mujeb organic farms. • Donating sports equipment to two local schools in Fuheis.
The above are just examples of ABS’s contributions to its community. We would like to thank the students, staff and parents for their generosity and commitment to supporting their wider community. Bassma Marji Nimri Principal
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Overview of Income and Expenditure
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Master Plan and Premises
Project
Notes
Heating network in the Sports Complex
This work was conducted to ensure our heating system works reliably in the gymnastics practice areas.
Enhancing the main gym ceiling
To ensure the main gymnasium ceiling can fully withstand all weather conditions, the rooftop was examined and refurbished.(The ceiling was fixed by supporting steel bars between the sandwich panels joints)
Replaced
the
washbasins
in
the
A routine upgrade was made for health and safety.
Sports Complex (Replacing six Granite countertops with twelve washbasins in the sport complex and building B Removing the concrete planters in the MYS
In order to improve the wellbeing of MYS students, the
Garden
concrete planters were removed, whilst introducing more shade for students to enjoy a larger area to use.
Building C (Primary School Grades 1-3)
As part of the ongoing refurbishment plan, the basement
enhancement on the basement floor and
floor of Building C was refurnished with new tiles.
classroom
Further to this, two offices were demolished to make
construction
way for two new classrooms to improve classroom ventilation. In the centre area, we created a new Media Centre. Conversion of the IB Collage staffroom
IB College staff can now use a door from the staffroom
window into a door to create a staff garden.
to enjoy the garden area. This is a strategic decision for staff wellbeing.
Separation of four classrooms on the Third
In order to use the learning spaces on the top floor
Floor in Building A.
of Building A, the IT Labs were separated to be used as dedicated classrooms to allow for a redesigned timetable in 2020/21 to maximise physical distancing.
The Creche Store Room was upgraded with
Due to humidity, ABS upgraded the Creche Store Room
new tiles and refurbishment.
to ensure all items are stored in a healthy and clean environment.
Routine maintenance continued this year and as always, there is a high degree of attention to health and safety. The Estate Management Team worked very effectively this summer to complete the major project in the basement floor of Building C, to create two new classrooms and complete the new Media Centre. Russell Peagram BSc Geography (PGCE) Director of Operations
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