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House System Over the course of each academic year, students will participate in a wide range of individual and team events as well as inter-house competitions. STUDENTS Awards and Incentives House System School Day Student Council All students are allocated to one of four Houses. When a student enrols at AWIS, they will be assigned to a certain house, in which they will remain throughout their entire enrolment. Over the course of each academic year, students will participate in a wide range of individual and team events as well as inter-house competitions. Every activity and competition presents an opportunity for students to earn points for their respective house. At the end of each year, the house that has accrued the most points will be declared the winner. Our houses are named after animals found in Qatar: Red Falcons Blue Dugongs Yellow Camels Green Oryx Each year two students from Year 5 and 6 are appointed as House Captains for each house team. Being a House Captain is a great stepping stone for developing leadership skills and public speaking abilities

Christine Macnamara Yr.2 Class Teacher & KS1 Lead

Awards and Incentives Student effort and attainment is celebrated at all levels; from the smallest reward stickers and Class Dojo points through to major rewards evenings. STUDENTS Awards and Incentives House System School Day Student Council We celebrate student learning, developing a positive and ambitious learning environment. Class Dojo Class Dojo is used as a positive reward system in school. Children are allocated a Dojo monster and are rewarded when a teacher in school sees them demonstrating an IPC Personal Learning Goal. These Learning Goals are embedded consistently throughout the school and all teachers follow the same guidelines. Dojos are rewarded to children that have been: Adaptable Ethical Resilient Thinkers Collaborators Communicators Empathetic Respectful Children can spend their Dojo points on a reward of their choice. These rewards, for example, could include extra playtime, a homework pass or lunch with the Teacher or Principal and will be valued accordingly. These points will then be subtracted from their total Class Dojo points. Class Dojo points will never be taken away for negative behaviour. We have a positive Behaviour Policy in place which includes steps such as timeout and communicating to parents. Our aim is always to encourage the children to make the right choices, and we appreciate parental support in helping to achieve this. Star of the Week As a school we place great emphasis on the IPC Personal Learning Goals . Star of the Week certificates will be awarded when a child has excelled in a particular IPC Personal Learning Goal. These are shared in the weekly assembly. Receiving a certificate allows a child to get two Dojo points for that learning goal. Student Rewards Special events are organised throughout the year to reward behaviour and celebrate achievement. These include movie nights, camp outs, splash days and special out-of-school trips. Student Leaders Student Leaders are elected each year from Milepost 3 students. They ensure a student voice, and gain valuable opportunities to develop leadership skills

Kim Puckeridge Yr.4 Class Teacher

Perrie-Jay Morris Yr.2 Class Teacher

Deborah Brady FS1 Class Teacher & ECA Coordinator

Sharon Kay Principal The founding Principal of AWIS, with vast experience of international education and a long-term resident of Doha After graduating from Northern College of Education, now part of Aberdeen University, I started my teaching career in Scotland. In 1997, I accepted a teaching role in a large International School in Qatar. This opened up a world of diversity and differing cultures that I savour to this day. Qatar then became my ‘home-from-home’, and after a short period in Oman I was asked to return to be part of the founding team at AWIS. At AWIS we offer a distinct experience from other schools in Doha. We believe that a combination of the finest curriculum, an inclusive and supportive environment, an international focus, and the individual development of each and every child is the bedrock for instilling a love of learning that will challenge your child to develop new ways of thinking and encourage them to question their world. We will raise their expectations of their own future and empower them to influence the paths of others. We have created a learning community where our students are continually motivated by the challenging and diverse learning opportunities provided by our highly experienced teaching and support staff, and where our parents feel they are given sufficient information to support their child in school. We pride ourselves on our open door policy for parents and will always review and act on, when appropriate, concerns raised. The school delivers an all-round education for every child, placing the learner at the centre of everything we do. We look forward to you joining this journey with us. Kind regards Sharon Kay Principal

Application Process Our busiest student intake time is January to May each year, which is when the bulk of the intake for the following academic year is processed. Places are limited, so you are advised to apply early. ADMISSIONS Requirements Application Process Assessment School Fees The essential first step is to register with us by completing our online Expression of Interest Form We accept student applications throughout the year. The general process is: 1. Complete the Expression of Interest Form The first step is to complete our brief online Expression of Interest form . This is quick to complete and is without any obligation on your part, but gives us the basic details for you and your child. It ensures you will be contacted by our Admissions Team when we next have an Open Day or run some new student assessments. Please note that the time between completing the form and being called for assessment varies enormously, depending upon the time of year and whether we expect to have vacancies in the year group you are applying for. 2. School Tour You will be invited in to school to meet the Admissions Team, tour the school, and ask any questions you might have. 3. Student Assessment All students are assessed, to ensure AWIS is the right school for them and that they are applying for a suitable year group. Parents will be notified in advance with details on time and date, as well as an overview of what to expect. Where possible, the School Tour and the Assessment are combined in to a single visit to the school. The QAR500 Assessment Fee is payable at the time of the assessment. 4. Assessment Result Results are typically emailed to parents within 2 or 3 days of the assessment. This will normally be either: a firm offer of a place in school, with a confirmed year group and start date confirmation of a successful outcome in the assessment, but remaining on the waiting list until a firm offer of a start date can be confirmed. Note we do not assess students unless there is a realistic prospect of a place becoming available in the near future a regret that we are unable to offer a place 5. Acceptance of Offer Where a place is offered, the offer is valid for one week. If it is not accepted within that time the offer lapses so that we can accept the next person of our waiting list. To accept the offer of a place, parents are required to pay the Registration Fee to guarantee their child's place. 6. Before Starting An AWIS Application Form must be fully completed, signed and submitted to the School Office before a child can be allowed to commence school. More detailed information on the supporting documentation that needs to be provided with the Application Form can be found on our Admission Requirements page . Application form .pdf Download PDF • 264KB

The curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of additional activities (ECA's). Extra-Curricula Activities We offer a mixture of teacher led activities and activities provided by external providers, to ensure there is something of interest for everybody. Activities change from time-to-time, while others are seasonal. LEARNING Year Groups Curriculum Learning Approach Student Assessment Extra-Curricula Activities Gain "real world" skills through a range of activities. We offer a range of varied and frequently changing Extra-Curricular Activities (ECA's). Typical examples are shown below: Internal ECA's Our teacher led activities are provided free of charge for our Year 1 - 6 students and are driven by our educational goals. These activities typically take place between 14:00 and 15:00, and are run by our dedicated teaching staff. They are not held every school week but are usually delivered in blocks of five weeks to allow for a variety of opportunities throughout the year. Children are limitted to enroling in no more than one teacher led activity, as places are limited. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Typical examples include football, sports, ICT skills and singing. External ECA's Extra-Curricular Activities are also provided by various outside agencies, and come at an additional cost. The choice of activities is diverse, catering to the varied interests of our students, and providing opportunities for them to explore new skills and hobbies. Examples from the past include: Fitness Funsters WeDo 2.0 Tennis & Badminton Martial Arts Ballet Science

Children are grouped into Year Groups and Key Stages, in accordance with the English National Curriculum Year Groups Children are placed in Year Groups, according to age. These Year Groups range from Foundation Stage 1 for the youngest children (3-4 year olds) to Year 6 ( for 10-11 year olds) LEARNING Year Groups Curriculum Learning Approach Student Assessment Extra-Curricula Activities Our Year Groups align with the English National Curriculum. As a Primary School, our children range in age from 3 to 11 years of age. Under the English National Curriculum, children are assigned to Year Groups according to their age. This is similar to 'Grades' in the U.S. system, but does not align exactly. Year Groups are further grouped into Key Stages, as follows: Foundation Stage 1 and 2: Early Years Year 1 to Year 2: Key Stage 1 Year 3 to Year 6: Key Stage 2 We typically have 2 parrallel classes per Year Group. So by child age, this becomes: 3 - 4 years old: Foundation Stage 1 (FS1) / Early Years 4 - 5 years old: Foundation Stage 2 (FS2) / Early Years 5 - 6 years old: Year 1 / Key Stage 1 6 - 7 years old: Year 2 / Key Stage 1 7 - 8 years old: Year 3 / Key Stage 2 8 - 9 years old: Year 4 / Key Stage 2 9 - 10 years old: Year 5 / Key Stage 2 10 - 11 years old: Year 6 / Key Stage 2

Arlene Luce Teaching Assistant Key Stage 1

Requirements for Joining an International School Published: 1 December 2022 Learn in advance all the paperwork required to join an international school in Qatar The information in this article is supplied for parents in good faith. It is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of publication. All rules are subject to change, and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education together with other relevant government departments remain the ultimate authority in these matters. AWIS cannot be held liable for the consequences of any error or omissions in this article. Admissions Process All schools administer their own application and admissions process, so requirements will differ from school-to-school. However, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Qatar (MoEHE) require all international schools to upload details of students and their parents to a central system. They require us to collect some very specific documentation from parents, before a new student is allowed in to school. The purpose of this article is to ensure parents are aware in advance of these requirements. They are advised to gather all necessary documentation before leaving their home country (including having documents attested, where required). Parents should have realistic expectations of the timeline between arriving in Qatar and their children being able to attend school. Your future employer in Qatar should be able to assist you with this. The information below is provided as a simple list, for ease of reference: A: Before Leaving Home 1. Most Recent School Report: If a student has attended a school previously (in Year 1 or above), be sure to bring a copy of their latest school report with you. If this report is from outside Qatar, it must be attested in exactly the same process you will be required to follow for having your educational qualifications attested. For example, in the UK this would require that the report is: signed and stamped by the school attested by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office stamped by the Qatar Embassy in London This can be a slow (and expensive) process, so allow plenty of time before departure. There are various agents who can assist with the process, and your new employer in Qatar should be able to offer guidance. 2. Immunisation Record Schools will ask for a copy of your child's immunisation record. Make sure you bring this with you, although (unlike the school report) it does not currently have to be officially certified. 3. Birth Certificate As above, be sure to bring birth certificates of the children with you. B: On Arrival in Qatar 1. Complete the Attestation Process The process for having your own paperwork attested, for employment purposes, needs to be completed once you arrive in Qatar. Your employer in Qatar will have made clear to you before leaving your home country exactly what paperwork is required (it is typically the degree certificate and degree transcript of the employee, but may include other documents). Once in Qatar, these documents have to be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Doha to be stamped (qualifications also have to be translated in to Arabic). Some employers will ask you to do this yourself, while many will organise this on your behalf. If travelling with children aged 7+, it is important to include the attested copy of their most recent school report (see item A1 above) is included in the bundle of documents to go to MoFA. 2. Qatar ID On arrival in Qatar, your employer will apply for residence permits for the whole family. The end result is each family member being issued a Qatar ID. The normal process is to first apply for the employee. Then, only once the Qatar ID of the employee has been received, the company starts the process for the other family members. Ensure you understand from your employer in Qatar how long they expect this process to take. Timings do vary considerably, and any delays will prevent your children starting at school. 3. Letter of Employment Schools are required to hold a Letter of Employment on file for a parent of each student we register. This is a letter, written by your employer, stating that the child's sponsor (usually one of the parents), is in full time employment. This letter is required regardless of whether the school fees will be paid by the employer or the parents. It is a standard requirement for all students entering international schools in Qatar, so it is likely your employer will have a proforma template available. 4. Medical Report Students joining Foundation Stage or Year 1 are required to submit a "Fit to Join" Certificate (School Entry Health Assessment Certificate). This certificate can only be issued by Government Health Centres across Qatar that fall under the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC). This entails a brief physician's examination, dental checkup, and a blood test. Call 107 (from within Qatar) to book an appointment. Please note that you will be asked to provide the child's health card number. You will then be able to choose a convenient date and time from the available time slots. On the day of the appointment, and after the physician's assessment is completed, you may collect the "Fit to Join School" certificate and the student's health record from the main reception of the health centre. The whole process takes around two hours. C: Choosing and Applying to a School A search on Google will quickly confirm that Qatar has a wide range of international schools available, covering many different curricula and price points. Selecting the one that best fits your needs is deeply personal. However, do remember to consider: Travel time from your house (or work). Peak Doha traffic can be problematic! Reputation and word of mouth. There are multiple online forums for expat mums and new arrivals to Qatar, where the alternatives are endlessly discussed. School ethos and culture are important. Visit your shortlisted schools to form your own view, before committing. Not all "international schools" are really international, and not all "British curriculum schools" follow a curriculum people from the UK would recognise as British. Be sceptical! The application process varies from school-to-school, so you need to contact each of them or research their websites. It typically entails an interview and/or assessment test, carried out on the school site. Some schools will make special arrangements for children not yet in the country. The admissions process typically starts in January/February each year, with the majority completed by June, ready for the following academic (which typically starts in mid to late August). Most schools continue to accept new students after the close of the main admissions process, and in to the academic year. However, the better schools will typically have very limited places available (specific year groups). If you know your children will not be in Qatar, with all the required paperwork completed, until after the main school admissions process is completed, you should consider opening a dialogue with a few potential schools before you arrive in Doha. Finally, be aware that the MoEHE often locks their student database midway through the academic year. This makes it very difficult for any international schools to accept new students after this cut-off, as we have to apply to MoEHE for special dispensation on a case-by-case basis. Unfortunately, the cut-off date varies from year-to-year, but is typically around March. Document Checklist By way of example, the list of documents we require here at AWIS, for a student joining us from overseas, is shown below. Note that not all are required at the start of the application process: many can be deferred until after a firm offer of a place has been accepted. ◽ Completed AWIS Application Form ◽ Qatar ID of student ◽ Passport of student ◽ Qatar ID of both parents ◽ 2 x passport photos of student (or a digital image) ◽ Immunisation record of the student ◽ Attested copy of most recent school report (if joining from outside Qatar, in Year 2 or above) ◽ Medical report (School Entry Health Assessment Certificate) - if joining FS or Year 1 ◽ Letter of employment from parent's employer in Qatar