Dear Middle School Parent(s), 

We're almost halfway through the year! This Friday marks the end of Semester 1. As we approach this milestone and you reflect on the journey, you may have noticed your child facing some challenges. As a parent, it’s completely natural to want to step in and fix things or ease their discomfort—but I encourage you to resist that urge!

Instead, try asking thoughtful questions to guide your child toward finding their own solutions and next steps. Struggle is a powerful teacher, helping to build resilience and perseverance—skills that will serve them throughout life.

If this thinking resonates with you, consider reading the article "7 Reasons Why It’s Important to Let Your Kids Struggle". Embrace the role of the guide and cheerleader, and watch your child grow stronger through the process!

In partnership, 

Beth

Important Dates: Mark your calendars! 

• January 24: Last day of Semester 1
• January 27: First day of Semester 2
• January 30: Middle School New Parent Coffee: New Mezzanine, 8:45
• January 30: PowerSchool is closed to parents and students as we finalize report cards
• February 6: ARTScapade
• February 7: Report cards are complete and viewable on PowerSchool
• February 7: Half-Day 12:00 dismissal for students for Staff Professional Development

Friday, January 24: Color House Represent Day - bring on the red, blue and yellow!
Encourage your child to wear their Color House shirt or Color House color tomorrow, Friday January 24. The Color House with the highest percentage turnout wins! 

Valentine’s Day Pet Photo Competition! Cuteness Alert 
Your child is encouraged to join in the fun. Here’s how your child can participate:

• Fill out this Google Form and submit a photo of your pet in their cutest Valentine’s Day gear.
• Your Google Form submission will need to be done by February 7!
• Once we have the photos, Middle School students will be able to vote for the cutest pet from each Color House during the week of Valentine’s Day.
• The three winning photos will be announced at the Middle School Assembly on February 21. 

Teacher-Parent Partnership: 
Thank you for your partnership in educating your child. As we come to the end of the semester, teachers are working diligently to wrap up the marking period. If you hear from a teacher about your child, please respond in partnership. 

Attention Grade 8 parents - Mark your March Calendar: Grade 8 parent meeting regarding Grade 9 registration and Grade 9 Information
On Tuesday, March 4 from 18:30-20:00 the ASH High School Counselors and Principal with the support of our own counseling team, will share information about registering for classes in grade 9.

Upcoming Dates

• Thursday, January 23, 16:30, New Mezzanine: Assessment Working Group
• Thursday, January 23, 18:00 - 19:30, Theater: AP/IB Information Overview and University Information Session for parents and students Grade 10
• Thursday, January 30, 8:45, New Mezzanine: Parent Coffee for New Families
• Friday, February 5 - by the end of the day: Semester 1 Report Cards available on Powerschool
• Thursday, February 6: ARTScapade
• Friday, February 7: Career Quest
• Friday, February 7: Half-Day 12:00 dismissal for students for Staff Professional Development
• Tuesday, February 11: School Photos for new students and students who were absent during the first round in October
• Thursday, February 20, 18:00: we are offering our High School Parent Coffee later in the day to meet schedule demands (agenda to be determined) 

Reassessment Policy 
We wanted to inform you about an important update to our reassessment policy. Initially, we had to make changes for Semester 2 because the high volume of reassessments, with many students opting to reassess most assignments, created logistical challenges that made it difficult to support both students and teachers effectively. This situation was not in the best interest of students, as it limited their ability to focus on new learning and placed an excessive workload on teachers. 

After sharing the initial changes, we gathered valuable feedback from students, teachers, and parents, which helped us refine the policy further. The primary concern raised was the grade cap restriction (C- or below) for eligibility to reassess. In response, we have removed the grade cap, allowing all students the opportunity to reassess up to two times per semester per course. In this revised policy, the reassessment grade will fully replace the original assessment grade, ensuring fairness and encouraging mastery of the material. We believe this adjustment strikes the right balance and provides equitable opportunities for all students to succeed.

Assessment & Reporting in HS 2025-26
We understand there has been some confusion around the proposed changes to assessment and feedback in the High School for 2025-26. We hope the following information helps to clarify these changes:

• The High School will provide feedback aligned to standards (Beginning, Developing, Meeting, Extending) on assignments for student in non-AP/IB classes in the high school
• All students will continue to receive a grade on their semester reports and transcripts
• The parent working group will explore grade scales e.g. A+-F, 1-7, 1-5. Any change in grade scale will NOT impact current grade 11 students

In summary: 

If you would like to read a couple of articles on why we are moving to Standards Based Feedback you can look at these;

Article 1|
Article 2

Students will continue to receive a grade for each course at progress reporting dates and the end of each semester 

Career Quest - February 7
On February 7, we will run a career and pathways morning for all students to offer insights into diverse career fields, course offerings and exploration into interests, strengths, and potential career trajectories. We will run a special schedule that allows for three 50-minute blocks from 8:30-12:00. All students are expected to attend this morning. 

The purpose is to connect students with the information they need to make informed decisions about their courses and pathways to meet their postsecondary goals

This event will include: 

• Opportunities for students to engage with alumni and parents to gain firsthand knowledge about various industries and educational pathways. If interested in sharing your story, please sign up here. We are looking for 2-3 more speakers. If you have any questions, please email Erin Findlay at efindlay@ash.nl 
• Strengths/Interests Profiler dive and debrief
• Course fair including a visual display and Q&A with Learning Leaders 
• Overview insight into ASH/IB/AP pathways
• Life Skills workshops
• Preparation for college including navigating university websites, countries and systems for applications, essay writing and CV development

Essentially, it is our hope to create a space for a variety of sessions that empower our students to align their interests and academic choices with their long-term career goals. 

From the High School Counseling Office
Parents of Grade 10 students, we hope to see you tonight at 18:00 in the Theater for the AP/IB Course Selection & University Information Session. 

Senior semester 1 transcripts will be sent to US universities when they are finalized the first week of February.  As your senior student completes applications and receives application decisions from universities, please ask them to update MaiaLearning and their counselor so that we can continue to support them.

Thank you to all the families who came to last week’s Grade 11 University Information Evening. The information is available to students in Maia Learning and you can see the slides & video from the evening via the following links: the slides and the video.

Be sure to check out the Summer Programs tab on our HS Counseling Upcoming Events as many have application deadlines coming up soon. As always, we update this document as we get new information on university visits at ASH, Open Days, online information sessions, and more–so be sure to bookmark it for future reference.

Trojan Swim Team Shout-Outs: A huge congratulations to Nina and Violetta for their incredible achievements at last weekend’s Swim Gala hosted by BSN! Both of these Trojans not only won their events, but set new ASH records!

• Nina won gold in both the 50 SC Meter Freestyle & 50 SC Meter Backstroke.
• Violetta earned gold in the 100 SC Meter Butterfly & 50 SC Meter Butterfly.

Their outstanding performances contributed to ASH securing 5th place overall out of 9 teams. Way to go, Trojans! 

Come Cheer on Our JV Basketball Teams: Trojan Fans, get ready for an exciting weekend of basketball! Our JV Girls & Boys teams will hit the ASH court in friendly matches against teams from 5 international schools across Europe. Let’s pack the stands and show our ASH pride! 

When: This weekend - check the Game Schedule for times
Where: ASH Sport Hall

We need you! Volunteering as a concession helper is a fun way to get involved and make sure our fans and athletes are well-fueled. Sign up with friends or come solo; everyone is welcome! Volunteer Sign Up 

Bring your energy, your voices, and your ASH spirit—let's make it a fantastic weekend. All are welcome! 

What’s ahead?
Click here to see what’s coming up, and click here to sign up to volunteer at our concession stand during one of our many home games this season. Thank you very much to those of you who have already signed up to help. We appreciate you!

New Trojan Merchandise from the Trojan Club
Have you seen the new Trojan apparel? Check out the new merchandise here and place your orders here.