The First Day of 6th Grade

Abbey started 6th grade today at a charter school here in Davis County.  It was kind of an unexpected turn of events because I had totally forgotten about submitting her name to Wasatch Peak Academy at the beginning of the summer.  Abbey's long-time friend Cloe and her sisters attend Wasatch Peak and they love it, plus it has the stamp of approval from their mom Jacque.  I just thought I would submit Abbey's name and see what happened.  Then I forgot about it.

Well, last Wednesday afternoon, six days before school starts, I received a call from the secretary at Wasatch, asking if we were interested in an open spot in 6th grade.  I didn't know what to say, especially because we only had a few hours to make the decision.  I was told I could let the school know of our decision the next morning.

So we did our research, talked to Jacque and her girls and talked to other neighbors who work at our neighborhood school.  There was a lot of information to take in and sift through. It seemed like we couldn't go wrong either way.  When Brett got home from work the three of us put our heads together that night and discussed the pros and cons.  Brett and I knew that ultimately it would be Abbey's decision because, not only would she be going to a charter school and wearing a uniform every day, she would be starting over with this move home and was already pretty stressed about making new friends and feeling welcome in her new school, whichever one it was.

After our family pow wow and fervent prayers, Abbey decided she wanted to spend her last year of elementary at Wasatch Peak Academy.  We had to rush around to get everything arranged and find stores with uniforms still on the shelves but it was worth it.  We even got to meet the Piano Guys at the Gateway after we finished our shopping!  I think it will be a great year for Abbey, a year to get more fully prepared for junior high.  Her new teacher, Mrs. Williams, has a fine reputation, and the bonus is that she is super tall, just like Abbey, and seems fun as well as no nonsense.

Meeting the Piano Guys at Gateway

 This is how far she has come.

 Checking out the new school after the big decision

Yes, she was ready to become a Wasatch Peak Academy Patriot

 Abbey looked so cute in the uniform!

She indulged me again with picture taking at the school this morning, but I think the hug at the classroom door really was too much for her.  I doubt I will be able to do all this next year in junior high.

Mrs. Williams is a former U of U Women's Basketball team member and has no problem with her height.  She even highlights it with her VERY high heels!

When Abbey got home today she was pretty tired and didn't know what to think of her first day.  She said she had made a couple of new friends and likes her teacher, but she said it might be a boring year.  But as the day wore on and we went to the store for school supplies, her excitement for tomorrow started to build.

So now Abbey has gone from being an ASD Dragon as an expat to being an ex-expat and a Wasatch Peak Academy Patriot.  Here's to another great year of learning and growing.  I just wonder if she will grow in height as much as she did last year in 5th grade - watch out Mrs. Williams!

 This was taken on the first day of 5th Grade, September 2011.

This was taken in June 2012, and yes, Abbey Kearney is taller than her teacher Miss Abbie Taylor.

Seussical the Musical

The American School of Doha is an amazing place for children to experience the arts.  Abbey just finished participating in the 5th Grade musical.  They did Seussical this year and it was fantastic.  Geoff Heney, one of the assistant principals at the elementary, directed the play, and I have to say he is brilliant at EVERYTHING, especially helping children feel great about themselves.  He really outdid himself with this production and inspiring these kids to tap into their best work.  The music was impressive as well as the costumes and sets.  I don't know who was in charge of the costumes, but whoever it was got the "Who People" perfectly.  The mayor's wife had to be my favorite. The student who played the part of the Sour Kangaroo had a remarkable voice and belted our her parts like a professional.  I kept having to remind myself that these were 5th graders.

Mr. Heney

Because my sweet Abigail is not fond of being up in front of audiences, she decided not to try out for any of the cast parts.  She really enjoyed being in the chorus and supporting the play with her voice, and even with her dread of the spotlight, she wasn't that disappointed when she got to be on the front row during the production and hold a candle during the "Solla Sollew" number (I think she is a closet performer like her mom).

 Morgan and Abbey

Brynn and Abbey

Another school year is almost at an end and it seems to have flown by.  As I watched my tall, beautiful daughter perform I had to marvel at how much she has grown since we came to Qatar in 2008.  She was in 2nd grade then and so shy her teacher Miss Verhoye was worried about her.  But she blossomed with the help of so many professionals at ASD, especially Miss V, and even Mr. Heney.  Along with growing in height Abbey has grown in her cultural awareness here.  Each summer when we go back to Utah she always comments about how much "sameness" there is there.  She has commented once or twice about how before coming to Qatar our religion was the only faith she was aware of.  Now she knows something about Muslims, Hindus, Catholics, Christians, and more.  She even knows a little Arabic.  Our Abigail has always been tuned in to people and their feelings and now she is tuned in to the world in a way she never would have been if we hadn't come to the Middle East.  ASD has been a big part of that journey of awareness.  Oh, the Thinks you can Think!

ASD 5th Grade Science Fair

Abbey was looking forward to participating in the Science Fair this year.  She was excited to come up with an experimental question and do some actual experimenting to come up with the answer.  She was even happy about working with three other students in her class to accomplish a scientific goal.

The 5th Grade teachers created an amazing, well-organized schedule for the students to follow, with checklists, due dates, and hurdles to be jumped before the Science Fair.  There was even going to be an online component this year with a NESA Virtual Science Fair, an online posting of projects to share with other schools around the world.  Exciting, right?

Well, then the work began.  Abbey's enthusiasm was high as she and her group began to brainstorm ideas and come up with the experimental question.  As she sat at the computer and typed up lists of materials and each process paper, I offered to help but she assured me that everything must be done by the students only.  So I threw up my hands in relief and said, "Go for it!"

Soon I noticed Abbey's excitement waining and she began to comment about her team members not focusing on the work at school.  Then she mentioned that it was required that her group meet outside of school to do the experimenting.  This is when things began to unravel.  Abbey would suggest the group meet at our house on a Saturday and then the girls would start arguing over whose house they would meet at.  Abbey didn't care; she just wanted to get things moving.

Then as the meetings rotated from house to house I would hear about a lot of non-science-y stuff going on.  One day as I was driving Abbey to a meeting and asking all the right questions, I realized that there would be no parental supervision at the house, only a maid.  What to do?  The project must go on, right?  So when Brett took her to the next meeting and only two maids were supervising he brought Abbey home.  Abbey's friend called her when the dad got home and Brett made a second trip.

Now I don't think any of these situations were the fault of any of the girls.  They were doing what normal 5th graders do.  I just don't think most 5th graders have the maturity to organize outside school work like this project required.  When students this age get together they want to talk and have fun.  They want everyone to come to THEIR house for the meeting because it is difficult for children this age to put aside individual concerns and think about the goals of the group.  Abbey was able to do that but she is around adults a lot and could see what would happen if they didn't cooperate.  I truly think the teachers were way too optimistic about how the project could be accomplished.

More interesting things happened that I won't mention here, but needless to say, Abbey and I are not fans of the group science project.  It became way too bulky and complicated, and in Doha, we don't need things to be MORE complicated.  With all the wonderful outlines, plans, and goals the teachers prepared, I don't think they were thinking about the fact that parents might be unhappy about maids supervising science project meetings and then, even when parents were present, students might not make the best choices on how to spend their time together - I really didn't want to explain to my daughter what a book titled Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man was all about because one of the girls pulled it off another girl's family bookshelf!

The good news is that after every setback, Abbey pulled it together and ended up with a good science project.  She learned some amazing skills of sticking up for herself, working hard, pushing through people issues that didn't have anything to do with her, and following through no matter what happens.  Abbey has always been amazing; I got to see her perform at her most mature level though and come up with solutions to some very daunting problems.  She is one of my heroes and I love her so much!


EXPERIMENTAL QUESTION:  Does the material of a boat make a difference of how far the boat will travel?

 Building the boats

The wind was not cooperating.

The wind even blew the recording sheet into the pool!

The Science Fair

Abbey's Biathlon

Abbey participated in a biathlon last week during P.E.  The ASD P.E. Department held one last year, and it was such a hit with parents and students, they decided to make it an annual event.  This is supposed to help the students get prepared and motivated to participate in the triathlon that they hold in the spring for parents and students.  I don't know if Abbey came away ready to take on that kind of challenge, but she really pushed herself, buddied up with her friend who was feeling reluctant, and came away proud of her finish time.

I am just amazed at the wonderful programs The American School of Doha provides for our students.  They really build strength, confidence, talent, and determination, and I'm not just talking about the P.E. department.  Thanks, ASD for pushing our children and providing such a positive "American" atmosphere for so many blessed students to learn!

Yes, She's in Fifth Grade!

This is quite late to be posting pictures of Abbey's first day of fifth grade back in September, but it has to be done, especially before her 11th birthday in a couple of weeks. I can't believe my baby is this tall, leggy, beautiful pre-teen already.

On the first day of school we got to meet and take a photo with Dr. Deb Welsh who is the Director of ASD, so that was pretty cool. Abbey's new 5th grade teacher is Abbie Taylor who has a fun, organized style.

I think Miss Abigail is learning a lot already and really getting ready for middle school, which is just next year here in Doha. Her favorite classes in school are P.E., music, and language arts and her favorite color has changed to green. Her teacher is doing Writer's Workshop where the students write every day about any topic they want in their writer's notebook and then develop some of those quick writes later. Last week she wrote this:

 A Blank Page

I look at this page,

all blank and pagie,

it's hardly filled

except for the

Date, title, and this.

The page shouts

"Ha! Only 3/4 of me

Has been scribbled on!"

I shout back saying,

"One day I will

conquer you!"

I write and write.

Page, soon you will not be blank.

The Page shivers

at the thought of it.

I am almost done!

Well ha, there Page,

you have been conquered!

and finally the page

surrenders sadly.

The adventure of this new school year is well under way and the busy-ness of it all has kicked into full force. She is taking piano lessons at the International Centre for Music from a Russian teacher named Natasha, so that has been a new and interesting experience for Abbey as well. Her piano progress seems to have taken a jump, so we are pleased. Music seems to be an integral part of Abbey's personality. Even though she fights practicing, once she starts, she gets lost in playing her assigned songs and also improvising and creating her own tunes. I am so proud of my sweet Abbey and only wish she would stay little a little bit longer, but none of my children have wanted to go into the deep freeze to halt their rapid march to maturity, so I don't know why I think she might. I am just glad she lets me read to her at night and enjoys regular cuddles.