Dear ACS Families,
I am writing today with bittersweet news. Our beloved Director of Admissions, Najwa Zabad, will be retiring later this year. Najwa has been a member of the ACS community for a remarkable 38 years, and she's been the mainstay of our Admissions Office since just a few years after she arrived at ACS. Her knowledge of ACS and the connections she has with multiple generations of ACS students and families has been an indispensable help to me as head of school and, I am sure, to my predecessors. Her contributions to ACS and to our greater community have been invaluable.
After a lengthy search process during which we reviewed more than 30 applicants for the position, we invited three finalists to campus for interviews. We decided to offer the Director of Admissions position to Joseph Ojeil, who will join our team in June. Joe brings a wealth of relevant experience to this role. He began his career in education as a science teacher at the SABIS School in Qatar before moving to admissions and student recruitment work at various international institutions in Qatar: Texas A&M University, Cornell University, and Northumbria University. Joe earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Lebanese University and a master's degree in chemistry from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Originally from Lebanon, Joe is very excited to be part of the ACS community and to be living and working again in Beirut. We are delighted to welcome him to our community.
On Friday, March 1, we will open online re-enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year. The deadline for re-enrollment is Friday, March 15, at 12:00 pm. We plan to review financial aid applications on a first-come first-served basis. Financial assistance may be granted on the ancillary fee only. Our goal is to provide financial assistance to families who demonstrate genuine financial need.
As per the school calendar, Friday, March 8, is a day off to honor Teacher's Day. Earlier this week, the Minister of Education announced that this holiday would be on Monday, March 11. We will stick to our calendar with Friday off for Teacher's Day and with Monday, March 11, being a regular school day.
Finally, I am pleased to share with you the academic calendar for the 2024/25 school year.
Sincerely,
