Dear ACS Families,
First, I understand that this has been a challenging spring for parents in terms of our school calendar. I want to apologize for the inconvenience and challenges that parents have faced as a result of the unusual schedule of breaks. This was driven by the dates of the various religious holidays. Fortunately, next year's calendar is much more reasonable during the spring term.
Second, it seems that we are in the midst of mosquito season again, and the standing water and debris on vacant or unoccupied lots adjacent to the school have exacerbated the situation. We are planning to spray the Lower School campus during each of the next four weekends in an effort to mitigate the mosquito problem. We believe this will help.
We've also had some legitimate complaints about our cat population getting into school buildings. ACS cats have been a fixture on campus for many years, and we have a handful of caring adults who have managed the small population of ACS cats. We are tightening up the rules about feeding and allowing cats in buildings, and this will help. Ensuring that the doors to buildings are always closed is an important step. This also helps from an energy consumption standpoint as well, especially as the weather gets warmer. We are meeting with the director of the veterinary clinic at AUB next week to discuss ways that we can collaborate to control and manage the existing cat population. Our cats have been a source of joy and comfort for many students, and I'm confident that we can find effective solutions to the problems that have arisen.
We would like to wish that all high school students who are going on Week Without Walls trips next week, both here in Lebanon and abroad, have safe, enjoyable, and rewarding experiences. We know that the situation in the region is still tense, but we are hopeful that transportation will not be disrupted. These experiences are so important for students.
I'm proud of the way our students and faculty have persevered through everything that has happened this year. I'm also proud of the many accomplishments of our students during what has been a very busy but rewarding spring term. The engagement of our students and teachers is one of the things that makes our learning community so special.
Finally, a huge thank you to our middle school students and teachers together with so many wonderful parents who orchestrated the International Day yesterday. It was such a nice event that highlighted both our diversity and our oneness as a community. That's one of the things that makes ACS so special.
Have a nice weekend.
Sincerely,
