Dhahran Ahliyyah School

Dhahran Ahliyya School مدارس الظهران الأهلية
Location
Dhahran, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
Information
School type	private
Motto	Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful
Founded	1977
Founder	Mr Khalid Al Turki , Sally Al Turki
Status	active
School district	The Eastern Province
Administrator	Mr Fawzi Jammal
Age range	6-17
Enrollment	conditional
Number of students	1730 (Boys and girls) as for (2009/2010)
Average class size	23
Education system	semi-international
Language	Arabic and English
Hours in school day	8 hours
Colour(s)	Green and White
Song	O Dhahran Ahliyya Schools
Nickname	DAS
National ranking	#1 in Eastern province
Newspaper	DAS weekly newsletter
Tuition	45,000 SR ( 8-12,000$)
Website	http://www.das.sch.sa/

Dhahran Ahliyya School (Arabic: مدارس الظهران الأهلية), originally a private Arabic-medium day school, is now a dual language school moving gradually toward a more international curriculum. DAS was founded in 1977 and has achieved American accreditation (NCA), so it can offer both a Saudi diploma and an American diploma.

School’s population

The total number of students reached 1730 in 2008-2009. Class sizes range from 12 to 25 with an average of about 23 per class. The composition of the student body is about 95% Saudi Arabian citizens and about 5% Arabs of other nationalities. Since acceptance to the school at all levels is based on DAS entrance exams, the students are an exceptional group in terms of their abilities, motivation and parental support. All DAS graduates expect to go to university either in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere.

Scholarships

No scholarship programs are available so all students pay the standard tuition and some also pay for transportation provided by the school. Dependents of employees of Saudi Aramco pay 65% of the total tuition as part of the agreement between the school and the company for lease of the building.

New International Program

All students from pre-school through grade 8 (second intermediate) will take the same dual language international program. Upon entering grade 9 (third intermediate), they may choose either the International Secondary Program or the Saudi government Muqararaat Program, which has been offered at the secondary level since 2005. The International Secondary Program will focus on English and the Muqararat Program will focus on Arabic. Students in each program will take many of their subjects in the other language to continue to develop their abilities in both English and Arabic. The first class in the International Secondary Program started 9th grade in 2009-2010 and will graduate in 2013.

School's song

O Dhahran Ahliyya Schools

March to high hopes, You light up our ways, You are the spring of giving, You have given us. You are the summit of our generation’s high hopes.

March with the Grace & care of Allah O! Symbol of sweet hopes, O! Spring of freedom, Dhahran Ahliyya Schools

You have filled the dawn of our life with glories, You have enwrapped us with knowledge, & Implanted the love of good deeds in our souls. March with the Grace & care of Allah O! Symbol of sweet hopes, O! Spring of freedom, Dhahran Ahliyya Schools

Your high expectations and faith, help us build our country, We are all for one & One for all. March with the Grace & care of Allah O! Symbol of sweet hopes, O! Spring of freedom, Dhahran Ahliyya schools

Long live the king, He sponsors & supports our high hopes, Long live the king, The Custodian of Islam. O! Symbol of sweet hopes, O! Spring of freedom, Dhahran Ahliyya schools

Student support unit

The Student Support Unit aims at early identification of students who learn differently from others. It offers a variety of services that both encourage them and assist in removing barriers. It can help by giving the special needs student extra or specialized tuition to move forward, particularly in Arabic, English, and mathematics. This program is undertaken by specially trained staff at the elementary level and, in the boys' school, at the intermediate level. In the girls' school, some further assistance is offered for intermediate and secondary level students by regular teachers in specially assigned periods.

Languages

While most subjects have been taught in Arabic, the school has a strong English program that has been well supported for all age levels and expanded with extra reading, research, and presentations. The school now aims to move toward being a dual language school in which all students reach the level where they can learn, work, and think in both languages. For this purpose, a new plan has been designed through which the English program is strongly established in the primary years and gradually expanded in subsequent years. Since research points to the importance of children studying math and science in their own language first, these subjects will continue to be taught in Arabic in the primary years, but students will gradually have opportunities to study math and science in both languages over subsequent years. The target will be to give all students enough of both languages that they are able to choose either of two secondary programs, one in English and one in Arabic.

At this time, DAS is preparing itself for this new approach by working to improve the instruction of both languages. In the 2008-2009 academic year, students in the elementary level have from eighty to 120 minutes per day in English and the rest of the program is in Arabic. In grades three to six, eventually, the amount of English in the intermediate level will increase but we may not be ready to start that until the 2010-2011 school year. Possibilities are being studied and more detailed plans will be established within the coming months. With the new secondary curriculum, an increasing number of electives will be offered in English beyond the basic program and some students will be able to fulfill some science and/or math requirements in English. In the 2007-2008 academic year, DAS started making it possible for some students to fulfill some English requirements through distance learning courses offered by Stanford University’s Educational Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY). In the future, it is planned that every student will take at least one distance learning course before graduating from DAS.

Clubs, community services and athletics

All students in third elementary and above are involved in club activities and community service projects during normal school hours. These activities are aimed at helping youth discover their talents and interests, develop skills of leadership and group work, and learn more about the world through involvement in projects of service to their school and to the community. Students are encouraged to choose different projects or activities each semester in order to have a variety of experiences. Most students are involved in at least one semester-long service project each year.

Club activities popular among the students are Model United Nations and Lego Robotics. DAS teams have come home from national and international competitions with prizes and awards of various sorts. Athletic activities are popular, especially with the boys since Saudi society is not yet accustomed to having athletic events for girls. There are activities during school time, during recesses, and sometimes there are practices and events. DAS boys participate in on-going tournaments after-school for several sports, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, and tennis. Selected teams of boys also travel to other schools and cities for friendly competitions and championships. Some DAS boys and girls also participate in athletic activities organized by local sports clubs after school time.

DAS is also an active organizer and sponsor of the Annual Charity Running that is held in the city of Dhahran.

External links

• official website
• DAS in BBC news