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Patrons and Founders
____Her
Majesty Queen Noor and Her Excellency Mrs. Leila
Sharaf have been very helpful and encouraging
over the years. Her Majesty sponsored a Montessori
training program in the school and provided the
equipment and materials for a Montessori kindergarten
class in 1982, the first in the kingdom. Her Excellency
Mrs. Leila Sharaf presented the school with a
sizable fund to establish its first library. In
recognition of his high ideals and convictions
about quality education, the school was named
after His Excellency, the late Sharif Abdul Hamid
Sharaf, Prime Minister of Jordan in the late 1970's.
____Dr.
Sue Dahdah and husband, engineer Farid Dahdah,
founded the school in 1980. It was among the first
of many modern, private, non-parochial schools
to open in Amman, Jordan in the early eighties.
Starting with 18 students in a small rented villa,
the school soon outgrew the location and moved
to its current premises in the summer of 1991.
The school currently has capacity for 800 students
in kindergarten through twelfth grades.
Brief Description
____The
Abdul Hamid Sharaf School is a private, coeducational,
K-12 day school serving the needs of a diverse
group of students, international and local. Languages
of instruction for the basic subjects are Arabic
and English. The school is licensed to teach the
Jordanian Ministry of Education curriculum (Tawjihi),
the British General Certificate of Education (GCE)
and International General Certificate of Secondary
Education (IGCSE), and the American SAT II curriculum.
Successful completion of the programs of study
in English allows the student's degree to be equated with the Jordanian Tawjihi high school
diploma that is necessary for continuing education
in Jordanian colleges and universities.
____For
students in the Arabic stream a strong ESL program
is in effect and is taught by qualified English
teachers, many of who are native speakers. Ministry
of Education textbooks are supplemented with audio-visual
materials, teaching aids and books, especially
in science, math, English and social studies.
Enrollment in the English curriculum is possible
beginning at the third grade level. American textbooks
are used for grades three to twelve except in
the British curriculum that starts with 9th grade.
Transportation
____Transportation
to and from school for students is provided for
a reasonable fee. Most areas of greater Amman
are covered.
Medical Care
____The
school's doctor performs check-ups and maintains
records for each student at school. A full-time
nurse is appointed and assists the doctor in his
duties. The doctor and a dentist are on call as
required.
Location and Facilities
____The
school is located in the Deir Ghbar neighborhood
of West Amman not far from the American Embassy,
the British Embassy and The French School. The
easiest ways to reach the school are to exit from
the airport highway or to come from the sixth
circle (see Location
Map ).
The school building and grounds are located on
six and one half dunums (approx. 1½ acres).
Facilities include:
25 large classrooms
Computer Lab
Language Resource Room
Library
Auditorium
Music Room
Art Room
Physics, Chemistry, and Biology Labs
Special Education Center
Vocational Training and Woodworking Shop
Home Economics Room
Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball Courts
Elementary School Playgrounds and Equipment
Bookstore, Uniform Store, and Canteen
Accreditation
and Professional Affiliations
AHSS was reaccredited in the Spring of 2009 by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School improvement (NCA CASI) a division of AdvancED. Among the advantages of accreditation, graduates of the American high school program at AHSS would be able to more quickly obtain equalization for their school diploma from the Jordanian Ministry of Education. Equalization is necessary for students who plan to do their college or university studies in Jordan.
AHSS is an associate member of the Near East South Asia Association of Schools Organization (NESA). Dr. Sue Dahdah has been a member since 1971 while AHSS has been since 1980. School representatives regularly attend the annual administrators' and teachers' conferences organized by NESA throughout the Near Eastern and South Asian regions.
Textbooks and Uniform
____Textbooks
for all grades and subjects can be purchased from
the school bookstore after the first tuition payment
has been made. The American and British curriculum
textbooks are returnable at the end of the school
year for partial refunds applicable to the subsequent
year's tuition fees. The bookstore reopens for
each new school year two weeks prior to the first day of school. Parents
are encouraged to purchase the books early in
order to avoid long lines in the last days before
school starts.
____There
is a uniform for grades one through seven. The
uniform can be purchased from the school. It is
practical, consisting of navy blue pants or culottes,
white shirts and turquoise or navy blue cardigans
and pullovers. Neckties and scarves are available
for formal occasions. For physical education,
the white school T-shirt, shorts and training
suit are necessary. No uniform is required for
students in grades eight through twelve although
a dress code is in effect.
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