This is our new middle/high school. It is very nice.
She was so glad to see her favorite friend. They aren't in the same class this year. bummer.
A crowded hallway on the first day, just like your school, right?
Ourdoor walkway between lower and upper elementary. 
7th grader........
First day of fifth grade!
The kids are back in school. At least two of them are back in school. Kindergarten - 2nd graders don't start until Sept. 7 due to some unfinished construction. So, my 2nd grader gets a two week vacation....he is so bored with me already.
Our kids attend an American school here in Doha. They ride the bus everyday to school. The bus picks up at 6:50 and we have 5 buses pick up in our compound (lots of kids). It is about a 45 minute bus ride depending on traffic. The buses are nicer than the big yellow school buses in the US. They have seat belts, cushy seats and a bus monitor that assist the bus driver. A lot of kids bring their game boys and ipods with them to entertain themselves on the long bus ride.
Their school starts at 8:05 and they get our at 3:00. Every Tuesday they get out at 12:30 and the teachers have a prep day. My daughter's fifth grade class is part of the upper elementary. They have nice, newly constructed classrooms this year. She has a male teacher for the first time. I have only heard great things about him. She switches classes and has a new female teacher for math for part of the day. Her art teacher is also a guy. One of the things I like about international schools is they tend to have more men teachers.
My son is in middle school which is 6-8th grade. He is in 7th grade this year...yikes, I can hardly believe it. He also has a male teacher for homeroom. One of his 6th grade teachers moved up to 7th, and he has her for Language Arts and Social Studies. We liked her last year, so that is a good thing. He also has the same Spanish teacher. She is good, but tough. There are really no middle/jr high sports program, but middle schoolers can play with the high school kids. Our son ran cross country last year and loved it.
Both my big kids like school and love learning. They have been exhausted though and falling into bed right after dinner. We will have been home a week tomorrow, so they still are affected by jet lag. My poor baby girl has been sick with a cold all week, but no fever or sore throat, so I thought it would just get better. Tomorrow we go to the doctor. I don't think its a big deal, but I want to get her well, so she will feel good again. She is also complaining that her wrist hurts. I bet she has turned 1000 cartwheels since the Olympic gymnastics competition aired.
School in Doha is very much like your school. But, there tends to be a more relaxed, laid back attitude. The kids are allowed to walk around the school during lunch and recess, fairly unsupervised (which freaked me out at first). The classes are quite multicultural. I think my youngest son's class last year had 15 different countries represented. The kids are taught the American curriculum, although it isn't nearly as academically challenging as our old school in The Woodlands, Texas. They have art, music, computer and PE classes and library, of course. They have a school cafeteria which serves hot lunches, although some of the items on the menu are reflective of the diverse student body. The teachers tend to love their jobs and have a special quality that calls them to teach internationally. A lot of times a husband and wife will both be educators and travel the world teaching in international schools.
