QAM Leadership
Director’s Message
It is an honor to welcome you to Qatar Academy Msheireb.
At Qatar Academy Msheireb (QAM), our mission is to create an effective learning environment to develop internationally minded and empathetic lifelong learners through a dual-language program emphasizing inquiry-based practices.
We believe that everything we do has a purpose and prepares our students for what the future may hold. To this end, all students are engaged in learning what is relevant to the ‘real world’ within a curriculum that is structured to be rigorous, stimulating and challenging. At its core is the commitment to a dual-language transdisciplinary model that is globally significant, where learning is not confined within the boundaries of traditional subject areas but is supported and enriched by them.
QAM provides an inclusive education where students evolve as individuals who are self-motivated, creative and can think, question and reason logically, i.e., individuals who are independent, confident and capable of making decisions. All students are encouraged to be curious about what they are learning, and differentiation allows them to demonstrate what they have learned by using a variety of mediums or tools at different levels that are appropriate to the individual needs.
At QAM, education is much more than just academics. We provide a combination of arts and sports, enriched by opportunities for student action
and activities that challenge our students to grow and develop into balanced, internationally minded, global citizens.
Parents are integral partners in the education of their children. As a relatively new school, QAM commits to building a school community with
a strong sense of belonging and family-like atmosphere.
We hope that by browsing our website you will gain insight into the many opportunities we offer our students. We would be delighted to welcome you at QAM to show you around our school. Please contact our Public Relations for further information.
Director
Belinda Holland joined Qatar Academy Msheireb, as Director, in 2017. Originally from New Zealand, Belinda holds a Diploma of Teaching, Bachelor of Education and a Master of Educational Administration (Hons) from Massey University, New Zealand and gained her teaching certification from the New Zealand Department of Education.
Belinda is a highly experienced International Educator who has served schools in China, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Oman, Australia, the United Kingdom and her home country, New Zealand. Having worked in a number of school systems she has led and implemented a variety of highly regarded education programmes, including the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP).
With over 25 years in education, seventeen of those as a successful school leader, Belinda offers leadership that prepares students for a world that will be quite different than the current one. Belinda shares and models the IB principles and values, and believes that schools should be joyous and inspiring places where children are connected, engaged and challenged to do their best academically, socially, spiritually, aesthetically and culturally, irrespective of background.
Assistant Principal
Vanessa Miller is an accomplished educator with over 25 years of experience in New York City and Qatar. As a lead teacher, Vanessa dedicated her career to fostering professional learning communities with her colleagues, focusing on the growth and enhancement of teaching, and learning practices in Math and Science. With a deep passion for education, she ventured into the international teaching community in 2015 by moving to Qatar.
In Qatar, Vanessa continued her educational journey by joining the IB Primary Years Program at Qatar Academy Sidra. Her dedication and expertise in the field of education led her to the Education Development Institute in 2018, where she served as a Curriculum Designer. Vanessa’s areas of interest include education for sustainability, conceptually driven and inquiry-based learning, and cultivating connection between people, the environment, and the world.
Holding a Master of Science in Elementary Education from Hunter College, Vanessa is an avid lifelong learner. She is currently enrolled in the EdD program at the University of Bath. Vanessa joins QAM this academic year in the role of Assistant Principal.
Assistant Principal
Lama Kalash comes from Lebanon and has been in the field of education for more than 27 years. She brings experience from a variety of
international leadership and teaching roles. Lama graduated from the Lebanese American University in 1994 with a Bachelor Degree in Early
Childhood Education and a Diploma in TEFL. She has a master’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from Buffalo State, New York, and a
certified diploma in International Leadership Management from the ECIS, United Kingdom.
Lama is an IB PYP bilingual consultant, school visitor, workshop and programme leader, and certified trainer for concept-based learning. She
started her learning journey as an early years teacher in an IB-authorized school in Lebanon, before becoming the Early Years Principal.
Before moving to Qatar Lama worked in an IB school in Dubai and played an instrumental role in raising the KHDA school standards.
Lama joined QAM as the Assistant Principal in August 2022. She believes that through lifelong learning, one can effect change from within, as well as in the life of others.
