CAC High School Principal’s Notes
Dear High School Parents,
Welcome to this week’s edition of Highro-Glyphics!
Thank you to everyone who turned out for the Virtual Coffee and Back-to-School Night events. We hope you were able to learn more about our academic program, our blended learning schedule, and how you can best support your student in this new learning environment.
As I said during both virtual events, I am very grateful for all the positive energy the community has sent our way. Students continue to adjust to their new schedule and our mitigation strategies—they have impressed us with their cooperation and resilience. Like all of us, they want to do what they can to keep our campus open and our community safe and healthy. Please help them to follow safe social distancing protocols at home and in public.
What a pleasure it is to be at CAC!
Principal’s Notes Highlights:
● Back-to-School Night Follow Up
● Skyward Gradebook
● September 14 Early Release
● October 6 Holiday
● Health and Safety Checklist
● Community Campus Access for Students
● Late arrivals to Cairo
● Food on campus
Back-to-School Night Follow Up
If you missed Back-to-School Night, don’t worry! Parents will be able to access the teachers’ and counselors’ BTSN videos through the CAC parent dashboard until Thursday, September 10. You can also find a recording of the general introduction by clicking here (passcode: dVW.71N$).
Skyward Gradebook
Skyward is the secured student information system used at CAC that also has a ‘Family Access’ portal for students and parents to view demographic and academic information. The gradebook section of Family Access allows students and parents to view student progress each fortnight. As it is very early in the semester, we have not yet opened Family Access. Check this newsletter next week for a list of Skyward opening dates. Teachers are available to speak to students in person and on Tutorial Tuesdays about progress and academic performance.
September 14 Early Release
Monday, September 14 is an Early Release Day, as we will hold faculty meetings and professional development in the afternoon. In order to maintain equal instructional time, we will use that day instead of Tuesday as our Tutorial Day. We will have a revised tutorial schedule that day, and the rotation for that week will proceed as follows:
Sunday, Sept. 13: A1
Monday, Sept. 14: Tutorial Day (8:00-11:30)
Tuesday, Sept. 15: A2
Wednesday, Sept. 16: E1
Thursday, Sept. 17: E2
October 6 Holiday
Tuesday, October 6 is the Armed Forces holiday. There will be no Tutorial Tuesday for that week. However, the Prime Minister may announce that the holiday will be moved to Thursday, October 8. If the holiday is moved, the rotation for the week will proceed as follows:
Sunday, Oct. 4: A1
Monday, Oct. 5: A2
Tuesday, Oct. 6: E1
Wednesday, Oct. 7: E2
If the holiday is not moved, Wednesday will be an E1 day and Thursday and E2 day as normal.
Health and Safety Checklist
Please take time to review the checklists for students and parents (click here) related to health and safety. As with anything, teenagers will require practice to develop good habits. Please make sure your child knows how to properly wear a mask and does so in all public areas. Please also model appropriate wearing of masks, as they will follow your example. As noted above, we need to be quite strict about wearing masks and maintaining social distance on campus. Students who do not comply with health and safety protocols will be sent home.
Community Campus Access for Students
Students are able to access campus during community hours by signing up through the CAC Dashboard. If your student is taking advantage of this opportunity, please make sure they are familiar with and follow all mitigation measures, which they can view when they sign up. Students who violate rules will lose community access privileges.
Students late returning to Cairo
We appreciate that due to circumstances beyond their control, some families have not yet arrived in Cairo. If you are in this situation and have not already been in communication with me, please contact me at jduggan@cacegypt.org. Students unable to return to campus due to COVID-19 related travel complications have access to online materials and should contact their teachers now that their schedules are available on Skyward. Please also see information in the CAC Reopening Plan.
Food on campus
Campus food vendors remain closed for the time being. Students are encouraged to bring healthy snacks and lunch from home. Food deliveries for HS students are allowed to the back gate only.
Jerry Duggan Rachel McCall
HS Principal HS Assistant Principal
Counseling Department Announcements
Schedule Change Requests: Thursday, Sept. 3rd is the last day for any schedule changes or add/drops to occur.
For Your Seniors:
Counselors request your senior to schedule his/her individual senior college meeting with your counselor (45 minutes) to occur between September 8th and September 30th. He/she should mail the counselor directly to arrange that time.
Senior Night Programming starts next week! Stay tuned for the links to the schedule of videos and live q/a sessions.
Counselor Appointment System
Students can book appointments with the online booking system. QR codes are posted around campus and the daily announcements also have the links.
Last names A-E: Mr. Simon
Last names F-M: Ms. Bean
Last Names N-Z: Mr. Semler
Same day appointments available!
If your student needs to arrange a different time than what is pre set on our calendars, s/he can email the counselor directly to set that time up.
Parents, feel free to email us with questions or if you need to set up a Google Meet with your student’s counselor for any reason.
Claudia Bean, Kasey Semler, Cameron Simon
HS Counseling
General Announcements
New CAC Bus Application Form
The new Bus application form is now available on the parents’ dashboard.
Below is the direct link:
Bus Rules and Regulations 20-21
CAC Transportation Office
Student Physical Reminder – 2020/2021
If your student will be entering grades 3, 6 or 9 next school year, we ask that he/she is seen and examined by a doctor, and a physical exam form completed and sent to the health office on or before the first day of school.
Completed physicals are accepted at the health office, by email at cgallagher@cacegypt.org or nosama@cacegypt.org or hand-delivered to security at the front gate.
https://www.cacegypt.org/PDF/Student_Physician_form.pdf
CAC Health Office
Community Hours for the CAC Libraries
Both CAC libraries will be open on Saturdays between 10 and 2 for our parents, faculty and students, for 30 minute appointments. Please book your time on the CAC Dashboard where you see “Campus Facilities Online Appointments.”
You will be asked for the number of people coming. If you are a parent, please include your child/ren in the count. We can only have 10 patrons in the library at a time. Appointment requests are only accepted until Friday, at 7 pm. You will not be able to come on to campus without an appointment.
Please note that library community hours are ONLY for Saturdays at this time. The weekday lunchtime appointment slots are only for HS students.
Parents can only check out on Saturdays. We will resume holds delivery in a modified format when we have received all the students’ books back from the summer.
Return your books!
We hope everyone read lots during the summer holidays, but it’s time to return the physical books to the libraries. Thank you to those who already have.
There are still 446 books out from the MHS library and over 900 from the ES library. Let’s get them all back please.
Overdue notices will go out on Sunday, after we have checked in the books in quarantine from today. (As a COVID19 precaution, we quarantine books for 72 hours before returning them to the shelves.)
Josianne Fitzgerald
MHS & Head Librarian
COVID-19 Mental Wellness Session with Dr. Justus – Organized by CAC PTO
At the request from many parents, CAC PTO is organizing this session. Please join us as we hear from Dr. Anne Justus, Senior Clinical Psychologist, and a CAC Mom. We will have an opportunity to receive guidance on how to best talk to our children and students about Covid-19 without raising their fears to an unhealthy level. Dr. Justus will also take questions from the audience.
This session is open to all CAC teachers and parents, and admin. Please join us on September 8, at 5 PM via Zoom. Details for the Zoom meeting will be provided once you RSVP via this link: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/9040d4daea829a2ff2-webinar
PTO