CAC High School Principal’s Notes
Dear High School Parents,
Welcome to this week’s edition of Highro-Glyphics!
October is a busy month, as you will see in the “Highlights” below. With progress reports on the horizon, it can also be a stressful time for students. The pandemic and all the bad news that comes with it certainly add to the stress. Please check in with your child about how they are doing. Remember also that sometimes when they come to you to vent frustration, they are not necessarily looking for advice or help, but just that chance to vent.
Sometimes, though, they do want advice. Here is a helpful piece–written for teenagers–with tips on how to protect their emotional well-being (New York Times, Sept. 29).
As we begin to offer more activities on campus, we hope to provide students with learning opportunities and as much normalcy as possible, while maintaining the mitigation efforts needed to keep students and staff safe. Thank you for your continued support of those efforts, and for reinforcing those efforts at home.
Stay safe!
Principal’s Notes Highlights:
● Grade Level Parent/Principal Virtual Coffees
● October 8 Holiday
● Pre-ACT/PSAT
● Skyward Gradebook
● Progress Reports
● Parent-Teacher Conferences
● CACMUN 42
● Health and Safety Checklist
● NESA Parents as Partners Webinars
Grade Level Parent/Principal Virtual Coffees
Next week we will be holding virtual coffees by grade level. This will allow us to discuss topics particular to each grade. We hope you are able to participate. Below is the schedule:
● Grade 12: Sunday, October 11, 12:00 noon
● Grade 11: Monday, October 12, 12:00 noon
● Grade 10: Tuesday, October 13, 10:00 am
● Grade 9: Thursday, October 15, 10:00 am
Parents will receive a Zoom link via email on the morning of the coffee for their respective grade level.
October 8 Holiday
CAC will celebrate the Armed Forces holiday on Thursday, October 8. We hope you and your family have an enjoyable and safe three-day weekend.
Pre-ACT/PSAT
On Wednesday, October 14, all sophomores will take the Pre-ACT exam on campus. All juniors will take the PSAT on campus. More details will be announced next week. The rotation for the week of October 11 will be as follows:
Sunday, Oct. 11: A1
Monday, Oct. 12: A2
Tuesday, Oct. 13: E1
Wednesday, Oct. 14: Grade 10 Pre-ACT, Grade 11 PSAT,
Grades 9 and 12 Tutorial Day
Thursday, Oct. 15: E2
Skyward Gradebook
Skyward is the secured student information system used at CAC. The gradebook section of Family Access allows students and parents to view student progress. With students attending classes fewer days than normal, we think students and parents can find it a useful tool. Skyward will remain open for student and parent viewing until the morning of October 18, when progress reports will be completed. Though teachers will update grades regularly, they are not expected to update grades continuously, and students should keep track of their own assignments and progress.
Progress Reports
Mid semester narrative progress reports will be available on October 19. Please be aware that this progress report represents the grades to date at the half-way mark of the semester. All students will be provided with narrative feedback on this progress report, which we hope you as parents find helpful. The reports provide a reference for parent/teacher conferences. Please note this progress report is used to determine athletic/activity eligibility and academic probation.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held online after school on Monday, October 19 and Tuesday, October 20. On October 11, parents will be able to start scheduling appointments. Instructions for how to book meetings will be sent in a separate email. There will be no Tutorial Day that week, as students will be encouraged to attend conferences with their parents online. Some teachers may also require students participation in conferences.
CACMUN 42
The Model United Nations (MUN) club provides a challenging and enriching forum for students to discuss current international issues and to view those issues from different perspectives. Over 50 CAC students will participate in this year’s conference, which will take place virtually October 16-17. Students will debate topics around the theme of “Embracing Change”, with a focus on finding viable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.
Health and Safety Checklist
Please regularly review the checklists for students and parents (click here) related to health and safety. It is important we do not become complacent.
NESA Parents as Partners Webinars
NESA, the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools, has been hosting a webinar series allowing parents “to hear from distinguished specialists and to explore and learn new strategies in support of your child as a learner.” I have heard good reviews from our parent community. CAC is a NESA member school, and parents can register for the series with Zoom HERE.
Jerry Duggan Rachel McCall
HS Principal HS Assistant Principal
Counseling Department Announcements
PSAT and Pre-ACT Exams – October 14th
On October 14th all 11th Graders will take the PSAT exam and all 10th Graders will take the Pre-ACT exam. Students will enter CAC through the Back Gate on the 14th. Students in Group 1 will take the exam in the MS Building. Students in Group 2 will take the exam in the Admin and ES Buildings. Additional information will be sent to students via email. Students are encouraged to contact their counselor if they have any questions.
Upcoming Webinar for Parents
Thursday, October 8th, 7:00 pm Cairo Time.
Helping Parents Support Their Children’s Well-Being During Distance Learning
More information, and the registration link, can be found here.
Upcoming Town Hall
Monday, October 12, at 7:30 pm Cairo time
will host a session specifically for CAC students about applying to the UC system and their new test optional policy. Please register here to get the Zoom link.
CAC HS Counseling Resources Webpage
Now available in the CAC single sign-on for students and families in grades 11-12, the CAC HS Counseling Resources Webpage. On this webpage you will find senior night programming information, including instructional videos and information for when students are applying to universities in the United States, UK, and Canada. Please also be sure to watch the videos on financial aid for US universities and how students should upload their university list to Maia Learning. Please utilize this webpage and feel free to leave feedback/suggestions by filling out the form embedded in the home page.
For students/families in grades 11-12, the link should be on your single sign on. An example of what it might look like for you is below:
Claudia Bean, Kasey Semler, Cameron Simon
HS Counseling
General Announcements
CAC Libraries Closed October 10
The CAC libraries will be closed this Saturday. They will open again for community use on October 17. Please see list of open Saturdays here.
To book your 30-minute appointment slot on the CAC parent dashboard’s “Campus Facilities Online Booking” form for October 17, you will need to wait until October 10, as the system accepts reservations up to a week in advance.
Sora, our ebook and digital audiobook app
With the Sora app, available on all mobile platforms, or soraapp.com, CAC students, parents and teachers can access a large and growing collection of ebooks and digital audiobooks. All you need is your CAC single sign on to log in.
See a preview here. (Sora will ask for your Follett account. That just means your CAC single sign on.)
Please write to librarian@cacegypt.org if you encounter any problems.
Josianne Fitzgerald
MHS & Head Librarian
The Booster Club Spirit Store Limited Opening
The Booster Club Spirit Store would like to announce a limited opening until our online store is ready. For the next week we will open our on-campus shop in a Covid-safe manner. We will be selling 3 products:
PE UNIFORMS (limit 2 per child),
MASKS (limit 6 per family),
PTO DESK CALENDARS
The schedule for opening will be 8:30-11:30am daily. Please line up outside Gate 7 that is beside the Spirit Store (it will be marked). The gate will be opened at 8:30am and we will allow 3 people inside the gate to shop with a provided order form. You will receive your items and pay through 2 open windows (only Booster Club Volunteers will be allowed inside the store).
Payments accepted are: USD, EGP and USD checks (from a US bank). Please respect the rules so that we are able to remain open for our community. Please go to the Booster Club’s Facebook page to see mask designs. Thanks so much for your support!
The Booster Club
Let’s put our ideas together “THE IDEAS TANK”
Get Inspired by others! The below are some amazing ideas that were submitted earlier in response to the question; “How can we contribute to the community while maintaining physical distance & managing our own safety? explain by giving examples.”
1. Stay healthy and improve your immune system during covid-19 cooking class. Also learning quick, easy healthy meals for University. (done on zoom). – HS Student
2. Organize useful zoom talks, provide value through meaningful, yet safe involvement in community service, promote togetherness through projects that can be taken online, meet in small groups outside. – Parent
3. We can plan online and act in a small group that can go to different organizations. – Staff
4. Making a list of the best quality arts and crafts shops in and around Maadi made by disadvantaged people in our community. – Faculty
5. Maybe we can make a “love of wings”, a cloth that has two wings, each wing is one meter long, so it can keep the social distance. – MS Student
A NEW Question!
Proposed by a HS student
“What is your experience with initiating or participating in service projects in the Maadi/Cairo community?”. Click here to send your ideas: THE IDEAS TANK.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Ereeny Gawdat, Service-Learning Coordinator, egergess@cacegypt.org.
Service Learning Office