CAC High School Principal’s Notes
Dear High School Parents,
Welcome to this week’s edition of Highro-Glyphics!
It may seem hard to believe, but our CAC seniors will become CAC alumni sooner than we know it. To celebrate that eventual transition, our officer of Alumni Relations, Engy Rabie, presented a special gift for them today: a personalized mug (with a “mug shot” of the future alum), a stress ball (certainly needed these days), and M&Ms (just because). Thanks to Ms. Rabie for all she does for our seniors!
It may also seem hard to believe that our sophomores will soon be deciding what path they want to take in grades 11-12 as they prepare for their own transition to university. That process begins with a Grade 10 Virtual Parent IB Information Evening on Monday. An invitation will be sent by Mr. Williams via email.
Thanks to all those who attended the grade level virtual coffees over the last two week. We look forward to seeing you at another virtual coffee this coming week, open to all parents of students in grades 9-12. More information is below.
Have a great weekend, and stay safe!
Principal’s Notes Highlights:
● Parent/Principal Virtual Coffee
● Thanksgiving Week Schedule
● Skyward Gradebook
● Health and Safety Checklist
● Winter Break Travel Plans
Parent/Principal Virtual Coffee
Please join us on Wednesday, November 18th, at 9: 45 am for a virtual coffee morning. Along with some general updates, we will be discussing final exams and other summative assessments: how students benefit from them, how teachers design them, how we prepare students for them, how students can best prepare themselves, and how this year they will fit into our blended learning paradigm and our phased reopening. Parents will receive a Zoom link via email on the morning of the coffee.
Thanksgiving Week Schedule
Our next short week of classes will be the week of November 22, as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. There will be no Tutorial Day that week. The rotation will be as follows:
Sunday, November 22: A1
Monday, November 23: A2
Tuesday, November 24: E1
Wednesday, November 25: E2, Early Release Day (Dismissal at 11:30)
Thursday, November 26: No School.
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. Students should speak to teachers individually if they have concerns about assignments or grades in Skyward.
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. Consistently practice the 4 W’s: Wash Your Hands, Wear Your Mask, Watch Your Distance, and Work Together.
Winter Break Travel Plans
If you are making travel plans for the Holiday Season, a reminder that the first day of Winter Break is December 18. The last scheduled final exams will be on December 16. Students should not plan to travel before their exams are concluded. Classes will resume again on January 10.
Jerry Duggan Rachel McCall
HS Principal HS Assistant Principal
Counseling Department Announcements
Seniors- Some Early Action/Early Decision external (university) deadlines are November 15th. Those Document Request Forms (DRF) should have been submitted to the counseling office by November 1 (CAC’s internal deadline).
The University of California applications are due November 30th which means CAC’s internal deadline to complete the application and submit the DRF’s is November 15th. The U. C. application is all self-reported, but students should still submit a DRF to the counseling office (only one for all campuses). Here is a reference guide for the UC Admission process.
Some universities have a Regular Deadline of December 1st, which means CAC’s internal deadline to complete the application and submit the DRF’s is November 15th.
Upcoming Virtual University Events, Visits, and Webinars
Counselors receive many emails and invites to virtual university events happening all over the world. Students and families may now view and register for these opportunities by visiting the CAC HS Counseling Resources Webpage. Upcoming CAC-specific university visits and Town Halls will also be posted here. This document will be updated regularly, and you can find it here: CAC HS Counseling Resources Webpage – University Visits.
Claudia Bean, Kasey Semler, Cameron Simon
HS Counseling
General Announcements
Moving on from CAC before the winter break?
To help us prepare your records in time for your departure, please use the link below to let us know if you are withdrawing from CAC this semester.
https://www.cacegypt.org/index.php/cac-withdrawal-request
A few days before your departure, a withdrawal form that includes several signatures must also be completed in order to clear any outstanding obligations, and turned in to the Admission/Registrar’s Office to release records. Due to the current circumstances the Middle and High School withdrawal form is being prepared by the Counseling offices and shared with teachers and student online.
Please note that High School transcripts including this semester’s grades will not be available until January 17, 2021.
Registrar’s office
The Environmental Action Plan Committee
The Environmental Action Plan Committee has taken the initiative to eliminate the use of single-use plastic on the CAC campus. As a first step, we encourage ALL faculty members and parents to bring their own cups for coffee and avoid using disposable cups. There are cups for sale in the spirit store as well If you would like to buy one!
Environmental Action Plan Committee (c/o NHS)
CAC Libraries Open This Weekend
The CAC libraries will be open this Saturday, November 14. Please see list of open Saturdays here.
You will need to make an appointment for Saturdays through the online booking system on the CAC dashboard.
New York Times access for CAC
The CAC libraries have a digital subscription to the New York Times. To access, go to nytimes.com/passes and create a new account or log in with your CAC single sign on. Follow the prompts until the site says, “Get Started.”
You will need to do this even if you already have an account from the 2019-2020 school year.
Once you have created an account, you will be able to access the NYT from any device and any location. You can also access it through the NYT app.
(Our subscription does not give us access to the NYT crosswords, sorry.)
Josianne Fitzgerald
MHS & Head Librarian
General Services Appreciation Lunch – Nov. 24
The GSS Appreciation Lunch is a whole school event where our entire community of students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni collaborate together. We show our appreciation for these hard-working teams by organizing a special lunch, relying on the generous donations and efforts of our community.
This year, in order to maintain social distance, we will not be having the on-campus lunch but rather providing a hot meal of the GSS’s choice.
Please check this link for more details on how you can join/support: GSS Appreciation lunch
Ereeny Gergess
Service Learning Coordinator