CAC High School Principal’s Notes
Dear High School Parents,
Welcome to this week’s edition of Highro-Glyphics!
The U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving is a time to consider what we have to be thankful for and show gratitude to others. I personally am thankful for our wonderful community, which remains strong in the face of adversity; for our parents, especially the PTO and Booster Club for their never-ceasing support and positivity (and also for the “thank you lunch” for High School faculty today); for our great faculty, who have shown exceptional professionalism and dedication during a challenging time; and for our remarkable support staff, who go above and beyond every day to make campus a safe and happy place to be. Finally, of course, I am thankful for our amazing students, who brighten every day with their enthusiasm, perseverance, and humor.
Whether you are traveling this weekend or are staying home, please help keep our community safe by consciously practicing social distancing. Remind your children (no matter how many times they’ve heard it) to avoid the 3 C’s: Crowded places, Closed spaces, and Close conversations; and to practice the 4 W’s: Wash Your Hands, Wear Your Mask, Watch Your Distance, and Work Together.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving.
Stay safe!
Principal’s Notes Highlights:
● December Tuesday Rotation for Grades 9 and 10
● Grade Level Parent/Principal Virtual Coffees
● Semester Exams
● Helping Your Student Keep Track of Assignments
● Skyward Gradebook
● Health and Safety Checklist
● Winter Break Travel Plans
December Tuesday Rotation for Grades 9 and 10
Because Group 2 has had somewhat less on-campus time over the last two weeks, Tuesday, December 1 will be an A-H day for Group 2 in the High School (though it is a Group 1 day for Middle School).
The following week, Tuesday, December 8 will be an A-H Day for Group 1.
Grades 11-12 will still have Tutorial Days on December 1 and 8.
On Tuesday, December 15 all students will be taking semester exams.
As a reminder, click here for the Phase 2 schedule.
Grade Level Parent/Principal Virtual Coffees
We will hold one more round of grade level parent coffees in December. Here is the schedule:
● Grade 12: Wednesday, December 2, 2:00 pm
● Grade 11: Thursday, December 3, 12:00 noon
● Grade 10: Sunday, December 6, 10:00 am
● Grade 9: Monday, December 7, 12:00 noon
Parents will receive a Zoom link via email on the morning of the coffee for their respective grade level.
Semester Exams
Students in grades 9-12 will have semester exams Sunday – Wednesday, Dec 13-16. New this year, 9th/10th graders will be expected to come to campus all four days for exams; we will use mitigation efforts to keep groups 1 and 2 separate during testing. Please check next week’s HS Morning Announcements for the exam schedule. Only those students with a medical emergency may be excused from school during exams week. If you have any questions regarding exams attendance, please direct them to Ms. McCall (rmccall@cacegypt.org).
Helping Your Student Keep Track of Assignments
As noted in previous editions of Highro-Glyphics, students have been given a daily planner that they can use to write down their assignments. A substantial body of research shows that writing things down can help us to remember them better. If your student is having trouble keeping track of assignments, encourage use of the planner and ask to see it. Having your student explain assignments to you further aids in remembering and understanding them. Google Classroom is also a useful tool. However, the automated emails it generates for parents refer to prior assignments, and it does not automatically recognize when students have turned in assignments by means other than submission to Google Classroom. Your best source of information about class assignments should be your own child. If you still have questions, contact the teacher directly.
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.
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
Mail: For high school students receiving mail (usually college brochures or notifications), the mail will still be delivered to the high school counseling office. Counselors will get in touch with students individually via email to retrieve it.
Seniors: Once students have submitted applications to universities, a reminder to please check those university portals once every two-three weeks to check the status of your application.
Reminder: all Document Request forms for university deadlines between now and January 15th are due to the counseling office by November 29th.
Upcoming Virtual University Events, Visits, and Webinars
See the CAC HS Counseling Resources Webpage to see the upcoming visits. This document is updated regularly: 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
Congratulations to all CAC Fall Sport Conditioning teams for the fall of 2020. See below photos:
• Boys Varsity and JV Soccer
• Girls Varsity Soccer
• Boys Varsity Volleyball
• Girls Varsity and JV Volleyball
• Varsity Cross Country
• Junior (MS) Day 1 Cross Country
• Junior (MS) Day 2 Cross Country
Thanks to all athletes and coaches.
Season 2 Signup:
CAC season 2 sport conditioning signup will take place online from Tuesday, November 24 at 8:00 am, through Monday, November 30 at 8:00 pm. (Link, https://forms.gle/MS45mx1Pkt9XrQ5E8)
The sports available for signups are:
JV and Varsity Girls Basketball
JV and Varsity Boys Basketball
Junior and Varsity (grades 6-12) Girls and Boys Swimming
The CAC JV and Varsity Wrestling and Dance programs are on hold for the 2020-2021 school year until further notice.
All practices will be on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 3:15-4:30, until further notice.
CAC season 2 is scheduled from December 2, 2020, until March 14, 2021.
Basketball facilities schedule:
Girls: Sunday- main gym, Monday- outdoor court, Wednesday- main gym, Thursday- outdoor court.
Boys: Sunday- outdoor court, Monday- main gym, Wednesday- outdoor court, Thursday- main gym.
Scott Fitzgerald
Activities & Athletics Director
CAC Libraries Closed This Weekend
The CAC libraries will be closed this Saturday, November 28 for the Thanksgiving break. 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. Please note that parents cannot make appointments for library use during the week.
Saturday hours are for check in and checkout only. If you need to do any other library business, like for example, clear your account for withdrawal from CAC, you will need to contact the library during the week. Mrs. Fitzgerald can be reached at librarian@cacegypt.org.
Quarantining of library materials is now after check in
We recently received an update to our library circulation system which allows us to check in materials and then quarantine them for 3 days. It was the other way around until now, which led to some confusion. Notices of materials checked out and overdue notices will now be up to date as of 7:30 am of the day they are issued.
Josianne Fitzgerald
MHS & Head Librarian
PTO November Meeting will be held virtually via Zoom on Sunday, Nov 29 at 05:00 PM.
Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/99506497883?pwd=d2NxNDFML25VQ01aM25vTitNeU9LQT09
Meeting ID: 995 0649 7883
Passcode: 353379
PTO
GSS Appreciation lunch – THANK YOU!
GSS Appreciation Lunch Community Thank you
On behalf of our GSS staff, we would like to send a sincere heartfelt THANK YOU! to everyone who supported the Appreciation Lunch. We had different teams coordinating food orders: Seniors, Class of 2024, HS StuCo, PTO, Support Staff, MS Faculty & Staff and PreK Parents. We also received individual orders from students, faculty, staff & parents.
Almost 100 student, parent, faculty and staff volunteers helped over the course of the day at different time intervals. What an Amazing Team Spirit! Everyone’s mission was to appreciate our GSS by contributing their effort, time & money. The result was mind blowing. Our goal was only to have the 147 meals covered. However, we received almost 400 MEALS and DESSERTS! Each one of our GSS received a personalized bag with 2 or 3 meals, a set of assorted desserts, 2 drinks and an appreciation note written by students. We also shared meals with the police around the school.
Click Here to enjoy more photos. (Please use your CAC account).
Click Here to share your feedback to make it even better next year.
We are truly thankful for our CAC community.
Kindness Rocks Rocks!
Traveling this weekend? Bring Rocks to the Kindness Rocks stations on campus. Click here to know where.
Colored Rocks? bring them to the rock stations.
Take photos and post in the Kindness Rocks Facebook Groups; Maadi Kindness Rocks and Kindness Rocks Worldwide
Click here to see our ES students report about our Kindness Rocks.
Middle School Thanksgiving Clothing Drive
Let’s show our thanks by giving. As the weather gets colder and we start organizing our winter and summer clothes, it’s a good time to sift through your small and unused clothing items. The MS Student Council is sponsoring a clothing drive to donate to local charities – The Egyptian Clothing Bank, MOVE Egypt and Awladi Orphange. We are collecting gently used clothing items and blankets to donate to those in need of all ages, infant to adult size (includes: T-shirts, sweaters, socks, pants, jackets, etc).
Click these links to know more about the organizations; The Egyptian Clothing Bank , MOVE Foundation and Awlady Orphanage.
The drive is running from Sunday, November 15 to Sunday, November 29. The delivery will be on the week of Nov.29
Middle school students should bring their items to their advisory classroom to be counted and stored. The advisory that collects the most clothing items will win a lunch of their choice (delivered during lunch the following week).
CAC Community (ES students, HS students, faculty & staff) can put their donations in the red donation box at the front gate.
Remember: all items must be clean and in good condition. Please do not bring torn or worn out items. Students, please make sure you have your parents’ permission to donate the clothing items.
In honor of our 75th anniversary, our goal is to reach 75 kilos of clothing/blankets to donate. Help us reach that goal!
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Ereeny Gawdat (egergess@cacegypt.org).
Ereeny Gergess
Service Learning Coordinator