CAC High School Principal’s Notes
Valentine’s Day brought an air of celebration and festivity to the campus this week. Several-led student groups brought their service projects out into the sunshine for everyone to enjoy and contribute to the good causes. This, coupled with the collection of WWW verification forms has led to a very exciting week here at CAC.
Wellbeing, the 4th W of our WWW Program
In our professional development session with teachers today, teams have been working together to plan the curricular and learning elements of our upcoming WWW experiences. One theme being explored is how our WWW experience supports personal, social & emotional learning as well as contributing positively to student wellbeing. We are examining this through the frame of Relationships, Reflection and Resilience.
Relationships are key to the experience of a WWW adventure. Teachers and students develop connections and perspectives of each other that are different from those within the classroom. Students will also form new friendships and make lifetime lasting memories. Seeing others from a new perspective and building positive relationships and memories are key elements of personal purpose and wellbeing.
Reflection is critical to the learning experience of a WWW and for personal growth. When we engage in something that challenges us or makes us uncomfortable, or when an experience is totally new and unfamiliar, it is through a process of deliberate and structured reflection that a growth opportunity will develop and learning takes place. Our WWW experiences are about more than simply “doing”, they’re about learning through doing.
Resilience is a hugely important personal attribute to nurture and develop in young people. Our world is full of complex challenges, setbacks and hardships. Learning how to respond, manage emotions, navigate and bounce back from these difficult times is a fundamental life skill and closely linked to the CAC Core Values of perseverance and courage. As the WWW experiences may push our students outside their comfort zones, or take them into unfamiliar environments, they will develop the growth mindset required for a resilient and positive attitude towards life.
Whichever of the myriad of WWW experiences your child will participate in, we believe all students will have the opportunity to flourish—to feel good and function effectively. They will experience healthy levels of enjoyment, vitality and purpose, all key drivers and influencers of personal wellbeing—the 4th W of our WWW program.
Dates for your diary
• 17& 18 Feb: HS Production, 6:00 p.m. (CAC Theater)
• 1 Mar: Begin submitting payment for WWW in Cashier’s office
• 3 Mar: End of Q3
• 6-10 Mar: Spring Break Holiday
• 13 Mar: School resumes after Spring Break
• 13 Mar: latest date to receive full Covid vaccination (for overnight travel with CAC)
• 14 Mar: Q3 Progress Reports available on Skyward
• 15 Mar: WWW Final Payment Due
• 15 Mar: Parent-Student-Teacher conferences (after school, 3:30-5:00)
• 16 Mar: Parent-Student-Teacher conferences (all day, no classes for students)
• 20 Mar: HS IB/AP Art Exhibition Opening, 3:30-5:30 p.m. (HS 3rd Floor Gallery)
• 21-24 Mar: HS IB Art Show All Week (HS 3rd Floor Gallery)
• 26 Mar: Girls Get Strong! event on campus
• 27-31 Mar: Week Without Walls
Yours in partnership and learning,
Andrew Buckman Rachel McCall
HS Principal HS Assistant Principal
Counseling Department Announcements
Week of Feb 17, 2022
Course Registration
Students in current grade 9 and current grade 11 registered for classes this past week for the 22-23 academic year. Students should connect with their counselor if they have any questions or concerns.
Grade 10
Please have your student schedule the individual course planning meeting that should take place during the students’ flex period before March 3, 2022.
Grade 11
Please have your student schedule the individual university planning meeting that should take place during the students’ flex period before April 21, 2022. Those who were unable to attend the University Kick Off, you may find the recording of the session on the Home Page of our CAC HS Counseling Resources Webpage.
University Events, Summer Programs, and Scholarships
EventBrite College Fair. Tuesday, Feb 22 at 4pm Cairo Time. Meet with admissions representatives from 30 universities from Canada, USA, UK, Europe & Malaysia. Learn about admissions requirements, deadlines, scholarships, student life, etc. To learn more and register, click here.
As the semester progresses, we will continue to update the HS Counseling Resources Website with upcoming virtual or in person events, as we receive word of them.
Claudia Bean, Kasey Semler, Cameron Simon
HS Counseling
General Announcements
NESA Parents as Partners Webinar 3 – Recording & Feedback (2nd Semester)
Thank you for joining us for the NESA Parents as Partners Series Spring Semester: Webinar 3, “Navigating Parental Polarities” with Carolyn McKanders.
The webinar recording and resources from the February 8, 2022 session are now available on the Parents as Partners Info Hub.
If you have not already, we ask that you take a few minutes to share your thoughts on the webinar.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE NEXT SESSION ON FEBRUARY 22.
February 22, 2022 | 4:00-5:00pm (GMT+2) [VIEW LOCAL TIME]
Why Service Learning Matters to Schools, Your Children, and YOU: Bringing Learning to Life
Presented by Cathryn Berger Kaye
Author & Education Consultant, CBK Associates
Our schools are charged with preparing young people for an ever-changing and complex world. Educators can harness the innate desire of children and teens to be creators, catalysts, collaborators, and change makers using service learning: a reliable process that involves youth in acquiring knowledge, skills, and transformative attributes. As parents, we can elevate their curiosity and be their biggest cheerleaders. Let’s do this! Discover more about the Five Stages of Service Learning, see examples of what youth do, and find out why service learning is integral to international schools all over the world.
PLEASE NOTE
To join this session, you don’t need to re-register. You may use the same link you used previously. Or, you may register again to receive a new email/link.
RE-REGISTER – ONLY IF YOU NEED A NEW LINK
Global Issues Service Club: Donation Drive to Caritas Egypt
The Global Issues Service Club has resumed its service projects again. GISC will be supporting Caritas, a refugee organization in Egypt. We will be collecting school supplies and winter clothes/blankets to help them throughout the year. As our aim is to provide a chance of education to these refugees, we would also encourage all faculty & staff members to provide books and educational materials in the red donation boxes, located in different places around the school; the front gate and the new high school building during the period February 21st to February 24th.
For more information on Caritas Egypt, please go to the following link: Website
For more information, please contact 23sjung@cacegypt.org.
Global Issues Service Club
Booster Club
The Spirit Cafe will be open again every Thursday from 3:05-5pm! Hope to see you there. Please note that the Spirit Store will continue to be closed to shoppers, with purchases made through the window until further notice.
The Booster Club
From the Library
Something’s missing from the front gate! CAC’s Little Free Library is getting a makeover! Stayed tuned for updates on its new look.
Meghan Ennis
MHS Librarian
Girls Get Strong is Back!
Dear Community Members,
Adolescence is a critical time period for developing healthy habits, especially for girls. Despite an overwhelming amount of research highlighting the importance of physical activity, there is a significant decline in activity levels for adolescent girls. With the support of Cairo American College (CAC), Girls Get Strong (GGS) was founded in 2016 to empower girls to be socially, emotionally, and physically healthy. After not hosting the event in 2021, I am excited to share that this year’s event will take place on Saturday, March 26th. I invite you to join us for a day of empowering girls in all aspects of their lives through connections with positive and inspiring community role models like yourself!
In the past, Girls Get Strong has welcomed experts in health, fitness, and athletics to lead workshops and fitness activities that empower CAC students and other students from various international school communities throughout Egypt. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event is only open to our current CAC students and the ID-holding community. We envision this year’s event to draw upon the voices within our own community to advocate for what is necessary for our female students to succeed. By restricting this year’s event to our CAC community only, not only will it be easier to uphold our current mitigation measures, but it also allows a unique opportunity for students, parents, and faculty to lead workshops and activities throughout the event. More details about our COVID mitigation measures are to come, but we are committed to following the recommendations laid out in our manual and maximizing our time outside.
If you would like to support this year’s event, please complete the following Google Form.
Details of the event are as follows:
Date: March 26, 2022
Location: CAC High School Building, HS Field, and Athletics Facilities
Grade Level: 5th-12th Grade
Time: 9 am – 1:30 pm
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
Event Volunteers:
Community volunteers provide critical support throughout the conference. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in supporting Girls Get Strong to get involved. Tasks for volunteers include: setting up, registration, assisting with activity transitions, and assisting with serving lunch.
Workshop Facilitators:
Workshop facilitators will plan and coordinate a 45-minute workshop that targets students’ social, emotional, or physical well-being. All workshops should empower girls with the knowledge, confidence, strength, inspiration, and/or leadership skills to be healthy. Workshops will have a maximum of 15 girls. Previous conferences featured workshops led by experts and professionals in education, medicine, nutrition, physiotherapy, psychology, and personal training. Workshop topics included: gender bias, leadership, nutrition, perseverance, posture, self-image, and strength training.
Fitness Leaders:
Fitness leaders will plan and lead a 30-minute group exercise activity. Exercise activities should empower girls to be physically active. Workshops will have a maximum of 15 students, depending on the facility, equipment, and activity. Previous conferences offered the following fitness classes: aerobics, agility ladder training, barre, body attack, body pump, Bollywood, circuit training, cheer aerobics, CrossFit, kettlebell training, meditation, TRX, yoga, and Zumba.
Sponsors:
As a non-profit organization Girls Get Strong relies on its community members to support its mission of empowering girls to be physically, socially, and emotionally healthy. Financial assistance is needed to support the conference as well as provide attendees with conference memorabilia and a healthy lunch.
Girls Get Strong is a collaborative, educational, and hands-on organization that unites students, coaches, and community members. It is designed to support the development of girls’ physical, emotional, and social well-being within health, fitness, and athletics. Through this organization, Girls Get Strong strives to increase collaboration between coaches, community members, students, and teachers to empower girls.
As someone who has had their life shaped by athletics, I am so thankful for the support our community has shown for this important cause. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to discuss your involvement further. I look forward to having your support in delivering a safe and empowering event to our community.
Rebecca Riddle
PE Teacher
ES- ASA volunteers
Elementary after-school activities are fun, optional activities scheduled from 3:15-4:00 on campus every weekday except for Tuesdays. Activities are offered to grades K-5
We offer a range of choices to enable students to explore their talents and interests.
These activities develop useful life skills, such as responsibility, teamwork, communication, creative thinking, and self-confidence. We were blessed to have our first and second ASA season this year.
Volunteer engagement would be much appreciated. Students/ parents who are interested in supporting the ASA program for the upcoming season, please contact me at mabdelfattah@cacegypt.org.
SESSION Three TIMELINE
Sunday, February 20, 4:00 pm- Sign up begins
Wednesday, February 23, 8:00 Am – Sign up closed
Tuesday, March 1, 4:00 pm – Confirmed activities sent to parents
Week of Sunday, March 13 – First week of the Season
Week of Sunday, May 15 – Last week of the Season
Mahmoud Abdel Fattah
ES Activities Coordinator