CAC High School Principal’s Notes
Make a Wish – sponsored by the Booster Club
Students in the HS Band preparing for the Winter Concert
Navigating the Balance between Busy and Productively Engaged
In the bustling lives of high school students, the term ‘busy’ is a common descriptor. However, it’s essential to recognize that being busy does not always equate to being productive. Busy schedules may involve a multitude of activities, but productivity requires a thoughtful alignment of time and energy towards meaningful goals.
Productive engagement involves purposeful actions that contribute to personal and academic growth. It’s about finding a balance between extracurricular activities, academics, and self-care. As parents, it’s vital to guide our students in understanding this difference to ensure they make the most of their time.
Encourage your child to reflect on their daily activities. Are they simply filling time, or are they investing their energy into endeavors that align with their aspirations and values? Are they spending an appropriate amount of time on the activities that will benefit them the most, be those academic, social or active? Productive engagement fosters a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, promoting holistic development.
As a school community, we strive to provide opportunities that go beyond mere busyness but the packed events calendar, rigorous assessment schedule and daily routine of classes all contribute to the ‘busy’ feel of CAC. Our commitment is to create an environment where students can explore their passions, develop critical skills, and learn the art of effective time management and balance.
Grade 12 IB Students Extended Essay Celebration
Semester Exams Update
General Notes
• The last day of regular classes for students before exam week is Sunday, December 3.
• Exams review week / elective class assessment days are Monday Dec 4 – Thursday Dec 7.
• Thursday December 7 is the final day for students to turn in work for Quarter 2.
• Exams run from Sunday December 10 – Thursday December 14. Students are required to sit for their exams during their scheduled times.
• December 2023 Exam Schedule
The School Day During Exams
• Exams are administered daily in two sessions, from 9:00-11:00 am, and 1:00-3:00 pm.
• During Exams Week, students only need to attend school to take exams, with permission from their parents. Students may choose to go home after their last exam of the day if they prefer to prepare for their next exam outside of school. Students who wish to leave school early after their last exam are allowed to do so if they have off-campus lunch privileges. Parents of those who do not may contact the HS school office (by email) to request early dismissal for the week.
• Students are welcome to remain on campus after exams to have lunch and/or study. The library will be open for studying all day. The reading room will be open 11:00-12:30 pm and 3:00-5:00 pm.
• On campus food venues will be open throughout the day at their regularly scheduled times.
Attendance During Exams
• The timings for examinations are fixed and set by the Administration. Only in very select circumstances (travel connected to visa issues, sudden illness or family emergency etc.) will the examination schedule be altered on an individual basis. Families who wish to petition for a special schedule must email the Assistant Principal by December 1, 2023.
• If you have any questions or need to reach the Assistant Principal, Rachel McCall, please do so via email at rmccall@cacegypt.org
• Any student who misses an exam for any reason will receive a 0 until appropriate documentation, if available, is presented.
We wish all of our students the very best of luck with the semester exams in just over one week’s time.
Enjoying Homeroom outside at the end of the week
Harkness discussion in Grade 9 English class
JV boys soccer team playing against KAUST
Students at the Egyptian Food Bank
Dates for your Diary
• 4 & 5 Dec – Winter Concert Series
• 4-7 Dec – Exam preparation and review days in school
• 10-14 Dec – Semester 1 Exams
• 15 Dec – Winter Break begins
• Mon 8 Jan – School Resumes (A Day)
• Mon 15 Jan – Semester One Reports Cards Issued
Andrew Buckman Rachel McCall
HS Principal HS Assistant Principal
Counseling Department Announcements
Week of November 30, 2023
Grade 11-12 Students and Families: FAFSA and Transition Session
This past week, we hosted an informative session for parents of our Grade 11 and 12 students, focusing on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), CSS Profile, and the overall transition to college. A special thank you to everyone who attended and the great questions asked. You can find a link to the Powerpoint presentation here.
Grades 9-11 families:
Already thinking about summer??? Why not consider signing up for a summer program, course, internship or other extracurricular opportunity? As counselors, we are always getting emails about summer opportunities, and will continue to update an internal list. Opportunities are available globally across various subjects. We will update this list regularly, so keep an eye out for new additions! Click here to look at the list of summer programs and opportunities that our office has been made aware of thus far.
Grade 9 Seminar – Final session of the semester!
Grade 9 students just wrapped up their final seminar of the semester, centered around preparing for the upcoming exams. The session covered logistics and also featured valuable insights from students in grades 11-12 that are National Honor Society volunteers. They shared effective study habits and strategies that have aided them over the years. You can find the PowerPoint that guided the discussions here. Good luck to our Grade 9 students on their first semester exams of high school!
Seniors
January Deadlines. Grade 12 students with application deadlines up through January 15th should be submitting applications and document request forms. It is important these applications are completed prior to leaving for December break.
Drop In College Help Sessions Tuesdays at lunch. Next Tuesday, December 5, will be the final opportunity for the semester. As a reminder, this is for students with specific application questions or for general advice on any aspect of their application process. Students can find the drop-in session schedule here.
PSAT Scores are now available – Grade 11
Please see the email from Mr. Semler from today (Thursday, Nov 30).
At present, there are THREE options for viewing your scores:
• Option 1: Via Maia Learning: Log in to Maia Learning and navigate to ‘Maia Drive’. Here, you’ll find your PSAT Score Report dated October 2023.
• Option 2: Through a personal College Board Account (if you have one): If you have a personal College Board account, login there to view your scores.
• Option 3: BigFuture School Mobile App: If you provided your mobile number on test day, you can use the BigFuture School app to access your scores.
This link takes you to a simple guide to understanding your score report.
ACT Prep Course with Higher Ground Learning – March 2024
We’re excited to announce a collaboration between CAC and Higher Ground Learning. Join us for an intensive in-person ACT prep course, spread across two weekends in March, right here at CAC. There must be at least 5 people enrolled for the course to take place. For details on registration, dates, fees, and more, click here.
ACT test information:
The registration for the remaining 23-24 test dates are as follows:
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Saturday June 8, 2024
Registration details here!
Claudia Bean, Jody Stiles, Kasey Semler
HS Counseling
General Announcements
Moving on from CAC before the winter break?
Please use the link below to let us know if you are withdrawing from CAC at the end of this semester. Middle school report cards and the final high school transcript which includes this semester’s grades will not be available until mid-January 2024.
A few days before your departure, a withdrawal form that includes several signatures must also be completed by middle and high school students in order to clear any outstanding obligations, and turned in to the Admission/Registrar‘s Office to release records.
https://cacegypt.org/index.php/withdrawal-request
Registrar’s office
Winter Night of Music – Dec 4 & 5
Ian McCuaig and Alex Dzamashvili
Performing Arts Department
The Toy Drive
Sharing Together
Dec.3 – Dec.13
Packed by ES Students
On Wednesday & Thursday, Dec. 13 & 14, ES students will be packing toys into gift bags and adding thoughtful messages or drawings. These gift bags will delivered to two institutions supporting children diagnosed with cancer. The Health and Hope Oasis (H&HO) and the National Cancer Institution (NCI).
Friends of Children With Cancer and Care With Love have joined hands and started the Health and Hope Oasis, the first supportive care center providing and promoting nutritional, physical, and emotional well-being for children and their families in an environmentally healthy and safe setup. H&HO is located in Wadi El Natrun on Cairo-Alex Desert Road. The National Cancer Institute was established in 1950 serving more than 500 children diagnosed with cancer. Both institutions serve low-income families providing their services completely FREE of charge. Our goal is to provide these children with amazing gift bags.
Gifts Criteria!
• Toys, such as dolls, cars, legos, soft toys etc,…
• Coloring or craft books, stickers, etc,…
• Winter Warmers such as scarves, socks, small blankets, etc,…
• All must be new or in excellent condition
• Individual Milk or Juice bottles
• Chocolate & candies are not welcomed for hygiene purposes
• Go Creative!
• Donations can be dropped off in the red donation boxes on campus
If you have any questions,
please contact the Service-Learning office:
Ms. Ereeny Gawdat
egergess@cacegypt.org
Ereeny Gawdat
Service-Learning Office
All Pro Dad (7 December)
Hello everyone! The next CAC All Pro Dad meeting is scheduled for 7 December.
All Pro Dad is a monthly gathering where dads get to intentionally engage with their kids!
This of course is not just limited to dads, but all children must be accompanied by an adult.
There will be fun activities and a character-based curriculum that helps parents start meaningful conversations with their kids.
The next meeting is scheduled for 7 December at 7:00 am and we would love to see you there.
December’s topic is Peace. A person who’s at peace feels secure and stable, even in the middle of difficult circumstances. When we have peace inside us, whatever’s happening outside us—which we can’t control—is less likely to unsettle us.
If you would like to come, please RSVP here! https://allprodadchapters.com/chapters/13407
For more information or questions, contact our team captain, Craig Tippins, at this email: AllProDadCAC@gmail.com
If you would like to come, please RSVP here: https://allprodadchapters.com/chapters/13407
Craig Tippins
Email: psilick1960@gmail.com
From the PTO
Due to the short week last week we have quite a bit to share with you! First, due to your contributions we were able to meet our goal to support the GSS Appreciation event and provide meals in thanks to all our wonderful GSS staff! Thank you so much for the part you played in demonstrating how each person in our community matters.
We are barreling toward the end of the first semester and we have a lot coming up!
Our work for International Festival is getting underway. If you’d like to volunteer to lead or support a country booth, please fill out this Google form and plan to attend an informational meeting Sunday December 3rd at 8:30 in the PTO Lounge. We currently have ten countries signed up, make sure you get yours on the list!
Our Health & Wellness Committee is working on organizing a festival for early January and they need your help! We need volunteers to run tents. If you’re a community member who could contribute to this event please join our CAC PTO Volunteers group and help us bring this exciting event to our campus!
It’s time for the Book Fair! On Wednesday and Thursday next week, CAC will be hosting a number of local booksellers with popular titles for you to conveniently shop.
But there’s more! On Thursday our Winter Market returns with vendors and charities bringing everything from seasonal decor to soaps. Make sure you come by and check out everything on offer.
We’re looking forward to seeing you around! #loveCACPTO
CAC PTO