CAC High School Principal’s Notes
Welcome to the 2025–26 school year and to the first edition of this year’s Highro-Glyphics weekly newsletter. Each Thursday, I will share highlights of campus events, snapshots of learning, and celebrations of the vibrant life of our high school. Thank you for taking the time each week to stay connected.
The year has begun with great momentum, and the positive energy on campus remains strong. Seeing students return with fresh energy after the summer break has been a joy. As routines settle in, students are getting to know their teachers, classmates, and courses, and are beginning to engage more deeply in the learning ahead. Add/Drop is currently underway, and will finish on August 26. We anticipate student schedules being settled by next week.
This year, we are delighted to welcome more than 45 new families to our community, bringing high school enrollment to 390 students. Our Student Ambassadors played an important role in greeting newcomers at New Family Orientation and have continued to extend a warm CAC welcome throughout the opening days. It has been wonderful to see our returning students and broader community come together to support a smooth transition for all.
I also want to extend a special welcome to our 9 new faculty members who have joined (or re-joined) the high school team this year. These accomplished educators bring a wealth of experience from around the world, and we are excited for the expertise and fresh perspectives they will contribute to our school.
• Mr. Adam Smee – High School Assistant Principal
• Mr. Bruno Britto – Science and Chemistry
• Dr. Tony Muca – Mathematics
• Mr. Roberto Rozalen – Mathematics
• Ms. Nina El Shabrawy – English Language Arts
• Mr. Jonathan Pennington – Social Studies, Economics, Business
• Mr. Mohamed ElBably – Arabic
• Mr. Tim Chaney – Design & Engineering, Disruptive Innovation and Technology
• Dr. Maya Williamson – English Language Learning (returning after a year away)
Andrew Buckman
HS Principal
From the Assistant Principal
Mr. Adam Smee
As the Assistant Principal for the high school, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all new and returning students and faculty as we begin this academic year. I come to CAC with over twenty-five years of experience in the international school circuit, working in schools in Asia and South America; and now I am thrilled to join such a reputable school as CAC in the marvelous city of Cairo, which continues to surprise me the more I get to know the city and its people. Personally, I am looking forward to adding value to the school and the community.
One of my roles this year is to reinforce the core values of the school that create a strong and healthy student community. Building positive relationships and ensuring the health of the school learning environment is an area I will focus on. I also emphasize that each individual plays an important role by discovering how to best contribute to the overall well-being of the community. I look forward to knowing each one of you to see what special talents you have to offer. If you have the chance, I invite you to stop by and introduce yourself. I’m looking forward to a great year at CAC.
Adam Smee
HS Assistant Principal
Upcoming dates:
• Sun 24 August – Season 1 Activities begin. Athletics try-outs begin.
• Mon 1 Sept – Back to School Night 4:15 – 7:00 p.m.
• Thu 4 Sept – Holiday (to be confirmed)
• Sun 7 Sept – Skyward gradebook opens 4:00 p.m.
• Mon 8 Sept – Senior College Night 6:00 p.m.
• Wed 10 Sept – Parent Coffee Morning with HS Admin 9:30 a.m.
• Wed 10 Sept – Service Fair (11:00 – 4:00) Drop in any time
• Sun 21 Sept – Early Release day. Student dismissal at 11:30
• Week of Sept 22 – HS student photos
• 5-9 October – CAC Fall Holiday
Counseling Department Announcements
Week of August 21, 2025
Thanks to all the Student Ambassadors for helping at orientation to welcome our 47 new students to high school! Their warm and welcoming smiles set them at ease, and they were well informed and ready for their first day of school by the end of orientation! The ambassadors and counselors will continue to be a resource for the new students as they get settled into CAC.
Parents of the Class of 2026!
• Save the Date- Senior College Night for parents: Monday, Sept. 8th at 6 pm. Details coming soon!
Schedule change requests
• If your student has a schedule change request, they can fill out the schedule change request form in the HS counseling office starting Aug. 20 through Aug. 26. No changes are guaranteed. Students should follow their current schedule until you hear back from the counselors.
Standardised Test dates: Your student can click on this link to find out more about the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo for those planning to take a standardized test for university entrance requirements.
Claudia Bean, Staci Petrich, Jody Stiles
HS Counseling
General Announcements
Activities & Athletics Update
Stay in the loop with what’s happening at CAC! For the latest updates, event details, and schedules, check out our live Google Calendar:
View Live Calendar Here
Season 1 is Almost Here!
We had a fantastic turnout at today’s Season 1 Offerings Fair—it was great to see so much excitement around CAC’s Co-Curricular opportunities! Over 200 students have already registered for a sport and/or activity, and the form will remain open until Wednesday, August 27 at 4:00 PM.
Sports tryouts kick off on Sunday, August 24.
HS CCA’s on Offer: Please explore all of the sports and activities available at CAC by visiting our internal CCA Site (Click HERE).
Season 1 HS Sports include:
• Volleyball
• Cross Country
• Soccer
• Age Group Swimming
• Wrestling Skills (Tuesdays)
New Families
For our new families, if you have any questions or would like to learn more about high school Activities and Athletics, please reach out at activities@cacegypt.org or athletics@cacegypt.org. You’re also welcome to stop by the Athletics & Activities Office—we’d love to meet you!
David Goetz (Athletics and Activities Director) &
Kasey Semler (Activities Coordinator)
Food Vendors/Spare App
Food vendors on campus: Coffee Bean, Greco, Fresh and Co., and Jared’s Bagels.
The link to the Spare App Parents’ Guide is found here: SpareCAC
Note: Lunch orders made through Spare can be picked up from the vendors on campus.
If you run into any issues, you can read some answers to common questions or submit a support ticket at http://www.paywithspare.com/support or send an email to support@paywithspare.com, and they will get in touch to assist you.