CAC High School Principal’s Notes
AP Environmental Science Students’ Sustainability Proposals
If you can believe it, we are already seven weeks into the school year. It’s time for a well-earned break for our faculty, students, and support team. Taking a short pause mid-semester is an ideal opportunity for students to refresh and re-energize before buckling down for the second half of the semester, when assessment pressures will intensify in the lead-up to exams. It is important that students use this time to recharge both physically and mentally. They should aim to balance their time between doing activities they enjoy, spending time with family and friends, and catching up on any school-related tasks that require attention.
For our Grade 12 IB students, of course, there will be plenty to keep them occupied as they work diligently on their Extended Essays, CAS projects, and other requirements of these very rigorous courses. In addition, all our Seniors are deeply engaged in the university application process, preparing personal statements, writing essays, completing applications, and working towards application deadlines. This is an especially demanding and exciting period for them, and we encourage families to support students in balancing these commitments with the rest and renewal they also need.
Shortly after the break, Quarter 1 reports will be issued in Skyward, providing students and families with a clear picture of progress so far this year. This will be followed by Parent-Teacher Conferences at the end of October, which will offer an important opportunity for parents and teachers to connect directly about student learning and growth.
When we return from the break, there is much to look forward to. On October 15, we will be hosting a parent coffee morning, and at the end of that week (October 16), the annual University Fair will take place on campus. Parents are warmly invited to both events, and we hope you will be able to join us. The University Fair brings over 100 universities to our campus, represented by their admissions officers.
Also during that first week back, initial placements for Week Without Walls will be announced—a piece of news we know our high school students are eagerly anticipating!
Wherever you may be during next week’s break, please travel safely, take care, and enjoy this time together as a family to reconnect. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on October 12, which will be an E Day.
Andrew Buckman
HS Principal
Upcoming dates:
• 5-9 October – CAC Fall Holiday
• Sun 12 October – Back to School After October Break (E Day)
• Mon 13 Oct – Grade 11 PSAT Testing
• Wed 15 Oct – HS Parent Coffee (9:30 a.m.) – HS Meeting Room
• Thu 16 Oct – University Fair (12:30 – 2:45 p.m.) – Gym
• Thu 23 Oct – End of Quarter 1
• Mon 27 Oct – Q1 Progress Report posted on Skyward
• Wed 29 Oct & Thu 30 Oct – Parent, Teacher & Student Conferences
• Thu 30 Oct – No School for HS Students
• 31 Oct – 2 Nov – CAC MUN
• 5-9 Nov – ISAA Fall Athletics Tournaments
• 14-15 Nov – NESAC Leadership Conference (Hosted at CAC)
• Tue 18 Nov – Early Release Day
• Sat 22 Nov – Girls Get Stronger
• 23-26 Nov – Spirit Week
• Thu 27 Nov – US Thanksgiving Holiday (no school)
Seniors Trying on Graduation Caps and Gowns!
Counseling Department Announcements
Week of October 2, 2025
Grade 9 Seminar Update
This week, the Grade 9 students attended a session led by Ms. Ennis, our high school librarian, focused on building strong academic skills that will serve them throughout high school and beyond.
Topics covered:
• Plagiarism and AI – understanding academic honesty and responsible use of technology.
• Citation – learning how to correctly give credit to authors and sources.
• Research Tools – strategies for finding reliable and credible information.
All of today’s resources are posted on Google Classroom, and students are encouraged to use the Library Website for additional support with research and assignments.
We invite you to check in with your child about what they learned and encourage them to apply these important skills in their coursework.
Grade 11: PSAT in October
All juniors will be taking the PSAT on October 13th. Not only does this test give them valuable practice for the SAT and ACT, but for U.S. students, it also opens the door to the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program (National Merit), which can bring recognition and scholarship opportunities. The PSAT helps students see their strengths and identify areas to focus on as they prepare for the SAT and future college admissions. Sophomores will also get their turn in the spring with the PSAT 10, giving them early experience with the test and a head start on building confidence for 11th grade.
Upcoming University Visits:
Monday, October 13th, MS Hall:
5:15-5:45 pm: Student Session- an overview of Tufts, admissions decision plans such as ED, ED II, EA and RD & tips on writing supplemental for selective universities. Students can RSVP here.
6 pm- 7 PM: Parents & Students Session: An introduction to Tufts University with a focus on USA financial aid and scholarships for US citizens and international students & applying for a US F-1 student visa. RSVP here. Light refreshments will be served.
8th Annual Cairo School Counselor Network University Fair
Thursday, October 16th: 12:30 pm-2:45 pm in the gymnasium. A tentative list of participating universities is here.
Standardized 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. Note: test registrants for any ACT test may receive a relocation notice if ACT moves the testing location from CAC to a different center. You will receive an email from ACT about a week before the test if you are moved
Visit our CAC Counseling web site for information about college and career research.
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:
Coming Up After October Break!
October 16–20, 2025
We are excited to welcome the Bonn International School HS Girls Football Team from Europe for a series of matches in Cairo. Come out and cheer on our Eagles as they compete on home turf!
After the October Break:
Monday, October 13 · 3:00 – 5:30 PM
• JV Boys & Girls 8 v 8 Football vs. CES @ CES
• Varsity Boys & Girls Volleyball vs. AIS @ AIS
• Varsity Boys & Girls Football vs. MES @ CAC (League Match)
• U14 Boys & Girls Basketball vs. Malvern College @ CAC (4:00 PM)
Wednesday, October 15 · 3:30 – 5:00 PM
• JV Boys & Girls Volleyball vs. CES @ CAC
Saturday, October 18
• CISSA Varsity Volleyball Tournaments:
o Boys @ CAC
o Girls @ ISC
NESAC Leadership Conference (Nov 14–15, 2025) – Hosted at CAC
High school students were emailed this week with an application to participate in the NESAC Leadership Conference, bringing student leaders from seven NESAC schools to CAC for keynotes, workshops, cultural experiences, and collaboration around the theme “Building Bridges: Leading Change.” We will select 10 CAC delegates and also build an Operations Team.
If you, as a parent, are interested in offering a workshop during the conference, please contact Mr. Semler at ksemler@cacegypt.org. Thank you for supporting student leadership at CAC!
Jr. Golf Club Donations
The Activities Office seeks donations of jr. golf clubs and equipment for our upcoming grade 4/5 golf program. Please send any donations to the MS Office or the ES Activities Office. We are happy to accept any used equipment.
The Heart Run – October 17th in Palm Hills
Run the Race, Save a Heart
Mark your calendar for October 17th and join the Heart Run in Palm Hills to benefit the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation. The run is your chance to put your best foot forward and make a difference. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or a first-timer, heal hearts by taking part in the run, support a great cause and have fun with friends and family. All proceeds from registration and donations go directly to support free heart surgeries. Run the Race, Save a Heart.
Link for registration: https://stamina-sports.com/heart-run
Promo code for 20% off: HART20
David Goetz (Athletics and Activities Director) &
Kasey Semler (Activities Coordinator)
CAC Talks is back!
We’re excited to welcome back CAC Talks, a PTO-initiated series that fosters growth and community through expert-led sessions. To browse past editions, click here (CAC login required).
We start the new season off exploring The Power of Perspective: The Science of Resilience and Learned Optimism with Hamide Eygoren. Hamide holds a Master in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied under Dr. Martin Seligman, world-renowned psychologist and founder of the field of positive psychology. See Hamide’s bio here.
When: Monday, October 13 at 8am
Where: In Person: iSpace, ES Building, 3rd floor | Online: Zoom link
In this hybrid workshop, Hamide—also a CAC parent of three—will share research-based strategies to help families build resilience and optimism without falling into the trap of toxic positivity. You’ll learn to:
• Distinguish realistic optimism from toxic positivity
• Reframe negative self-talk using Seligman’s “3 Ps”
• Apply the ABC(DE) script for setbacks
• Practice family-friendly tools to strengthen optimism every day
**Sign up and share your questions here.
Whether online or in person, you’ll leave with practical tools to boost resilience for yourself and your children. We look forward to learning and growing together as a community!
Warmly,
PTO & Dr. Ericka Galegher, CAC Strategic Initiatives Coordinator
Prom Sponsorship Opportunity
STUCO is currently looking for sponsorships to help make this year’s prom unforgettable. If you or your organization would like to partner with us, please reach out by email at 28okamal@cacegypt.org
27pshrimali@cacegypt.org.
Thank you once again for supporting our students and school community.
Omar Kamal & Prakhar Shrimali
From the PTO
Hello CAC Families!
Time is flying at school, and we’ve got lots of exciting things coming up. We’d love for more parents to jump in and get involved.
A big thank you to everyone who joined our first Community Service of the year—we hope it was a meaningful day. Special thanks to Donia for organizing it. We’d love to see even more of you join us in future events!
Before we head into our well-deserved October break (great job, parents, for keeping up ), here are a few important updates about what’s happening after the break:
Halloween Decoration Committee
Winter is Coming… and so is the CAC Winter Bazaar!
Get ready! The highly anticipated CAC Winter Bazaar returns on Friday, December 5, 2025.
To help us host this wonderful community celebration, we’re inviting you to partner with us! We rely on your support to bring this tradition to life.
• To become a Sponsor: Please find the opportunities below and email us at winterbazaar@cacegypt.org
• To be a Vendor: Sign up here: Vendor Sign-Up Link.
Priority will be given to CAC-affiliated businesses for both sponsorship and vendor spots.
Thank you for your support.
Best,
CAC PTO Team