CAC High School Principal’s Notes
Welcome to this week’s edition of Highro-Glyphics. We hope you have purchased your tickets for the PTO International Festival, and we hope to see you there!
Principal Coffee
Thank you to the parents who attended the HS coffee that immediately followed the MS coffee this past Wednesday. Based on feedback from last year, we have the two meetings back to back to improve efficiency for parents. We had a productive discussion about summative assessments, such as final exams: why we do them, how we design them, and way students can prepare for them.
Skyward Gradebook
The gradebook section of Family Access on Skyward allows students and parents to view student progress each fortnight. Teachers are available to speak to students face-to-face about progress and academic performance. Below are the dates the Skyward gradebook will be open for the rest of the semester:
Nov. 21
Dec. 5
November 27: Half Day for Students
November 27 is a half day for students, as staff and faculty engage in professional development activities. Students will be dismissed at 11:30 am.
Thanksgiving Holiday
There is no school November 28 for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.
First Semester Final Exams
Semester 1 final exams begin on December 15 and continue to December 18. Please do not make travel plans that depart before final exams are finished.
The final exam day-to-day schedule can be found here.
The month leading up to examinations can be stressful, busy times for students. We have a few suggestions to make in order to help alleviate the stress that most of our students experience as exams approach:
● Your child should be working to make sure his/her class notes and graded assessments are in order and are readily available for study and revision.
● He/she should be devoting some time per day to prepare for exams as well as making wise use of Flex times during the school week.
● We encourage your child to make an appointment to see his/her teachers for extra help if needed.
● Make sure your child is getting proper rest during the days/weeks leading up to exams. One of the best ways to prepare for an exam is getting adequate sleep.
● Your child should avoid cramming – almost all academic studies reveal that cramming is not a particularly efficient method of test preparation. Continually self-testing throughout the semester has been shown by cognitive scientists to be one of the most effective ways to prepare for final exams.
Following these suggestions will not ensure a completely stress-free, pre-exam period for your child, but it will help alleviate harmful stress, thus providing for a better outcome.
Winter Vacation Begins December 20
Making travel plans for the Holiday Season, a reminder that the first day of Winter Break is December 20. The last day of winter break is January 11, as classes will resume again on the 12th of January at 8am, with an assembly in the theater.
Second semester exam dates are June 1-2 for seniors and June 3-8 for grades 9-11. Graduation is June 5. Please keep in mind while you plan your summer travels that seniors are able to depart after graduation and underclassmen after their final examination.
Jerry Duggan Rachel McCall
HS Principal HS Assistant Principal
Counseling Department Announcements
Freshman Seminar
This week counselors me with Freshmen to discuss Developing Strengths and Deepening Involvement throughout High School. Students explored their soft skill strengths and ways those could align with potential career interests. Additionally, we checked up on their SMART goals and email inbox organization. Please take the time to discuss the results of the seminar with your students.
Standardized Tests
The deadline for 14 December 2019 ACT registration is 22 November 2019, so please don’t forget to sign up!
Upcoming University Visits – The American University in Cairo
On Tuesday, Nov 19th at lunch AUC will be visiting with students and parents. If you plan to apply to AUC, make sure to visit the AUC table in front of the MS/HS Library.
Contact Mr. Simon if you have any questions.
Claudia Bean, Stephanie Barker, 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 and turned in to the Admission/Registrar‘s Office to release records. Withdrawal forms can be picked up from the counseling offices or can be downloaded from the same website.
Please note that High School transcripts including this semester’s grades will not be available until January 27, 2020.
Registrar’s office
PTO International Festival
International festival is THIS Friday November 15th and ticket sales end Thursday after school. NO ticket sales on the day.
Please support the PTO, your school and your country by coming to this year’s event.
Lots of great food and raffle prizes!
PTO
General Services Staff Appreciation Lunch – Nov. 21
Every year, we give thanks to these hard-working teams by organizing a special lunch relying on the generous donations and efforts of our community. The GSS appreciation lunch will take place on Thursday, Nov. 21, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm in the MS Field. Please check this link for more details and for volunteering to help on this day.
Service Learning Office
egergess@cacegypt.org
Fall Athletic Awards Night 2019
All athletes and their families are cordially invited to the Fall Athletic Awards Night on Tuesday, November 26th at 5:30 p.m. in the CAC Theater. The evening will consist of highlights of the season and the culminating season tournament for each team.
Please note that the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the Coaches’ Choice awards will be presented on stage. The teams to be honored this season are:
Junior Varsity Girls Volleyball
Junior Varsity Boys Volleyball
Varsity Girls Volleyball
Varsity Boys Volleyball
Junior Varsity Girls Soccer
Junior Varsity Boys Soccer
Varsity Girls Soccer
Varsity Boys Soccer
Junior and Varsity Boys and Girls Cross Country
We hope to see you there. This event dress code is formal or in team uniform.
ISAA Tournaments
CAC teams played in the first ISAA tournaments on November 8 and 9, 2019, at 2 locations in London and in Geneva. Congratulations to all teams for competitive participation in all tournaments.
It is a credit to all schools involved in creating ISAA, and staging the first tournament in the fall of 2019.
See results below.
Girls and Boys varsity and junior cross country at ACS Hillingdon, London:
Junior Girls: CAC 2nd, CAC race winner Usha
Junior Boys: CAC 2nd
Varsity Girls: CAC 9th
Varsity Boys: CAC 3rd, CAC race winner Murad
Overall: CAC 2nd
Girls Soccer @TASIS, London:
CAC varsity girls, 4th of 6 teams
All Tournament Goalkeeper: CAC Hannah
CAC played to a 3-1-1 record following pool play. The tiebreaker put CAC in the 3/4 game, where CAC lost a close game to ISB (Basel), to finish 4th of 6 teams.
Boys Soccer @ TASIS, London:
CAC varsity boys, 5th of 6 teams.
CAC played in 3 close loses on day 1 of pool play, then won the 2 pool games played on day 2. The tiebreaker put CAC in the 5/6 game, where CAC won for the third time on day 2 to finish 5th of 6 teams.
Girls Volleyball @ College Du Leman, Geneva:
CAC varsity girls, 8th of 10 teams.
All Tournament Team: CAC Isabel
CAC played in pool play on days 1
Boys Volleyball @ ACS Egham, London:
CAC varsity boys, 4th of 8 teams.
All Tournament Team: CAC Jonas
CAC played in pool play on days 1 and 2, finishing in 1st place in their pool. In the semi- final game with ISB (Basel), CAC lost a close 3 set match. CAC then played in the 3/4 game, losing in 2 sets to ISD (Dusseldorf), to finish in 4th of 8 schools.
The Athletic Office
Transportation Announcement
The Transportation Department would like to remind parents and students that friends are not allowed on buses. It is also not permissible to switch buses. Thank you for your cooperation.
Mohamed El Ghalban
Motor Pool Manager
Saturday Openings for November and December
The CAC Libraries will be open on the following Saturdays in the month of November and December:
– November 2
– November 16
– November 23
– December 7
– December 14
You can see the full list of Saturday openings for the CAC libraries here.
Josianne Fitzgerald
MHS & Head Librarian
Story Fest
Registration is now open for Students, Parents, Faculty, Staff and Alumni to sign up for three StoryFest events!
Flash Fiction Contest
StoryFest’s Flash Fiction Contest will include four different categories. You are welcome to submit as many stories to each of the categories as you like!
• Flash Fiction (Write a story in 1000 words or less)
• Drabble (Write a story in EXACTLY 100 words)
• Nano-Fiction (Write a story in EXACTLY 10 words)
• Visual Storytelling – (Tell a story through a series of photographs)
REGISTER HERE by Wednesday, November 27th, and details will follow about submission deadlines!
StoryFest SLAMs
Participants will also have the opportunity to tell a story or read a poem live at the event. Here are some guidelines:
PoetrySLAM
• 2 minutes or less
• Suitable for all ages (PG-rated)
• Need examples? Find one here.
StorySlam
• 5 minutes or less
• Suitable for all ages (PG-rated)
• Need examples? Find one here and another one here.
REGISTER HERE by Wednesday, November 27th and details will follow about submission deadlines!
StoryFest is coming your way this December 10, 11, and 12. We have a dedicated team of organizers working to make this inaugural event a memorable one for the whole CAC community.
What is StoryFest?
StoryFest is a celebration of storytelling, in all its myriad forms, for all ages. Stories are how we interact with and understand the world!
Who is StoryFest for?
The festival will have events for all ages! We will welcome students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni to the event. Some will be more geared toward adults, and others toward children.
Can you give me some examples?
• StoryFest will host musical performances from Hazel Ketchum and Bob Culver, two American musicians specializing in balladry and musical storytelling.
• Enas El Masry, an Egyptian journalist-photographer-blogger-storyteller, will give a TED-style talk entitled “Our Brain on Stories: Why Do We Crave Them?” which will explore the intersection of stories and personal identity.
• Giles Abbot, a dynamic performative storyteller, is joining us from the UK to contribute his artistic gifts.
• A team of students and adults will lead an introduction to the collaborative storytelling in roleplaying games. If you’ve ever been interested in why Dungeons and Dragons is having a cultural resurgence, try it for yourself (or another roleplaying game) with some helpful folks to guide you.
• Much, much, much more.
There are many ways to engage with StoryFest:
• Read a story in your native language at the Native-Tongue Story Open Mic event.
• Read a story or poem at the StorySLAM or PoetrySLAM events. Look for sign-ups and registration soon!
• Participate in the Flash Fiction contest. We will have categories for Flash Fiction (1000 words or less), Drabble (100 words or less), and Nano-Fiction (10 words). Look for sign-ups and registration soon!
• Record a reminiscence about CAC. Stories are being collected for CAC’s upcoming 75th anniversary!
Questions about the event? Contact Noah Balazs nbalazs@cacegypt.org.
Girl Scouts Leaders Wanted
There are four ninth graders who would like to continue their Girl Scouts careers. We need leaders to guide them. Please consider volunteering to lead this troop for the year. Girl Scouts at this level can lead their own meetings and projects, but they will need a liaison with the Cairo Council of leaders and with the USAGSO organization. Please email Sara Torosian, cairogirlscouts@usagso.org, if you would be interested in leading these girls. It’s an extremely rewarding experience; you will not regret it!