CAC High School Principal’s Notes
Thank you for reading this week’s Highro-Glyphics!
In case you missed it on Facebook, click here for a thank you from CAC!
Thank you to those who were able to attend the virtual parent coffee on Wednesday. It was wonderful to see your faces and hear your expressions of support.
The parent coffee and my meetings with students have provided invaluable feedback, especially now that we know we will continue with e-learning for at least two more weeks. Our teachers are committed to continuing to deliver a quality program, and they will keep doing what they can to make sure our students keep learning at a reasonable pace with an appropriate amount of work.
We will keep working to provide positive experiences for our students in these difficult times.
Principal’s Notes Highlights:
● Student Session with Dr. David Gleason
● Tips for Helping Your Students
● Western Easter Holiday
● Student Virtual Meetings with Mr. Duggan
● E-Learning Reminders
● Skyward Gradebook
● Graduation
● Second Semester Exams
Student Session with Dr. David Gleason
Many of you likely remember Dr. Gleason from his visit to CAC last fall. Dr. Gleason is a psychologist working with private and public schools around the world on topics related to adolescent stress, anxiety, and other wellbeing issues common in teenagers. Acknowledging the incredibly stressful times that we are all experiencing, Dr. Gleason will be giving a virtual presentation on the topic of stress during this pandemic, in addition to answering questions from students. He has already done similar sessions with CAC faculty and parents–this session is specifically for our High School students.
The student session will take place on Friday, April 10th, at 3:00pm Cairo time. Students should check their school email for more information and the Zoom link.
Tips for Helping Your Students
During the coffee we discussed what parents can do to help their children cope with the stress of the global situation and support them in their new learning environment.:
Listen, validate, reassure. It is important to remember that when teenagers talk to their parents, they are not always looking for advice. (Click here for an article with more details on that topic.)
Keep students on a regular schedule.
Encourage them to communicate directly with teachers.
Encourage outdoor physical activity (when possible.)
Take care of yourself.
Let them know they are not alone!
Western Easter Holiday
There will be no classes on Sunday, April 12 in celebration of the Western Easter holiday. We wish everyone a Happy Easter!
Student Virtual Meetings with Mr. Duggan
I have been holding 30-minute virtual meetings with groups of students by grade level during Flex blocks, to give them a chance to ask questions and share their perspectives. I am hosting these meetings at different times on different days, and over time I will try to offer every student the chance to participate. Participation is optional. If your child receives a Google Meet invitation, please encourage them to join in.
E-Learning Reminders
● We will continue the 2-day rotation of ABCD/EFGH for as long as we are using the e-learning platform.
● It is important that students try to maintain a regular schedule.
● Though e-learning remains asynchronous, students should make every effort to attend live sessions. When possible, teachers will record live sessions for the benefit of those who have connectivity problems or other issues.
● Remember that if you see an “N” in your student’s attendance in Skyward, it means their participation has been below expectations during that week. Please see the note below regarding the Skyward Gradebook.
● Teachers will continue to be available for office hours for a given class during the block that class would meet according to the two-day rotation. Of course, students may contact teachers by email at any time, but they should not expect to receive replies outside of regular school hours.
● It is very important that students also check email and respond to emails within 24 hours.
Skyward Gradebook
The gradebook section of Family Access on Skyward will remain open as long as we are engaged in e-learning. This will provide students and parents a way to track completion of assignments. Be aware that teachers may post assignments that have not been graded, or even collected, therefore a mark with of * (asterisk) is not cause for concern. However, a mark of “0” means that the work is overdue, and that it has been factored into the semester grade.
Graduation
At present, we plan to hold our graduation ceremony as scheduled June 5 at the Pyramids of Giza. We recognize circumstances may force us to alter those plans, so we are working on contingencies. I have been and will be soliciting input from seniors during our virtual meetings.
Second Semester Exams
Second semester exam dates are currently scheduled for June 1-2 for seniors (in non-IB/AP and year 1 IB classes) and June 3-8 for grades 9-11.
Jerry Duggan Rachel McCall
HS Principal HS Assistant Principal
Counseling Department Announcements
Seniors, your counselors are staying up to date with the latest developments in university admissions for fall 2020. We will reach out to you with as much relevant information as possible. Also feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Parents and students, please remember that your high school counselors are here to support you! We are a resource for questions that you may have about your classes, being organized for e-learning, future university goals, or just to chat about anything in general. We want you to know that we are here for you!
Juniors
Our university planning meetings have moved online! If you haven’t already scheduled yours with your counselor, be sure to do so ASAP to occur by the end of April. Have your packet from Junior College Night handy so we can discuss your transcript, your testing strategy, and your timeline for university applications.
Claudia Bean, Stephanie Barker, Cameron Simon
HS Counseling
General Announcements
Library Books Curbside Service
The CAC Libraries instituted a service this week whereby patrons can place holds on books they want and we deliver them to the front gate for curbside pickup. See here for details on the service. We will continue this service for as long as the campus stays open for teachers.
We use gloves to handle all check outs and book returns. Books that are returned are set aside for a 48 hour quarantine, as recommended by the American Libraries Association. The COVID-19 virus can live up to 24 hours on cardboard, and so we’ve decided to double that time for our returned books.
Once the 48-hour period has passed, books are checked in. If you have returned library books to the front gate and they are still on your library account, it’s because of this 48 hour wait.
Apologies to parents who may have received overdue notices this week. We thought we had suspended those notices and we’re checking to see that they are indeed turned off. If you received an overdue notice, you can email us to request a renewal or you can drop off the books at the front gate between 12 and 3 pm each work day.
Josianne Fitzgerald and Nan Miller
CAC Librarians
Athletics:
Season 2 Athletic Awards:
The season 2 Athletic Awards document has been sent to all season 2 student athletes. All award winners can pick up their plaques at the CAC front gate over the next week, starting on Thursday, April 9, 2020.
Season 2 Awards 2019 – 2020
| Sport | Award Received | Name of Athlete |
| Varsity Wrestling | Most Valuable Player | Murad Barakat |
| Varsity Wrestling | Coaches’ Award | Daniel Main |
| Junior Varsity Wrestling | Most Valuable Player | Stefan Ryer |
| Junior Varsity Wrestling | Coaches’ Award | Al Hassan Naguib |
| Varsity Boys’ Basketball | Most Valuable Player | Elliot Loveless |
| Varsity Boys’ Basketball | Coaches’ Award | Nasser Maswood |
| Junior Varsity Boys’ Basketball | Most Valuable Player | Adam Ramadan |
| Junior Varsity Boys’ Basketball | Coaches’ Award | Max Simbolon |
| Varsity Dance | Most Valuable Player | Aisha Heinen |
| Varsity Dance | Coaches’ Award | Usha Hollema |
| Junior Varsity Girls’ Basketball | Most Valuable Player | Allyson Arbaugh |
| Junior Varsity Girls’ Basketball | Coaches’ Award | Sara Knox |
| Varsity Girls’ Basketball | Most Valuable Player | Eman Ahmed |
| Varsity Girls’ Basketball | Coaches’ Award | Estelle Campana |
| Varsity Swimming- boys | Most Valuable Player | Kirill Solari |
| Varsity Swimming- girls | Most Valuable Player | Salma Shabana |
| Varsity Swimming- boys | Coaches’ Award | Zein Faheem |
| Varsity Swimming- girls | Coaches’ Award | Rediate “Mimi” Assefa |
| Junior Varsity Swimming – girls | Most Valuable Player | Audrey Allison |
| Junior Varsity Swimming – boys | Most Valuable Player | Grant Livsey |
| Junior Varsity Swimming – girls | Coaches’ Award | Hoda Abou Ghali |
| Junior Varsity Swimming – boys | Coaches’ Award | Brooks Livsey |
Thanks to all student athletes, coaches, and parents for the ongoing support of CAC teams during these uncertain times.
Season 2 athletes: Please follow up on returning CAC uniforms to the front gate. Thanks to athletes who have returned uniforms already.
CAC Athletics