Middle School Principal’s Letter
Dear Parents,
Thank you for taking the time to read our final News and Views of this historical year. As the school year comes to an end, I wanted to acknowledge the loss and the need for closure to the 19-20 school year since COVID-19 brought life as we’ve known it to a screeching halt. It’s been a great year! Together we’ve learned much and shared experiences that will long remain with us in the years to come. The strength of our parent community showed up, and proved the resilient nature of everybody.
Our teachers were great at problem-solving, strategizing, and continuing with the learning against all odds. This crisis proved to all of us that routines and rituals matter. I think it is important to name it and embrace it as grief and loss.
As educators we realize that closure matters to students. From the virtual grade-eight Recognition Night Graduation Ceremony, to the Cairo World Scholars Round, and the Core Values award presentation, they all mattered. They meant something to students, and years from now they will remember the kind words that were said about them. The hugs and tears shared virtually because they had the gift of saying goodbye.
Closure matters to teachers as well, as they signed off on their last report card comments to students, and shared final words of wisdom with them, as students left their virtual classroom for the last time. The reality is, that the foundation we have all been standing on, no longer exists. There are no clear answers on how to operate, therefore we are all swimming in a sea of ambiguity.
I believe Gertrude Stein said it best, “There isn’t an answer. There is never going to be an answer, and that’s the answer.” There is also something liberating with this new reality. I don’t see us getting it wrong. We can only take a leap and reflect deeply after the fact on lessons learned.
Special thanks to all the PTO Parents for their generous support as community volunteers. It is your contributions that helped to make a difference in our school community. I’d like to thank Vanessa Moor who is stepping down as PTO Chair next year. Her commitment was monumental. Than you Vanessa, for all that you have done for the teachers over the years.
Thanks to our parents who have contributed in ways small, large, and unimaginable! Thanks for supporting your child to stay engaged in their learning through the e-learning process. The partnership between home and school was transcendent.
On Sunday afternoon, the grade eighth had their Recognition night ceremony, and it was very successful thanks to the hard work of Ms. Torky and Mr. Miller. I want to thank our student speakers Owen, Diya, and Elsa who spoke so eloquently while giving their speech. We will miss this year’s class because of all they contributed to middle school over the years.
To our students, I hope this summer you will find time to read each day for a minimum of 30 minutes, and do a minimum of 30 minutes of Math each day. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all students of Cairo American College and I wish you all a happy, safe, and enjoyable summer.
Thank you for your support of the middle school this year and we look forward to seeing you all on August 18th.
In Partnership,
Courtney Bailey
Middle School Principal
Announcements
Student physical reminder for 2020/2021
If your student will be entering grades 3,6 or 9 next school year, we ask that he/she is seen and examined by a doctor, and a physical completed and sent to the health office on or before the first day of school in August.
We are more than happy to accept early completed physicals as of now, either by email or hand-delivered to security at the front gate.
https://www.cacegypt.org/PDF/Student_Physician_form.pdf
CAC Health Office
CAC 2020-2021 Detailed Calendar
- 2020/ 21 detailed calendar is now available online.
- Proposed dates for CAC Week Without Walls (HS) and Prime Trips (MS) for the SECOND SEMESTER of the 2020-2021 school year will be confirmed in August 2020 by the CAC administration for February 14- 18 or March 21-25, 2021.
From the MS/HS Library
Happy summer reading!
Thank you to all for a great year, even if it did have a different ending than we expected!
You still have time to return library books. Drop them off at the front gate. It helps if you label them with “For MHS library” to make them easy to see.
Returning students can request an extension on their books’ due dates until August 18. Please email Mrs. Fitzgerald, librarian@cacegypt.org or Ms. Lena, lrezk@cacegypt.org.
Follow the MHS library on Instagram, @cacegyptlibrary, this summer for reading recommendations and book related posts. Take a #shelfie (selfie with a book) and tag with #CACEgyptReads.
Sora is the portal to our ebook and digital audiobook collection. It is open 24/7! Log in with your CAC single sign on when you are asked for a Follett account. A screencast tutorial on how to access is here.
Three Cheers
Three Cheers to all the parents who volunteered to serve pizza on Wednesdays.
Three Cheers to Mr. Miller and Ms. Torky for organizing the grade-eighth recognition night ceremony.
Three Cheers to Mr. Kumar and his tech team for their support of parents, students, and teachers during the e-learning process.
Three Cheers Ms. Fahmy and Ms. Urbiztondo for their support of students, teachers and parents.
Three Cheers to Mr. Miller for his support with the collection of resources from students.