Middle School Principal’s Letter
Dear Parents,
Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s version of the News and Views. It was a busy week for everyone. It is hard to believe we have already completed eight weeks of teaching and learning. The reason CAC has such strict mitigation protocols is for the safety of everyone on campus. While we can’t force you to implement the same protocols at home, we ask that you think of others when deciding not to wear a mask, practice social distancing, or wash your hands. We are all in this together, and the safety of everyone is our responsibility.
We had a big turnout for our coffee morning on Wednesday. As I shared with you, we want to develop students who are antifragile. I noticed many parents were concerned about the attendance and how it is reported. We will look at it to give you a clearer picture of when your child is missing class. Due to our current norm, we do understand the word absence is misleading.
We will have our Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday, October 19th, from 3:15 – 5:00 and Tuesday, October 20th, from 7:45 am – 4:15 pm. We would appreciate it if you didn’t sign into your Google meet until the time of your appointment. This is the first time we are running this format; therefore, we will have some challenges, but we ask that you are patient. Please be reminded you will need to use your CAC Gmail to access the Google meet. Conferences are structured to last no more than ten minutes with the teacher. The teachers will keep track of the time and inform you when your ten minutes have come to an end. We expect that your child attends the conference with you on both days.
As we move into Phase 1.5 and eventually into Phase 2, we are looking at starting pre-season conditioning for athletes and activities programs after school. We will structure it the same as we do the physical education classes in pods. This will be an excellent opportunity for students to be active and connect with friends in a social setting while practicing social distancing. More information about this will be provided in the upcoming weeks.
In 8th grade Language Arts, students read dystopian fiction novels and think about how it relates to the world around them. They consider what prompts authors to write cautionary tales about the future based on what they are concerned about in their present life, country, and world. 8th graders have discussed current social issues and ideas and connected how they could affect their own lives in the future.
Thanks for all you do to support the middle school.
In Partnership,
Courtney Bailey
Middle School Principal
Announcements
The Booster Club would like to announce the opening of the Spirit Store for all products! We are happy to now be open during every school day from 8:30-10:00am and 1:30-2:45pm. Please stop by using Gate 7 and shop through our windows. We still cannot have customers inside the store, but we will soon be offering an online catalogue of all of our products for you to make your list at home and bring to the Spirit Store for us to fill! Come on by and shop for spirit wear, lunch box items and school supplies (as well as masks and PE uniforms). We can’t wait to see you at the Store!
WELCOME BACK TO OUR SENIORS!!! The Booster Club is so happy to have our seniors back on campus 4 days a week. Seniors, look out for a special Booster Club “SENIOR SURPRISE” every day next week! Go Class of 2021!
Q&A Session with Head Of School And All Principals
Coming up! Join us at this school-wide LIVE Virtual Event! Our Head of School and all Principals will be there to answer questions from the PTO community. Please email questions in advance to cacpto@cacegypt.org .
Advanced questions are encouraged and will given priority, but if time allows in the 1-hour session, we will take questions from the Zoom Chat feature. Note that we have learned from our previous Q & A 😀 and have now planned capacity for up to 500 attendees. Typed transcript will follow.
Zoom Meeting Link: https://fundforteachers.zoom.us/j/96115447581?pwd=bzFLNW9STTdOM2dmenkzMUYvaWt6Zz09
Meeting ID: 961 1544 7581 / Passcode: 499561
CAC TALKS
Welcome to the CAC TALKS PTO Archives! Below you will find a link to a document holding the recent recorded CAC Talks session, compiled notes, and additional resources.
“COVID-19: Mental Wellness” – Dr Anne Justus, September 8, 2020 (recording only): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IHuZQNNHx1uCrfEMm0Aw2B6eLEvBfjES/view?usp=sharing
“Talking [to Kids] About Feminism” – Dr. Jason Beckett, September 30, 2020:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_-QKrljYSU1qKjvoABJUsnbV5j5RBF9VK6ug8tlFKlA/edit?usp=sharing
“Depression in Children & Adolescents” – Dr. Anne Justus, October 6, 2020:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zoIhVFfIbEQRRQYnTSom5ezM328h78nzk7Y7Lhw__Wc/edit?usp=sharing
From the Service -Learning Office
Let’s put our ideas together
“THE IDEAS TANK”
Get Inspired by others! The below are some amazing ideas that were submitted earlier in response to the question; “How can we contribute to the community while maintaining physical distance & managing our own safety? explain by giving examples.”
Stay healthy and improve your immune system during covid-19 cooking class. Also learning quick, easy healthy meals for University. (done on zoom). – HS Student
Organize useful zoom talks, provide value through meaningful, yet safe involvement in community service, promote togetherness through projects that can be taken online, meet in small groups outside. – Parent
We can plan online and act in a small group that can go to different organizations. – Staff
Making a list of the best quality arts and crafts shops in and around Maadi made by disadvantaged people in our community. – Faculty.
Maybe we can make a “love of wings”, a cloth that has two wings, each wing is one meter long, so it can keep the social distance. – MS Student
A NEW Question!
Proposed by a HS student
“What is your experience with initiating or participating in service projects in the Maadi/Cairo community?”. Click here to send your ideas: THE IDEAS TANK.
If you have any questions,
Please contact
Ms.Ereeny Gawdat
Service-Learning Coordinator
egergess@cacegypt.org
From the MS/HS Library
CAC Libraries Open This Weekend
The CAC libraries will be open for community this Saturday and October 23. Please see list of open Saturdays here.
Please book a 30-minute appointment slot on the CAC parent dashboard’s “CAC Campus Facilities Online Booking” form. Bookings are accepted until Fridays at 7 pm.
You can access the booking system through the new CAC School Stream app. Click “CAC” at the bottom of the screen, then scroll down to “Parents Dashboard.” You will be prompted to log in, which you’ll do with your parent CAC single sign on. Look for the “CAC Campus Facilities Online Booking” link and follow the prompts.
Sora, our ebook and digital audiobook app
With the Sora app, available on all mobile platforms, or soraapp.com, CAC students, parents and teachers can access a large and growing collection of ebooks and digital audiobooks. All you need is your CAC single sign on to log in.
See a preview here. (Sora will ask for your Follett account. That just means your CAC single sign on.)
Please write to librarian@cacegypt.org if you encounter any problems.
Three Cheers
Three Cheers to all parents who attended this week’s Principal Coffee Morning.
Three Cheers to Ms. Gallagher and Ms. Osama for all their efforts with COVID – 19 contact tracing.
Three Cheers to our Motor Pool for their efforts with keeping our students safe on the road.