Middle School Principal’s Letter
Dear Parents,
Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s version of the News and Views. First and foremost, I want to thank you for taking the time to make the appointments to meet with your child’s teachers virtually. Who would have thought we would be doing virtual parent-teacher conferences.
We are hopeful that the parent-teacher conferences provided you with an opportunity to exchange the child’s observations with each other. Learning is a complex phenomenon, and it is normal for a child to face difficulties in learning. They face mental stress and several identified and unidentified challenges. We value the child’s holistic development, but this depends upon the student, parent, and teacher’s hard work. These three stakeholders’ integrated efforts make the best learning outcomes. The relationships built between the teachers and parents and the flow of information back and forth will ultimately have the most significant positive impact on your child.
Although we are back to face-to-face learning, it is still essential for parents to remember that students need mental health support. There’s no handbook for how to raise teenagers during a pandemic. Adolescents are struggling for valid reasons, and I am sure many parents are grappling with how to support their child while also navigating their own pressing concerns. Katie Hurley, an adolescent psychotherapist and author of the new book, A Year Of Positive Thinking For Teens, explains that what is needed the most right now is connection. “It sounds effortless, but the thing that teenagers are craving the most is connection and listening because this is hard for everyone,” she said.
We must remember that children take their cues from us. With both adults and kids experiencing challenges right now, it’s a powerful time for families to practice being open about emotions and making self-care a family affair. Teens need adults to keep an eye on them right now, but sometimes how we check-in can inadvertently increase anxiety.
I often hear from parents that their child is not coming to them for support, but they are. They’re just doing it in a way that you don’t like. When they’re venting or sniping at you over little things, they try to hand you their feelings. They’re projecting outward because those feelings are uncomfortable, and they don’t know what to do with them. Therefore, we need to do more of just listening and asking, “How are you doing? How are you feeling?”
Our grade-eighth students in Science are studying genetics. Happy Birthday Verity.
Thank you for your continuous support of the middle school.
In Partnership,
Courtney Bailey
Middle School Principal
Announcements
NESA Parents as Partners 2.0: Session 5 with Julie Wilson
Greetings from NESA, the Session 5 of the NESA Parents as Partners 2.0 Webinar Series is coming up next Tuesday:
Tuesday, March 16, 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, Greece GMT+2)
The Human Side of Changing Education
Julie M. Wilson, the founder and executive director of the Institute for the Future of Learning, will explore the skills, knowledge and habits of mind that children will need in order to thrive in an unknowable future, the shifts schools will need to make to support that learning, and how parents can be partners in the change process.
READING MATERIALS: Hero’s Journey Companion Guide
PLEASE NOTE
- There is no limit on the number of signups. Parents/faculty who cannot attend live are welcome to view recordings on the Info Hub. Recordings will be posted the day after each session.
- Parents who have not previously registered or cannot locate their link may register with Zoom HERE. A personalized link to join the session will automatically be emailed to them. This link may be used to access all the webinars.
- We kindly request that you do not share the Zoom registration link or the recordings publicly.
2021 Booster Club CAC Spirit Art Contest
Calling all CAC students to have fun, be creative, and show off your amazing talents in one or two Booster Club Spirit Art Contest events. You can “Fly like an Eagle” by taking a photo of yourself and others and/or design a CAC Spirit T-shirt for the Spirit store.
And there are exciting prizes: 1st place $100; 2nd place $50; and 3rd place $25.
The contest is open to all students, and ages are grouped in the following categories: 4-8 years; 9-13 years; and 14-18 years.
The contest runs from March 8th until April 8th.
For more details, click the CAC Booster Club website link https://www.cacegypt.org/index.php/cac-campus-life-booster-club
or pick-up an application form from your school’s office.
Sports Season 3 Signup
CAC season 3 sport conditioning signup will take place online from Thursday, March 11 at 8:00 am, through Tuesday,March 16 at 3:00 pm.
(Link, https://forms.gle/f9t1xsbhVU7rnFPc7)
The season 3 sports available for grades 6-12 signups are:
Girls’ and Boys’ Track & Field, (grades 6-12 may sign up) coaches Hatem Mersal, Rebecca Riddle, Darren Kennedy, Passant Herky, Bassant Hazem & Bassem Reda. Location: CAC campus (Sunday and Thursday), Maadi Olympic Center Track (Monday and Wednesday).
All practices will follow CAC mitigation guidelines in place.
All practices will be on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 3:15-4:30, until further notice.
CAC season 3 is scheduled from March 21, 2021, until May 27, 2021.
No late bus transportation will be provided.
Ramadan Donations
We’d like to overwhelm our General Services Staff at CAC with Ramadan Boxes this year. We are appreciative of all the hard work that’s taken place due to the circumstances we’ve all been living (and sending our children to school) through!
PTO wants your participation and giving hearts—please consider donating towards more than 1 box!
CAC Talks: Body Safety!
Join us Sunday, March 14th at 5:30pm for CAC Talks: Body Safety! Hear from our expert, Nancy Hadi, on how to talk to our children about body safety in a safe and nurturing way, and how to keep an open line of communication with our children to ensure their safety and understanding of their bodies. We will also hear from CAC’s Child Protection faculty committee to update us on goals, policies and curriculum at CAC. If you have questions for our Body Safety expert, Nancy, or our CAC Child Protection committee please send it via this anonymous link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JRT97VX or email us at cacpto@cacegypt.org.
Topic: CAC Talks with Nancy Hadi
Time: Mar 14, 2021 05:30 PM Cairo
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fundforteachers.zoom.us/j/96977086496?pwd=a0NKdGhPK21qRkRkbWw4OHZteWphUT09
Meeting ID: 969 7708 6496
Passcode: 754494
CAC PTO GRANT
Once each year we invite all teachers, parents, staff and students to submit ideas for projects that could make a difference to our school community. Proposals should always be framed by CAC’s core values. Priority will be given to projects that identify a specific need, have a clear purpose, and are innovative and beneficial to our CAC community or beyond. The budget for the grant program for 2020-2021 is $1,000. There is a limit on each grant request this year of $500 or less per grant. If you have a funding idea for the PTO that exceeds this limit, please email us for discussion. Email cacpto@cacegypt.org for more information.
From the MS/HS Library
CAC Libraries open Saturdays in March
The libraries will be open this Saturday and March 20. The libraries will not be open on either Saturday of the spring break, which means the next open Saturday is April 10. We will not be extending the 10 book checkout limit for the spring break, apologies.
Remember that you must book a 30-minute time slot on the CAC dashboard, but parents can only book for a Saturday appointment. (You can reach the booking system from the school app as well.) Bookings must be made by 7 pm on Friday.
Document with all Saturday open dates for the libraries can be found here.
Sora is open 24/7
Our ebook and digital audiobook library is open 24/7 to our CAC parents, students, faculty and staff. Download the Sora app, find our school by typing “Cairo American College” and use your CAC single sign on to log in. Books are checked out for 2 weeks and automatically returned so you never have to worry about overdues.
If you have trouble with your CAC single sign when logging into Sora, please contact Ms. Amira Youssef, ayoussef@cacegypt.org.
Three Cheers
Three Cheers to all teachers for their efforts in the parent-teacher conferences.
Three Cheers to all parents for their participation in the parent-teacher conferences.
Three Cheers to Ms. Fahmy for organizing the catering of the parent-teacher conferences.
Three Cheers to Ms. Mona Abdel Hady and Mr. Bustamante for their efforts with the parent-teacher conferences.