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 lovely four days in the Middle School. There was a lot of positive energy in the building with the eighth-graders back together. The teachers commented that the students were quiet in class; after all, it was their first time back together since March of 2020.
It feels refreshing to have the opportunity to call them eighth-graders instead of group one and group two. The student’s health and safety are our primary concern on campus, and we will do everything to keep them safe. But for students to continue having the wonderful experience they had this week, we need you to work in partnership with us. Students have to avoid large gatherings outside of school because, without constant supervision, they are unlikely to wear masks and practice social distancing.
We want your child in school, not home, sitting in front of a computer working in isolation. Making the decision not to allow your child to attend a party might be the best thing you could do for them. As well as for the other members of your family. Try to create a bubble and keep them in that bubble as much as possible.
Thank you for your diligent efforts in abiding by our mitigation protocols. We are pleased that we have few active cases in our community. We remain well below the threshold stated in our COVID operational manual to continue safely with our phased reopening.
As a result, starting the week of January 31st, all seventh-graders will attend face-to-face classes on all school days.
From grade six, Social Studies teachers Mr. Kasal and Mr. Coles:
As part of our unit on Ancient Egypt, we asked the grade 6 students at CAC to create a video and tourism campaign to boost Egypt’s ancient sites.
We asked the students the following question: “Can we design videos that will make tourists excited to see Ancient Egypt?”
Students were placed into teams and were charged with designing and producing a 90-second video highlighting the most important and noteworthy sites of Egypt. Additionally, the students were tasked with designing and producing a travel brochure meant to complement the video. As the 6th-grade social studies explore Ancient Civilizations, we decided to focus solely on the history and culture of Ancient Egypt.
Expert CAC alumni (and parents) worldwide were invited as panelists to create both an authentic learning experience and inspire students with CAC role models. Their collective knowledge was very diverse and included expertise in the following industries: tourism, Egypt culture, Egyptology/Antiquities, branding, marketing/sales, advertising, production, and education.
Panelists were responsible for the following:
– Listening attentively to each team’s presentation
– Observing and scoring students’ presentations and introductions to their project.
– Providing questions about the content of the videos and questions of clarification that force the teams to justify their positions (Why did you choose that photo? Why did you choose that type of music, etc.)
– Providing feedback about what works well and what needs some work
– Providing overall opinions on the project itself
We would like to thank our amazing volunteer panelists for making this a fantastic learning experience our Middle School Students will never forget!
Thank you for your continuous support of the middle school.
In Partnership,
Courtney Bailey
Middle School Principal
Announcements
A NOTE FROM OUR CAC BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Every year we seeks to recognize members of our community through the CAC Community/Core Values Award. This award is presented to members of our community who exhibit the CAC core values by making exceptional and varied contributions to the CAC community.
The CAC Core Values are: Compassion, Creativity, Courage, Integrity, Perseverance, Respect, and Responsibility. If you know of someone who has made a difference in the lives of our CAC Community while exhibiting these core values, please nominate her/him for the Core Values Award. Last year’s recipients of the Board of Trustees Community/Core Values Award were: Carmen Allison, Courtney Bailey, and Nadia Rashad.
All members of the community – not currently on the Board of Trustees – are eligible to be considered for this award including faculty and staff so long as they make contributions to the community that are above and beyond their regular, expected duties.
The nomination form is available ONLINE in this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvWW4Vpf1rRkftBPxMNrEZk86QyzYRkUEbOdxKageZTq8LmQ/viewform?hl=en&fbclid=IwAR0vAFs-oTOCgSZLu6uOnAV0QAKWp4PgEfzjEXLU7r60NBwdESSfPJoFb_s
Forms can also be obtained from the Board Executive Assistant, Nawal Gamal, on the 3rd floor of the Admin Building or via email board@cacegypt.org. Nominations are due no later than 3:00 pm on Sunday, February 14, 2021.
Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge the contributions of your friends and colleagues to the CAC community.
JANUARY MONTHLY PTO MEETING
Did you know that you’re automatically in the PTO when you’re a parent or teacher at CAC? Join us for January’s monthly meeting, virtually!
Here are the Zoom Meeting details: https://zoom.us/j/97208854547?pwd=bzRlWlZpUG5taDdiVVRFMUdWSnoxZz09
Meeting ID: 972 0885 4547 / Passcode: 661239
From The MS/HS Library
CAC Libraries closed this Saturday
The libraries will be closed this Saturday because of the holiday. 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.
Weekday bookings for the MHS library are only for HS students during their lunchtime.
Battle of the Book Elimination Round 1 a Success!!
Congratulations to the 8 teams who took part yesterday and today in the first elimination rounds for the Battle of the Books. We will have the next elimination round next week, and we will combine the scores of both rounds to determine which four (4) teams will make the finals on February 9.
Here are the rankings as of today:
The Foxes – 25,550 points
Lunch Ladies – 23,950 points
New Readers on the Block – 23,320 points
Book Shreddrz – 22,584 points
The Ones Who Do – 21,900 points
Ez Dubz – 21,672 points
Spider Pickles – 20,590 points
Pizza Party – 18,510 points
Three Cheers
Three Cheers to our 8th-grade students for following the health and safety protocol this week.
Three Cheers to our teachers for the fantastic job they are doing during these unprecedented times.
Three Cheers to Ms. Nibal and our custodians for their efforts to keep the campus clean.
Three Cheers to Mr. El Ghalban and the transportation department for their efforts to keep our students safe on the roads.