NEXT STOP: STATE HISTORY FAIR!

Congratulations to Mrs. Gayan and all the 7^th and 8^th grade students for their success at yesterday’s District History Day event at UNC-C! Seventeen CIS students qualified for the State History Fair:

Junior Individual Exhibit

Colin Moore—Polish Solidarity Movement

Katie Muse—The Wright Brothers

Danielle Driscoll—Ghandi

Junior Group Exhibit

Daniel Whitecavage and Spencer Nichols—Jackie Robinson

Patryck Chwalek, Christopher Tilque, Walid Nasim—291^st Engineers

Haley Kozma, Sarah Halperin, Sarala Mahlin-Korn—Rosa Parks

Andra Greene, Samira Abdelrahman, Kala Brust—Amelia Earhart

Junior Website

Jason Zicherman, Ashwin Chandrasekar, Alex Andrews—Animal Rights

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

v CIS Ladies Night Out, Tuesday, April 11^th at 6:30pm at the Mexicasa Restaurant in Harrisburg.

v CIS Family Picnic on Sunday, April 30^th at 4:30pm.

For info: Cathie Price (645-7038), Janet Bryant (789-9665)

v 1^st Annual CIS International Festival, Saturday, May 13^th, 9am-1pm, Rocky River Elementary School.

vYear-End Gala, Saturday, June 10^th, 7-9pm, Belk Theatre at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

SUCCESSFUL LOTTERY MEETING

Two state senators, one state representative, delegations from three other charter schools, and the press attended last week’s meeting of NC SELF (Students for Equitable Lottery Funding) hosted by CIS. In addition to guest speaker Todd Havican from Union Academy, CIS students Colin and Sarah Moore, Amritha Amarnath and teacher Crystal Smithers spoke about the value of charter school education and the injustice of their students being denied lottery funding. For more information, please see the open letter from a CIS parent in this Tuesday folder.

 MORNING DROP-OFF AT 8:30

For safety reasons it is important that students not be dropped off prior to 8:30 a.m. unless prior arrangements have been made.  Students should not leave vehicles until an adult staff member is present to signal drop off has begun.

PTSO NEWS UPDATE

We hope you will plan to attend our monthly meeting this Thursday, April 6^th, at 6:30pm in the multi-purpose room. Please be present if you would like to be nominated for an officer position for next year, or to submit a nomination. Elections will be at our May meeting and you must be present to vote. This week’s meeting will cover new fund-raising ideas and needs and playground equipment updates.

CHEERLEADING PRACTICE

Cheerleading practice for both squads will be held this week on Thursday, April 6^th from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  There will be a short meeting for parents immediately following practice.  Contact Sandi Vielbaum at 704-455-3847, Ext. 3 or via email to vielbaums@ciscomets.org.

PROCTORS NEEDED FOR EOG’S

When we administer the End-of-Grade (EOG) exams on May 23-25, we will need approximately 24 proctors to sit in as observers of the exam process. We rely on parent volunteers for this important function. If you are available on any of the mornings of those days, please contact Cathy Hayes in the office. Proctor training will begin each day at 9am. The tests last from 9:30-Noon. Thanks for your help!

SPRING PICTURES HOME TODAY

The spring pictures are going home today in the Tuesday folders. They are due back to the teachers on Tuesday, April 11^th. You must return the pictures if you are not ordering. Re-takes of spring pictures are Monday, April 10^th.

YOUR PICTURE $ AT WORK!

When you order school pictures—either in fall, winter, or spring—a portion of your purchase returns to CIS. We are using those funds this year to purchase the protective awnings that have been installed over each doorway. These will divert rain and keep the classroom entrance carpet dry. Thanks for supporting CIS in this way! We also want to thank CIS Board of Directors member Nimish Bhatt for advancing the funds for this project so it could be completed during the school year!

Parent Volunteers

Fulfilling the Potential of CIS through Service and Support

Bravo, Ms. Connie, our Mighty Mulch Lady!

Our entire CIS community is indebted to Connie Byrne (left) for the wonderful middle school landscaping that she donated and installed, assisted by Threasa Austin (right) and some CIS students. Ms. Byrne provided hundreds of dollars worth of plants, decorative bricks, and lights, and many hours of dedicated work. Please give her a pat on the back when you see her!

Bridge Builders!

Last Sunday five CIS fathers joined Maintenance Director Bill Kreitzer in creating a bridge that leads across a stream to one of the most appealing sites on our campus, “The Beach,” a sandbar big enough for an entire CIS class. Thanks to Duane Albers, Greg Bacharach, Greg Eichman, Bob Honer, and Earl King for a job well done! Our students will enjoy this for years to come!

Butterfly Builders!

The Albers and King families took time on a Sunday afternoon to begin the butterfly garden. Special thanks to Earl King for roto-tilling the compacted soil!

Patriot Dad!

CIS father Andrew Farina informed, inspired, and entertained students as a Revolutionary War soldier bringing History Day to life.