September 4, 2008
Dear Parents/Guardians:
We hope your Labor Day holiday was well spent and afforded everyone time to catch up with normal routines, relax and enjoy family and friends. We have added new students to our rosters and recommend if our new families have any questions about programs or procedures please feel free to call the office. Also, refer to the Student/Parent Handbook for answers to some of your questions.
CONGRATULATIONS COMETS ON LAST NIGHTS VICTORY WIN!
Arrival Time:
Zero Period: Class begins at 7:50 a.m. and concludes at 8:30 a.m.
Unfortunately, we are not able to absorb siblings who arrive with students attending this period, or BASP during this period. Please arrange to accommodate your children into their classrooms at the designated time period for grades K-10. Please do not drop off your child at 8:15 to their respective classrooms. Teachers are on a designated time schedule to complete administrative and classroom assignments.
Teachers, Ms. Dulaney and Mr. Nelms are assisting at arrival and dismissal times with parking locations. Please follow their request concerning where to park on campus. There is no parking on the side of the road across or near the Main entrance of the school. If you do see cars parked in this area they are designated for teachers to park.
Before and After School Program (BASP)
Morning session: 7:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m.
After School session: 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
If you are interested in BASP for your child, please contact Ms. Proietti at 704-455-3847 extension 5532.
Classroom Instruction
Kindergarten-Sixth Grade: academic instruction begins at 9:00 a.m
Seventh-Tenth Grades: academic instruction begins at 8:30 a.m
All students are REQUIRED to be on time for class work. Please secure their promptness!
Dismissal
A great improvement from the first few weeks of school! Now, this is what we need to do, are you ready to help us out? Please have a sign on your dashboard to indicate child/children in your carpool. Leave your window open near the driver’s side so you can hear your name, or any other potential announcement, and PLEASE move all the way up the line for pick-up. This will move dismissal along and assist in keeping cars off the main road so that other school buses can drop off children safely near their homes.
Emergency Closings
We certainly were all caught by surprise from that recent rain and cancellation of school. Our make-up date for this loss of school day will be on January 20th, 2009.
“In the case of school closings due to weather, the School will notify radio and television stations about CIS delays or closings. CIS school closing information will be available on TV Channel 3 (WBTV), Channel 6 (NBC) and their sister radio stations: 99.7 and 102.9. Closing information will be posted on our website, and recorded on a recorded message at the school phone number: 704-455-3847 ext.9.” (pg.36 in Student/Parent Handbook)
Picnic
PTSO is sponsoring our CIS potluck picnic which will be held on SEPTEMBER 7th.on Sunday at the Harrisburg Park from 2:00-4:00 p.m. We are all looking forward to meeting our CIS school family. In the event of inclement weather (heat, rain) check out our website on Sunday morning around 11:00 p.m. should there be a change.
Testing
Students in Grade Three will be administered EOG pretest and make-up tests the week of September 8-12. We recommend your child to enjoy an early good night sleep, a hearty breakfast, a bit of exercise before coming to school, and a fantastic lunch as a reward for their efforts. Good luck students!
IPT testing is on the week of September 15-September 19th. K-10. This is a screening test given to students that do not speak English in their homes. If your child will need to be tested, information will be sent home prior to testing.
PSAT Testing
Carolina International School (CIS) is an official PSAT site for the PSAT exam. PSAT testing will take place on October 15th at 10:00 am. If you have any questions pertaining to the test please feel free to contact Ms. Persin at persinm@ciscomets.org. Students who wish to take the test from other schools please call in advance to schedule so we can accommodate your arrival.
Progress Reports: Parents will receive student Progress reports on September 26th.
Soccer Schedule
Due to our storm and day off we have posted the revised soccer schedule on our website. www.carolinainternational.org
Curriculum Evening: 6:00 p.m.
CIS has scheduled an overview of the CIS curriculum, classroom policy and procedure, overview of report card and progress report, textbooks and other important information pertaining to CIS academic studies. Please arrange for sibling care prior to these meetings. Students are to remain home for these events. Park in the gravel parking lot!
Parent arrival: 5:45 p.m.
Location: Student Homeroom or First period class (Grades 7-10)
Curriculum Evening: 6:00-7:00 pm.
Grades K-3 Monday September 15th
Grades 4-6 Tuesday September 16th
Grades 7-10 Wednesday September 17th
Enrichment Program
Our Enrichment Programs are being offered by instructors from various organizations around the county. You will hear from us shortly as we finalize these offerings i.e. Martial Arts, Young Chefs, Dance, French Immersion and Life Skills.
CIS Clubs are being offered by CIS teachers and will begin on and around the same time as Enrichment Programs.
Choir, Ms. Hommes Beta Club, Ms. Mauldin,
Student Council, Ms. Kelly & Ms. Benjamin Envirothon, Ms. Remsburg,
EarthSavers, Ms. McCurry & Ms. Krauss, Math Club, Ms. McFarland
Yearbook, Ms. Aranyi Art, Ms. Belachew & Ms. Chu
Odyssey of the Mind is under consideration. You will hear more as time goes on!
Note: Student Council will be conducting announcements, handling our assembly meeting times, pledge of allegiance and care of flags and more. The Student Council is scheduled to meet weekly and are preparing for election of officers.
We are currently arranging these programs around other CIS events so students have an opportunity of choice, not miss out on soccer events, and free up everyone for PTSO Spirit nights. Look for more on these programs coming soon!
Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) has put together some interesting events that are currently on our website. Check out CIS Spirit Nights, Ladies Nights hour. Get involved!
Choir Performance
Charlotte Asian Heritage Association has invited CIS teachers and parents to attend the ceremony of the Mahatma Gandhi Monument on Sunday, October 5, 2008 on the west front lawn of the historic Old County Courthouse at East Trade and South Alexander Street. Our CIS Choir under the direction of Ms. Jennifer Hommes will be performing at this event.
Founder’s Day
Dr. Richard Beall, Founder of Carolina International School will be honored on September 22nd. at 9:30 am near the EC building. Come and join us as we honor the day as the official Founder’s Day.
Book Mobile/Library
Reading is an integral part of our curriculum and the BOOK MOBILE will be on campus on September 12th. from 12:00 p.m.-2:00 pm. Our CIS library will be operational around the third week of September.
PTSO volunteers are working on a new coding system and will be organizing times and days when students will be able to take out books. We look forward to their update on the use of the library! Thank you one and all for all the work to make this a functioning library for our students!
Finance Meeting: September 9, 2008 4:30p.m. CIS conference Room
Board of Trustee Meeting: September 11, 2008 6:30pm Harrisburg Town Hall
Casual Dress: Casual Dress is on the first Friday of every month. Follow our guideline in our Student/Parent handbook concerning Casual Dress day.
Building and Grounds Committee:
Come join our committee meeting on September 8, 2008, Monday at 6:30 pm at CIS. Meeting is in the conference room in the Main Building. Parents who have not had an opportunity to sign up for this committee are welcomed at this meeting conducted by Connie Byrnes.
Additional copies of our newsletter can be found on our display table in the Main Office. Also, check on our website for informational updates. We are trying to bring you the most updated information as soon as we know of changes.