Dear CIS Parents,
We’re happy to bring you this special Summer UPDATE to fill you in on lots of important developments! We’ve had a great summer and hope your family is rejuvenated and ready for a fantastic school year.
See you soon!
Dee and Richard
Summer Progress on Campus
We’ve been busy this summer preparing the campus and we’re eager to welcome our staff and families back to school! As you drive in, you’ll notice that we finally completed the road widening. The last touch will be the SCHOOL signage on the road (coming soon). We’ve also cleaned and painted inside and outside, made repairs in every building, corrected drainage and other issues, and more. We brought in professionals to solve a moisture and mold issue in one classroom, and have randomly tested throughout the campus to ensure that the problem is corrected. Safety and hygiene are our first priority and we’re relieved that this situation is resolved.
Sports/Soccer Good News! Last spring we anticipated joining an interscholastic soccer league, but learned over the summer the league required certain religious practices. As a multicultural school, this was not appropriate for our students. Fortunately we have found an alternative. CIS is the newest member of the Charlotte-Gastonia Athletic Association (CGAA)! This fall we will field three teams in interscholastic sports: coed soccer, coed cross country, and girls volleyball. Games have already been scheduled and practices will start the first week of school. These teams are for Grades 5-8.
Since the number of participants on the CGAA team will be limited and we want ALL our students to have opportunities to participate, we are also establishing the CIS intramural sports program to include all interested students grades K-8. We will schedule after-school practices and games, some possibly on Saturdays. We will provide more information about the sports programs at the Open House meetings next week. We need coaches at all levels. If interested in volunteering your time or if you have other questions, please contact Athletic Director Scott Morris at morriss@carolinainternationalschool.org.
Middle School Building Update. The new modular building with six middle school classrooms (Grades 7-9) and two offices suites is scheduled to be delivered around August 22nd. We anticipate occupancy before the end of our first term. In the meantime, our 8th Grade will have classes in the Media Center and Music room. We regret this inconvenience, and appreciate the patience of our staff and families as we make the best of our current situation.
Carpool. Parent Carolina Cobb has graciously agreed to continue this year as Chair of our Transportation Committee. She is currently collecting contact information for anyone interested in carpooling—either needing or offering rides. We are starting a fresh list this year, so EVERYONE interested must submit your contact information and home address to Caroline at: tgcisme@adelphia.net
PLEASE NOTE: Change in Hot Lunch Program. We were informed this week that the hot lunch caterer we used last year, Canteen, would not be able to provide service this year. They lost a contract in Harrisburg and could not make deliveries from Charlotte for just our school. We are researching alternatives now and expect to have some hot lunch options to offer this fall. Until further notice, all students will need to bring sack lunches.
School Leadership is being distributed with the designation of Lead Teachers and Department Chairs. Kelly Patchen has been appointed Lead Teacher for Grades K-3, and Anne Atkins-Bostic for Grades 4-6. Department Chairs include Melissa Gayan for social studies, Saretha Lavarnway for science, and Casey Allison for language arts. Dr. Beall and Mrs. Duncan will continue as directors of the school.
New Teachers. We have strengthened our staff with the addition of nine new members: Casey Allison (Grade 7-8 language arts), Erin Bishop (Grade 3), Kristine Bonisteel (PE and Exceptional Children), Christina Bunch (Grade 2), Charlene Franaszek (Speech Therapist), Niamh O’Connell (Grade 3), Kelly Patchen (Grade 1), Dina Patsiavos (Grade 1), and Tina Smith (Grade 1 Teacher’s Aide). Mr. Dilbag Singh, who taught last year at Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, will be our interim middle school math teacher. Our full-time MS math teacher, Kumar Eleti, is expected to arrive in mid-September. Guidance Counselor Sandy Garmon is increasing her hours and will be available Monday-Wednesday-Friday. We have also hired a terrific maintenance director, Bill Kreitzer.
Addition to the School Uniform. Last spring the CIS Board of Directors approved an addition to the school dress code, Capris and cargo pants, but only IF they are uniform design with a normal waist and width. Pants that are cut too low, too tight, or too large will not be permitted. Please be sure to monitor the fit of your children’s Capris or cargo pants.
State Education Report Card. The NC Department of Public Instruction has released the results of the statewide ABC’s. You can visit their website to see the comparisons: http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/. Look under “What’s New” and you’ll see a link for “2004-2005 ABCs/AYP Final Result. We are very pleased by our 94% pass rate (students at or above grade level) and congratulate our students and teachers for their success. If you have any questions, you can contact Mrs. Duncan or Dr. Beall.
New CIS Information Source. The Administrative Staff of CIS has created a free Yahoo Group with a calendar of CIS events. It will automatically send reminders about school-wide events and distribute announcements of general interest to the school community. The list will be a supplement to the weekly UPDATE and information posted on the school's web site.
Membership on the list is optional. To join, click on this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CIS_Families/ Look for the blue button to join the group. Announcements of school wide interest can be sent to Staff_CIS@yahoo.com.
Open House meetings are next week from 6-7pm:
- Monday, August 15th, for Kindergarten and Grade 1.
- Tuesday is for Grades 2 & 3
- Wednesday for Grades 4 & 5
- Friday for Grades 6-8
The First Day of School is August 22nd, starting at 9:00am. Drop-off is from 8:30-9:00am. Please note parents who pickup up after 4pm will be given a warning notice the first time, and that fees will be assessed for subsequent late pickups.
Before and After-School Program (BASP) will start the first day of school, August 22nd. Registration forms will be available at Open House meetings or from the office. Hours will be the same as last year, 7:00-8:30am and 3:30-6:00pm. Fees will again be assessed for late pick-up in the afternoons. For more information, please contact the BASP Director Denise Schwartz at 704-200-3687.
Carolina International School
8810 Hickory Ridge Road
Harrisburg, NC 28075
Telephone: (704) 455-3847
Email: info@CarolinaInternationalSchool.org
www.CarolinaInternationalSchool.org