The teachers and I can’t wait to get the year rolling next week. We have had a great week of faculty meetings and are ready to fill the classrooms with STUDENTS!  It is going to be a GREAT year.

As you know, later today at 2:30 p.m., I will be hosting a “Get Ready for School” Zoom meeting for the Middle School students. At this orientation, I will be sharing quite a bit of information about how the Middle School will run on a daily basis. Our goal is for school to feel as “normal” as possible and to help keep everyone safe. After the meeting, I will send the slides to the kids as a reminder of what I shared; I will also send this information your way, so that we are all on the same page. Here is the link for the Zoom. 

At the end of this blog, I have also included information about how you can still fill out the Parent Questionnaire that will be the centerpiece of our CA Connects conferences on Wednesday, September 1. If you have not already done so, I hope you will be sure to sign up for a conference time with your student’s advisor. These meetings will be a chance to connect, get to know one another, and discuss the year to come. We hope it will be a great way to kick off the school year and to get parents back on campus.

 

The Middle School team does a great job of helping ALL of our students readjust to school, after what we hope has been a fun and relaxing summer. While we do jump right into our various classes, we also use advisory time and study hall to help students become familiar with our expectations for kindness, character, academic honesty, and community rules. We also use this time to communicate important lessons about organization and study skills. We want students to know that we are here to support them from the first day of school to the last, so that each can find success academically, socially, artistically, and athletically.

 

I also hope you will join us for two additional Middle School events:

 

1.     Our first Parent Association Meeting on Wednesday, August 25, at 9:45 a.m. in Sadler. This will be a chance to hear about Parent Association coming attractions as well as from me about the year to come. It will also be a nice way to reconnect with one another. This meeting will also be available on Zoom, should you not be able to attend in person. Here is the link: 

 

 

2.     Back-to-School Night is Thursday, September 9. Please reserve the date, as it is a great time to get to know your child’s teachers and learn about our program. More information about this evening will be sent shortly.

 

As mentioned in August, student arrival time at school is 7:50–8:05 a.m. Classes begin at 8:10 a.m. Getting to school a few minutes before 8:10 a.m. will allow your child the chance to say hello to friends and get ready for the day to come.

 

I sometimes get asked what a parent can do to help the first day go well. Probably the most important thing you can do is to help your child get a good night’s sleep next Monday, so students are well rested for what I am sure will be a full and exciting day. Please also be sure that your child arrives on time with necessary books/materials and a charged iPad. Information on books and materials can be found on the website. 

School start is an exciting time. It is a chance for each student to set new goals and to take advantage of an intentional fresh start. I hope that the coming year is filled with just the right amount of support and, of course, challenge, as this is what leads kids to discover in themselves new talents and see first-hand their potential for perseverance, resiliency, and success.

I look forward to working with all of you to make this a great year. If you have any questions, or if I can be of support, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best,

Bill

 

To get ready for the CA Connect conference, please fill out the Middle School parent questionnaire by August 24. Thank you.

 

CA Connects conferences will take place on Wednesday, September 1, between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. There will be no classes that day. Middle School CA Connects conferences are for parents and advisors only.

Please follow the detailed instructions in this document to set up your account and sign up for your CA Connects conferences.

NOTE: All parents will need to create a new account; the account can also be used for fall and spring Parent/Teacher Conferences.

Conferences may be in person or on Zoom. By default your conference will be in person. If you would like all your conferences to take place over Zoom, you must check the box in your Account Settings when creating your account. This box will indicate you would like to hold your conferences over Zoom. Zoom links will be available before September 1. 

Get started by going to the conference reservation link and using the master password: camustangs. From there, follow the step-by-step instructions in the document. You can find this information and more on the CA Connects Conferences Resource Board (accessible from the secure section of the CA website).

Learn more about CA Connects, our new initiative aimed at strengthening parent-teacher-student communication and encouraging conversations.   

 

Please complete your CA Connects surveys by August 24—the first day of school. This will provide time for teachers and advisors to review the information provided and be fully prepared to make the most of your 15-minute conference.