CGS Weekly Message

Happy Sunday!

We are back in high gear as we continue working through our first quarter! Please continue to monitor your student's Canvas and PowerSchool accounts for student progress.

NC School Report Cards:

NC School Report Card data results are in for the 23-24 school year. You can visit/view local school report card information by clicking here:

Last school year was an extremely tough year for our school community due to multiple variables including but not limited to; a rapid enrollment increase, teacher turnover, and construction /facility issues. Our amazing board, admin, faculty/staff and students/parents battled through the tumultuous transition year and persevered on the other side but obviously, those factors did play a negative part into our overall academic achievement for the school year. Unfortunately, we knew we'd have a negative academic impact last school year that would be significantly different than our typical end of year scoring results.

Traditionally, Clover Garden School has scored a Grade of B and historically has done so consistently over the past 20 years. However, due to the factors mentioned above among others, our school took an academic hit last school year and ended up scoring a Grade of C on our NC School Report Card for the 23-24 school year.

As a school system, this decrease is not something that we accept or are "ok" with by any means, but it is one that we understand and can rationalize with based on the issues and concerns our organization faced last school year.

Over the summer, our admin team and faculty/staff discussed the need for creating a strategic academic plan to help fill in the educational gaps that we found last school year. We have already begun implementing specific goals in which we are targeting work in filling in the educational gaps.

We will share more details in regards to our plan, but in the meantime, we need your help at home in reinforcing skills taught in the classroom to your student. Our students will only be successful if we work together in unison to help prepare and challenge our students to best be prepared for their futures. You can help your student at home by: reviewing/going over your child's homework together, asking them about their school day and what they are learning, reviewing their benchmark/assessment data with their teachers in parent/teacher conferences, bringing your student to before or after school tutoring opportunities, bringing your student to school on time each and every day and limiting their absences, requiring them to read nightly, and helping them with practicing math skills/fluency and by utilizing online programs that are made available to our students from their teachers.

There are so many ways we can work together to improve our students' overall academic performance. As the saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child", and we appreciate your dedication to our students and to our school by helping us work together to improve and focus on our academic rigor this school year.

Safety Updates at K-8 Campus:

• Parents, you may have seen our new clear box in our window at our front office at our K-8 Campus. This transparent package receiver box was put into place to help with packages being dropped off from families and vendors and help the front office interact with visitors coming to campus needing to drop things off safely and securely. We are utilizing this box as a way to limit any unnecessary foot traffic into our building. You will see us using this system if you're dropping off lunch boxes, book bags, homework, etc. We will use this box for secure transactions with the front office without visitors ever having to enter the building. This feature is a locking box in which you can't have two sides open at the same time for added security. You will see us utilize this box for early check outs/late check ins, etc. during the school day. This will hopefully speed up your visit to CGS and help get our students to class and parents back to work quicker! This function is in no way to limit your access to the school or to your student, but we are simply putting safer practices and procedures in place to help keep our school building as secure as possible. Lastly, you may have noticed once inside, we have relocated our sign in table for visitors to a different location within the building that is further away from our classrooms and large areas in which students gather. This new location is also under video surveillance and is located outside of staff/admin offices and adult restrooms in the case that assistance is needed. This change was made to increase security measures within our school as well as continuing to make safety our #1 priority! Thank you for your continued patience while we continue upgrading our facilities and overall safety procedures at CGS.

The Times News' Readers' Choice Award Voting is OPEN!

Grizzlies, Cast Your Vote! 2024 Readers' Choice Awards!

It's a great opportunity to showcase Clover Garden School and celebrate the dedication and hard work of our community. Be sure to cast your vote and encourage others to do the same. Your voice matters!

Voting is open August 27 - September 23, 2024.

https://burlingtontimes-news.secondstreetapp.com/2024-Readers-Choice-Alamance-County/gallery?group=485923

SAVE THE DATES:

• 9/10/24: September BOD Mtg. @ 6:30 P.M. in the cafe at K-8 or online via YouTube
  
• 9/11/24: AIG/MTSS Intervention Information Night from 4:30 P.M.- 6:30 P.M. at the K-8 Campus
• 9/13/24: Jostens will be on campus (rescheduled date) to visit with Seniors and Sophomores from 7:30 A.M. until 8:30 A.M.
• 9/16/24-9/20/24: Fall Scholastic Book Fair
• 9/23/24: ACC College Fair visit for Seniors (see details in Dr. Morris' message below)
  
• 9/25/2024: 1/2 Day! School Dismisses at 11:45 A.M. for our K-8 Campus and 12:00 P.M. for our High School Campus.
• 9/28/24: 5K Super Hero Run to benefit the Athletics department at 9 A.M.
  

Upcoming Events:

• 10/4/24: 1/2 Day: Dismissal at 11:45 A.M. for our K-8 Campus and 12:00 P.M. for our HS Campus
  
• 10/5/24: Golf Tournament- Athletic Boosters Event
  
• 10/7/24-10/11/24: Academic Break- SCHOOL CLOSED
• 10/21/24: Parent/Teacher Conferences Day- SCHOOL CLOSED
  
• 10/21/24: Roll-A-Bout Family Skate Night from 6:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. to benefit the P.E. Department.
  

Don't forget to check out our website at www.cgsnc.org and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cgsgrizzlies for updates!

School Day:

K-8: School starts at 7:45 A.M. and ends at 2:45 P.M.

(students may arrive as early as 7:15 A.M.)

9-12: School starts at 8:00 A.M. and ends at 3:00 P.M.

(students may arrive as early as 7:30 A.M.)

Need some new CGS apparel? Check out our School Spirit Store by clicking on the link below!

https://acceleratedgfx.com/collections/Clover-Garden

Hello Families,

Just a quick reminder that students are not to be dropped off/let out of your vehicle until 7:15 A.M. Any students dropped off before 7:15 A.M. (or standing on the porch) prior to 7:15 A.M. will be sent to our before school program and be subject to fees associated with this supervision. Thank you for your compliance with this procedure.

Thank you for all that you do! Have a great week!

Mrs. Spencer

Thank you for another great week on campus. Our fall picture day was a success! Students continue to learn about the character trait of kindness through the month of September. We are on the lookout for students being kind and, when recognized, receive a small token for their kindness. We encourage everyone to show kindness to themselves and others daily.

Mrs. Gladden and I will meet with grade levels this week to review academic and behavior expectations.

Parents of students taking NCVPS and ACC online courses--Please check in with your students to ensure they are on track and making good progress.

A Josten's representative will be on campus Friday, 9/13, from 7:30 to 8:30 for Seniors and Sophomores.

We will take seniors to the ACC College Fair on September 23rd, 2024. They will need to be on campus by 8:20 and will ride the bus to/from the College Fair. We will return by 11am. Permission forms will be available on Tuesday, 9/10, in the front office and will be added to the Senior Canvas course. Seniors who wish to attend with Clover Garden must ride the bus and turn in permission slips by 9/18.

Juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing a teaching career are invited to join a virtual NCteach information session on October 3rd, 2024, from 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm on the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program hosted by Elon University. Please see the flyer for details.

Information on College Application Week (10/21/2024-10/27/2024) will be coming soon!

Any students considering attending Elon University are invited to the Open House on Saturday, October 26, from 8 am to 3:15 pm, this is especially geared toward any seniors who might be applying this fall. The link to register for this event is here.

Thanks for all you do to support our Grizzly community!

Dr. Morris

High School Families,

This section will be re-occuring in our weekly messages. This section will contain any opportunities that we are made aware of that may benefit your high school student or high school junior/senior in regards to college application deadlines, scholarships, etc.

Please reach out to Dr. Morris with any questions!

Shout out to our amazing parent volunteers for assisting us with picture day last week! We are greatly appreciative of them and of their time to help us with our first picture day of the school year.

Shout Out to Dr. Morris and our Middle School Elective Substitute, Mrs. Hairston for setting up an activity in which Dr. Morris (HS Principal) came down to the K-8 Campus to give a presentation to some of our 8th graders about high school requirements. The students were engaged, focused, and participated in the discussion. Shout out to our students and staff for "planning ahead" and getting our students thinking about their futures!! #GrizzlyFuture #Future9thGraders

Parents,

If you are interested in learning more about our AIG or MTSS programs at CGS this school year, please join us for an information session on September 11th from 4:30 P.M. until 6:30 P.M. at our K-8 Campus. Any and all are welcome to attend. If you already have a student in one of these programs and would like to learn more, please join us.

Thank you,

Mrs. Whitfield

MTSS/AIG Coordinator

Mrs. Weed

MTSS/AIG Interventionist

Mrs. Wilson

MTSS/AIG Interventionist

Parents,

You will be receiving an email from Lifetouch School Photography soon in regards to your student's photo taken last week at CGS. Follow the directions in your email to set up your account. This email will also have your student's access code that you will need for viewing/ordering pictures. You can also set up notifications to be sent a text message once your student's pictures are available for viewing and ordering.

CGS Photography Page:

https://my.photoday.com/s/LTBW/457938

Helpful Information:

https://media.photoday.io/pdfs/FALLLTFAQ.pdf

Our Fall Scholastic Book Fair will open for online sales only this Friday, 9/13! It will arrive and be set up for in-person shopping Monday, 9/16-Friday 9/20 in our library at our K-8 campus.

Hours are:

7:30 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. Monday-Thursday.

7:30 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. on Friday.

Here are some digital flyers to browse through prior to the store opening:

Elementary Flyer (Eng/Span)

https://online.fliphtml5.com/vfkrg/wqwj/#p=1

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/dam/fairs/fair-files/F24-Spanish-Book-Flyer-ES.pdf

MS Flyer (Eng/Span)

https://online.fliphtml5.com/vfkrg/tlfk/#p=4

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/dam/fairs/fair-files/F24-Spanish-Book-Flyer-MS.pdf

Please email our volunteer coordinator if you're interested in volunteering in our book fair at volunteercgs@cgsnc.org.

Please email Mrs. Redd for any questions at roseredd@cgsnc.org

Please see the flyer below for information regarding this year's 5K run!

Please see the flyer below and save the date for our next Roll-A-Bout Family Skate night!

The CGS Dance Department is sponsoring the Texas Roadhouse gift card fundraiser again this year! Your student should have brought home a packet on Friday and packets will be due back to Mrs. Ballard on Monday, September 30th. Remember that this is a PRESALE of the gift cards. You will receive your gift cards the first week of November, just in time to share with family and friends over the holidays. These gift cards make great Christmas gifts and help support the CGS Dance program!

Please make all checks payable to “Clover Garden School” - NOT Texas Roadhouse.

Texas Roadhouse offers prizes and incentives for the various ages of student sellers, which you can read about on your packet, but the CGS Dance Department is also offering our own set of prizes and incentives, so please read about them below.

• Top 3 Selling Elementary Classes will earn a party with the Clover Garden Dancers!

1st place - Movie, Games & Ice Cream Party with the CGS Dance Ensemble

2nd place - Games & Snacks with the CGS Dancers

3rd place - Games with the CGS Dancers

• Middle School & High School students that sell $500 worth or more of TR gift cards will be entered in a drawing to win a $50 Visa gift card!

Please email me at annaballard@cgsnc.org with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your support of the CGS Dance Department!

-Mrs. Ballard

6-12 Dance Instructor, Clover Garden School

Students preparing for the SAT can access free SAT prep through Khan Academy. Although we don't offer the SAT on campus, this test prep can be beneficial for our 8th/9th graders taking the PSAT and our 11th graders taking the PSAT/NMSQT in October at Clover Garden. It's a great way to expose your students to the question types they may see on the SAT, PSAT 8/9, and PSAT/NMSQT for our 11th graders.

10th graders will be taking the PreACT in October at Clover Garden. Here is a link to ACT.org for free testing practice and tips. 11th-grade students who plan to take the ACT before the spring administration at Clover Garden or those who are getting a jump start on taking the ACT can begin preparing by utilizing the same free resources.

Please contact our District Testing Coordinator, Ms. Ginter at tonyaginter@cgsnc.org for any questions or concerns.

Parents,

Attached please find a copy of the next month’s menu. Please review it carefully as you place your order at myschoolaccount.com. Remember we adhere to a seven day ordering window. This means that all pre-orders must be placed seven days prior to the serving date.

Please see the links below if you are in need of any assistance.

How to create a myschoolaccount- https://youtu.be/0QZDU5Xm7zU

How to login and manage students- https://youtu.be/9vS7n4tnZ8s

How to deposit funds- https://youtu.be/13k29YnYuZw

How to preorder lunches-
https://intercom.help/myschoolaccount_help_center/en/articles/2330998-place-a-pre-order

Please see above for adding funds to your student account. Please make sure your account is no more than $50 in the negative. If your student’s account is more than $50 in the negative he/she will not be allowed to purchase a la carte items and charge them to their account.

Reach out if you have any questions or if you need your students lunch number.

Thanks,

Dana Walker
Cafeteria Coordinator
danawalker@cgsnc.org

Parents,

We are excited to continue partnering with two school based mental health therapists this school year. Mrs. Chandler Knight works with Kintegra Health, and Mrs. Christine Alvarado works for Emery's Counseling, LLC. Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Alvarado have been fantastic additions to our school mental health team and started with us mid-year last year. This year, they've been with us since day 1! They are fantastic resources if your student(s) are struggling with mental health this school year.

This service provides you the convenience of seeing a professional at school rather than having to travel to an alternative appointment time outside of the school day.

These services run through your insurance company. If you have any questions or concerns or would like more information, please fill out the survey below and a mental health therapist will be in touch!

Please welcome Mr. Kane to our Mental Health Team as well as he works with our school's MTSS team on behavioral interventions and strategies to help our students be successful in the classroom!

Thank you!

2024-2025 Mental Health Survey Link

Parents, we will share volunteering information/opportunities with you in this section this school year. We ask that our families volunteer and give at least 4 hours a month in service back to our school.

Please email our volunteer coordinator if you're interested in assisting with any volunteering opportunities at volunteercgs@cgsnc.org. Thanks!

Volunteering Opportunities:

• We are in need of MULCH donations! Materials and labor! If you're interested in helping us with our mulch project, please contact Mr. Whittington, CGS maintenance at taylorwhittington@cgsnc.org. We have had some generous mulch donations already but will need more for our classroom playground if you can help donate! Thank you for the help!

• Fall Scholastic Book Fair- volunteers needed for our in-person Fall Scholastic Book Fair 9/16-9/20. Hours are 7:30 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. Email our volunteer coordinator if you're interested in helping.
  

If you know of someone that would be a fantastic fit for our CGS family, please send them to our website to apply at http://cgsnc.org/home/careers/.

Open/Vacant Positions:

*EC Coordinator

*MS Elective (looking for Technology/Computer Science specialty area)

*MS Science/SS Teacher

*Title 1 Teacher Assistant (Elementary Grades- see posting for more details) (1 position available)

Hi, My name is Kathy Benitez. I have been a substitute teacher at Clover Garden for the past year. Prior to that, I have had experience working in the Guilford County School System as a Teacher Assistant in Kindergarten as well as an After School Director and a Data Manager. I left the workforce to raise my four children who are now ages 16, 13, 9, & 6. I always knew that when my youngest went into Kindergarten, that I would return to the classroom. I have been married for 18 years to my husband, Hector and our four children attend Clover Garden School. I love spending time with my family, church family, and friends, and my favorite place to be is the beach. I have loved getting to know these sweet kiddos as a substitute and am excited to officially be joining the Clover Garden Family!

Booster Meeting: Monday, September 9 at 7 pm in the K8 cafeteria

Volunteer Opportunities:

9/9- Volleyball Admission Gate and Concessions- 3:30-5:00 & 5:00-6:30

9/10- Volleyball Admission Gate and Concessions- 3:30-5:00 & 5:00-6:30

9/12- Volleyball Admission Gate and Concessions- 4:00-5:00 & 5:00-6:00

9/18- MS & HS Cross Country Meet at Lake Cammack Park & Marina

3:30-5:00 and then 5:00-6:30, if anyone is interested in volunteering email taylorpaschal@cgsnc.org

Save the Dates:

September 28th- Super Hero Run

October 5th- 2nd Annual CGS Athletic Boosters Golf Tournament, if you're interested in sponsoring a hole, or donating a raffle item, please email taylorpaschal@cgsnc.org

Monday, September 9:

4:00 MS Soccer vs Haw River Christian Academy (Springwood #6)

4:00 Varsity Boys Soccer at River Mill (Fairchild)

4:00 MS Volleyball vs Community Baptist

5:15 Varsity Volleyball vs Community Baptist

Tuesday, September 10:

4:00 MS Soccer vs River Mill (Springwood #6)

4:00 MS Volleyball vs River Mill

5:00 Varsity Volleyball vs Woods Charter

4:30 WT, 5:00 Start- HS Cross Country at Ascend (on campus)

Wednesday, September 11:

4:00 Varsity Soccer vs Chatham Charter (Springwood #6)

4:00 WT, 4:30 Start- MS Cross Country at River Mill (Cedar Rock Park)

Thursday, September 12:

4:00 MS Soccer vs Cornerstone (Springwood #6)

4:00 Varsity Soccer vs Eastern Randolph (Springwood #3)

4:30 MS Volleyball vs Cornerstone

5:00 Varsity Volleyball at Triangle Math & Science

5:30 JV Volleyball vs The Hawbridge School

Basketball Conditioning (High School Students Only)

For September Tuesdays 5:00-6:30 in the weight room at the HS campus

Thursdays 5:00-6:30 in weight room 6:30-8:00 in the gym at the K8

Stay In The Know: Athletics has a Remind account to send out important updates. Use the link below to join: https://www.remind.com/join/cgsa2024

Athletics Website: For all things athletics, please visit our website at https://sites.google.com/cgsnc.org/grizzly-athletics

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our athletic director, Coach Paschal at taylorpaschal@cgsnc.org.

As always, thanks for all that you do,

Mrs. Vereyken

Executive Director

Clover Garden School

*If you need this weekly newsletter translated into a different language, please let our Title 1 Coordinator, Mrs. Simmons know at brandisimmons@cgsnc.org.

*If you have any thoughts, feedback or suggestions for our Title 1 team on ways to improve our practices, please contact Mrs. Simmons at brandisimmons@cgsnc.org.

Email: info@cgsnc.org
Website: cgsnc.org
Location: 2454 Altamahaw Union Ridge Road, Burlington, NC, USA
Phone: 3365869440
Facebook: facebook.com/cgsgrizzlies