CGS Weekly Message
9/18/23-9/22/23
Good afternoon,
Happy Sunday!
All Students in Grades 6-12 will be participating in a mandatory training session on the anonymous reporting app- Say Something provided by the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation this week. This app is an anonymous way for students to report suspicious student behavior and/or things they've heard or seen that could be a threat against our overall school safety. This program is great and we encourage our students to always speak to a trusted adult or report questionable or suspicious behavior as soon as possible for administration and our school's resource officer to investigate. Student Safety always comes first at CGS! Click below for more information about the app we use at CGS.
https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/our-programs/say-something-anonymous-reporting-system/
Here are the top 10 warning signs provided by the Sandy Hook Promise foundation that students and staff should be aware of and report them to administration or to our school's resource officer immediately.
10 Critical Warning Signs of Violence
Here is our list of ten potential warning signs* that can signal an individual may be in crisis or need help:
1. Suddenly withdrawing from friends, family and activities (including online or via social media)
2. Bullying, especially if targeted towards differences in race, religion, gender or sexual orientation
3. Excessive irritability, lack of patience, or becoming angry quickly
4. Experiencing chronic loneliness or social isolation
5. Expressing persistent thoughts of harming themselves or someone else
6. Making direct threats toward a place, another person, or themselves
7. Bragging about access to guns or weapons
8. Recruiting accomplices or audiences for an attack
9. Directly expressing a threat as a plan
10. Cruelty to animals.
* NOTE: This isn’t a complete list of all warning signs. Exhibiting one of these signs doesn’t necessarily indicate imminent violence. When concerned about troubling behaviors, tell a trusted adult or call 911 if there is an immediate threat.
- Fall Book Fair (In Person on the K-8 Campus but anyone can order online) September 18th- September 22nd.
- Friday, September 29th is a half day with dismissal at 11:45 A.M. for the K-8 campus and 12:00 P.M. for the High School Campus.
- All School Picture Money and/or proofs are DUE back by Friday, September 29th!
- October Academic Break- SCHOOL CLOSED- October 2nd- October 6th.
- Next Virtual PTT Meeting: October 12th @ 6:00 P.M.
- Fall Festival, hosted by our Science Department- Friday, 10/27 from 5 P.M. until 8 P.M.
Save the Date: CGS Fall Festival- Friday, October 27th
Save the Date: College Night- Wednesday, October 11th
- Date: Wednesday, October 11th
- Time: 5:30 pm
- Location: Integrity Church - iKidz Bay
- Audience: 11th and 12th grade students and their parents/guardians
- Topics: Applying to college, financial aid, and scholarships
Reminders for K-8 Campus
Grizzly Parents,
We need your assistance with a couple of things to help us out. And, thank you in advance for your time and attention to this!
Cell Phones/Devices
Heads up! We have recently learned of a current trend on social media platforms called “Lalabop” which is being used to post photos with negative and often untrue comments about people. Please consider monitoring your student’s device.
Also, we ask that you encourage them to use and model appropriate digital citizenship even on personal cell phones. This includes group chats and texting as we are finding some conversations (chats/texts) are spilling over into the academic setting which can cause disruptions to the learning environment. Surely we like being able to offer students the privilege of having access to cell phones throughout the day. However, this privilege may be revoked if students are not able to responsibly handle the opportunity. So, please if you will, remind them of the expectations as needed. Thank you!
PM Car Riders
In order to expedite dismissal from the cafeteria, students are not allowed to be on electronic devices as this limits their attention and focus to listening for their name. However, students needing multiple reminders/redirection in the cafeteria are subject to consequences. Please help us by reminding them of this.
Thank you for your continued assistance and support!
Mrs. Spencer
K-8 Principal
Weekly Shout Outs and Grizzly GOOD News!
All American Week Kick Off
Shout out to our Student Council student representatives and advisors (Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Thompson) for kicking off All American Week this past week! Please see the pictures below for some of the activities they led.
National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance
National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance
National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance
Student Presenters at September's Board of Directors' Meeting
Fit to Lead
Student Council Representatives
Travelling Teachers
Classroom Engagement
Shout out to Coach Ward for utilizing his space as best as possible at the high school in regards to offering P.E. and physical fitness courses. In the picture below, you will see Coach running three different physical activity stations outside in the parking lot at Integrity. One group is playing basketball, one group is playing volleyball and one group is playing tennis. Great use of your space Coach!!
Shout out to Mrs. Wilson who is our Economics/Personal Finance, English and one of our Freshman Seminar teachers at the high school this school year. She is also the Student Council advisor for our high school students (she also co-advises for our middle school student council group). Mrs. Wilson has been at CGS since it opened in 2001!! Mrs. Wilson does a great job of challenging our students academically (she is one of our AIG coordinators at CGS) and is constantly holding high expectations for our students each and every day. Keep up the great work!!
Shout out to Ms. Paylor who is our High School History Teacher, Freshman Seminar teacher and our Tech Guru at CGS! Mrs. Paylor has been a life saver in managing both campuses and fixing all of our student and staff technology needs! This is an extremely busy year as she's helping us manage and support three campuses! (Expansion site in in process of internet installation now) She is quick, efficient, and a leader at our school! Keep up the great work!!
Administration and Law Enforcement in Action
Mr. Feldman- High School Principal
Mrs. Morris- Assistant Principal and Sgt. Ray (SRO supervisor)
Sgt. Laws (D.A.R.E. officer)
Feedback Form FAQ Document for CGS Families 2023-2024
FAQ Feedback Form Submissions for 9-17-23
Is there any update when FCA will begin for middle school?
- We are working on club advisors at the middle school level and hope to have a list of clubs and advisors ready to share after our October Academic break.
When will the 2024-25 calendar be posted? http://cgsnc.org/home/academic-calendar/
- We are very sorry for the delay! There were some changes needed and this wasn't presented in our September board meeting as planned. It is on the agenda for the Oct. 10th meeting. That url you referenced above will be where it's located on our website but we will also send it out to families following board approval.
I am trying to become a canvas observer. When I open the app to set it up, high school parent is only available. Is this for high school only?
- You should be able to access our middle school courses as well. Please reach out to our Canvas Admin. at emilyreagan@cgsnc.org.
Are any students allowed to make up pictures?
- Yes, students will be allowed an opportunity for make up pictures scheduled for September 26th. You will need to let your child's homeroom teacher know if you'd like to make sure your student gets their picture retaken. Thanks!
When we have a spirit week, can we get the details of what each day is earlier…maybe a week or two in advance? We don’t have time to plan what to wear for that week when we receive the info for it on that Sunday’s email.
- Thank you for the feedback! We will do our best to improve the advanced notice of proposed activities.
Why aren't we using my hot lunch box for k-8? They have more options and better prices.
- This school year, we are piloting and trying out the MyHotLunchbox program. If it's successful, this is something we may look at adding to our K-8 campus next school year. We are only using them three days a week at this time. We'd eventually like to add more days and then see IF the companies we are using will continue delivering once we move to our new location. We appreciate our currently contracted vendors and want to continue working in partnership together but we are always looking for ways to improve. Thanks for the question!
Is there a Debate Club? If not, is it possible to consider starting one?
- We are working on club advisors at the middle school level and hope to have a list of clubs and advisors ready to share after our October Academic break.
Can I get a list of all middle school clubs/activities/sports that they can join?
- See question above in regards to clubs. Athletics can be found on our school's website!
Hi! My son came home with fire ant bites on his ankle and arm. They have swelled pretty bad and he said there’s a lot in the sand by the playground. Is there anyway we can spray for them so the kids aren’t getting bit anymore?
- Thanks for letting us know! We hope to be in cooler temperatures sometime soon which will alleviate some of the "critters and pests" we are coming into contact with outside with such warm temperatures. But in the meantime, yes, we can definitely get someone out to spray! We apologize and know those bites are not fun and can be painful. Thanks for letting us know!
**Parents, just a note- if you have a specific issue/complaint/concern with a member of our CGS staff, you will need to email me directly. I will not post concerns specific to an individual staff member in this forum.
Click on the link here to ask your question! Also, if you have any GOOD NEWS to share, please use this link as well! Sometimes your emails get lost and we appreciate any/all feedback! : )
Staffing Updates:
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/.
Testing Calendar- September 2023
Students and Parents,
Testing is in full swing at CGS. Please see the snippet below of this month's and next's testing dates. We have some type of assessment every month for our students. All of our testing/assessing is to ensure our students have the best opportunity throughout the school year to prepare them to perform well on the end of course/end of grade mandatory state exams.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our Assistant Principal/Testing Coordinator, Mrs. Morris at karenmorris@cgsnc.org.
Athletic Department News
Basketball Intent Form- for ANY students grades 6-12 who are interested in trying out for basketball, please fill out this form.
CGS Athletics 1st Annual Golf Tournament:
Our golf tournament is officially full! People can email Coach Paschal to get on the wait list.
1/2 Day Skills Camp:
CGS Athletics is hosting our first session of skill camps we have planned for 1/2 days throughout the school year for students in grades K-5. This session is geared up for softball, kids will be receiving instruction from our current softball coaches and players. If interested, parents can email for a paper registration at taylorpaschal@cgsnc.org, we will take registration and payment until Tuesday, September 26th. Camp participants will also be admitted free to our JV/Varsity Volleyball doubleheader starting at 5:00 on the 29th in the CGS Gym. (flyer attached)
Cookie Dough Pick up:
September 27th from 3:30-6:30 in the gym.
Grizzly Gear:
CGS Athletics has partnered with Accelerated Graphics for our spirit store that is now live! Visit www. acceleratedgfx.com/CGS
- Choose your favorite CGS Gear (there are multiple color options for each item)
- Check out online
- Pick up from the school
- First batch of orders need to be in by September 29th, and first pick up will be on October 13th.
Master Athletic Schedule:
For anyone looking to catch a CGS Game, here is the link to our master athletics schedule.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cvflf6Ieprven0XAibTW3AcBzSJ2IswTtn6d4OaYIF0/view
Parents/Students- PLEASE READ:
While we encourage and LOVE student engagement and participation at our after school athletic events, students are NOT allowed to stay after school and "hang out" until the games begin. ALL STUDENTS must leave school at dismissal and return when the gate opens prior to the start of the game and enter through the back gym entrance. We do not have supervision for our students after school and want to ensure the safety of all of our students while they are on our campus.Taylor D. Paschal
Athletic Director
Psychology Teacher
Clover Garden School
2454 Altamahaw Union Ridge Rd, Burlington, NC 27217
(336) 586-9440 ext.214
Athletic Department- Skills Camp Opportunitites for 1/2 Days!
CGS Athletics is hosting their first session of skill camps we are planned for 1/2 days throughout the school year for students in grades K-5. This upcoming session is geared up for softball and kids will be receiving instruction from our current softball coaches and players.
If interested, parents can email for a paper registration at taylorpaschal@cgsnc.org, we will also take registration and payment until Tuesday, September 26th. Camp participants will also be admitted free to our Varsity Volleyball game at 6:00 on the 29th in the CGS Gym.
Taylor D. Paschal
Athletic Director
Psychology Teacher
Clover Garden School
2454 Altamahaw Union Ridge Rd, Burlington, NC 27217
(336) 586-9440 ext.214
Mental Health Survey 23-24
Reminder:
Please complete the mental health survey below if you are interested or are in need of mental health/counseling type services for your student(s).
Expansion Updates
See updates this past week:
- Continue installing ceiling grids and tiles with sprinkler heads
- Continue painting throughout the building
- Continue framing stadium seating common area and prepping for handrails
- Continue electrical items – wiring up lights for second floor, fire alarm panels, electrical boxes, ceiling lights, light fixtures in soffits, testing the lights
- Continue pouring concrete for sidewalk
- Started installing stalls/partitions for toilets for 1st floor
- Finishing up the riser room and fire pump equipment
- Installed scaffolding for elevator
- Continue decommissioning the temporary ponds
Decommissioning Ponds
Front Entry Sidewalk
Front View of Building
Pick up/Drop off area
Pouring Sidewalk
Rear View of the Building
Have a fantastic week!
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.
Clover Garden School
Email: info@cgsnc.org
Website: cgsnc.org
Location: 2454 Altamahaw Union Ridge Road, Burlington, NC, USA
Phone: 3365869440
Facebook: facebook.com/cgsgrizzlies
Fall Scholastic Book Fair- Opens THIS Week!! (9/18-9/22)
Our Fall Scholastic Book Fair opens this week on our K-8 Campus!!! Please come by!
Hours are:
Monday, 8 A.M. to 3 P.M.
Tuesday 8 A.M. to 6 P.M.
Wednesday 8 A.M. to 3 P.M.
Thursday 8 A.M. to 3 P.M.
Friday 8 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Order online here: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/clovergardenschool1
E-Wallet: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/videos/intro-to-ewallet-fair-files.html
Video Clips of Books available at the Book Fair: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/videos/playlist-es1.html
Email Mrs. Redd for questions or to volunteer at roseredd@cgsnc.org.