CGS Weekly Message
7/31/23- 8/4/23
Good morning,
What a fantastic first week of school!! Both of our campuses are off to a great start! Shout out to our fabulous teachers, staff and students for making last week AMAZING for our students.
Parents, we greatly appreciate your patience, support, and understanding while we continue working on ways to improve our daily routines and procedures.
Reminder that school STARTS at 7:45 A.M. for our K-8 Campus and 8:00 A.M. for our High School Campus. This doesn't mean arrive at those times. You must arrive and be unloading your vehicle at least three minutes BEFORE our start times in order to be in class on time. If you pull up to a car rider line on either campus and the doors are closed and no staff is outside to unload your student(s), your student is tardy and will need to be signed in. You will have to park in the front of campus and walk your student in. Thank you for helping us enforce the value of instructional minutes. Every minute counts!
We are working to improve the overall speed and efficiency of our car rider lines. We will be enforcing tardies to the best of our ability this week once we feel the car lines are running efficiently. Please leave in plenty of time to get your student through the car rider lines on time.
- Emergency Paperwork for each CGS student has been emailed out to our parents via Enrollease this weekend. Please take a moment to complete all four forms. They are in separate emails. These forms are mandatory and we must have them back in order to ensure we have all of your student's vital information on file in our PowerSchool program. Please complete these forms by Friday, August 4th. Please reach out to Mrs. Nina at ninamiller@cgsnc.org for any questions or concerns or if you did not receive the form emails.
Reminder- Senior Class of 2023
Feedback Form FAQ Document for CGS Families 2023-2024
FAQ Feedback Form Submissions for 7-30-23
I was just curious if Chick-Fil-a, Subway, etc will be coming back this year as food vendors. Thank you!
- We miss these vendors too! Unfortunately, their prices are currently too high for our $6.00 hot lunch price. In an effort to not increase our lunch prices this year, we opted for other options provided by a few of our vendors that could agree to meet us at our price point. Next year, we can potentially bring them back on board but we would have to increase our hot lunch prices to adhere to current food market prices.
The last newsletter mentioned that elementary school bus riders will report to their buses directly after school. If there is a delay waiting for the high school students, I am concerned because the buses do not have air conditioning. I don’t mind the kids being hot on the bus ride for 15 or 20 minutes, but 45 minutes between school dismissal and our bus pick up seems a bit extreme in this weather. Please advise. Thank you.
- We are working to adjust the times our students are "waiting" on a hot school bus. Please see the newest bus route times listed below. We are doing everything we can to keep our students safe and will continue adjusting as needed with the extremely hot temperatures lately.
Forgive me if I missed an update, but were some of the restaurant lunch partnerships terminated? I'm not seeing my kids' favorites on the menu anymore.
- Please see answer above to a similar question.
At the satellite campus open house, I noticed the public coffee shop is located in the same section as the music, chorus and Spanish classrooms. The safety of these students are my concern. We were told that there would be a locked door separating the public coffee shop and classrooms. I saw the locked door on the side/back, however I didn’t see that these two areas could be separated if students are entering the classrooms from the front. Mr. Feldman told me at open house that the students would be utilizing the front sidewalks and the front door entrances of each classroom section when they are changing classes. Also if students are outside changing classes, will there be any safety measures put into place to watch the public parking areas to keep students safe? The public coffee shop parking area is literally where our students will be walking during class changes.
- These classrooms lock internally. Students are monitored by admin, our school's resource officer, and teachers while changing classrooms on the side walk. This exchange at each class change takes approximately 1-3 minutes to complete. The coffee shop also operates a music program during the day so student customers are coming and going along with their families. Our SRO, teachers, and admin are constantly monitoring and checking on students in all bays. We also have cameras monitoring the outside of the campus. Students only head to bays using the outside sidewalk during class time with a teacher or staff escort. If we have any parent volunteers willing or able to sit in our parking lot and help us monitor the area, your assistance is always welcomed!
Why didn't we find out about the bring your own or pay $50 per laptop fee until open house? As a parent of multiple students this would have been helpful in planning. Especially when every teacher seems to want $10-25 per class on top of the supplies we already had to buy.
This is not so much a question but an observation.
- Thank you for this feedback. We apologize for not letting you know about this fee earlier. We hope this fee will be sufficient and we will not have to increase it next school year.
I will say I was a little nervous about how all of this was going to work out for the high school students at Integrity. Yesterday (July 24th), was a pleasant surprise and put my mind at ease. You all were very organized and even though I am sure there were kinks to work out, I didn't notice it and neither did my child. Everyone was amazing and all our questions were answered. I don't think the /clover Garden staff get enough credit for all of your hard work to make all of this happen for our high school students. Thank you for all that you do.
- Thank you so much for this feedback! Our teachers, staff, and admin at the Integrity campus are FANTASTIC!! We are also thankful for Integrity for letting us stay there temporarily and begin our school year until we can move into our permanent location. Shout out to our students for working so hard to make the best of the situation. #proudtobeaGrizzly #growingpains #teamworkmakesthedreamwork!
Can parents volunteer to help open car doors in the morning car line for K-2?
- YES PLEASE! Please email Mrs. Whitfield or Mrs. Spencer if we can sign you up! michellewhitfield@cgsnc.org or leahspencer@cgsnc.org.
- We want to thank our amazing high school students and middle school students for also assisting with our cones in the mornings and afternoons. It takes a village!! Community is key!
It would be great if the links to the K-8 and 9-12 lunch ordering system and directions could be added to the "Lunch" page on the school website. I know we received an email about this but I am unable to find it. Thank you! Also the information there still lists Mrs. Quimby as the contact. Thank you!
- Great idea! Thank you for letting us know! We apologize that our website isn't updated. We will work on getting that corrected ASAP!!
Who is in charge of elementary AIG this year and what will it look like? I asked several people this at open house but no one seemed to know the answer.
- Yes, we will continue to have AIG services. Our AIG coordinator on our K-8 campus this year will be our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Whitfield. We are working on the best way to deliver these services and hope to share information with our families after our August break once we can finalize how to successfully implement our AIG program to our students.
Will we be getting Chic-fil-a lunches again this year? That was a FAVORITE for my daughter and she was bummed not to see it on the menu.
- Please see answer above.
My student is new to Clover Garden this year. As a result, we didn't receive his middle school class schedule until the first day of school. There were 3 classes that needed changing. We are trying to be patient as I am sure there are many students in similar situations. However, we are worried about transferring in to a class (advanced math) after more than a week of material has been taught. Can you please give us some indication when we can expect class schedules to change?
- We have been working through the schedule change requests as quickly as possible. Schedule changes are quickly closing as many if not all of our classes are maxing out on class size restrictions. We will send official notice once all schedule change requests have been completed. Thank you for your patience!
My sixth grader is still not in PowerSchool and I have not heard back from multiple emails I have sent regarding this. How do I get her added to PowerSchool?
- See instructions in the section in this newsletter below regarding PowerSchool directions.
I have a 3rd grader and currently her backpack is being used for her school supplies storage. Items like crayons, markers, scissors, extra pencils, extra highlighters, ruler, glue sticks, and headphones are being lugged to and from school on a daily basis. I understand the lockers are not an option for them this year, but will they have a small cubby in their homeroom classroom? They don't need much room since all of their notebook/folder things are in a single binder/zippered binder for all subjects. Lugging their school supplies every day makes it impossible for her to put anything additional in her backpack including her water bottle. And, it's heavy and inconvenient.
- Thank you for the feedback! I have some thoughts/suggestions regarding this. I will touch base with our teachers and maintenance department.
How did my student end up with 2 elective classes (out of 3) that he did not request at all?
- That question would best be answered by Mrs. Nina or Mrs. Reagan, but if elective courses didn't have enough interest, we had to remove the course and move students around to other courses that were available. We also are working with the staff that we have and may need to add additional staffing next school year to accommodate additional courses.
Can parents visit students for lunch this year since they are eating in the cafeteria again?
- Yes! Please just let your teacher know ahead of time as spacing is pretty tight and limited in the cafeteria to accommodate all of our students. We will find a home for you to eat with your student, just let us know when you're coming!
Chess Club - Is this going to be offered again this year? My 3rd grader LOVES chess and wants to learn MORE!
- We hope so! We will let you know if/when options are available and who they are available for. This may not begin until after the first Academic break.
Click on the link here to ask your question!
Students hard at work!
Check out these photos from our first week back!! GO GRIZZLIES!!
In the first picture below, some of our Seniors decorated their vehicles for their LAST first day of school!! Love it!! #Classof2024
HS Campus- Ms. Bryant
HS Campus- Mr. Cheek
HS Campus- Mr. Johnson
HS Campus- Mrs. Kueider
HS Campus- Mrs. Leach
HS Campus- Ms. Whited
4th Grade- Mrs. Dix
4th Grade- Mr. Fremont
1st Grade- Mrs. Tunstall
Middle School Elective- Mrs. Bradford
Middle School Dance- Mrs. Ballard
Middle School Science- Ms. Moore
Car Rider Lines
You all have done FANTASTIC with our school's car rider lines! We know the lines are long but our afternoon crews have worked very hard at working on ways to expedite the process safely and efficiently.
Here are a few tips to help make our car rider lines be a success:
- When doubling the lines in the back on the K-8 campus, please get as close as safely possible to the back of the car in front of you. We were about 20 cars deep on the road at dismissal on Friday and we'd really like to stay off of the road in the back if possible so that cars and our buses can travel safely down Burch Bridge Road.
- Remind your student to listen for their name and to remember their assigned cone number so that our lines run smoothly with your student at the correct cone ready for pick up when you arrive to the pick up spot on the sidewalk(s).
- Please make sure your student exits the vehicle from the Driver's Side Back Seat. This will allow the student to exit directly onto the sidewalk and not onto the gravel driveway. (K-2 side). For the 3rd-8th Grade side, students will need to exit from the passenger's side back seat. This will allow them to directly exit the vehicle on the side walk and not into the road.
- Please pull ALL the way up on both sides to Cone #1. We like to unload/load many cars at one time. If there isn't anyone in front of you, please go ahead and pull all the way up to Cone #1. Please do not skip cones.
- Please do not exit the vehicle at pick up or drop off. We will help your student exit or enter their vehicle. Please have your student gather their belongings prior to exiting the vehicle and be unbuckled from car seats when it's time to open the car door. Staff are not allowed to buckle your student into his or her car seat. You must pull down to the fence line on the K-2 side once your student is in the car to buckle them in.
- Please do not attempt to PASS in any of our car rider lines. This is dangerous and not allowed.
- Reminder that our speed limit is 5 MPH. Do not go faster than that in our car rider lines, that's very dangerous for our students and staff standing in the road helping with traffic for our students.
- Students are allowed to bring water into the school building to drink daily. Please dispose of any other drinks or food prior to entering the school building. We have a breakfast program daily in the mornings from 7:15 A.M. until 7:40 A.M. if your student needs to purchase breakfast and eat in the cafeteria.
Bus Information- REMINDERS
IMPORTANT SAFETY REMINDERS:
~For the safety of ALL students, no one should move their vehicle until the bus driver has turned off the RED FLASHING LIGHTS. The driver will turn the lights off once they are certain all children are safely on the bus or have reached their vehicle.
~ There has to be an adult present with the students at all times at the bus stops. Students can not be dropped off and left at the stops without supervision at any time.
~Students are not allowed to walk anywhere from the bus stops by themselves. If there is no one at the stop to pick up the student, they will be brought back to CGS for parent pick up. This applies to all K-12 bus riders.
Failure to comply with this rules & expectations will result in losing the privilege of using bus transportation.
Please see the bus schedule below.
Please note the highlighted time changes that will be in effect until High School are in the new building.
Lunch Information
Parents,
Just a reminder that the K-8 campus and the High School Campus have SEPARATE lunch programs. The "Myschoolaccount" program is only for our K-8 campus. If you have high school students only, you should not create an account or put money on your student's account with this program.
The High School Campus will be utilizing MyHotlunchbox. As soon as the program is finalized, we will share information with you on how to order your high school child's hot lunch. Hot lunches are only available for our K-8 students at this time.
Please click on the links below regarding updates from our Cafeteria Coordinator, Ms. Robyn.
"Lunch orders for August are now available in myschoolaccount.com for current CGS K-8 students.
The Cafeteria is looking for volunteers any time from 10:15 A.M. until 1:15 P.M. to help serve lunch.
Thank you,
Robyn Cox
CGS Cafeteria Coordinator
CGS B & A Coordinator
Before and After School Care
Clover Garden School offers Before and After School Care (Grizzly Den) for our students in Grades K-8. Before school care begins at 6:30 A.M.. After School Care begins at 2:45 P.M. and ends at 6:00 P.M.
Please click here for more information and to register your student for enrollment. http://cgsnc.org/home/about/before-and-after-school-care/
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our Before and After School Coordinator, Ms. Robyn at robyncox@cgsnc.org.
We are currently looking for part-time help in the afternoons. If you're interested, please apply online!
PowerSchool Access
Parents/Current CGS Students, you should have access to PowerSchool at this time. New families/students, directions for accessing your student's account can be found below. You will need to set up an account. We are working on a way to email all of you with your access codes needed but if you reach out to Mrs. Nina, admin or our front office, we can assist you with the codes you need until you receive your email with the codes in them.
If you've already set up your account and have forgotten your password, you'll need to reach out to Mrs. Nina to have it reset at ninamiller@cgsnc.org.
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/.
Athletics Updates:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NaZrfFXbyCLQvFtgnTDQ2C1lMYOZED1I/view?usp=sharing
Please reach out to Coach Paschal, our Athletic Director for any questions at taylorpaschal@cgsnc.org.
Thanks!
Art Club- 3rd-8th Grade Students
Expansion Updates
Below is our current activities this past week. We continue to make a lot of progress inside the building. We are approx. 86% complete (end of July 2023)
- Continue installing sheetrock throughout the building. This includes taping and mudding joints.
- Continue running wire for electrical and pulling wire to the panels. We anticipate Duke Energy installing all ground mounted transformers (including the main transformer) this week.
- Continue labeling electrical junction boxes and panels
- Continue on parking lot and driveways (stone). Ready for asphalt pavement.
- Continue with fire pump house
- Continue concrete footings for light poles around the perimeter of the school
- Began installing cement board in the bathrooms (for tiled walls)
- Began installing ceiling grids
- Began painting some of the classrooms
Exterior with light pole bases
Bandroom
Ceiling grid for stadium seating common area
Cement board for bathrooms
Grading stone back driveway entrance
Inside the front entry reception area to the left
Main power for bathrooms
Painting in classrooms
View of Exterior
Have a great 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