Week 39th- April 24th- June 11th

Director's Message

Dear Parents:

The end of year is fast approaching with many events happenings and news to share with you.

Ordinary General Assembly Outcome:

First, thank you to all association members who attended our Virtual General Assembly of May 26th, 2021. We are pleased to announce that all agenda items were approved and voted on by our members in attendance. I take this opportunity to sincerely thank the following outgoing Board Members for their dedication and involvement in the success of our institution:

Ms. Sofia Amrani - President

Mr. Othmane Bennani-Smires - Board Appointed Expert

Mr. Salahaddine Mouaddib - Vice President

Ms. Leila El Amrani

Mr. Stephen Kochuba - Consulate Representative

In addition to Mr. Alexander Black, who is officially the US Consulate representative to the Board, we welcome the following new Board Members who were elected during the GA and wish them all the best:

Mr. Omar Laafoura

Mr. Stephen Finegold

Mr. Rachid Chaoui

We extend our sincere appreciation to the members of the Governance Committee for their participation in the nomination process.

Grade 12 Graduation:

What a Graduation!!! Last Friday, we held a beautiful Graduation ceremony despite the fact that we had to limit attendance. This was an event that we literally put together in one week due to the extreme limiting conditions imposed on us by the pandemic.

Thank you to our Administrative, IT and Support Team, our parent partners and especially a most warm thanks goes to Mr. Fadile who went above and beyond to make the graduation top notch. His generous contributions preciously enhanced our ceremony.

Timing, weather, light, sound, along with beautiful gowns were just perfect to celebrate our Seniors as they get ready to embark upon and embrace their new life. As the saying goes:

Once a Cobra, always a cobra!

Congratulations Class of 2021.

Special Acknowledgements:

Our congratulations go to the following Staff members for their recent engagements:

Ms. Melissa Mitchem, IB Social Studies teacher

Ms. Kristina Laven, our Grade 6 Base teacher.

We also hope our happy mummy, Malak Bouzit, Nursery Teaching assistant is doing fine with her baby.

We congratulate our outgoing Board President, Mrs. Sofia Amrani, on the birth of her new baby.

Condolences:

Condolences to the Tazi family for the loss of Mrs. Tazi (Mr. Karim and Mr. Nascer Tazi’s mother). Mrs. Tazi was a pillar and an example to follow for her humanitarian deeds and actions. Mrs. Tazi was a fire ball advocating for Women’s freedom and empowerment. May her soul rest in peace.

We extend our condolences to Mrs. Kenza Sefrioui (Alumni and former CAS Board member) for the loss of her Grand-mother.

It’s with profound sadness that we have learnt this week of the tragic death of one of our alumni, Yassine Benjdya. Yassine was much appreciated for his lightheartedness and his positive attitude no matter what the circumstances. Thank you to all of his Alumni mates for the thought to make a Lab Photo as a tribute to Yassine. RIP Yassine!

Finally, we extend our condolences to our colleague, Fatima Zahra Benzaineb, for the loss of her father.

A couple of school wide related news:

The yearbook with its beautiful 3D design and the printed version of the school calendar are ready and will be distributed to our families in the course of next week.

Thank you to our Yearbook Committee for making sure our Seniors received their yearbook on their big day. You sure made their day!

We are hoping to send a final What’s Up Cobras soon. Until then, thank you for being our number 1 partners in this journey.

John Randolph

School Director

In good moments and bad moments, we are together! Thank you Reda Benjelloun, Brahim Boudoua and Jaafar Berraho (class of 2011) for coming back today to honor and remember your classmate Yassine Benjdya! More about this tribute will follow in the next edition.

Academics

From the US Principal

In this edition, I would like to specifically address my seniors:

We nailed it and you shone on Friday. Walking that beautiful walkway paves the path to greater walkways in your life! I wish I could give each one of you a unique speech because each one of you is unique. I will simply say:

You want to be an artist? carve your masterpiece (art, music, drama, etc…) with love in the hearts of those you encounter.

You want to be a chemist? mix, practice, experiment, transform raw to refined because you are a refined mind

You want to be a physician, astrophysician (talk to Mr. Cherrubim, ha ha ha)? In this circle of life, everything moves, changes, spins to come together. See opportunities as condensed particles to reach your ultimate goals.

You want to be a businessman? Play ferociously, but play by the rules.

You want to be a politician: Be a true one

You want to be a teacher: Be inspired by your wonderful teachers.

To make a long story short, the future is yours. Passionately grasp what you need from it. Most importantly, do it with conviction. Be brave, be bold, dare to make mistakes, dare to argue and to fight for what you think is right, without losing your humanity. Be what you want to be because Cobras always thrive!

Congratulations to Mr. David Klemp and Mrs. Eva Hervet for the Teacher Appreciation Award granted by Class of 2021, and we wish our US departing Faculty all the best in their next endeavors.

Si Mohamed Sarhane

US Principal

From the LS Principal

As the weather is getting warmer, we can see the the light at the end of the tunnel…hopefully to a summer of fun and safer, more relaxed times. The end of year is an extremely busy time. Please been on the lookout for various communications from both your child(ren)‘s teachers and the Lower School staff so we can close out the school year well.

Elizabeth Phillips

From the Upper School English Department

Dear Parents,

We are pleased to inform you that this summer we will continue our reading program for the Upper School. There is a substantial body of research that shows students who read steadily over the summer improve their reading skills and are less likely to experience the “summer slide” where they forget or lose key skills that they were taught over the course of the school year.

After a review of this research, we have designed a summer reading program based on proven effective practices. To this end, we will be meeting with each student to help them select three books to read over the summer, about one every three weeks. What is key is that students pick books at their level and that they will enjoy reading. Though reading can be a solitary activity, we are encouraging peers to form reading circles and share their thoughts and insights as they move through their books. Students will be encouraged to read all three books, but they may skip one if their summer plans interfere with consistent reading.

We have created a website where students will post weekly updates on their reading and find out what their friends are reading as well. Students will also be expected to complete a short project for each book. When we return to school in the fall, students will also use one of their books as the basis for an in-class essay, in addition to receiving credit for their summer reading.

We are encouraging our students to read for 20 minutes every day in a quiet place with no distractions from electronic devices. This is meant to help them develop healthy reading and studying habits. Those habits formed now when they have fewer pressures can help them when we come back together again at the end of the summer.

As with all we do, your support is vital. You can help by regularly checking in with your child about how his or her reading is progressing. Talk to them about what they are reading and encourage them to read every day. You can also encourage them to stay on top of the blog assignments and to reach out to us if they are struggling with any of the books they have chosen.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of us here at school: 7-8 kenoch@cas.ac.ma or 9-11 rmoeny@cas.ac.ma.

It has been a great pleasure working with your children this past year, and we look forward to our continued collaboration as we work to help them achieve their goals and dreams.

Warm regards,

CAS English Department

Chers parents,

Nous avons le plaisir de vous informer que cet été, nous continuerons notre programme de lecture au “Upper School”. De nombreuses recherches montrent que les élèves qui lisent régulièrement pendant l'été améliorent leur niveau de lecture et perdent moins leurs aptitudes d'apprentissage et compétences essentielles qui leur ont été enseignées tout au long de l'année scolaire.

En se basant sur ces recherches, nous avons conçu un programme de lecture qui a prouvé son efficacité. Pour ce faire, nous allons rencontrer chaque élève pour l'aider à choisir trois livres à lire au cours de l'été, un pour chaque mois. L'essentiel est que les élèves choisissent des livres à leur niveau et qu'ils apprécient la lecture. La lecture peut être une activité solitaire, mais nous encourageons nos élèves à former des groupes de lecture et à partager leurs pensées et leurs idées en lisant ces livres. Les élèves seront encouragés à lire les trois livres, mais ils peuvent en sauter un si leur programme d'été ne leur permet pas de lire d'une manière régulière.

Nous avons créé un site web où les élèves publieront une fois par semaine, des nouvelles sur leurs livres et pourront voir ce que leurs camarades lisent. Les étudiants devront aussi réaliser un court projet pour chaque livre. En début d'année, les élèves vont utiliser un de leurs livres comme élément principal pour une composition écrite en classe. Cette lecture d'été sera également notée comme un travail en classe.

Nous encourageons nos élèves à lire 20 minutes chaque jour dans un endroit calme, loin des appareils électroniques. Ceci a pour but de les aider à développer des habitudes de lecture et d'étude saines. Ces habitudes qu'ils acquièrent quand il y a moins de pression peuvent les aider lorsqu’ils reviennent à l'école.

Comme pour tout ce que nous faisons, votre soutien est vital. Vous pouvez aider en vérifiant régulièrement l'évolution de la lecture de votre enfant. Parlez-lui de ce qu'il lit et encouragez-le à lire tous les jours. Vous pouvez également l’encourager à faire le travail qui doit être posté sur le site web et à nous contacter s'il rencontre des difficultés avec l'un des livres choisis.

Si vous avez des questions, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter.

Pour les grades 7-8: kenoch@cas.ac.ma

Pour les grades 9-11:rmoeny@cas.ac.ma

Ce fut un grand plaisir de travailler avec vos enfants au cours de la dernière année, et nous nous réjouissons de notre collaboration continuelle qui nous permet de les aider à atteindre leurs objectifs et leurs rêves.

Salutations distinguées,

CAS Département d’Anglais

Library Corner

Returning Library Books

Please return ALL library books by Friday, June 11th, 2021. If your child does not return their library book, their report card will be held until it is returned or paid for.

Lost Library Books

Please be sure to look everywhere before paying for a library book. If you are sure that the book is lost, contact the library for the price of the book. Refunds are not available.

Checking Out Books for the Summer

Students and parents may check out books for the summer only if they have returned all of their library books from the school year. Students may check out up to 4 books and parents may check out up to 7 books from the Lower School Library. Students may check out 3 books and parents may check out 3 books from the upper School Library. For Parents who are interested in checking out books for Summer, please visit our Library website at www.library.cas.ac.ma, to browse through our catalogue. You can then email the Lower School Librarian Mrs Bouchra Daifi at bdaifi@cas.ac.ma, or the Upper School Librarian Mrs Kajan Raouf at kraouf@cas.ac.ma, with the list of books you want to check out. Once the Librarians have prepared the books they will notify you by email to pick up the selected books from our main gate guard Ibrahim.

We would like to use our proven summer reading resources to ensure that your children have opportunities for reading acceleration, gain motivation and experience the confidence that reading success brings.

Summer Book Check-Out: Monday, June 14 to Thursday, June 17, 8:00 am-3:30 pm.

Kajan Raouf

Upper School Librarian

Pamoja SBC

The CAS Impact!

National Honor Society students (Meryem Alami, Sarah Agourame, Rim Essagar, Dounia Baroudi, and Aya Amoudi) organized a book drive this month. They visited Ecole Annassim in Mohammedia. Local students participated to a competition to get first dibs on books. NHS students managed to get over 600 book donations, in French, Arabic and English. Go Cobras!

Special Moments

Congratulations to Melissa and Kristina for your recent engagements.

Best wishes to you both for a fun-filled future together!

Community News

Fun Day is coming Up!

Let's Finish the year with some LONG OVERDUE FUN!

The PTC has teamed up with the Lower and Upper School to help organize a covid-friendly fun day for our students & staff! We would like to thank the PTC in taking the time and energy at pulling together such a wonderful community bonding event.

The PTC has divided the school according to the current cohort groups used to ensure that mitigation measures are still respected the same way. Hence, the schedule for FUN day will be as follows:

Tuesday June 15th: Upper School

Wednesday June 16th: Kinder & Nursery, Grade 3-6 (Yellow Group)

Thursday June 17th: PF- Grade 2 followed by Grade 3-6 (Green Group)

All participants will be offered lunch, snacks and LOTS of FUN! Please make sure your child wears clothes that can be wet! No bathing suits are ALLOWED.

Arrival to school will be the same as everyday at 8:00 am and dismissal on Wednesday & Thursday will be at 2:30pm.

More details will be communicating in class!

Should you wish to help volunteer please reach out to any PTC member or by email (ptc@cas.ac.ma)

PTC Elections coming up early in the Fall!

Dear Community members,

We would like to thank all of our community members who have been actively participating in the PTC by managing to bring support and fun into our school in spite of the challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is that time of the year again where the PTC welcomes new members to its committee. The elections for the next school year officers will take place the first two weeks of September 2021.

As indicated in its mission statement, the PTC is “committed to enhancing, enriching, promoting and supporting the education of our children and fostering a sense of community within our school". In order to achieve this mission, a strong collaboration between parents, teachers, and the school administration is needed.

In the past, the PTC has been in charge of creating multiple events such as: the New Parents Welcome Breakfast, the annual Back to School Barbecue, the Halloween Celebration, the various Christmas events for students and teachers alike, the teachers appreciation events, the Spring Fair, the end of the year Music Fun Day and so forth.

We hope to see many more volunteers ....to continue creating uplifting and building fun events for our community!

Parent volunteers of the PTC cannot function effectively without the assistance of teachers and admin staff as key members of the committee so we encourage them to join too!

If you are interested in joining and giving a helping hand, it is important that you attend this meeting! Please email (ptc@cas.ac.ma) us to indicate your attendance so we can plan a Covid friendly space accordingly.

Thank you for your time, interest and support,

PTC Team

When Cobras rank at # 1

Congratulations again to Rayane Oudghiri (Grade 10) for your exceptional performance during the tournament "Tournoi Amical de la compettion Ramadan".

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ibrahim Benssy a 2nd grader at CAS and I’m a horse rider . After 3 weeks of a very selective show jumping competition during this Ramadan , I’m proud to share this with you that I won the first place in my class 🥇. During the three weeks, I performed clear rounds, which helped me gain points and rank first in the Poney A class. I am very happy because I was the youngest participant and the youngest to win. I’d like to thank all those who helped me achieve this . This is only the beginning of a long and competitive adventure.

Cookbook Brochure lulu flyer.pdf

AIWA Moroccan Cookbook for Charity

If you are interested in purchasing a Moroccan Cookbook whether you are Moroccan or not please drop by the administration offices! This cookbook costs 180 dh and is created by one of our Alumni Staff members, Mrs Nancy Saloui, and the American International Women's Association. All proceeds go to AIWA charity work done in Rabat and Sale.

It is also available for purchase in the U.S online on lulu.com . The price is $20 + shipping. They will ship anywhere in the world!

On behalf of Mrs Nancy Slaoui, thank you for your support!

KEY DATES

Fun Days

June 15th- 16th- 17th

Grade 6 promotion to Upper School

June 14

Last Day of School

June 18th

TRIVIA...

Can you guess the name of these insects?

In their Space Unit Studies, guess who is blasting off?

College Counseling

During this unusual year, our seniors thrived. Despite all the challenges of hybrid schooling, our students worked hard in the International Baccalaureate program. As a result, the class of 2021 successfully received 205 university admission offers so far. Our students were admitted to 39 universities in the U.S.A., including the University of California, New York University, and Babson College, 13 universities in Canada, including the University of British Columbia, McGill University, and the University of Toronto, 28 universities in the U.K., including King's College, University College London, and City, University of London, and 13 universities in Europe, including l'Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Geneva School of Diplomacy and l'université de Picardie Jules Verne/faculté de médecine. In addition, over half of our seniors received scholarships based on their outstanding grades, reaching a total amount of near $300,000.

The Class of 2021 worked hard this year and achieved success, and we could not be prouder of them! The CAS community looks forward to watching their successes as they pursue their higher education degrees next year.

You made it! Go Cobras!

Visit our College Corner to view all the university admissions and the scholarships our seniors earned!

Alumni Profiles

Featuring one of ours: Karen El Houdigui

Devoting one's professional life to one area is rewarding! After years and years of serving the Casablanca American School as an ESL teacher (from 1988 to 2017), Mrs. Karen Meditz, has been writing and publishing ESL books.

Congratulations Karen! We are proud of you!!

Mrs. Meditz email address: wistapoo2000@yahoo.com

Shout out to All Alumni!

We seek to share information on our Alumni to our community and it is also an opportunity for the Alumni to stay in touch! Please email us pictures and updates and we would be happy to share them!

We are eager to hear from you! Email us at the following email address: alumni@cas.ac.ma

What's Up Cobras