As you know, this year the Lower School is implementing Choose Love as our social-emotional (SEL) program.  We have devoted time to this every Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 8-8:30.  All LS staff are part of Choose Love teams to ensure common language, understanding, and practices throughout the division.  We “began” Choose Love (CL) the week of September 5…so we have been living Choose Love for three weeks. It is having IMPACT!  Below is Tuesday’s interaction with a G2 student:

Setting: Tuesday’s G1-3 Lunch/Recess…it’s a hot, humid, Casablanca day, around 12:35PM

Players: Ms. Phillips, LS Principal and G2 student, George (name changed)

Scene:

Ms. Phillips sees George sitting at the picnic tables alone.  The picnic tables are off limits during recess.  NATURALLY, Ms. Phillips walks over to check in with George.

Ms. Phillips: non confrontational and approaching George at picnic table Hey George, what’s up?  Is everything OK?

George: lip pouched out, teary eyed, fists squeezing No! Things are not OK! Lots of confusing speech

Ms. Phillips: Can I sit? Does the teacher on duty know you’re here?  Starts to sit at the picnic table

George: No

Ms Phillips: OK.  So why are you here?  Did you need to take a break?

George: Yes!  starts to explain what is happening at recess…kids not being nice, disrespectful, unkind

Ms Phillips: Slow down, tell me again.

George: Ms. Phillips, they are unintelligible speech…taking and taking and taking from my bucket and I just had to put a lid on it! So I came here.  I can’t take it.  My friends told me to hit them and I said no!  I need to put a lid on it and protect my bucket. So I came here to sit by myself.

Ms. Phillips: George!  Such good choices. Have you practiced the Brave Breath?

George: Yes.

Ms. Phillips: Can you take one with me?

George and Ms. Phillips: deep breath in and slow breath out

Ms. Phillips: That was a good Brave Breath.  Let’s do one more.

George and Ms. Phillips: deep breath in and slow breath out

Ms. Phillips: George, I am so proud of you.  Do you know how courageous you are?  You made good choices!

George: calm now and starting to grin

Ms. Phillips: You are so courageous and I am so proud of you for making good choices.  Do you need to sit here for a minute longer or are you ready to go back to play?

George: smiling I think I can go back!

Ms. Phillips: Alright!  Get back out there!

Please check out Buckets, Dippers, and Lids by Carol McCloud (to fully understand George’s references).  This was one of the first resources used in our Choose Love lessons…wonderful text to guide family conversations, develop shared language, and join us in partnership with this SEL program.

Elizabeth Phillips 

• The International Baccalaureate foundation started on October 25th, 1968. We celebrate 54 years since the first IB program; the Diploma Programme, was launched. October 25th has become a celebration day for the IB World Schools for several years. We will join them this year and use the opportunity to bring to light the philosophy behind the rigorous curriculum we have in DP. A school-wide activity is scheduled for teachers and students: the "IB Door Decoration" Contest. Starting 8:00 AM on Tuesday, October 25th all IB teachers will coordinate their students to decorate the door of their classroom showcasing IB in their subject (but referring to the philosophy, like IB Learner Profile, international-mindedness, approaches to learning and teaching, embracing innovation, inspiring action; learn, share and grow). The contest will end at 3:00 PM to allow having decorated the door of each room of the school used as an IB class. At 3:00 PM, a prestigious jury will visit the doors and debate to decide the best one as the winner. VERY IMPORTANT: There will be a PRIZE for the best decoration for both teacher and students!!!

• The final schedule for the May 2023 IB Examination session, including the start of the examination day, is published and seniors and their families are encouraged to check it. On each examination day candidates are expected to be in school 15 minutes before the exam starts and handle their phones, laptops and any other connection devices. They will be able to have them back only at the end of their examination day. More details to come.

For more information on the IB program at CAS contact the IB Coordinator, Ms. Alina Zamfirescu at azamfirescu@cas.ac.ma

Grades 3-5 kicked off the year in PE with an Olympics unit from the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), Going For Gold. The students have been training for the following Olympic events: hurdles, long jump, javelin throw, and paralympic race. Students also focused on:

• being able to take part in a range of individual, pair, small group, and team activities with positive communication and fair play

• developing technique, strength, endurance, flexibility, and control 

• be able to refine and improve their performance through analysis, observation, and repetition to achieve their personal best.

To celebrate the end of the unit learning, the students would like to invite you to their Olympic Going for Gold event. The show will take place outside on both fields. Please come from the Back Gate.

Here are the dates and time of each class’ celebration:

4A and 4B on Monday, October 3, 2022, from 8:30-9:15

5A and 5B on Friday, October 7, 2022, from  8:30-9:15

3A and 3B on Friday, October 7, 2022, from 9:15- 10:00

Please come and cheer your children on!

Hala Mustafa & Fatiha Dahbi

LS PE team

On Saturday, September 24, the National Honor Society organized the 3rd annual Spelling Bee event. 27 lower school students participated in the First Round and 22 of them are moving to the Second Round.

Congratulations, spellers! 

We had a wonderful time at admissions this week getting to know more about all of you. We were especially proud of the Basketball Girls team and the Soccer Boys team for their win against the British International School. It is wonderful to see all of you invested in our school and representing our colors and spirit, Keep it up!!

In the meantime, at the office, we are still processing more applications for the year 2022-2023 from expats and nationals for the few remaining spots available. We have also started accepting inquiries and application submissions for the year 2023-2024 for all siblings and waitlisted applicants from this year. I am happy to announce that requests are filling up quickly and we already have a good numbers of applicants. Thus, I invite you to drop by my office to either see me or Hind Essaadi, the Admissions Assistant, to fill out an inquiry for your child if they are a sibling to be added to the list as soon as possible. As of right now, we have very little spots available for kindergarten and pre-first and none for the rest of lower school for the year 2023-2024. It is therefore imperative not to wait last minute to enroll your child and to do it as early as Nursery, otherwise there will no available seats.. 

Cordially,

Zaineb Sajid- Admissions Officer 

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