March 18- march 29

Director's Message

Dear Community Members,

We thoroughly enjoyed the Iftar we had at the school on Wednesday, March 20. It was simply amazing!!! We extend our appreciation to the Board of Governors for initiating this evening during which families enjoyed a wonderful Iftar and dinner with culinary Moroccan flavors and delicacies. Children had a playful time and were able to sit for their Henna and display their beautiful outfits. Thank you also to the Board for extending an invitation during that week to our new incoming Director, Chris Brueningsen, our new US Principal, Rick Vanden Boom, and Ms. Ji Degiorgihan, our consultant for this transition period. Special thank you to the PTC members for contributing to this momorable Iftar. Thank you to all of the parents, staff and faculty for taking the time to join us. Your attendance made the evening all the more special and it was wonderful to have this opportunity once again to connect and share in the joy of our community.

Additionally, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to the new Director and the US Principal for taking the time to join us from March 18th to March 23rd. During their visit, Mr. Brueningsen and Mr. Vanden Boom had the opportunity to meet with staff, faculty, parents and students. As I am about to pass the torch to Mr. Brueningsen, I feel confident that his experiences and leadership will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success of our school. Once again, thank you parents, administrative and instructional staff for your participation and support. We all look forward to the exciting journey ahead and the chance to continue our collaboration with each of you.

The end of Ramadan and the Eid al Fitr Celebration noted in our calendar for April 9th and 10th is now expected to take place either, April 10th or April 11th. We will know for sure when our local Authorities announce it. Following the announcement the school will have a two (2) day holiday which could be either Wednesday the 10th and Thursday the 11th or Thursday the 11th and Friday the 12th. An update will be sent in due time.

Immediately after the end of Ramadan, Morocco will switch back to Day Light Saving Time on Sunday, April 14th, at 2:00 am. Electronic devices will automatically move one hour forward.

In the spirit of giving during Ramadan, we sincerely thank our Faculty, Staff, Parents and Students who contributed to this year’s Ramadan Drive. Your generosity is always much appreciated.

We also thank you for your patience as we finalize the school calendar 2024-2025. The calendar will be shared with our Community Members soon.

The pathfinder, MPR and the first renovated US classrooms are currently operational for the pleasure of our students and faculty. The space has undergone a fantastic change and refurbishment. We are delighted to report that since its opening, students have been demonstrating great respect for the rules and regulations of the pathfinder. We are grateful to Students and Faculty for their commitment to maintaining the integrity of this newly designed and refurbished space. We take this opportunity to welcome back our Facilities Manager, Mr. Zakaria Anbaouy, and thank the Facilities and Construction committee members for their dedication to this project. Our Faculty and Students will provide feedback from the use of this space as to whether we will extend the design throughout the Upper School Building.

We have received great feedback from Reina O’Hale, Executive Director of MAIS, regarding our LS students who participated to the MAIS Honors Choir held in Rome last week. According to Mrs. O'Hale, they were incredible ambassadors, for both their performance and discipline displayed. They represented the Cobra colors with pride and enthusiasm. We are proud of our Cobras. Thank you Mr. Henzi and Ms. Saadeh for organizing this wonderful journey for our CAS young ambassadors.

We welcome, Ms. Candy Kelly, who has joined us for this last term substituting for our Nursery Teacher, Ms. Zineb Ajar. We wish Ms. Kelly all the best and our prayers are with Ms. Ajar for a speedy recovery.

Report Cards were sent home this week. Your child's report card provides valuable insight into their academic achievements, progress, and areas for improvement. We encourage you to take the time to review them carefully together with your child. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your child's report card in further detail, please contact your child’s Base teacher/ teachers directly. Together, we can insure your child receives the support and guidance they need to thrive academically and personally.

Last but not least, Congratulations to our nurse assistant, Ms. Asmaa Araskad for the birth of her son. Both mother and child are healthy and are now home enjoying each other’s company.

Sincerely yours

John Randolph

Academics

From the LS Principal

A huge thank you to the Board and Mr Randolph for hosting ftour this past Wednesday. It was lovely to spend time with the community eating delicious food!

It has been so wonderful to be back on campus! I am grateful to the Lower School team for taking care of business, as usual, and for the continuity in division operations and student learning in my absence. It is definitely true what they say...absence makes the heart grow fonder and it was the case over the past several weeks. I am so grateful to be a part of a community like CAS!

Please click on the live streaming MAIS Honor Choir that took place last weekend in Rome. Students performance was stunning. Great job Karen and Jakob.

Report Cards were published Wednesday, March 27. Please take time to review with your child, paying special attention to the narrative comments. Discuss their thoughts on their strengths, areas for growth, and goals for the remainder of the year.

Elizabeth Phillips

LS Principal

From the US Principal

Dear CAS Upper School Parents and Students,

Parents, We need your help

Please remind students they cannot bring a phone to school, ever. They may not ask an employee to hold it for them or have it on campus in off mode. This has been the rule since day one of the school year.
Parents, please stop sending things to students after school. This causes traffic and time to get the student. When a student leaves to get something from a driver or a driver passes something through the gate the student will not be allowed back on campus and you or your driver will need to return to pick them up. Students who do not follow this rule will be excluded from ASAs for the remainder of the year. This also has been a rule since day one and is in the update each week. Let's be respectful of our neighbors, the environment and eliminate unnecessary traffic.
Tardies continue to be an issue and students will receive detentions and suspensions for chronic tardiness.

Derek Harwell

US Principal

From the English Department

The grade 12 art students recently used art they created for the IB Art Show to teach grade 10 English students. I have written about that experience, and included some images of the event, here:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eRPcXdfrbXR8w4THmUqd4TUzYQ5LxyEI1tf6QdiSvSg/edit?usp=sharing

Peter Hunter

IB English Teacher

From the Admissions Office

Dear CAS Community,

Thank you for filling out the re-enrollment form. We apologize for any confusion it may have caused. Re-enrollment is a standard practice for most International Schools to determine available seats for the next academic year. Our admissions season is on-going and while we continue to accept applications for all grades, we particularly encourage applications for nursery as seats in higher grades are limited. If you are planning to enroll your child at CAS, we strongly recommend securing their enrollment as early as Nursery.

We wish you a wonderful month of Ramadan.

Sincerely,

The Admissions Office.

National Honor Society

On Wednesday, March 27, National Honor Society students Imad Naciri, Lilya Lahlou and Kamil Nibrasse organized a Science Competition for Upper School students. The competition tested several teams on their science knowledge. Congratulations to the winning team: Aymen Kossale, Mehmet Topal and Zale Wang!

From the College Counselor

Congratulations to the class of 2024 on their university offers! 371 applications have been submitted so far, and 28 students have already received university offers.

Congratulations to our students, and best of luck to everyone who is still waiting for admission decisions!

Rana Haroun

Community News

MAIS Conference

We are delighted to announce that the annual MAIS conference (Mediterranean Association of International Schools)will be held in the vibrant city of Casablanca, more particularly here on campus at CAS. We are confident that it will be an enriching experience for all participants. Additionally, we are thrilled to inform you that we are expecting a remarkable turnout of about 200 teachers. This diverse gathering of educators promises to create a dynamic exchange of ideas, insights, and best practices in education. The conference will take place in Mid-April and more information will be shared soon.

LS Choir Testimonial

"Dear John , I wanted to let you know your music teachers, students and chaperons were the best of the best.

They were well prepared, most helpful and it was a pleasure to work with them."

Reina O'Hale

Executive Director of MAIS

Iftar with Grade 7

It has become a cherished tradition for our 7th graders, with the help of Mr. Bachir, to organize a potluck iftar every Ramadan. In keeping with this tradition, this year's Iftar was organized on Wednesday 29th March. The purpose is to get students together on campus during this Holy month where social gatherings, sharing and generosity are common practices. Students have had a lot of fun and spent memorable time together.

Bachir Niah

US Arabic Teacher

Grade 10 Upper School Art

This trimester Grade 10 US art students were tasked with analyzing painter Mohammed Nabili's conventions and creating a large, collaborative painting by applying their learning. Student's conducted their analysis, designed their composition, and executed their paintings together. The paintings are being hung in School!

Elliott Mann

IB Art Teacher

SOS Children

After several months of preparation with the SOS team. Rita and Alya worked on creating presentations and workshops to introduce SOS children to fundamental technological concepts. On Monday, volunteers went to SOS Village, a large profit organization, where they introduced SOS children to the concepts with the aim of providing a platform where young minds can learn about technological advancements, fostering a deeper understanding of AI and its applications in today's world.

"By empowering SOS children with knowledge and mentorship, we aim to foster a sense of hope, determination, and the belief that they, too, can shape their destinies"

Rita and Alya

After School Activities

Dear Parents,

Session III ASAs started on Monday, March 25. Confirmation and payment emails were shared with parents. If you still would like to enroll your child/ren in a LS ASA, please email Ms. Hala and Ms. Dahbi: lsasa@cas.ac.ma.

To end Session II, our grades 3-4 and 5-6 soccer teams played friendly games against Ecole Maurice Careme, on Tuesday, March 19. Our young Cobras won all their games and demonstrated skill and good sportsmanship. We would like to thank Coach Remy for all his efforts, and all the parents who came and cheered on the sidelines. Go Cobras!

Also, our martial arts and karate ASA groups passed their exam and were awarded the next level belt. Congratulations to all students who participate in these activities.

From the Psychology Club

Mia El Mernissi, a dedicated 10th-grade student with a passion for the study of psychology, established the first Psychology Club in a high school in Morocco. The psychology club, a registered student organization, has been integrated into our community to promote the importance of mental health, raise awareness of the effects of bullying, and enhance the student’s understanding of and appreciation for psychology through research, discussion sessions, and Q&A sessions with psychologists.

This club will serve as a good opportunity for all upper-school students who share the same passion, helping them explore this field to a deeper extent and expand their knowledge. Through this club, members will realize that interpretations, morals, and principles vary, improving their open-mindedness, mentality, and listening skills. Students will increasingly benefit from this club as it will lead them to be more empathetic, mature, and comprehensive towards one another.

Because of all the psychologists involved with this club, it is ensured that the members of this club are receiving fulfilled lessons and that all their questions can be answered. Mia collaborated with different clinical psychologists to create a curriculum that entails units, made in an order that will deepen the member’s understanding of psychology 101.

Members meet once a week to either discuss or accomplish research and projects on their current unit. For every topic of the unit, psychologists are invited to campus for Q&A sessions. For the 2024 school year, members will study 6 units: Behavior & psychic roots, awareness of mental health, prevention of bullying, exploring fields of psychology, neuropsychology, and sex education.

The club was officialized in January; since then, the members of the club have completed the first unit: Behavior & Psychic Roots. Units are divided into three parts: brainstorming, research/projects, and subunits. Students had several sessions to discuss as a group different topics related to the unit and eventually attended two Q&A sessions: one with a clinical psychologist, Rim Akrache, and another one with a behaviorist, Hayat Daghay. Through all these events, the members were able to comprehend the unit as a whole and ready to start the subunits which include trauma, addiction, consciousness, and self-affirmation. For the subunit of Trauma, Chaimaa Oblaq, a clinical psychologist specializing in violence and trauma, came as well for an informative session.

This club is cherished in Morocco by many psychologists and humanitists. Numerous psychologists played a role in enriching this club, offering guidance to the leadership and expressing their willingness to participate. Additionally, the CAS Psychology Club received a significant invitation to an event centered around the promotion of the importance of mental health, scheduled for April 20th, alongside esteemed psychologists.

Kindly follow the link to check out projects on Unit 1 (Behavior & Psychic Roots):

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13PUkSyVCxD5SvEZCaSptypFcFony6aB7?usp=drive_link

Cafeteria dues

We would like to kindly remind you to ensure that your child's cafeteria dues are paid for the 2rd Trimester, that started March 18. These funds help to cover the cost of providing meals for our students each day.

To check your child's cafeteria account balance or make a payment, please log in to the cafeteria payment portal link: https://connect-eat.newrest.eu/cas or contact Mr. Hanafi Walid at 06 78 62 52 35.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued support in ensuring that all students have access to cafeteria meals.

Lost and Found

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

The Lost and Found will be displayed each Friday from 14:00 to 15:30 at the back gate. Please stop by or send your personnel to claim any item your child might have left at school.

New faculty & Staff

Our new faculty and staff biographies are being updated, and we thank you for your patience. Our staff is part of our community and all have an open door policy. Feel free to reach out to anyone of interest!

Alumni Corner

Visit our alumni page here! The CAS alumni network is an important part of being part of the community. This network is meant to create a space for networking and collaboration. Students are encouraged to reach out to alumni for college questions, job/business opportunities, mentoring, and more. If you would like to submit an alumni story please contact hsarhane@cas.ac.ma

KEY DATES

Week April 15

LS and US MAP Testing

April 29- May 3

Spring Break

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