Words from Secondary, 04.11.2022

Hello Middle and High School Families! 

The Secondary School keeps soaring through the first semester of the school year! Our seniors are focused on their college applications, and we are hosting 30 colleges on Monday as a part of the Education USA Symposium. All parents and students of all levels are invited to hear our guest speaker on Monday night at 7:00, see more in the College Counselor’s Corner below. 
 

Next Wednesday, November 9th, the CDS Girls Basketball team is in the ACTION tournament finals at 2:15. We are hoping that the boys will be playing in the finals at 3:15 (they must win on Monday in the semifinals first). If that happens, we will be offering a “fan bus” that will leave after the games (approximately 4:45) so students can stay for both games and still have transportation home. This transportation would stop at various locations, it will not be dropping off at our usual stops. A sign-up for the bus will go out to students on Monday, we will need students to sign-up so we know how many seats we need. There is no cost to students for this transportation. 
 

There have been a number of questions regarding the CDS Attendance Policy. Here is a brief overview of important key points: 

• If a parent calls to confirm the reason for a student’s absence (e.g. illness, appointment, family emergency) then the absence is Excused and students are permitted to make up assignments and assessments. 

• Please contact the office on the day of (or before) the absence, preferably in the morning. 

• Students have the same number of days absent to make up assignments/assessments when they return. 

• For family trips, college visits, etc. that are planned in advance, please fill out a pre-arranged absence form.

• If a parent does not confirm an acceptable reason for an absence, then it is unexcused and the student cannot make up their assignments/assessments. 

• A student who is absent more than 20% (9 absences) of the days in a semester in a class will have credit withheld for the class.  

• The following absences are waived and do not count in this number: 

• Pre-arranged family trips 

• College visits 

• Medical appointments (please provide documentation) 

• Family emergencies 

• Religious Observances 

• A student can appeal the withholding of credit, you will receive notification of this process if your student is having credit withheld. 
   

Our Future Business Leaders of America student club is attending the KIC Climathon 2022, at UNED, next weekend. The Climathon focuses on Climate Entrepreneurship.  
 

Did you know that CDS and Nord Anglia have a global collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to enhance STEAM teaching and learning for K-12 students? It's true! Already this year, CDS is off and running with its first MIT STEAM Challenge of the school year. 

All students in grades 9-12 are building functional roller coasters to display the week before Thanksgiving break. In order to successfully build a functional roller coaster, students must combine design, art, engineering, physics mathematical computation and creative thinking. And did we mention that nearly all of the construction materials for the roller coasters must be recyclable? 

Stay tuned for more information, and plan to explore our students' MIT STEAM projects on November 18 if you happen to be on campus.  Please also give a high five to our incredible and talented Teacher STEAM Team for supporting the integration of this exciting challenge: Xavier Villafranca, Jose Garcia and Giancarlo Hwu. 
 

CDS is thrilled to announce our spring musical for students in grades 1-8 . . . The Wizard of Oz! This classic tale of Dorothy, her quest to return to her Kansas home, and the magical friends that she meets along the way is a much-loved story and will sure to be a fan favorite.   

Students in grades 1-8 will have an opportunity to participate in this year’s Spring performance. Please see more information below: 

• Performance Date: May 19-20, 2023 

• Audition Dates: For students in grades 3-8: November 14, 16, 17 and 18 (additional dates will be announced if necessary) 

• Students in grades 3rd-8th may audition for a performing role in the Wizard of Oz or for a part in the production/crew.  For more information about auditions, commitment expectations and available roles, PLEASE CLICK HERE.  

If you have any questions about the spring musical, please contact CDS Drama Teacher, Andrea Aguillar at: andrea.aguillar@cds.ed.cr.