Mr. Brian Balding
Secondary Principal
Hello Middle and High School Families!
Grades should be updated in iSams as of this Friday, November 11th. Please contact the class teacher with questions about grades for your student. .
This fall, all students in grades 1-8 took the MAP Growth Assessment. Those results are now available in ISAMS for parent/guardian/student review. A few notes about what you will see:
MAP Growth is a growth assessment. It is intended to demonstrate how each student progresses in their learning in a variety of subject areas including, Reading, Math and Language Usage. At CDS, we use student assessment data on the MAP Growth assessment to evaluate trends in student data, set learning goals, and to identify areas for acceleration or reteaching.
CLICK HERE for a short video to learn more about the MAP Growth assessment.
CLICK HERE for a two-page overview of the student report, an explanation of RIT scores and other Frequently Asked Questions.
If you have questions about the Fall 2022 MAP Growth Assessment, please contact Liz Cotter, Director of Teaching and Learning: elizabeth.cotter@cds.ed.cr
If you don’t know how to access ISAMS to review your students’ MAP results, below are two resources to help answer your questions. If you still have questions, please contact Maria Umana at: maelena.umana@cds.ed.cr
LINKED HERE IS A PDF TUTORIAL DOCUMENT ON HOW TO ACCESS THE MAP SCORES IN ISAMS
LINKED HERE IS A SCREEN CAST ON HOW TO ACCESS THE MAP SCORES IN ISAMS.
Each year, Nord Anglia invites our students to participate in a global Writing Competition where students can share their writing skills with students and educators from around the world. The Writing Competition is open to students in grades 1-12 from each school, and the winning selection will be featured on Nord Anglia's Global Campus portal. This is a great opportunity for our student writers to share their talents!
If your student would like to participate in this year's Writing Competition, please have them log into Global Campus using their CDS student email/password. If you aren't sure of your student's email/password, please email Liz Cotter, Director of Teaching and Learning: elizabeth.cotter@cds.ed.cr.
Once into the Global Campus website, please go to the following link for full access to the overview/rules/themes of the Writing Competition: LINK TO WRITING COMPETITION.
Students interested in participating must submit their final entry no later than December 13, 2022. Entries may be emailed to: elizabeth.cotter@cds.ed.cr.
If you have any questions about the Nord Anglia Writing Competition, please contact Liz Cotter @ elizabeth.cotter@cds.ed.cr.
The STEAM Rollercoaster Challenge is entering its last week. Rollercoasters will be on display next Friday, November 18th, throughout the school. Some of the work that students have done is amazing!
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
School Related Absences
A student can appeal the withholding of credit, you will receive notification of this process if your student is having credit withheld.
On Thursday, two of our students, Mariano Hernandez and Eugenio Garcia, will be selling Mexican Candy as a part of a business they’ve started called No Mandes Dulceria. This will be like our other bake sales.
Hello, parents of CDS! 
Hope you're having an amazing day. This is Andrea Aguilar (Ms. Aguilar) and I am the drama teacher at CDS. I am thrilled to be putting together this year´s drama production of The Wizard of Oz! It´s already proving to be a huge hit with the kids and I´m sure we´ll have lots of fun and magic in our production.
Some clarifications:
Remember there are two steps to complete (highlighted in red and blue) to become part of the play:
For more information, please read this document.
Any other questions or comments, I'm happy to receive through my email: andrea.aguilar@cds.ed.cr.
Andrea Aguilar
Drama Teacher
One of the most amazing aspects of being a part of a global network of schools like Nord Anglia is being able to take advantage of as many of the amazing opportunities for our children as possible. This year, CDS is looking to capitalize on Nord Anglia Expeditions program to send 22 students to Tanzania! There are two offerings, one, a service learning opportunity, and the other, an adventure climbing trip. Both offerings are outlined below.
The dates for these trips are February 21 through 28 (inclusive) and the cost is subsidized by Nord Anglia. We are looking to send 10 students to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and 12 students to take part in the Seeway service learning opportunity. Both activities are amazing and include very distint experiences that students will never forget. CDS students will be traveling and staying with other Nord Anglia students from schools in the US, Thailand, Vietnam, and Ecuador. This is an amazing opportunity to capitalize on being a part of the NAE family.
Mr. Young and Mr. Balding will present this opportunity to high school students ages 14 and older on Monday, November 14th. As spaces are limited, we may look to have an application process if demand is high. Parents who would like more information and details of the trip, please email Jack Young at jack.young@cds.ed.cr and we can set up an informative session.
Seeway Expedition
The Tanzania Seeway Expedition is a life changing experience and an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the local communities and villages around Maji ya Chai, in the Arusha region of Tanzania.
The eight days our students will spend in Tanzania will see them travel around the Arusha region, participating in a highly rewarding programme of community service, learning about sustainable development and exploring the Tarangire National Park where they will discover the diverse range of Tanzanian flora and fauna.
This is a fantastic opportunity for your child to be ambitious and challenge themself through a unique and highly enjoyable programme, designed to enable them to grow personally and emotionally. The activities support key skills such as confidence, resilience, independence and leadership, all essential in your child’s education, career and life as a global citizen. Working with fellow Nord Anglia Education students from around the world, this experience will broaden their horizons by taking them away from the beaten track and opening their eyes to the world, cultures and people around them, while building lifelong friendships and memories.
Kilimanjaro Expedition
Kilimanjaro almost needs no introduction, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world and the highest mountain on the African Continent. Students will take part in a challenging 7-day ascent via the Machame route, which provides wonderful views of the surrounding plains and an ascent profile that will offer the greatest chance of success for our students to reach the summit of this African giant.
This is a fantastic opportunity for your child to be ambitious and challenge themself through a unique and highly enjoyable programme, designed to enable them to grow personally and emotionally. The activities support key skills such as confidence, resilience, independence and leadership, all essential in your child’s education, career and life as a global ci
