CGS Weekly Message

Happy Sunday!

Progress Reports for Quarter 4 went home with students on Friday, 4/25. Please reach out to Ms. Walther if your student did not receive their report at marissawalther@cgsnc.org.

Please help me recognize and celebrate Dr. Morris and Mrs. Spencer this week as May 1st is National Principal Appreciation Day!! Our school is incredibly lucky to have such dedicated, hard-working, and student focused leaders on both of our campuses! Thank you ladies for all that you do for CGS each and every day!! 💚💙

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week: May 5th- May 9th. Attached below is a list of our "Staff Favorites" in case you want to show your appreciation and gratitude to our AMAZING CGS Teachers and Staff! #CGShastheBESTFacultyandStaff!! Please see the "Teacher Appreciation Week 2025" section later in the newsletter for more details as to how you can help support and show love to our teachers during that week of appreciation. Thank you!! 💚💙

Please note: Wednesday, May 21st will still be an early release day- HOWEVER- we will release at 1:15 P.M. at our K-8 Campus and at 1:30 P.M. at our High School Campus. Lunch WILL be served on this half day only as we are not dismissing at 12 PM like our normal half days and buses will run as per normal half day schedules. Please note - that buses will arrive at slightly later times than typical half day schedules due to the later dismissal time. We will try and get these approximate times updated and sent to you asap so you can plan accordingly!

SAVE THE DATES:

• 4/29/2025: MS Theater Performance at 7:00 P.M. at the Gym at the K-8 Campus
• 4/30/2025: High School End of Year Awards Ceremony at the HS Campus at 1:30 P.M.
• 4/30/2025-5/2/2025: Kindergarten Assessments for new and upcoming Kindergarten students for the 25-26 school year.
• 5/1/2025: Happy Principal Appreciation Day! Shout out to Dr. Morris and Mrs. Spencer for the amazing work they do for our school each and every day!!
• 5/1/2025: Spring Dance Concert at 6:00 P.M. in the Gym at the K-8 Campus
  

• 5/5/2025-5/9/2025: Teacher Appreciation Week!
• 5/5/2025: Band Concert in the Gym at the K-8 Campus @ 7:00 P.M.
• 5/6/2025: Guitar Concert at 7:00 P.M. at the Gym at the K-8 Campus
  
• 5/13/2025: May Board of Directors' Meeting at 6:30 P.M. at the HS Campus or via YouTube
• 5/19/2025: K-5 End of Year Awards Ceremony @ 1:15 P.M. in the Gym at the K-8 Campus
• 5/19/2025: HS Growl Awards
  
• 5/20/2025: MS End of Year Awards Ceremony @ 8:30 A.M. in the Gym at the K-8 Campus
  
• 5/20/2025: Middle School Field Day following the Awards Day Ceremony
• 5/21/2025: Senior PEP Rally @ 9:00 A.M. in the Gym at the K-8 Campus
• 5/21/2025: Half Day Dismissal
• 5/22/2025: Elementary K-5 Field Day!
• 5/22/2025: Career Speakers Series (7th/8th Graders)
• 5/22/2025: Graduation for our Class of 2025 at 6:00 P.M. in the Gym at the K-8 Campus
• 5/23/2025: 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony at 8:30 A.M. in our Gym at the K-8 Campus
• 5/23/2025: LAST DAY of the 2024-2025 School Year! Half Day Dismissal

Looking ahead:

• 7/24/2025: New Students to CGS ONLY Orientation (Kindergarten: 9:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M.) (1st through 8th grade: 3:30 P.M. until 4:30 P.M.) (New 9th Graders: 4:30 P.M. until 5:30 P.M.) **A date for Freshman Orientation is coming soon!
• 7/28/2025: 1st Day of School/Open House for ALL 1st-12th grade students

Reminder- Check out our CGS Directory for questions regarding anything CGS! You can also reach out to us at info@cgsnc.org for questions.

Don't forget to check out our website at www.cgsnc.org and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cgsgrizzlies for updates!

CGS Parents, if you are in need of assistance with creating or accessing your child's Power School account, please use this form. The Parent Portal through Power School is a great way to get live updates as to how your student is progressing in their classroom studies.

Here is an FAQ that may be helpful as well.

If you have any questions, please contact our registrar Ms. Walther at marissawalther@cgsnc.org.

Attention Parents/Guardians,

Please complete the following form at your earliest convenience Student & Parent/Guardian Demographics

In preparation of our upcoming transition to Infinite Campus, we must assure the current information listed in PowerSchool is accurate and complete. All addresses, custody, and lives with information must be complete and accurate for every Student and Parent/Guardian listed prior to the end of the school year in order to assure a smooth data migration. As always, thank you for your continued support! If you have any questions please reach out to marissawalther@cgsnc.org.

School Day:

K-8: School starts at 7:45 A.M. and ends at 2:45 P.M.

(students may arrive as early as 7:15 A.M.)

9-12: School starts at 8:00 A.M. and ends at 3:00 P.M.

(students may arrive as early as 7:30 A.M.)

Need some new CGS apparel? Check out our School Spirit Store by clicking on the link below!

https://acceleratedgfx.com/collections/Clover-Garden

Greetings Grizzly Families,

As the school year is winding down, teacher expectations are going up! At this time in the year our staff is encouraging and looking for a greater level of student responsiveness as it pertains to school-wide expectations and academic engagement. We know the warmer weather and year’s end is exciting for our students, but it is not the time to give up. However, it is in fact time to “Level Up” for a strong finish. Please keep your Grizzly prepared and encouraged to do their BEST every day, as we will do the same on our end.

Also, please remind your students that blankets should not be brought to school. If they are cold, a sweater or light jacket would be examples of acceptable outer garments.

As always, thank you for your time, attention and continued support.

Have a restful evening!

Mrs. Spencer

K-8 Principal

Greetings Grizzly Families,

As we enter into the busy weeks of the end of the school year, we appreciate your continued support in having your students on time and at school daily. The last few weeks are filled with wrapping up curriculum, reviewing for exams, and End of Course tests. We are excited to complete a successful school year and couldn't do it without your help.

*The last week of school is an early release schedule. Students who do not have an End of Course test will work with teachers on a review of concepts. To ensure our students have ample time to review, we will have (3) 75-minute periods on 5/19, 5/20, and 5/22. Those not testing will be working on concept reviews. Attendance will be taken, and students will be marked with an unexcused absence if they do not attend (please refer to the attendance policy on page 7 in the Student/Parent Handbook).

*On Wednesday, May 21st we will celebrate our seniors. Seniors will begin their day with Senior Breakfast at 7am in the courtyard, then depart for the Senior pep rally by 8:15. Seniors are allowed to drive to the K8 campus after Senior Breakfast. 9th-11th graders will ride buses to the K8 for the Senior Pep Rally. Student drivers in 9th- 11th grade are not allowed to drive to the Senior Pep Rally and will not be allowed to attend if they are not here to ride the bus.

DRIVERS EDUCATION CLASSES:

The following summer classes will be held at Alamance Community College from 4:30pm to 7:30pm. Acceptance emails will go out towards the end of April. Payment info will be sent out in the beginning of July.

Option 1- Monday, June 31st to Friday, June 11th

https://forms.gle/rmChhFvAE9kNbzp1A

Option 2- Monday, July 14th to Friday, July 25th

https://forms.gle/yqcTfcY1MPFe9LJP7

Option 3- Monday, July 28th to Friday, August 8th

https://forms.gle/JkH7G5cNyeWSgJMB7

Congratulations to our amazing Grizzly Scholars on being announced as this year's Class of 2025 Valedictorian and Salutatorian! Both of these ladies were surprised with this announcement during Dance class on Friday afternoon and both were showered with confetti by our admin team! We are so proud of both of these young ladies! They have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are and we couldn't be more excited for what their futures hold! We are proud to have both of these ladies represent our Class of 2025!! Congrats and excellent work girls!!

(**Pictured: Miss Hollie Mahaffey is our Valedictorian on the left and Miss Jordan Zachary is our Salutatorian on the right)

• Senior Opportunity

  Undecided on what to do after high school? You may want to consider OneBlood as a career opportunity as a graduating senior if you don't have immediate plans to continue your education and may be looking to begin your working career. OneBlood has openings for entry-level full-time Phlebotomists, Biologics Lab Assistants, and other roles to help fulfill their life-saving mission. They offer a structured and paid on-the-job training program in phlebotomy and Biologics Lab Assistants. With healthcare experience not being required, this is a great opportunity for graduating seniors to learn a skill while entering into the professional workforce.
  

  
  

  In addition to offering competitive wages, OneBlood understands that life is much more than just a paycheck. They also offer team members a robust benefits package, including medical, dental, early access to pay, retirement savings with employer match and paid vacation time, just to name a few. Interested students may apply on-line via OneBlood.org/careers.
  

  
  

  Here is a link to a digital flyer: https://tinyurl.com/2025OneBloodHSFlyer

  Should you have any questions, the Talent Acquisition team can be reached at TalentTeam@OneBlood.org.

Scholarship Opportunity for Seniors

• The Elite Cruzers Motorcycle Club of Burlington is thrilled to announce the continuation of their scholarship program for Alamance County high school seniors. Last year's scholarship recipients hailed from Williams, Cummings, and Graham High Schools. This year, the scholarship opportunity is available to our students.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Accepted to attend a regionally or nationally accredited college (two or four-year college/university in the fall 2025 semester or term as an entering first-year, full or part-time student)

• Be a legal resident of Alamance County

• Have a 3.0 GPA or above
• Must provide a written essay by the deadline of April 29, 2025

Awards: One-time award of $1000 will be awarded to three (3) recipients and presented during the 2025-awards day ceremony.

• Recipient one $1000
• Recipient two $1000
• Recipient three $1000

Students may access the scholarship application on the Google form link: 2025 Elite Cruzers Scholarship

Questions can be sent to: elitecruzersmcnc@gmail.com

**Please email Dr. Morris if you have issues with the google form application link**

Please take a look at the Early Release Schedule attached as it pertains to our high school students ONLY taking EOC exams.

**Reminder: Please note change that 5/21 is a dismissal of 1:30 P.M. for our High School Students

Please reach out to Mrs. Ginter, our district testing coordinator with any questions at tonyaginter@cgsnc.org.

Thank you!

CGS High School Families,

As part of the Protecting our Students Act, we are required by law to show informational videos to our students regarding student safety and teaching our students what is considered inappropriate behavior by an adult and how to report it.

Listed HERE is the link to find the NC legislation: Session Law 2023-128/HB 142

In the lesson, students will watch three short video clips regarding examples and reenactments of situations that demonstrate inappropriate behavior demonstrated by an adult with a student. After students watch the videos, discussion questions will be presented from our CGS faculty/staff members and students will discuss and reflect upon what they have just watched. Our mental health therapists will be on standby as well in case there are any triggering episodes for students caused by the sensitive information.

Listed below are the videos we are planning to view with our High School students this Thursday, May 1st. This video was created by the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools.

Videos:

Brianna

Alex

Taylor

Students will be watching the clip with admin, mental health therapists, and our high school teachers and will discuss the following discussion questions together.

If you wish for your student to "opt-out" of this mandatory student training, please contact Dr. Morris or Mrs. Vereyken.

Please see the discussion questions listed below for "Brianna's Story" Video Clip:

1. What were some of the early warning signs of inappropriate behavior that you noticed about Coach Thompson?
2. At what point do you believe Coach Thompson crossed the line in the way he interacted with Brianna?
3. Why do you think Phil, the janitor, became concerned about Brianna’s safety? What would you think if you observed a similar situation at your school?
4. If you had a friend who was in a similar situation as Brianna, what could you do to help them?

Please see the discussion questions listed below for "Alex's Story" Video Clip:

1. Do you think it was okay for Ms. Brooks to ask Alex to text her his playlist? Why or why not?
2. Do you think Alex’s mom was right to feel concerned after she read Alex’s text messages from Ms. Brooks?
3. Why do you think Alex lied to his mom when she first discovered the text messages?
4. What warning signs did you observe from Ms. Brooks’ behavior? At what point, if any, did she cross the line?
5. In this scenario, Alex’s mom intervened before anything physical occurred between Alex and Ms. Brooks. Does that make Ms. Brooks’ behavior okay? Why or why not?

Please see the discussion questions listed below for "Taylor's Story" Video Clip:

1. Is there anything about Taylor that might have made her vulnerable to an unsafe situation or person?
2. What strategies did Mr. Sanders use to control or manipulate Taylor?
3. At what point do you think Taylor should have told someone she trusted about her relationship with Mr. Sanders?
4. What are some other/more appropriate ways Taylor could try to meet her needs for establishing healthy relationships, both with adults and others her age?

Dear Clover Garden Families,

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 5–9, and we’re pulling out all the stops to show our incredible educators how much we value them! We’ve planned several special meals throughout the week, and we need your help to make it all happen.

There are two ways you can get involved: by donating food and/or by volunteering your time. See the details below and sign up where you’re able to support!

1. Food Donation Opportunities

We’re hosting themed food bars throughout the week and would love your help in stocking each one! Each signup has donations specific to each campus. Please click the links below to view what’s needed and sign up:

• Pasta Bar Donations

• Donation drop-off is Monday, May 5th no later than 9am at your respective campus
  
  

• Baked Potato Bar Donations

• Donation drop-off is Wednesday, May 7th no later than 9am at your respective campus
  
  

• Dessert Bar Donations

• Donation drop-off is Thursday, May 8th no later than 9am at your respective campus
  
  

• Breakfast Bar Donations

• Donation drop-off is Thursday, May 8th no later than 4pm at your respective campus

2. Volunteer Opportunities

Want to roll up your sleeves and help bring the magic to life? We’re looking for volunteers to help with duty free lunch on Monday, May 5th and set up meals each day throughout the week. Tasks include arranging food, setting up tables, and making the teacher lounge feel extra festive.

Sign up to help with duty free lunch

Sign up to help with setting up meals

Thank you for helping us make this a memorable and meaningful week for the amazing teachers at Clover Garden. Your generosity and time are truly appreciated!

Warm regards,

Franchesca Jones
fcjones1125@gmail.com

Parents, please pre-order your student's 2025 Yearbook by clicking HERE. Our Yearbook is looking AMAZING!! Please place your order to guarantee your student a copy of this year's book!

On Tuesday, April 29th Mrs. Bellamy's Career Exploration classes will be participating in an Automotive In-School Field Trip. These students will walk through basic car maintenance such as changing a tire, checking your oil, and jumping a battery. They will also learn from local firemen about car exit strategies if ever in a wreck and safety when operating motor vehicles. If you would like to volunteer to help with this event, please email Mrs. Bellamy at alyssabellamy@cgsnc.org for details.

All parents interested in our CGS Summer Camp, please fill out the registration form below (Summer Camp Letter_2025) to register your Grizzly for Summer Camp.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Walker at danawalker@cgsnc.org.

Come check out our Middle School Theater production this Tuesday night in our Gym at our K-8 Campus! See flyer below for details!

Come join us for our Spring Dance Concert hosted on Thursday night this week at 6 PM in our CGS Gym at our K-8 Campus! See flyer below for details!

Schedule:

Monday, April 28th:

1:00 Varsity Men's Golf CTHC Championship at the Valley

5:00 Varsity Women's Soccer at Chatham Charter

Ticketing- - Chatham Charter does not accept cash at the gate. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the gate through GoFan at this link: Chatham Charter GoFan Tickets.

Tuesday, April 29th:

4:00 Varsity Women's Soccer vs Woods (Joe Davidson #4)

4:00 Varsity Baseball at River Mill (Joe Davidson)

Wednesday, April 30th:

4:30 Varsity Men's Tennis at Wake Prep (Envision Science Academy)

Address- 590 Traditions Grande Blvd, Wake Forest, NC 27587

Thursday, May 1st:

5:00 Varsity Softball CTHC Championship at Chatham Charter

6:00 CTHC Championship at Chatham Charter (with win from 4/29)

Ticketing- - Chatham Charter does not accept cash at the gate. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the gate through GoFan at this link: Chatham Charter GoFan Tickets.

- *** Admission for the championship games for Varsity softball and Varsity baseball will be $10.00. Please note that GoFan also charges a small service fee ($1.00).

Looking ahead:

May 5th- Golf Regionals in Goldsboro

May 6th- 1st Round State for Baseball and Softball (Seeding May 5)

May 12th- 1st Round State for Soccer (Seeding May 11)

Home Game Information:

Tickets must be purchased on gofan (https://gofan.co/app/school/NC50181) or with a card at the gate. Concessions will be available.

Monthly Newsletter:

https://view.gogipper.com/page/2166233

Stay In The Know: Athletics has a Remind account to send out important updates. Use the link below to join: https://www.remind.com/join/cgsa2024

Athletics Website: For all things athletics, please visit our website at https://sites.google.com/cgsnc.org/grizzly-athletics

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our athletic director, Coach Paschal at taylorpaschal@cgsnc.org.

Our CGS Band had a great time at Carowinds participating in the Festival of Music program. They received great feedback and instruction on how to improve their skill sets and feedback on what was working well! See pictures below!

Our Band is getting ready for their end of year concert which will be held on May 5th @ 7 PM in our CGS Gym.

Our Band is also preparing for graduation commencement activities which take place on May 22nd at 6:00 PM.

Volunteer Needs:

• Teacher Appreciation Week- volunteers and donations needed. See "Teacher Appreciation Week 2025" section in the newsletter.
• End of Year Testing Proctors- see testing section for details!

If you are interested in volunteering or able to assist with any of the needs listed, please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteercgs@cgsnc.org.

The Testing Schedule for April and May are listed below.

**LOOKING AHEAD: Please note that the month of May is VERY BUSY with testing requirements. We have to test all of our students in grades 3rd-12th that are enrolled in EOGs or EOC classes per state requirements. This means, that all students need to be in attendance for their scheduled EOG/EOC exams on the date of the exam or they will be required to make them up upon their return to school. We are required to test all enrolled students in EOGs and EOCs per state standards/regulations - so please make sure that your student is ready to test for those standardized state tests as they are scheduled the last 2 weeks of school. Thank you for your support with this!

Hi parents/guardians,

We value everything you do for CGS and would like your help with Proctoring Hall/Restroom Monitoring during end of year testing beginning Tuesday, May 8, 2025 and ending Friday, May 23, 2025. Please see the calendar for testing days/times to see what fits your schedule and reach out to Mrs. Ginter if you are available to help!

There will be "proctor training" sessions available tomorrow (4/28/25) at 8:00 A.M. and again at 3:30 P.M. in our library at our K-8 Campus if you're able to attend!

Please contact our District Testing Coordinator, Ms. Ginter at tonyaginter@cgsnc.org for any questions or concerns.

Parents,

Attached please find a copy of this month’s menu. Please review it carefully as you place your order at myschoolaccount.com. Remember we adhere to a seven day ordering window. This means that all pre-orders must be placed seven days prior to the serving date.

Please see the links below if you are in need of any assistance.

How to create a myschoolaccount- https://youtu.be/0QZDU5Xm7zU

How to login and manage students- https://youtu.be/9vS7n4tnZ8s

How to deposit funds- https://youtu.be/13k29YnYuZw

How to preorder lunches-
https://intercom.help/myschoolaccount_help_center/en/articles/2330998-place-a-pre-order

Please see above for adding funds to your student account. Please make sure your account is no more than $50 in the negative. If your student’s account is more than $50 in the negative he/she will not be allowed to purchase a la carte items and charge them to their account.

Reach out if you have any questions or if you need your students lunch number.

Thanks,

Dana Walker
Cafeteria Coordinator
danawalker@cgsnc.org

Parents,

Click below to access the Mental Health Survey for this school year if you are interested and/or in need of these services for your student.

2024-2025 Mental Health Survey Link

We have started filling and posting available positions for next school year!

If you know of someone that would be a fantastic fit for our CGS family, please send them to our website to apply at http://cgsnc.org/home/careers/.

As always, thanks for all that you do,

Mrs. Vereyken

Executive Director

Clover Garden School

*If you need this weekly newsletter translated into a different language, please let our Title 1 Coordinator, Mrs. Simmons know at brandisimmons@cgsnc.org.

*If you have any thoughts, feedback or suggestions for our Title 1 team on ways to improve our practices, please contact Mrs. Simmons at brandisimmons@cgsnc.org.

Email: info@cgsnc.org
Website: cgsnc.org
Locations:

2454 Altamahaw Union Ridge Road, Burlington, NC, USA

5806 Pagetown Road, Burlington, NC 27217
Phone: 3365869440
Facebook: facebook.com/cgsgrizzlies