CGS Weekly Message for 25-26
9/22/2025-9/26/2025
Good afternoon,
Happy Sunday!
There are only 2 weeks left until our October Academic Break. Please continue to send your child to school daily, prepared and ready to learn. Our students are making great academic growth in the classroom- but we need your help! Please help reinforce the skills your student is learning at school at home. Hearing information once in the classroom and not reinforcing it at home hinders our students from mastering the academic content. Thank you for prioritizing academics and helping us grow our Grizzlies! #ittakesavillage!
Fall Pictures- You should've received your child's photo proof from Lifetouch after pictures took place last week. If you did not receive it, please reach out to our info account at info@cgsnc.org for assistance.
Save the Dates:
- 10/3/2025: Half Day Dismissal! K-8 Campus dismisses at 11:45 A.M. and HS dismisses at 12:00 P.M.
- 10/3/2025: Fall Senior Night for Senior Athletes playing fall sports
- 10/4/2025: Annual Athletics Golf Tournament Fundraiser at Quaker Creek Golf Course
- 10/6/2025-10/10/2025: Academic Break! No School!
- 10/13/2025: Make up Fall Picture Day for those that missed it!
- 10/14/2025: October BOD Meeting @ 6:30 P.M. In person at our HS Campus or via YouTube
- 10/17/2025: Trunk or Treat Night - Hosted by our CGS PVC! More details to come soon!
- 10/18/2025: Marching Band Competition at Western Alamance High School
- 10/20/2025: School Closed/Teacher Workday! Parent/Teacher Conferences (K-12)
- 10/31/2025: Senior Drape/Tux Portraits @ 9 AM at the HS Campus
Looking further ahead:
- 11/1/2025: Campus Clean Up date - more details to come soon!
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!
K-8 Campus Updates
Greetings Grizzly Families,
I want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your continued dedication to our school community. Your partnership helps us maintain our commitment to academic excellence, character development, and preparing our students to become successful citizens. When families and schools work together, in true partnership, our Grizzly Scholars will always benefit.
We are also grateful for your efforts in bringing your Grizzly Scholars to school on time each day. Punctuality is more than just being present—it demonstrates respect for learning, sets a positive tone for the day, and ensures students don't miss crucial instruction time. Keep it up!
A special thank you goes out to all families who have supported our latest fundraising initiative sponsored by the PVC with the School Store. Your participation provides essential resources that will directly benefit our school community. Thank you!
Thank you for choosing CGS and for being such an integral part of our school family. Have a restful evening!
As always, thank you for your support and have a great week!
All the BEST,
Leah Spencer
#GrizzlyPride
High School Campus Updates
Greetings Grizzly Families,
Thank you for ensuring your scholar is on time and ready to learn every day. This week, students will take mid-term Teacher-Made Exams beginning on Wednesday.
We are quickly approaching the end of the first quarter. Please be sure to check your scholar's grades in Infinite Campus and reach out to their teachers with questions.
As always, thank you for all that you do in supporting student success. Your efforts are noticed and greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dr. Morris
DRIVERS EDUCATION ELIGIBILITY FORM (for learner's permit)
Please email the school-level Principal or Assistant Principal to have a document drafted and set up a time to meet for completion. Please allow 72 hours from the time you request the certificate to when you pick it up. This document requires a parent/guardian to come to the school for completion and is good for 30 days.
TRANSCRIPT REQUEST
If you need a transcript, please use the CGS Transcript Request Form and allow 72 hours for your request to be completed.
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Do you have a snapshot camera you no longer use? Mrs. Miner needs additional digital cameras to use in Digital Photography 1 and 2. If you have a digital camera you'd like to donate, please contact Mrs. Miner (shelleyminer@cgsnc.org).
Senior Class of 2026
SENIORS--The Park Scholarship Program at NC State University
The Park Scholarships program brings together students with outstanding accomplishments and potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character.
THE PARK SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAM is a four-year scholarship valued at $124,000 and covers:
- Tuition, fees, and room and board
- Books and personal expenses
- $2,000 computer stipend
- Enrichment grants to fund study abroad, research projects, service activities, conferences, and more
- Guaranteed invitation to join the University Honors Program
THE PARK EXPERIENCE INCLUDES
- Professional training in leadership, public speaking, and business etiquette
- Educational trips, retreats, and seminars
- Faculty mentors and a network of more than 1,100 accomplished Park Scholarships alumni worldwide
Applications for the Park Scholarships program and admission to NC State are both due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 1, for consideration for the Park Scholarship. For more information:
SENIORS--IT IS TIME TO GET READY TO APPLY TO COLLEGE!!!
CommonApp opened August 1st for 2025-2026. Be sure to create an account with your personal email address. Dr. Morris serves as the counselor for those applying to college. Please see the presentation linked here for important information to support your senior year college application journey. The CollegeWise CommonApp Guide is available to assist you in creating your account.
SENIORS--FREE College Planning and Paying Resources
Sallie Mae shares resources to assist in planning for college. Please see the links below.
- Applying to college checklist
- 1-2-3 approach to paying for college
- Scholly® Scholarships by Sallie
- Filing the FAFSA®
- Decoding financial aid offers
- Comparing financial aid offers
- Help your student pay for school (comparing Parent PLUS Loans and private student loans)
- It’s never too early to start thinking about scholarships! A scholarship that’s quick and easy to apply for is Sallie’s $2,000 No Essay Scholarship. It takes less than two minutes to enter, and no essay is required. Better yet, they give out a scholarship monthly, so students can enter every month!
Reminder: Senior Drape/Tux Photos will be on October 31st at 9 AM at the HS Campus
Senior Parent Checklist for College Applications
Senior Student Checklist for College Applications
Seniors 2026--Check out the opportunities to explore William Peace and East Carolina University
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
ECU Free Application Week
Apply for admission to ECU for free this week!
Dates: Mon.-Fri., September 22-26, 2025
More Information: admissions.ecu.edu/apply
University of NC System Virtual Transfer Fair
The UNC System Virtual Transfer Fair is an opportunity for students, families, and transfer advisors to learn more about UNC System universities. Attendees will hear about the unique learning opportunities and transfer admission processes from each UNC institution.
Date: Tues.-Thurs., September 30—October 2, 2025
Time: 3pm-4:30pm
Register: bit.ly/4fVyLSW
Let’s Connect Events
These are in-person college knowledge events for middle school, high school and community college students and their families. These events are hosted by the ECU Office of Undergraduate Admissions in partnership with various NC counties and community colleges. There will be a variety of ECU representatives available to discuss academic programs, resources, and to share information about campus life.
Let’s Connect ECU (formerly known as Conectémonos en ECU)
Date: Thursday, October 2, 2025
Time: 5pm—8pm
Location: ECU Main Campus Student Center, Greenville, NC
ECU College of Education Academic/Preview Day Events
Date: Friday, October 3, 2025
Time: 10am-3pm
Location: ECU Main Campus, Greenville, NC
Register: bit.ly/3VkEZCc
iTeach Event
This event is proudly sponsored by the ECU College of Education and will offer a university Information Session and Campus Tour from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Additionally, there will be a Teacher Education Academic Fair and presentations about the College of Education, University Scholarships, NC Teaching Fellows program, the Education Living-Learning Community and other resources.
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Campus Tour & Presentation: 10am-12pm
Teacher Education Academic Program Fair & COE Presentations: 1-4pm
Register: Opens in September
Location: ECU Main Campus, Greenville, NC
College for North Carolina (CFNC) Resources
NC Countdown to College (C2C) is a year-long initiative to increase the number of students who pursue post-secondary education by assisting high school seniors with the college admissions process (residence, FAFSA, and applications) and ensuring that each participating student submits at least one admissions application.
Register: www.cfnc.org/apply-to-college/nc-countdown-to-college
Free Application Week: October 20, 7:30am—5pm, October 26, 2025
ECU Fall Open House
This campus-wide event is hosted by the ECU Office of Undergraduate Admissions. During this event, prospective students and their families will have the opportunity to tour campus, attend information sessions, explore academic programs, and meet current students, faculty, and staff. See attached flyer for details.
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 9am—2pm
Location: ECU Campus, Greenville, NC
Register: bit.ly/4mzwKyf
High School Student Advising Information and Opportunities:
School Nurse Updates
Please continue to sanitize, wash hands frequently and notify the school nurse of any student illnesses or injuries. Thank you!
Please reach out to Nurse Corbett with questions at angelacorbett@cgsnc.org.
Parent Volunteer Committee at Clover Garden School
🎃 Candy Donations Needed! 🍬
We’re gearing up for an amazing Trunk or Treat and need your help! Please consider donating bags of individually wrapped candy to help us make this event a sweet success for all the kids.
📍 Drop-off in drop off lines at K-8 campus
📆 Deadline October 17
Thank you for making our event fun and festive! 👻🧡
🚜 Hay Ride Volunteer Needed! 💚
Anyone who may be interested in driving and/or that may have farm equipment such as a tractor and/or trailer, for our Trunk or Treat Hay Ride event, please reach out to Mrs. LeVan at taylormay263@yahoo.com Thanks so much!
📋 Let Us Know You Volunteered!
We’d love to recognize our amazing parent volunteers throughout the year! If you’ve donated items or volunteered your time, please take a moment to fill out the quick form below.
You can continue using this link anytime you volunteer moving forward.
🚩 Want to Get More Involved? Join the PVC!
If you're interested in learning more about the Parent Volunteer Committee (PVC) or helping out with future events and initiatives, we’d love to have you!
Shout out to the Alamance County Sheriff's Office- Lt. Brad Hall
Shout out to the Alamance County Sheriff's Office- Lt. Brad Hall for coming on campus last week for our teacher's professional development session on 9/17/25 regarding school safety. Lt. Hall along with two School Resource Officers walked through some safety tips with our teachers on what to do in an emergency active shooter situation. Lt. Hall presented some important training information with our K-12 staff and then toured both our K-8 and High School campuses with the teachers helping them find potential areas of concern in classrooms as well as helped them identify the safest location for students in the case of an emergency. It was a great hands-on training opportunity for our faculty, staff, and admin and we are grateful for him and for the sheriff's department for their involvement in the school system working together to keep our students safe! #CommunityPartners #SchoolSafety 👮🚔
Scholastic Book Fair
Thank you to Mrs. Redd and to ALL of our parent volunteers for helping our Fall Scholastic Book Fair to be such a SUCCESS!! Special shout out to Mrs. Whitlow, Mrs. Capps, Mrs. Boswell and Mrs. Nikitin for helping our book fair run daily. Thank you to all of our families, students and staff who supported our book fair! #hookedonREADING! 📚
High School Science Shout Out
Shout out to Mrs. Nall and the hands-on learning taking place in her classroom! Our students love coming to learn science in Mrs. Nall's classroom!!
Earth and Environmental:
-Cookie Mining Lab- Explored mining and reclamation
-Soil Texture- Students found the texture of soil by hand and water
-Erosion Hike- Looked for erosion on the trail and around campus
-Erosion Mitigation- Students experimented with different methods to stop erosion.
APES- Students planted seeds and added detritivores to their ecocolums. They hiked on the trail to collect leaf litter.
Envirothon: Students hiked the trail to explore the ecological and economic benefits of trees.
Check out the pictures found HERE of our Grizzly Scientists!
Get your GRIZZLY GEAR! 🐻💥
Ready to rock your school pride? Head over to grizzlyden.org NOW and grab the hottest school apparel! Hoodies, tees, crewnecks- you name it in both elementary and MS/HS style! Don't wait, gear up, stand out, and show everyone what it means to be a part of Grizzly Nation!
Support our Teachers- Junior Civitan Donation Collection
Please help our Junior Civitans as they support our K-12 Teacher Closets by donating any extra school supplies you may have. Our Junior Civitan club is collecting donations to supply the teacher closets at both campuses to help provide teachers with "extra supplies" as they may need them throughout the school year. Thank you for your help! Please see a Junior Civitan member or view the flyer below for more details!
Shout out to Clover Garden A.M.E. Church- Student School Supplies Donation
Shout out to Ms. Kim from Clover Garden A.M.E. Church for their church's generous donation of school supplies to our CGS students in need! We are so thankful for community partners who love our students as much as we do! Thank you! 🚸
Shout out to our CGS Art Teachers
Shout out to our CGS Art teachers, Mrs. Miner (HS campus) and Mrs. Bellamy (K-8) campus) for their amazing work with our students with visual arts, digital photography, painting, ceramic art and more! It's so beautiful seeing student art work and projects posted up and around our school campus!! Thank you ladies for challenging our students and finding their inner artist and creative talents! 🎨
Athletics Updates:
3rd Annual CGS Athletic Boosters Golf Tournament:
We only have FOUR slots left for teams to sign up for our golf tournament on October 4th. Grab some family/friends and put a team into this awesome event!
- Golf Team Registration Link
- Sponsors for the Golf Tournament- We are in need of some more sponsors for our golf tournament, please see the flyer attached if interested. If you'd like to be a sponsor, please email Coach Paschal.
Open Coaching Positions- if interested in any of the following coach openings please email both Coach Paschal and Coach Somers your resume/experience
- Varsity Softball Head Coach
- JV Boys Basketball Assistant Coach
Dates to Know:
- 10/3- Fall Sport Senior Night
Band/Performing Arts Updates
Shout out to CGS Alumni Aiden Sylvester and his mom from Prime Source Solutions who donated the brand new vinyl wrap for the CGS Marching Grizzlies Band Trailer! It looks AMAZING!! Thank you so much for your donation to our program! #proudGrizzlies!
Save the Dates:
- 9/27/25: Our Marching Band is looking forward to their first competition this season which will take place on Saturday, September 27th at Ledford High School! Good luck Grizzlies!
- 10/18/25: On Saturday, October 18th, our Marching Grizzlies will have a local competition at Western Alamance High School! More details (time) coming soon! Come out to support our Marching Grizzlies on that Saturday!
- 10/25/25: Northwestern Guilford High School Band Competition
- 11/22/25: Burlington Holiday Parade
- 12/5/25: Mebane Holiday Parade
- 12/6/25: Graham Holiday Parade
Band Rehearsals continue on Monday and Thursday weekly from 3:30 P.M.- 5:30 P.M.
Lunch Information
Parents,
Attached please find a copy of this September's menu. Please review it carefully as you place your order at https://clovergarden.familyportal.cloud/. You have until Thursday the week before the serving week to place your order. Please be sure you have enough money on your account to cover lunches for the month. Please make sure your account is no more than $25 in the negative. If your student’s account is more than $25 in the negative he/she will not be allowed to purchase a la carte items and charge them to their account.
Also the only confirmation you will receive is a green check mark. This company doesn't send out email confirmations.
Thank you,
Dana Walker
Clover Garden School
Cafeteria Coordinator
B & A Coordinator
336-586-9440 ext. 228
Mental Health Services
Please click on this LINK if you are interested in Mental Health Services for your student(s).
Staffing Updates:
Current Vacancies:
- High School Science Teacher
- MS/HS P.E. Teacher
Have a GREAT week Grizzlies! 🐻
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.
Clover Garden School
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