CGS Weekly Message

Happy Sunday!

Parents,

Please make sure that you read the letter that went out to families regarding a report card issue found last week. You can find the attachment of the letter below. All families in Grades 1st-12th should have received a paper copy of their student's report card on Friday, 3/28 for Quarter 3. There will be no electronic versions of report cards sent home for the remainder of this school year.

You also should have received directions for how to "opt in" to SMS Text Messages through our School Messenger program. This program is how we communicate to you currently via email and phone call. This system is how we will send out text messages as well in the future. Please see more details below in this week's newsletter. (If you were initially set up with texting earlier this school year through Swift K-12 Messaging, this system isn't in use any more so please sign up for School Messenger)

Parents, many of you have reached out to admin regarding your student attending possible church camps, summer enrichment camps and other educational opportunities that are being held over the summer that interferes with our first day of school or first week of school for the 25-26 school year. We understand the burden this may place on some of you as we return for the new school year in July which is still considered the "summer" for many.

Please note that the 1st day of school is VITAL for our attendance and funding as a charter school so your student's enrollment and presence on the 1st day is VERY IMPORTANT. Each and every day we are in session should be prioritized for your student's attendance. However, we understand that there are some very valuable educational opportunities that are only offered during the summer time and those may extend into our new school year starting in July. We understand the importance of those potential leadership opportunities for your student(s) and are allowing with proper documentation a limited amount of educational excused absences that can be used any time throughout the school year. More details will be coming soon prior to the school year beginning as to "what" is considered an educational excused absence and what documentation must be provided in order to have an absence excused. There will be limits on the amount of days your student is eligible for regarding educational excused excuses. Please stay tuned to upcoming policy changes and updates regarding this.

Thank you to all of you that work around our school's calendar and schedule and plan trips, events, and non-emergency absences during Non-Scheduled school days. It is greatly appreciated!!

SAVE THE DATES:

• 4/2/2025: Wear BLUE to support Autism Awareness Day!
• 4/5/2025: Prom
  
• 4/7/2025-4/11/2025: Spring Scholastic Book Fair at our K-8 Campus Library
• 4/8/2025: April Board of Directors' Meeting at 6:30 P.M. at the HS or via YouTube
• 4/9/2025: Cap and Gown and Class of 2025 Group Photo @ 9 AM at the HS Campus
• 4/10/2025: HS Theater Performance at 7:00 P.M. at the Gym at the K-8 Campus
• 4/14/2025-4/21/2025: Spring Break! CGS Closed!
• 4/22/2025: Skate Night Fundraiser from 6:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. at Roll-A-Bout
• 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.
• 4/30/2025-5/1/2025: Kindergarten Assessments for new and upcoming Kindergarten students for the 25-26 school year.

Looking Ahead:

• 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!
• 5/6/2025: 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
• 5/20/2025: 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: 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 WAY 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.) (10th-12th 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!

Parents, please follow the directions found in the flyer below to "opt in" to our School Messenger SMS Text Messaging system if you haven't already done so. This will allow our mass communication tool the ability to "text" you in emergency situations as it pertains to the school. Currently, we are utilizing the email and phone call features but would like to ensure our text messaging system is up and running effectively.

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

Good Afternoon Grizzly Families,

Is your Grizzly participating in after school tutoring? If so, we need your help! If you arrive before 3:50 P.M., to pick up your Grizzly from after school tutoring, please plan to remain in the back parking lot, overflow area so as not to block general traffic coming around the building. When it becomes closer to the dismissal time, we’d ask that you pull around then to the designated pick-up area. No cars should be lined up prior to this time. Thank you in advance for your attention and cooperation in advance!

As always, thank you for your support and have a great week! #GrizzlyPride

Mrs. Spencer

K-8 Principal

CGS Middle 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 a short film produced in the style of a video-blog and covering the
topic of inappropriate behavior by an adult. It features an onscreen host communicating directly with the audience and is accompanied by onscreen graphics. After students watch the film, discussion questions will be presented so that students can discuss and reflect upon what they have just watched.

Listed HERE is the video we are planning to view with admin and our Middle School students on April 9th. This video was created by the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools.

Students will be watching the video clip with admin, mental health therapists, and our middle school teachers by grade level and will discuss the following discussion questions together:

Discussion Question 1: What is “irreparable harm”?

Discussion Guide Question 2: What does irreparable harm in the context of these videos
about "Protecting our Students"?

Discussion Question 3: What are some examples that the attention an adult gives a student might
be too much attention, or an inappropriate form of attention?

Discussion Question 4: Why do you think an adult might try to isolate a student from their
family and friends?

Discussion Question 5: What would you do if a teacher or another adult at your school was
texting personal messages to you?

Discussion Question 6: Do you think it would always be obvious that an adult had intentions
to harm a student? Why or why not?

Discussion Question 7: Imagine you had a friend who was being abused by an adult, but they did
not want to report it. What are some of the reasons why someone might not want to report
abuse, and what could you do to help them?

If you are uncomfortable with your middle school student seeing the video or engaging in the discussion questions, you can "opt out" of the training session for your student by emailing Mrs. Vereyken or Mrs. Spencer. We will have mental health therapists present in the case a student becomes in distress or upset during the video as the content is considered to be sensitive. Our teachers have all seen the Middle School video as well as another video specifically for the staff and they had to complete training in this content as well.

There will be a video for high school students as well and information coming out next week regarding those videos.

Shout out to our K-8 Students for being recognized as some of our Grizzly BEST! Our K-8 Students got the opportunity to wear Pajamas on Thursday and Friday of last week due to GREAT behavior! Students who were rewarded with a Grizzly BEST bracelet had great behavior for the 3rd Quarter and were rewarded for having NO OFFICE REFERRALS! Great job Grizzlies!! Keep up the excellent work!

Hi Grizzly Families,

We are in the last two weeks before spring break and are steadily working on preparing students for a successful end to the school year. Our advising team continues to meet with students to draft schedules for the 2025-2026 school year, leading up to the break. As always, thank you for your support in making CGS the BEST.

Have a great week!

All the best,

Dr. Morris

Reminders:

*Review the student dress code to ensure minimal disruptions to learning.

*CGS is a scent-free zone. Students should not bring or use spray colognes/perfumes at school.

*Students must use school-issued laptop devices. Personal devices are not allowed to be used at school.

*Cellphones are allowed during transition and at lunch. Students should turn off and put away cellular devices and airpods/earphones at the start of each class.

*The school day begins at 8am and ends at 3pm. Please ensure your student arrives on time and stays for the duration of the day. Students must be picked up by 3:20 pm daily.

Prom

Saturday, April 5th, from 6pm-10pm is our junior/senior prom at a Country Venue at Walker Farm. We are looking forward to an enchanted evening with our students.

Scheduling/Advising

• We are continuing with scheduling/advising appointments March 31st-April 11th. Parents may participate via phone or Zoom/Google Meet while the student is in person.

• We will schedule your student for the required HS courses for graduation and electives offered.

• Please review the 2025-2026 CGS Course Catalog for descriptions of CGS course offerings.

  
  

  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**

Senior Scholarship Opportunity

Are you a high school senior planning to attend a two- or four-year college, or a continuing education program in the fall? You may be eligible for a $10,000 Bridging the Dream Scholarship from The Sallie Mae Fund and Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

High school seniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and plan to enroll in an accredited post-secondary institution or a continuing education program during the 2025-2026 academic year are eligible. Applicants must demonstrate leadership skills and strong moral character and submit a short video sharing a unique perspective, passion, or curiosity that drives their academic interests.

We encourage eligible students to apply today.

The application window is open now through April 25, at 11:59 p.m. ET. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Ends April 25, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET. See Official Rules.

For more information, visit: www.salliemae.com/BTD_HS

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

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

Thank you!

Please join CGS on Wednesday, April 2nd as we honor Autism Awareness Day! Please take a look at our fact sheet below regarding information about autism.

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!

All students who purchased pictures before picture day or on picture day should have received your order which was sent home with students last week. Those who did not order were sent a proof order sheet that went home with students last week with directions for ordering online or via mail/phone.

Please reach out to Ms. Kelly at aprilkelly@cgsnc.org if you have any questions.

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.

Come out and support our CGS Middle School by participating in CGS Skate Night at Roll-A-Bout Skating Center in Burlington, NC!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Coach Bradford at laurabradford@cgsnc.org.

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.

The Spring Scholastic Bookfair is quickly approaching! The bookfair will be housed in our K-8 Library the week of April 7th-April 11th. Hours are Monday through Thursday 7:15 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. and Friday from 7:15 A.M. until 1:00 P.M.

If you need volunteer hours, please consider helping out in the Bookfair.

Please email Mrs.Redd (roseredd@cgsnc.org) for more information and to sign up to volunteer. Thank you for your support.

Click on the link found HERE when the bookfair opens to order online for your student!

Schedule:

Please see picture below.

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.

Volleyball Training:
April 26
At Clover Garden School Gymnasium

Current 5th- 7th graders Skills Training 8:00 A.M.-10:00 A.M.
Price- $25 per session if you pay for all four in advance $75. Open to anyone.

Register HERE: https://forms.gle/PsHgJQ69gGLLEqwM8

High School Positional Training- Current 8th-11th graders
Hitters/Setters- 10:30-12:00
Defense/serving 12:30-2:00

Price- $25 a session or $40 for both.

Pay for all four in advance $75/Pay for all 8 in advance $120. Open to anyone.

Register HERE: https://forms.gle/PsHgJQ69gGLLEqwM8

Email Mrs. Dollyhigh with any questions at taradollyhigh@cgsnc.org

Band is preparing for end of year concerts and the Marching Band is preparing for next year's show!

• 5th Grade students interested in taking band- there will be an interest meeting coming soon!

Calling All Families: Help Us Celebrate Our Amazing Teachers!

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 5–9, and we’re planning a week full of joy, gratitude, and surprises to show our Clover Garden staff just how much they mean to us. Whether you’ve got creative ideas, a knack for organizing, time to volunteer, or would like to donate items or treats—we’d love your help!

If you’re interested in joining the planning committee, contributing supplies, or volunteering during the week, please take a moment to fill out our quick interest survey. If you have any questions please reach out to Franchesca Jones at fcjones1125@gmail.com.

Let’s come together to make this a week our teachers will never forget—because they deserve it!

Best,

Franchesca

Volunteer Needs:

• Various Committees at CGS
• "Duty Free" lunch for our teachers
• Classroom Tutoring Support
• Hallway Monitors for End of Year Testing (K-8 Campus)

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 is 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!

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

CGS Parents,

This summer we will be offering remediation and the re administration of our End of Grade Exams for students in Grades 3rd-8th. (2nd grade students that are really close to being on grade level per their lexile level results on I-Ready/MClass will be invited to the program as well) Although, we really hope to have ALL of our students show proficiency on our End of Grade Exams, we know that sometimes students may need "one more opportunity" to retake the assessment after intensive review/remediation. This option will be offered to some of our students after the completion of the EOGs. This will be an invite only option and will be targeted to those students who were "really close!" to making a level 3 on their EOGs. The dates and times of the Summer Learning Program are listed below. We will let you know via invite if your student would meet the criteria for the program and if it will be an option for them at the end of the school year.

Dates/Times:

• May 29th- June 12th

• Daily 7:40 A.M. until 3:00 P.M.

• Students who are not in danger of failing a subject area but who scored a level of "Not Proficient" on their end of grade exams in Math or ELA.

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