Comet Connection
August 31 - September 4, 2026
⭐️Greetings, CIS Families!🌏💫
As we begin our third full week of the school year, I want to thank you for your continued flexibility, patience, and support. We have completed just 12 days of school, and these first few weeks are an important adjustment period for students, families, and staff alike. As we continue settling into our routines, please help us by reviewing the following important reminders with your scholar.
🍎 Student Lunches
If you are bringing lunch to your student, please make every effort to have it delivered before your student’s scheduled lunch period. Receiving lunch after a student's lunch period has ended interferes with the instructional day and may cause students to miss valuable classroom instruction. We appreciate your help in ensuring students can enjoy their lunch during their designated time.
👕 K–12 Uniform Expectations
Our school uniform policy applies to all CIS students in grades K–12. Please ensure that your student arrives at school each day dressed in the appropriate school uniform. Your support in reinforcing this expectation at home helps us maintain consistency across our entire school community.
⏰ Be Ready to Learn at 8:15 a.m.
Instruction begins promptly at 8:15 a.m. each day. Students should be in their classrooms, prepared, and ready to learn at 8:15 a.m. Arriving on time helps students begin their day successfully and prevents disruptions to instruction that has already begun.
📚 Classroom & Behavioral Expectations
As we continue establishing strong routines for the school year, please review our classroom and behavioral expectations with your student. All CIS students are expected to:
Speak respectfully to peers, teachers, and staff members at all times.
Refrain from disruptive and off-task behaviors that interfere with their learning or the learning of others.
Report to class on time and remain in class for the entire class block or period unless given permission to leave.
Keep their hands to themselves and respect the personal space and boundaries of others.
Follow teacher and staff directions and contribute positively to a safe, respectful, and productive learning environment.
As we settle into the school year and students have had an opportunity to become familiar with our expectations and routines, appropriate consequences, as outlined in the CIS Student and Parent Handbook, will be implemented when expectations are not met. We encourage families to review the handbook and reinforce these expectations at home. Our goal is not simply compliance, but to help students develop the responsibility, self-discipline, and decision-making skills necessary to be successful academically and socially.
🚗 Car Rider Dismissal: 3:10–3:45 p.m.
Car rider dismissal takes place from 3:10–3:45 p.m. Students should be picked up no later than 3:45 p.m. If your student is routinely unable to be picked up by that time, please contact our after-school program to arrange appropriate supervision. The link to the after-school program can be found in this newsletter.
The beginning of every school year requires adjustment. Students are transitioning from summer schedules and routines back into a structured academic environment. We are also welcoming students who have joined CIS from other schools and may be adjusting to different academic, behavioral, and school-wide expectations. We ask for your continued patience and partnership as everyone settles into the school year. Please remain confident that the pieces will come together. Our team is working each day to establish consistent routines, reinforce expectations, support our students, and create a safe and productive learning environment.
Above all, please know that the best interests and safety of every member of the CIS school community remain at the forefront of all that we do. As we make decisions, solve problems, and interact with one another, we will continue to keep our Core Four Values: Respect, Responsibility, Service, and Solutions at the center of what we say and do.
We encourage you to reinforce these values and expectations at home so that our students receive a consistent message from both school and family. When we work together, we strengthen our ability to create an environment where every student feels safe, supported, respected, and empowered to learn.
Thank you for choosing Carolina International School and for your continued partnership as we work together toward a successful school year.
Looking at the Week Ahead:
https://www.ciscomets.com/athletics/athletics-calender
September 1-4: MAP Testing
September 1: MS & HS Science Olympiad Interest Meeting 4:15-4:45 PM
September 2: PTSO Meeting 6:00-7:00 PM
September 7: Labor Day Holiday- NO SCHOOL
Please take a moment to review this week’s newsletter for important updates and information. 🤗
💫Meet Mr. Gant: Middle School Math Teacher
Mr. Gant is a mathematician and educator with a passion for making mathematics accessible, engaging, and meaningful for all students. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Sewanee: The University of the South, with minors in Music and German.
Following graduation, Mr. Gant expanded his teaching experience internationally as a Fulbright USTA Teaching Assistant in Austria, where he taught English and worked with students from diverse backgrounds ranging in age from 10 to 26. His professional experiences also include working as a calculus tutor and serving as a research assistant studying the impact of self-determination in closing achievement gaps.
At CIS, Mr. Gant enjoys helping our middle school scholars build confidence in mathematics, strengthen their problem-solving skills, and discover that math can be both challenging and rewarding. He is committed to creating learning experiences that encourage students to think critically, persevere through challenges, and recognize their own potential as mathematicians.
As he continues his journey in education, Mr. Gant looks forward to growing as an educator and making a positive and lasting impact on the students he serves.
We are proud to have Mr. Gant as part of the CIS Comet family! 💙💛
A Message from the School Nurse
Health & Wellness
☀️ When Should You Keep Your Child Home?
To help protect the health of all our students and staff, please keep your child home if they have a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Students should remain home for at least 24 hours after their last fever, vomiting, or diarrhea episode without the use of medication to reduce the fever or stop the symptoms. Once your child has been symptom-free for 24 hours without medication, they may return to school.
Thank you for helping us keep our school community healthy!
💧 Staying Healthy in Hot Weather
- Encourage your child to drink plenty of water throughout the day.
- Send a refillable water bottle to school each day.
- Dress children in lightweight, breathable clothing appropriate for the weather.
- Apply sunscreen before school and reapply as needed when spending extended time outdoors.
If your child has a medical condition or takes medication that may be affected by heat, please contact the school nurse at anniesmith@ciscomets.com with any questions or concerns.
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📝 Reminder: Mandatory Immunization Requirements
As the school year begins, we want to remind families of the mandatory immunization requirements for students entering Kindergarten, 7th grade, and 12th grade, as required by North Carolina state law. Ensuring your child is up to date not only supports their health but also protects the well-being of our entire school community.
💉 Kindergarten Requirements
- DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis): 5 doses
- Polio: 4 doses
- MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella): 2 doses
- Hepatitis B: 3 doses
- Varicella (Chickenpox): 2 doses
💉 7th Grade Requirements
- Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis): 1 dose
- Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine (MCV): 1 dose
💉 12th Grade Requirements
- Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine (MCV): 1 booster dose (if the first dose was given before the 16th birthday)
⭐ Important Reminders
These vaccinations are required by law, and proof of immunization, in addition to the NC Health Assessment, must be submitted before your child’s first day of attendance.
- If your child has already received these vaccines, please confirm that the school has their updated records.
- If not, please schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
- Failure to provide documentation within 30 days may result in your child being excluded from school until the requirements are met.
❓ Questions?
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the school nurse at anniesmith@ciscomets.com. 👩🏻⚕️
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter and for helping us keep our students healthy and safe! 💙
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🦷 On-Site Dental Clinic
We are pleased to share that our school will be hosting an on-site Dental Clinic for all students in grades K–12 on September 21 and 22, 2026. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to receive preventive dental care conveniently during the school day.
Consent Forms
Elementary Students (K–5):
A paper consent form will be sent home. Please review, complete, and return the form if you would like your child to participate. The deadline for paper consent forms is September 14, 2026.
All Students (K–12):
Families may also sign up online using the link below:
🔗 https://www.myschooldentist.com/CICINC_schsrm
The deadline for online enrollment is September 14, 2026.
A Message from the Dentist
“If your child has had cleaning or fluoride treatment in the past 6 months or is scheduled for one soon, you may continue care with your current provider or enroll with us now to transition having your child seen at our clinic for their next scheduled dental cleaning service. Routine cleaning & fluoride services are only covered once every 6 months by insurance or Medicaid.
For questions or help with enrollment, or even just help deciding if our program is the right fit for your student, parents or guardians should contact our Patient Support Call Center at (800) 409-2563 (M–Th 8 a.m.–9 p.m. ET, Fri 8 a.m.–5 p.m. ET). Translation services are available to assist multilingual families.”
We encourage families to take advantage of this convenient service to support their child's dental health and overall wellness!
$30 Technology Fee and Student Device Care
Dear CIS Parents, Guardians, and Students:
Technology is essential to instruction at Carolina International School, and we need every family’s help in maintaining reliable access for students.
The annual technology fee is $30 per student. This fee supports much more than student computers. It helps offset the cost of our network and technology infrastructure, technical support, cybersecurity, educational software, testing platforms, device repairs, and the purchase of replacement computers.
CIS works to keep this fee as low as possible, but these services and equipment represent a significant annual expense. Parents will receive a separate email with a payment link in the upcoming week, and we ask that the $30 technology fee be paid promptly.
We also need your help protecting school-issued computers.
Our available supply of devices is limited. Each year, computers are lost, damaged, or not returned, and in some cases the related replacement costs remain unpaid. The school is purchasing additional computers and repairing devices when practical, but we cannot immediately replace every damaged or missing unit.
Students receiving a school device are expected to:
- Handle the computer and charger carefully.
- Keep food and drinks away from the device.
- Report damage or loss immediately.
- Return the computer and charger when requested or when leaving CIS.
Families may be responsible for the cost of devices or accessories that are lost, not returned, or damaged through misuse or negligence, consistent with school policy.
We are asking every CIS family to do two things: pay the $30 technology fee when the payment link is received and help your student take proper care of any school-issued device.
Your support helps us ensure that computers and other technology resources remain available for all students throughout the school year.
Thank you for your cooperation and support!😊
Excused Absences and Tardies🕣
Here at CIS every day counts and attendance matters. Our Attendance Team will be closely monitoring and tracking attendance.
All excused absence documentation must be submitted through our online form. No physical notes (from doctors, dentists, parents, etc.) will be accepted. For the attendance team to accurately track and update attendance records, parents must upload any necessary documents directly to the form. Please submit excused absence forms within 3 days of the attendance occurrence or the absence will be unexcused.
Excused Absence Form: https://forms.gle/Q21isixyTxVMSCfC7
Standard Reminders:
👕 Uniforms
Students should come to school dressed in appropriate school uniform attire each day. Failure to comply with the school’s uniform expectations may result in the student being provided with school-issued uniform items to change into, if appropriate sizes are available. Students may also be asked to contact their parent or guardian and request that the appropriate uniform items be brought to school.
🥪 Lunch
All parent lunch drop-offs by parents should be delivered prior to the start of your student's scheduled lunch time. When students receive lunch late, it may cause them to miss important instructional class time.
Scheduled lunch times are as follows:
- Kindergarten - 2nd grade- 11:00 AM
- 3rd - 5th grade- 11:30 AM
- High School- 11:30 AM
- Middle School- 12:33 PM
⛔️ Lunch deliveries via UberEats, DoorDash, etc. are not permitted. If a student orders lunch to be delivered, it will be kept in the front office until the end of the school day. In cases where a student forgets to bring lunch and a parent is not available to bring lunch to the school, parents can log into the Mama's site and order from the late menu.
⏰ Office Hours
- Office hours are 7:30 AM- 4:00 PM.
- Arrival begins at 7:45 AM. Students should be in class by 8:15 AM.
- The car rider line begins at 3:10 PM and ends at 3:45 PM. After 3:45, students should be picked up from the front office no later than 4:00 PM.
🛑 Any student who is not staying after school for a supervised practice, meeting, or rehearsal will need to be picked up no later than 4:00 PM each day or enroll in the after-school. Students can no longer linger and wait in the building to be picked up beyond 4:00 PM. There is not ample adult supervision to ensure student safety. https://www.ciscomets.com/support/before-and-after-school-enrichment
🥪 Lunch Ordering
Order lunches online...Visit https://mamaslunch.ahotlunch.com to place your orders. CAMPUS CODE: K12Comets. The menu cycle is 2 weeks at time, please pay close attention to menu closing dates.
Questions? Contact mamaspizza.laura@gmail.com.
Ordering Instructions:
- Parents, please log in at https://mamaslunch.ahotlunch.com and sign-up for an account.
- You will not receive additional emails from Mama’s if you sign-up for an account.
- Although the online ordering system is intuitive, below is a list of each step, in case you have any questions.
- Campus code: K12Comets Click “parents click here to sign up” (located at the bottom of the login screen)
- Complete “parent sign-up” page. You will receive an email asking you to activate your account.
- Click on the activation link in the email. It will take you to the log in screen. Enter your email address and password.
- Go to “children” on left side of screen. Click “add child” (blue button) Enter your child’s first & last name and campus code
- Click “verify campus”. Go to “grade” drop down menu and select the corresponding grade for this school year.
- Go to the “classroom” drop down menu and select the teacher for this school year.
- Click “create” (blue button). Parents will see the child’s name was added. Go to “orders” on the left side of screen. Click “new order”. (This can be found under the word “orders”.)
- Click “order” (blue button) on next screen. Select your item(s).
- Click “checkout” (blue button) when your order is complete. You will see “Are you sure you want to checkout?” Click “yes” (blue button).
- Click “pay invoice” (green button). Select “pay all” (green button). You will see a multi-order payment screen. Click “yes” (blue button).
- Click “proceed” (green button) at the bottom of the page. Enter your credit card/payment information and press “pay” (green button). Only Mastercard and VISA are accepted.
Menu only reflects lunch for 30 days out, please come back to the menu if you need to order for dates at the end of the month
***There will be a Late Ordering Menu Item available each day. This item is for the student/parent to order BEFORE 7:59 am. For example, if the student left their lunch in the car, forgot it at home etc. they can log into the Mama's site and order from the late menu. There will be only 1 item available, no substitutions allowed. This menu has a $2.00 additional charge.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures 🔔
Please review the arrival and dismissal procedures below:
🚙 Arrival (7:45–8:12 AM; school begins 8:15 AM)
K–5 Students
Unload on the side of the building ↔️
Applies even if middle/high school siblings are in the vehicle
K-5 Self-Contained Students
Unload at the back (door across from K–3 playground) 🔙
Use inside lane closest to building
Middle & High School Students (no K–5 student in car)
Unload in front of the school 🏫
Middle & High School Self-Contained Students
Unload in front of the school 🏫
🚗 Dismissal (3:10 PM)
Afterschool Programs, Carpools, Families with 3+ Students🧒🏼🧒🏼🧒🏼
Load in front of the school 🏫
K–5 Students & Any Single Middle and High School Student with a K–5 Sibling 🧒🏼🧒🏼
Load on the side of the building ↔️
Parents: Enter back loop, inside lane, follow to the side
Middle & High School Students (loading 2 or fewer) 🧒🏼🧒🏼
Load at the back of the building 🔙
Parents: Enter back loop, outside lane, follow to the back
General Reminders 📝
Turn signal = ready to pull out; wait for staff direction 🛑
No pickup number? Give student’s last name to staff 🔢
If you have specific bus or transportation concerns, please reach out to Care Cab Kidz directly.
https://www.ciscomets.com/athletics/athletics-calender
September 1-4: MAP Testing
September 1: MS & HS Science Olympiad Interest Meeting 4:15-4:45 PM
September 2: PTSO Meeting 6:00-7:00 PM
September 7: Labor Day Holiday- NO SCHOOL
September 10: Remote Learning Day/Staff Professional Development- NO SCHOOL for Students
September 14: Deadline for Dental Clinic Registration
September 21: On-site Dental Clinic Day 1
September 22: On-site Dental Clinic Day 2
September 21: Senior Portraits
September 28: Student Picture Day (K-11th )
October 9: Quarter 1 Ends
October 15-16: Remote Learning Days/ Parent-Teacher Conferences