CGS Weekly Message for 25-26

Happy Sunday!

We are watching the weather closely for tomorrow (Monday, 12/8/25) as winter weather is upon us! ⛄ We will not have to make up Friday's (12/5/25) inclement weather day as we have a few days built into our master calendar for the 25-26 school year.

Some of our families have asked for our "Staff Favorites" list as you shop for holiday goodies to show love and appreciation to our CGS Staff. Please click HERE to access this list. (Some staff sheets are incomplete or missing- we are working to update our lists asap and will send it out again once updated!)

High School Families, please make sure that you review the "Fall Testing Schedule" for what the exam schedule will look like in December for your student as well as dismissal times.

26-27 CGS Lottery Information Update:

Many of you may have family or friends that are looking at Clover Garden School as an educational option for their student(s) for next school year. We wanted to make you aware of some lottery updates/changes to the 26-27 lottery that have been approved by our BOD for next school year.

• Our 26-27 Lottery Opens on January 6th and will run until February 6th
• The 26-27 Lottery is drawn on February 9th @ 2PM via Lotterease

(**NOTE- current CGS students do NOT need to reapply for the 26-27 lottery. Current CGS students will receive an "intent form" with their Q2 report cards in January. Please complete this form and return it asap. This helps us gauge where our openings will be for next school year)

If you have any questions regarding enrollment, please reach out to our registrar at marissawalther@cgsnc.org. Thanks!

Save the Date:

• 12/12/2025: Winter Art Show at 5 PM and Winter Dance Concert @ 6 PM at the Gym at K-8
• 12/12/2025: K-5 Homecoming Dance at 5:30 P.M. until 7:30 P.M. in the Little Gym
• 12/13/2025: MS Homecoming Dance at 5:30 P.M. until 7:30 P.M. in the Little Gym
• 12/15/25-12/19/25: Santa Store opens in the library at the K-8 Campus!
• 12/15/2025-12/19/2025: K-8 Homecoming Spirit Week! See details in newsletter below.
• 12/19/2025: Half Day Dismissal! K-8 Campus dismisses at 11:45 A.M. and the HS Campus at 12:00 P.M. (No after school care will be offered on this day)

**Students return from Winter Break on January 6, 2026. Teachers return on January 5, 2026

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!

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.)

Hello Grizzy Families,

Please remember to be on time and ready to learn each and every day!

Don't forget to log in to Infinite Campus to review your child's current academic progress for Q2.

All the BEST,

Leah Spencer

#GrizzlyPride

K-8 Families, please see the flyers below for more information regarding the K-5 and MS Homecoming Dances as well as the Homecoming Spirit Week Activities!! Parent Volunteers are needed if you're available! Click HERE for the sign up sheet!

(This is for our K-8 Students Only)

Greetings Grizzly Families,

We have a busy couple of weeks ahead! There was an update to the fall testing schedule last week when we needed to add a retest window for EOCs. On Wednesday, December 10th the teacher-made exams begin. We are on full days December 8-12. EOCs are scheduled for 12/15-12/19 which means students will be released at 12pm each day of the EOC week. Transportation will not be provided 12/15-12/18. Students must be picked up be 12:20 on early release days.

As we prepare for the start of a new semester, high school students will receive a printed copy of their schedules on Monday, December 8th and will have access to a QR code to request a schedule change. Schedule changes will be limited and will be completed by the end of the first 5 days of the new semester. Mrs. Walther will meet with students to discuss their request.

I am excited to end the semester strong. Thank you for your continuous support.

All the best,

Dr. Morris

The advising team anticipates meeting at the end of January with students eligible and interested in the Career and College Promise Program at Alamance Community College. We will communicate dates and times for fall advising sessions soon.

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!

Senior Parent Checklist for College Applications

Senior Student Checklist for College Applications

SENIORS--Order your cap and gown!

If you haven't ordered your cap and gown, please do as soon as possible. We hope to schedule the cap and gown picture earlier in the second semester and need all seniors to have theirs. Go to jostens.com, click find my school/group store, type in Clover Garden Charter School, and it will take you to the location to select your purchase.

It's time to create Senior Yearbook Ads! Please see the information below. If you have questions please reach out to Mrs. Bellamy (alyssabellamy@cgsnc.org) and Mrs. Barlekamp (sarahbarlekamp@cgsnc.org)

Senior Advertisement Information:

What:

Senior Ads

Where:

yearbookforever.com - Type in Clover Garden and choose our school. Scroll down to create an ad.

When:

Now - January 31, 2026

Pricing:

Full Page - $110 includes up to 12 photos and a message

Half Page - $55.00 includes up to 6 photos and a message

Important Guidelines:

1. Photos need to be the original file, not screenshots. It is recommended by Walsworth that photos are 300 dpi. You can find an image's DPI by checking its file properties on a Windows PC or Mac. To do this, right-click the file and look for "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac), then navigate to the "Details" or "More Info" tab to find the "Resolution" or "DPI" information. If photos are not 300 dpi they are too small and become hard to adjust without them becoming blurry or pixelated.

2. . Messages should not succeed 200 words. This allows for each element to have the proper space and prevents the ad from becoming cluttered.

3. We know it is hard to narrow down photos and we will be happy to include 12 (full page) or 6 (half page) photos on your Grizzly's ad. However, sometimes less is more. The more photos you include, the smaller each photo will be in order to fit everything on the page. Sometimes fewer, but larger photos make a greater impact.

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.

Staff Christmas Party Donations and Volunteers Needed

We’re excited to celebrate our staff at the Christmas Party on Friday, December 19th, and we need your help to make it special. We’re looking for volunteers to help set up on Thursday, December 18th, as well as food donations for the event.

If you'd like to volunteer or donate, please use the Sign Up Genius link to let us know how you’d like to support. If you’re bringing food in a crock pot, please use a crock pot liner for easy cleanup. If you would like any dishes or containers returned, please label them with your name.

Thank you for your continued support and for helping us celebrate our amazing staff.

All Things Parent Volunteer Committee (PVC) – Click Here!

Want to get involved at Clover Garden? Click here to read the latest updates from our Parent Volunteer Committee! Learn how you can support the staff Christmas party, get involved with the Community Garden, and see what’s coming up for the month of December.

Hi Clover Garden Families,

Candy Cane Grams are officially on sale and are a fun way to send a sweet holiday surprise to your Grizzly, their friends, or a favorite teacher. All orders will be placed online through Zeffy, and Candy Cane Grams will be delivered on Thursday, December 18th.

Place your order here! Orders are due by Tuesday, December 16th.

A quick note about Zeffy: at checkout, the platform will ask if you'd like to add a donation to help keep Zeffy free. This is completely optional. If you do not want to add anything, simply change the amount to zero. These donations support Zeffy, not Clover Garden.

We hope you enjoy sending a little holiday cheer through Candy Cane Grams this year.

Warmly,

Parent Volunteer Committee
Clover Garden School

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!

Come check out the Winter Art Show on December 12th prior to the Dance Concert! See Flyer for more details! 🎨

One of our electives starting up in Middle School in the Spring Semester is in need of some donations! Please consider helping out our middle school science department with the requests below! See Mrs. Johnson for more details.

Hello everyone,

I cannot believe that December is already here and that means the Santa Store is officially upon us! This is always such a fun and meaningful time for our students as they shop for family and friends.

We are looking for volunteers to help with set-up on Friday, December 12th, as well as volunteers to help students shop and wrap gifts during the week of December 15th–19th. Please take a moment to review the available volunteer options and sign up if you are able to help:

Sign-Up Link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4CA4AB2AA5FDC07-60947716-2025

As always, we are also happy to accept donations for the Santa Store. New or gently used items to sell, along with tape, staples, name tags, and other wrapping supplies, are greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, please feel free to text me at 336-266-0292.

Thank you for your support!
Laura Boswell

P.S. This year our shop sections will range from $1 to $6

Yearbooks are for sale! These will be distributed at the end of the school year but you're welcome to order them now by going to this website: http://yearbookforever.com/. Search for Clover Garden School and take advantage of early purchase savings! Order now through January 31, 2026 and payment due is- $65.00. Beginning February 1, 2026 the price will increase to $70.00.

Order a K-8 Homecoming Shirt! All orders are DUE by 12/12/25

https://grizzlyden.org/products/hoco-2025-cubby

https://grizzlyden.org/products/ms_hs_hoco25

Home game tickets can be purchased on GoFan, or at the gate with cash or card.

Athletics Schedule:

Monday, December 8th:

6:00 Varsity Men at Millenium Charter

Tuesday, December 9th:

4:30 MS Girls vs NCLA

5:45 MS Boys vs NCLA

Wednesday, December 10th:

4:30 JV Boys vs Phoenix Academy

6:00 Varsity Women vs Phoenix Academy

7:30 Varsity Men vs Phoenix Academy

Cans Across the Campus- K-8 Homecoming Event begins Friday, 12/12-Thursday, 12/18. See flyer below!

• Canned Proteins- tuna, chicken, beans
• Grains- rice, pasta, oatmeal, crackers, muffin mix, pancake mix
• Canned Goods- Fruits and vegetables
• Cooking essentials- cooking oils, spices
• Cases of water
• Fruit juices
• Baby Care Items- formula, food, wipes, diapers
• Personal Hygiene- soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper
• Household items- laundry detergent, cleaning supplies

Coaching Openings:

• MS Softball Head Coach
• MS Girls Soccer Head Coach

• MS Co-Ed Golf

• Varsity Men's Golf

If interested, please email Coach Paschal and Coach Somers a resume, coaching/playing experience, and interest statement.

Our Marching Grizzlies did an Amazing Job performing at the Graham Parade this weekend!! Click HERE to see them in action! 🎷🎺

Save the Dates:

• 1/9/2026: Band Banquet at 7:00 P.M. @ Thrive Church

CGS Fall 2025 Testing

Please see the testing calendar below.

If you have any questions, please contact our school's district testing coordinator, Ms. Ginter at tonyaginter@cgsnc.org.

Parents,

Attached please find a copy of December'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, the money doesn't come out of their accounts until they pick up their lunch. 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

Please click on this LINK if you are interested in Mental Health Services for your student(s).

Current Vacancies:

• Elementary Teacher Assistant/Bus Driver
• Title 1 Teacher Assistant (Elementary)
• Middle School Math Teacher (6th Grade)

Shout out to our CGS Teachers who find the "fun" in everyday situations! Unfortunately, after the last homecoming event, some furniture did not return to Teacher McDowell's room. The teacher did a fantastic job of lifting staff spirits while searching for the missing table. See the fun poem and requested Haiku below : ) #TeachersareStudentstoo! 📝

Ode to a Table

Table. Small groups you made able.

Paper, markers, pencils, you held.

Nonfiction, poetry, poems, fable.

In room 412 where you dwelled.

Table. You were free to me.

Table, oh table, where did you go?

You and 412 were meant to be.

Are you hoping like the rest of us for snow?

Table. I hope you are happy wherever you are.

Are you okay? Are you okay, Table?

Are you still here? Did you go far?

Table. Small groups you made able.

A haiku for Table:

Table did you hear?

No school for us tomorrow

Snow is in the air.

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