Contents
Featured Items
New Family Picnic
& Family Festival
August 5
Meet the Teacher
Days
August 5 & 6
Welcome Back!
First Day of School
August 7
As we begin a new school year, let us pray for:
Our Students –
“Lord, give our children a thirst for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.”
Our Teachers –
“We thank you for our children’s teachers! We pray you would strengthen them with your power this school year. Give them guidance on instruction, strength to complete all the tasks and energy to joyfully interact with their students. God give them efficiency as they work. May they find times of rest.” – Lauren Gaines
Our Administration & Staff –
“O God, you who have promised wisdom to all who would ask it, we pray today for school administrators (and staff), that you would grant them clarity of mind, unity of spirit, strength of will, a heart of wisdom and the gift of your truth-bearing Spirit, so that they might be enabled to make decisions that lead to the flourishing of their teachers, staff, and students and to the wellbeing of the whole community.” – W. David O. Taylor
Getting Ready for 2024-25
July 18 – School-Wide Email – Click here (or the button at the bottom) to reference The Knightly News issue that outlined all of the details and information to help families and students get ready for the new school year. We are excited to experience this year together!
Keys to Success – As we prepare ourselves to live in community together as well as prepare our students for their life after Cary Christian School, we will continue to focus on our ten Keys to Success.
- Respect, Responsibility, Thoughtfulness, and Our Keys to Success – We truly believe that every student is mysteriously and wonderfully made and while they are prone to err, they are capable of glory.
- Hope for our Students: Grow in their faith and understanding of Christ and his love for them.
- Hope for Cary Christian School: Strengthen our school culture by focusing on the habits of respect, responsibility, and thoughtfulness.
- Hope for our Community: To function well, we all (students, parents and staff) need to commit to interacting with each other in this way. We have all agreed to certain standards and it is up to all of us to help our students see the beauty and benefit of these standards.
School-Wide Information
– IMPORTANT DATES –
Monday, August 5 – New Family Picnic – New families, bring a picnic dinner to enjoy on our Main Field. Our teachers, board, and Champion families are looking forward to meeting you. Drinks will be provided.
- When: 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
- Where: Main Field
Monday, August 5 – Family Festival – All families are invited to a time of fellowship to kick-off the school year! We will have lawn games and ice cream. We can’t wait to see you!
- When: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
- Where: Main Field and Pavilion
Tuesday, August 13 – Monthly Board Meeting
- When: 5:30 p.m.
- Where: Theater
– ANNOUNCEMENTS –
2024-25 Sponsorship Opportunities – Interested in advertising your business to the CCS community while benefiting the school’s budget for community development? Click here to learn about these opportunities.
SAVE THE DATE! – Friday, September 27 – Homecoming Festivities – You won’t want to miss this year’s annual Homecoming event! Get ready to cheer on the Knights, enjoy food trucks, games for younger kids, and the alumni tent. If you would like to volunteer, contact Ellen Wentz. Stay tuned for additional information.
SAVE THE DATE! – Monday, October 28 – 24th Annual CCS Golf Classic – Each year, friends of CCS lace up their spikes for a fun day on the links to support our amazing school! If you would like to be contacted in August regarding limited sponsorship opportunities, contact Ellen Wentz.
Lower School (K-5th)
– IMPORTANT DATES –
Monday, August 5 – Kindergarten Meet & Greet – We are excited to invite our Kindergarten families to come and enjoy meeting their teachers and classmates. Parents will walk to the classrooms with their kindergartner, drop off their supplies, and then head to the playground for some fun!
- When: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
- Where: Kindergarten Classrooms & K-2 Playground
Tuesday, August 6 – Meet the Teacher Day for Grades 1-5 – Families can stop by anytime between 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. to drop off school supplies and meet your children’s teachers. We look forward to greeting you and welcoming you to your new class!
Teachers will have two identical welcome sessions in their classrooms at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and will make the information available in a handout on the first day of school. No uniforms required.
- When: 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. (Session One: 8:30 a.m./Session Two: 9:30 a.m.)
- Where: Lower School Classrooms
Wednesday, August 7 – First Day of School– Welcome new students and welcome back returning students! We are excited for you to be here! Remember to wear your dress uniform. Start times:
- Kindergarten – 9:15 a.m. (First day only)
- 1st-5th Grade – 8:15 a.m.
Wednesday, August 7 – Kindergarten Kiss & Cry – Following drop-off, kindergarten parents are invited to join us for coffee, conversation, and to hear from Mrs. Kelly Gardner, Lower School Dean. Give your little one a kiss at their classroom door, shed a few tears, then join us for a sweet time of first-day fellowship. (Tissues provided.)
- When: 9:00-10:00 a.m.
- Where: Pavilion
Wednesday, August 7 – Kindergarten Proof of Immunizations and Health Assessments Are Due. – If you have not submitted your kindergartner’s immunization information (including religious or medical exemptions) before this date, you will have 30 days to become compliant according to NC law.
– ANNOUNCEMENTS –
SAVE THE DATE! Friday, August 15 – Donuts with Dads – All Lower School dads are invited to enjoy donuts with their kindergarten-fifth grade student(s)!
- When: 7:30 a.m.
- Where: Pavilion
Lower School Offerings – We will be offering various Lower School sports and arts clinics during the fall. Look for more information in the Monday folders once school begins. Most programming will begin in late August.
Upper School (6th-12th)
– ANNOUNCEMENTS –
Friday, August 2 – Rhetoric School (Grades 9-12) Student Schedules* will be posted on the Parent and Student Portals.
* Additional details:
- If you notice an error, email our Dean of Academics, Mr. Kevin Seitz (kseitz@carychristianschool.org) and our Registrar, Mrs. Jessica Stewart (jstewart@carychristianschool.org).
- Elective change requests will not be accepted until Meet the Teacher Day. Students have until Tuesday, August 13 to make elective changes with their parent’s signature. Forms can be found on the portal (under “Forms”) or picked up at the Upper School front desk.
Monday, August 5 – Meet the Teacher Day – Grade 6 Parents and Students – No uniforms required.
- When: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
- Where: Sixth Grade Classrooms
Tuesday, August 6 – Meet the Teacher Day for Grades 7-12 – Families can stop by anytime between 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. to drop off school supplies, set up your lockers, and meet your children’s teachers. We look forward to greeting you and welcoming you to your new class! No uniforms required.
- When: 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
- Where: CCS Campus
Tuesday, August 6 – Senior Dinner and Parking Space Decorating – We are excited for this tradition of reconnecting and kicking off the senior year! Seniors who plan to drive this upcoming year are assigned a parking space. Students can get creative and have fun by decorating their parking space or the back parking lot area with sidewalk chalk (provided by CCS). Bring your own chairs. Thank you, Mavis Davis, for agreeing to coordinate this event. An email will be sent to senior parents with volunteer opportunities and dinner information.
- When: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
- Where: 3-5 Playground & Senior Parking Lot
Wednesday, August 7 – Senior Breakfast – Seniors arrive early, park in their newly decorated parking spaces, and gather for grab-and-go breakfast food and photo fun. Thank you, Becky Myers, for agreeing to coordinate this event. An email will be sent to senior parents with volunteer opportunities and breakfast information.
- When: 7:00 – 7:45 a.m. (Class photo will be taken at 7:30 a.m.)
- Where: East Portico (near the 3-5 Playground)
Wednesday, August 7 – First Day of School– Welcome new students and welcome back returning students! We are excited for you to be here! Remember to wear your dress uniform.
- When: 8:00 a.m. (6th-12th Grade)
Wednesday, August 7 – All 7th and 12th Grade Students Proof of Immunizations Are Due. If you have not submitted your child’s immunization information (including religious or medical exemptions) before this date, you will have 30 days to become compliant according to NC law.
Wednesday, August 14 – Friday, August 16 – Rhetoric School Retreat at Camp Sea Gull – Information will be emailed the first week of school directly to those who registered. As a reminder, all consent forms for the retreat must then be signed in Magnus by August 12.
Friday, August 23 – Eighth Grade Retreat at Camp Agape – Information will be emailed the first week of school directly to those who registered.
– ANNOUNCEMENTS –
Student Engagement (Click here.) – Learn about the Upper School Student Leadership Program and our 2024-2025 student leaders.
Senior Parent Letter – We are excited for a great year with the Class of 2025! Click here to check out specific volunteer opportunities and ways to celebrate!
- Seniors & Juniors: The process is two steps: parents will complete this form on their Parent Portal (also found in My Forms) and then students will sign a hard copy form to receive their permit.If you are interested in a parking permit for this school year, you must have a current driver’s license or anticipate getting one before the end of the school year. Parent forms must be completed by Friday, August 2, to guarantee your parking space; student forms can be turned in starting on Tuesday, August 6 at Meet the Teacher Day.
- Sophomores: Due to limited parking, permits for 10th graders are dependent on space availability. Preference is given to 11th and 12th graders. If you are a current 10th grader interested in a parking permit, any time during this school year, fill out this form. We will assess parking during August and then determine in September if spaces are available for sophomores. You will be contacted at that time if space is available.
College Counseling
Monday, August 12 – Senior Parent Meeting – Ms. Laura Smith, Director of College Counseling, will cover pertinent information for parents of seniors as they navigate the college admissions process. Ms. Smith will meet with the Seniors during Rhetoric class on Friday, August 9, and Tuesday, August 13.
- When: 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.
- Where: Theater
Classical Learning Test (CLT) – Results have been rolling in over the summer.
- For the CLT 7/8 (7th and 8th grade) administered in May, your results are in. If you are interested in having the results, email Kevin Seitz and you will get the results emailed to you.
- For the CLT 9/10 (9th and 10th grade) administered in April, log into Classic Learning Test (CLT) – Alternative College Entrance Exam – Online (cltexam.com). Use your child’s school email address as the username. If your child does not know his/her password or forgot the password, reset the password. The reset will be sent through an email to your child’s school email address. Once the username and password are set, you will be directed to the results.
- For the CLT 5/6 (5th and 6th grade) administered in May, your results are in. If you are interested in having the results, email Kevin Seitz and you will get the results emailed to you.
- If your child took the CLT 3/4 (3rd and 4th grade), you will receive their scores in their Monday folders.
Co-Curriculars
– ARTS –
Saturday, August 24 – Chamber Choir auditions – For more information, please contact James Baker, Choral Arts Director.
- When: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Where: Theater
New Display Walls – The Grades 3-5 hallway has two new additions, a Fine Arts Program wall and Visual Arts Program wall. These will showcase some of the beautiful aspects of these programs occurring in our school each year.
Athletics Department Page – Included on this page are some of our athletic reminder items and current team standings. You will also find links to our calendars, Sports Information Guide, health forms, Spirit Store, and to the livestream service for home games in the gym and the field.
Fall Sports Information – Click here for the full Fall Sports Information Guide.
- Physicals Required – Students are required to have a preparticipation physical before starting practice on August 5 if playing a fall sport. CCS does not offer on-campus physicals.
- Make sure you select ATHLETE in Magnus for your student.
- Upload this form into the Veracross/Magnus system.
- Preseason Practices Began in May – Teams have practiced through the summer. If you are new and have not been a part of these practices, email Jeff Poore for information for how to begin working with a team.
- Monday, August 5 – Daily Practices Officially Begin for Logic School and Rhetoric School
- Logic School Practices: 2:40 p.m.
- Rhetoric School Practices: 4:00 p.m. or 4:15 p.m. (Check with the coach. Some Gold practices end at 4:00 p.m. and some at 4:15 p.m.)
- Friday, August 9 – Final Rosters communicated via ParentSquare or individual email. – Decisions will be made based on skills and practice attendance over the summer. Cuts are possible if a student is not ready to compete at the appropriate level and/or if the number of students is too large for our roster to manage. This varies by sport.
- Weather Monitoring – We will monitor the weather daily to determine whether we need to adjust practices.
- We may look at doing later practices for teams during the hottest time of the year.
- We may cancel or truncate practices due to storms.
- Uniforms – Athletes will be given uniforms the week of August 12 with the exception of varsity volleyball and soccer, which will be the week of August 5 due to early tournament play.
- Wednesday, August 21 – Athletic Picture Day – Parents may purchase individual and team pictures. A link will be sent to you in ParentSquare for you to make purchases. Senior banner pictures will also be taken this day.
- Sports Fees – The sports fee auto draft will be on or about September 1 for fall sports. There is a $300 athletic fee for each sport. Some sports may have higher fees in addition due to specific approved team camps or social budgets (meals).
- Teams will have the opportunity to purchase team gear. This information will be communicated in ParentSquare. Sport specific t-shirts and sweatshirts, as well as embroidered items, are always available on the Spirit Store online site.
- Sports schedules are available for download to your phone or computer with this link. Please do not print this schedule as dates and times may change due to weather or other school requests.
- Physicals Required – Students are required to have a preparticipation physical before starting practice on August 5 if playing a fall sport. CCS does not offer on-campus physicals.
Lower School Offerings – We will be offering various Lower School sports and arts clinics during the fall. Look for more information in the Monday folders once school begins. Most programming will begin in late August.
