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Feb 4, 2008
Dear parents
Here are some reminders about coming events and other school news.
Progress Reports and Report Cards:
Mid Quarter progress reports go home this Friday, Feb. 8.
Report cards for the third Quarter go home on Friday March 14, the day we get out for Easter vacation.
Progress on new electronic grading system:
We are carefully preparing to switch to paperless report cards before the end of the year. Each parent will have an access code to enter an online site to check student progress, attendance, read teacher comments and progress reports and have the most recent grades. We went to this system in Escazu last year. I hope we will have it ready by the end of this grading period. More information will be sent to you as we approach a final date for inaugurating this system.
Second Semester Holidays
Just a reminder of the following holidays (no classes) this semester:
Monday, Feb. 18, US Presidents Day holiday
March 17-21, Easter vacation
Monday, April 14, Juan Santamaria CR holiday
Thursday, May 1, CR Labor Day holiday (and no, Friday May 2 is not a holiday….)
Friday, June 6 is high school graduation and last day of school.
We always have several early dismissal days during the second semester due to planned electrical outages On these days we dismiss at 11:AM. We usually have 48 hours warning from the government.
Beach Challenge kickoff
Last week we had assemblies in both lower and upper school to kick off preparations for the April 5 Beach Challenge. Sponsorships are being solicited. Mark your calendar and prepare to support this annual fund raiser of our Parent Association. Many worthwhile projects have been supported over the years, benefiting both CDSG and the larger community.
School Photo Day
You should be getting information today that the annual School Pictures will be taken this Thursday. These photos are used in the annual Yearbook and packets will be available for sale to parents.
Staffing for next school year
In case you have missed some recent news from the school, Jeff and Sarah Haun will be joining CDSG in August, Jeff as our new campus Director and Sarah as elementary coordinator. They have two elementary children. We are in the process of hiring new teachers for next year. We have already filled the elementary vacancies and expect to announce all of the new hires before Easter vacation. Departing teachers include the Alcantaras (Lucia, Diana, Tony), the Goldfinches (Larue and Liesse), our librarian Michelle Bulgar, our art teacher Kit Krugman, and our 6th grade teacher Nikki McKinstry. All but the Goldfinches are returning to the U.S. and the Goldfinches are returning to San Jose. All other teachers have indicated plans to return for another year. Also, many of you have already met our new secretary in the elementary office, Katia Gomez, who came to CDSG just before Christmas vacation. Welcome Katia, a great addition to our staff.
Mr. Trent to U.S. hiring fairs this month
I will be leaving this weekend, Feb. 9, for a two week trip to Boston and New York City to attend two international hiring fairs. This is the time of year when we fill most of our vacancies for the classroom and boarding supervision positions for next year. I will return to CDSG around Feb. 26. While I am away, Lucia Alcantara and Kim Baldwin will be teachers in charge of the lower and upper schools respectively. I will be available by e-mail during the entire time I am away. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need to. I will be in touch with the campus during those two weeks.
Enrollment report and staffing changes
Our enrollment continues to move upward with the addition of several new students this month, mostly in the elementary grades. Because our enrollment in the combined third and fourth grade class has now reached 18, we have added an assistant teacher to work with Miss Lucia full time, effective today (Feb. 4). Tomorrow we will also be dividing the eighth grade Algebra 1 class of Mrs. Sluzky to give more attention to students who are have difficulties with algebra at this level. Mrs. Baldwin will be taking a portion of the class with more support for pre-algebra skills. This is in line with similar changes made in the Escazu math sequence in the past year. We expect that both of these staffing changes will give the students at those levels the educational support they need for success.
Website Update
We are in the process of updating some out of date information on the CDSG website. In the next few weeks look for some more recent photos of our newer buildings, more detailed information for completing college applications, updated descriptions of the academic program, and updated revisions to the Parent-Student Handbook. We expect all changes will be posted by the end of February. We are open to any suggestions you may have to make our website more helpful and user-friendly.
New Parent Advisory Board
At the end of last semester I invited a group of parents to form a new group for CDSG, our first parent Advisory Board. This will be a self-perpetuating group who will meet twice each semester to hear reports of progress from the campus director, monitor the school's strategic plan/accreditation renewal process, and offer advice to the Director. A similar group is being formed in Escazu. In choosing the initial members I selected a cross section of parents from all grade levels and included newer families and some of our original parents from 2000. This group participated in the interview of Jeff Haun as next campus director. Because CDSG is a proprietary school, it does not have a traditional school board which makes school policy, a function here of the shareholders of CDSG. But the shareholders and I strongly felt that additional positive parent input and increased communication was important as we move toward new school leadership with the arrival of the Hauns. This board will complement the traditional work of our Parent Association, which is open to all parents and has as its focus contributing to the shared partnership of families and the school in educating our children. Board members are Susan Curtis, Midge Menking, Petra Schoep, Carol Ferguson, Donna Osborne, Diane Rashid, and Jerry Hirsch. The next meeting of the group will be in March.
And finally,
Many of you have asked about my plans for the next school year. As most of you know I announced in early December that I would be leaving CDS and Costa Rica at the end of this school year after six very happy years with The Country Day School. My plan is to take a year off, enjoy my house and old friends in Guadalajara, Mexico, and enjoy one of my favorite pastimes: traveling around the world. After that, who knows? But probably another school position in another country. Thanks for asking, and for your support for our school this year. One of the very happiest memories I will take from Costa Rica is my experience in helping (with the support of many, many others) to grow CDSG from a young small school into a mature organization. Four more months! Then some rest. But I can't say I will be putting my feet up, relaxing on the beach……we already do that every day, don't we!
Best wishes,
Bob Trent
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