• Greetings Tiger Family,

    Can you believe that the first day of school is just a week away? Teachers have been back in the building preparing for your children to return to the tiger’s den since this past Monday. The halls are thick with excitement, bulletin boards are going up, furniture is being pushed into place and teachers have begun to set out the bright and festive touches that make each classroom special and warm. 

    I am sure you have heard by now that the hard work of students, teachers and coaches has begun to show up in the data. It’s true! Dr. Herring reported this past Friday that Cascade is one of eight schools that saw increases in the percent of students performing at or above proficient on the Georgia Milestones in Math (+5.6) and one of nine in English Language Arts (+2.1). We are beyond proud of our scholars and their achievement and with each year are closer to realizing our school’s mission and vision. 

    If you’re wondering what we have been up to since we wished you a fun and family filled summer back in May… I can confirm we have been busy working to ensure that we can continue this growth!  We are excited to share that we will be welcoming some exceptional new staff members to the team. We have teachers from Kansas, Michigan, and even from as far as Dubai! These teachers are enthusiastic, highly qualified, hardworking and can’t wait to meet your children. We have also ensured that our budget is one that reflects the needs of our school and the resources that have proven to make an impact on learning will continue to be funded. We will continue to utilize rigorous curriculums like Fountas and Pinnell Classroom, Eureka, Fundations and Lucy Calkins writing, as well as, support teachers in their implementation. In fact, last week many of our teachers participated in a 4-Day intensive on best practices facilitated by the Teachers College Reading and Writing Institute. In our efforts to keep students balanced, they will continue to receive instruction in Physical Education, Spanish, Art and Music. We will also carry on providing students with an intervention and acceleration block. You can also expect to see upgraded learning spaces within our building like a newly renovated Media Center. We fully expect to receive IB authorization by year’s end as well! 

    Now that teachers and staff are back and ready I would like to encourage you to get your child ready as well by attending our Cascade Open House this Friday from 9am-11am. You can meet your child’s teacher, tour the classroom and learn all you need to know about transportation, nutrition and the extracurriculars we offer. 

    If you are looking to continue the excitement, the APS’ Back to School Bash is at the Georgia World Congress Center: 285 Andrew Young International Blvd Atlanta, GA 30313(Halls C1-C2) this coming Saturday, July 30th from 9am-1pm. They will be giving out free school supplies and backpacks to APS students.

    Thank you for trusting us with your childrens’ education and for your unwavering support on our journey to take Cascade from good to great! We can barely hold back our excitement in anticipation of opening our doors to students again August 1st!