New Social and Emotional Learning Resources

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is one of the best ways to promote the development of social emotional competence and self-regulation skills. This year, Cape Cod Academy is pleased to be bringing new initiatives to our community to help promote SEL.

In 2020, Cape Cod Academy was awarded a Comprehensive School Health Services in Non-Public Schools grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Recently, with the help of our School Counselor/Psychologist, Nanci Barnett, we have been able purchase additional resources that will better enable us to meet the social and emotional needs of our students. This will enable us to schedule guest speakers and hold special presentations across all divisions. Additionally, we are implementing the Second Step social and emotional curriculum for grades K-8 and the Aperture System for social and emotional learning for all grades. We are also adopting a wide amount of tactile and cognitive resources for teachers and students to be used both in and out of the classrooms. 

Parents' Association General Meeting

Join us for coffee and conversation during our first Parents' Association (PA) General Meeting of the school year. It will be held on Friday, October 6 at 8:00 a.m. in the Ungerman Library. Learn more about the PA, upcoming events, and how to get involved by volunteering at CCA. The meeting will be led by PA co-chairs, Annika Herman and Melanie West.

Associate Head of School, Lisa Kowaleski; Assistant Head and Director of Middle & Upper School, Jessica Barbieri; and School Counselor/Psychologist, Nanci Barnett, will all speak about new resources and our plans for meeting the social and emotional needs of our students.

Get Involved with the Parents' Association

All Cape Cod Academy parents and guardians are automatically PA members and make up an important and vital part of the community. We encourage you to get involved to meet other parents and participate in whatever way you can. To learn about volunteer opportunities, please read the list here and sign up to help!

Middle & Upper School Parents' Night is Thursday, September 21

Parents' Nights are important evenings for parents to see the spaces where their children learn each day and to learn more about the specific curriculum and classes that they study at Cape Cod Academy. Parents of middle and upper school students should plan to join us on Thursday, September 21 at 6:00 p.m. for the middle & upper school Parents' Night.

Save the Date: Homecoming!

Please join us on Saturday, October 14 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. for Homecoming! All members of the Cape Cod Academy community and guests are invited to attend a fun day of events on campus. There will be food trucks from the Filling Station and Veterans Lunch Box and a variety of activities, including soccer games, a fun run, face painting, a cake walk, and an inflatable obstacle course. Please view the schedule of events here.

We are looking for parent volunteers for October 14th, please sign up below!

Share Your CCA Experiences With Us

If you have a moment, would you share your experiences as a valued member of our community? Your input will help us capture the essence of Cape Cod Academy and will allow us to portray a well-rounded picture of the experiences that define our school. Simply share your thoughts with us here. We hope your stories will inspire others to become a part of our exceptional community, helping us continue to grow and thrive. Thank you so much!

Save the Date for Your 'Neighborhood' Community Social

We are once again excited to hold the Cape Cod Academy community neighborhood socials. Every family will be invited to one of four neighborhood socials. Please see the information below, and stay tuned for your personal invitation from your neighborhood host. Let’s make it a great year by being all in with our community!

September 28 – Hosted by Karen and John Daigle P’ 25,’ 27, ’29 – The Captain Kidd in Woods Hole at 6:00 PM. (Bourne, Buzzards Bay, Duxbury, East Falmouth, East Sandwich, Falmouth, Manomet, Middleboro, Monument Beach, North Falmouth, Plymouth, Sagamore Beach, Sandwich, West Falmouth)

October 19 – Hosted by Kim and Jason FitzGerald P’30, ‘32 – The Cahoon Museum of American Art at 5:30 PM (Cotuit, Forestdale, Marstons Mills, Mashpee)

October 19 – Hosted by Krissy and Evan Davis P ’26, ‘29 – The Wequaquet Lake Yacht Club at 6:30 PM (Barnstable, Centerville, Hyannis, Hyannis Port, Osterville, West Barnstable, West Hyannisport)

October 5 – Hosted by Chris Wray and Betsy Konvalinka ’24 – The Wray’s at 6:00 PM (Bass River, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis Port, East Dennis, Eastham, Harwich, North Chatham, Orleans, South Chatham, South Dennis, South Yarmouth, West Dennis, West Yarmouth, Yarmouth Port)

The School Store is Open

Cape Cod Academy's school store in Chope Commons is open daily. Hours are Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A variety of items, including bags, hats, jackets, and sweatshirts are available for purchase. Venmo, credit cards, checks accepted.

Julie Salit, Assistant Head of School, Systems and Operations & Upper School English Teacher

Julie comes to Cape Cod Academy having served as teacher, advisor, soccer coach, and administrator in a variety of independent schools, with her most recent position as Interim Head of School at Tabor Academy. In February 2020, Julie was elevated from Associate Head to Interim Head. Almost immediately following her appointment, we were thrust into the pandemic. Reflecting on her tenure, Julie is most proud of how the faculty and staff successfully welcomed over 500 students back to in-person living and learning for the duration of the 2020-21 school year. Her work also includes time as Dean of Students and Interim Director of Admission and Financial Aid at Bancroft School (MA), Science Department Chair at Saint James School (MD), and Dean of Faculty and Associate Head for Faculty and School Affairs at Tabor.  

Julie attended Denison University where she majored in Biology and captained the women’s soccer team. Following her time as Interim Head, Julie returned to the classroom–virtually, that is–to obtain her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy and a Certificate in Policy Development from Boston College in May 2021.

In her current role as Assistant Head at CCA, Julie is working alongside other administrators and faculty to continue to develop a professional growth plan to incorporate the Personalized Approach to Learning (PAL) program into classrooms. As well, she has been tasked with implementing systems of communication as well as gaining a better understanding of the curricular scope and sequence of our K-12 classes. “It’s such an exciting time to be at CCA and I am lucky to be working with such a strong team of educators," said Julie. "In my short time on campus, I have been impressed with the relationships our faculty has with all the students. I look forward to being a part of the magic that happens day-to-day.”

After-School Sports Options for Grades K-6

After-School Mixed Sports for Grades K-5

Mondays and Wednesdays, September 18 to October 30 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

This program is for young athletes who want to move. Lower school PE and wellness teacher, Mr. Medeiros, will lead students through a variety of sports and field game activities. There are a total of 12 sessions; limited single class sessions will be offered at $25 through the extended day program sign up. Save $70 when purchasing a 12-session package. Cost: $230 or $25 per session.

ABC Tennis for Grades 3-6

Tuesdays and Thursdays, September 19 to October 25 from 3:05 to 4:05 p.m.

Students will learn the basics of tennis or build upon the skills they already have. The class will be taught by Mr. Medeiros, lower school PE and wellness teacher and resident tennis pro. After a general introduction to the sport, Mr. Medeiros will focus on a skill each week, including forehand, backhand, volleys, and serves with the goal of being ready for match and game play. Children should bring their own racquet if they have access to one. Cost: $260

College Reps Scheduled to Visit CCA

Cape Cod Academy is pleased to welcome college representatives to campus to give our juniors and seniors the opportunity to learn about different schools. These meetings present a great opportunity for our students to meet the individuals who will present their applications to their admissions committees. Our visitors next week include:

Monday, September 18 

Worcester Polytech at 9:00 a.m.

Rhode Island College at 12:00 p.m.

Emmanuel College at 12:45 p.m.

Salve Regina at 1:30 p.m.

Fall Sports Schedules for Next Week

Practice Schedule for September 18-22

Game Schedule for September 18-23

Congratulations to our Athletes of the Week!

Science Classes 

Seniors in marine science have been working on field techniques and animal identification. Sixth-grade scientists have been getting acquainted with lab gear and metric conversions.

Seventh-Grade Summer Reading Seminar 

Our seventh-grade students have been working in a summer reading seminar where they are reviewing their summer reading book, "I am Malala." The class watched a TED talk given by Malala's father, then broke off into four groups to work on newspaper article writing, time-line research, building the village out of Legos, and creating human rights posters. A few students even created a rap song in support of Malala.