BACK TO SCHOOL WITH CIS l FALL 2022
Our CIS Team at Garinger High School was excited and READY to greet their students at Open House! Left to right are Holley Brown, Monica Cosby-Reed, Shakaka Perry, Maria Duran, and Anna Kennington.
Welcoming Students Back To School
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Whether it was 5 years or 50 years ago, we bet you can still recall the excitement, the anticipation, or perhaps the nervous anxiety you felt on that first day of school every year. Teachers, parents, and our CIS team members feel that same mixture of emotions... it is an exciting time, but can also be stressful and exhausting for everyone!

This year we asked our Site Coordinators to share their "first day of school" experiences – what was the day like for them and their students? What were the highs, or the lows? These first-hand accounts from three of our Site Coordinators (below) give us a unique window into the "lived experiences" of our students – and they remind us that not every child comes to school with the same anticipation and excitement we may recall from our own childhood. Many students and families face challenges and barriers not of their own making, but that stem from unjust and inequitable policies ingrained in our educational and social systems.

Our Site Coordinators are in school on the first day – and every day – to provide students and parents with a warm welcome, caring support and solutions, while also building a foundation of trust and connection to the school. For many families, our CIS Site Coordinators are their "everyday heroes" and most trusted resource at the school.

THANK YOU for your support of CIS, which allows us to be in schools every day, serving as "everyday heroes" to the kids and families who need us most.
Back To School: "First Day" Stories
Deianira Pérez - Rama Road Elementary School

“It was such a great joy to see returning students and parents! To see the children’s smiling faces and to receive great big hugs from some students was priceless. The first day was extremely busy from 6:45 am until 4:10 pm. I got home at 4:15 and went straight to bed to take a long nap Read More
Chapman Archer - Quail Hollow Middle School

“HOPE in all of the staff, parents, and definitely the students is so strong it could knock you flat on your back. SO much magic in the first week! In the spirit of all things real, two of my new students are already serving suspensions. Their choices have consequences, and many times Read More
Lisa Carter - Shamrock Gardens Elementary School

Lisa chose to express her thoughts and feelings about the first day of school through a beautiful poem about her students and how she sees them – and it’s clear that she really sees them… Lisa originally shared the poem with our CIS Team, accompanied by a message to her colleagues. Click here to read her message and poem.
CIS in the News: Pride Magazine and WCNC-TV
Pride Magazine features CIS in its Sept./Oct. 2022 issue! Click here to read the full article in Pride Magazine Online.

And WCNC-TV interviewed our CEO, Men Tchaas Ari, on its "Wake Up Charlotte" morning show on September 14 - click the image or this link to view.
Niles Brown to Serve as CIS Board Chair for 2022-23
CIS is pleased to announce Niles K. Brown as our Board of Directors Chair for 2022-23. Niles is a CPA and a Managing Director at Grant Thornton LLP. This will be Niles’ fourth year on the CIS Board. Read more about Niles and why he values the mission and work of CIS.

We also welcome new Board members Steve Menaker and Kayla Witherspoon. View a complete list of our Board of Directors at this link.
CIS Student Wins "Grand Prize" in Essay Contest
So proud of this CIS student! Briell Taylor is one of two Grand Prize Winners in Mecklenburg County's "Do the Write Thing Essay Challenge," out of nearly 1,000 CMS students who participated. As a Grand Prize winner, Briell, her mother, and CIS Site Coordinator Michael Clark (who encouraged Briell to enter the contest), were treated to an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. in July. Briell's winning essay will be archived in the Library of Congress (so cool!), along with the other winning essays by students from across the country. Read More
Mark Your Calendar!
All In For Kids: A Week of Giving - October 24-28
Here's your opportunity to show you are All In For Kids! Please join us for our virtual All In For Kids: A Week of Giving Campaign the week of October 24-28. Follow us on social media @cischarlotte to hear our stories, learn about our students and understand why our work is vital to the Charlotte community. More details coming soon!

Let's go #AllinforKids October 24-28!
Time to Re-Link Your Harris Teeter VIC Card!
Back To School time is a great time to re-link your VIC Card! It's an easy way to support CIS every time you shop at The Teeter! Our code is #5257. You can ask your cashier to re-link it or re-link it online here on the Harris Teeter website. Did you know you can link up to five schools? Thank you for selecting CIS-Charlotte as one of your schools - every little bit helps!
Amazon Smile
If you shop online using Amazon during the holidays – or any time of year! – please consider shopping through the Amazon Smile website and select CIS as your benefiting charity. We are listed as “Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.” Once you select your charity, you do not need to re-enroll – it remains in place unless you decide to change it.
Surprise Visit from Our Favorite Kitty Cat!
Guess who made a surprise visit to our office this week?? Yep, Sir Purr was in the house to deliver an unexpected $5,000 donation! Wow, a #TerrificTuesday indeed! Big thanks to the Carolina Panthers and Panthers Charities – and our favorite kitty cat for this wonderful surprise!