Cheatham Achieves
February 22, 2023
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION DAY
WE’RE CELEBRATING READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK
Our schools will celebrate Read Across America Week Feb. 27-March 3 with special dress-up days and activities. Many of our schools have shared on their social media platforms and in their newsletters their schedules for the week. Launched in 1998 by the National Education Association, Read Across America helps motivate students to read and celebrates the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel – otherwise known by the pen name by which he authored children's books: Dr. Seuss.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING LOCATION CHANGE
A reminder to our families, the Cheatham County School Board has changed the meeting locations for its March and April meetings. The monthly board meetings will continue to be held on the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. The March 2 meeting will be at Cheatham County Central High School and the April 6 meeting is at Harpeth High School. The board recognizes the importance of parental involvement in the educational process and rotating the location of the meetings will give individuals another opportunity to engage with their schools in their community.
NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK
We will celebrate National School Breakfast Week March 6-10. This year’s theme is “Dig In To School Breakfast.” To celebrate the week, we are inviting family members of our students to eat breakfast on Monday, March 6, Wednesday, March 8 and Friday, March 10. There are no designated days this year as in previous years. Family members can eat with students on these three days. Breakfast will be served during regular breakfast hours at each school. The cost for adults to eat is $2.75. We encourage our families to pay early online via RevTrak for a faster entry (click here to pay online) or you can pay cash at the school.
JUNIORS WILL TAKE THE ACT ON MARCH 7
Our high school juniors will take the ACT on Tuesday, March 7. We want to encourage all 11th grade students to do their best on the test. Like with our seniors last semester, juniors will be eligible for incentives based on their score. The ACT will be administered online to our Harpeth High School and Riverside Academy juniors, while our Cheatham County Central High School and Sycamore High School juniors will take a paper test. If your child is taking the test online, then it is critical that they have a working laptop. Also on this day, our sophomores will be taking the Pre-ACT test. This is an official practice test from the ACT that will give sophomores a detailed breakdown of their practice scores, along with a projected ACT score.
LITERACY COUNCIL IS HOSTING BOOK WALK
The Cheatham County Literacy Council will host a Book Walk on Saturday, March 18 from 9 a.m. to noon at Burns Park, 501 Park St., in Kingston Springs. The book, “The Couch Potato,” will be featured. Students and families will walk through the story in a series of book pages set up along the park's walking track. This is a free event, and all families are invited to attend.
FIRST MOVEMENT MEET UP IS MARCH 18
We are partnering with the UT-TSU Cheatham County Extension Office to host three Movement Meet Ups this spring. The first one will be held on Saturday, March 18 from 9 a.m. to noon at Burns Park, 501 Park St., in Kingston Springs. There will be fun and creative movement activities for our families. Also, the Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition will be hosting a Hidden in Plain Sight walk through for anyone over the age of 21. This is an interactive display that educates parents and guardians on red flags that may indicate drug or alcohol use in a teenager’s bedroom. Vendors are invited to participate and can register here. For additional information, contact Aneta Eichler at adodd2@utk.edu or Claudette Fizer at claudette.fizer@ccstn.org or click here. The other two meet ups will be held April 22 at Pleasant View Community Park and May 13 at Riverbluff Park in Ashland City.
ANNUAL JOB FAIR IS MARCH 21
We are hosting our annual Job Fair on Tuesday, March 21. We are hiring certified teachers in all subject areas and grade levels and classified positions in the School Nutrition, Daycare and Transportation departments. Principals and supervisors will be on site to conduct interviews and discuss job opportunities. Those who attend are asked to bring an updated resume. The Job Fair will be held from 2-5 p.m. at the Cheatham County Board Annex, 104 Elizabeth Street in Ashland City. For more information, contact Human Resource Supervisor Wendy Cox at wendy.cox@ccstn.org.
DISTRICT SROs RECEIVE RECOGNITION
February 15 was National SRO Appreciation Day, and the Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition and Cheatham County School District were grateful to Cheatham County Mayor Kerry McCarver, who signed a proclamation declaring this date as a yearly celebration and recognition in our community towards our school resource officers. We are fortunate to have an SRO in each school. They are valuable and essential members of the education community and deserving of unwavering respect and support from the public in the support of keeping Cheatham County’s students and their schools safe. Check out the Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition Facebook page to find a picture of your school SRO with their goody bag from the Coalition.
SPRING BREAK NEARS
Our schools will be closed March 27-31 for spring break. Classes will resume April 3. Additionally, our last early dismissal day of the school year is Thursday, April 6 (11:45 a.m. dismissal time and lunch will be served) and there will be no school on Friday, April 7 in observance of Good Friday.
TENNCARE RENEWALS BEGIN APRIL 1
U.S. Congress recently passed legislation to end the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirement related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes TennCare. TennCare renewals will begin April 1 just as they had been in place prior to March 2020. If any of our families currently receive TennCare, their eligibility must be redetermined. Anyone who has TennCare should make sure their contact information (phone, address, etc.) is up to date with TennCare. They can either call 855-259-0701 to change that information or confirm it is up to date, or they can update their information by clicking here.
PRE-K, KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
We will host our annual Pre-K and kindergarten round ups beginning the week of April 3. If you need to enroll a student in Pre-K or kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year, you can fill out/pick up the required paperwork at the following schools and nights:
• Monday, April 3: Kingston Springs Elementary School, 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Pleasant View Elementary School, 5:30-6:30 p.m.; and East Cheatham Elementary School, 5-7 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 4: Pegram Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School, 5-6 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 12: Ashland City Elementary STEM Academy, 5-7 p.m.
• Friday, April 14: West Cheatham Elementary School, 5-7 p.m.
The schools will also hold registration during the day as well. Please contact the schools or follow them on social media for more information. Registration packets will be shared in the coming weeks on our website at www.cheathamcountyschools.net.
CCCHS STEAK DINNER IS APRIL 29
Cheatham County Central High School will host its annual spring fundraiser on Saturday, April 29. The popular community event features a steak dinner, silent auction and live entertainment. The dinner and auction will begin at 5 p.m. with the entertainment (featuring the Million Dollar Quartet) starting at 7 p.m. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. The funds raised will directly benefit CCCHS students. Tickets are $30 for a single and $50 for a couple. Tickets are available at the CCCHS front office or from any school staff and School Board member Jimmy Harden.
STUDENT CAREER FAIR SET FOR MAY 12
We will host our annual student career fair on Friday, May 12 from 8 a.m. to noon at Cheatham County Central High School. Seniors and juniors from CCCHS, Harpeth High School and Sycamore High School that plan on entering the workforce or pursuing post-secondary education after graduation are being invited to attend. Dozens of Middle Tennessee businesses will be participating in the Career Fair. CCCHS academic specialist Ryan Philipp is organizing the event. Our high schools will be sharing additional information with their students as the date nears. For more information about this event, please email ryan.philipp@ccstn.org.
HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS ACCEPTED
We are currently accepting nominations for the Cheatham County Education Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023. Nominations will be taken through June 30. To be considered for the class, an individual must have been retired from the district a minimum of 5 years at the time of consideration and been employed for a minimum of 20 years. A nomination form, with the requested information, is available by clicking here. For additional information, contact Tim Adkins, the district’s communications director, at tim.adkins@ccstn.org. Pictured are a few members of the Class of 2022.
2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR AVAILABLE
The 2023-2024 school calendar is now available. The school year will begin on Monday, Aug. 7 for students in grades 1-9 with a 10:45 a.m. dismissal. The first full day for students in grades 1-12 is Tuesday, Aug. 8. The first full day for Pre-K and kindergarten students is Monday, Aug. 14. The complete calendar can be found here.
CAMP INVENTION PLANNED FOR JUNE 12-16
Camp Invention will return this summer. The camp will be held June 12-16 at Sycamore High School and is open to students entering grades K-6. For more information, click here and take a few minutes to watch the above video. Additional questions can be emailed to Pleasant View Elementary School teacher and camp organizer Abby Hager at abby.hager@ccstn.org.
COALITION BRINGS AWARENESS TO TEEN DATING VIOLENCE
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, and the Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition was given the opportunity to test over 2,900 middle and high school students on their knowledge of healthy and unhealthy dating habits through a fun interactive game. Thank you to Harpeth Middle School, Harpeth High School, Sycamore Middle School, Sycamore High School and Cheatham Middle School for letting your students interact at these lunch pop up events. In these pop ups, students were given small cards with healthy and unhealthy relationship habits and were given the opportunity to place them on a red or green posters labeled red and green flags. This gave the opportunity to speak to Coalition staff and teachers on what it looks like to be a safe friend and partner and how our choices can affect those around us. Students who participated received Valentines and stickers reminding them that “love is kind.” Anyone looking for more information and resources on this and many other topics, can contact or visit the Coalition office and join them for the monthly meetings.
CLASS OF 2023 GRADUATIONS ANNOUNCED
The graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2023 at Riverside Academy, Harpeth High School, Sycamore High School and Cheatham County Central High School have been announced. Please mark your calendars as we celebrate this milestone with our seniors.
• Riverside Academy, Wednesday, May 24, 10 a.m., Board Annex Room
• Harpeth High School, Thursday, May 25, 7 p.m., Harpeth High School football field
• Cheatham County Central High School, Friday, May 26, 10 a.m., Austin Peay State University, Dunn Center
• Sycamore High School, Friday, May 26, 1 p.m., Austin Peay State University, Dunn Center
CHEATHAM COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Email: info@ccstn.org
Website: cheathamcountyschools.net
Location: 102 Elizabeth Street, Ashland City, TN, USA
Phone: 615-792-5664
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccboe1/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @CCBOE