Cheatham Achieves
March 22, 2023
SPRING BREAK, GOOD FRIDAY HOLIDAY
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.
MARIJUANA TOWN HALL MEETING IS MARCH 23
The Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition invites everyone out to discuss the effects marijuana and vaping are having on our youth. A marijuana town hall will be held Thursday, March 23 at 6 p.m. at Gateway Church on Highway 12 South in Ashland City. Guest speakers, Thomas Farmer of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Cheatham County Director of Schools Dr. Cathy Beck, will give a unique insight into the topic. Dinner will be provided at 5 p.m. An interactive walk through will also be available for parents to walk through and learn what substances youth can be hiding in plain sight.
OPEN, OUT-OF-COUNTY ENROLLMENT INFORMATION
We will begin accepting applications on April 14 for open and out-of-county enrollment for students who wish to attend our schools in the 2023-2024 school year. NO applications will be accepted after May 15. Open enrollment is for families who live in Cheatham County and would like for their child to attend a school other than the one they are zoned for. Out-of-county enrollment is for families who live outside of Cheatham County and would like to request that their child attend one of our schools. Families must provide their own transportation for open and out-of-county enrollment. The open enrollment and out-of-county enrollment applications are now available on our website (click here) if families would like to start filling them out. On March 24, we will post the number of available seats per school. According to state law, school districts must identify each school with space available to enroll and serve additional students and post the number of available spaces in each school at least 14 days before open enrollment begins. For questions or additional information, please email Shannon Martin at shannon.martin@ccstn.org or call 615-746-1409.
ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ARE UNSUNG HEROES
April 3–7 is National Assistant Principals Week. This is a time to celebrate the unsung heroes in our education system. These dedicated folks work tirelessly to bolster teachers, motivate students, support their principal, create a positive learning community, and face the many unpredictable challenges that land on their desk. We thank our amazing assistant principals!
PRE-K, KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION BEGINS APRIL 3
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 beginning April 3. Please contact the schools or follow them on social media for more information.
Registration packets will soon be available on our website by clicking here.
APRIL 4 IS SCHOOL LIBRARIAN DAY
National School Librarian Day is observed each year on April 4. The day recognizes the professionals who keep school libraries well-stocked and the books in perfect order. School librarians spend long hours keeping the library organized. They are also likely to be the first people to help students find the resources they need to learn. They also encourage students to pursue reading outside of academic texts. School librarians are also responsible for creating an environment where students are motivated to learn. Their work is truly an accomplishment. Our school librarians are:
• Ashland City Elementary STEM Academy: Jennifer Fleming
• East Cheatham Elementary School: Meredith Long
• Kingston Springs Elementary School: Jennifer Crawford
• Pegram Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School: Amanda Willoughby
• Pleasant View Elementary School: Holly Ryder
• West Cheatham Elementary School: Cindy Weakley
• Cheatham Middle School: Amanda Heflin
• Harpeth Middle School: Karen Carlton
• Sycamore Middle School: Starr Hardin
• Cheatham County Central High School: Julie Halkiades
• Harpeth High School: Krystal Moberly
• Sycamore High School: Becky Jackman
APRIL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING IS AT HHS
The April Cheatham County School Board meeting will be held on Thursday, April 6 at 6 p.m. at Harpeth High School (instead of the Board Annex). The board changed the locations of the meetings in February, March and April in order to give our families an opportunity to engage with the schools in their community. Beginning in May, the board meetings will return to the Board Annex in Ashland City.
STATE TESTING WILL BEGIN APRIL 17
A reminder that Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) testing for grades 2-8 and high school classes with an End of Course (EOC) testing exam will take place April 17-May 5. Tests in grades 2-5 will be paper based this year, while tests in grades 6-8 and EOC exams will be computer based. If requested by a parent or student, a test administrator may allow a student up to an additional 20 percent of TCAP testing time per subpart to ensure students are able to finish. Scores for students in grades 3-8 will count as 10 percent of their grade, and EOC scores will be used as 20 percent of a student's grade. Our schools will communicate testing schedules and other additional information with their families.
NEXT MOVEMENT MEET UP IS APRIL 22
We are partnering with the UT-TSU Cheatham County Extension Office to host three Movement Meet Ups this spring. The second one will be held on Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at Pleasant View Community Park on Pleasant View Road in Pleasant View. There will be fun and creative movement activities for our families. The first one was held on March 18 at Burns Park in Kingston Springs (pictured). Vendors are invited to participate in the Movement Meet ups and can register here. For additional information, contact Aneta Eichler at adodd2@utk.edu or Claudette Fizer at claudette.fizer@ccstn.org. The final Movement Meet Up will be held on May 13 at Riverbluff Park in Ashland City.
LITERACY COUNCIL IS HOSTING BOOK WALK
The Cheatham County Literacy Council will host a Book Walk on Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at Pleasant View Community Park on Pleasant View Road in Pleasant View. The book, "I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato," 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. There will be tasting stations set up to sample the various foods mentioned in the book. This is a free event, and all families are invited to attend.
ANNUAL CCCHS STEAK DINNER IS APRIL 29
Cheatham County Central High School will host its sixth 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 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 CCCHS staff member and School Board member Jimmy Harden. He can be contacted at jimmy.harden@ccstn.org.
EARLY ACCESS TO KINDERGARTEN
The deadline to apply for early access to kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year is May 1. Early access is considered a grade acceleration and is only to be considered for those children that are exceptional in academics, self-help, and social/emotional abilities. In order to be eligible, a student must turn 5 by Sept. 30, 2023. Additional information and the application are available on our website by clicking here. Any questions can be sent to Dr. Sarah Green at sarah.green@ccstn.org.
CIVICS BEE IS MAY 4
Our second annual Civics Bee will be held on Thursday, May 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cheatham Middle School multi-purpose room. One team from each middle school and one team from each high school will participate. Longtime Sycamore Middle School U.S. history teacher Billie McBride is coordinating the event. Students who will participate in the bee are studying facts they have learned from the U.S. Citizenship Test, and government and U.S. history standards from the class courses. We hosted our first Civics Bee in 2022 and the winning teams were from Cheatham Middle School and Cheatham County Central High School.
JOIN US FOR OUR END OF SCHOOL LUNCH
We are hosting an End of School Family and Student Lunch on Thursday, May 11 at our elementary and middle schools. We started this last year and it was a huge success. The cost for an adult to eat is $5. Please mark your calendars. We hope you can join us this year!
DISTRICT ANNOUNCES SUMMER BRIDGE CAMPS
We are excited to announce plans for our 2023 summer bridge camps. We will offer the no-cost camps for current K-8 students. Invitations to attend the camps will be sent by each school in late April. Priority is being given to students in need of additional learning support prior to the 2023-2024 school year. Transportation, breakfast and lunch will be provided. We will share additional information about the camps in late April.
BOOK/STEAM BUS RETURNS THIS SUMMER
Our mobile book/STEAM bus will hit the road again this summer! As you might recall, we received a grant from the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation to launch the bus. In our first year, more than 300 children visited the bus and 900 free books were distributed. We are currently finalizing our summer schedule, and we have some exciting plans in the work. The bus will run June 6-8, June 13-15, June 20-22 and June 27-29 from 9 a.m. to noon (one day a week in each cluster). We will share the complete schedule with our families in the coming weeks.
A.O. SMITH SUPPORTS OUR SCHOOLS
We want to thank the A.O. Smith Foundation for its generous donation, which will allow us to purchase solar picnic tables at Cheatham County Central High School and Cheatham Middle School. John Oliver, the human resources manager for A.O. Smith, recently presented a check to Dr. Tara Watson, our chief operations officer. We appreciate A.O. Smith for its ongoing support of our students and staff!
NATIONAL DRUG AND ALCOHOL FACTS WEEK
News from the Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition: The week of March 20-24 is National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week. This year, the Coalition has been given the opportunity to partner with our School Resource Officers to put on a Fact Egg Hunt in each middle and high school. Colorful eggs with a variety of facts on alcohol and many other substances with a small prize inside are being hidden throughout the schools for students to find and collect. Each fact has a QR code linked to an interactive quiz kids can take at home. Golden eggs with trivia questions will also be hidden around the schools to be turned in to the SRO and answered for larger prizes. Knowing the facts about these substances can help youth be informed to make the best and healthiest decisions for themselves. We would like to thank the schools and SROs for working with us to provide this opportunity, and all the students for participating. If you are interested in more resources on this and many other topics, please stop by the Coalition office, 395 South Main St. in Ashland City. We would also like to invite you to join us for our monthly meetings the fourth Monday of every month at the David McCullough Room in the Sycamore Square shopping center in Ashland City from 6-7 p.m.
FAMILIES MAY QUALIFY FOR INTERNET DISCOUNT
The Affordable Connectivity Program is a federal government benefit program operated by the FCC that provides qualifying households with a monthly credit to help pay for Internet service. If eligible, households may receive a credit of up to $30 per month toward their broadband services. Cumberland Connect has a link on its website (click here) that Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation members can visit and see if they qualify. Cumberland Connect recently added a plan for families that qualify for ACP. It’s $30 for 100 mb. After the $30 discount, it’s free. If you qualify, please contact Cumberland Connect. Additional information is included in the above flyer.
HHS NAMED A NATIONAL UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOL
Harpeth High School, a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, was presented with a national banner on March 9 for its efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities. Harpeth received this honor as a result of meeting national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect. HHS is amongst a select number of schools to receive this national distinction. Complete details can be found here.
CCCHS FFA CHAPTER EARNS HONORS
Congratulations to the Cheatham County Central High School FFA chapter and their advisors for being recognized as a Superior Chapter and a Gold PLOW awardee at the 95th Tennessee FFA Convention, which is being held this week in Gatlinburg. PLOW, which stands for Passing Literacy OnWard, is a program that was created for older students to connect with the younger generations and give them the opportunity to learn about the importance of agriculture through reading agriculture books to young children.
INCLUSIVE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE
Our Inclusive Preschool Program is available at three sites: East Cheatham Elementary School, Pegram Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School and West Cheatham Elementary School. These classes are inclusive education classes for children ages 3-5. Up to eight peer models will be enrolled at each site to serve as peer helpers and models to students with disabilities. The Inclusive Preschool classroom is a structured inclusive learning environment. Children with disabilities share the classroom with typically developing children, and each group learns from and appreciates the other. The peer model application process is not intended for students already identified with an educational disability. For more information, click here.
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