Cheatham Achieves
November 30, 2022
EARLY DISMISSAL DAY
Our second early dismissal day of the 2022-23 school year is Friday, Dec. 2. Schools will dismiss at 11:45 a.m. Lunch will be served for students on this day. Teachers will participate in professional development in the afternoon.
HHS IS STAGING HOLIDAY PLAY
The Harpeth High School Advanced Theatre class is performing a lighthearted play that is just the stocking stuffer to put you in the holiday mood. The “The Santa Claus Chronicles” will be performed on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. and twice on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Beginning Dec. 1, tickets can be purchased on GoFan by clicking here. We hope you can catch one of the performances and support our HHS students!
SCHOOL NUTRITION IS SERVING STUDENT HOLIDAY LUNCH
Our School Nutrition Department will be serving a holiday lunch on Thursday, Dec. 15. This meal is for students only and the cost is $3.75. We encourage you to make plans for your child to eat at school on this day.
WINTER BREAK SCHEDULE
Students will be dismissed at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21 for the winter break. Lunch will not be served on this day. We hope our families have a wonderful holiday season, and our students and staff members will return refreshed from the much-deserved winter break. Staff will return on Thursday, Jan. 5 and students will return on Friday, Jan. 6. Report cards for the second nine-weeks grading period will be released on Friday, Jan. 13.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS TO CHANGE LOCATIONS
The Cheatham County School Board is making a change to its meeting schedule for three months in 2023. The monthly board meetings will continue to be held on the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. However, the location is changing in February, March and April ONLY. The Feb. 2 meeting will be held at Sycamore High School, the March 2 meeting at Cheatham County Central High School and the April 6 meeting 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.
STUDENTS IN GRADES K-2 CAN RECEIVE FREE BOOKS
The Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation is partnering with the Tennessee Department of Education to provide at-home reading resources for free to all Tennessee families of K–2 children to help young learners become stronger readers. Based on your child’s grade level, they will receive the At-Home Decodable Book Series, a collection of seven booklets containing 20-plus exciting stories full of sounds and words to practice, and age-appropriate, high-quality Scholastic books. All Tennessee families can order one booklet pack for each of their kindergarten, first grade and second grade students using this site. The order will be delivered to the mailing address provided. This launch is part of the family component of the state’s Reading 360 initiative to help boost strong reading skills amongst Tennessee students.
ANNUAL COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDE UPDATED
Cheatham County is blessed with a multitude of agencies and organizations that provide a wide variety of support for families. Our community resource guide is one of the initiatives in the Partnerships and Community Engagement section of the district’s five-year plan. A copy of the 2022-23 guide is available here. We will update the list as needed. If a resource needs to be added to the guide, please contact Communications Director Tim Adkins at tim.adkins@ccstn.org.
FLU SHOTS ENCOURAGED, CLEAN PERSONAL ITEMS
We encourage everyone to protect themselves against the flu virus this year by getting vaccinated. Vaccination is the best way to protect against the flu and severe complications from the flu. Flu vaccines can be administered at a variety of places such as private physician’s offices, walk-in clinics, pharmacies, and health departments. Also, while we are out of school for winter break, we encourage our families to clean their children’s personal items such as backpacks, lunch boxes and water bottles to help prevent the spread of germs.
POLAR PLUNGE WILL BENEFIT SPECIAL OLYMPICS
The Cheatham County Polar Plunge will take place Saturday, Jan. 21 at Riverbluff Park in Ashland City (there will be a pool, not the river). Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the plunge starts at 10 a.m. Money raised helps send Special Olympic athletes and their Unified friends to a variety of events such as flag football and winter and summer games. Create a team and challenge others, join a team, or plunge as an individual. You can also make a donation. Every dollar counts. Prizes for best costumes, most money raised, and other incentives will also be included as well as bragging rights of course. Complete details about the Polar Plunge can be found by clicking here.
PRE-K PROGRAM RECEIVES $3,000 DONATION
Cheatham County Director of Schools Dr. Cathy Beck and Pre-K Supervisor Judy Bell hold a check for $3,000, which will be used in our Pre-K program. We appreciate Mr. Alan Kulkin and For All the Kids Fund for Arts Community & Education of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for this generous donation!
SYCAMORE STUDENTS SELECTED FOR LEE HONOR BAND
Six Sycamore High School were selected for the 2022 Lee University Honor Band. The students traveled to Cleveland to participate in the Honor Band and the performance was held on Nov. 19. Pictured are SHS students Bradley Parker, Tyler Beverly, Bradley Hudgens, Bradley Tuttle, Jayce Hitt and Gavyn Murphy and SHS band directors Malik Sylvester and Penelope Pitts. Also, Harpeth High School’s Erik Haas has been selected as the jazz guitarist for the Middle Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association’s Silver Midstate Band, which will perform in January.
NEW PROGRAM IS IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY
We are excited about our new “Kindness Grows Here” program. This year, each school is partnering with a Cheatham County organization, and the school has planned service opportunities for students, staff, and families alike to support them. Pictured are a few of our projects so far this year. (Pictured above) West Cheatham Elementary School adopted The Bethesda Center and held a food drive in November. Amanda Blakeney’s kindergarten class brought in the most food items. Pegram Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School adopted Cheatham County Animal Control and students have made dog treats and blankets for the dogs at the shelter. Cheatham County Central High School adopted VantagePointe Village and band members recently performed an outdoor concert for the residents.
SYCAMORE GRADUATE APPEARS ON NATIONAL TV
Anna Collins, a 2022 graduate of Sycamore High School and the current Tennessee Future Farmers of America (FFA) State Reporter, had the opportunity to appear on RFD-TV on Nov. 21 to speak about her FFA experience. Collins (pictured at the far right) is currently attending Middle Tennessee State University, where she is studying ag business. We are so proud of Collins and her accomplishments as a FFA state officer.
GRANT TO FUND SOCIAL WORKER POSITION
We are proud to have received a Resilient School Communities Grant from the Tennessee Department of Education. We will use funding from this grant to hire a social worker. If you or someone you know would like to apply for the job, please click here. This grant funding comes from COVID-19 relief funding via the Tennessee Department of Health to support the Tennessee Department of Education’s needs for expanded school-based supports and to increase capacity for mental health support staff for students.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS HAVE FREE ACCESS TO ONLINE TUTORING
Paper, in partnership with Tennessee Department of Education's All Corps Districts, now provides free access to 24/7 online tutoring for students in grades 9-12 for Math, Writing Review Center and ACT Prep (Math, Reading and Science). High school students can now get support with their Math or ACT study prep with a live tutor in seconds using Paper’s Live Help feature. They can also submit written assignments to the Review Center to receive expert feedback within 24 hours. Paper’s skilled tutors are ready to provide assistance in the language that’s most comfortable for students. For more information and to learn how students can set up an account, please click here. Specific questions should be directed to each high school.
EDUCATION HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS SOUGHT
We are currently accepting nominations for the third class of the Cheatham County Education Hall of Fame. To be eligible, an individual must have worked for the district for a minimum of 20 years and been retired for at least five years. Posthumous nominations are accepted. Nomination forms, with the requested information, are available by clicking here. For additional information, contact Communications Director Tim Adkins at tim.adkins@ccstn.org.
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