CCSD Connections

Dear CCSD Families,

Every family in America counts on their public education system to get it right for their child, for their family, for their family’s future. There are exceptional people across every state and region who wake up every day and enter the halls of schools across this country wanting to nurture and invest in the next generation of young people.

As I approach the close of my first year joining the Cherokee County community, I can confidently say that there is no one doing this better than the teachers, leaders and staff of our school district. Their talent is unparalleled and their dedication to go the extra mile is unmatched. Couple that with our ambitious and dedicated students and family and community support for our schools that surpasses anything I’ve ever experienced, and we have the recipe for excellence in every classroom in every one of our schools across our district.

In a year of firsts, I have met and learned from so many remarkable people: our students, our teachers and support staff, our families, our volunteers and partners, our community. Each person who has been willing to share with me what they value most and how we can get better has given me a gift. Every experience, insight, and idea has been a gift that I treasure and although I don't have a magic wand, every nugget of wisdom shared will play an important role as we continue to advance.

We started our school year with changes based on your feedback including higher expectations for students, from timely submission of work to eliminating cell phone distractions to preparing for workplace expectations for attire. We invested more in safety and security based on your feedback, increasing the number of police officers during this school year and our layers of school security measures, and raising awareness of our three pillars of safety in CCSD: prevention, preparation, and response.

This month, we will publish our proposed budget for next school year. Its priorities align with the priorities you have shared with me: significantly increasing our investment in our outstanding teachers and school support staff to recruit and retain the best for our students, acquiring the instructional resources our teachers need in their classrooms to be successful with students, and continuing to strengthen the safety and security of our schools.

That increased investment in the priorities our community sees as most important would not be possible without the support of our school board. A high-performing school district begins with a high-performing school board, and our Cherokee County School Board has dedicated itself over the past year to strengthening as a governance team. Our School Board members have taken on new challenges: from setting student performance goals to developing a governance policy to advocating for continued local control of educational funding to ensure competitive compensation for our teachers and support staff closest to the classroom and the acquisition of standards-aligned instructional resources to equip our teachers for success.

Excellence doesn’t happen by accident. Our School Board is putting in the work and showing the governance needed to support our mission of becoming the highest-performing school district in Georgia.

Thank you for entrusting your children to us each day and for partnering with us as we work to elevate the excellence of our great school district. Our students are learning more, growing more and achieving more in our classrooms than they could anywhere else!

Thank you,

Mary Elizabeth Davis

Superintendent of Schools

CCSD Celebrates 2025 Read Across America Week

School Board and Superintendent Visit Mill Creek MS

Principals Meet for Monthly Leadership Session

Optimist Club Honors Outstanding Students, Teachers and Staff

CCSD Celebrates National School Social Work Week

CCSD Recruitment Ambassadors Support New Teacher Hiring

Students Earn Honors at Regional Technology Competition

CCSD Recognizes the Athletes of the Month

School Board and Superintendent Visit Sixes ES

School Board Thanks PTA Leaders

School Board Recognizes CCSD Police Officers

CCSD Celebrates National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day

CCSD Welcomes Class of 2025 to Educators Hall of Fame

This monthly video provides the community with a brief synopsis after each School Board meeting. The video reviews the business of the board and lifts up the work of our school district’s governance team: School Board Chair Janet Read Welch, Vice Chair Patsy Jordan, Post 2, and board members Kelly Poole, Post 1; Chance Beam, Post 3; Rick Steiner, Post 4; Erin Ragsdale, Post 5; and Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison, Post 6. We will include the latest video in each edition of this newsletter. #CCSDElevateTheExcellence

CCSD kindergarten and new student registration now is open online for the 2025-26 school year. We can’t wait to welcome your children to learn more, grow more, and achieve more in our classrooms than they could anywhere else! Learn more here.

Our School Board has paved the way for CCSD to acquire new instructional resources for both Mathematics and English Language Arts for K-8 and high school courses for the upcoming school year. Parent feedback is incredibly valuable in ensuring that instructional resources align with the academic goals of our district, the needs of our students, and the expectations of our families and community. Thank you to all parents who have participated so far in our Instructional Resource Provider Showcase! The event continues from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at our CCSD Meeting Room at 1020 Keeter Road, Canton, GA 30114. At the showcase, you’ll be able to review core instructional resources for math and English language arts for grades K-12 and complete a survey to share your thoughts and suggestions. Learn more here.

March 8: Avery Elementary School's drama club presents the musical “Disney's Aladdin KIDS” at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 8. Tickets available at the door, cash only: $5 adults, $1 children.

March 8: R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy's drama club presents the musical “Annie Jr.” at 3 and 6:30 p.m. today. Admission is free; donations welcome.

March 10-14: School Speech Language Pathologists Week.

March 13-15: Creekview High School's theatre program presents the musical, "Mamma Mia" at 7 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee March 15. Tickets: $15 and available online here.

March 14-15: Cherokee High School's theatre program presents "Check Please" at 7 p.m. Tickets: $10.

March 17-21: School Board Appreciation Week

March 20: 7 p.m., School Board Auditorium at Dr. Frank R. Petruzielo Educational Services Facility,

Cherokee County School Board Meeting.

March 21-22: Boston Elementary School's drama club presents the musical "Willy Wonka KIDS" at 6 p.m. March 21 and 2 p.m. March 22. Tickets: $5 and available online here.

March 24-25: River Ridge High School's drama program presents two one-act plays at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets: $10.

March 31-April 4: CCSD schools and offices closed for Spring Break.

Please check your school’s website and social media for school event information.

We're seeking additional custodians to join our team of valued employees. The talent of our employees is unparalleled and their dedication to go the extra mile is unmatched! These positions offer competitive pay, outstanding benefits, wonderful work environment and caring team, and opportunities for advancement. Apply online now at https://cherokeega.schoolspring.com/. Want to learn more? We’re hosting info sessions on Monday, March 10, every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to noon at our office at 1020 Keeter Road, Canton 30114. Questions? Please contact CCSD Recruiter Lindsay.Bowley@cherokeek12.net and 770.704.4256.

Email: communications@cherokeek12.net
Website: www.cherokeek12.net
Location: PO Box 769, Canton, GA 30169
Phone: 7704791871
Facebook: facebook.com/CherokeeGASchools/
Twitter: @CherokeeSchools