Cheatham Achieves

We will be on fall break the week of Oct. 9-13. School will resume on Monday, Oct. 16. We hope our students, families and employees have a safe, fun, and relaxing break.

October is National Principals Month! Being a school principal is undoubtedly one of the most challenging and often thankless jobs out there. They are the dedicated leaders who navigate countless complexities to create the best possible learning environment for our students. Our district is fortunate to have a team of top-notch principals who demonstrate commitment to our schools and community. They lead with passion, dedication, and resilience, always striving to make a positive impact on the lives of our students. Please let our principals know this month how much they are appreciated!

The Cheatham County School Board met with the 2023-2024 Student Board representatives during its Sept. 28 work session. The representatives are (front row) Logan Weakley of Cheatham County Central High School, Doralicia Rodriguez of Sycamore High School and Triton Parker of Harpeth High School. Alternates are Neil Zerkle of HHS and Anna Claire Canterbury of SHS. Students from each high school are chosen to serve on the board, and the School Board meets with them on a quarterly basis to consider their ideas and viewpoints of what’s happening in the school district.

For an eighth consecutive year, the Cheatham County School District’s school funds audit report had zero findings. Finance & Operations Specialist Tracy Michon and the district bookkeepers are to be commended for this outstanding achievement.

• Ashland City Elementary STEM Academy/Riverside Academy: Misty Mayo

• Cheatham County Central High School: Vicki Presson

• Cheatham Middle School: Jamie Wilson

• East Cheatham Elementary: Mindy Hansen/Mary Duke

• Harpeth High School: Pam Bryant

• Harpeth Middle School: Cindy Wells

• Kingston Springs Elementary School: Dana Brown

• Pegram Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School: Ashley Adams

• Pleasant View Elementary School: Brittney Altom

• Sycamore High School: Terri Jennette/Kim Crosby

• Sycamore Middle School: Carla Anderson

• West Cheatham Elementary School: Dixie Dies

Oct. 16-20 is National School Bus Safety Week. The week is designed to bring together school bus operators, students, parents, educators, motorists, and anyone else interested in school bus safety to raise awareness on the importance of school bus safety. Driving a school bus can be challenging at times, but our dedicated and hard-working drivers do a great job transporting our students to and from school every day. Click here for some tips on how students can stay safe while riding our buses.

The Audio/Visual classes at Harpeth High School have been hard at work perfecting their videos, and they are hosting a Harpeth News Live! program every Friday at 7:50 a.m. Teacher Will Mattingly and his students are doing a great job. Check out the Sept. 29 newscast by clicking on the above video (the video starts at the 35:35 mark).

We are excited about our new middle school career exploratory courses. Each middle school has added between 5 and 7 classes which are introductory exploratories to related Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses and programs of study at our high schools. This is a great opportunity for all 7th and 8th grade students (pictured are Cheatham Middle School students), and we look forward to sharing the many great things already happening and the even better things to come with these new programs. We will be rolling out a new video series this month that will highlight these classes. The videos are being edited by our Harpeth High School Audio/Visual students, under the direction of teacher Will Mattlingly. The videos will be posted on our social media platforms as well as our YouTube channel by clicking here.

The Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition is hosting a free showing of “Hocus Pocus” on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. with free snacks, treats, and beverages for a kickoff to its year- round program, Camp Thrive. Attendees are welcome to wear costumes and there will be a trick or treat available for children. The movie will be on the lawn of the Coalition office, 395 S. Main St., Ashland City. If you attend, please bring blankets and chairs.

Our schools are celebrating National Red Ribbon Week Oct. 23-27. This year’s theme is “Be Kind to Your Mind. Live Drug Free.” The week promotes the importance of living drug, tobacco, and alcohol-free lives. Students will take part in a variety of school activities and special-themed days encouraging them to be drug free. As always, we appreciate the support of the Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition, which works with our School Resource Officers to make this week a success each year.

We will hold Parent Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Meetings will be scheduled throughout the day. Each school will notify their families on how they can sign up or attend a meeting so please watch for that communication. There will be no school for students on this day.

Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5. Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour on this date and enjoy your extra hour of sleep!

Parents and students, the clock is ticking to apply for the Tennessee Promise program. The scholarship deadline is Nov. 1, 2023, for the seniors of the class of 2024. Tennessee Promise offers two years of community or technical college, tuition-free, to Tennessee high school graduates. To apply, first create a student portal account. Include your first and last name, social security number, date of birth and email address. Second, locate the TN Promise Scholarship, fill in the blanks not populated from the student portal account, select a TN Promise eligible institution and select your high school. Dual enrollment students have already created a student portal account. Sign into your account, locate and complete the TN Promise Scholarship. For more information, click here.

Mark your calendars! Our family Thanksgiving lunch will be served on Thursday, Nov. 9. Families are invited to come eat with their child(ren) on this day. Our schools will be sharing additional information with their families about this special luncheon. The cost for an adult to eat is $5. If you plan to eat with your child, you are invited to pay in advance via RevTrak. We will share additional information as the date nears.

We will be closed on Friday, Nov. 10 in observation of Veterans Day. Many of our schools will be hosting special programs in the days leading up to Veterans Day. The schools will share additional information with their families on the dates and times for these programs.

We have implemented a new tool to access Cheatham County School Board meetings, agendas, and minutes. BOE Connect is an online meeting solution to make board meetings easier. It streamlines the board meeting preparation process, provides board members access to meeting materials anywhere at any time and automates public notices. This service is offered through the Tennessee School Boards Association. Our Board of Education agendas and minutes are posted on our website via BOE Connect and can be accessed by clicking here.

In honor of Suicide Prevention Month in September, the Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition has been visiting our middle and high schools to support our students in a meaningful way. This year, the Coalition is focused on empowering our youth to take control of their mental health and extend support to their peers. Students are participating in a heartwarming "take one, give one" activity, where they are encouraged to write cards of encouragement, which are then exchanged with fellow students. In addition to the uplifting cards, students may receive keychains, bracelets, and stickers, all featuring the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, 988. The Coalition believes that promoting mental health awareness and support among our youth is of utmost importance. By participating in this initiative, our students are not only learning to take control of their own mental well-being but are also extending a helping hand to their peers. If you or someone you know is dealing with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

We are always looking for substitute teachers! For the past few years, we have partnered with ESS, and they are responsible for recruiting, scheduling, hiring, placing, and managing all substitute teachers in the district. For more information, follow ESS on its Facebook page at "ESS Cheatham County, TN" or visit www.ESS.com.

In addition to the Cheatham County School District Facebook page, we want to remind our families, students, employees, and community stakeholders to like and follow these Facebook pages as well for additional news and information regarding our district:

CCBOE CTE STEAM

Cheatham County Schools Nutrition Program

JAG-Tennessee Cheatham County

Cheatham Co Schools Transportation Department

Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers

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