CPEC WEEKLY UPDATE (02/10-02/14)

Dear CPEC Families,

I hope this message finds you well as we enter another productive and exciting week at Central Piedmont Early College. As always, your continued support and involvement in your student's education are what help make CPEC a unique and successful learning community. Here's a look at what to expect this week:

3rd Quarter Benchmark Assessments

This week, students in key tested areas will be participating in the 3rd quarter benchmark assessments. These benchmarks provide valuable insight into student progress and areas for growth as we prepare for end-of-course exams. Please encourage your students to get plenty of rest and come prepared to do their best on the following assessments:

• Math 3

• Biology

• English 2

These assessments are a vital checkpoint, helping both students and teachers gauge academic progress and fine-tune support where needed.

School Improvement Team Meeting – Monday, February 10th

We will be holding our monthly School Improvement Team meeting on Monday. This is an opportunity to collaborate on strategies for continuous school improvement, focusing on student achievement, family engagement, and the overall success of our school. If you have feedback you’d like to share, please feel free to reach out.

New Student and Family Orientations

Our ongoing new student and family orientations will continue this week, welcoming students who recently joined the CPEC community. These sessions ensure that new students and their families have the tools and information necessary for a successful transition.

Celebrating Our First Graduates!

It was truly an honor and privilege to celebrate a historic milestone last Thursday during the CMS Midyear Graduation Ceremony. We awarded diplomas to our very first Central Piedmont Early College graduates. These students have exemplified dedication, perseverance, and academic excellence. Their accomplishments inspire us all, and we look forward to seeing their future successes. Congratulations once again to our graduates and their families!

Reminders for the Week:

• Attendance: Regular attendance is essential, especially with benchmark assessments and instructional time being critical during this period.

• Advisory Focus: Please remind students to stay engaged during advisory periods, which continue to be an essential time for academic interventions and social-emotional learning.

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey with us. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. Let’s work together to ensure that every student at CPEC has the resources and support they need to succeed.

Have a wonderful week!

Principal Turner and the CPEC Leadership Team

Congratulations to CPEC's first ever high graduates for earning their diplomas Thursday at the CMS Midyear Graduation Ceremony. It was an honor and privilege to see our scholars walk across the stage and receive their diplomas.

Upcoming Transfer Tuesdays: CPCC hosts representatives from other institutions so students can speak with them about transferring or applying after finishing at CPEC. Some upcoming dates and attendees:

- February 11: UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, and Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

- February 25: Johnson and Wales University, Lenoir-Rhyne University, and Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

Colleges will be set up at a table in the Parr Center (1st floor lobby) from 10am-1pm.

Graduating seniors: Make sure you are checking with the colleges you applied to, in order to determine if they need any mid year transcripts or grad reports. Many colleges want you to upload an unofficial transcript or grade report yourself. some require an official transcript sent through Naviance. If so, please let me know so I can send it for you!

Please join us as we conduct our February School Improvement Team meeting on Monday, February 10th at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held virtually on the Microsoft Teams link located here. During the meeting we will discuss our progress towards our school improvement plan goals and outline our efforts to improve student achievement and school culture for the remainder of the school year.

CPEC Parents/Guardians,

Please join us for the College Admissions Simulation on Sat, March 1st 9:45am-11am.

We will meet in the lobby of the Worrell Bldg.

Activity Description:

Step into the role of an Admissions Representative as you review four college applications. Your task is to decide which applicants will be accepted, waitlisted, or denied.

This activity provides insight into what it takes to be a competitive college candidate, highlighting the academic and extracurricular factors that influence admissions decisions. You will also gain a deeper understanding of the college application process, the time and effort required, and what colleges prioritize in their applicants.

By the end of this activity, you will have a clearer picture of what students need to prepare for college applications, helping you feel more confident when it is time to apply.

Note:

This session is for PARENTS/GUARDIANS only. We will host this event at CPEC during the school day for students.

Contact Dr. Pendergrass with questions.

RSVP here:

Click the link or scan the QR Code to RSVP

https://bit.ly/colladmrsvp

Upcoming College Representative Visits to CPEC

Check out my website for my info.

https://sites.google.com/cms.k12.nc.us/cpec-dr-p?usp=sharing

Capturing Kids' Hearts is a program that helps K-12 educators build relationships with students and create a positive learning environment. The program's goal is to help students feel connected to their school and staff, which can lead to better academic performance and fewer behavioral issues. Each week I will provide updates on how Capturing Kids Hearts will support the development of a positive school culture and learning environment for our CPEC Community. More information about Capturing Kids Hearts is located here.

• Wednesday during advisory / homeroom students will engage in the following SEL Lesson: Kindness- Filling Your Tank

1. PTSO Executive Committee Elections

Calling all teachers, staff, parents, and students to our annual PTSO Executive Committee elections! Get ready to shape the future of our school community. The PTSO is requesting for parent volunteers to serve on the PTSO Executive Community. The open positions include President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Assistant Treasurer. The officers are elected for a term of one year and take office in May 2025. Your participation matters and makes a huge difference to the success of our school!

Duties of the Officers

The President shall preside at all meetings of the organization. The President shall, with the approval of the Executive Committee, appoint the parliamentarian, standing committee chairpersons and special committees. The President shall be a member ex-officio of all committees and shall perform all other duties usually pertaining to the office. The President shall have signatory rights on all financial accounts.

The President-Elect shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of that officer. The President-Elect shall select an auditing committee to audit the organization’s accounts in February of each year.

The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all meetings of the organization. The Secretary shall notify the principal and committee members of meetings and perform other duties as may be delegated to the office. The secretary or appointee should attend Principal Council meetings and record minutes at the meetings for the organization.

The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget, receive all the monies of the organization, keep an accurate record of the receipts and expenditures, and pay out local funds only as authorized by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall have signatory rights for all financial accounts.

The Treasurer, with Executive Committee approval, shall select a depository for the organization’s funds.

The Assistant Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer in preparing an annual budget, receiving all money from the organization, keeping an accurate record of the receipts and expenditures, and pay out local funds only as authorized by the Executive Committee. The Assistant Treasurer shall have signatory rights for all financial accounts. The Assistant Treasurer will oversee the expenditure of the committees.

The election opens on February 10 and ends on March 10. If you are interested in serving on the executive committee, please send an email to CPECPTSO@gmail.com with the position in which you are interested in serving and a short biography of why you wish to serve on the PTSO Executive Committee.

2. The next PTSO General Assembly meeting is scheduled for February 28 at 2:00PM. The meeting will take place immediately after the completion of the CPEC Frederick Douglas Public Speaking Event and Cultural Fair at CPEC. Please join us to learn about the upcoming events that the PTSO is supporting.

Multicultural Fair:

Join us for the CPEC Multicultural Fair on February 28th at 12:30 PM, where we celebrate the diverse cultures that make up our community! This is your chance to showcase your heritage through food, music, performances, and cultural displays. Whether you want to host a booth, perform, or share traditional clothing, we welcome you to sign up and be part of this vibrant event. Families are encouraged to come! Don’t miss this opportunity to share your culture and learn from others—sign up today!

Candy Grams and Valentines Shout-Outs:

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a Candy Gram, hosted by SGA! Purchase one through the CPEC online school payment page and send a sweet treat along with a heartfelt (or funny) message to a friend. Stop by the Valentine’s Card station during lunch to personalize your message, and we’ll deliver it on February 14th! No cash payments—all purchases must be made online. Sales end February 11th, so don’t miss out!

– Your CPEC SGA"

We are pleased to announce an upcoming change to our attendance requirements. The previous Attendance Recovery Regulation, which automatically assigned an F grade to high school students who missed eleven or more class periods and did not recover missed time, is being eliminated. Starting this semester, students will no longer need to make up missed time to pass a course.

While this regulation is in the process of being changed, we want to emphasize that regular attendance remains crucial for academic success. Our school will continue to follow state-mandated attendance monitoring procedures, which require specific interventions after three, six, and 10 absences.

Our exam exemption policy remains in effect for courses without state-required CTE, World Language (LeveI and II) AP, IB, or End-of-Course assessments. Students may qualify for exemptions under the following conditions:

• Students maintain an A average (90% or above) with 3 or fewer absences

• Students maintain a B average (80% or above) with 1 or fewer absences

Students who qualify for exemptions may still choose to take the final exam to improve their grade. In such cases, standard CMS grading practices apply, with the exam counting as 20% of the final grade.

Updated 24-25 CMS Grading Plan

Have you signed up to access and observe our teacher's Canvas sites? If not, please access the link here to sign up as a Parent Observer on Canvas. This will allow you to see assignments and classroom updates provided by our teachers.

We are excited to share our new CPEC Student and Family Handbook. The handbook contains campus policies and procedures that will support student success on our campus. The CPEC Student and Family Handbook is located here.

Central Piedmont Early College is a high school located on Central Piedmont Community College's Central Campus. Students have access to state of the art facilities to complete an Associates in Arts (AA), Engineering (AE), Science (AS). Students can also explore a variety of applied sciences including information technology, STEM programs, health care, culinary & hospitality as well as many other programs. Because of the school's close proximity to uptown, students will have many opportunities to learn about the current employment trends and begin building a network with employers that will transcend beyond graduation.

Email: erikm.turner@cms.k12.nc.us
Location: 1228 Elizabeth Avenue, Charlotte, NC, USA
Phone: 980-343-0098
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091503924920&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Twitter: @CPECHS23