Cheatham Achieves

October is National Principals Month, and we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the amazing principals who lead our schools. Their dedication, passion and commitment shape the educational experiences of our students and foster positive school cultures. Every day, our principals inspire teachers, staff and students to strive for their best. They navigate challenges with grace and create environments where every student can thrive. This month, join us in recognizing and thanking these remarkable leaders. To our wonderful principals, thank you for all that you do. Your leadership and tireless efforts make a profound difference. Let’s all take a moment to #ThankAPrincipal and show our appreciation for their invaluable contributions to our schools and communities.

For a NINTH consecutive year, our 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/Rebecca Wilson

• East Cheatham Elementary: Janie 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/Kristen Drake

• Sycamore High School: Kim Crosby

• Sycamore Middle School: Carla Anderson

• West Cheatham Elementary School: Dixie Dies

School threats are no laughing matter. A Tennessee law that went into effect July 1, 2023, makes the threat of mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity a zero-tolerance offense. Zero-tolerance offenses shall result in an automatic expulsion from our district or one calendar year from the date of the offense after due process has occurred. We strongly encourage our families to inform their children about the serious consequences of making school threats, whether it is said aloud, written in text or posted on social media. When we investigate these threats in our schools, students often claim they were just joking or playing a prank. Please stress to your children that there is no such thing as a joke involving the threat of mass violence. We take all threats seriously, and we fully support law enforcement efforts to identify and hold accountable the individual or individuals responsible for making false reports. By working together, we can provide our students the safe schools they deserve.

Due to the inclement weather last week, the Harpeth High School and Cheatham County Central High School football Homecoming parades have been rescheduled.

• The HHS parade will be held on Friday, October 4 at 4 p.m.

• The CCCHS parade will be held on Friday, October 11 at 4:15 p.m.

We invite the community to come out and support our students!

Our high school seniors will have an opportunity in October to boost their scores on the ACT college entrance exam. The senior ACT retake test date is Tuesday, October 8. Our high schools will provide additional information to seniors and their families.

We will be on fall break the week of October 14-18. School will resume on Monday, October 21. We hope our students, families and employees have a safe, fun and relaxing break.

We are observing National School Bus Safety Week October 21-25. 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.

Our 2024 Cheatham County Education Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 24 at 6 p.m. in the Norma Beshears Multi-Purpose Room at Cheatham Middle School. Twelve individuals who made their mark in the district will be inducted into the Class of 2024. The public is invited to attend. The district created the Hall of Fame in 2021 to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the growth and development of education in Cheatham County. Meet the Class of 2024 by clicking here.

Our schools are celebrating National Red Ribbon Week October 23-31. This year’s theme is “Life is a Movie, Film 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 as they work with our School Resource Officers to make this week a success each year.

Our Cheatham Achievers after-school program is still accepting students for the 2024-2025 school year. This program, funded by a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, serves students in grades 5-8 at Cheatham Middle School, Harpeth Middle School and Sycamore Middle School. This year’s program started September 16 and runs for 120 days. It is held from 2:45-5:45 p.m. each school day Monday-Thursday. Weeks that have a holiday and we are closed that day during the week, we are open on those Fridays. All programs associated with the grant are offered free of charge. For more information about the program and to register your child for the program, please click here. Registration forms are also available at each middle school.

We will hold Parent Teacher Conferences on Friday, November 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, November 3. 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 November 1, 2024, for the seniors of the class of 2025. 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.

Applications for all 11 Governor’s School programs will open on October 1 for the 2025 summer programs. Each program offers a unique learning environment for students interested in one of the following disciplines: the arts, humanities, agriculture science, STEM programs, advanced mathematics, physics, leadership, international studies, Tennessee history, or potential teaching careers. Each university host site offers a challenging and high-intensity program for rising 11th and 12th grade students nominated by high school faculty. For general information, visit the Governor’s School website or contact Tabatha Siddiqi, Tabatha.Siddiqi@tn.gov.

Mark your calendars! Our family Thanksgiving lunch will be served on Thursday, November 21. 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.

The Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition will offer a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training on Thursday, October 17 from 5-6 p.m. at Pinnacle Financial Bank in Ashland City. This will be an opportunity to continue the conversation on suicide prevention, especially following September's Suicide Prevention Month. Please see the graphic for additional information.

The Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition is hosting a free showing of “Monsters Inc.” on Friday, October 25 at 6 p.m. There will be free popcorn, snacks and beverages. Attendees are welcome to wear costumes and there will be a photo booth and giveaways. The movie will be on the lawn of the Coalition office, 395 S. Main Street in Ashland City.

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. This year, the company is excited to announce that it has increased daily rates for both non-certified and certified substitutes so start your application today. For questions, contact Carly Moore at cmoore@ess.com, follow ESS on its Facebook page at "ESS Cheatham County, TN" or visit www.ESS.com.

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/
Twitter: @CCBOE

Instagram: ccsdtn