Cheatham Achieves

In case you haven’t heard by now, we received top marks from the Tennessee Department of Education on student improvement in the 2022-23 school year! We were named a Level 5 district – the highest level a district can achieve for student academic growth. This designation is based on the 2022-2023 Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) scores. TVAAS measures student growth year over year. Districts that earn a 5 are making more growth than expected. Additionally, four of our schools were named Level 5 schools: Kingston Springs Elementary School, Harpeth High School, Sycamore Middle School and Sycamore High School.

Several Cheatham County and nationally-recognized education leaders offered their congratulations to our staff after we were named a Level 5 district by the Tennessee Department of Education. Check out this video!

We will offer our Cheatham Achievers after-school program again this year. We have had a great nine years and look forward to another year of opportunities and student growth. Cheatham Achievers is an after-school program funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant. This year’s program will run from Sept. 11-March 27. This program serves students in grades 5-8 at Cheatham Middle School, Harpeth Middle School, and Sycamore Middle School. All programs associated with the grant are offered free of charge. Registration information can be returned to your child’s homeroom teacher. For more information, email Christy Davis at Sycamore Middle School at christy.davis@ccstn.org; Miraya McLaughlin at Cheatham Middle School at miraya.mclaughlin@ccstn.org; and Natalie Bass at Harpeth Middle School at natalie.bass@ccstn.org. Cheatham Achievers director Nicole Galbreth can be reached at nicole.galbreth@ccstn.org.

Our 12-week Strengthening Families program will begin next week at Faith Community Church in Ashland City. The program is open to parents and youth ages 6-16. The sessions will be held on Mondays from 5-7 p.m. from Sept. 11-Dec. 4. Families share a meal together and then break into groups to learn specific skills such as conflict resolution; how to discuss difficult topics such as drugs, peer pressure, etc.; and how to develop speaking and listening skills. At the end of the program, a printed copy of the family mission statement is presented to each family during a closing graduation ceremony. Strengthening Families is an evidence-based program recognized by the Tennessee court system and Department of Children Services.

National IT Professionals Day is Tuesday, Sept. 19. We want to thank Technology Supervisor Chad Smith and our entire Information Technology team – Nathanael Raymer, Justin Wheeler, Jon Moss, Preston Daniel, Dustin Bowker, and Chad Vance – who work tirelessly to keep our systems running. These wizzes tackle the obstacles that leave the rest of us scratching our heads. Whether it be desktops, laptops, mobile devices, applications, servers, networks, databases or cybersecurity, these men keep our district humming. They are much appreciated and essential to the success of our district!

Our first early dismissal day of the 2023-2024 school year is Friday, Sept. 22. 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.

Our high schools have announced their football Homecoming schedules:

• Sycamore High School’s Homecoming game is Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. when the War Eagles take on White House Heritage. The Homecoming parade is Thursday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

• Cheatham County Central High School’s Homecoming game is Friday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. when the Cubs host Hickman County. The Homecoming parade is Friday, Sept. 29 at 4:15 p.m. CCCHS is also hosting an inaugural alumni reception on this day. There will be guided tours of the school from 5-6 p.m. The school will also recognize members of the classes of 1973, 1983, 1993, 2003, 2013 and 2023 in attendance on the field during halftime. More information will be available in the coming weeks on the CCCHS Facebook page.

• Harpeth High School’s Homecoming game is Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. when the Indians host Hickman County. The Homecoming parade is Friday, Oct. 27 at 4 p.m.

Our new Jobs for America's Graduates program at our three high schools is off to good start! Formerly known as Jobs for Tennessee Graduates, JAG focuses on career pathways, essential work skills, conflict resolution, resume writing, interviewing skills, entrepreneurship, and community service. The program also hits on the small things that matter such as how to properly write a check, how to fill out a W-4, and how to file taxes. Guest speakers are welcome for our JAG program this semester. If you are interested in sharing about your career/industry, work at a college or trade school or have a topic you think high school students would benefit from (such as life skills, character building, etc.), please contact our JAG teachers: Kristina Pardue, Cheatham County Central High School, kristina.pardue@ccstn.org; April Williams, Harpeth High School, April.williams@ccstn.org; or Ashleigh Harris, Sycamore High School, ashleigh.harris@ccstn.org. The program is also looking for possible community service and field trip opportunities. To learn more about the JAG program, visit www.jagtn.org.

Thanks to the A.O. Smith Foundation for its generous donation that allowed us to purchase solar picnic tables at Cheatham County Central High School and Cheatham Middle School (pictured). The tables were installed at both schools over the summer and allow employees and students the opportunity to charge their electronic devices. As always, we appreciate A.O. Smith for its ongoing support of our district.

We are proud to announce the selections for the third class of the Cheatham County Education Hall of Fame. Twelve individuals who made their mark in the district will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during a special ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cheatham County Central High School theatre. The public is invited to attend. The district created the Hall of Fame in 2021 to honor individuals who have demonstrated measurable influence and made significant contributions to the growth and development of education in Cheatham County. Meet the Class of 2023 by visiting here.

Our district is currently going through the accreditation process through Cognia. Earning this accreditation demonstrates our commitment to excellence, our openness to external review and feedback, and our desire to be the best we can be on behalf of the students we serve. The process involves evaluating all aspects of our district, including academics, policy, budget, culture, community support and programming. Cognia requires surveys to be sent to all stakeholders to gather input on what is working well and what our next steps should be. Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey. Your opinion is important to us. Please be on the lookout for the survey from your child's school.

In addition to the Cheatham County School District Facebook page, we encourage 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

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER 3.0) is providing funding to the state of Tennessee and school districts across the state to address COVID-19 recovery. The Cheatham County School District is receiving a portion of these funds. We continue to seek feedback from our families about our ESSER plan. To take a short survey, please visit here. Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your thoughts about needs, resources and effective investments for this funding.

A huge congrats to Sycamore High School student Jackson Reed, who was selected for this year’s high school Honors Performance Series. Reed joined musicians from across the United States for a special performance in August at the world-famous Sydney Opera House in Australia, a venue that marks the pinnacle of musical achievement. Check out this video about his experience.

Our district adopted new high-quality implementation materials for math in grades K-12 for the 2023-24 school year. Grades K-8 are implementing the McGraw Hill Reveal curriculum while our high schools are utilizing Into Math by HMH. Teachers will continue to receive ongoing professional development through weekly collaborative meetings at their respective schools. We very much appreciate our academic specialists (pictured), who are spearheading this initiative for our district.

The Affordable Connectivity Program is a federal government benefit program operated by the FCC that provides qualifying households with a monthly credit to help pay for Internet service. If eligible, households may receive a credit of up to $30 per month toward their broadband services. Cumberland Connect has a link on its website (click here) that Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation members can visit and see if they qualify. If they qualify, they can call CEMC and they will apply the credit to their account. Additional information is included in the above flyer.

U.S. Congress passed legislation to end the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirement related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes TennCare. TennCare renewals will begin April 1, 2024, just as they had been in place prior to March 2020. If any of our families currently receive TennCare, their eligibility must be redetermined. Anyone who has TennCare should make sure their contact information (phone, address, etc.) is up to date with TennCare. They can either call 855-259-0701 to change that information or confirm it is up to date, or they can update their information by clicking here.

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