Cheatham Achieves
January 26, 2023
DISTRICT HOSTS ANNUAL BREAKFAST
We hosted our fourth State of the District breakfast on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at Cheatham Middle School. About 135 government, community, business and school leaders were in attendance. We appreciate IES for sponsoring this year's breakfast. We invite you to watch the breakfast (click on the video above). The breakfast included a presentation by Director of Schools Dr. Cathy Beck, speeches from educators, alumni and students and a performance by the Harpeth Middle School jazz band.
DISTRICT UNVEILS 2022 ANNUAL REPORT
We are excited to present our 2022 Annual Report. The report, now in its fifth year, showcases the accomplishments and successes of our district during the 2021-2022 school year. We unveiled the Annual Report at our annual State of the District breakfast. We want to thank Sycamore High School digital design teacher Levi Cooper for helping to design this publication. To view the 2022 report, click here. To view the previous reports, click here.
THANK YOU TO OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS!
We are proud to celebrate School Board Appreciation Week Jan. 22-28 and honor our board members for their commitment to Cheatham County and our students. This year’s theme is “Let’s Face It – School Boards Work.” Our board members devote hours of their time to provide leadership for our school district, and we appreciate the work they do to improve public education for everyone. Cheatham County School Board members are vice-chairman John Patrick (first district); Amber Locke (second district); Tim Ray (third district); Jimmy Harden (fourth district); Robert Epps (fifth district); and chairman David Risner (sixth district).
SCHOOL BOARD HOSTING ANNUAL RETREAT JAN. 28
The Cheatham County School Board will hold its annual retreat on Saturday, Jan. 28 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cheatham County Transportation Facility on Sweethome Road in Ashland City. The retreat is open to the public. The agenda can be found here.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS TO CHANGE LOCATIONS
The Cheatham County School Board is making a change to its meeting schedule for three months in 2023. The monthly board meetings will continue to be held on the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. However, the location is changing in February, March and April ONLY. The Feb. 2 meeting will be held at Sycamore High School, the March 2 meeting at Cheatham County Central High School and the April 6 meeting at Harpeth High School. The board recognizes the importance of parental involvement in the educational process and rotating the location of the meetings will give individuals another opportunity to engage with their schools in their community.
SCHOOLS TO CONDUCT REMOTE LEARNING DRILLS
The Tennessee General Assembly approved a bill in the 2022 session requiring school districts to conduct a remote learning drill during the school year. The purpose of this drill is to help ensure that schools, students, and families can easily transition from in-person learning to remote learning. The drill must accurately reflect the school’s plan for transitioning students to remote learning in the event of a disruption to school operations. In the coming weeks, our schools will be contacting their families with additional communication and information regarding their remote learning drill.
FEBURARY IS CTE MONTH
February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. Our CTE programs are preparing our students for high-wage and high-demand career fields in today’s workforce. CTE covers many different fields, including healthcare, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, engineering, auto mechanics, auto collision, criminal justice and digital art/design. We appreciate our CTE teachers and what they are doing to prepare our students for careers and college.
WE APPRECIATE OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS!
National School Counseling Week is Feb. 6-10. Sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, the week focuses public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors across the United States and how students are different as a result of what counselors do. The week highlights the tremendous impact counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. Our school counselors are:
• Ashland City Elementary STEM Academy: Joy Kassner
• East Cheatham Elementary School: currently open
• Kingston Springs Elementary School: Laura Deer
• Pegram Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School: Michelle Buckingham
• Pleasant View Elementary School: Lydia Postlewait
• West Cheatham Elementary School: Tara Canterbury
• Cheatham Middle School: Ashley Lockert and Erica Delavergne
• Harpeth Middle School: Callie Bobo and Brandi Gilland
• Sycamore Middle School: Molly Hudgens and Matthew Shuff
• Cheatham County Central High School: Beth Campbell and Amzi-Lynn Spain
• Harpeth High School: Andrea Holley and Deborah Barger
• Sycamore High School: Maggie Fields and Stephanie Gray
• Riverside Academy: Katie Metcalf
DISTRICT TO ADOPT NEW MATH MATERIALS
The State of Tennessee is currently reviewing different math curriculum to adopt for the 2023-2024 school year. There will be an opportunity for the public to review materials and provide comments/feedback on Friday, Feb. 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the School Board Annex, 104 Elizabeth St. in Ashland City. Academic coordinators will be at the session to answer questions. You are also able to access the materials online by clicking here. Once registered, look for the math icon at the bottom. Textbooks that are up for review and meet our district needs are included in a survey link by clicking here. If you review the textbooks online and wish to provide feedback, then respond using the survey link.
HONOR BAND WILL PERFORM FEB. 11
The Cheatham County Honor Band will perform in concert on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Harpeth High School auditorium. The Honor Band is comprised of select students from the district’s three middle school and three high schools. The students will spend all day Friday, Feb. 10 and the morning of Saturday, Feb. 11 rehearsing for the concert with guest conductors. The middle school Honor Band will perform at 2 p.m. and the high school Honor Band will perform at 2:45 p.m. The concerts are free and open to the public.
FEBRUARY SCHEDULE REMINDERS
We want to remind our families that there will be an early dismissal day on Friday, Feb. 17. Lunch will be served to our students, and school will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. Our teachers will participate in professional development in the afternoon. Additionally, our schools and the central office will be closed on Monday, Feb. 20 for Presidents Day.
FOOD DISTRIBUTION IS FEB. 18
One Generation Away, working in conjunction with local churches, will host a free food distribution on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 9-11 a.m. (or until food runs out) at Ashland City Elementary STEM Academy, 108 Elizabeth St. in Ashland City. This is open to all families in our community and will operate as a first-come, first-serve drive-thru distribution. Everyone is asked to stay in their vehicle and have space cleared for the food. We appreciate One Generation Away and our churches for helping our families in these challenging times.
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION DAY IS FEB. 22
February 22 is National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! We have a great team of bus drivers, who are always there to make sure that our students get to and from school safely and on time. We thank these men and women for the amazing job they do. They are truly an important part of making our district a success!
SHOWCASES PROMOTE HIGH SCHOOL CTE PROGRAMS
We are currently hosting our eighth-grade Career and Technical Education (CTE) showcases. During the showcase, our high school CTE teachers and students engage the students with a hands-on activity, which promote their respective program of study. Cheatham Middle School students visited Cheatham County Central High School on Thursday, Jan. 12 (pictured). Sycamore Middle School eighth-grade students will visit Sycamore High School the morning of Thursday, Feb. 9 and Harpeth Middle School eighth-grade students will visit Harpeth High School the morning of Friday, Feb. 17.
MOVEMENT MEET UPS COMING THIS SPRING
We are partnering with the UT-TSU Cheatham County Extension Office to host three Movement Meet Ups this spring. One event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon in each cluster: March 18 at Burns Park in Kingston Springs, April 22 at Pleasant View Community Park and May 13 at Riverbluff Park in Ashland City. There will be fun and creative movement activities for our families. Vendors are invited to participate and can register here. For additional information, contact Aneta Eichler at 615-792-4420 or email adodd2@utk.edu.
ASPIRING ADMINISTRATORS ACADEMY SELECTED
Members of the 2022-23 Aspiring Administrators Academy have been announced. Educators selected for the academy learn more about the leadership roles of an administrator. Through guest speakers and discussions, class members are exposed to a school administrator’s scope of work. Members also have a variety of requirements to meet throughout the program. This year’s members are:
• Jennifer Reist, Fisher Bailey and Timothy Terry, Sycamore High School
• Thomas Barbeauld, Cheatham Middle School
• Charles Williams, Harpeth High School
CCCHS IS HOSTING STEAK DINNER ON APRIL 29
Cheatham County Central High School will host its sixth annual spring fundraiser on Saturday, April 29. The popular community event features a steak dinner, silent auction and live entertainment. The dinner and auction will begin at 5 p.m. with the entertainment starting at 7 p.m. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. The funds raised will directly benefit CCCHS students. Tickets are $30 for a single and $50 for a couple. Tickets will be available in a few weeks so please stay tuned to our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for more information. Pictured are retired Cheatham County educators Don and Norma Beshears at the 2022 dinner.
CLASS OF 2023 GRADUATIONS ANNOUNCED
The graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2023 at Riverside Academy, Harpeth High School, Sycamore High School and Cheatham County Central High School have been announced. Please mark your calendars as we celebrate this milestone with our seniors.
• Riverside Academy, Wednesday, May 24, 10 a.m., Board Annex Room
• Harpeth High School, Thursday, May 25, 7 p.m., Harpeth High School football field
• Cheatham County Central High School, Friday, May 26, 10 a.m., Austin Peay State University, Dunn Center
• Sycamore High School, Friday, May 26, 1 p.m., Austin Peay State University, Dunn Center
SPECIAL OLYMPICS ARE MAY 5
Mark your calendars ... The Cheatham County Area 29 Special Olympics will be held on Friday, May 5. The event will be held at the Harpeth High School-Harpeth Middle School football field. Our students, staff members and parents are looking forward to this year’s event. Our schools will be sharing additional information about the games as they get closer.
CHEATHAM COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
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