March 2023 Updates and Reminders

February 28, 2023

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events
may be not be relevant for the current school year.

Hello, CMCSS families!

Please see below for a few updates and reminders.

Calendar Reminders

• Wednesday, March 1 – FAFSA Application Deadline for TNPromise Eligibility (Seniors)
• March 6-10 – Spring Break | No School
• Sunday, March 12 – Daylight Saving Time Begins
• Tuesday, April 4 (5-7 p.m.) – Kindergarten Kick-Off for 2023-2024 School Year
• Friday, April 7 – Holiday | No School
• Monday, April 17 – State Standardized Assessments Begin
• Wednesday, May 24 – Last Half Day of School

Assessments/Testing – TCAP

Individual schools will be communicating more information to families about state standardized assessments (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program or TCAP) in the coming weeks. The tests will be administered to all students in grades 3-8 and high school students enrolled in a course with an End-of-Course (EOC) exam, beginning the week of April 17. Please click here for an overview of state testing. If you have questions about accommodations or special education assessments, please contact your child’s school.

According to the Tennessee Department of Education, state and federal law requires student participation in state assessments. School districts are not authorized to adopt policies allowing families to opt students out from testing. Additionally, state standardized assessments are calculated as a percentage of a student’s final grade. Click here for more information on the grading system.

Educators provide instruction throughout the year on state standards that are assessed during TCAP. CMCSS understands that many students experience anxiety during testing, and many adults might even remember how they felt when taking standardized tests at school. Please see below for two significant ways you can help your child:

• Show what you know! Encourage your child to have a positive mental attitude by reinforcing that the tests cover standards they have learned in class. Their expectation is to do their best by showing what they know.
• Rest up, fuel up, and show up! Ensure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats breakfast at home or at school in the morning. Additionally, please make sure your child arrives at school on time each day.

Charter School Application Feedback Opportunity

In accordance with state law, nonprofit organizations with the intent to open a charter school in a Tennessee school district must apply through the local School Board for that district for authorization. The CMCSS Charter Review Committee thoroughly reviews applications and makes recommendations to the School Board. The School Board approves or denies applications. CMCSS received one charter school application this school year. To review and provide feedback on the application, please click here.

Preparing for the 2023-2024 School Year

The dogwoods are just starting to bloom, so why are we already talking about next school year!? After Spring Break next week, there will only be 51 and a half more days of school, and we want to help families get a jumpstart on planning. The first half day of school for the 2023-2024 school year will be Monday, August 7. Please see below for a few opportunities to start preparing for next school year:

• Pre-Kindergarten – CMCSS offers Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten classes on an application basis as established by the Tennessee Department of Education. If you have a child who will be 4 years old on or before August 15, 2023, and you are interested in Pre-K, CMCSS will begin accepting applications on April 4, 2023. More information will be provided to the community before the application window opens. 
• Kindergarten – If you have a child who will be 5 years old on or before August 15, 2023, you can learn more about kindergarten at the Kindergarten Kick-Offs that will take place at all elementary schools (except Burt, which only has grades 3-5) on Tuesday, April 4 from 5-7 p.m. To find out more information on each elementary school, click here.
• Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 7th-Grade Immunizations – Per state law, no child can be permitted to attend any public school until proof of immunization is presented. If your student qualifies for a Medical or Religious Exemption, documentation must be provided. Please click here to learn more. We ask families to please make arrangements before the first day of school.

School Safety

As a reminder, CMCSS created the School Safety Hub last summer as a resource for families. We appreciate all our families who have partnered with us to set expectations, reinforce positive behaviors, and explain the consequences for offenses. We must continue working together to keep our schools and communities safe.

On February 8, CMCSS invited national speaker Officer Jermaine Galloway (“The Tall Cop”) to present to school administrators, nurses, SROs, and other staff on the current drug culture, trends, and identifiers. It was a very informative presentation, and CMCSS will be adding additional resources to the School Safety Hub to help families address the growing concerns with youth substance abuse. Officer Galloway has provided a 3-part video series on YouTube to help parents with identifying drug and alcohol use: part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Finally, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office is partnering with CMCSS to host a town hall on Thursday, March 2 at 6 p.m. at Rossview Middle School in the auditorium. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will host three town hall meetings across the state to discuss the impact Big Tech and social media are having on Tennessee families, particularly children. CMCSS School Psychologist Gena Albertia, who has served in the District for over 25 years, will serve on the panel. In 2022, she served on a national panel of experts who discussed the effects of social media on our youth and advocated for improved protections with State Attorneys General from 44 states. The Attorney General’s Office wants to hear from parents and guardians who have noticed changes in their children as a result of social media use. Please join us for this important conversation.