August 2020 News

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. Please see below for several reopening updates for all students with sections below for CMCSS K-12 Virtual and traditional-specific updates. The first half day of school is Monday, August 31 with an additional half day on Tuesday, September 1. The first full day of school will be Wednesday, September 2.  Due to the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic and production time and costs involved, CMCSS is not sending printed calendars to homes this year. To view a printable PDF version of the District Calendar, click here. Updates for ALL families: Safety and Health Awaiting COVID-19 Test Results: It is critical that you do not send your child to school if they are awaiting results of a COVID-19 test or are exhibiting a new on-set of symptoms related to COVID-19.  Return to Work/School Flowchart: This important document guiding employees and students on when it is acceptable to come to school is regularly updated as the Tennessee Department of Health updates their guidance. To view the most recent document, click here.  As a reminder, If someone in the household tests positive for COVID-19, the student must quarantine an additional 14-days after the 10-day quarantine, as determined by the Montgomery County Health Department. During this time, students will be able to access instruction through the remote-learning platform.  Self-Screening: Self-screening is an essential tool in the mitigation of COVID-19 in schools this year. CMCSS students and staff should self-screen each morning, prior to arriving at any CMCSS facility. Please watch the following video:   Contact Information: It is critical that all CMCSS families make sure their PowerSchool information is up-to-date, to include a working phone number […]

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. Note:  The first curbside meal pick-up for virtual students will be on Tuesday, September 1st, from 1 pm to 2 pm. All criteria below apply. Pick-up at student’s home school on Monday’s (or first day of the school week): Virtual curbside meal pick-up will be on Monday (or the first day of the school week) between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.  Click here for a map of your child’s home school with an “X” indicating the location on the school campus where curbside pick-up will take place. Monday’s meals will include all breakfast and lunches for each scheduled school day of the week. Virtual meal pick-up occurring one day a week will help reduce the amount of time and travel required by virtual families to acquire meals. Students do not have to be present for meal pick-up: The pick-up person will need to provide the name of the student they are picking up for so virtual enrollment with CMCSS can be verified. The cost of meals is based on the student’s eligibility and their status (free, reduced, full pay) does apply: A free and reduced application can be filled out online at www.schoolcafe.com.  If an application is not submitted and approved, then the full price for each breakfast and lunch will be required.  Approved reduced and full-pay student’s accounts can be preloaded with the appropriate funds by going to www.schoolcafe.com. Weekly preloaded funds needed to receive virtual meals: Full-Pay = Middle/High $20.00 ($2.85 per lunch / $1.15 per breakfast) Elementary  $18.25 ($2.65 per lunch / $1.00 per breakfast) Reduced = Middle/High $3.50 ($ .40 per lunch / $ .30 per breakfast) Elementary […]

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. CMCSS K-12 Virtual Families: If you have not yet completed Learning Mentor training, please be sure to complete that no later than September 1, 2020. Traditional Families:  If you would like to understand how the online learning platforms work, some of this information may be useful to understand. Not all requirements will be applicable to traditional students. Learning Mentor training and a Learning Mentor website is available for mentors and parents! It is important for all Learning Mentors and parents/guardians of CMCSS K-12 Virtual students to complete the training by clicking the link below.  At the end of the training, you will be asked to complete an acknowledgment form. This will include verification that you have completed the training as well as a request to read, review, and provide a signature for the CMCSS Privacy Release, Consent, and Agreement for Virtual Classes/Groups. REMINDER: As soon as possible, please have your student turn on his or her computer and make sure it is working and they are able to login with the username and password.  This will help you make sure you are ready for Monday! If you have experienced technical problems, read through the troubleshooting guide here. CMCSS K-12 VIRTUAL FAMILY REQUIREMENTS: One form is to be completed for each student. Learning Mentor training is to be completed by September 1, 2020. LINKS: CMCSS K-12 Learning Mentor Training CMCSS K-12 Learning Mentor Website If you need assistance, you can visit one of our Live Assistance Zoom Rooms by clicking one of the links below.  If you do not have access to the internet, you may call our helpline at 931-920-7779.  Our help hours […]

All CMCSS K-12 students will have a laptop assigned for the 2020-2021 school year. The following information will assist with login information and general troubleshooting.

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. A Family Guide to Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²) – 2020-2021 School Year What is RTI²? Response to instruction and intervention is the way CMCSS intervenes with students who are struggling academically by focusing on quality core instruction and intervention of specific skill deficits. The purpose of RTI² is to intervene with students quickly in the area of need so skill deficit gaps do not develop as they progress through school. What does the RTI² Framework look like? The RTI² Framework has three tiers; each tier provides intensifying levels of support. In Tier l, all students receive evidence-based, high quality, general education standards-based instruction that incorporates ongoing universal screening and assessments to inform instruction. Tier I is another name for the regular core instruction all students get every year.  In Tier ll, students identified as having significant skill deficits receive intervention targeted to the specific area of need. Student progress is consistently monitored during intervention and decisions about tier movement are based on progress monitoring data. In Tier III, more intensive interventions are provided to students who have not made significant progress in Tier II, or who demonstrate a deficit significant enough to warrant immediate Tier III intervention. Students are monitored closely to determine if the intervention is effective. Movement from Tier III is dependent upon intervention success. Tier II and III intervention occur in addition to regular classroom instruction. Schools will communicate with parents in writing when students go into and out of intervention, as well as update progress during intervention. What are the key components of RTI²? RTI² has been around for many years and is proven to improve […]

CMCSS K-12 Virtual is a full-time school of choice, offering parents and students a comprehensive kindergarten through twelfth-grade virtual instruction program at no cost to families that can be accessed at any time and from anywhere during the regular school year.

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. Good evening, CMCSS families, Tonight, we have a few updates and several reminders for families. Thank you in advance for taking the time to thoroughly review today’s reopening update! Updates Metrics: CMCSS and the Montgomery County Health Department (MCHD) are, on a daily basis, reviewing the several COVID-19 metrics in Montgomery County. Regarding the % of COVID-19 in the community metric, MCHD informed CMCSS that there was a delay in the entry of recovered cases into the data system which directly affects the accuracy of the current number of active cases. Although Montgomery County has hovered right between low to medium spread, the percentage would be lower based on this information. The Tennessee Department of Health is actively updating the calculation. Because of this, MCHD does not recommend using the % of COVID-19 in the community as a basis for transitioning from traditional to remote. CMCSS and MCHD will continue reviewing multiple metrics and will be adding metrics over time such as employee and student absentee rates. CMCSS is continuing to move forward with a traditional reopening on Aug. 31 for families that chose that model for their child(ren). As always, families choosing traditional for their child(ren) should make preparations throughout the year in the event that individuals are quarantined and/or school buildings are closed and remote learning must take place. Quarantines: The 14-day quarantine period restarts any time an individual comes into close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Furthermore, a household contact is an individual who shares any living spaces with a case. This includes bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, kitchens, etc. Household contacts must be quarantined for 14 […]

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. Good evening, CMCSS families, As we get closer to the first day of school in just three short weeks, our community is experiencing a wide range of emotions from excitement to apprehension to fear. When the CMCSS Communicable Disease Team (CDT) made the decision to close schools on Fri., Mar. 13, I hoped and prayed that the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic would improve quickly in our community and across the globe. However, a few weeks later we had to close school buildings for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. Today, five months later, America is still in a national emergency. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advocated in late June that all policy considerations for the coming school year start with a goal of having students physically present in school, but CMCSS was already ahead of that guidance. Having served over 25 years in public education, I know how important it is to have students in the schoolhouse. My career as a teacher and principal began in high-needs, low-socioeconomic schools in Tulsa, OK. It was during these years that I came to understand that while educators must remain focused on the academic growth and achievement of each child, in order to meet those benchmarks, schools have to meet students’ other needs. School is a safe haven for many students. A place where they feel loved, appreciated, and empowered. A place where children can have access to meals, school counselors and nurses, the arts and physical education, reliable internet access, special services, and so much more. An environment where structure, self-discipline, soft skills, and social and emotional learning are taught and […]

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. Dear Parent/Guardian, On behalf of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS), we wanted to express our deep commitment to the well-being and safety of you and your family during the on-going pandemic. We know that many of you may still have questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your child’s education, including the supports and services provided through your child’s Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan. In the coming days, your child’s case manager will be reaching out to you in collaboration with other school personnel to develop a COVID-19 Continuous Learning Individualized Plan (CLIP). The CLIP does NOT replace the IEP nor 504, but instead documents how all services and supports in your child’s IEP or 504 plan will be implemented in a virtual environment. Please expect communication from your child’s case managers in the weeks to come. Thank you again for your consistent support of your child’s education. We look forward to continuing our partnership. Thank you, The Department of Special Populations and Student Support Services

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. Please see below for several reopening updates for all students with sections below for CMCSS K-12 Virtual and traditional-specific updates. Updates for ALL students: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Laptops for K-12 The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System will provide all K-12 students, both traditional and virtual, with a laptop for the 2020-21 academic year. CMCSS district leaders are committed to providing all students access to instruction no matter the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CMCSS Technology Department reallocated resources making it possible for kindergarten and first-grade students who chose the traditional model to now be assigned a device. In the event that a school may move to the remote learning model under the Continuum of Learning, traditional kindergarten and first-grade students will now be able to access online learning platforms from their school assigned laptops.  Technology Distribution Days Families can pick up devices during specified Technology Distribution Days, beginning on August 20. CMCSS parents and guardians will receive electronic communication, to include the Technology Usage Agreement and Protection Plan, in the coming days. These documents must be reviewed, signed, and returned electronically prior to the student receiving his/her laptop.  Technology distribution will occur at your student’s enrolled school. All traditional and CMCSS K-12 Virtual students can pick up their device on the following days:  August 20, 21, 24 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.  August 25 from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.  Parents should have a photo ID and their child(ren)’s name(s) and grade level(s). Students who still have textbooks, library books, or a technology device that CMCSS has indicated must be returned should bring all items to the Technology Distribution Day. Laptops will […]