January 2021 News

CMCSS will be hosting multiple parent information sessions meant to explore the non-traditional high school opportunities available to your child as he or she enters junior year.

The session on Monday, February 1 beginning at 6:00 p.m., will be geared toward students interested in the non-traditional early post-secondary options of the Middle College at Austin Peay and the Early Technical College at TCAT. The general session will also include a brief overview of each program and look into the application process, followed by time to visit individual information breakout rooms run by representatives from each of the non-traditional offerings. Click the following link to access that session on February 1 at 6:00 p.m.:

Virtual Session for Non-Traditional Offerings (click here)

The sessions below will focus on the updated CMCSS K-12 Virtual school.

• January 27 at 6:00 p.m.
• February 4 at 9:00 a.m.
• February 10 at 6:00 p.m.

To access the Zoom meetings and learn more about K-12 Virtual school visit https://www.cmcss.net/k-12virtual/.

For more information on Open Enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year, visit the 2021-2022 Open Enrollment page.

Applications are now open for the Teacher Residency Programs within the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. The programs allow community members, current CMCSS employees, and high school seniors a non-traditional approach to becoming a teacher.

“It’s about investing in your own community with an apprenticeship approach to developing teachers,” stated Dr. Sean Impeartrice, Chief Academic Officer for CMCSS.

Residents work towards their licensure, degree, and/or certification while gaining first-hand experience as an Educational Assistant within the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. This experience provides instructional and non-instructional support to students while learning best practices for a career in education from a certified CMCSS educator.

Now in its third year of the program, CMCSS has partnered with several colleges and universities in the surrounding area, including Austin Peay State University, Nashville State Community College, and Lipscomb University. Residents incur no expenses for tuition or textbooks.

“We are proactively addressing the national teacher shortage,” said Dr. Phyllis Casebolt, Director of Federal Projects, including the Teacher Residency Programs. “These programs provide residents an opportunity to work with high-performing teachers while completing the requirements to earn a teaching license.  Wrap-around supports are in place to ensure the academic success of the residents.  Our district recognizes the positive impact of employees committed to meeting the needs of all students.”

There are three teacher residency pathways available for the 2021-2022 school year: Early-Learning Teacher Residency in partnership with Nashville State Community College and Austin Peay State University, Lipscomb Teacher Residency, and Lipscomb Middle Teacher Residency in partnership with Lipscomb University.

Applications for community members are due February 10, 2021. High School seniors must submit their applications by March 5, 2021. All applications and required paperwork can be found on the district website, www.cmcss.net/trp.

“I’ve always had a passion for teaching since I was little. This was an excellent opportunity that I could not pass up,” said Ms. Raquel Blackley, a Teacher Resident who is currently serving at West Creek Elementary School.

Each program’s eligibility criteria and requirements can be found on the district website, www.cmcss.net/trp, along with videos and links to frequently asked questions. For more information, email the Teacher Pipeline Facilitators at [email protected].

Northwest High AP Chemistry students did not need to travel far to receive the field trip of a lifetime. In December, the students, who are members of the Health Science Academy, had the chance to speak with Dr. Alex Jahangir, MD, MMHC.

Dr. Alex Jahangir is the chief of Nashville’s Coronavirus Task Force, Director of Orthopedic Trauma at Vanderbilt Medical Center, a professor at Vanderbilt University, and chairman of Nashville Metro’s Board of Health. 

Ms. Winstead and Dr. Jahangir are alumni of the same high school, and she seized the opportunity to request 15-20 minutes of his time for her students. Dr. Jahangir spent nearly 45 minutes listening to students and answering their questions. 

Ms. Ginna Winstead, the Chemistry teacher at NWHS, said, “When I announced this opportunity to my class, they were in disbelief that they would be able to speak to someone they see in the news on a daily basis. As one student put it, ‘He’s a local medical celebrity.’” 

During the call, they learned about the vaccine roll out to the public and misconceptions about COVID-19. Dr. Jahangir spoke candidly to the students about how to handle a high-stress career in the public eye and how to use your career to give back to the community.

Many of these students are considering careers in Health Science. Dr. Jahangir’s first-hand knowledge was invaluable. 

As members of the Health Science Academy, they appreciated the opportunity to inquire about the always-changing and advancing field of medicine from a physician who has become pivotal in our region during the pandemic. 

Since the conversation, other health science classes have shared the Zoom recording with more students. 

Dr. Jahangir later tweeted out that he hopes “to call them colleagues in the future”. 

As CMCSS implements its phased return to in-person learning the week of Jan. 25, the district’s Communicable Disease Team has approved a plan to allow a limited number of household spectators at athletic events. The following protocols will be in place at all CMCSS-hosted athletic events effective Mon., Jan. 25:

• Two (2) household members per student-athlete from both the home team and visiting team are allowed to be in attendance.
  • TSSAA defines “household member” as the student’s parents/guardians or other immediate household members. TSSAA has recently extended this to include grandparents.
  • Each school will communicate protocols for students and visiting teams to turn in the names of spectators for each contest.
• All spectators are expected to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms prior to the game and not attend if any such symptoms exist.
• All spectators are required to wear a mask the entire game.
• All spectators are required to be physically distanced the entire game.
• All spectators will be screened before entry into the facility, including temperature checks.
• Facilities will be cleaned by custodial staff after each game.

As TSSAA stated, those who fail to follow protocols are hurting all of our student-athletes and their possibility of completing the season. CMCSS has the authority to enforce health and safety guidelines for spectators and the right to remove spectators who do not adhere to the guidelines. Additionally, school and district leaders have the authority to prohibit spectators if there are concerns. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support.

For more information on the Safety & Health protocols for Traditional Students, please click here.

As a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, January 18 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King., Jr. Day. Classes for all students will resume on Tuesday, January 19, with traditional students continuing to learn remotely.

As we shared before Winter Break, the district has a contingency plan for a prioritized return to in-person learning for our youngest students. On Monday, January 25, CMCSS Pre-K through sixth-grade traditional students will return to in-person learning. Seventh through twelfth-grade traditional students will continue learning remotely until further notice. Next week, schools will be reaching out to parents and guardians of students in seventh through twelfth grade who are in self-contained, special populations classrooms to share more information about a phased return to in-person learning the week of January 25. After evaluating this phased return, the district will share more information about the return to in-person learning for all traditional students in upper grades.  

On average, there have been around 300 more students per grade level impacted by COVID-19 cases in the district’s upper grades than lower grades. CMCSS is prioritizing an in-person return for younger students and those in self-contained classrooms due to the greater difficulty distance learning poses for these students, the lower transmission rates among younger children, and the greater childcare burden placed on families with younger children. The district is hopeful this phased approach will help address staffing issues due to COVID-19 related leave and the substitute shortage that are expected to continue as the pandemic still exists.

Due to the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic, families should always have plans in the event that school buildings are closed and remote learning must take place. Additionally, the Tennessee Department of Health’s requirements for contact tracing and quarantines are still in place. Therefore, families should have plans in the event a child must transition to remote learning due to being a close contact to a positive case. 

Finally, as Onsite Employee Health and Wellness partners with the Montgomery County Health Department to distribute vaccines to CMCSS employees in the coming weeks, the potential exists that schools will temporarily transition to remote learning in order to expedite the vaccination process. The Communications Department will communicate with families as soon as plans are finalized.

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System offers several non-traditional schools and programs of choice for students. Read below for more information on these innovative programs designed to provide families the opportunity to choose schools and programs that will help their children reach their potential. Please note that CMCSS will not be offering open enrollment in specific grade levels at select schools for the 2021-2022 school year. Unless otherwise noted, the application period is January 15 through February 15, 2021.

CMCSS K-12 Virtual

CMCSS K-12 Virtual is an at-home educational experience that provides families the opportunity for both structure and flexibility in learning. Students accepted into CMCSS K-12 Virtual will be immersed in direct instruction from CMCSS teachers and also provided the opportunity for independent application of skills. Previous CMCSS K-12 Virtual participants will be screened to determine successful participation in the virtual setting.

Eligibility: CMCSS incoming kindergartener through 12th grader who is self-motivated, organized, and, with the help of teachers and learning mentors, can take responsibility for their own learning
Application Deadline: Feb. 15, 2021
Application Link: Click here for the online application.

For more information, visit cmcss.net/k-12virtual.

Moore Magnet Elementary STEM School

STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, is embedded kindergarten through 5th grade at Moore. Students apply the knowledge they gain across the curriculum to solve challenges aligned with real-world problems tied to local community issues. Moore was one of the first schools in the state to receive the prestigious Tennessee STEM School Designation. Additionally, Moore was the first Montgomery County Green Certified School.

Eligibility: CMCSS incoming kindergartener through 5th grader
Application Deadline: Feb. 15, 2021
Application Link: Click here for the online application.
For more information, visit mooremagnetelem.cmcss.net.

Barksdale Elementary Spanish Immersion

The Spanish Immersion program is a proven method of educating children by immersing them in the Spanish language so they become bilingual. In a language immersion program, the classroom environment becomes the setting for language acquisition through subject content instruction, educational discourse, and social interactions. In the 2021-2022 school year, the Spanish Immersion Program will be enrolling a limited number of kindergarten students. Students who enter the program need to be committed to continuing Spanish dual-language learning through 5th grade at Barksdale.

Eligibility: CMCSS incoming kindergartner; early literacy benchmark screening required
Application Deadline: Feb. 15, 2021
Application Link: Click here for the online application.

For more information, visit cmcss.net/immersion.

Academies of CMCSS

College and career academies are schools within a school, aligned to a specific career theme. They are college and career preparatory small learning communities in which students focus their core class experience around a common career interest. Students share many of the same teachers, allowing educators to collaborate with each other in the coordination of lesson planning and classroom activities that align with the academy theme. Incoming high school freshmen will have the opportunity to apply to eight different college and career academies across the district. Rising sophomores interested in joining an Academy should talk with their school counselor.

Eligibility: CMCSS incoming 9th grader
Application Deadline: Feb. 15, 2021
Application Link: Click here for the online application.
Virtual Open House: Click here to explore each Academy.

For more information, visit cmcss.net/academies.

Middle College at Austin Peay State University (APSU)

Middle College is a unique collaborative program between CMCSS and Austin Peay State University. This program enables junior and senior high school students to complete a high school education while receiving direct and invaluable access to free college courses at the same time, while on a college campus. Through grants and scholarships, Middle College students are not required to pay tuition nor do they incur the expense of college textbooks.

Eligibility: CMCSS incoming 11th grader; 2.85 GPA or higher; maturity for a college environment; good attendance and behavior; and on track to graduate
Application Dates: Rolling Admissions Process
Application Link: Click here for the online application.

For more information, visit middlecollege.cmcss.net.

Early Technical College at Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT)

The Early Technical College at TCAT is a unique, hands-on learning experience that allows students a no-cost opportunity to work towards an industry certification while also completing the necessary high school courses for graduation in the state of TN. Students can choose one option from four pathways, earning up to two certifications for the chosen pathway. Students who qualify can use funding from TNPromise to complete TCAT diplomas following HS graduation.

Eligibility: CMCSS incoming 11th grader; 2.2 GPA or higher; maturity for a college environment; good attendance and behavior; and on track to graduate
Application Dates: Rolling Admission Process
Application Link: Click here for the online application. 

For more information, visit cmcss.net/tcat.

CMCSS students’ report cards for the second nine weeks of the 2020-21 school year will be available on Monday, January 11. Since traditional students are learning remotely at this time, report cards will not be printed by the school. Report cards can be accessed online using the CMCSS Parent Self-Service webpage – parents.cmcss.net.

If you have any issues accessing your child’s report card using CMCSS Parent Self-Service, please contact your child’s enrolled school.