Musketeer Memo

You’re Invited!

Join us for our Title 1A Meeting on Thursday, August 18th at 5:30 PM in the Cheatham Middle School Library. This will follow the PTO meeting at 5 PM!

We’ll share important information about our Title 1 program, school goals for the year, and ways families can partner with us to support student success.

Light refreshments will be served, and we’d love to see you there!

Cheatham Middle School Library

August 18 | 5:30 PM

Dear Cheatham County families,

As part of the Acceleration for All initiative from the Tennessee Department of Education, the Cheatham County School District is working to provide extended planning and collaboration opportunities for our teachers across the district.

This collaborative effort with our general education, English Learners, and Special Education departments will help ensure our instructional planning best meets the needs of all students. These extended planning sessions will allow teachers from across our school district to work together during this dedicated time.

On Wednesday, August 27, we will implement the first of our extended planning days as part of this initiative. Please note the following schedule changes for our high schools. We will only be running this adjusted schedule twice during the school year as we pilot this new process. (The second date will be Wednesday, January 28.)

High Schools

Affected Schools: Harpeth High School, Cheatham County Central High School, and Sycamore High School

• Classes will begin at 9:45 a.m. (two-hour delay)
• Bus transportation will run on the normal schedule
• Students may choose to arrive at 7:15 a.m. as usual - staff members will be available to supervise and assist with work and assignments
• Students may also choose to arrive at 9:45 a.m. when classes officially begin

Middle Schools

Middle school schedules will NOT change. While Acceleration for All planning sessions will take place at middle schools, this will not affect the regular school schedule, the student expectation for attendance, or the academic day for the students.

• All middle school students should report to school at the normal time (7:15-7:45 a.m.)
• Classes and regular activities will proceed as scheduled

Elementary Schools

Elementary schools are not affected in any way by these changes and will operate as normal.

Important Reminder

Middle school schedules remain unchanged. All middle school students are expected to report to school at the normal time (7:15-7:45 a.m.) and follow their regular schedule. High school schedules are adjusted. High school students may report at 9:45 a.m. when classes begin, but they are still welcome to report at the regular time as supervision will be available.

We appreciate your understanding as we work to enhance our educational programming through this pilot initiative. If you have any questions, please contact your child's school directly.

Thank you for your continued support.

Cheatham County Schools

Cheatham County families:

The Cheatham County School District will be closed on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, and Tuesday, December 2, 2025, for the primary and general elections, respectively, for the open 7th District U.S. Congressional seat.

Four of our schools – East Cheatham Elementary School, West Cheatham Elementary School, Sycamore High School and Harpeth High School – are used as voting precincts.

These closures will ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff while our campuses are open to the public for the elections.

We will be using two of our stockpile days for these closures. Our daycares will be open on regular hours on both days.

Additionally, we are moving our senior ACT retake date from Tuesday, October 7, 2025, to Wednesday, October 8, 2025, due to our closure for the primary election.

These changes were made after we printed our calendar, which all students/families recently received. We wanted to let you know about these changes so you can mark on your calendar and plan accordingly.

As always, we appreciate your support and understanding!

Cheatham Achievers starts Monday, August 18th! If your student is registered, you should have received an email last week. If your student is not yet registered, you can still turn in those forms; we are happy to have your students join us!

We are hosting a parent orientation night Monday, August 18th at 5pm in the library. Please email miraya.mclaughlin@ccstn.org with any questions or concerns.

We are excited to continue offering the Cheatham Achievers program for the 2025-2026 school year! We will be accepting applications for the next few months, but our start date is August 18, so the sooner you register, the better. Please reach out to your student's homeroom teacher for more information, or contact the site director, Miraya McLaughlin, at miraya.mclaughlin@ccstn.org. We are looking forward to working with you and your students this year!

Who’s got it going on?

FIFTH GRADE HAS GOT IT GOING ON!

This morning, we had our first pep rally of the year where we recognized our fall athletes and debuted our new Musketeers Spirit Stick (thanks Mrs. Miller). It was a great morning that ended with the FIFTH GRADE shutting down the older kids and bring the spirit stick home!

Teams Recognized:

Cheerleading

Football

Cross Country

Volleyball

Girls Soccer

• Hats, hoods, caps, other headwear, and sunglasses are not to be worn in the building
• The length of skirts, dresses, shorts and holes in jeans/pants must be a minimum of 5 inches from the knee
• Shirts, tops, blouses, etc. with a bare midriff or revealing neckline are not allowed
• Students are prohibited from wearing attire that depicts or promotes violence, alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. Apparel featuring weapons, regardless of context, is also prohibited. Apparel with school approved logo is permitted.
• No gang affiliated clothing
• Students are prohibited from wearing clothing with suggestive, crude, rude, racial, or discriminatory statements. Apparel displaying the rebel flag is also prohibited.
• Shoes must be worn by all students
• House shoes/slippers are not permitted
• No heavy chains, spikes, or other items that cause a safety concern
• Sagging is not allowed
• No sleeveless shirts with excessively large or revealing sleeve openings
• No tube tops, see through tops. mesh tops, or spaghetti strap shirts allowed.
• Straps on shirt must be the width of a dollar bill o With a sheer outer shirt, the under shirt must meet dress code requirements
• Trench coats are not permitted
• Students should not wear clothing that resembles pajamas or underwear
• Students may not mark or draw on others or themselves

REVTRAK TAKES ONLINE PAYMENTS

We want to remind our families that they can pay online for just about anything school related (such as school meals, club/organization events, supplies, laptops, class fees, etc.) via our RevTrak payment system. We have individual school links on the district website. To access the RevTrak system, click here.

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) released individual student TCAP reports through the TCAP Family Portal earlier this month. The TCAP Family Portal link can be found here. To access the portal, users will need the student's unique student ID (USID) to log in. A student's USID is available in Skyward under Student Information, labeled "TN#." Using the USID, new users may create an account and returning users may log in to their existing accounts. According to the TDOE, the portal provides resources for families, including personalized student reports, sample questions and historical data. Families will still receive paper copies for 2025 TCAP score reports after students return for the new school year.

We will continue to take cash, credit cards and GoFan at our middle and high school athletic events this year. The GoFan links can be found here. Also, we are offering discounted student tickets at our athletic events this year:

• All children in K-4th grade: Free entrance in all CCSD sports
• CCSD students 5th-12th grade with school ID: $3
• CCSD students 5th-12th grade without school ID: Full price (no badge, no discount)
• Visiting students 5th-12th grade: Full price

*IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN, COUGAR FAMILY!*

West Cheatham Cheer and Basketball Sign-Ups are officially OPEN!

WHO: Cheerleaders in grades K–6th or Basketball 3-6th

WHERE: Sign up through the link!

Cheerleading: https://forms.gle/afKJ39rR22QQP7xw9

Basketball: https://forms.gle/amHWhi21ZSNj7iTj9

Our athletes don’t just learn the game—they build confidence, teamwork, responsibility, and leadership on and off the court!

Come be part of the magic. Let’s make this season one to remember! GO COUGARS!

Questions? Email us at westcheathamcheer@gmail.com

The 2025-2026 application for free and reduced meals is now available. It is extremely important that all families who believe their children qualify for free or reduced meals complete the application. Only one application per family is needed. If you qualified for free/reduced in the past, the application must be submitted within 30 operating days of the new year or the student will be moved from free/reduced to paying beginning September 18. Applications can be completed online via Skyward. Printed applications are available at each school. Applications must be submitted and approved each school year for a student to receive benefits. Families can click here for more information, including a Frequently Asked Questions document about free and reduced-price school meals and a free and reduced-price application (both in English and Spanish). Contact the School Nutrition Department at 615-746-1411 with questions or for assistance.

August

17 PTO/family advisory night at 5pm

September

1 Labor Day (no school)

5 Grandparents Day

12 Progress Reports

12 Picture Day

16 IT Professionals Day

22 Family advisory night/PTO/Book Fair Night

19th-26th Fall Book Fair

24 Early Dismissal (11:45 dismissal)

24 See You At The Pole

October

2 National Custodian’s Day

2 BLU Group Family Night in MPR 5:30 PM

8 Fall Concert at 6 pm in the MPR

10 Super Fun Day/ Student recognition Pep rally

13-17 Fall Break

24 Report Cards

24 Trunk or Treat

November

2 National School Psychology Day

3 Parent Teacher Conference (NO Students, NO Assistants)

10 Veterans Program

11 Veteran’s Day (No School)

13 Thanksgiving Lunch District

17 PTO/family advisory night at 5pm

21 Progress Reports

26-28 Thanksgiving Break (no school)

December

3 Early Dismissal (11:45 dismissal)

8 Winter Dress rehearsal from 3-5 pm in the gym

10 Winter Concert at 6:30 pm in the gym

12 Academic Field Trip (City Forum)

18 Super fun day

19 Half Day Dismissal/ Pep rally (10:45 dismissal)

22 December – 5 January Winter Break

January

6 Students report

9 Report Cards

19 MLK Day (No School)

22 8th grade High School Trip/Parent Night

February

2-6 National School Counselors week

6 Progress Report

11 Early Dismissal (11:45 Dismissal)

13 SRO Appreciation Day

13th-23rd Spring Book Fair

16 Presidents Day(No School)

26 Multicultural night

March

2-6 National School Breakfast Week

3-7 Book Fair

6 Maintenance Day

13 Report Cards

18 Early Dismissal (11:45 dismissal)

24 PTO/family advisory night at 5pm

26 Super fun day

April

1 Paraprofessional Day

3 Librarian Day

5 Asst principal week

13-24 TCAP Testing

17 Progress reports

22 Administrative Asst day

23 BLU Group Family Night 5:30

28 School Bus Appreciation day

28 5th grade Field day

27 6th grade Field day

29 8th grade Field day

30 7th grade Field day

30 4th grade tours/night 5:30-7

May

1 Special Olympics

1 Lunch Hero Day

4 Super fun day

8 Academic Field Trip (City Forum)

11 Day of Awesome

4-8 Teacher appreciation week

5 no school

13 senior walk

15 8th grade Formal

18 8th grade grad

19 5-7 awards

ESS is currently taking substitute applications for the 2024-2025 school year in the Cheatham County School District. This year, the company is excited to announce that it has increased daily rates for both non-certified and certified substitutes so start your application today. For questions, contact Carly Moore at cmoore@ess.com.

Principal

Jason Pierschbacher

jason.pierschbacher@ccstn.org

Assistant Principal

Kristina Pardue

kristina.pardue@ccstn.org

Dean of Students

Jodi Miller

jodi.miller@ccstn.org

Guidance

For more information regarding counseling services, please reach out to our counselors.

5th/6th Grade Erica Delavergne at erica.delavergne@ccstn.org

7th/8th Grade Ashley Lockert at ashley.lockert@ccstn.org

Mission

At CMS, our mission is to teach the literacy and numeracy skills necessary to enable our students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers for the 21st Century.

Vision

To be recognized as an exemplary middle school known for delivering students that are academically, socially, and emotionally prepared for high school.

700 Scoutview Dr
Ashland City, TN 37015

PH: (615) 792-2334

FX: (615) 792-2337