CMS Engagement in Action!

Our Lunch & Learn sessions provide practical strategies, valuable information, and helpful resources to support your child’s success.

This November, take time to celebrate progress, stay connected with your child’s school, and continue building strong family-school partnerships. Together, we can keep learning, growing, and supporting every student on their journey to success! 🍂📚✨

For all virtual Lunch and Learns and Coffee Chats, families can log in using the url bit.ly/CMSFamilyAcademy each week. When prompted, enter your name so we know you're joining us!

November Lunch & Learn Sessions

November 5: Career & College Promise and Post Secondary Attainment

November 12: Close Reading Literacy Strategies at Home

November 19: Welcome to the LIbrary: Sharing OneAccess Resources

November Coffee Chats With Community

November 6: Making ParentSquare Work For You

November 10: SECU: Financial Wellness During the Holidays

November 17: Meaningful Medicine in CMS

November is Family Engagement Month, and it's time to level up! Throughout the month, CMS families are invited to complete weekly challenges designed to strengthen connections, support learning, and celebrate student success.

November 2-6

Families are encouraged to set aside 15 minutes to talk, listen, dream, and set a goal together. Meaningful conversations help build confidence, strengthen relationships, and support student success.

Suggested conversation starters:

• What makes you proud?

• What do you enjoy learning most?

• What does success look like to you?

📸 Families who complete the challenge can submit a selfie by November 6 for a chance to win a $50 gift card.

🔗 Submission Link: CMS Family Engagement Month Challenge

November 9-13

Families are encouraged to learn together by reading a book, playing a math game, or visiting the library. These simple learning experiences help reinforce academic skills while creating meaningful family connections.

📸 Families who complete the challenge can submit a selfie by November 13 for a chance to win a $50 gift card.

🔗 Submission Link: CMS Family Engagement Month Challenge

November 16-20

Families are encouraged to connect with their school by attending an event, volunteering, sending a positive note to a teacher, joining a parent meeting, or completing a Family Academy activity.

📸 Families who complete the challenge can submit a selfie by November 20 for a chance to win a $50 gift card.

🔗 Submission Link: CMS Family Engagement Month Challenge

At the Endless Possibilities Choice Fair, meet CMS school teams, explore academic programs and career pathways, and discover options that fit your child’s interests.

• Saturday, November 14 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
• Charlotte Convention Center, Hall A
• All families are welcome—including those exploring CMS for the first time!
• Learn more: https://www.cmsk12.org/academics/school-choice

Unable to attend the fair, but interested in learning more? Check out Family Academy: CMS School Choice Lottery Explained: What to Expect at Eve

Have questions? CMS CROWN Ambassadors are fellow CMS parents who can help connect you with the right resources, services, and information for your Family.

Bring your student for homework help, and stop by to talk with a CROWN Ambassador about district resources to support your student at home.

• South County Regional Library, November 9th from 4:30 PM- 6:30 PM

• North County Regional Library, November 17th from 4:00 PM- 6:00 PM

• University City Regional Library, November 18th from 4:00 PM- 7:00 PM

Homework help will also be available to your child at this time. Pre-register through the Library website: bit.ly/CMLibrarycalendar

Join us for the Northern Regional Roundup on Saturday, November 14, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Huntersville Recreation Center (11836 Verhoeff Dr). Hosted by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, this free event brings the community together to explore municipal services, discover local programs, and enjoy family activities, games, giveaways, and student performances. Attendees can meet local elected leaders, including CMS Board Member Dr. Charlitta Hatch, City Council Member Renee Johnson, and Mayors Christy Clark (Huntersville), Rusty Knox (Davidson), and Dennis Bilodeau (Cornelius). Admission is free and open to all residents. Reserve your spot today at bit.ly/northern-roundup.

The Bulb brings barrier-free mobile farmers' markets to neighborhoods across Charlotte all year long. No sign-up. No ID. No cost. Just fresh food for all, shared with dignity-no questions asked. Each week, The Bulb hosts outdoor markets full of fresh, nutritious produce. You’ll find a rotating mix of seasonal fruits, veggies, herbs, and more.

Check out the Bulb's schedule to see when they’ll be in your neighborhood.

Mecklenburg County is prepared to support food resources that can assist residents who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. SNAP benefits are currently suspended due to the federal government shutdown. To provide relief to residents who need emergency food assistance, Mecklenburg County is approving funding to support multiple efforts:

• Expand food pantry resources

• Provide 28,000 additional 7-day food boxes to be distributed by Nourish Up.

• Secure additional food to maximize all available space at food pantries at Mecklenburg County’s Community Resource Centers.

• New emergency food assistance

• Provide $50 food-only gift cards to any resident newly approved for emergency SNAP benefits (about 400 per week).

• Provide SNAP Double Bucks incentive at local farmers markets

• Provide special one-time $50 farmers market vouchers to eligible SNAP households (about 2,000 vouchers total).

• Expand community food distribution

• Expand mobile market food distribution for SNAP-eligible seniors with additional food supply and service time.

• Holiday turkey distribution at the Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center on Nov. 22, serving about 1,000 households.

• Collect emergency food resources

• Food donation boxes at designated Park and Recreation and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library locations to support local food pantries.

• NEW online portal for financial donations to benefit Nourish Up: NourishUp.org/Meck-Cares

Here are resources and trusted partners where SNAP participants can find information about food and pantries, and where other residents can find information about volunteering or supporting financially:

• United Way’s NC 211: Dial 211 or visit NC211.org

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (no walk-ups, click “Need Food?”)

• Nourish Up: Find a Pantry, a list of community pantries

• Hearts & Hands Food Pantry

• Hope Street Food Pantry

• Feeding Charlotte

• Ada Jenkins Center

• Angels & Sparrows

• Christ the King Food Pantry

For the latest updates on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), developments related to the federal suspension of benefits, and food resources and emergency assistance in Mecklenburg County, visit MeckNC.gov.

November is National Family Engagement Month! This is the perfect time for families in the Charlotte area to connect through creative workshops, seasonal festivals and hands-on learning. Here’s a look at family-focused events happening across Charlotte in November:

• Morrison YMCA Fall Festival

• Date & Time: Sunday, November 1, 2026 | 11:30 AM

• Venue: Morrison Family YMCA (9405 Bryant Farms Rd, Charlotte, NC)

• Cost: Free community admission

• Description: A seasonal outdoor gathering designed entirely for family engagement. Highlights include hay rack rides, kid-centric games, a marketplace, food trucks, a live band, and a community chili cook-off.

• Jingle Bowl Holiday Kickoff

• Date & Time: Saturday, November 21, 2026 | 11:00 AM

• Venue: The Bowl at Ballantyne (15119 Bowl St, Charlotte, NC)

• Cost: Free entry (First-come, first-served activities)

• Description: Kick off the holiday season with the family. The afternoon includes free selfies with Santa Claus, custom holiday crafts, interactive appearances by the Frozen Princesses, and a live DJ.

• Family First: Sewn Stories - Textile Memory Garden

• Date & Time: Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 12:00 PM

• Venue: Harvey B. Gantt Center (551 S Tryon St, Uptown Charlotte)

• Cost: Registration required via Eventbrite

• Description: An all-ages, collaborative art workshop where families explore themes of family heritage, identity, and belonging. Participants use mixed media and textile arts to construct meaningful, fiber-based pieces of art.

• Candy Cane Sleighs Craft Workshop

• Date & Time: Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 1:30 PM

• Venue: Charlotte Studio Artists (3045 N Davidson St, NoDa)

• Cost: Craft materials provided

• Description: A hands-on, sweet holiday crafting session tailored for young creators and their parents. Instructors guide you through using candy and winter decorations to construct miniature edible holiday sleighs.

• Family Storytime with Erin Goldman

• Date & Time: Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 10:30 AM

• Venue: Park Road Books (4139 Park Rd, Freedom Park)

• Cost: Free

• Description: A casual indoor literary event featuring local Charlotte author Erin Goldman. It provides a relaxed environment designed for parents and early readers to engage over interactive storytelling.

• Free Community Parent & Youth Meet & Greet

• Date & Time: Saturday, November 21, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

• Venue: South Boulevard Library (4429 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC)

• Cost: Free

• Description: Hosted by Q.B. Generational Change Inc., this event targets families with teenagers (ages 13–21). Parents and teens can enjoy light refreshments, pick up welcome swag bags, give direct feedback on what youth programs they want in the community, and learn about local academic resources.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library staff will come to your school to lead a fun, one-hour Read Together Workshop! During the workshop, parents and caregivers learn simple ways to:

• make reading fun and keep children interested

• ask questions and talk about books together

• build reading skills through reading aloud

• keep enjoying books together, even as children

are already reading on their own. Children and adults will practice together during the workshop and will be sent home with free books to keep! Come read, learn, and have fun together!

Schedule your Active Reading Workshop using the QR code found on the flyer, or by emailing Elyse Farmer, Program Coordinator, at efarmer@cmlibrary.org

Read Together Flyer

Looking for a fun way to engage your student over the Thanksgiving break? Here are 10 Easy Thanksgiving recipes you can use to involve your student in the cooking process while practicing real-world math and organizational strategies.

Looking for resources in your home language?

Visit: CMS Learning and Language Acquisition Webpage

Infinite Campus is our new student information system for this school year! Just like PowerSchool last year, Infinite Campus gives families easy access to important information—announcements, assignments, attendance, grades, your child’s schedule, and so much more—all in one convenient place.

The instructions for creating your Parent Portal account and completing your back-to-school forms are below. Please carefully review them. Be sure to enter your student's full legal name.

English Version

Arabic Version

Chinese Version

French Version

Hindi Version

Portuguese Version

Russian Version

Spanish Version

Tamil Version

Telugu Version

Ukrainian Version

Vietnamese Version

CMS Family and Community Engagement is excited to support and promote family engagement opportunities within the community. From hosting professional learning sessions to sharing resources and engaging with your organization, we are here to support you! Please complete the form linked below to engage with our team related to your upcoming event. A member of our team will connect with the point of contact listed in the form.

https://bit.ly/CMSCommunityEngagementEvents

CMS Family and Community Engagement

Email: familyengagement@cms.k12.nc.us

Website: CMS Family and Community Engagement

Facebook: facebook.com/CMScpfe