CFK Leopard Tales

If you arrive at school after 7:40am and there is no adult on duty in the carpool loop, you need to park your vehicle and walk your child into the front office for their supervision and safety. Thank you in advance for your support in this matter.

• Tardies begin at 7:40am. An adult will need to sign the student in at this time.
  

• Excessive tardies will be reviewed under the choice option for attendance to a magnet program.

Please see important attendance information below:

Attendance Phase I:

Attendance & Tardies/Early Dismissals- This phase begins with 6 absences (verified or unverified) or 6 tardies/early dismissals.

Attendance Phase II:

Attendance & Tardies/Early Dismissals- This phase begins with 11 absences (verified or unverified) or 11 tardies/early dismissals.

Attendance Phase III:

Attendance & Tardies/Early Dismissals- This phase begins with the violation of the Attendance Improvement Plan (ex: exceeding the listed further tardies/absences/early dismissals allowed in the AIP for the rest of the school year).

**** State law requires students in kindergarten through 12th grade to attend school a minimum of 170 of the school year’s 180 days to receive credit for the academic year.

• Students can be absent for no more than 10 days per school year.

• A note from a parent/guardian or certified medical practitioner must be submitted to the school immediately or within 5 days upon the return of the student. Failure to provide notes within 5 day time frame may result in an absence being considered as Unverified.

• Richland School District 2 Attendance Information

*** You should receive an automated email or message from Parent Square the day of your child's absence. You can respond directly to this message in Parent Square providing the excuse information. If you have a medical note, please email and/or send in all medical notes to our Attendance Secretary, Mrs. Carter, at tacarter@richland2.org upon your return.

Thank you.

Please note that students who are NOT in our aftercare program or special after school programs, should be picked up no later than 2:50pm every day. Excessive late pickups will be reviewed under the choice option for attendance to a magnet program.

Thank you in advance for your support in this matter.

Spring Semester tuition has already been posted.

25-26 Aftercare Payment Schedule

Payments are made online through Parent Portal or you may pay by cash or check (made out to CFK) here in the office.

Payment is due Monday each week. Accounts must be kept current in order for your child(ren) to remain in the aftercare program. Payment is still required the weeks your child does not attend aftercare. Payment will hold their place in our program.

Aftercare Parents, if there is a change in transportation this must be coordinated with the office before 2 pm.

For additional information, please see our Aftercare Handbook.

When: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 6:00pm-6:35pm

Where: EL Wright Middle School Gym

**** Enjoy the Art Show at CFK in the Multipurpose Room from 5:00pm-8:00pm!

THANK YOU again to Biscuitville for providing sausage and butter biscuits for our staff! What a wonderful treat!

We would love to invite you to become a part of the CFK and CFK North Family! Please complete this form for your group, business, or organization to establish a partnership with Center for Knowledge and Center for Knowledge North. Thank you in advance for your willingness to support and become a valued member of our school community.

As a reminder, we encourage you to check your Parent Portal accounts periodically to stay updated on any new fees and ensure timely payment.

Please remember that if you chose to pay for this year's Field Studies in three installments, the final installment is due on April 13, 2026.

• Remember all students will take their IDs home and return to school with it each day.

• Student IDs are expected to be worn for the entire duration of the school day each day from the time students arrive on campus until the end of the school day.

• IDs are not required during aftercare.

• As of Tuesday, September 2, 2025, any student who does not have an ID will be sent to the office at the conclusion of the Morning Announcements. At that time:

  • A temporary 1 day ID will be issued. The student's Parent Portal account will be charged $1.00.

  • After 5 consecutive days with a temporary ID, a new permanent ID will be created and issued to the child. The student’s Parent Portal account will be charged $5.00.

• Note: The bead on the lanyard should be worn behind the student’s neck to avoid risk of choking. This bead will allow you to adjust the length of the lanyard based on the size of the child.

**** A helpful tip is to encourage your child to place their ID in their bookbag as soon as they get home each day, so it’s ready for the next morning and less likely to be forgotten.

Thank you for your support in helping us keep things running smoothly for our students.

Please remember to respect the privacy of all students and families.

You’re welcome to take photos or videos of your own child, but we ask that you avoid photographing or posting images of other students on social media.

Thank you for helping us protect every student’s privacy.

Happy March to all our CFK Families! We have lots of upcoming fun activities and events in the next few months that we are looking forward to sharing with you all!

• Leopard Ball was a HUGE success! Everyone “Glowed Up” in their neon best and it was a great time! Lots of dancing, neon lights and fun times shared by all! A BIG THANK YOU to our Leopard Ball Chairs & Committee, and to all our Parents who volunteered throughout the day and night- we couldn’t do it without ya’ll and all your support!

Be on the lookout for Teacher Appreciation Week information coming home in PCF Folders and posted through Parent Square & Social Media! There are plenty of opportunities to show our teachers, admin and staff just how appreciated they are throughout the week. Let’s show our Teachers, staff and admin just how much we love them!

Click on the PDF below to access all links for Teacher Appreciation Week sign ups!

PTA was able to spoil our Teachers/ staff with a fun Valentine’s Day Treat this month. A bagel bar, fun coffee drinks and some little Valentine’s treats the teachers got to enjoy throughout the day! We Love our Teachers!

• Our Book-vending machine: We love watching the students pick their books! It is something all the students look forward to when their birthday comes around (or when we work in the summer birthdays). Remember you can always donate towards the Book Vending Machine fund on our PTA storefront.

• Remember you can always sign up to become a PTA member and support the PTA. Reach out to cfkpta@gmail.com with any questions. Givebacks

• Show your school spirit- School t-shirts (short and long sleeve) are available for purchase online. Please visit our CFK Storefront to purchase spirit wear. CFK Storefront Remember, spirit wear can be worn on uniform days.

• Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about PTA or if you would like to get more involved; please email cfkpta@gmail.com

Check out Mrs. Minkel's Counselor's Corner Website for more information and resources!

**Unsure if you have already purchased? Log into Parent Portal, under Student Fees and click Paid. Here you will see everything you have Paid for this school year. Have questions, email or message Mrs. Carter at tacarter@richland2.org .

Registration for camps is open now! See https://www.thestemlabsc.org/ for options.

Please see the CFK breakfast and lunch menus below.

CFK Breakfast and Lunch Menus

Please see the R2 Student Information Update website for any Directory Information or directions for changing/updating your preferences in Parent Portal.

Families, please keep in mind the implementation of Free to Focus. In addition to the abundance of communication that has been shared districtwide via ParentSquare, there is also an FAQ section on R2's Free to Focus Webpage.

Thank you so much for your support!

Our school website can be located at https://www.cfk.richland2.org/. Just hover over and click on the header words "Our School," "Academics," and "Families" in the top banner area of the website to access important school information.

March

3: Erin Soderberg Downing Author Visit

3: MedElementary Partnership Event

4: SC Aquarium Field Study- 1st Grade

6: Historic Columbia Traveling Trunk visits 2nd Grade

9: Roper Mountain Field Study- 4th Grade

11: End of the 3rd Quarter

12: Early Dismissal @11:00 AM

13: Staff Workday/Student Holiday

17: CFK/CFKN Arts Night: Art Show from 5:00-8:00 PM @ CFK (Multipurpose Room); K-2nd Grades Musical Performance at EL Wright Gym from 6:00pm-6:35pm

19: Report Cards go Home

19: Jr. Beta Club Meeting (Combined CFK & CFKN) @ CFK 6:00-7:30 PM

27: Spring Picture Day

31: Patriot's Point Field Study- 5th Grade

April

1: State House/SC Supreme Court Field Study- 4th Grade

2: Early Dismissal @11:00 AM

3: Staff Workday/Student Holiday

6-10: Spring Break- No School

17: Sesqui State Park Field Study- Kindergarten

22: Aftercare Application opens at 8:00 AM

22: Civil Rights Movement Traveling Trunk visits 5th Grade

24: Camp Discovery Field Study- 2nd Grade

28: SCREADY Test- 3rd-5th Grades- Reading Day 1

29: SCREADY Test- 3rd-5th Grades- Reading Day 2

30: SCREADY Test- 3rd-5th Grades- Writing

30: CFK Dance Recital @EL Wright Middle School Gym

Center for Knowledge

3006 Appleby Lane

Columbia, SC 29223

Phone: 803.691.2966 Fax: 803.699.2967

Website

Facebook

Principal: Jessica Agee - jagee@richland2.org

Assistant Principal: Jessica Holley - jholley@richland2.org

Office Manager: Tammy Carter - tacarter@richland2.org