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.

2026-2027 Aftercare Applications will go LIVE on Wednesday, April 22 @ 8:00AM.

• First come, first served (Current aftercare students ARE NOT GUARANTEED a spot)
• Current aftercare accounts must be UP TO DATE or PAID IN FULL by Friday, April 17 to be considered for a spot.
• The application will appear on the school website promptly at 8am- www.cfk.richland2.org
• $25 Registration Fee will be added to your account.

THANK YOU to Starbucks on Two Notch Rd. for donating coffee, creamer, and coffee supplies so our teachers could enjoy a special treat during Teacher Appreciation Week!

THANK YOU to Tiffany's on Two Notch Rd. for donating sweet treats for our teachers to enjoy during Teacher Appreciation Week!

THANK YOU to Shug and Boo, A Flower Shop for donating the beautiful flowers to our brighten our teachers' day during Teacher Appreciation Week!

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.

All field studies must be paid by April 17, 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 April to all our CFK Families! We have had a busy last few months!

• Teacher Appreciation Week was a HUGE Success this year. We were able to spoil all of our teachers/staff/admin throughout the week in many different <fun> ways! From donating dinner gift cards, to covering lunch duty, to writing sweet gold stars, to covering am car line duty, to spoiling our teachers with some of their fav things & supply wish list…We want to sincerely thank all of our CFK Families for their generosity & support in helping us celebrate our CFK Teacher Appreciation Week- we could not have had as great of a week without all of you and your contributions, monetarily, and volunteering! And a BIG THANK YOU to our Leopard Ball Chairs & Committee; You planned and executed an amazing week for our CFK teachers/staff/admin and we truly appreciate all your time and effort spent making sure the week was perfect from Monday through Friday!

Tuesday Lunch Coverage: SaMaria Prezzy, Allison Waymyers, Marquita Gaines Jessica Taylor, Stephanie Phillips, Danielle Ott, Melissa Wulf, Monterria Farr, Teish Ferrari, Dana Thomas, Jessica Simpson and Malinda Salters

Thursday AM Car line Duty Coverage: Felecia Hollaway, Teish Ferrari, Priscilla Leysath, Keneitra Clark, Alex Hopkins, Whitney Hopkins, Joyce Williams, Cameron Simpson and Sorin Simion

• 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

What can you do to ensure your child is successful and prepared?

April is filled with opportunities for your student(s) to show all that they have learned this year and how much they have grown academically. It is important for students to demonstrate that they can show grade level proficiency in different subject areas. Here are some parent tips to help you prepare your student for success.

Tip #1 Make attendance a priority, especially on days that you know standardized testing will be administered. If your student is tardy on the day of testing and testing has begun, your child will take his/her test in an alternate location/time.

Tip #2 Make note of test days on the calendar. That way both you and your child know what’s coming and will be prepared. Start talking about the test nightly. Let your child know your expectations and create goals together.

Tip #3 Encourage a Positive Mindset. Make testing an exciting time. Discuss how this is a time to show what they know and try their best. We don’t want to increase anxiety, so provide encouragement.

Tip #4 Set a reasonable bedtime as a way for them to get the rest they need to meet their goals.

Tip #5 Make sure your student has enough time to wake up fully before they go to school. This will help them have enough time to get the brain engaged and in gear.

Tip #6 Provide a high-protein, healthy, low-sugar breakfast for your student. If students eat breakfast at school, ensure that they arrive on time to eat prior to the test.

These tips are helpful both on testing days and for each day throughout the school year.

SCREADY
2026 Testing Dates
Tuesday, April 28 - Reading Day 1
Wednesday, April 29 - Reading Day 2
Thursday, April 30 - Writing
Tuesday, May 5 - Math Day 1
Wednesday, ​May 6 - Math Day 2
Tuesday, May 12 - Science (4th)

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.

CFK Awards Ceremony

When: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

K-2nd Grade- 8:30am-9:15am

3rd-5th Grades- 9:30am-10:15am

Where: CFK Amphitheatre

***If your child is receiving an award, you will be notified by your child's teacher.

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

30:1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Spring MAP Testing (Math); 4th and 5th Grade MAP Testing (ELA)

31: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Spring MAP Testing (ELA)

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: eLearning Weather Make-up Day (Learning from Home-see upcoming Parent Square message for details)

6-10: Spring Break- No School

15: Weather Make-Up Day Assignments Due

15: WWII Traveling Trunk Visits 5th Grade

17: Sesqui State Park Field Study- 2nd Grade

17-24: Literati Book Fair

22: Aftercare Application opens at 8:00 AM

22: Civil Rights Movement Traveling Trunk Visits 5th Grade

23: Field Day

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: LaceUp Studios Dance Recital

May

5: SC Ready Test- 3rd-5th Grades- Math Day 1

6: SC Ready Test- 3rd-5th Grades- Math Day 2

12: SC Ready Test- 4th Grade ONLY- Science

13: CFK Awards Day

14: 5th Grade Promotion at Muller- 7:00-8:00pm

15: Senior Walk

18: Move Up Day

21: Yearbook Signing and Social

22: Early Dismissal @ 11:00am; End of 4th Quarter; Report Cards Go Home; LAST DAY for students

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