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.

*** 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.

Dear Parents and/or Guardians,

As the weather changes and your student begins to adjust clothing according to the temperature, we wanted to send a reminder about our CFK/CFKN uniform expectations Monday through Thursday. If a student is out of uniform, their parents may be called and required to bring a change of clothing. Our CFK/CFKN Student/Parent Handbook is attached.

*Tops - Solid burgundy, navy, or white shirts with any school-appropriate insignia that is smaller than 2" in size
*Bottoms - Solid Khaki or Navy shorts or slacks, skirts/skorts/jumpers
*Tops and bottoms should not contain patterns including, but not limited to stripes, polka dots, plaid, etc.
*Students may wear the CFK/CFKN logo on t-shirts or sweatshirts
*Outerwear - Any jackets or sweaters worn in the classroom must also be within uniform guidelines (Please write your child's name on the tag of all outerwear as our Lost and Found has already filled up)
*Friday - Free choice dress day (if Friday is a school holiday, Thursday does not become a non-uniform day.)
*Plaid - Students may wear approved plaid as part of their uniform. The approved plaid is called "Clear Blue Plaid," and can only be purchased through Lands' End - no other plaids are acceptable. The items available in this plaid are skirts, skorts, jumpers, belts, ties, and headbands. This is completely optional and simply provides another uniform choice.

This month we were able to love on our students and teachers in multiple ways:

* Students were treated to a grab and go snack during our Palmetto’s Finest Live Watch Ceremony!

* April Showers Bring May Flowers! Each teacher and staff member was gifted with a Gerbera Daisy plant.

* Teachers and staff enjoyed a morning off from car line duty. A special thank you to Christopher Cruz, Teish Ferrari, Bernie Ochoa, Master Moore ll, Rachel Bush, Karyssa Arpaia, and Kimberly Brown.

* Students will enjoy Jeremiah’s Italian Ice during their yearbook signing party.

* Teachers will also enjoy a catered end of the year luncheon on the last day of school.

On behalf of the entire PTA board, I would like to thank everyone for your support! What a fantastic year it has been! We could not have done it without your time, encouragement, resources, and generosity. I was blessed to serve as your PTA President for the 2024-2025 school year. I wish you all a memorable and safe summer!

~Kari Ochoa

Dear CFK/CFKN Parents and Students,

I am so excited about our summer reading challenge! We know that students reading over the summer will limit the dreaded “summer slide.” We wanted to give you a fun way to keep up those reading skills and build some knowledge for your upcoming year.

Here is how it works. Look at the Summer Literacy Bingo Card you received at the end of the year. There are multiple ways for you to engage in reading over the summer. As you complete a box, parents will initial that box. In the fall, you will return your card to your teacher by August 15, 2026. Below is a list of ways you can earn rewards for engaging in this fun summer reading initiative.

• 5 in a row-Your name entered into a drawing for a $25.00 gift certificate to our Fall Book Fair. There will be a winner from each campus for the gift certificate.

• Each additional 5 in a row- Your name will be entered that many times for a drawing for Tales the Literacy Leopard Stuffed Animal. There will be a winner from each campus. (example: 2 sets of 5 in a row= 2 entries, 3 sets=3 entries, etc.)

• Whole card complete-You will receive an invite to our Summer Reading Celebration in the fall!

Bingo Cards for each grade level:

Rising 5th Summer Reading Bingo Card

Rising 4th Summer Reading Bingo Card

Rising 3rd Summer Reading Bingo Card

Rising 2nd Summer Reading Bingo Card

Rising 1st Summer Reading Bingo Card

Also, check out the summer reading challenge going on at the Richland County Public Library at richlandlibrary.com/summer. (Dates are May 31- August 9, 2025)

Reading will take you to all kinds of places, so make sure you keep reading over the summer.

Your Reading Coach,

Mrs. Shivley and Tales too!

Please see summer resources for the different subject areas:

Science

ELA

Math K-2

Math 3-5

It is the last month of the 2024-2025 school year; time is quickly approaching the last day of school. I wanted to let you all know that I will not be returning to CFK/CFKN for the upcoming school year. I am relocating to Charleston, SC where I will be serving as a high school counselor. It has been my extreme pleasure working for and with you and you child this year.

In the last three years serving the centers, I have had great experiences with your children. They are kind, considerate, caring, sincere, and smart. Although I have given them extensive support with their social skills and social-emotional wellness and learning, all have come to me with a foundation and awareness of themselves in regard to others which is a testament to what they have been taught and exposed to apart from the school. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your child’s education journey; the experience was one that not only rejuvenated my love for counseling but also solidified that elementary education and students are one of the best levels to serve.

I have begun to speak to the students about my transition which has had me assisting them with being comfortable with transitions through the use of coping skills and strategies. This has been a testament to their ability to accept and be resilient in moments of surprise, disappointment, and sadness.

In education, the month of May begins the transition into summer. Transitions or changes can be hard at times and the summer is where most take place from transitioning to another level in a sport or on a team to transitioning to another level of understanding, comprehension, and development. Transitions or changes can be challenging at times. Many children struggle with transitions, which are common triggers for behaviors that range from annoying (whining, stalling) to upsetting (tantrums and meltdowns). There are many ways to help kids have an easier time with transitions — and be able to behave better—but it may take a little experimentation to find out what clicks with each particular child. I am including some tools that maybe useful to help kids of all stripes with transitions. But for kids with ADHD, anxiety, autism, or sensory processing, this kind of scaffolding is particularly crucial and can make the difference between a good day and a bad one. Over a period of time, it can help pave the way for success.

Again, it has been an extreme pleasure working with and for you and your child. This is not goodbye; it’s see you later.

Ms. Cooper-Shaw, School Counselor

kshaw@richland2.org

Families, please check your Parent Portal accounts for any outstanding fees (aftercare, field studies, etc...) and pay as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Just a friendly reminder to keep up with your aftercare payments.

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. All Aftercare accounts must be paid in full by Monday, May 19th.

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.

Visit www.thestemlabsc.org if you are interested in any STEM Lab summer camps this summer!

Summer Office Hours:

June 2- July 18

Monday-Thursday

8:00am-4:00pm

CLOSED on Fridays

Families, please keep in mind the new 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.

May

1: SCREADY - Writing (Grades 3-5)

6: SCREADY Reading Day 1 (Grades 3-5)

7: SCREADY Reading Day 2 (Grades 3-5)

15: CFK Awards Day

15: CFK/CFKN 5th Grade Promotion (LOCATED at EL WRIGHT)

16: CFK Senior Walk

21: Ice Cream Social and Yearbook Signing

22: End of 4th Quarter/Half Day/Last Day of School

23: Staff Workday- No School

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