October 2021 News

The following students and staff were recognized during the Points of Pride ceremony held at the School Board Meeting in October 2021.

The Northeast High School Robotics Team 5999A

Team 5999A Students:
o Aleksandre Josef Barnuevo
o Marcus Kinch
o Guido Ricabal
o Michael Scates

Team 5999 Coaches:
o Mr. Nicholas DuBee
o Chief Thomas Hager
o Mr. Daniel Saucer

Team 5999A participated in the Remote VEX Worlds JROTC Division competition. This division was comprised of 23 teams throughout the nation that were also associated with a JROTC program. The students conducted an interview with judges before the competition. Within this judging, team 5999A received the Judges Award; an award that is given to a team that deserves special recognition. They then ran their robots through a skills competition where they had three one-minute attempts at driver skills and three one-minute attempts at programming skills. This team performed extremely well and they maxed out driver skills with a 126 and had a programming skills score of 67 for a total of 193 points. With that score, this team was awarded the VEX Worlds JROTC Division Robot Skills Award; the award for having the best-combined skills score amongst all competitors. This team continues to strive to achieve their best and they are excited to continue to compete in the 2021-2022 VEX Robotics season.

Clarksville High School Girl’s Golf Team

Student-Athletes:
o Autumn Spencer
o Zoe Phillips
o Darcy Phillips
Coach:
John Robichaud

The 2020-2021 TSSAA Girls’ Golf State Championship Winners. This amazing group of student-athletes won the state tournament by 15 strokes. Congratulations to our state champs, the Clarksville High Girls’ Golf Team!

Cadet Major Kaylee Coon

Cadet Major Kaylee Coon was one out of 65 Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine JROTC Cadets to receive the prestigious Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement award out of over 500,000 Cadets across the Country. C/MAJ Coon received this award due to her outstanding academic performance and incredible leadership ability. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA and an academic average that is over 100%. Major Coon is the Executive Officer for the Viking Battalion at Northwest High School where she leads with distinction. She is the Commander of her Color Guard that has won numerous competitions, including at the Brigade level. She led her JROTC Academic team to the Nationals in Washington, DC where they finished 16th out of over 1,500 teams across the country, putting them in the top 1%.

As a Junior, C/MAJ Coon was the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Cadet of the Month where her accomplishments included having her JLAB team achieve the highest academic score in the District. C/MAJ Coon was also awarded the 7th Brigade Cadet of the Month last school year for her outstanding leadership and academic prowess.

Tennessee Purple Star 

The Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) Tennessee has bestowed the Tennessee Purple Star School Award to 11 CMCSS schools. In fact, 11 of the 18 total schools awarded this year are from the Montgomery County community.

The Tennessee Purple Star School Award was designed to highlight military-friendly schools that show a major commitment to serving students and families connected to our nation’s military. Awardees receive special recognition to display in their buildings. A school must reapply every two years to maintain the recognition status. Schools are eligible for the award if they have a point of contact within the school that has completed a professional development component specific to the needs of military-connected students. The school website must contain a page that provides resources for military families. The school then chooses an additional activity that aligns with the school’s population and goals. For families, the designation will help guide them to schools that have supports in place.

o Glenellen Elementary
o New Providence Middle
o West Creek High
o West Creek Elementary
o Moore Magnet STEM
o Rossview Elementary
o Hazelwood Elementary
o Oakland Elementary
o Kenwood Middle
o West Creek Middle
o Woodlawn Elementary

2020-2021 Reward Schools

Three CMCSS schools were named Reward Schools by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) for the 2020-2021 school year. Congratulations to Montgomery Central Elementary, Rossview Elementary, and Sango Elementary schools.

These schools were all awarded the designation due to their student success in achievement and growth. This designation indicates that these schools performed in the top 5% of the state. In other words, these are 3 of the top 90 of over 1,800 schools across Tennessee.

Although schools were held harmless for the 2020-2021 school year, they were still eligible for Reward status even if they did not have a letter grade assigned. According to a statement by the TDOE, “Reward schools for the 2020-2021 school year are those who would have earned Reward status if the accountability system were used this year.”

Congratulations to the students, faculty, and staff at Montgomery Central, Rossview, and Sango elementary schools for this amazing achievement during arguably one of the most difficult years.

CMCSS student report cards for the first nine weeks of the 2021-22 school year will be available on Wednesday, October 27. Parents/guardians will access report cards online using the CMCSS Parent Self-Service webpage at parents.cmcss.net.

If parents/guardians have issues accessing their child’s report card using CMCSS Parent Self-Service, they can contact their child’s enrolled school.

The report card available through Parent Self-Service is considered the official report card with comments for the grading period.

At any time, parents/guardians can check their student’s academic progress on PowerSchool. PowerSchool is the official grade book and attendance tracker for CMCSS. While some digital learning platforms have a grade book, please note that official grades will only be recorded in PowerSchool.

TNREADY DATA

TNReady data from the 2020-21 school year will be sent home with your student(s) beginning Wednesday, October 27. Please contact your child’s enrolled school if you do not receive this information.

CREATING A POWERSCHOOL ACCOUNT

If you need to create a PowerSchool account, visit powerschool.cmcss.net, click the Create Account tab, and complete the form.

Families will need an Access Code for each child. Access codes can be obtained through the parents.cmcss.net portal by clicking on “Get Student Security Info” and following the steps listed in the video below.

PowerSchool Access Codes: https://ior.ad/7PBU

Here’s an interactive tutorial

** Best experienced in Full Screen (click the icon in the top right corner before you begin) **

https://www.iorad.com/player/1866690/Accessing-PowerSchool-Access-Codes

If you are using the PowerSchool app, the CMCSS’ District Code is P Z Q N.

UNDERSTANDING POWERSCHOOL AND REPORT CARD ABBREVIATIONS

Families may see several abbreviations in PowerSchool, including:

• N(#) ex. N1, N2, etc. This is the student’s current grade in the nine weeks.
• S(#) ex. S1, S2, etc. This is the student’s semester grade, which includes the nine weeks combined. For high school students, this grade will reflect the semester credits earned for that period. This grade will also include mid-term exams when applicable.
• Y(#) ex. Y1. This refers to the student’s cumulative grade for the year.
• OT On-Track. Students in grades K – 5 may see this designation on their report cards.
• AE Approaching Expectations. Students in grades K – 5 may see this designation on their report cards.
• BE Below Expectations. Students in grades K – 5 may see this designation on their report cards.

Watch this video to understand the PowerSchool dashboard:
K-2 Standards-Based Iorad: https://ior.ad/7MKm
3-12 Traditional Grading Iorad: https://ior.ad/7O3p

Note: Students in grades 3 – 5 may be assigned a letter grade and have letter grades available through PowerSchool. Report cards may also display the OT, AE, or BE information under College and Career Readiness.

On October 20, parents and guardians of CMCSS will receive an electronic Federal Impact Aid survey.

Federal Impact Aid is designed to assist local school districts that have lost property tax revenue due to tax-exempt Federal property. Federal Impact Aid is set up for school districts where federally owned lands (such as Fort Campbell, government buildings, TVA steam plants, subsidized housing, etc.) are located. It intends to help offset the lost property taxes that would have been collected if businesses or privately owned residences were located there instead. Federal Impact Aid does not provide funding for every military-dependent child who is served in our school system.

Each year, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System sends out to parents a survey to collect data about federally connected students. The funding formula that determines how much money a school system will receive hinges on accurate information collected on the survey.

It is crucial that parents complete the forms. And the information must be what is accurate on November 2. This year, there will be an electronic survey that is confidential and has no effect on personal taxes or on those who live in subsidized housing.

Please complete the survey by November 12, 2021.

Caring individuals always make a difference in the lives of CMCSS students. The district is actively seeking community members who are able to represent the educational interests of students with disabilities.

All children with disabilities are entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) under state and federal special education laws. Included in these laws is a mandate for the parents of children with disabilities to have the opportunity to actively participate in the educational decision-making process. Some children with disabilities may not have parents who can fulfill this very important role, leaving their educational planning solely to representatives from their local school system or other agencies. Federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and state rules, regulations and minimum standards require that an individual must be appointed to make decisions regarding the education students with disabilities must receive.

What is a surrogate parent?

A surrogate parent is a volunteer who is appointed by a local education agency to assist children who do not have parents or family members. The surrogate parent has all of the rights and can make all of the special education or early intervention decisions that are usually made by the child’s parents. Surrogate parents can review educational records; request and consent to evaluations and reevaluations; and challenge the recommendations of the education or early intervention agency by requesting informal and formal dispute resolution procedures. A surrogate parent does not have any rights and responsibilities for the child outside of the special education process.

When does a child require a surrogate parent?

A child with a disability requires a surrogate when:

1. the parent (as defined in § 300.519) or guardian cannot be identified;
2. the LEA, after reasonable efforts, cannot discover the whereabouts of a parent;
3. the child is a ward of the State; or
4. the child is an unaccompanied homeless youth as defined in section 725 (6) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(6).

What are the responsibilities of a surrogate parent?

The surrogate parent acts as a substitute parent and is given the responsibility of determining the child’s educational experiences. A surrogate parent is not responsible for any financial costs or direct care of the child with disabilities. The surrogate parent represents the child in every step of the education process including identification, evaluation, and educational placement. The Surrogate Parent fulfills the parent role at all Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Team meetings and works to ensure that the child receives FAPE. A surrogate parent is also responsible for keeping confidential all information from the child’s educational, medical, or social services records.

Who can be a surrogate?

Any citizen of the United States of permanent resident who is at least 18 years old and has no conflict of interest concerning the child’s education may serve as an educational surrogate and must be of good moral character. The educational surrogate must act in the best interest of the student he/she represents. Furthermore, an educational surrogate may not be an employee of a public agency providing care, custody, or educational services to the specific child in need of educational surrogate representation.

How much time and money will this commitment take?

Surrogate parents are required to devote approximately three hours to the training provided by Clarksville Montgomery County Schools at least annually. After a student with disabilities is assigned, the educational surrogate reviews the student’s record well enough to understand the student’s needs, strengths, interests as well as their school history. Training is provided free of charge.

If you are interested in attending a training to become a surrogate parent, please email [email protected].