SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2023
1B
THE COASTLAND TIMES
Back-to-school welcome from CCS Superintendent Lutz Dear Currituck County Schools Community, Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! We are thrilled to welcome back our students, faculty, and staff. We will continue our focus on learning and growing our students to be the best possible version of themselves. Some highlights for the 2023-2024 school year include: Student Resource Officers are now in all ten of our schools. We are grateful for the support of our community members, County Commissioners, and Currituck County Sheriff’s Office. School safety and security are a top priority, and our parents and guardians can expect regular updates from our Student Services Department at our Board of Education meetings and continued transparency through release statements when threats at our schools are investigated. Our Moyock Elementary School Panthers and Moyock Middle School Bulldogs will return this school year to larger, more accommodating campuses, including additional classrooms and cafeteria spaces. We are proud of the beautifully designed, purposeful learning spaces created for our students and appreciate the patience of our students, staff, and community while under construction for the past two school years. We anticipate holding the Groundbreaking Ceremony for our future Tulls Creek Site in the late fall. The new elementary school has a capacity for 800 students and is scheduled for opening in the 2025-2026 school year. This will allow our county (which is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and nation) to meet the demands of increasing enrollments
and anticipated growth at our northern elementary schools. Our community can expect regular updates on this project, similar to those we provided monthly on the expansion projects. Five Currituck County Schools proudly earned the Purple Star Award Designation from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for the 2022-2023 school year for demonstrating military-friendly practices and a commitment to military students and families. Our commitment and gratitude to our military students and families echo district-wide; therefore, this upcoming school year, we have set a goal to earn the District Purple Star Award, distinguishing all ten schools. We hope to share the news of meeting this distinction with our community in the spring semester. District accreditation is rapidly moving forward. Cognia™ completed an on-site district visit in April 2023, touring some of our schools and meeting with stakeholder groups. After the visit, we received approval to move forward in the process, completing the Candidacy Phase. The next deadline in the process is in February 2024. We are confident that Currituck County Schools will be able to announce our full district accreditation before the close of our 2023-2024 school year. The beginning of this school year marks Year 3 of our district strategic plan. We continue to strengthen our curriculum and practices, increasing our focus this year on the areas of Career and Technical Education (CTE), Exceptional Children (EC), and Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG). We will align resources for the social and emotional support
of our students and staff, prioritizing mental health and working towards increasing attendance. Our District Strategic Plan and plan progress updates are available to our community on our district website. A few final notes for our stakeholders: Slight adjustments to our school start and end times have been made at the secondary level only. We believe the change made last school year to align our times across the district was beneficial, helping positively impact our student ride times, bus ridership, student discipline on buses, and retaining bus drivers. We appreciate and value the community feedback we received regarding this change. We invite our stakeholders to join us throughout the coming school year at school events and Board of Education Meetings and to stay connected by visiting our website or following us on social media. We also encourage our families to use the Back-to-School Checklist provided in this letter and our online CCS Back-to-School Hub. We hope you find the checklist and online resources helpful in preparing for the upcoming school year. I am blessed to work with outstanding educators who put students first. The tremendous community support is at the heart of what makes the Currituck County School system a special place. Collectively, we are moving in the right direction and focusing on what’s truly most important, our children. We pledge always to put students first and continue striving for excellence. May the 2023-2024 school year be fun and rewarding for all! Dr. Matthew Lutz Superintendent
2023-2024 BACK-TO-SCHOOL CHECKLIST BUS TRANSPORTATION Refer to the Transportation Sheet (mailing the week of August 21st) for bus pick-up & drop off times, or Complete a Transportation Request Form if you wish to request transportation (to begin after the start of the school year) SCHOOL NUTRITION Pre-pay school meal accounts using LINQConnect (formerly Titan). Students may also make payments in the form of cash or a check (made out to the school) in their school cafeteria. Complete a school meal application using LINQConnect (https:// linqconnect.com/) • We encourage all families to complete the meal application • Families receiving free or reduced meals last school year must complete a new application yearly. Last year’s status does not roll over and can only be honored for 30 days after the start of the new school year, including weekends. Please reapply as soon as possible and no later than Monday, September 25. TECHNOLOGY Download & Complete the CCS Technology Agreement Form • This form is required for all students, including those electing to use their own devices. Chromebook Fee Payment (acceptable forms
of payment include cash, checks made out to the school, or online payment in advance using SchoolCash Online) HEALTH FORMS Students will receive a green health form during the first week of school. Please complete and return this form as soon as possible. CCS BACK-TO-SCHOOL ONLINE HUB The following information is available for our families through our CCS Back-to-School Page. Access the hub from our website and social media, scan the QR Code, or type bit.ly/ccsback2school in your browser. • School Supply Lists • Open House Information • School Calendars • Schools Hours (Start, End, & Early Release Times) • Bus Routes & CCS Transportation Request Form • Technology Form & Fee Information • School Nutrition Meal Application & Payment Information • 2023-2024 Student Parent Handbook • SchoolCash Online Registration Information & Access • Staying Connected Website & Social Media Information • Getting Involved - Information on Volunteering, Substituting, or Becoming Employed with our Schools