Local school calendars are filling up with fall events.  Want to learn more about Children’s Community School, the local charter?  Consider attending one of their fall open houses.  Wish you could jog more with your kid?  Then don’t miss the kick-off of a new season of Tigers on the Prowl at Davidson Elementary.  Dreading the start of the flu season?  Then save the date for an upcoming Flu Bug Clinic at Bailey Middle.  Wish you could track student progress from your home computer? The Town of Davidson will be hosting a community meeting with public school officials to tell you just how to do that.

Local charter hosts series of open houses

Children’s Community School, a North Carolina public charter located in Davidson on Griffith Street, will host open houses at various times and dates through the rest of the year to introduce interested families to the school’s philosophy and registration process.  Anyone interested in CCS, with a child entering grades K-8 in the upcoming school year, is encouraged to pick a convenient date to learn more about the school.

The series kicks off Thursday, Oct. 2, starting at 9:30 a.m. in the elementary gym.  (Click here to view all the dates.) There are open houses scheduled for both the morning and the evening, on Thursdays and Fridays through Jan. 30.  Three of the ten have a middle school focus – on Oct. 9, Nov. 13 and Jan. 15.  To reserve a spot for a session, call the school at 704-896-6262, or send an email to info@ccsch.org.

CCS was founded in 1999 and has begun to expand its middle school, with plans to add one grade per year through grade 12.

Tiger on the Prowl kicks off

Davidson Elementary School will kick off a sixth year of its successful children’s fitness program, Tigers on the Prowl, with outdoor celebrity lap running Thursday.

Many students in the Tigers on the Prowl program join the annual Davidson Town Day fun run each spring.

The program, launched by P.E. teacher Walter Rabb, involves students running laps in designated places on school grounds. Teachers record laps run during recess as part of the goal of completing a marathon (or 26.22 miles) over the course of a school year. Students earn prizes along the way, culminating in the coveted “Tigers on the Prowl” marathon-club t-shirt.

Last school year over 800 students (82% of the school) ran at least one marathon and 190 children ran multiple marathons.

The Tigers on the Prowl Kick-Off Celebration takes place at McEver Field across from Davidson Elementary on South Street from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.. Each class will arrive at the field to run their first laps of the year and to learn more about the Tigers on the Prowl program. Invited “Local Heroes” who participate with the children include: parents, community leaders, police and fire personnel, Davidson College athletes, and the wildly popular Davidson Elementary Tiger mascot.

Flu Bug Clinic coming to Bailey Middle

Save the date of Oct. 22!  The Bailey Middle School PTA will be doing its part that day to ward off the flu by hosting a public vaccination clinic at the school, located at 11900 Bailey Road in Cornelius. More information will be available soon, including how members of the family can sign up for a slot during the day to get vaccinated. This is part of a national PTA effort to make flu shots easily available, through a partnership with Flu Busters, a leading provider of on-site vaccinations.  Each vaccination will cost $30. Medicaid and Medicare Part B will be accepted from those who are eligible.

Davidson and CMS to hold community forum

Representatives from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will be coming to Davidson Thursday, Oct. 23, to talk about Davidson Schools, answer parent questions, and introduce some of the new technology the district offers for measuring student achievement.

Mayor John Woods will host the meeting, which will start at 7 p.m. in the board room of Davidson Town Hall, 216 South Main Street.

CMS has recently unveiled its new “Data Dashboard” which gives public access to district data, from End-of-Grade scores to bus punctuality, and also allows for comparisons with other schools and year-by-year trends. Data Dashboard was developed by the district’s Office of Accountability to make performance information more available to the public.

The district also has a “Parent Assistant” program which will be expanding to the elementary school level this year.  Parent Assistant allows password-based access to Internet information on individual student grades, attendance, assignments and progress throughout the school year.  The program is scheduled to be open to elementary grades 3-5 starting this month.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

• Wednesday, Oct. 1 – Walk to School day for Davidson Elementary
• Thursday, Oct. 2 – First of 10 open houses at Children’s Community School and kick-off for Davidson Elementary’s Tigers on the Prowl program (see above for more information).
• Friday, Oct. 3 – Cannon School, a private school in Concord for grades K-12, will host the first of two Admission Open House events.  Families can visit from 10 a.m. until noon.  For more information, see the school’s website.  The second open house will be held on Thursday, Oct. 23.
• Monday – Wednesday, Oct. 6-8 – Over 100 volunteers will be working to create a new playground for Pine Lake Prep.
• Wednesday, Oct. 8 – Walk to School day (actually, this is INTERNATIONAL Walk to School Day, so get out those tennis shoes everyone!) for Davidson I.B. Middle.
• Thursday, Oct. 9 – No classes at Children’s Community School due to a teacher work day, however this marks the day of the first open house with a middle school focus for families looking at the 2009-2010 school year.  The open house will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the middle school gym.
• Friday, Oct. 10 – No classes at Woodlawn due to a teacher in-service day.
• Tuesday, Oct. 13 – Columbus Day.  Davidson Day and Woodlawn will be closed for this holiday.
• Tuesday, Oct. 21 – Representatives of North Mecklenburg High will be at Bailey Middle for an informational meeting on the International Baccalaureate program.
• Wednesday, Oct. 15 – Walk to School Day for Davidson Day.
• Wednesday, Oct. 22 – Community Flu Shot clinic at Bailey Middle School.  This is also Walk to School day for Children’s Community School.
• Thursday, Oct. 23 – Community meeting about local public schools, to be held at the Davidson Town Hall starting at 7 p.m.  (see above for more).

Send calendar items and press releases about local school news to us at lauriedennis@bellsouth.net . Don’t forget to include a contact phone number, in case we have questions.