January 2022 News

Pre-Practical Nursing Program for Rising Seniors 2022-2023

Pre-Practical Nursing

CMCSS rising 12th-grade students will have the opportunity to complete the first trimester of the TCAT’s Practical Nursing program free of charge while still in high school.

• Half of the day (up to 4 class periods) will consist of core high school graduation requirements. Students may complete these courses traditionally at their zoned high school or through an online platform as an enrolled student in the Early Technical College at TCAT.
• Students will complete 3 hours of pre-practical nursing classes at TCAT Monday-Friday, from 2:30-5:30 pm.

Transportation to and from TCAT can only be provided by CMCSS if a student participates in the program through enrollment in the Early Technical College. All books, uniforms, and tuition costs for the Pre-Practical Nursing Program will be covered by CMCSS and a TCAT grant.

Successful pre-practical nursing students will be guaranteed a seat at either TCAT Clarksville or TCAT Dickson as an adult student in the Practical Nursing program after high school graduation. Students will complete clinical hours in the summer between their HS graduation and adult TCAT enrollment in order to be able to sit for the CNA certification assessment and ensure a seamless transition into the adult program.

Entrance Requirements

• GPA: 2.5 or above
• A grade of 80 or better per course in Biology, Algebra I, and English
• ACT: 19 or higher score in Reading and Math OR Successful passage of the state-wide HSEI examination (70-Reading and 70-Math)

In-Person Information Sessions (2 options)

• Thursday, February 3, 2022: 6:15 pm – 7:15 pm
  Cental Services South (1312 Highway 48/13, Clarksville, TN 37040)
• Thursday, February 10, 2022: 6:15 pm – 7:15 pm
  Cental Services South (1312 Highway 48/13, Clarksville, TN 37040)

Apply

Complete this Google Form. In-person interviews will be scheduled for students who meet the entrance requirements.

Practical Nursing at TCAT Overview

Three trimesters (1 year) certification and degree program through Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT.)

Students study basic nursing skills and related subjects such as body structure and function, nutrition, pharmacology, obstetrics, and psychology. Clinical experience provides supervised nursing care of medical, surgical, obstetric, and pediatric patients. Both classroom work and clinical experiences are such that upon completion of the course, the graduate is eligible for the written examination by the State Board of Nursing. Licensed practical nurses who have passed their examination usually work under the supervision of the registered nurse or physician.

All CMCSS high schools will host a Stop, Drop, FAFSA event from January 18-21, 2022. School leaders will help students understand the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process, answer questions regarding the application, and assist with the next steps.

Confusion surrounding the FAFSA application process is one of the most common reasons students do not fill out the forms. School leaders encourage all CMCSS Seniors to complete the application to know of any aide available to them. Many colleges, universities, and technical schools require completion of the FAFSA as part of the admission process, whether students qualify or not. The TN Promise requires completion of the application by February 1.

Several common myths surround the FAFSA, according to collegefortn.org. Read more about the Five Common Financial Aid Myths.

For families who may have questions or need additional assistance understanding the application process, CMCSS has several helpful resources.

Help for Families

Phone Helpline: Students can call and speak with a live person who can provide assistance regarding the application process. Live support is available by calling 931-553-1189 from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm on the following days: Tuesday, January 18 and January 25 and Thursday, January 20 and January 27.

Text Helpline: Students and parents can text FAFSA to 335577 to receive mobile support from “Get Schooled.” The mobile program assists students with a variety of services.

Video Tutorials: Assistance is available from StudentAid.gov with a video instructional series.

Part 1-How to Complete the FAFSA,

Part 2-School Selection & Dependency Status,

Part 3-Parent Demographics,

Part 4-Parent Financials,

Part 5-Student Financial & Signature Status

Parent Webinars: Parent webinars are offered every Thursday in January. Access the webinar link here.

Email Support: Families can receive support from the state FAFSA support team ([email protected]) or the CMCSS FAFSA support team ([email protected]).

CMCSS student report cards for the second nine weeks of the 2021-22 school year will be available on Wednesday, January 12. 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.

Parents/guardians can check their student’s academic progress on PowerSchool at any time. 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.

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

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.

Local first responder agencies are partnering with CMCSS to implement the national Handle with Care program in Clarksville-Montgomery County. Handle with Care is a program in which first responders work together with schools to provide proactive support for potentially trauma-affected students within the community.

First responders will identify children at a scene who have been potentially exposed to trauma. The child’s pertinent information, including name, birthday, school, and grade, will be sent by first responders in a confidential notice to the child’s school before the next school day. There is no information being given regarding the incident. School officials will receive the child’s identifying information and the three words “handle with care.” CMCSS will not be sharing any information with any person or entity as a partner in Handle with Care. Click here to watch a brief overview video.

The Clarksville City Council and Montgomery County Commission have approved the interlocal agreement. Training will take place in January 2022, and the program will be implemented next semester.

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade. Rezoning is taken very seriously, and the district makes every effort to ensure stakeholders are involved in the process. In May 2020, CMCSS began communicating the need for rezoning to families with the construction of the Kirkwood complex.

The population of Montgomery County has increased 27.7% in the last 10 years. Projections indicate the population could see a 40% growth rate in the next 20 years. The effect of this tremendous change can be seen in our local schools.

Growth in CMCSS

• CMCSS has a 30-year average growth of 677 new students every year.
• Current enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year is 37,769 students.
• Oakland, Rossview, and West Creek Elementary schools have recently undergone expansion projects to address capacity. See the current capacity of each school here (pdf).
• School capacity has an impact on the flexibility of programming and extracurricular activities.
• Maintaining a capacity of approximately 85% is the goal of CMCSS.
• The goal of CMCSS is to not rely on portables as a permanent solution.

At the Jan. 4, 2022, School Board Study Session, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board heard on first reading the recommendation that changes be made to the middle and high school zone lines for the 2022-2023 school year.

In 2021, the district initiated the process of working with a third-party consulting firm, RSP and Associates, with expertise in school system rezoning. In collaboration with the consulting firm and community stakeholders, the CMCSS Zoning Project Team has studied and evaluated existing school zones and building capacities to identify opportunities to better serve students, per the district’s Zoning Procedure (OPS-P017). The following criteria guide the team’s work:

• Rezone as few students as possible
• The proximity of students to existing schools
• Transport students the least distance possible
• Equitable distribution of resources according to the learning needs of all students
• Enrollment capacity of existing schools
• Consideration of free and reduced lunch status (socioeconomic)
• Allow for future growth where possible (based upon Regional Planning Commission lot and permit data)

Taking these guidelines into consideration, the Zoning Project Team made the following recommendation to the School Board. (Click here to see the presentation)

CMCSS and RSP & Associates will host three public forums to gain feedback from the community regarding the rezoning recommendations. The community is invited to attend the following forums:

• Monday, January 17, 2022, 5:30 pm (Virtual Meeting – access the meeting link here)
• Tuesday, January 18, 2022, 5:30 pm (Virtual Meeting – access the meeting link here)
• Tuesday, February 1, 2022, 5:30 pm (In-Person Meeting – Rossview High School)

A final zoning recommendation will be presented to the School Board on Feb. 8 for voting. District rezoning information can be found at cmcss.net/zoning.