Head of School Communication

Dear CCS Families,

The first day is in the books, and the students are adjusting to the new floor and flow patterns very well. The lunch lines for the main entree were a little long today; however, principals were able to extend lunch so students could return for seconds if they desired. As you know, the long lines will resolve themselves in a few days when students understand the serving lines better and when we move into the student gym for lunch.

Starting tomorrow, upper school students (5th-12th grades) who are non-drivers can be dropped off in the horseshoe area. This also includes upper school students 5-12th with a sibling in K-4th grade.

Parents desiring to turn left on Kingston Pike after drop off or pick up should do so using the south and west parking lots continuing to the light on Federal Avenue. Leadership will continue to monitor traffic patterns and will implement necessary changes as needed.  

Finally, during the afternoon carline, parents of preschool through 4th grades are asked to please leave your cartag with your child’s name visible for teachers to see until after your child is safely in your car.

It is a great day to be a LION!

Dear CCS Families,  

I would like to welcome all our families to the new school year! I hope that your summer was restful. There are several items that I would like to bring to your attention.

For the past 4 months, the leadership team, the School Board Governance Committee, and an outside consultant have worked to reformat and revise the 2024-25 Parent/Student handbook. This is the first complete revision of the handbook since my tenure as Head of School started in July of 2018. Leadership had several goals in mind with this review. The first goal was to reformat the handbook so the policies therein are easier to understand and locate. The next goal was to ensure that the different sections of the handbook do not contradict each other across the different levels (Lower, Academy and Upper School). Finally, it was our goal to reword policies to current operational procedures (such as covid policies) and to add new information such as an Artificial Intelligence policy or Tennessee state policies concerning graduation requirements. You can access the handbook located on our website under the “Parent Page.”

I have listed other major changes to our handbook below.

• Extracurricular Eligibility - The extracurricular eligibility policy was changed to reflect the TSSAA policy. The policy will be applied to all extracurricular activities. The policy is easier to follow and enforce.
• Absences - There are no longer excused and unexcused absences. Students have 8 absences a semester to use as your family desires. This change also closely aligns with the state mandatory attendance law of 10% absences per semester. Most private and public schools in the area have a similar policy in regards to absences.  Students who have extenuating circumstances and accumulate more than 8 absences will require an administrative review.
• Tardies - There are no longer excused or unexcused tardies. Students will receive 5 tardies to school per nine weeks. Once a student exceeds the allotted number of 5, the administration will take corrective action.
• Dress Code - Students must always wear a CCS approved polo except for dress down days and other special days announced by the administration.
• Harassment/ Bullying - In the spring, the state legislature passed a law that defines bullying and linked the new policy to the harassment policy already on the books. In short, bullying is now under the Tennessee Law covering Harassment, Cyber-bullying and Intimidation. CCS will follow the requirements for reporting written into the law.
• Artificial Intelligence Policy - The board approved AI policy was written after extensive research into the educational  literature now available. This policy is a starting point and will be reviewed regularly by leadership and the board as AI platforms change.
• Lower School / Academy / Upper School structure - The handbook terminology now reflects the new operational structure of the Lower School, Academy, and Upper School.
• New Website - In addition, leadership worked closely with the same consultant over the same timeframe to overhaul the CCS website. I’m excited to announce that our new website is LIVE! While many things on the site are updated, please remember that it remains a work in progress. We look forward to continuing to make ongoing improvements in the weeks ahead.  

I would like to introduce Jake Stough who will be serving as the school nurse for the 2024-25 school year. He has worked in emergency services as a medic and wildfire firefighter, as well as, in a hospital setting in emergency, urgent care, or intensive care departments. His history with Concord Christian School runs deep as he has been a part of FBC since he was 11 years old. His office is located in the new Lower School office area.

In the next few weeks, I will send parents an executive summary of the 2023-2024 Parent Survey. The Board discussed the summary and asked questions at the most recent board meeting. One area mentioned often in the survey was the lunch program offered by Chef Advantage. Over the summer, leadership from FBC/CCS worked closely on significant kitchen upgrades. At the sametime,  Chef Advantage management implemented  several corporate changes that should satisfy the concerns mentioned in the report. Again, I will send the executive summary in a few weeks.

As you drive on campus tomorrow, you will notice several construction projects still in progress. One project that is nearing completion is the refurbishment of the student gym and student ministries area. Both projects are scheduled for inspection this week; however, for the first few days, students will eat either in their classroom, the FLC area or the Gathering Space. Leadership is expecting this delay to last only a few days. We should be back in the student life gym for the second week of school.

We covet your prayers for the 2024-25 school year and believe that the Father has something very special in store for CCS this year. As we make praying for our school a priority, I believe He will hear our prayer and work in a mighty way this year. As always, if I can assist you in any way, please reach out to me.