Good afternoon and happy National Teacher Assistant Day! We hope you've had a great week, we hope our traditional school students had a great Friday off, and we hope you enjoy your fall-weather weekend!

Here's this week’s Friday Five.🖐️

Congratulations to Stacy Bowen, CCS Exceptional Children’s Teacher of Excellence!

A teacher at Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary School, Stacy helps students with disabilities grow in learning, confidence and independence. She also supports fellow educators as a mentor and leader across the district.

Stacy will be recognized at the 75th Annual NC Department of Public Instruction Conference on Exceptional Children on November 4.

Businesses, organizations, and professionals are invited to connect with CCS 11th and 12th grade students and their families and showcase career paths, training opportunities, and job openings. Come share what you do, connect with future employees and help students see what’s possible after graduation!

📅 October 13, 2026

⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM

📍 Cabarrus Arena & Events Center

Interested in being an exhibitor? Please complete the form in the link below by September 30.

Link to form: https://tinyurl.com/58pjearw

Join us Tuesday, October 13, at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center for two fairs in one evening:

🎓 Program Choice Fair | 5–7 p.m. Explore CCS Program Choice options for the 2027–28 school year. Applications are open October 1 through November 30. New this year, students can rank up to three programs on one application rather than filling out multiple applications.

🏫 College, Career & Military Fair | 6–8 p.m. Meet college representatives, military recruiters, local employers and community partners. Whether your student plans to enroll, enlist or enter the workforce, they can ask questions and explore their next steps. Students visiting college representatives should register for a barcode before the fair.

Questions about Program Choice? Email programchoice@cabarrus.k12.nc.us.

✅THE POSITIVITY PROJECT: Next week’s Positivity Project (P2) character strength is forgiveness. We encourage you to talk with your child about what this strength means and how they can practice it each day at home, at school, and in your community. Visit the P2 for Families webpage for helpful resources and conversation starters to support this week’s strength. You can also view the Character Strength Calendar linked below to stay up to date with what your child is learning through our P2 curriculum.

✅CAREER & COLLEGE READINESS RESOURCES: Cabarrus County Public Library is connecting Cabarrus County High School students to College and Career Readiness resources through NCLive.org. Students can access these resources with a Cabarrus County Public Library Card number or a bypass password.  Please speak with your school library media coordinator to obtain a bypass password and consent form.  

✅HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS ON SEPTEMBER 29: Current juniors, seniors and their families are invited to join CFNC for “How to PAY for College” on Tuesday, September 29, at 6:30 p.m. at Concord High School. Paying for college can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. This informative session will help families better understand the financial aid process, including completing the FAFSA, grants, scholarships and student loans, scholarship searches, important financial aid timelines and deadlines, common mistakes to avoid, and resources available through CFNC. Presentations will be offered simultaneously in both English and Spanish. Whether your student is considering a community college, university or technical program, this session will provide practical information to help your family plan and prepare for the cost of higher education.

✅NEW FOR 26-27: CCS SCHOLARSHIP HUB WEBPAGE: CCS students and families now have a one-stop resource to make the scholarship search a little easier. The CCS Scholarship Hub features a searchable database of current scholarship opportunities, a planning tool to help students track applications and deadlines, scholarship search tips and safety reminders, financial aid resources, and an easy way for seniors to report scholarship offers. New opportunities are added throughout the year, so students are encouraged to check back often and make scholarship searching part of their college planning routine.

🔗 Explore the CCS Scholarship Information page

✅2027 US SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS: Applications are open for the highly competitive 2027 U.S. Senate Youth Program! Eligible high school juniors and seniors must currently serve in an elected or appointed leadership position representing their peers or another constituency and demonstrate a strong record of public and community service. North Carolina will select two student delega

Cabarrus County Schools is excited to launch Future Makers, a new districtwide recognition program celebrating the people who make a difference every day across CCS.

Inspired by Destination 27 and this year's district theme, “Your Future. Our Focus.”, Future Makers will shine a spotlight on employees whose service, dedication and commitment help shape the futures of our students. From classrooms and school offices to buses, cafeterias, technology, maintenance and beyond, great work happens everywhere in CCS.

And we want to hear from you. Parents, students, employees and community members are invited to nominate a CCS employee who deserves to be recognized as a Future Maker.

Know someone making a difference? 

Nominate a Future Maker today: https://forms.gle/GYPHSXpGiBCPZsXZ6

Program Choice Open Houses are a great opportunity for families to learn more about the unique programs available across Cabarrus County Schools. Meet staff, explore schools, ask questions and discover which option may be the right fit for your student. Check out the upcoming Program Choice Open House dates below and start planning your visit!

 

 

The district also has a dedicated Program Choice Open House Calendar page with this schedule.

Cabarrus County Schools will host two additional community forums this fall to provide information and answer questions about the 2026 school bond referendum.

All forums will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Community members are invited to attend any of the three forums to learn more about the proposed school bond, the projects included, and the bond process.

We hope you’ll join us and learn more before Election Day on Nov. 3.

Even though we're only three days into the start of school, many of you have already been impacted by our amazing teachers. Please visit our link and nominate a Teacher of the Month for October. Our next winner will be recognized at the Board of Education's Oct. 12th meeting.

This year's winners: