We hope you've had a great week!

As a reminder, CCS will host its annual career fair tomorrow, April 11th, from 10am-Noon at Winkler Middle School. Share with friends and family who may be looking to start their career in education. Pre-register for the event at www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/careerfair.

Here's this week's edition of The Friday Five 🖐️

Cabarrus County Schools invites you to complete our School Quality Survey. This survey gives parents, students, and staff the opportunity to share feedback about their school experiences and learning environment.

Your input helps us strengthen our schools and continue a two-way conversation focused on providing the best experience for every student.

The survey takes about 10–15 minutes to complete. All responses are confidential, and results will be shared in summary form only.

🗓️ Deadline: May 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 If you have multiple children, please complete one survey per school.

If you have questions, contact us at cabcoschools@cabarrus.k12.nc.us

Thank you for sharing your voice and helping us grow stronger together!

Stay Well, 

John Kopicki, Ed.D.

CCS Superintendent 

Teacher appreciation week is coming up and we've got a few easy ways for you to recognize a teacher who has had an impact on your family.

ParentSquare Teacher Appreciation: If you know a teacher who goes above and beyond for students and families, ParentSquare would love to help recognize them. Selected nominees nationwide will be featured during Teacher Appreciation Week on the ParentSquare blog and ParentSquare's social media channels. 👉 Submit your nomination to ParentSquare by April 20: Nominate a teacher

Hilbish Ford Teacher of the Month: Each month, Hilbish Ford and CCS recognize an outstanding teacher as the Hilbish Ford Teacher of the Month. This year's winners:

It's almost time to spotlight our Seniors incredible journeys! As we prepare to fill the West Cabarrus Auditorium on May 16th and Cabarrus Arena from May 20-22 with family and friends, our CabCoGrads26 website will be your go-to guide for making the most of this monumental day. From schedules to essential guidelines for guests and grads, you'll find everything you need for your big day.

Ensure a smooth and memorable experience by familiarizing yourself with our safety protocols and prohibited items list. Let's celebrate this incredible journey together, safely and with joy!

Once again, CCS will cover each ceremony from beginning to end with photos, tweets, posts, and our livestream video. Be sure to use #CabCoGrads26 so we can see your photos, tweets, and posts!

Livestream links and speech translations will be added later as your big day nears. Remember to check CabCoGrads26 for updates.

Congratulations! We can't wait to celebrate with you.

✅MANDATORY TRANSPORTATION FORM: The deadline to submit electronic transportation request forms for the 2026-27 school year is April 30th. After April 30th, all requests will need to be made in person at your child's school. You may find the form in this ParentSquare post: https://www.parentsquare.com/feeds/75867345

✅RETEST PERMISSION FORM IN PARENTSQUARE ON APRIL 15: NC Admin. Code 16 06D .0311, the Testing Code of Ethics, requires all eligible students to participate in the required end-of-semester and end-of-year state testing. Students in grades 3–8 participate in end-of-grade (EOG) tests (reading, mathematics, and science at grades 5 and 8). Students who take NC Math 1, NC Math 3, biology, and English II take an end-of-course (EOC) test which is required to count at least 20% of their final grade for the course.  Beginning with the 2025–26 school year, students who scored not proficient on their end of year state test may participate in a second test administration. This retest will give students another opportunity to show what they know. However, parental/legal guardian permission is required for a student to participate in a retest. We will utilize ParentSquare to request parent/guardian permission with a one-question survey. Please be on the lookout for this on April 15th.

Cabarrus County Schools is hiring for our KIDS:PLUS program! We are looking for caring, dependable individuals to support students before and after school.

• 2 Hour Group Leaders (before school, 6–8 a.m.)

• 4 Hour Group Leaders (after school, 2–6 p.m.)

• 5 Hour Group Leaders (split shift, before & after school)

• Substitute Group Leaders (on-call/as needed)

Group Leaders and substitutes are hourly employees, with assignments based on enrollment and staffing needs. Locations may vary across Cabarrus County.

• Group Leaders working 4+ hours are eligible for partial benefits

• 10-month positions with potential summer opportunities

• Substitute positions are temporary and not eligible for benefits

Starting at $16.07/hour (NC-01), with possible adjustments based on experience and education

• At least 18 years old

• High School Diploma or GED

• Child Care Criminal Background Qualification Letter (or ability to obtain)

• Health Certificate & TB Screening

• Experience supervising children

• School Age Care certification

• Current CPR/First Aid certification

• Meet Program Coordinator qualifications

• 6 hours of orientation (first 2 weeks) + 3 additional hours (first 6 weeks)

• CPR/First Aid within 90 days

• Basic School Age Care training within 90 days

• Health & Safety training within 1 year

• Annual in-service training hours

• NC Early Education Credentials within 18 months

👉 Learn more and apply by visiting the Cabarrus County Schools Employment Page and searching KIDS:PLUS.

Join us in making a difference for students every day!

Join us for the Cabarrus County Schools Youth Arts Month Festival as we showcase the incredible creativity and talent of our students!

📍 Gibson Mill Market

📅 Friday, April 17

⏰ 5–8 p.m.

This special evening celebrates the power of the arts in CCS — featuring stunning student artwork and live performances by talented CCS students from across the district. From visual arts to music and more, you’ll see firsthand how creativity is thriving in our schools.

Bring your family, invite your friends, and come support our student artists as we celebrate the imagination, passion, and talent that make Cabarrus County Schools shine! 🌟🎶🎨

Cabarrus County Schools, in partnership with Present Age Ministries and the Cabarrus County Human Trafficking Task Force, invites families and community members to attend an important awareness event.

Join us as we support students from local high schools and showcase their work in the 10th Annual PSA Competition, focused on raising awareness about human trafficking.

During the event, we will reveal the top three student entries and select the winning school through a panel of judges.

📅 Date: Thursday, April 30

⏰ Time: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

📍 Location: Swanee Theater

200 West Ave, Kannapolis, NC 28081

🎟️ Raffle drawings and concessions will be available.

This awareness event is designed for all community members in and around Cabarrus County. Students are encouraged to bring their families as we come together to learn, support, and recognize student voices on this important issue.

We hope you will join us for an evening of community, awareness, and student leadership.

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The Friends of the Midland Library is hosting a Poetry Writing Contest during the month of April to celebrate National Poetry Month! We will award one winner from the following groups: ages 5-7, 8-12, 13-15, 16-18 and 19+.

The winners will receive an honorary certificate and a $30 gift card to Goldberry Books in Concord and be recognized during the Midland Town Council meeting on Tuesday, May 12. Original entries should be turned in at the Midland Library (4297 NC Highway 24/27) or emailed to generalfoml@gmail.com by 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 2. A completed entry form must be included with each entry. Entry forms are available on the Midland Friends of the Library website: https://friendsofthemidlandlibrary.org/.

The Friends of the Midland Library is hosting the fourth annual Friends Spring Fling, a book, craft, vendor and garage sale to benefit the Midland Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 2! The book sale will be inside the library, and the vendors will be set up outside of the library and Town Hall.

Vendor spots are still available! For more information, call Margaret: (704) 968-3602.

Robotics is an engaging way to integrate all facets of STEM Education into the classroom and competition is a natural way to capture student attention. During the excitement that comes with building and competing with a robot, CCS VEX campers will be having too much fun to realize they are learning important STEM concepts and life skills! Campers will first experience the thrill of building their robots and then take on the challenge of competing in a variety of tournament-style games. Campers will also learn to code their robots and operate them in skills-based challenges. 

If your child is curious about robotics or coding – this is the place to be! No prior robotics or coding experience necessary.

VEX GO: Campers will explore the exciting world of robotics in this hands-on camp using the VEX GO Robotics Kit! Campers will work in small teams to build simple robots, experiment with movement and simple machines, and complete fun engineering challenges. Cost: $150

NEW​ Lego Robotics: Get ready to build, code, and create! In LEGO Robotics Summer Camp, students will work in teams to design and build robots using LEGO pieces and learn how to program them to move, sense, and complete fun challenges. Campers will explore basic engineering and coding concepts while solving problems, testing their ideas, and improving their designs. Cost: $150

VEX IQ: Join us for an action-packed robotics experience where students become engineers! At VEX IQ Robotics Summer Camp, campers will design, build, and program robots using the VEX IQ Robotics System. Working in teams, students will tackle exciting challenges, test their creations, and compete in friendly robot competitions. Cost: $300

VEX V5: Build, program, and compete in this exciting robotics camp using the VEX V5 Robotics System. Students will work in teams to design and build robots, learn programming basics, and tackle engineering challenges inspired by the VEX Robotics Competition. The week ends with a fun mini-competition where teams put their robots to the test! Cost: $300

Once you select the week in the first question, camp options by grade level will appear. Note that camp location spots will be be based on a first come, first serve basis and are not confirmed until payment is received. Payments can be made through K-12 Payment Center OR by mailing a check.

Spring performance season is upon us for high school theatre students, and it's a great time to plan to enjoy a show and see our talented students in action:

 

The Special Olympics of Cabarrus County is currently looking for volunteers to assist with their Spring Games, which will be held on April 15th and 16th at the Cabarrus Arena. This is always a fun event and is a great day to join in celebrating our students and community.

👉Volunteer Registration Link

Looking for hands-on, engaging learning opportunities for your child this spring? UNC Charlotte Youth Programs is offering a series of Spring Workshops designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking for students in grades 1–12.

📅 Saturday, May 2, 2026

📍 Location: Main Campus (UNC Charlotte)

These interactive workshops are a great way for students to learn, explore, and have fun—especially on teacher workdays.

🔗 Learn more & register

📞 Questions? Call 704-687-8900 or email youthprograms@charlotte.edu