We hope you've had a great week, and we hope you and your family have an enjoyable Thanksgiving! As a reminder, school will be closed to students from Wed, Nov. 26 - Fri, Nov. 28th.
If you haven't had a chance to weigh-in on this week's Wednesday Weigh-In, click the button below and let us know if you'd like to find out more about the CCS budget development process.
Here's this week's edition of The Friday Five 🖐️.
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Cabarrus County Schools Family,
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to take a moment to share my gratitude for each of you and for the incredible community we are fortunate to serve.
To our students – thank you for your curiosity, your kindness, and the joy you bring into our classrooms each day. You are the reason we do this work, and we are proud of the effort you put into learning and growing.
To our families. thank you for your trust and partnership. The support you provide at home, on the sidelines, in the audience, at school events, and through ongoing communication with our schools makes a tremendous difference in your child’s success.
To our teachers, support staff, and school leaders. thank you for your dedication, professionalism, and heart. Your work is not easy, but it is deeply meaningful. You show up every day for our students, and I am grateful for the compassion, creativity, and commitment you bring to your roles.
To our community partners, volunteers, and Board of Education, thank you for investing your time, resources, and energy in Cabarrus County Schools. Your support helps us create more opportunities for students and strengthens the future of our community.
This season reminds us to slow down, reflect, and appreciate the people who walk alongside us. I am truly thankful to serve as your superintendent and to be part of a school system that is committed to inspiring minds, engaging hearts, and shaping futures together.
I hope this Thanksgiving brings you time to rest, reflect, and enjoy special moments with family and friends.
Stay Well,
Dr. John Kopicki
Superintendent
Cabarrus County Schools
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🍠 As Thanksgiving nears, Foods II students at Mount Pleasant High School are bringing learning to life with a classic Southern favorite — sweet potato pie.
North Carolina grows more than 60% of the nation’s sweet potatoes, and our state’s farmers harvest more than one billion pounds each year.
Thanks to local partners like GoldRock Farm in Gold Hill and Sunny Oaks Farm in Albemarle, students at MPHS are getting a true farm-to-fork experience using eggs and sweet potatoes produced right here in our community.
Under the guidance of Foods teacher Eva McCorkle, students are exploring how food connects people, cultures, and economies — all through a recipe rooted in tradition, sustainability, and hometown pride.
Want to try it yourself?
🥧See this recipe and more stories and features from across Cabarrus County Schools in the Fall issue of Engage CCS The Magazine at: 👉 www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/engageccs
Happy baking and Happy Thanksgiving, CabCoSchools! 🍂👩🍳👨🍳
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The NCDPI K–12 Math team invites all stakeholders to take part in an important step in shaping North Carolina’s math education future. The first draft of the revised K–12 Math Standards is now available, and your feedback is essential. As required by State Board policy, we are gathering input from educators, administrators, parents, students, higher education, business and industry partners, and community members to ensure the standards reflect the needs of our state.
This survey is your opportunity to review the proposed standards and share insights that will guide the next phase of revisions. Your voice will help determine what refinements—such as clarifications, additions, or adjustments—are needed before the final standards are developed. Thank you for taking a few minutes to participate and contribute to a process rooted in research, collaboration, and a commitment to high-quality mathematics education for all students.
Please use the link below to learn more about this process and to provide your feedback:
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DIGITAL TEACHING & LEARNING: In today's digital world, student safety extends to online spaces. This month, Cabarrus County Schools focused our digital teaching and learning lessons on safety on social media. We urge you to take a few moments to review and discuss safe social media practices with your child. Here are three key conversations to have:
- Privacy Settings: Check that your child's profile is set to private and review their follower list together.
- The "Pause" Rule: Remind your child to pause before posting or sharing anything. Once it's online, it's permanent.
- Stranger Danger Online: Emphasize that they should never share personal information (like phone number, address, or school schedule) with people they don't know in real life.
Your partnership is essential in helping us keep our students safe online. Helpful information is attached to this post as a PDF.
FINE ARTS: It's holiday performance season for our performing arts students. Please click here to access our district performing arts calendar and don't miss out on our talented student performances: District Performing Arts Schedule
PROGRAM CHOICE FOR 2026-27: Program Choice applications are open through Dec. 14, 2025 for next school year. For more information, please visit www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/programchoice.
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November 2025
- Wed 11/26 • No school - Thanksgiving Break
- Thu 11/27 • No school - Thanksgiving Break
- Fri 11/28 • No school - Thanksgiving Break
December 2025
- Mon 12/01, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm • Board of Education Work Session
- Mon 12/08, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm • Board of Education Business Meeting
- Fri 12/19 • Early College - End of Semester
- Fri 12/19 • End of Quarter - Traditional Calendar Schools Early Dismissal (Capped)
- Mon 12/22 • No school for students - Uncapped Workday
- Tue 12/23 • Early College - Uncapped Workday
- Tue 12/23 • No school - Winter Break
- Wed 12/24 • No school - Winter Break
- Thu 12/25 • No school - Winter Break
- Fri 12/26 • No school - Winter Break
- Mon 12/29 • No school - Winter Break
- Tue 12/30 • No school - Winter Break
- Wed 12/31 • No school - Winter Break
Complete 2025-26 CCS Calendars:
ACADEMIC CALENDAR ADJUSTMENT: Cabarrus County Schools has adjusted the 2025-26 academic calendar for traditional schools to conclude one day earlier in an effort to avoid resource conflicts during CCS graduation ceremonies on the NASCAR race weekend in Concord. The last day of school for traditional school students has been moved one day earlier to Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The original last day of school was Thursday, May 21, 2026. Adjusting the calendar will allow traditional high school graduations to occur on Wednesday, May 20, Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22nd, and avoid the originally scheduled Saturday graduation date. There is no change to the Early College calendar. For a complete listing of 2025-26 CCS academic calendars, please visit the CCS district calendar webpage.
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🎨❄️ Calling all CCS student artists! ❄️🎨
The 2025 Cabarrus County Schools Holiday eCard Contest is officially open — sponsored by Uwharrie Bank and Edward Jones!
❄️ This year’s theme is “Snowflakes and School Spirit.” From colorful card designs to creative coloring pages, we can’t wait to see how YOU capture the magic of the season.
✨ New this year: We’ve eliminated the digital art category and added a brand-new coloring contest for our youngest artists in Pre-K through 2nd grade!
🏆 Six winners will have their artwork featured in the Superintendent’s official holiday greeting and receive a special prize pack from our sponsors!
🗓️ Deadline: Monday, December 15, 2025, at Noon
✨ Be original. Be festive. Be YOU — and let your school spirit shine this holiday season!
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Cabarrus County Schools VEX Robotics is currently seeking volunteers for their 2025-26 event schedule. If interested, please click here to sign-up: CCS VEX Robotics Volunteer Sign-Up
EVENT SCHEDULE
- Viking VEXplosion Nov 14, 2025 - Nov 15, 2025
- Winecoff's Winter Conference Clash Dec 05, 2025 - Dec 06, 2025
- Winecoff VEX the HALLS! Dec 07, 2025
- Maverick Level Up: MS IQ Dec 12, 2025 - Dec 13, 2025
- Wolverine Robotics Rumble Dec 13, 2025 - Dec 14, 2025
- 2nd Annual Cobra Skills Challenge Jan 16, 2026 - Jan 17, 2026
- Trojan Throwdown Jan 30, 2026 - Jan 31, 2026
- 2nd Annual Robot ROAR-Off Feb 06, 2026 - Feb 07, 2026
- The Winkler Howler Feb 13, 2026 - Feb 14, 2026
- West Cabarrus Robo Challenge Feb 07, 2026 - Feb 08, 2026
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The holiday season is full of joy — and for some, extra stress. At Cabarrus County Schools, we want to make sure your family has access to the community resources you need. Our Community Partnerships & Resources page offers:
- A dedicated section for Holiday Assistance Programs. We encourage families to act early—these programs fill up quickly.
- Upcoming events like the Harvest Day on November 22 at the Logan Multipurpose Center, where families can pick up fresh produce for the holiday season.
- A special Thanksgiving Community Meal hosted by Westford Methodist Church on November 27—dine-in, pickup or delivery options are available.
- A quick-links list of helpful topics for families: Food & Clothing Resources, Health & Medical Resources, Mental Health Resources, Housing Resources, and more.
✅ What you can do right now
- Visit the CCS “Community Partnerships & Resources” page and check the “Holiday Assistance Programs” section.
- Share this information with neighbors or families you know who may benefit — let’s strengthen our community together.
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Holiday traditions return to Downtown Concord in November! The City of Concord’s 28th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on Friday, November 21, and the 97th Concord Christmas Parade, is on Saturday, November 22.
Both events are free and filled with family-friendly fun and entertainment for all ages, plus fireworks on Friday night. Many of our CCS students will be participating in both events, so come out and support them and enjoy these time-honored traditions.
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Cabarrus County Schools will host several events this year for parents with themes geared towards being Career & College Ready:
- Jan. 22nd from 5-7pm, at Concord High School - FAFSA completion event for Senior students and parents
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