Cheatham County Mayor David McCullough is proclaiming April 18, 2015 as Autism Awareness Day in Cheatham County, TN. Mayor McCullough’s proclamation encourages Cheatham County residents to become better educated on the subject of autism spectrum disorder.

In collaboration with this special proclamation, Cheatham County Kids is sponsoring the first annual “Going Blue for Autism” block party on Saturday April 18, 2015 from noon to 5:00 p.m. on the courthouse lawn in Ashland City.

Event organizers said the block party is a free event for all ages and will include food, games, resources, education booths, vendor booths, face painting, balloons, giant inflatables, car seat inspections, and much more.

Organizers added that this event would raise awareness about autism and educate the community on autism spectrum disorder. This is a free event and everyone is welcome to attend.

Due to inclement weather on Saturday, the District 9 AA schedule is as follows:

Sunday, February 22, 2015:

• 12:00 p.m. - Girls Consolation
• 1:30 p.m. - Girls Championship
• 3:00 p.m. - Boys Consolation
• 4:30 p.m. - Boys Championship

PLEASE NOTE: All games will be played at Volunteer State Community College.

The fourth grade class at Ashland City Elementary invites the community to join them for an unprecedented underwater experience of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. This interactive event will take place on Thursday, March 12, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Ashland City Elementary gymnasium.


School faculty noted that Family Night is also being held in conjunction with the interactive underwater experience from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 

Robyn Randall, fourth grade teacher at Ashland City Elementary and event organizer said, “We are very fortunate to have the technology that allows us to present a live video connection with Australia.” Randall also said the theme for the evening will involve measurement and geometry.

District technology supervisor, Will Lockert said, “Ms. Randall has gone out of her way to make this an amazing learning opportunity for ACES students, parents, and the community.” 

According to the Reef HQ Education Center, this introduction to the Great Barrier Reef gives students a unique environment to learn about the Great Barrier Reef. The hour-long program will feature a scuba diver who will take participants on a virtual dive in the coral reef. The presentation also includes a question and answer session with the presenter in Australia. The program will conclude with the scuba diver taking participants into the predator tank to explore sharks and other reef predators. 

A team of qualified educators facilitates the program. During the program, participants will:

1. Observe more than 5,000 live sea creatures;
   
2. Experience the habitats, ecosystems and behavior of reef creatures;
   
3. Analyze the interactions that exist between reef creatures;
   
4. Appreciate the requirements for a healthy ecosystem; and
   
5. Discover the latest in reef research.
   

 For more information on the Great Barrier Reef, visit http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/

Due to inclement weather, the District 9 AA schedule is as follows:

Saturday, February 21, 2015:

• 2:00 p.m. - Girls Consolation
• 3:30 p.m. - Girls Championship
• 5:00 p.m. - Boys Consolation
• 6:30 p.m. - Boys Championship

PLEASE NOTE: All games will be played at Volunteer State Community College.

Students at Ashland City Elementary recently engaged in a friendly competition to collect non-perishable food items for the Bethesda Center (Ashland City). The class collecting the most items will win a pizza party. Altogether, students at ACES collected 3,753 food items.

Ms. Britt's 2nd grade class came in first place in collecting 580 cans of food. School counselor Joy Daniel said, "We are super impressed with our students for participating in our annual SOUPer Bowl Party." 

The Cheatham County School District has partnered with the Cheatham County Public Library to provide parents with resources needed to help their children achieve greatness.

The Parent Academy Workshop will showcase the public library and provide details on the vast amount of free resources available to parents and students. Parents will also have the opportunity to learn more about the Tennessee Electronic Library and other free resources that can be found online. 

At its February 2, 2015 school board meeting, the Cheatham County Board of Education recognized Employees of the Month for December 2014 and January 2015. In lieu of the regular monthly board meeting, board members attended the annual school board retreat in January. 

December 2014
Not pictured: Cory Pickett (Harpeth Middle School) and Caitlin Roach (Harpeth High School)

January 2015
Not pictured: Julie Whittaker (West Cheatham Elementary) and Daniel Smiley (Sycamore High School)