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Welcome to Quarter 3!
Welcome back! Here is what to look forward to this quarter:
For a look at the entire 2024-2025 calendar, click on the link below.
School Calendar
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Leslie Smith Named CCS-Wilmington Headmaster
We are excited to welcome Leslie Smith as the new Headmaster of Classical Charter Schools of Wilmington.
Mrs. Smith holds a Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education from UNC at Pembroke, as well as a Bachelor of Science from Fayetteville State University.
For the past five years, Mrs. Smith has been a valuable member of the CCS-America community. She has served in various roles, including teacher, head teacher, and most recently, operations coordinator at CCS-Whiteville, where she fostered an environment of mutual respect, curiosity, and growth. She will bring this same passion and dedication to her new role as Headmaster.
Throughout her career, Mrs. Smith has earned several accolades, including Teacher of the Year for 2023-2024 and multiple National Handwriting Classroom Awards. Her commitment to education and excellence make her an inspiring leader for CCS-Wilmington.
We are excited for Mrs. Smith to bring her experience, ideas, and support to the already outstanding CCS-Wilmington team. Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Headmaster Leslie Smith.
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The Power of Cursive
Just in time for National Handwriting Day, officials in Washington are rediscovering something that CCS-America has known all along– that cursive writing is a valuable skill.
The National Archives is looking for volunteers to help transcribe historical documents that were written in cursive. Unfortunately, cursive handwriting is becoming an increasingly rare skill, as many students in the U.S. are either not taught it or don’t continue to use it regularly in their daily lives.
Many historical documents, including our country’s founding papers, were written in cursive. Without the ability to read cursive, one must rely on someone else’s translation to understand these original texts.
Cursive is a core element of CCS-America’s classical curriculum. Students begin learning to write in cursive in 2nd grade, and by 4th grade, they are expected to write exclusively in cursive—a practice they continue throughout their years at CCS-A.
Research shows that cursive writing has many benefits over typing or printing, including increasing information retention, and engaging the brain more deeply. Studies have found that due to the fluid motion involved, cursive engages more areas of the brain and creates more elaborate brain connectivity patterns. This can enhance memory, fine motor skills, and cognitive processing.
With National Handwriting Day (1/23) just around the corner, be sure your student is practicing their cursive reading and writing in their everyday lives. We’re proud that our students are a part of the effort to keep cursive alive.
Check out the full article to learn more about this cursive reading opportunity:
Can you read cursive? It’s a superpower the National Archives is looking for.
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Students of the Month: Generosity
Virtue is an important part of CCS-America’s classical curriculum. Students are recognized monthly for displaying a specific character trait that they are not only learning and practicing, but also recite daily in our School Pledge.
December’s character trait was Generosity. Generous students are careful with what they have so they can share with others. Generosity is seen in the School Pledge as “I pledge to be virtuous in all my deeds.” Students apply these words to their everyday lives by doing good for others without seeking anything in return.
Congratulations to all CCS-A students who demonstrated outstanding generosity. Check out December’s honorees using the links below!
CCS-Leland
CCS-Southport
CCS-Whiteville
CCS-Wilmington
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Enrollment is OPEN for the 2025-2026 School Year!
Spread the word- Open Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year is here! Tell your friends and family!
This year, we are offering a new incentive for current CCS-A parents and staff members. When a new student applies for enrollment at a CCS-A school between 12/1/24 – 6/30/2025 and puts a current parent or staff member’s name down in the “Referred By” section of the application, that parent/staff member will be awarded a $25 Shop RBA gift card for each referral!
BE SURE TO PROVIDE ALL NEEDED INFORMATION: The application must have the first and last name of the person providing the referral in order to receive the gift card.
ENROLL HERE!
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Spotlight Nomination Form
If you believe you or someone you know deserves a RBA shoutout, let us know! Fill out THIS FORM to nominate someone for a newsletter spotlight!
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Top National Rankings for CCS-Leland and CCS-WhitevilleCCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville have tied for #1 and #3, respectively, among more than 250 schools nationwide in the Classic Learning Test’s (CLT8) 2025 CLT8 School Rankings.Of the 20 highest-scoring schools, they are the only public, only charter, and only tuition-free schools. All the other top-ranking schools are private schools charging from $6,200 to $36,000 in yearly tuition.The three-hour CLT8 is designed to measure eighth-grade students’ readiness for high school. Much of the content on the exam is drawn from classical literature, grammar, classical mathematics, and historical texts, all of which are central in CCS-America’s classical curriculum.”We couldn’t be prouder of our students and staff for their hard work, which has led to this confirmation of our curriculum’s effectiveness,” CCS-America founder Baker Mitchell, Jr. said. He noted that a majority of the students who took and excelled on the CLT8 were students who had attended the schools since the beginning of their education, allowing them to enjoy a substantial academic edge from CCS-America’s innovative and carefully sequenced classical curriculum.Jessica Lopez, Dean of Classical Humanities, added, “Last year, we were excited to see CCS-Leland rank in the top 20 nationally in the 2022-23 CLT8. That was our first time participating in the exam. This year, we are thrilled to see both Leland and Whiteville students achieve such outstanding results. It is clear that the dedication to our unique classical curriculum and innovative methodologies by CCS-America’s deans, academic coaches, teachers, and especially our students has paid off tremendously.”“Out of the hundreds of schools that take the CLT8 every year, CCS-Leland and CCS-Whiteville’s recognition in Classic Learning Test’s 2025 School Rankings is a remarkable achievement,” said CLT officials.Congratulations to Leland and Whiteville for such an outstanding accomplishment! Learn more about the CLT8 using the link below.What is the CLT8 and how did we do?**************
CCS-Leland Presents: Peter Pan!Middle school students at Classical Charter Schools of Leland presented their spring musical, Peter Pan, with performances on February 28th and March 1st.The talented Leland Show Choir wowed the crowd with their musical numbers and took everyone on a magical journey through Neverland. The musical highlighted the values of family, dependability, courage, and responsibility. These values also are emphasized in the Character Education curriculum at CCS-America. The musical was complete with fighting pirates, mischievous fairies, flying, and of course, a sprinkle of pixie dust.Congratulations to these students for putting on such a spectacular show, and a special thank you to Mr. Taylor, Ms. Steffel, and Ms. Hahn for all of their hard work in bringing this show to life.Check out pictures from the performances below:Peter Pan Pictures**************
CCS-America Spelling BeeOn February 26th, our annual CCS-America Spelling Bee was held in the Leland auditorium. Grade level winners from all four campuses joined together for a final spelling showdown.Hosted by Ali Cause-Nance, Dean of Math and Sciences, the event was full of excitement and friendly competition as students showed off their spelling abilities. The hard work and dedication of all the students was clear, and after a series of challenging rounds, a winner was crowned for each grade level.Check out the list of winners:
Students of the Month: DependabilityCCS-America students are recognized monthly for displaying a specific character trait from our School Pledge that they not only say, but practice in their daily lives.February’s character trait was Dependability. Dependable students do what they say they will and keep to their word, even if it is difficult to do so. Dependability is seen in the School Pledge as “I Pledge to be truthful in all my works.” Students apply these words to their everyday lives by being responsible decision-makers others can rely on.Congratulations to all of these students who demonstrated exemplary dependability. Check them out on the links below!CCS-LelandCCS-SouthportCCS-WhitevilleCCS-Wilmington**************
Enroll for the 2025-2026 School Year!We are currently taking applications for the 2025-2026 school year for all grade levels!Remember, this year we are offering a new incentive for current CCS-A parents and staff members. When a new student applies for enrollment at a CCS-A school between 12/1/24 – 6/30/2025 and enters a current parent or staff member’s name and email in the “Referred By” section of the application, that parent/staff member will be emailed $25 of Shop RBA store credit for each referral!BE SURE TO PROVIDE ALL NEEDED INFORMATION: The application must have the first and last name and email of the person providing the referral in order to receive the store credit.ENROLL HERE
