Clarksville Orbiter August 28, 2026

Dear Clarksville Middle Families and Community,
This week was a great week, from seeing our young people meeting old friends on Monday, students playing Four Square and Kickball at recess, to visiting classrooms, it's hard to pick just one highlight!  Suffice to say that I'm so glad that your young people are at our school, and that we have the amazing, skillful and caring educators that we do at Clarksville Middle School.

All of this is both for our community and dependent on its support.  Thank you for your patience with all the new things this week, and especially for your support at arrival, dismissal and with buses.

Tonight our PTA is hosting the annual Back to School Picnic here at Clarksville Middle School from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.  Come join me for great food and to celebrate the first week of school!

This week we shared lots of information with students. See here for the slides that were shared in classes this week including information on Back to School Procedures, Code of Conduct, ORBIT Values, and Emergency Preparedness.  We took time each day to share important information with our young people and hope you'll take a moment to review yourself and check in with them to see if they have any questions about anything we talked about.

Next week we have Back to School Night on Wednesday and we hope to see someone from each of our families. The main doors will open at 5:45pm, period 1 will begin with a message from me at 6pm and then you will follow your child’s schedule until 7:30pm when there will be an Advanced Academics/GT session with Ms. Mairs.  There's more information posted on our website here.

Did you know that the public calendar on our website is a Google Calendar that allows anyone to subscribe and add into your other calendar systems.  Check it out - we are adding events every month!

Check out the information below for items we’ve been sending out this week and some new things to help us all be prepared for the new school year!  Let us know if you have any questions or if there is something you’d like to see in the newsletter.  All of this information is also posted on our website at http://cms.hcpss.org/. 

There is nothing too big or too small for us to work on together, so don’t hesitate to reach out.

Regards,
Richard Smart, Principal (richard_smart@hcpss.org

Upcoming Dates:

8/24 - First Day of School for Students

8/28 - PTA Back to School Picnic

9/2 - Back to School Night

9/7 Labor Day, Schools and offices closed

Action Items:

Update Your Student/Family Emergency Information Today!

Parents/guardians must verify and/or update emergency information for each child every school year. This is completed online in Family File, which has several new updates including how and where to access. 

Update Your Free and Reduced Meals Application Today

HCPSS participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, which provide families with significant benefits to help save money. Qualification is based on family size and income, and enrollment is confidential. All children in households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can get free meals regardless of income, and students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals. Free and Reduced Meals

PTA News / Important Dates

Locker Information for 7th and 8th Graders:

Now that we've gotten through the first week of school, we will open requests for 7th & 8th grade students to have a locker assigned beginning Monday, August 31, 2026, and close 3pm, Friday September 4, 2026.   Obtaining a locker is completely voluntary.  If your student would like to have a locker assigned, please have your child complete and submit the locker request form using their HCPSS login) CMS Locker Request Form 2026-27  Distribution of locker assignments will begin the week of September 14, 2026.  If your student encounters any problems accessing their assigned locker, please instruct them to visit the front office.

Information Items:

CometFest 2026: A Clarksville Community Event

Clarksville Middle School is hosting our CometFest 2026 on Thursday, October 15 from 6:00pm-8:00pm in the school cafeteria. We are looking for parent and student volunteers to celebrate their cultures through performances, hosting a table, holding a demonstration, or assisting throughout the night. Please visit the link here (https://forms.gle/wfBhsUAc8bgvMAcT8) and fill out our participation sign-up. We will provide more details and information in the coming weeks. If you have any questions about this event, please email Mrs. Gilligan at amber_gilligan@hcpss.org. We look forward to celebrating this night with you!

REVIEW IMPORTANT HCPSS POLICIES

The Secondary Student & Parent Handbook that includes the HCPSS Student Code of Conduct

Policy 1020: Sexual Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct 

Policy 1025: Title IX Sexual Harassment

Policy 9010: Attendance 

Policy 9210: Student Dress Code

Policy 9200: Student Discipline 

Policy 9230: Alcohol, Other Drugs, Prescription Medication and Over-the-Counter Products

Policy 1050: Alcohol, Drug, and Tobacco Free Environment 

Policy 9460: Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment, and Intimidation Involving Students 

Career Cafe Information!

CMS is excited to continue hosting monthly Career Cafes during grade level lunch shifts to expose our 6th-8th graders to a variety of careers!

We are looking for enthusiastic parents/guardians and community members to share their career experiences. Our students benefit from learning about the responsibilities, rewards/challenges, required skills, and pathways to access your career. Please fill out this volunteer form if you are interested in being a guest career speaker.

Student Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures

Talk with your young person today about how they are getting to school on the first day.  Consider a trial run and check out the resources below.  Contact us with any questions - we are here to help.

https://cms.hcpss.org/news/2026/2026-08/cms-drop-and-pick-procedures 

Bus Transportation:

Please visit this site for all bus information:  https://www.hcpss.org/schools/transportation/

Breakfast and Lunch:

For the 2026-2027 school year, the meal prices are as follows: breakfast $2.00, lunch $3.30, and milk $.50. You can access your student's lunch account here. Students will be given a PIN # to pay for lunch; cash is not accepted. Please ensure your student has this number before the first day of school. 

Daily Attendance

​​​​​​​COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please visit the Community News and Programs page on the HCPSS website for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.