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The Friday Five

Posted Date: 05/15/26 (05:00 PM)
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The Cabarrus County Schools logo features a globe with a leaf, a diagonal line, and the text 'Engaging minds. Shaping futures.'

The Friday Five

May 15, 2026
Three young women sit in red theater seats, holding a sign that says "NEXT STOP graduation".

Happy Friday, Cabarrus County Schools families!

We've reached the final Friday of the 2026-27 school year. Graduation and end-of-school season is upon us.

Reminder: Next Wednesday, May 20th, is an early dismissal day for all. For dismissal times, please visit www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/bellschedules. Cabarrus County Schools will begin operating on four-day work weeks beginning on Monday, June 1, 2026. All CCS facilities will be closed on Fridays through the week of July 27th. CCS facilities will be open to the public M-Th from 8am-4pm.

Thanks for tuning into The Friday Five this school year. We're going to take a few weeks off (so everyone can relax and enjoy their start to summer without being reminded about school on Friday afternoons). 👏👏

Please be sure to check the summer information below so you're in-the-know on important summer details.

All of us in the CCS Communications Department - Phil, Mike, and Caroline - hope you have a safe and enjoyable summer break! The Friday Five will return in early July with Back-to-School information.

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

#1 Important summer information

  • END-OF-GRADE/END-OF-COURSE SCORE REPORTS: On Friday, May 22, 2026, EOG and EOC score reports for all students who took at EOC or EOG will be delivered using ParentSquare's Secure Docs delivery. This will be delivered as a typical ParentSquare notification, but will require you to log in to access the document. Please download the score reports for your records. Secure Documents instructions may be viewed while logged into your ParentSquare account.

  • PARENTSQUARE ARCHIVING: ParentSquare will archive on June 30, 2026 and your posts from this school year (25-26) will be removed from your feed. Posts from any groups (athletics, clubs, etc.) will not be archived and will remain in your feed. If you have photos or files in your ParentSquare account that you would like to keep, please be sure to download those to your personal device no later than June 30th.

  • PARENTSQUARE ROLLOVER TO 26-27: Around mid-July, Infinite Campus and ParentSquare will rollover to the 2026-27 school year. You will then be connected to your fall 2026 schools. However, you will not be connected to your child's teachers or classes until Open House.

  • HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULES: 2026-27 schedules for high school students are still being finalized as school counselors continue balancing course requests, graduation requirements, staffing allotments, class sizes, and scheduling conflicts for all students. We appreciate your patience as this complex process continues throughout the summer. While work with schedules will continue throughout the summer, due to reduced summer staffing hours for School Counselors, responses and schedule adjustments may take additional time. Final student schedules will be available at Open House in August. Thank you for your understanding and support as we work to create the best possible schedules for all students.

  • SUMMER HOURS: Cabarrus County Schools will begin operating on four-day work weeks beginning on Monday, June 1, 2026. All CCS facilities will be closed on Fridays through July 27th. CCS facilities will be open to the public M-Th from 8am-4pm.

  • SUMMER PROGRAMMING FOR FAMILIES: Our family services team has assembled a list of summer activities and programs to keep your child busy over the break. Those can be accessed here: https://www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/221891_3
 

#2 Graduation 2026: Things to know before you go

🎉Join us as we celebrate the incredible Class of 2026 beginning tomorrow at West Cabarrus for our Early Colleges and continuing Wednesday, May 20 - Friday, May 22 at Cabarrus Arena & Events Center. 👏🎓

🗓️ Saturday, May 16, 2026 at West Cabarrus High School
🕙 10 A.M. — Cabarrus Early College of Technology
🕐 1 P.M. — Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College High School
🕓 4 P.M. — Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute

🗓️ Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at Cabarrus Arena
🕔 5:00 P.M. — Performance Learning Center
🕡 6:30 P.M. — Cabarrus Virtual Academy

🗓️ Thursday, May 21, 2026 at Cabarrus Arena
🕘 9:00 A.M. — Central Cabarrus High School
🕧 12:30 P.M. — Hickory Ridge High School
🕓 4:00 P.M. — Jay M. Robinson High School
🕢 7:30 P.M. — Mount Pleasant High School

🗓️ Friday, May 22, 2026 at Cabarrus Arena
🕘 9:00 A.M. — Northwest Cabarrus High School
🕧 12:30 P.M. — West Cabarrus High School
🕓 4:00 P.M. — Concord High School
🕢 7:30 P.M. — Cox Mill High School

🎓Graduate Information: https://www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/9320_2

🎟️ Guest information, prohibited items, parking details, ticket info (tickets required for CCHS, CMHS, HRHS, WCHS) and more can be found at: https://www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/gradguests


Be sure to tag your photos @cabcoschools on Facebook and Instagram so we can celebrate your big day with you! 🎉

Here’s what you can expect in your school’s photo gallery:
  • During the Ceremony: Follow us on social media @CabCoSchools for near real-time highlights and memorable moments!
  • First Gallery Highlights: Look for backstage moments, the graduation procession, diploma presentations, and celebrations with family and friends.
  • The Days Following: Revisit your school’s gallery often as we continue adding thousands of photos captured throughout graduation season.

While we can’t guarantee a photo of every graduate, our team will collectively capture thousands of moments throughout the day. All high-resolution photos are provided to students and families absolutely free, courtesy of Cabarrus County Schools.

#CabCoGrads26 #YourFutureOurFocus 🎓✨
 

#3 NCSpark Camps this summer for rising 9-12 graders are free

2026 SparkNC Summer Camp (FREE)
Your summer camp adventure starts HERE!! 
Students will explore SparkNC programs over the summer months to gain unit completion through various hands-on learning opportunities.  

June: Pop-Up Business Builder w/Website Development and Engineering Tomorrow (Now Registering) 

June Capstone Workshop (6/9-6/11) & July Capstone Workshop (7/29-30)  (Now Registering) 

July: Marketing 101 w/Website Development and SparkNC Exploration (Registration opens June 4th)   

Please click this link to register: 

 
A diverse group of young people smile at the camera in an auditorium setting.
A man and three young women stand in front of a jewelry store counter with the "Ellis Jewelers" logo.
 

#4 Need-to-Knows

✅ATTENTION JUNIORS WHO TOOK THE ACT: Based on its continual evaluation of scores, ACT has informed us that it needs to reissue scores for students who took the ACT online during the school day this spring. If you are among those students, your current score will be removed from your MyACT account on Wednesday, May 13. When scores are available again (no later than June 2), your Composite score and section scores will remain the same OR go up slightly based on your individual performance. Your scores will NOT be lower than what was previously released. There is no action you need to take. ACT will send revised scores to you via MyACT and will be resending scores to your school both by shipping paper score reports and electronically in online reporting. If you previously opted to send scores via ACT to a college, university, or scholarship-awarding organization, they, too, will get the updated scores no later than June 2. If you or your family have additional questions, you may reach out to ACT directly at 319.337.1313.

✅ATTENTION JUNIORS AND FAMILIES: Get Ahead This Summer with NC College Connect & CFNC. As we wrap up the school year, we want to help our rising seniors get a strong start on their postsecondary planning. One important step is participating in NC College Connect and creating a CFNC account this summer. CFNC (College For North Carolina) is a free resource that helps students plan, apply, and pay for college. By creating an account now, students will be better prepared to:
  • Explore college and career options
  • Complete college applications more efficiently
  • Access financial aid resources
Taking this step over the summer can reduce stress during senior year and ensure students are ready to take full advantage of opportunities through NC College Connect. For more information, please review  this flyer.

✅STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK DRAFT 2 of K-12 REVISED MATH STANDARDS: Our district invites all stakeholders—educators, families, students, and community members—to review the NCDPI Draft 2 of the K-12 Revised Math Standards and share your feedback through a brief survey. Your input is essential in ensuring the standards are clear, rigorous, and reflective of the needs of all learners. Please take a few minutes to review the draft and submit your feedback by the posted deadline. Your voice plays a critical role in shaping high-quality instruction for our students. Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to excellence in education. The deadline to submit this feedback is Monday, May 18th. Please use this link to submit your feedback: DRAFT 2 ALL-STAKEHOLDER SURVEY LINK
 
2025-26 District Calendars
 

#5 Important Upcoming Dates

May 2026
  • Sat 5/16, 10:00 am - 11:30 am • Early College of Technology Graduation @ West Cabarrus HS
  • Sat 5/16, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm • Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College Graduation @ West Cabarrus HS
  • Sat 5/16, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm • Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute Graduation @ West Cabarrus HS
  • Wed 5/20 • Last day of school for traditional calendar students- Early Dismissal (Capped)
  • Mon 5/25 • Holiday - Memorial Day
  • Tue 5/26 • Uncapped Teacher Workday
  • Wed 5/27 • Uncapped Teacher Workday
  • Thu 5/28 • Uncapped Teacher Workday
  • Thu 5/28, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm • Board of Education Finance Committee Meeting

Complete 2025-26 CCS Calendars:
Example calendar with dates pinned
 

Community Engagement

 

Back-to-School information

We are excited to welcome you back for the 2026–2027 school year in August! 🎒 Below are important links to help get your year off to a great start!

 

⚖️ Discover Law Program Opportunity for Rising 9th-12th Grade Students ⚖️

The Cabarrus District Attorney’s Office is inviting rising 9th-12th grade students to attend the Discover Law Program on June 10, 2026, at the Cabarrus County Courthouse.

Students will have the opportunity to:
• Hear Assistant District Attorneys discuss careers in the legal field
• Observe court proceedings
• Participate in a Mock Court trial experience

📍 Location: Cabarrus County Courthouse
📅 Date: June 10, 2026
🕐 Time: 1-4 p.m.

This is a great opportunity for students interested in law, criminal justice, public speaking, government, or public service careers.

For additional information, please contact District Attorney Ashlie Shanley at Ashlie.P.Shanley@nccourts.org.

 

📅 End of Year approaching: Important Dates

As we approach the final stretch of the school year, here are a few important dates to keep in mind for the month of May:
  • 📝 May 18–20 – High School Exams (Early Dismissal for high school students)
  • 🎓 May 16 – Graduation Ceremonies for Early Colleges at West Cabarrus HS
  • ⏰ May 20 – Last Day of School (Early Dismissal for all students)
  • 🎓 May 20–22 – Graduation Ceremonies at Cabarrus Arena
  • 📚 May 21 – Capped Teacher Workday (no school for students)
  • 🏫 May 22 – Uncapped Teacher Workday (no school for students)
  • 🪖 May 25 – Memorial Day Holiday (schools and offices closed)
  • 🗓️ May 26–28 – Uncapped Teacher Workdays (no school for students)
📊 Report Card Dates
  • 🧒 May 20 – Elementary School Report Cards
  • 📘 June 4 – Middle School Report Cards
  • 🎒 June 4 – High School Report Cards

These dates mark an exciting time as we celebrate the accomplishments of our students and prepare for summer. Please plan accordingly, especially around early dismissal days and exam schedules.

Thank you for your continued support of Cabarrus County Schools as we finish the year strong! 💙
 
Poster for 'Safety Town' event by The Junior Charity League of Concord for rising kindergarten students.

Safety Town for rising Kindergarteners

The Junior Charity League of Concord will once again host its annual Safety Town event this summer for rising kindergarten families.

Safety Town will be held on July 21st at Rocky River Elementary School from 8:30 AM – 12:15 PM. This free program, hosted by the Junior Charity League of Concord, prepares rising kindergarten students with important safety skills before the start of the school year. 

There will only be one day of Safety Town this year, so space is limited and registration is expected to fill quickly. Register at the link below:
 
 
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