Happy 100th Day of School!

January 15th marked the 100th day of school for CCS-A students! All campuses celebrated with fun “100”- themed activities and events.

For our kindergarten students, this is an especially big accomplishment. To celebrate completing their first-ever 100 days of school, they had a “100 Day Fashion Show”. In preparation, each student decorated a shirt with 100 of their favorite things.

The day ended with them walking the runway, showing off their unique and creative shirts. From flowers to buttons to hearts and even jellybeans, our students showed off both their creativity and their pride in completing 100 days of school.

Congratulations to all for reaching this milestone! We can’t wait to see where the rest of the school year will take us.

Check out pictures from the fashion shows below:

CCS-Leland

CCS-Southport

CCS-Whiteville

CCS-Wilmington

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Another Decade of Leland Excellence

Exciting news for the CCS-America community: CCS-Leland has been granted a ten-year charter renewal by the NC Charter School Review Board, effective July 1st, 2025!

This renewal follows a thorough evaluation of CCS-Leland’s academic performance, financial responsibility, and commitment to the CCS-A mission. It ensures that CCS-Leland will continue to provide classical education to Leland and the surrounding areas for the next decade, and further solidifies the CCS-A network as a leader in classical education in North Carolina.

“We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment, but not necessarily surprised,” said CCS-Leland Headmaster Laurie Benton. “Our classical curriculum clearly supports student success both in and out of the classroom. This renewal confirms the strength of our network, the effectiveness of our curriculum, and the dedication of our teachers, staff, and families.”

Here’s to the next decade of excellence at CCS-Leland!

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Snow Days for CCS-A

Last Tuesday night, a heavy snow fell over all four CCS-A campuses and their surrounding communities. A historic winter storm brought up to 6 inches of snow to our area.

Wednesday morning, we woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland! While our students stayed on track with their studies and worked hard on their remote schoolwork, they also made the most of these rare snow days and had some fun. They went sledding, had snowball fights, made snow angels, and even built snowmen.

We loved seeing our students having fun in the winter weather. We hope everyone enjoyed the snow and the extra time spent together as a family!

Visit the links below to see how each campus enjoyed the snow days (and to share your own snow day pictures!):

CCS-Leland

CCS-Southport

CCS-Whiteville

CCS-Wilmington

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Open Enrollment CLOSES Friday!

Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year is STILL OPEN, but not for long! Tell your friends and family!

REMINDER: Open Enrollment closes on January 31st! Applying during Open Enrollment ensures equal opportunity to the spots available in the lottery. Any applications received after January 31st will go on a waiting list in the order in which they are received.

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 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!

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!

**************

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!

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

**************

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 Masters 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.

**************

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.

**************

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

**************

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!

**************

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!