Dear Chatham Families,
I want to welcome you and your family to the 2026-2027 school year. I hope you had a fantastic summer and you were able to spend time doing what makes you happy. Over the last two months, our staff has been preparing our buildings, reviewing curriculum, and planning for a great school year.
I can’t wait for you to see the completed building updates at our high school. This summer was our final stage of construction at the high school. When you visit, you will see our renovated auditorium, our updated gymnasium, remodeled music suites, and our beautiful new lobby and entrance. We will be hosting a Capital Project Open House in the fall to give the entire community an opportunity to see all of the renovations at CHS from the past couple years - a date will be shared out soon. At our middle school, we did a lot of painting and cleaned up the landscaping in front of the building. Finally, we are in the process of planning the MED air conditioning project that we hope will be completed next summer.
As a school district, it is our responsibility to make sure we prepare our students for their future. The future seems to be changing more rapidly than ever before, but it is our mission to make sure all students are ready for whatever they choose to pursue after graduation. Last school year, we brought together a group of our educators to research and develop what we need to do as a district to make sure our students are prepared. Collaboratively, we came up with what we are calling “The Portrait of a Panther.”
It is our mission to make sure ALL students are able to show these attributes before they graduate Chatham High School. Our teachers will be working on these skills in their classrooms from preschool on up through high school. During the school year, the District will design professional development with the goal of supporting our teachers and students on our Portrait of a Panther. We look forward to our work ahead as we ensure our students are “Future Ready.”
We are looking forward to a great school year. Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out with any questions and thank you for your continued support of your child’s education. We look forward to our first day of school for students in grades 1-12 on Wednesday, September 9th, for kindergarteners on September 10th, and for preschool students on September 11th.
Very Fondly,
Andrew Kourt