Welcome to the 2026-27 School Year!

Good Afternoon Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary School Families,

We are so excited to see everyone tomorrow evening for our Open House! Remember, we are back at 61 Spring Street NW, Concord, NC 28025.  Please note the times for our Open House below:

Learning Connections Open House: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Full Open House: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

On Wednesday, we will welcome all students to CWES for our first day of the 2026-27 school year!  I am excited to see what we can accomplish together this school year.  Below is some important information to help ensure a smooth start.  Please be sure to review all information prior to Wednesday.

Arrival to Campus
To help all students start the year with confidence and independence when they come to school, families are kindly asked to say their goodbyes at the school entrance.  We will have staff members available to assist students in finding their new classrooms. Thank you for your support in creating a smooth and successful start for everyone.

Bus Riders

If your child will be riding the bus to and from school, please be at the bus stop 10 minutes before and be prepared to stay 10 minutes after the time on the bus pass as drivers are getting used to new routes. If you have signed up using the Edulog app, you should be able to see the location of your bus and plan accordingly. Students have to be at the bus stop when the bus arrives, please do not have students wait inside the house or on the porch.  If you have any bus transportation questions, please reach out to our Assistant Principal,  Ms. Lauren Johnson (Lauren.Johnson@Cabarrus.k12.nc.us).

Car Riders

For morning arrival, we will have a single car rider line.  For afternoon pick-up, we will have a double stacked car rider line.  Our staff will be present to assist you and we have included a map below (as well as attached to this message) to assist everyone.  Parents are not permitted to park in the Visitor/Staff Parking Lots and/or on the streets in order to drop off or pick up their children. All walkers should enter the building through the main entrance or bus entrance. 

Families at arrival and dismissal should take the following route: 

1. Turn onto Grove Avenue via Spring Street at the signal intersection
   • No car rider traffic will be permitted to enter the car rider line coming from Grove Street via Georgia Street
2. From Grove Avenue, turn right into the parking lot and then an immediate right to enter the car rider queue. 
   • Follow the queue around the parking lot to the main entrance. Staff will be available to assist with unloading and loading.
   • Please do not allow your child to exit the car without a staff member present. 
3. Families will then exit the car rider line and turn right to exit via Georgia Street.
4. Buses will enter and exit campus from our bus lot on Franklin Avenue.
   • Only Cabarrus County Schools vehicles and those with permission will be allowed in the bus lot. (Boys and Girls Club)

Car rider line will open at 7:45 AM and close at 8:15 AM in the morning and 3:00 PM and 3:15 PM in the afternoon.  


Kindergarten Staggered Entry and Open House
Our Kindergarten students will be on a staggered entry plan starting on Wednesday (8/12) through Friday (8/15). You should have received your assigned Staggered Entry Day at Open House and a phone call from one of our Kindergarten teachers.  Please make sure your student attends on their assigned day.  On Monday, August 17th, no Kindergarten students will attend school to allow a planning day for our Kindergarten teachers. On the afternoon of August 17th, your student’s classroom teacher will call to share his or her placement for the school year.  We will host a classroom level Kindergarten Open House on Monday, August 17th from 4:30 – 5:30 PM in which families may meet and learn more about their kindergartener’s specific classroom and teacher. All kindergarten students will officially join their new class on Friday, August 18th for a regular day of school.  

If your child is in our Learning Connections classrooms, they will not follow the staggered entry plan above and will come to school every day starting on Wednesday (8/12).

Lunch

• School Lunch Accounts: Ever forget to send in lunch or snack money? Us too! If you haven't already done so, please set up an account for your child at the LINQConnect.com website. You will be able to manage the account remotely, add funds as needed and view daily menus. The directions can be found on the CCS School Nutrition page.  
  
  

• Free and reduced lunch applications are available now at the LINQConnect.com website.  Not sure if you qualify, please apply.  If you opt to make use of this program, get your applications in early so the program will be in effect from the 1st day of school.  For more information please visit the CCS School Nutrition page.
  

As always, we appreciate your partnership and support.  Here's to a great school year together!!

Have a good afternoon,

Chris Balga
Principal
Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary School