Reminder: TCAPS has an early release day today, Thursday, February 19. 🔔

Note: There is no school for students tomorrow, Friday, Feb 20 (Teacher Work Day).

Find start and dismissal times here: https://5il.co/3jfxa

View the academic calendar here: https://5il.co/3jfx6

For questions, contact your school directly.

5 days ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS Alert Early Release Day

Reminder: TCAPS has an early release day this Thursday, February 19. 🔔

Find start and dismissal times here: https://5il.co/3jfxa

View the academic calendar here: https://5il.co/3jfx6

For questions, contact your school directly.

7 days ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS Alert Early Release Day
Word Smithing In Progress! Or Chain Reactions We Actually Like!

If your student has been talking about "chains" lately, don't worry—they aren't auditioning for a construction crew! They are mastering one of the most powerful tools in our CKLA Skills toolkit.

What exactly is Word Chaining?

It’s a fast-paced "mental gymnastics" game for the brain. We start with a word like cat, and by changing just one sound at a time, we transform it: cat → can → fan → fin.

Why it’s a Game-Changer:
- Phonemic Awareness: It trains the ear to hear the tiny differences between sounds.
- Decoding Speed: It builds the "muscle memory" needed to recognize patterns instantly.
- Confidence: Using our Word Chaining Folders, students get hands-on practice manipulating letters, turning "scary" big words into a series of small, manageable shifts.

Our students are proving that building literacy is all about making the right connections!
13 days ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
A young student smiling at the camera while sitting at a school desk. They are working on a CKLA activity with a white board containing various letters and phonics tiles.
A young student smiling at the camera while sitting at a school desk. They are working on a CKLA activity with a white board containing various letters and phonics tiles.
A young student smiling at the camera while sitting at a school desk. They are working on a CKLA activity with a white board containing various letters and phonics tiles.

SCHOOL IS CLOSED: All TCAPS schools are closed today, Tuesday, January 27, 2026 due to inclement weather. Students in Michigan Virtual, Acellus, or Dual Enrollment classes should follow the direction of the instructors for those programs.

For more information on snow days, including how they are communicated and how decisions are made, go to www.tcaps.net.

29 days ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS ALERT Schools are closed due to inclement weather.

All TCAPS schools are closed tomorrow, Friday, January 23, 2026, due to inclement weather. Students in Michigan Virtual, Acellus, or Dual Enrollment classes should follow the direction of the instructors for those programs.

Due to the inclement weather closure, we are moving the 2-hour early release to Thursday, March 26, 2026. Based on staff and community feedback, we want to prioritize full days of instructional time for this upcoming week. 

Thank you for your flexibility as we work to maximize learning time for our students!

about 1 month ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS ALERT Schools are closed due to inclement weather.

Reminder: TCAPS has an early release day today, January 22. 🔔

Find start and dismissal times here: https://5il.co/3jfxa

View the academic calendar here: https://5il.co/3jfx6

For questions, contact your school directly.

about 1 month ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS Alert Early Release Day

Reminder: Upcoming Early Release Days 🔔

TCAPS will have a 2-hour early release on both Thursday, January 22 and Friday, January 23.

Thursday's early release was rescheduled due to Monday's weather closure, while Friday's remains as originally scheduled.

Start & Dismissal Times: https://5il.co/3jfxa

Academic Calendar: https://5il.co/3jfx6

For questions, please contact your school directly.

about 1 month ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS Alert Early Release Day

SCHOOL IS CLOSED: All TCAPS schools are closed today, Tuesday, January 20, 2026 due to inclement weather. Students in Michigan Virtual, Acellus, or Dual Enrollment classes should follow the direction of the instructors for those programs.

For more information on snow days, including how they are communicated and how decisions are made, go to www.tcaps.net.

about 1 month ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS ALERT Schools are closed due to inclement weather.
TCAPS Early Release Schedule Change 🗓️

Due to today’s inclement weather closure, the 2-hour early release originally scheduled for today has been moved to Thursday, January 22. 🗓️

Please note that the scheduled early release for Friday, January 23 remains in effect. Students will have a 2-hour early dismissal on both Thursday and Friday.

Start & Dismissal Times: https://5il.co/3jfxa
Academic Calendar: https://5il.co/3jfx6

For questions, please contact your school directly.
about 1 month ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS Update

SCHOOL IS CLOSED: All TCAPS schools are closed today, Monday, January 19, 2026 due to inclement weather. Students in Michigan Virtual, Acellus, or Dual Enrollment classes should follow the direction of the instructors for those programs.

For more information on snow days, including how they are communicated and how decisions are made, go to www.tcaps.net.

about 1 month ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS ALERT Schools are closed due to inclement weather.

🔔 Reminder: TCAPS has an early release day this coming Monday, January 19.

Find start and dismissal times here: https://5il.co/3jfxa

View the academic calendar here: https://5il.co/3jfx6

For questions, contact your school directly.

about 1 month ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS Alert Early Release Day
Word Power at TCAPS!

Did you know a strong vocabulary is a top predictor of reading success? At TCAPS, our CKLA curriculum builds "word power" from Kindergarten through 5th grade by immersing students in exciting, real-world topics. It’s not just about knowing a word; it’s about understanding it deeply and being able to use it!

Here is a look at the vocabulary our students are mastering:

Kindergarten: Building the Foundation In K, we introduce fascinating topics like "Farms," "Seasons and Weather," and "Colonial America" through captivating read-alouds. Your child is learning words like: harvest, migration, and colony! 📚

1st Grade: Expanding Horizons First graders delve into domains like "The Human Body," "Fairy Tales," and "A New Nation." They're learning words like circulation, heroic, and independence! 🌳

2nd Grade: Digging Deeper In second grade, topics like "Ancient Greek Civilization," "The War of 1812," and "Ecology" bring more complex vocabulary into play- such as democracy, conflict, and biodiversity. 🔍

3rd Grade: Bridging Listening to Reading Now, students are reading more independently, and CKLA helps them tackle more sophisticated texts in units like "The Ancient Roman Empire," "Astronomy," and "Immigration." They learn words like emperor, celestial, and immigrant. 🏰

4th Grade: Mastering Academic Language Fourth grade dives into subjects like "Early American Civilizations," "Geology," and "The American Revolution." Vocabulary becomes even more crucial for academic success. Words such as Mesoamerica, erosion, and patriot. 🌎

5th Grade: Preparing for Middle School In their final elementary year, students engage with challenging topics like "The Renaissance," "The Civil War," and "Human Anatomy and Physiology." Students learn words like patron, secede and skeletal. 🚀

From their first day to their elementary graduation, we are empowering TCAPS students to own their language!
about 1 month ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
Infographic titled 'Words are Power' showing CKLA vocabulary: Harvest, Migration, and Colony for K-2; Emperor, Celestial, and Perspective

SCHOOL IS CLOSED: All TCAPS schools are closed today, Wednesday, January 14, 2026 due to inclement weather. Students in Michigan Virtual, Acellus, or Dual Enrollment classes should follow the direction of the instructors for those programs.

For more information on snow days, including how they are communicated and how decisions are made, go to www.tcaps.net.

about 1 month ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS ALERT Schools are closed due to inclement weather.

🔔 Reminder: No School Dec 22 - Jan 2.

Enjoy the winter break! All TCAPS school offices and the TCAPS Administration Building at Glenn Loomis will be closed during this time.

Buildings and classes will resume on Monday, January 5, 2026.

View the academic calendar here: https://5il.co/3jfx6

2 months ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
Warm-toned photo with a silhouette of a person reading under a large tree and the TCAPS school logo

🔔 Reminder: No School Dec 22 - Jan 2.

Enjoy the winter break! All TCAPS school offices and the TCAPS Administration Building at Glenn Loomis will be closed during this time.

Buildings and classes will resume on Monday, January 5, 2026.

View the academic calendar here: https://5il.co/3jfx6

2 months ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
Warm-toned photo with a silhouette of a person reading under a large tree and the TCAPS school logo

SCHOOL IS CLOSED: All TCAPS schools are closed today, Friday, December 19, 2025 due to inclement weather. Students in Michigan Virtual, Acellus, or Dual Enrollment classes should follow the direction of the instructors for those programs.

For more information on snow days, including how they are communicated and how decisions are made, go to www.tcaps.net.

2 months ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
TCAPS ALERT Schools are closed due to inclement weather.

🌟 Beyond Sounding Out: CKLA Knowledge Units Build Confident Readers! 📚

While learning to sound out words is essential, did you know that CKLA Knowledge Units teach your child about the world (like history and science) and grow their vocabulary by introducing important, academic words? This strong foundation of knowledge and words is how they move beyond simply sounding out letters to actually understanding the meaning of what they read, making them skilled and confident readers.

 CKLA Connected—check out the learning adventures happening right now!

 Kindergarten: Underdogs and Heroes: Stories 
First Grade: Common Threads: Different Lands, Similar Stories 
Second Grade: Legends and Heroes: Greek Myths
Third Grade: Rhythm and Rhyme: Poetry
Fourth Grade: Meaning and Metaphor: Poetry
Fifth Grade: Visions in Verse: Poetry

3 months ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools
Young girl using a pocket chart for a phonics lesson, placing a letter card under the 'Chaining' category.
Student learning what is inside the human body at school
Teachers and students in a classroom hold up cards with shapes (star, circle) and letters ('f', 'o', 'g') for a lesson.
Students learning in the classroom
Students with paper masks learning in the classroom
2nd Grade, Courtade:  Domain 2, “Ancient Greece” Display
Group of students smiling together in the classroom.