Dear Students and Families,

Welcome to Eastway Middle School, home of the Jaguars! Eastway is a neighborhood school with a partial Cambridge Magnet choice, located in East Charlotte. We serve approximately 850 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.

Although Eastway is a partial Magnet, meaning approximately twenty percent of our enrollment is comprised of students who select our school through the lottery process, we have magnetized our entire school. Teachers collaboratively plan rigorous, standard-aligned lessons that integrate the resources of the Cambridge program. Moreover, each week, teachers use multiple data points to personalize the learning opportunities for our students. Our commitment to excellence and our dedication to a positive school culture is unmatched.  

We are very proud of the diversity of our students and staff. We come from many different states and represent more than 30 countries; we believe this makes our school a very special place. We value our diversity and are proud of the things we have in common. We share a passion for building relationships; work to honor our personal and shared traditions and customs; and embrace our individual contributions, personalities, and perspectives. We welcome all who enter—once you arrive, you quickly become a part of the Eastway family!

At Eastway, we developed the Jaguar Pride Plan to recognize and reward our students through strategic positive reinforcement strategies. Students earn Jaguar Pride points by demonstrating respect, responsibility, and safety, which are our three pillars of success. The points provide students with the opportunity to shop in our school store, earn a wide variety of incentives, and participate in multiple celebrations throughout the year. Additionally, students receive positive referrals when they go beyond expectations and they are given the opportunity to spin the Principal’s Wheel of Wow for incentive prizes.

As your Principal, I am committed to ensuring we have an enthusiastic and positive culture with high expectations for all. I believe that increasing student achievement by focusing on social, emotional, and academic development will build the foundation our students need to succeed in high school and beyond.

One of my main goals is to maintain a championship team of excellent individuals (staff, students, families, and community partners) who are committed to working together to achieve common goals. Each day, our team works to:

· Capitalize on the many talents within our building, homes, and community;

· Put forth our very best effort with enthusiasm and energy;

· Analyze multiple school performance measures with strategic response; and

· Make every moment meaningful for everyone by building true and lasting relationships!

Talent, Effort with Enthusiasm & Energy, Analysis with Strategic Response, and Making Every Moment Meaningful equals TEAM!

TEAM is the focus of everything we do because it takes consistent commitment, effective communication, and true collaboration from everyone to build upon the greatness of our past as we strive to make Eastway the premier middle school in CMS and in North Carolina.

To be a part of our TEAM, I invite you to participate in our school community as often as you can. To do so, please register as a CMS volunteer. All volunteers must complete the registration process each year and select Eastway Middle School as the site. Additionally, please remember you must bring your ID to sign in upon entering our school as we ensure Eastway is safe for all.

Finally, I would like to tell you a little bit about me. I’m originally from Clarksburg, West Virginia, but have called Charlotte my home since 2003 when I began my journey as a teacher with CMS. I am a proud supporter of public education and have two daughters, both of whom graduated from CMS. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Fairmont State University and a Master of Arts in School Leadership from Gardner-Webb University. Prior to starting my role as Principal of Eastway in August 2022, I served as the Principal of Idlewild Elementary School from 2014-2022. This is my twenty-second year with CMS and my eleventh year as a principal.

Please feel free to reach out to me at any time. I can be reached via email at larenda.denien@cms.k12.nc.us or by phone at 980-343-6410. I look forward to partnering with you as we focus on doing all we can to be better every day!

Thank you for choosing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Eastway Middle for your child.

Larenda B. Denien,

Principal