ESA Weekly Parent Update

-The Boys and Girls Club is CLOSED tomorrow, Monday, January 29th for a staff training. If your child attends the Boys and Girls Club, please communicate their dismissal procedure with the homeroom teacher.

-Please be courteous and use a parking space when picking up your child. Double parking blocks others from exiting in a safe manner.

2/1 - 1/2 day for students -11:45 am dismissal

2/1 - Parent Teacher Conferences 12:30 pm - 6:30 pm

2/2 - 1/2 day for students - 11:45 am dismissal

2/6 - 100th Day of School

2/8 - District wide spelling bee

2/16 - Picture Day

2/19 - Presidents' Day Holiday - School is closed

2/21 - Parent Caregiver Association Meeting @ 5pm

2/26 - 1/2 day for students - 11:45 dismissal; 1/2 day Teacher Inservice

3/20 - Annual Oratorical Contest and Art Competition

ESA's Spelling Bee took place this week. A job well done for all students, parents, and teachers that studied the words and participated at both the classroom and school wide level. Congratulations to the following scholars who will be representing ESA at the district wide spelling bee on February 8th.

Grade 1:

Ndubuisi Dike

A'vianna Lawler-Laws

Jasir Lighty Pierce

Grade 2:

Amelia Monroe

Amari Hartshorn

Grade 3:

Jaiya Crews

Luangeliz Nieves

Grade 4:

Christina Mosley

Ezra Navo

Grade 5:

Amani King

Garrison Majors

Middle School:

Eli Draine

Myron Montgomery

Jaquan Nixon

🎨 New at CUSD! Art Therapy Program 🎨

🌟 Thanks to grant funding, CUSD has launched an Art Therapy Program in collaboration with The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth! 🖌️🧠

This initiative aims to support students' mental health and well-being through creative expression. Eligible students can be referred by school faculty or parents/guardians. 📚💪🏽

🌈 Benefits of Art Therapy:
* Foster self-expression and empowerment
* Develop emotional intelligence and resilience
* Increase self-esteem and confidence
* Improve communication and social skills
* Promote self-discovery and self-awareness

👉🏾If you'd like to refer your child, visit the link: https://form.jotform.com/CUSDArtTherapy/referral

or scan the QR code on the flyer.

Have questions or want more info? Reach out to ABabouchkina@chesteruplandsd.org. 🌟🎓 #CUSD #ArtTherapy #MentalHealthMatters #StudentWellBeing

Please take the time to read through ESA's dress code. Beginning Monday, January 29th, Uniform Infraction letters will be sent home.

Upcoming dates for the Parent Caregiver Association are listed below:

- Wednesday, February 21st

- Wednesday, March 20th

- Wednesday, April 17th

- Wednesday, May 15th

Meetings begin at 5pm in the ESA Cafeteria

While we acknowledge the fact that birthdays are occasions for celebration, we must maintain the integrity of our instructional program. To that end, we will allow parents to host monthly celebrations during the last 20 minutes of the day (3:10-3:30). At this time parents will be permitted to bring in cupcakes to share with the class. Only store-bought cupcakes in sealed packages are permitted to be distributed in school. Due to student/staff allergies, please keep in mind that ESA is a nut free, latex free, and seafood free environment. The items mentioned are NEVER permitted in the school building. For health reasons, please consider an alternative to food-based celebrations. You could donate a book or a game to your child’s class. You could bring in a stuffed animal or a tee shirt for the class to sign as a keepsake. You could donate pencils and erasers, or activity books to the class.

Monthly celebration days are as follows: Celebrations will only be permitted on these days. (No Exceptions)

Wednesday, January 31st

Wednesday, February 14th

Friday, March 22nd

Tuesday, April 30th

Friday, May 31st

Wednesday, June 12th

Please see the attached flyer for important details for the annual oratorical contest and art competition. We would love to see ESA students represented!

Please see the attached PDF to access the Parent Portal on Power School. The Parent Portal provides parents and guardians access to view their scholar's grades and attendance.

There are no early dismissals after 2:30 pm.

Thank you for your patience this week with the updated dismissal procedures. Safety and security is our number one priority for all students.

Dismissal begins at 3:40 pm.

All students will be dismissed from their homeroom by their homeroom teacher. Students must remain seated in the classroom until their name or bus is called.

All pick up students in grades 1-8 must be dismissed through the car line on Esry Street facing Naz’s pizza.

Walkers will be dismissed at 3:45 pm out the back door.

Parents picking up Pre-K, Kindergarten and students in AS classes may wait outside of the main entrance doors in a line. Students will remain in their classrooms with teachers and staff members. A school security officer will call the students’ names over the walkie and staff from the classroom will escort the student to the main entrance. No parents are to be in the vestibule.

**Students will follow their typical dismissal procedure unless a parent or guardian has made direct contact with the homeroom teacher.

We thank you for your patience and cooperation as we improve our dismissal procedures.

Here at ESA we encourage our scholars to SOAR every day.

S - Safety

O - Ownership

A - Achievement

R- Respectful

Be Safe

-This means keeps self and others out of danger.

Take Ownership

-This means to take care of self, others, and school. I will make good choices that help me learn and do my best work. I am on time and prepared for success each day.

Achieve

-This means I will work hard, focus on my goals, and trust myself and my teachers. I know I will succeed if I commit myself to putting forth my best effort.

Be Respectful

-This means treat yourself and others with kind words and actions, address all students and adults by name. I will use kind words, help others, and display concern and compassion for others.

Enjoy making recipes and other fun activities with Real Kids RealFood (RKRF) on Zoom. Free food providedupon request.Register ages 3-6 at https://realkidsrealfood.org/register-3-6-club/ and ages 7-12 athttps://realkidsrealfood.org/register-7-12-club/

Earn $1000 by becoming a Safety Ambassador for yourcommunity. See delcopa.gov/VisionZeroDelco
for details.

Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College is a beautiful nearby destination free and open to the public 365 days a year, dawn to dusk. While there, families can pick up free Plant Hero journals to help educate their children and have an activity to do while exploring the gardens. 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081

You may qualify for assistance buying food through SNAP. For a confidential screening, call Marie Pearson at (610) 874-8451.

Click here for free passes to the Brandywine River Museum of Art. (Open Wednesday–Monday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30p.m. ClosedTuesdays.)

Has a staff member here at ESA made a difference for your child? Did a staff member go above and beyond for your child or family? This is your time to shout them out. We would love for families to fill out the Google form when a staff member has impacted you in a positive way, so we can celebrate them here at school.

Thank you for helping us to keep our staff encouraged, feeling appreciated, and giving their best to your children for a successful year!

Please fill in the short form below:

https://forms.gle/smcv4TfUDrNtkUXs5

This is a reminder that supervision of students does not begin until 8:40 am.

Cell Phone and Electronic Devices

The use of cell phones and electronic devices are not permitted at ESA. Upon entering the school building students must turn off all electronic devices and keep them stored in their backpack or lockers (grades 5-8) If the electronic device is seen or heard by an ESA Staff member, the device will be confiscated. The first time the device is confiscated it will be returned to the student at the end of the day. For each infraction thereafter, confiscated phones will be turned in to the Dean and must be picked up by an adult. Confiscated phones will not be given back to the child. ESA will not assume responsibility for the loss or theft of any electronic device. Smart Watches are prohibited from being worn in the building. ESA reserves the right to reasonably search and/or confiscate any and all electronic devices to the extent allowed by applicable state and/or federal laws and regulations.

If any of your parent contact information changes, please notify your child's homeroom teacher. We need your most up to date phone numbers in case of an emergency.