The SHARK Alert

Dear CES Families and Friends,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year. It has been a fabulous first week at Chatham Elementary welcoming new and old friends, meeting new teachers, and having fun together. Our weekly newsletter is your best source of information for all things CES-related. Please make reading the Alert part of your weekly routine. This week's SHARK Alert is jam-packed with information. Please make sure to read through carefully - future newsletters will not be as jam-packed as this one.

First, please note that this Monday, September 11th is our school picture day! Order forms were sent home through backpack mail. You can also make orders by visiting: mylifetouch.com and using the code: EVTKXRH6D

After-school clubs will be starting in two weeks. There are four sessions of afternoon clubs, Session I begins the week of September 18th and ends the week of November 6th. You can learn more details about our club offerings, dates, and how to register HERE. After-school clubs run from 2:15 to 3:15. Parents and guardians can pick up at 3:15 from the Main Office doors or if your student attends the Monomoy Youth Services or Chatham Parks & Rec programs, a staff member delivers club students to each program.

Next Wednesday, September 13th, we will be celebrating our first SHARK Assembly of the school year and encourage all students and staff to wear their SHARK gear or the Monomoy colors of blue and grey. The 4th graders also will be going on a short, but very special field trip to Stage Harbor where they will have a chance to board and learn about the Lynx Tall Ship on Wednesday.

In addition to the SHARK Alert, the CES Handbook contains everything you need to know about policies and procedures at Chatham Elementary School. All families are asked to review the handbook and provide digital confirmation that they have done so. Below is a hyperlink to the digital version of the CES Handbook on the Monomoy website. On the first page, you will find another link to click on bringing you to the digital acknowledgment form. If you require a hard copy of the CES Handbook, please let the Main Office know and we will send one home with your student.

In other building news, CES is thrilled to welcome several new staff members to our team. Please join me in welcoming the following teachers, interventionists, and instructional assistants:

• Ms. Allison Kilkenny - Grade K-2 Special Education
• Ms. Stephanie Coles - SEALS Program
• Mrs. Caitlin Imparato - K-1 Reading and Math Specialist
• Ms. Kristin Groves - Math Specialist
• Mr. Ryan Anglim - Grade 4 Teacher
• Mrs. Oona Melanson - Grade 1 Teacher
• Ms. Pamela Oldenburg - Instructional Assistant
• Mr. Mark Gaulrapp - Instructional Assistant
• Ms. Samantha Dunford - Instructional Assistant
• Mrs. Karen Hayes - Instructional Assistant
• Mrs. Natalie Johnson Bogle - Cafeteria Monitor

Our entire staff looks forward to welcoming parents and caregivers for our annual Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 21st. This year we will be providing child care in our cafeteria for students and their siblings so their guardians can concentrate on the classroom presentations. Please see below for more details.

On behalf of all the CES Staff, I want to wish you a wonderful year ahead and thank you for sharing your incredible children with us! Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Kelly

• Monday, September 11th - Picture Day
• Wednesday, September 13th - Grade 4 to visit Tall Ship Lynx
• Wednesday, September 13th - SHARK Assembly (Wear your SHARK gear!)
• Wednesday, September 20th - Early Release Day
• Thursday, September 21st - Curriculum Night (5:30-7:00 pm)

A HUGE thank you to the Metters family for their generous donation of ice cream for our Ice Cream Social!!

Our SHARKS love their new playground structure! We are incredibly grateful to the Bierwrith Family, Cape Associates, Inc., Cameron Blanco, and the following companies for their time and generosity in making this project happen:

• Shepley Wood Products
• TrimBoard Inc.
• GFM Enterprises
• New England Painting

Thank you to our amazing Facilities Team at CES. Mr. Greg, Mr. Roberto, and Mr. Roland painted, buffed, waxed, and completely transformed our building over the summer months. The building looks great and we truly appreciate all of their hard work!!

Thank you to Laura Paterson for her incredibly thoughtful delivery of pizzas for our staff members on Thursday afternoon. The delicious pick-me-up was what we all needed!!

Drop Off & Pick Up

Morning Student Drop Off and Parent/Caregiver Pick Up takes place in the Hitching Post Road parking lot. Caregivers should remain in their car at all times during drop off and pick up.

Caregivers should not park in Hitching Post or Depot Road lots. Please note there is no parking allowed on Hitching Post Road*.

If the car line extends beyond the Hitching Post lot, caregiver cars waiting to enter should form along the southbound side of Hitching Post Road.

*If caregivers would like to walk their student(s) to school, parking is available in front of the town tennis courts on Depot Road. No parking for drop-off will be allowed from the front parking lot.

Student Drop Off (7:35-7:45)

• Upon entering the Hitching Post Road parking lot, turn right.

• Proceed along the outside lane and drive up to the sidewalk area (along the gymnasium).

• Pull up as far as possible along the safety cones, come to a complete stop, and have the student(s) exit the car on the passenger side of the vehicle. Caregivers should remain in the vehicle and be prepared to move forward as quickly as possible.

• Staff will be available to assist students.

• Please do not pull out of the loading zone until all cars in front of you have unloaded and pulled away from the sidewalk area.

Afternoon Dismissal:

• Students who attend Monomoy Community Services After School Program or the Chatham Parks & Recreation After School Program will be dismissed from their classrooms to meet staff members from those programs at the Main Entrance. Program staff will escort students to their after-school location.

• Students being picked up by a parent/caregiver will be dismissed from their classrooms to the gymnasium. (Please see Parent/Caregiver Pick Up information below.)

• Bus students will be dismissed from their classrooms to bus lines. Each line will be escorted by CES staff to board the buses.

• Students attending CES After School Clubs will be dismissed from their classroom to their club meeting place.

Parent/Caregiver Pick Up (2:15-2:25)

• Prominently display a name tag on your car’s dashboard. Name tags should include the family name and first names of any students.

• Upon entering the Hitching Post Road lot, a staff member will radio your name to a staff member in the building. By the time you pull up to the loading area, your student will exit the gym and be waiting on the sidewalk to load into the vehicle.

• Dismissal is more efficient and safer when children load on the passenger side of your vehicle.

• Please do not pull out of the loading zone until all cars in front of you have loaded and pulled away from the sidewalk area.

Steps to take to ensure success:

• If carpooling, name tags are required for all students in your vehicle.

• Prominently display name tag(s) on the dashboard of your car.

• Review the traffic flow pattern and general rules of pick-up and drop-off

• If you park in the lot please understand that you will need to wait until the entire pick-up procedure has been completed to leave the lot.

• Caregivers are discouraged from congregating outside the building during dismissal time. Please stay in your car.

Parent/Caregiver Pick-Up students must be entered into the Pick Up Patrol App. Children are often confused and think they are in Parent/Caregiver Pick-Up, even when they’re not. If the decision to pick up is made after your child leaves home for the morning, you may enter the change into the Pick Up Patrol App. before 1:00 pm. If you need to make a change after 1:00 pm you may call the office but please be considerate and keep these requests to a minimum. Also, please note that children without a plan for Parent/Caregiver Pick-Up in Pick Up Patrol App will be required to take the bus.

If your child will be in Parent/Caregiver Pick Up every day (will never ride the bus), please enter that plan into the Pick Up Patrol App. If you wish to pick your child up on one or more of the same days each week (for example every Mon. and Wed.) enter that into the Pick Up Patrol App indicating the specific days and we will send your child to Parent/Caregiver Pick-Up only on those days you have listed. Please make sure the Pick Up Patrol App is up to date with your student’s schedule. It is the caregiver’s responsibility to maintain the correct plan in the PickUp Patrol App.

All students in grades K-4 who are being picked up before regular dismissal time will be dismissed from the Main Office. All persons picking up students must be listed on the approved contact list in the office and be prepared to show proper identification.

PickUp Patrol App

Please enter all dismissal/transportation changes (either one-time or recurring) into the PickUp Patrol. PickUp Patrol is our online system for parents to communicate dismissal plan changes to the school. Parents with an existing account will be able to continue to make changes as they have in the past. Parents of kindergarteners and new students will receive an email at the beginning of the school year with PickUp Patrol login instructions. Dismissal changes can be entered from a computer or smartphone at any time until 12:45 p.m. on the day of the changes (12 p.m. on Early Release Wednesdays). Changes can be made days, weeks, or even months in advance. However, please note that if you enter a change and the dismissal plans are canceled, you must remember to delete the change from PickUp Patrol or your student will be given the PickUp Patrol dismissal directions. After 12:45 p.m. (12 p.m. on Early Release Wednesdays), changes will not be accepted except in the case of an unexpected emergency. Such changes can be made via phone directly to the Main Office. As the end of the school day is a busy time, please plan accordingly and limit these exceptions to emergencies only to ensure the safety of all students.

Email: jakelly@monomoy.edu
Website: monomoy.edu
Location: 147 Depot Road, Chatham, MA, USA
Phone: 508-945-5135
Facebook: facebook.com/ChathamElementarySchoolPto
Twitter: @ChathamElemMRSD