Chelsea Intermediate School

September Newsletter 2024

A Note from the Administration Team

Dear Chelsea Parents/Guardians,

It has been so exciting to walk the halls of Chelsea and hear the sounds of learning and laughter as our students embark on the adventure of a new school year. Chelsea staff has been preparing all summer to welcome your children back to school, and we are thrilled to usher in a fun and successful year for all.

Thanks to all who participated in our Meet and Greet event on August 21st. It was a true joy to see the excitement of our third, fourth, and fifth graders as they met their teachers, decorated their lockers, and explored the building.

We are excited to meet with you on Thursday, September 5th, for Curriculum Night. This informative event will be held from 5:30-7:00 pm at Chelsea.

As your partners in education, we look forward to collaborating with you throughout the school year. If there is anything we can do to support you or your child, please do not hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Rachel Newcomb, Principal

Paula Paymaster, Assistant Principal

Ricky Innocenti, Dean of Students

Curriculum Night

We are excited to invite you to Chelsea’s Curriculum Night this Thursday, September 5th, from 5:30 until 7:00 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to hear about all the things your child(ren) will be learning this year, as well as routines and procedures of both the classroom and the school as a whole.

Our Curriculum Night is made up of three components: classroom teacher presentations, time to visit classrooms, and a presentation by the administrative team. Please review the attached flyer to see the schedule for each grade level.

We will have two entrances available for your use on Curriculum Night. Both the Breezeway and the main (south) entrance will be open and you are more than welcome to park in the west or south parking lots. The north lot will also be available for parking, but there is no access to the building from the north end. If you park on the north side, you will need to walk around to the breezeway to enter the building.

We look forward to seeing you at Curriculum Night on September 5th!

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Calling All Travelers!

As part of our “Adventure Awaits” theme this year, we have collected photos of our Chelsea staff members from places they have visited in their travels. We are sharing these on the monitors throughout our school. You may have seen some of these photos at Meet and Greet!

We would like to invite all our Chelsea Tigers to share their adventures with us as well! If you would like to participate in our “Adventure Awaits” slideshow, please email Ms. Newcomb (rnewcomb@fsd157c.org) a photo of your Chelsea Tiger (and family) on one of your travels. It does not have to be from this year – it could be any trip your family has taken.

We look forward to seeing all the amazing places our Tigers have visited!

Thank You, Drivers!

Thank you to all of our drivers who have complied with our "Right Turn Only" sign at Chelsea's main exit on to 80th Avenue. Your cooperation in turning right on to 80th Avenue during arrival and dismissal has significantly improved the speed and efficiency of our drop off and pick up lines. We know this may be a minor inconvenience, but it is having a major impact on our car rider lines in the best possible way.

A Note from Our Librarian, Mrs. Schubert

Mrs. Schubert is looking forward to another wonderful year in the Media Center! This year, third, fourth, and fifth graders will learn about using the online library catalog, placing books on hold, digital citizenship, national parks, the Bluestem Challenge and more!

New books arrived during the summer break, and they are being placed on shelves now! To view all the books in our collection, including the newest arrivals, students can log into their Classlink page, then select Destiny Discover to search our shelves from home.

Every week, students visit the library with their ELA class. Everyone can borrow a maximum of two books and keep them for up to 2 weeks.

Parents are encouraged to volunteer with advance notice.

Please contact Mrs. Schubert at kschubert@fsd157c.org to learn more.

A Note from Our PE Team, Mrs. Jaral, Mr. Klosowski, and Mr. Dykema

We are excited to kick off the school year in PE with some fun team building activities. Students will discuss how to be a good teammate and how to work together throughout the year. Students will play parachutes, benchball, river cross and four square.

We are also going to focus on fitness activities to get the student moving and activating their muscles. We will even discuss how activity improves brain function. All students will soon be trying their first round of fitness testing of the school year. We will test them in the fall and then again in the spring. They are encouraged to set goals and work on them throughout the year. We then hope to see improvement on their fitness test at the end of the year. The four tests’ students will take are the pacer, sit and reach, curl up, and pushup test.

Looking forward students will have the opportunity to develop their baseball/softball skills. We will work on throwing, catching, fielding, and batting. After practicing their skills, we will play mini games of blast ball.

Many food labels have started using box tops that need to be scanned. If you would like to continue to support our school, you would need to download the box tops for education app. Make sure you select Chelsea Intermediate School before you begin scanning your box tops!

Pop Top tabs are collected in any amount and sent to the Ronald McDonald House each year as Chelsea shows its support for a worth-while cause. Thank you for your continued support with both programs.

A Note from Our Music Teacher, Mrs. Zito

In September 3rd graders will learn about the different types of rhythmic notation. Students have learned to read quarter notes, quarter rests, and beamed 8th notes. In September, we will learn about half notes, half rests, whole notes, and whole rests. They will play these rhythms on percussion instruments like hand drums, rhythm sticks, triangles, and more! Students will continue singing various songs throughout the month. We practice singing with good posture and breath control. Third grade students are already doing a great job following along with actual music as opposed to word sheets!

In September 4th grade students will study pitch and the notes of the treble clef staff. We will use a variety of games and songs to learn. In additions, students will learn how music is organized into different time signatures. We will play rhythm activities and sing songs using meter in 4, 3, and 2. All 4th grade students will play the recorder in the last three weeks of Quarter 1. If you have a recorder at home, feel free to send it into music at any point! Information on how to order the recorder will be coming home soon. This is such an exciting unit for the 4th grade students.

In September 5th grade students will continue learning about song form and how all music is organized. We will learn more complex rhythm patterns using syncopation during playing and singing activities. Students will sing various songs throughout the month with good posture and breath control and focus on expressive elements in their singing. Students will also play a variety of songs on mallet instruments throughout the quarter. They will sing and play simultaneously.

A Note from Our STEM Teacher, Mrs. Jozaitis

Welcome to STEM! We are traveling the world to learn how to become independent, confident, and resourceful students. We gather together to go over directions in the front of the room. Then students are off to their workstations to collaborate and engineer. At the end of class, we gather back together to reflect and discuss what worked well and what could be redesigned. Students are working towards listening attentively to directions, being safe in the lab, and caring about their peers.

Our first team building challenge was to stack cups to make a pyramid shape. Collaboration involves using communication skills and kindness to reach an end goal.

All students were introduced to the Engineering Design Process by creating a replica of the Egyptian pyramid. Students brainstormed, planned, designed, engineered, tested by comparing, and redesigned. Students will follow this design process for all challenges in STEM.

Fifth graders started off the quarter engineering ski jumps that allow a steel skier to jump the farthest distance possible and creating a fun roller coaster with big drops, turns, and loops!

Donations for STEM: tubes, wood scraps, lids, dowel rods, and small broken appliances.

A Note from Nurse Busch

Hello! I am the fulltime nurse at Chelsea Intermediate School. My hours are 8:15am - 3:45pm Monday thru Friday. I am available by phone or email. If your child has any health concerns, a new diagnosis, or changes in health status please contact me as soon as possible. We will need to discuss any accommodations and form a plan with all staff members involved.

As mandated by the State of Illinois, all 3rd graders will be tested for HEARING. Any student who is in special education (IEP), new to the district, or referred for an evaluation by teacher or parent will be tested for VISION and HEARING. Please email me at dbusch@fsd157c.org if you have concerns about your child's hearing or vision.

A Note from Our Art Teacher, Mrs. Maney

“Embrace the mistake!” “Celebrate failure!” “It never gets easier. You only get better.” Take a minute to read those three quotes and let them sink in. Do they make you feel like you can do anything? Well, these are quotes we are focusing on in the art room because when you know it’s ok to fail, make a mistake, and persist through, anything is possible. Our choice-based curriculum allows for students to be the artists and the classroom to be their studio where they learn, work, create, and grow like professional artists out in the world. I see every day how this is the right path for our students as they keep growing and improving day after day, grade after grade, year after year. Already this year we have been learning, exploring, creating, thinking, drawing, collaging, and so much more! We have been through drawing, painting, and collage boot camps and will begin our first WOW projects (Wonderful Original Work) in no time.

We have so many more amazing things to come, so don’t forget to ask your Tiger what they are learning/creating in art. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram to see what is happening in our room. Thank you so much to all the families who have generously donated supplies to the art room. Because of you all, our students will have the most amazing things to create with. Thank you for all you do to help support art here at Chelsea!

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.

A Note from Our Spanish Teacher, Mrs. Smerz

Hola! We are starting our adventure in Spanish class with basic conversations. 3rd grade is excited to learn the Spanish alphabet, learn numbers 1-20 and start speaking in Spanish. 4th and 5th graders are brushing up their conversational skills in Spanish. 4th grade is excited to talk about their interests and favorites while the 5th graders are looking forward to talking about their daily lives and interests.

--La aventura te espera-

-Adventure awaits you-