Hawk Updates

March

10th: VAPA Vision Day

11th: Fitness Club Incentive Day

12th: BHMS Incoming 6th Grader Parent Information Zoom. See Flyer below.

13th: Dining for Dollars at The Stand in Carmel Mountain

14th: Family Art Night. 4:30 - 7:30 pm

19th: CAPES Foundation meeting

19th: Twin Peaks Middle School Electives Expo. See flyer below.

21st: Spring Picture Day

24th: VAPA Vision Day

27th: Melody Makers at the Poway Performing Arts Center. More info to come!

28th: Community Gathering

31st - April 11th: APEX Fun Run

April

1st: New Student Enrollment Opens

1st - 11th: APEX

4th: Kindergarten Musical Performance. Time TBD

7th: School Site Council. 3:45pm

10th: APEX Fun Run

14th - 18th: Spring Break. No School. CHES Office Closed

Click HERE for the School Calendar.

In celebration of Women's History Month, we honor the contributions of women who are making a difference in our world today. For example, Malala Yousafzai continues to inspire us with her advocacy for girls' education and equality, showing that one voice can change the world. Simone Biles, an amazing gymnast, has shown incredible strength, resilience, and dedication in her career, becoming a role model for athletes everywhere. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a scientist, played a key role in developing the COVID-19 vaccine, making a lasting impact on public health and safety. Amanda Gorman, a poet and activist, has used her words to encourage positive change and inspire others to believe in their power to make a difference. These women, along with many others, teach us the importance of hard work, perseverance, and using our voices to create a better world. Let's celebrate their accomplishments and continue to support all the incredible women who are shaping our future.

Parents-

PUSD 2025-2026 Continuing Student Registration is open!

Online Continuing Student Registration will be open from February 28 - March 31, 2025. We must receive a completed digital packet for all returning students. This will allow for proper placement of your student(s) for the 2025-2026 school year. This annual digital process allows a family to complete one single “family” packet instead of completing one packet per student. Packets can be completed using any computer, tablet, or smartphone with an internet connection.

Continuing Registration Steps:

1. Login and complete the digital registration packet via the online registration portal found here.

2. Review and complete any required forms located at the conclusion of the process. A packet is not considered finalized until this step is completed.

Please note: THERE WILL BE AN ENROLLMENT CONFIRMATION PROCESS IN AUGUST AND YOUR PARTICIPATION WILL BE ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE A SMOOTH START TO THE SCHOOL YEAR.

Please note: MEDICATION FORMS and ADDITIONAL SIGNED SITE SPECIFIC FORMS WILL NOT BE COLLECTED UNTIL SCHOOL BEGINS IN AUGUST FOR THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR.

Forgot your username or password? Need technical help? You can retrieve your username as well as reset your password by visiting https://password.powayusd.com and clicking the button that represents the help you require. Technical help is also available by sending an email to accounthelp@powayusd.com.

Please email Principal Little or Assistant Principal Chambers as soon as possible if you do not plan to return to PUSD for the 2025-2026 school year.

alittle@powayusd.com

cchambers@powayusd.com

Thank you for your attention to this important process,

The PUSD Enrollment Team

As we begin planning for the next school year, we want to share our process for student class placement. Our goal is to create well-balanced classrooms that support the academic and social success of all students. To achieve this, we carefully consider a variety of factors, including academic needs, learning styles, peer relationships, and overall class dynamics.

Because of this thoughtful process, we are unable to accept teacher requests for individual students. Please know that our staff works diligently to ensure that each child is placed in an environment where they can thrive.

Thank you for your understanding and support. If you have any specific concerns about your child’s learning needs, feel free to share them with us, and we will do our best to take them into account during the placement process.

Aaron Little

Principal

Thank you to all of our parents, staff and students who made this first wave of rain during morning arrival go smoothly. It truly takes a village when it comes to rain in San Diego!

TK - 2nd Graders

When TK - 2nd graders arrive on campus on a rainy day they will be directed to our library where they will be able to stay warm and dry until classrooms open. Students who get dropped off in the back gate will be able to walk onto the main part of campus to the library. Those who are dropped off in front will walk through the TK/K gate directly to the library.

3rd-5th Graders

When 3rd - 5th graders arrive on campus on a rainy day they will be directed to our MPR where they will be able to stay warm and dry until classrooms open. Students who get dropped off in the back will be able to walk along the track toward the MPR. Those who are dropped off in front will be able to walk directly to the MPR from the parking lot.

Let's go out in style! Order your 5th Grade Promotion T-shirt Today!!

ORDER HERE

Hello 5th grade families! Exciting and nerve wracking times with your students heading into middle school in just a few short months. You may be wondering how you can stay connected with the schools as education becomes more independent and students start to have multiple teachers and less of a “home base” for the last seven years of their public school eduction. Volunteering is a great option! While much less time consuming than elementary school volunteering, it still gets you the opportunity to connect with the campus, teachers, and admin. At Bernardo Heights Middle School, both PTSA and Foundation boards are actively recruiting for next year’s board. There are positions that require just a few hours per school year, and those that are more time intensive. Please reach out to hear more, if you would consider volunteering!

For PTSA, please reach out to Rachel, rachel.ashcraft@gmail.com and for foundation, please reach out to Heidi, heidihatcher@gmail.com. We look forward to connecting!

Use the QR Code above to get a seat in the Chaparral section and have a portion of your ticket price donated back to the school!

It’s hard to believe it but it’s already time to begin to think about the 2025-2026 school year!

Here are some important dates to mark on your calendars:

• Transfer Requests - beginning on February 1st at 8:00 am, we will accept transfer requests for students who live in the Poway Unified boundaries and would like to attend a different Poway school. This includes incoming siblings of current students, as well as students who have not yet enrolled. Transfer requests can be made on the Poway Unified website by clicking THIS link. The transfer window closes on March 31st at 5:00 pm.

• Continuing Student Registration - from February 28 - March 31st, all parents whose current students will continue in Poway Unified for the 2025-26 school year need to complete online continuing registration. Look for more information coming soon.

• New Student Enrollment - beginning on April 1st at 8:00 am, new student enrollment opens on the Poway Unified website. We are excited to welcome our new students!

More details can be found on the Poway Unified website at www.powayusd.com.

Order Your 2024-25 Yearbook Today!

Chaparral Hawks Yearbooks are available for purchase. Choose softcover or hardcover and personalize for free by creating two custom pages filled with your own photos and memories. Personalized pages are optional but must be completed by Monday, April 21st.

Click here to order your yearbook—log in or create an account to get started.

Share Your Photos for the Yearbook!

Help us feature your smiling kiddos in the yearbook! Please upload your photos, such as "First Day of School" and "Fall Book Fair", to TreeRing by logging in and selecting Share Photos. Prefer an app? Download the free TreeRing Yearbooks app! Need detailed instructions? Click here.

(To be eligible, photos must be high quality and taken on campus. The deadline to include fall and winter school photos is January 31st.)

Parents-

We’d like to remind you that when students are checked out early, we wait until the parent or guardian arrives at the school before calling them out of class. This allows students to remain engaged in their learning for as long as possible, minimizing missed instruction time.

Additionally, please remember to bring ID!

Thank you for your understanding and patience when picking up your student.

It takes a lot to ensure our kids are getting the best experiences and education. If you or someone you know wishes to donate to a teacher's classroom or the overall school, one way you can do so is through the follow site: CLASSROOM SUPPLIES - ONLINE DONATION PROGRAM

We are excited to announce that we have a new Student Support Assistant, Ms. Jenny Oesterblad. Ms. Oesterblad will be working with Mr. Hicks to support our students with Second Step lessons and all of our children's social-emotional needs. Welcome!

"What's this 'Second Step' I keep hearing about?" Great question! Second Step is a longstanding program at Chaparral and throughout our district. It forms the foundation of our Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum, which is designed to help students from Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through all grade levels develop vital social and emotional skills.

Second Step lessons guide students in building empathy, learning strategies to self-regulate and calm down, solving problems effectively, and understanding bullying prevention, along with many other important life skills.

At Chaparral, we have a dedicated SEL team: Ms. Oesterblad teaches our youngest learners in TK through 2nd grade, and Mr. Hicks works with students in grades 3 and up. Together, they equip students with the tools they need to confidently navigate social and emotional challenges, fostering a positive, inclusive learning environment where all students can flourish.

2024/2025 School Year Birthday Marquee Signups are now open!

Complete the form from the link provided below if you would like your child's name (first name and last initial) to appear on the Chaparral Marquees during the week of his/her birthday. To secure your marquee reservation, please make a $25 donation to CAPES after submitting the form.

Note--Each marquee has only two (2) available sign-ups per week. If a week is not listed, it has reached the maximum capacity of reservations. Holiday weeks have not been included. This form is ONLY for the 2024/2025 school year. Please do not submit a response for a future school year.

Your child's birthday message (ex. Happy Birthday Lizzie B.) will appear at some point during the week and will stay up for a minimum of 1 day.

Please note that our CAPES volunteers may need at least one (1) week of advance notice to honor birthday marquee reservations.

Click the link HERE to sign up today!

We are looking for any parent who may be interested in helping with the 24-25 Yearbook!

If you are interested, please reach out to Will Smith at chaparralcapes@gmail.com.

Thank you!

PUSD provides breakfast and lunch to all students free of charge pursuant to the California Universal Meals Program. Free meals are available to all families, regardless of their free or reduced-price meal eligibility status. Breakfast service will begin at 8:25 am and end at 8:40 am. Students will report directly to the playground after eating breakfast. Students not eating breakfast need to arrive when the playground opens at 8:25 am.

Meal program details are provided on the Food and Nutrition Department website at PUSD Food and Nutrition. Families are still encouraged to submit a school meal application for free and reduced-priced meal benefits because this information may be used for other programs such as Federal and State funding for your school, reduced registration fees for academic tests, free or discounted fees for bus passes, ESS childcare, and athletic programs, discounted rates for internet service and many more! The application can be found online at https://www.myschoolapps.com/ . Applications must be submitted on an annual basis.

In order to Volunteer on campus, PUSD's Volunteer Requirements must be met and the following documentation needs to be submitted to the office:

1) Volunteer Application & Megan's Law clearance form + picture ID (signed annually)

2) TB clearance/negative result from a health care provider (Good for 4 years)

3) Code of Conduct form (signed annually)

4) Code of Confidentiality (signed annually)

Note--the district office needs at least 2 weeks to process and clear volunteers once all forms/documents are submitted; therefore, please submit the volunteer paperwork as soon as you are able.

Obviously, the best environment for any student to learn is the school environment. Whenever possible, families are strongly encouraged to avoid taking vacations and other trips that results in their students missing extended periods of time from school.

However, when these trips are unavoidable, parents can request an OCIS contract. Details of OCIS contracts can be found below.

Off Campus Independent Study (OCIS) Contracts

This contract allows the student to complete work that he/she would be doing if they were in class and helps the school to continue to receive funding from the state. The student needs to work with his/her teachers closely to submit the assignments.

The threshold for implementing an OCIS contract is limited to a minimum of 3 days through a maximum of 14 school days. The 14-school day limit for OCIS contracts is cumulative for the entire school year.

At least 5 school days of notice is required to set up an OCIS Contract.

*A family who plans to keep their student out of school beyond the 20 days must enroll their child in Poway Home Education Program (PHEP: TK through 8th grade)

Please refer to the PUSD website for more information and contact the student’s counselor.