The CPES BobChat

The end of the school year marks an end of a chapter. It means change. Emotions can run high and it is all too easy to become tired. How can we lead our children to navigate a meaningful ending in these next few weeks? 1. Remember that safety and security are still most important. Whether it is arrival or dismissal time, we still want to be aware of what's happening around us. Know that we will still ask for driver's licenses when you come so that we can maintain security for our children. It is all too easy to forget those procedures we have in place to keep everyone safe. Please remember that only those volunteers who have completed background checks and who have signed up will be able to attend Field Day at Cherry Park. And, on a daily basis, don't hesitate to let us know if you see something that could be unsafe for our school. 2. Remember that teaching and learning are still happening. Over these next weeks, we are spending lots of time with our children to determine what they know. This information is vitally important so that we can understand how much they've grown over the course of this year. We want our children to be at school every day so that they can learn all they can. As an immersion language school, we definitely don't want them to miss time with their French and Spanish teachers (and their English ones, too.) We know that learning gaps can happen during the summer so we want to take advantage of these final learning opportunities in these next few weeks. 3. Remember to care well for yourself and each other. There are many end of year events that can disrupt schedules and lead to late bedtimes. It is easy to overcommit and over-extend during this time of year. When we are tired and stressed, we make mistakes and poor choices. Because we have many learning and fun activities planned between now and the end, we all want to be at our best physically, mentally, and emotionally so we can enjoy those sweet moments of closure with our children.

We only get one chance to begin well and one chance to end well. Let's help our children finish in the most positive and productive way they can. They will take their cues from us to know best how to do that.

Strength and Blessings,

Mr. Maness

P.S. We are so proud of our Girls on the Run who completed their 5K race earlier this month. They are such a great example of finishing well. We thank Ms. Sarah Levans and Ms. Mare Potts for being their coaches.

1. SC READY Testing Continues This Tuesday and Thursday for Upper Grades--This is our statewide test for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. We need all students present on the following dates: Tuesday, May 21 (Science for 4th Graders); Thursday, May 23 (Math). All third graders will take their MAP Reading Assessment on Tuesday as well. Click on the following link or the button below for more information on spring testing: https://www.smore.com/n/f4y3k1

2. First Grade Author Teas (Please note corrected times.)--First Grade will have their Author's Teas on Monday, May 20 at 8:30 (Webb and Rayhill), Wednesday, May 22 at 10:00 (Brenton and Garcia) and Friday, May 24 at 9:00 (Pezzello and Chavez). Parents and visitors are asked to park in the Cherry Road Loop and enter the building at the lower level. As always, please be sure to bring an ID. We look forward to seeing you then.

3. Rising Kindergarten Student Screenings--Welcome incoming kindergarten students and families! We can't wait to meet you. We are beginning the process of scheduling our kindergarten students for screening. The screening process will take approximately 15 minutes. Our screening dates are May 28th, May 30th, and June 3rd. Please review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Add your child's name when signing up. On the day of the appointment please bring your child to the CPES office and a kindergarten teacher will be there to greet you and escort your child. Please reach out to lsmith@rhmail.org with any questions or concerns. Thank you! Here's the link for signups and you can also use the button below: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C44A8AF2AA13-49707984-kindergarten#/

3. Volunteer Luncheon Wednesday, May 29 (Note that it was rescheduled from May 22 to May 29)--We want you to know how much we appreciate you. We are having a luncheon in honor of all our CPES family members who have volunteered (or will volunteer) with us this year. We will have grilled chicken, baked potatoes and dessert. Please RSVP below to let us know if you can come. Just check in at the office and we will give you directions to the luncheon. We hope to see you there. Please RSVP by Thursday, May 14. Click Here: https://forms.gle/cd8xiAsut35S5exk6

4. Welcome to the Family Drop In Wednesday, May 29 for Next Year's Kindergarten Families--We will have a drop-in for all families who will have children starting kindergarten next year on Wednesday, May 29 from 5:30-6:30. Parents and children can come see classrooms and visit the school. This is also a time to ask questions if you'd like. We are excited about our new families joining our school family next year. Click on the following link for more information: https://secure.smore.com/n/7w6dx

5. Fifth Grade Recognition--Will be Friday, May 31 at 9:00 AM at the Sullivan Auditorium. Please do not arrive before 8:30 AM that morning because we want to allow Sullivan to complete their normal arrival procedures first. Families can park in the Sullivan Auditorium lot.

6. Field Day Volunteers--Field day is coming! The K-2nd Field Day will be Tuesday, June 4 and the 3rd-5th Field Day will be Wednesday, June 5. Please use the links below to volunteer at our event. Only volunteers will be allowed to attend field day because each volunteer is pre-screened by the district. This process keeps your children safe as they play and enjoy the day with their teachers and friends.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Christi Beard cabeard@rhmail.org

Emily Anderson eanderson@rhmail.org

K-2nd Volunteer Signup Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4EACAC22AB9-48705704-k12#/

3rd-5th Volunteer Signup Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4EACAC22AB9-48710948-3rd#/

Be Great Academy Signups for Fall--Our Be Great Academy After School Program is now enrolling students for the fall. You can go go the following link to find out more information and to sign up: https://begreatacademy.org/register-login/ You can also click on the button below.

7. Absence Documentation--You can email excuses for absences or send questions about attendance to the following email address: mailto:CPAbsenceDocumentation@rhmail.org Mrs. Janelle Miskelly is the person in our office who now handles all attendance coding in PowerSchool.

May 20--8:30-9:30 Webb/Rayhill Author's Tea

May 21--SC READY Science Test for 4th Grade Only; 3rd Grade Takes MAP Reading

May 22--8:30-9:30 Brenton/Garcia Author's Tea

May 23--SC READY Math Test for 3rd, 4th and 5th Grades

May 24--8:30-9:30 Pezzello/Chavez Author's Tea

May 27--Memorial Day Holiday (District Closed)

May 29--11:00-1:00 Volunteer Luncheon (Please RSVP above.); 5:30-6:30 PM Welcome to the Family Drop In

May 31--9:00 AM 5th Grade Recognition at Sullivan Auditorium (Please do not arrive before 8:30)

June 4--K, 1st and 2nd Grade Field Day (8:30-12:00)

June 5--3rd, 4th and 5th Grade Field Day (8:30-12:00)

June 6--Half Day for Students (Dismissal at 11:15)/Last Day of School

School Improvement Council--This group seeks to determine how Cherry Park Elementary can be the best school it can be. It is a sounding board and feedback group for the school and district. Members are elected for two year terms. Members of this year's Council include Celia Kerr, Ashley Petit, Latisha Givens, Scott Kennedy, Chelsea Eichorn, Jennifer Hutchinson and Matthew Query. Ex-Officio Members are Mr. Maness (Principal) and Mrs. Futrelle (Assistant Principal). Meetings are held at Cherry Park on the second Monday of each month at 5:30 PM. All parents are invited to attend.

Parent Teacher Organization--This group has three main goals: Raising funds for the school, appreciating the staff and securing volunteers as needed. The Cherry Park PTO is a 501c3 tax deductible organization. Meetings are held at Cherry Park on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 PM (right after the SIC meetings.) All parents are invited to attend. All financial records are distributed and updated at each month's meeting. Officers this year are Amanda Winters (President), Emmanuel Daniel (Vice-President), Celia Kerr (Secretary) and Shannon Martin/Caroline Stubbs (Co-Treasurers). We appreciate all of our sponsors (above) who contributed to our Bobcat Dash this year.

"What's Important This Month at Cherry Park?" May 12, 2024 https://secure.smore.com/n/jbpqt0

"What Do I Appreciate about Our Staff?" May 5, 2024 https://secure.smore.com/n/kmgp8

"Why Do Performances Matter?" April 28, 2024 https://secure.smore.com/n/8zxke

"What Do Tests Really Tell Us?" April 21, 2024 https://www.smore.com/n/zb6px

"How Can We Change Our Children's Mindsets about Tests?" April 14, 2024 https://www.smore.com/n/a3p4t

"What Field Trips Are Close By?" April 7, 2024 https://www.smore.com/n/v2xga

"Why Are Field Studies So Important?" March 24, 2024 https://www.smore.com/n/cnw5j

"What's the Difference between Reacting and Responding?" March 17, 2024 https://www.smore.com/n/491bh

"How Is Reading a Game Changer?" March 10, 2024 https://www.smore.com/n/evgx3u

"What Is Important about Read Across America Week?" March 3, 2024 https://www.smore.com/n/g4u3t

"What Do We Love about Language Immersion?" (Part 4) February 25, 2024 https://www.smore.com/n/e0n5g

"What Do We Love about Language Immersion?" (Part 3) February 18, 2024 https://www.smore.com/t49v3

"What Do We Love about Language Immersion?" (Part 2) February 11, 2024 https://www.smore.com/tqjb1

"Why Do We Love Language Immersion?" (Part 1) February 4, 2024 https://www.smore.com/x4dpg

"How Can We Inform Other Parents about Immersion?" January 28, 2024 https://www.smore.com/yswvf

"How Do We Help Children Do Hard Things?" January 21, 2024 https://www.smore.com/574bh

"What Did Martin Luther King, Jr. Say?" January 14, 2024 https://www.smore.com/1c2ze

"Can One Word Make a Difference This Year?" January 7, 2024 https://www.smore.com/p9n3v5

"How Can We Manage Expectations during the Holidays?" December 17, 2023 https://www.smore.com/ceswg

"How Can We Give the "Best Gift Ever?" December 10, 2023 https://www.smore.com/1p0kd

"How Can We Find a Silent Night?" December 3, 2023 https://www.smore.com/n/p2zes

"What Reminds Me to Be Grateful?" November 12, 2023 https://www.smore.com/pvds3

"Is It about the Grade or the Learning?" November 5, 2023 https://www.smore.com/4hkq0

"Who Made a Difference at the Bobcat Dash?" October 29, 2023 https://www.smore.com/wcqun

"What Do You Need to Know about Bobcat Dash?" October 22, 2023 https://www.smore.com/f19ry

"What Special Events are Coming Up?" October 15, 2023 https://www.smore.com/brvz5

"What's It Really Like at CPES?" October 8, 2023 https://www.smore.com/a7chr

"How Do We Respond to Safety Situations? Part 2" October 1, 2023 https://www.smore.com/k9uet

"How Do We Respond to Safety Situations? Part 1" September 24, 2023 https://www.smore.com/n4c67

"How Can I Volunteer at CPES?" September 17, 2023 https://www.smore.com/7v8ky

"What CRAzy Model Do We Use for Math Instruction?" September 10, 2023 https://www.smore.com/kfbg7

"What Do We Need to Know about Arrival?" September 3, 2023 https://www.smore.com/fc0kd

"Did You Know that a Bobcat 'ROARS?"' August 27, 2023 https://www.smore.com/0g7qv

"What Do We Need to Remember as We Start Back" August 20, 2023 https://www.smore.com/yrt38

"Techno

logy Forms and Fees"--August 25, 2023 https://www.smore.com/72qcg

"How Can We Work Together to Keep Everyone Safe?" August 13, 2023 https://www.smore.com/6cbtm

"How Can Checklists Help You Start a New Year?" August 6, 2023 https://www.smore.com/0jyx61

"Who Are the Newest Hires and What Are the Latest Changes with Technology?" July 30, 2023 https://www.smore.com/z6qnp

"What's the Latest News at Cherry Park" July 16, 2023 https://www.smore.com/w9pth

"Challenger Be Great Academy Update" June 23, 2023 https://www.smore.com/8hqka

"What Staffing Changes Have Been Made at CPES?" June 18, 2023 https://www.smore.com/e0vr2