Chapman families,

I hope that this newsletter finds you well! Newsletters will be sent weekly on Fridays during the month of August and transition to biweekly beginning in September. These first few newsletters will contain important information looking ahead to the start of the 24-25 school year.

Warm regards,
Mrs. Harrell

Hello!

My name is Mrs. Harrell, and I am thrilled to welcome you to another exciting school year at Chapman Elementary School! I hold both my bachelor's and master's degrees from Ashland University, and this year marks my eleventh year in school administration and my fourth year as principal here at Chapman.

On a personal note, my husband Craig and I are proud residents of Strongsville, where we enjoy every moment with our three little ones: Kellan (4.5 years), Conley (2.5 years), and our newest addition, Carter (6 months).

I am excited about the incredible opportunities this year holds for our students and community, and I look forward to working together to make it the best year yet!

Main Line: (440) 572-7140

Attendance Line: (440) 572-7140 *choose #2*

Bus Transportation: (440) 572-7060

Clinic: (440) 268-5677

August 12 -

• Teacher assignments posted in PowerSchool
• Transportation information available in PowerSchool
• New family building tours/open house (Grades 1-5) @ 10-11am

August 13 -

• Kindergarten play date @ 6:30-7:30pm

August 14 -

• Open house & meet the teacher (Grades 1-5)
• Last names A-L 5-6pm
• Last names M-Z 6-7pm

August 18 -

• SECPTA Popsicle Party 4-6pm

August 19 -

• First day of school (Grades 1-5)
• Kindergarten orientation/supply drop off (Times coming soon)

August 20 -

• First day of school, kindergarten

August 29 -

• PTA Meeting 7:00pm @ Chapman

Teacher assignments will be available in PowerSchool on August 12, 2024.

Transportation information will be available in PowerSchool on August 12, 2024.

The Main Office will be open during Open House. We will have Chromebooks available for anyone who needs help with logging into Powerschool, Payschools, submitting Free & Reduced lunch applications, or updating their annual forms. Stop in for help or just to say hello!

An RSVP for this event will be available soon!

Monday, August 19, 2024

Kindergarten Open House will be Monday, August 19, 2024. Details/times below!

Kindergarten first day of school is Tuesday, August 20, 2024.

Please join us for our first informal PTA meeting where we will share all of the wonderful things the PTA does for Chapman and ways you can get involved! We would love to see some new faces, even if you can’t make any other meetings - this is the one to be at!

For our incoming full day kindergarten students, we are excited to share with you our Kindergarten Connections program we will be implementing in the fall.

Kindergarten Connections is designed to ensure every full-day kindergarten student has a smooth transition into our school environment, while also making connections to peers and staff they will be working with throughout the year. During the first first few days of school, students will participate in playful activities and interact with grade level peers while teachers and staff members note their behaviors and interactions. Phonemic awareness skills, such as sounds of letters and basic phrases, are also assessed to gauge each child's foundational literacy abilities. Based on these observations and assessments, students are then placed into a classroom where they will thrive best academically and socially. This holistic approach ensures that each child's unique strengths and needs are considered, setting the stage for a successful educational journey from the very beginning.

You will learn more about this on Kindergarten Orientation, scheduled for August 19th, 2024. The exact time will be forthcoming in early August via email. There is more information about both the Kindergarten Connections program and orientation in this document. This is all in addition to the kindergarten screenings starting in early August that will take place at Strongsville Early Learning Preschool. There is nothing you need to do at this time. Building principals and secretaries will return to the elementary school buildings in early August. As always, please reach out if I can answer any questions for you.

Erin Green, Director of Elementary Education

Strongsville City Schools

Kindergarten orientation letters have been emailed with your child's specific times and information about what to expect on August 19th. The email has been sent from Keirstin Polocy at Kpolocy@scsmustangs.org. Both parent(s) and students attend on this date.

As we know many of you need to plan accordingly for this date/time, I wanted to provide you with the general schedule today to give you a preview. Please note - this schedule has altered slightly from what we shared this past Thursday morning at kindergarten screening, due to changing numbers. Please use this schedule below, as well as the email you received, as the final version.

Erin Green, Director of Elementary Education

• Breakfast/lunch information and prices
• Manage student accounts via Pay Schools Central
• Free/reduced lunch application and information (Apply via Pay Schools Central). Free and reduced lunch applications need updated annually.

The District adheres to guidelines for shared food and snacks so that we can promote safety, consistency, and equal access for the growing number of children who have life-threatening food allergies.

Right At School provides care for our students before and after school here at Chapman. For more information for the 2024-2025 school year, CLICK HERE.

To download medication administration forms and action plans for the 24-25 school year, visit: https://www.strongnet.org/departments/student-services/health-services

Chapman was the first elementary school to have a mobile unit, which held two classrooms, for the 23/24 school year. The board has approved units at many of the elementary schools for the 24/25 school year to help support our growing capacity and with this decision, Chapman will receive a second unit.

Each mobile unit holds two classrooms. For this upcoming school year our students in grades 3-5 who participate in gifted math services with Mrs. Nosan will continue to be in the mobile unit along with students receiving English as a Second Language Services with Ms. Mayher. With the addition of second unit at Chapman for the 24/25 school year, Title 1 Reading services with Mrs. Piorkowski will also be in the mobile unit. The fourth classroom will be a flexible small group space and will be able to accommodate any future influx in enrollment at Chapman.

Our current unit is located behind Chapman and our second unit will also be placed behind the building where the lower playground was previously.

Yearbooks will be distributed to students the first week of school. Yearbooks of current 6th grade students will be delivered to students at SMS.