The SHARK Alert

Dear CES SHARKS & Friends,

We are days away from the official start of the 2024-2025 school year and we can't wait to welcome students and families back at our Ice Cream Social on Wednesday, August 28th from 6:00-7:00 pm. Come meet and greet old friends and our newest SHARKS. The new Kindergarten students will go for a short bus ride to downtown Chatham with Dr. Kelly and learn about our bus expectations. The bus leaves at 6:05 pm, so please plan accordingly.

School officially begins on Tuesday, September 3rd for students in Grades 1-12. Kindergarten students join us on Thursday, September 5th, and Pre-Kindergarten joins us on Monday, September 9th. Please see the CES Handbook for information regarding morning drop off and so much more!

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday evening!

Warm regards,

Dr. Kelly

The Chatham Elementary Handbook is the best source for all things CES. Please put aside some time before school starts to review the many policies and procedures outlined in the CES Handbook. All families are also asked digitally acknowledge they have access and have read the Handbook. You can find the Handbook and Signature/Acknowledgement site HERE.

To prepare for the start of the school year, we ask that all families take a moment to review the information listed in Aspen and make any needed changes.

This simple process ensures that we have accurate contact information for you.

1. Log into your Aspen account
2. Follow the workflow to review the information currently in Aspen, such as address, contact phone number, etc., and make any necessary changes
3. If you would like to receive text messages from the district along with our other communications tools (such as email and app), please ensure that your cell phone number is listed in the field reading ‘Phone number to receive texts’
4. Families will also be able to submit health information and authorizations for students
5. Please complete this process prior to the start of school on September 3, 2024
6. Please complete all information as fully and accurately as possible

If you don’t know your Aspen password or remember your login ID, use the "Trouble logging in?" link on Aspen's login screen using the email address we have on file. If you need to contact the school directly, please send an email to help@monomoy.edu. For more information on Aspen, including tutorials, click here.

If you are not able to complete this process online or need translation support, please contact the front office of your student’s school and they can help you.

The start of school is just around the corner and with that comes the return to schedules and routines. Helping your child(ren) develop consistent routines have a wide range of benefits. Research out of the University of Michigan tells us that, routines support healthy social emotional development in early childhood. In particular, children with regular routines at home have self-regulation skills, the building blocks of good mental health. When children learn to regulate feelings and behaviors, it means they are able to identify their feelings and have skills to manage those feelings so that they don’t feel overwhelmed. Young children who learn to do this well are better able to adapt to everyday challenges, stressors, and new expectations. Children do not learn to do this all at once. Just as when a child is learning other important skills, like reading and writing, self-regulation is a set of skills that build over time. Every stage includes age-appropriate milestones and important things parents can do to coach children from one stage into the next.

Some routines you can begin to planning/implementing include:

• consistent bed time routine (ex. wash face, brush teeth, set out clothes for the next day, bedtime story, and a consistent lights-out time)
• packing lunches/backpacks the night before and placing near the door for easy access in the morning
• making a family calendar with extracurricular activities (make sure to review the day's plan each morning with students)
• posting your student's special schedule and referring to it when deciding what to wear the following day (ex. make sure to pack library books the night before Media class or wear sneakers and comfortable clothing on PE days)
• parents/caregivers updating Pick Up Patrol with any changes to dismissal plans before 1pm each day
• setting a positive intention every morning (ex. "Have an amazing day!" - "Good luck on your spelling test!" - "I'm so proud of you!" - "Remember to be a SHARK today!!")

• Wednesday, August 28th - Teachers Return
• Wednesday, August 28th - CES Ice Cream Social 6:00 pm
• Tuesday, September 3rd - Grades 1-12 First Day of School
• Thursday, September 5th - Kindergarten First Day of School
• Monday, September 9th - Pre-Kindergarten First Day of School
• Thursday, September 19th - Picture Day!
• Monday, September 23rd - Session I Clubs Begin

Dr. Jennifer Kelly, Principal

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuaO-WElYPYfj1kU9LfhSzw
Instagram: ChathamElemMRSD