Charger Weekly Update #20
Friday, January 17, 2025
A Note from Ms. Marchant
Dear Cherry Chase Families,
We thank the Cherry Chase PTA for supporting the SkyDome Planetarium Assembly. On behalf of our Cherry Chase students and staff, we appreciate all the parents and volunteers who made this event possible! Due to unforeseen circumstances, we could not enjoy the event as scheduled on Thursday, January 16. Therefore, we have rescheduled the assembly for Thursday, January 30, 2025.
Yesterday, Thursday, January 16, was the first day of our music program for 4th and 5th graders at Cherry Chase. We are excited to welcome Christell Paras, our music teacher, to the Cherry Chase community.
The Summative ELPAC Assessment is approaching quickly! Cherry Chase has 125 English Learners who will participate in the assessment. On January 15, families of English Learners received emails containing letters informing them their child would be taking either the Summative ELPAC or the Summative Alternative ELPAC assessment.
The ELPAC examiner team is diligently preparing for the assessment. The ELPAC testing window at Cherry Chase will run from February 3 through March 7, 2025.
Students have the chance to take part in an EARTH DAY Poster Challenge. Use the link provided to learn more about this poster challenge and share this opportunity with your child to participate in Sunnyvale’s Environmental Department’s Earth Day Poster Challenge for K – 8th grade students in Santa Clara County.
We would also like to remind you that our monthly fire drill is scheduled for next Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.
The 2025-2026 registration window is just around the corner. Parents, we also need your help to spread the word about our upcoming recruitment tours. On January 24 and 31, we will host a Recruitment Coffee with the Principal and tours for parents interested in enrolling their children at Cherry Chase for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents, please share this information with your neighbors or family members who might be interested in attending. Here is the link to the flyer.
Your engagement and support are the cornerstones of our success, and we continue to look forward to the beautiful experiences this school year still has to bring.
Best Regards,
Gloria Marchant-Principal
2025-2026 Registration
Great News! Cherry Chase Elementary will be adding a THIRD TK classroom next school year!
We are gearing up for TK and Kindergarten registration and any new registration for the 2025-2026 school year, which starts on February 3, 2025, at 10 am. We also offer Open Enrollment Registration from February 3 through February 14, 2025. Please have all your documents ready at the time of registration and follow the New Student Registration process found here: https://www.sesd.org/Page/4932.
Current TK students do NOT need to register for kindergarten in the 2025-2026 school year.
Current kindergarten through fourth-grade students do NOT need to register for the 2025-2026 school year; their registration will roll over to the next school year.
Current 5th-grade students do not need to register for Sunnyvale Middle School for the 2025-2026 school year; their registration will roll over to the next school year.
If you have questions about registration or enrollment, please contact the front office staff at cherrychasefrontoffce@sesd.org.
We will host information sessions and tours for prospective families to learn more about our school. The Registration Information Session and Tour will be on January 24 and 31, 2025, at 8:45 am. We will present the same information at both sessions. Please RSVP for one of the two sessions. Here is the link to the flyer.
Cherry Chase Elementary Calendar-Important Dates
Calendar of Events
Here is the link to the 2024-2025 Cherry Chase Elementary Calendar. As we prepare for another exciting academic journey, we want to highlight some important dates and upcoming events to ensure a smooth transition for our students. Please take time to review the information listed below:
January
- January 20 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- No School
- January 21 Staff Development Day- No School for Students
- January 23 Fire Drill at 10:20 am
- January 24 Friday Flag
- January 24 STEAM Night
- January 30 SkyDome Planetarium Assembly
- January 31 Friday Flag- Citizen of the Month
- January 31 Lunar New Year Celebration
Noon Aides Needed!
Noon Aides Help Needed!
We appreciate the hard work of our noon aides. We have to fill several noon aide vacancies. If you are interested in applying for these vacancies, please email Mrs. Brett at Kristin.Brett@sesd.org
Details:
Compensation: 1.5 hours per day
Schedule: 11:10 am to 12:40 pm
Mrs. Brett provides monthly training sessions to all noon aides.
Coffee with Principal
We invite all parents to attend our Coffee with the Principal sessions in the Multipurpose Room. We'll cover many essential topics, from school safety to academic progress, and your presence is invaluable. We hope to see you there! We want to thank our PTA volunteers for setting up the coffee and treats for these events.
Below is the 2024-2025 Coffee with the Principal dates, topics, and links to the presentation:
August 15, 9:00 am-Welcome to incoming TK/Kindergarten Families
August 19, 8:30 am-Welcome Back Chargers
September 13, 8:45 am-What to Expect During Conference Week
October 11, 8:45 am-Emergency Protocols
January 17, 8:45 am-Using Data to Drive Instruction
March 14, 8:45 am-SSD Strategic Plan-Promise and Student Profile
May 16, 8:45 am-TBD
Playworks
We are excited to continue our partnership with Playworks, which helps kids stay active and build valuable life skills through play. We want to welcome back Playworks coach Fethiye Okan-Kolak and Team Up Coach Tommy Courtney, who will support students during recess, Class Game Time, and the Junior Coach Program. This year, we will share Playworks updates through the weekly bulletin. Here is the link to the Playworks Weekly Update (updated weekly)
School-Based Counseling
Sunnyvale School District has contracted Pacific Health Clinics (formerly CHAC) to provide school-based counseling to students. We want to welcome Neguin Ghadessi to Cherry Chase. She will be in room 36 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during the school day.
Our counseling caseload is currently full, and students will be added to a waitlist. For students referred to counseling, the counselor will contact families to get consent, let them know they are on the waitlist, and provide outside counseling resources.
Please contact Kristin Brett at Kristin.brett@sesd.org if you have any questions.
Emergency Protocol
Effective emergency response requires training for students and staff, safety plans that govern the appropriate response, and strong leadership to determine the best response to a situation. At Cherry Chase Elementary, we use a variety of strategies and techniques to ensure students and staff are well prepared for emergencies, including:
- Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP)
- Site Emergency Action Plan (ICS-Incident Command System)
- Staff Training
- Emergency Drills
On August 14, 2024, first responders trained all staff members on ICS, lockdown, and the Run Hide Defend protocols.
We shared the Cherry Chase Elementary Emergency Protocols and ICS response with our families at Coffee with the Principal on October 11, 2023, at 8:45 a.m.
Sunnyvale School District sets emergency drill requirements for all schools following the Education Code and best practices in emergency response. Drill scenarios include fire, earthquake, lockdown, and Run-Hide-Defend. All schools complete the drills and then conduct a debrief to collect feedback on what would improve the response. Please mark your calendar with these dates:
October 16-Lockdown Drill at 9:00 am-COMPLETED
October 17-The Great ShakeOut at 10:25 am-COMPLETED
November 19-Fire Drill at 1:30 pm-COMPLETED
December 12-Fire Drill at 2:15 pm-COMPLETED
January 23-Fire Drill at 10:30 am
February 13-Earthquake and Fire Drill at 10:30 am
March 5-Fire Drill at 12:40 pm
April 24-Fire Drill at 1:30 pm
May 24-Fire Drill at 1 pm
June 5-Fire Drill at 10:30 am
Fire drills last between 5-7 minutes.
Earthquake drills last between 5-10 minutes
Run Hide Defend/Lockdown lasts between 10-15 minutes
We recommend you talk to your child about emergency preparedness and why we prepare and conduct drills.
Also, I hope you have a family emergency plan in case of a natural disaster or other disasters. It is always a good idea to be prepared for anything. Here are some links that can help you get started.
https://www.ready.gov/be-informed
https://www.earthquakecountry.org/sevensteps/
https://www.earthquakeauthority.com/California-Earthquake-Risk/Personal-Preparedness
Food Services
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Skinner's legislation in 2022, which established a universal meal program for all K-12 public school students. Therefore, SSD will continue to offer free breakfast and lunch at school. The menus will continue to be updated each month. You can find the updated monthly food menus using this link.
For more information, click on California Universal Meals.
PTA Updates
Become a PTA Member
Thank you to the 193 families who have become PTA members! We appreciate your support.
LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET 10 MORE FAMILIES TO JOIN THIS WEEK!
Join the PTA to show your support of our students. Just $10/individual or $15/family.
As a PTA member, you have a say in how we support our school and our children. We understand that everyone's schedule is different, so while we encourage attending meetings and volunteering, we respect that it's optional. Become a PTA Member Today!
Become a Volunteer
Field trips are coming up soon, so consider becoming a parent volunteer.
Please remember that all volunteers on campus must be cleared through the district annually. Here’s what you need to know:
- TB Clearance: Required and valid for four years. Ensure yours is up to date.
- New Volunteers: Start by filling out the application here.
- Returning Volunteers: To update your information, simply log in here using the "I already have a username" option. Your previous TB clearance is already on file.
- Fingerprinting: Only necessary if you plan to chaperone field trips or have one-on-one student contact.
For more information on how to get involved, please visit the PTA Website.
Useful Links
1138 Heatherstone Way, Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 522-8241 Main Office/Attendance