Charger Weekly Update #17

Can you believe that Thanksgiving Break is behind us and that we are only nine school days away from our Winter Break? The Winter Break will be here before we know it, so I want to highlight a few things that are coming up.

We want to remind everyone that SimpliScience and Starting Arts will have their last session on December 6, 2024, and sessions will resume on January 13, 2025. The following rotation for Starting Arts will be Movement.

Also, our 4th and 5th grade drama program will end on December 19, 2024. So Emily Wooten, our Drama teacher, will leave us as she starts the Drama program at other elementary schools in SSD in January. In January, we will welcome Christell Paras, our music teacher, to Cherry Chase.

I will send the last Staff Weekly Update for 2024 on Friday, December 13, 2024. There will be no Staff Weekly Update the week of December 16, 2024. The first update for 2025 will be sent on January 10, 2025.

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

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

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

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)

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.

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:

• December 12 Fire Drill at 2:15 pm
• December 13 Tri 2 Benchmark Window Closes
• December 13 Friday Flag- Citizen of the Month
• December 20 Teacher Non-Duty Day- No School
• December 23-31 Holiday Recess- No School

January

January 1-3 Holiday Recess- No School

January 6 Back to School at 8 am

January 7 PTA Board Meeting at 7 pm

January SEA Rep Council Meeting

January 10 Friday Flag

January 14 Dismissal- Teacher Learning Day (TLD) at 12:45 pm

January 14 School Site Council (SSC) Meeting at 3 pm in the Library

January 15 PTA Association Meeting at 7 pm (virtual)

January 16 ELAC at 8:15 am

January 17 Friday Flag

January 17 Coffee with the Principal at 8:45 am-SSD Strategic Plan-Promise and Student Profile

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 MTSS Round III Ends

January 24 MTSS Forms due

January 24 STEAM Night

January 27-31 MTSS Audit #2

January 27 MTSS Team Meeting

January 27 MTSS Round IV Open

January 29 Staff Meeting - Mid-Year Results

January 31 Friday Flag- Citizen of the Month

January 31Lunar New Year

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 are 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

November 15, 8:45 am-Report Cards and NWEA Reports-Canceled

January 17, 8:45 am-SSD Strategic Plan-Promise and Student Profile

March 14, 8:45 am-TBD

May 16, 8:45 am-TBD

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.

Support your students and our school by donating to our Cherry Chase PTA Direct Appeal campaign today!

* Your donation is not only spent on the students at Cherry Chase, but it's also fully tax-deductible, providing you with a financial benefit while supporting our school.

* What does your donation support? Your donation supports the hands-on science program, classroom supplies, field trips, assemblies, monthly community events, and all other PTA programs and community events.

* Suggested donation of $160 per student, but any amount is appreciated.

* PTA will reward the class with the most participation through December 6!

Visit www.cherrychasepta.org/e-store/donate/ to pay by PayPal, Venmo, or credit card. See our direct appeal website to donate by check or to a donor-advised fund.

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!

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.

Cherry Chase Bell Schedule 2024-2025

Cherry Chase School Map 2024-2025

Parent-Student Handbook

PTA Website

1138 Heatherstone Way, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

(408) 522-8241 Main Office/Attendance