Starting tomorrow and in the coming weeks students will participate in assessments designed to provide important information on student knowledge and progress towards educational standards. Students are encouraged to do their best on the assessments as the assessment data does impact instructional decisions for each child. The data gathered from the assessments helps us to improve our instrucional offerings and to support students as they move forward with their education. Chatfield uses assessment results to guide school improvement initiatives that improve instruction.

Students in Grades 3-8 will participate in the following assessments:

• M-STEP English language arts (ELA) and mathematics (grades 3-7: approximately 3 total hours of testing over the course of several days)

• PSAT 8/9 for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics (grade 8: approximately 3 total hours of testing on one day)

• M-STEP science and social studies (grades 5 and 8: approximately 2 total hours of testing over the course of two days)

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Please see your child’s homeroom newsletter for specific dates regarding testing and how you can support your child. When it is time for assessments, preparations may include:

• Encourage your child to be positive and try their best on the assessments.

• Make sure your child charges their chromebook (middle school) the night before an assessment day.

• Try to have your child get a quality night of sleep prior to assessment day.

• Have a healthy breakfast and try to have a positive morning before school.

Let’s work together to encourage each child to do their best and let their knowledge and skills shine. Chatfield students are well prepared for these assessments and we know that they will do great!

Come to LASER Skate Rink Thursday, April 25 from 6pm to 8:30pm and a portion of your entrance fee will be donated to the Chatfield Archery Team! If you would like to make a donation to the team to support their travels to Nationals, one way to do so is to send cash or check to the school office in an envelope marked Archery Donation. Checks can be written to Chatfield School.

Earth Day Campus Cleanup Party

You can make a difference! The Chatfield Green Group invites you to join us Friday April 26, 2:30-4pm, for an Earth Day campus cleanup and celebration. Participants will meet in the Willows after school to get trash bags and directions. Our afterparty will include a special treat for victorious volunteers! Families Welcome! Please rsvp to Peter for planning purposes. pmccreedy@chatfieldschool.org

Olympics and Middle School Tribal Wars are just around the corner and we need your help! Please sign up to run an event at the Olympics. Bring a friend and make a day of it, we will provide lunch!

We also need each family to prepare a special dish for the Olympic lunch. See your child's grade level newsletter for details.

There are many ways to help and be involved with the Olympics! When everyone is involved it is more fun and we accomplish more! Please plan to be involved!

Bee Club - Spring 2024

Purpose: Students will learn about the importance of honey bees to our ecosystem and our role in helping maintain our school bee hives.

How:

• Perform hive maintenance by opening the hive boxes and examining the bees, frames, and foundation; fill out weekly hive observation log checklist

• Understand the importance of honey bees in pollination of plants

• Wear provided protective clothing to examine hives ***mud boots are recommended for students to bring to prevent ankles & toes from getting stung***

Place: Willows and bee hives in garden behind the Willows

When: Fridays after school (dates will be shared once you hear from me)

Who: Any 3rd - 8th grader who wants to be part of Bee Club

Club Leader: Mrs. Wilcox

**Please note class will be limited to 14 students - a confirmation email will be sent out to families of the first 14 students registered, based on bee suit size availability. **Please only plan to attend if you receive an email confirmation.

Cost: $5 per student **Please bring money to our first meeting**

Link to register:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZjAaABpTIDX65ksZdKqCqkyNFmHFx_FUIU6LWl4DoXeaEkw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Don't miss the Scholastic Book Fair: Buy One Get One Free May 6-May 10 in the Chatfield Library! This is a great chance to stock up on the best books for summer reading! Your support of the Book Fair supports the Chatfield library.

There has been a slight change to our menu on April 24th. We will be having chicken drumsticks instead of jumbo chicken tenders. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Teacher Requests

Because the Chatfield staff puts a great deal of thought, effort, and time into creating well-balanced homerooms that will be conducive to each child's growth, we DO NOT accept requests for teachers or special placements for students within certain classes. Many factors including student personalities, behaviors, personal attributes, work habits, and test scores are considered when creating class lists. Additionally, teacher assignments change from time to time. However, Chatfield staff DOES appreciate parent input on what they feel may be most beneficial for their child and why. It is important for parents to understand that their suggestions, while appreciated, may not be accommodated and are not guaranteed. Despite any conversations a parent may have previously had with teachers regarding next year's placements, any suggestions for your child's homeroom placement may only be made via email to the current homeroom teacher and must include (via CC) Bill Kraly at bkraly@chatfieldschool.org prior to June 1, 2024.

Not Returning Next School Year?

We certainly hope that all of our current kindergarten through seventh grade students plan to spend next year with us here at Chatfield. We do know that from time to time students do move. If you anticipate that your current kindergarten through seventh grade child will not be returning to Chatfield please let us know as soon as possible to allow us to plan for and accommodate changes that may be required and to support your child's positive transition to a new school.

The 2024-2025 school year calendar is attached to this newsletter. Please note that the calenar reflects the requirements of the Michigan Department of Edcuation and the Lapeer County Intermediate School District.

This is a friendly reminder to make sure your child care payments are paid in full. Please contact Ms. Jodi Smith at jsmith@chatfieldschool.org if you have any questions.

We would like to congratulate the following students who have been recognized by Chatfield staff for an outstanding contribution or accomplishment! Congratulations! Please stop by the lobby to read the great reports.

Avery Hemstrom

Rossman Terry

Terry Clemens

Beau White

National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6-10, 2024. The Michigan Department of Education’s (MDE) Office of Educator Excellence (OEE) wishes to celebrate teachers across Michigan for the entire month of May.

MDE invites parents to submit 15-30 second videos of their students recognizing and thanking a specific teacher for their impact. Nothing fancy is required—cell phones can capture the videos. Please follow the directions on the flyer. Videos and parental consent may be submitted via the Teacher Appreciation Video Project Google Form. Videos are currently being accepted until Friday, April 19, 2024.

Submitted videos may be posted on the Teacher Appreciation Month webpage and the MDE’s YouTube channel. The Office of Educator Excellence Facebook (@MIeducator) and X (formerly Twitter) social media pages will be promoting the videos throughout the month of May.

If you have a child with great things to say about a teacher, don’t hesitate—use the instructions found on our website to submit a video today!

4/21-26/2024 8th Grade Washington DC

4/29/2024 No School

5/2/2024 6:30 PM Band Concert

5/3/2024 Cinco de Mayo Pinatas K-5

5/6/2024 Scholastic BOGO Book Fair through 5-10

5/6/2024 7th grade Mackinaw Parent Meeting 5:30pm Commons

5/7/2024 5PM 6th Grade Pictured Rocks Meeting Chaperone meeting immediately following

5/8/2024 6:30 PM NJHS Induction

5/8/2024 4:00 PM P.I.E. Meeting

5/10/2024 Muffins with Mom 7:30AM

5/16/2024 Kindergarten Performance 6pm Mrs. Boyer, 7pm Mrs. Norum

5/20-23/2024 4th Grade Camp

5/23/2024 Donuts with Dad 7:30AM

5/23/2024LEAF Deposit Day K-4 PM

5/24/2024 No School

5/27/2024 No School

5/28-30/2024 6th Grade Pictured Rocks 7th Grade Pure Michigan Trip

6/7/2024 Olympics/Tribal Wars XXVII

6/10/2024 Honors Assembly K-5 9:00AM

6/10/2024 Honors Assembly Middle School 6:30PM

6/11/2024 Eighth Grade Farewell Breakfast and Assembly

6/11/2024 Last Day of School

6/11/2024 End of 4th Marking Period

6/11/2024 Half Day of School 11:30am Dismissal

6/12/2024 Teacher Professional Development

6/13/2024 Report Cards Sent Home

6/18/2024 Kindergarten RevUP

Congratulations to 8th graders, Michael Neumeyer and Tanner Floyed! Michael is the 2024 Chess Tournament Champion and Tanner Floyed is the runner up. Both young men played with gusto and really challenged each other!

Does your child have something to celebrate - perhaps an athletic accomplishment, a dance competition result, a special camp or program completion? We want to celebrate extra-curricular student success too! Let us know about it and we will celebrate it in the newsletter and on Facebook/Instagram. Send an email to Mr. Kraly (bkraly@chatfieldschool.org) with your child's first and last name, information about the success, and a quality picture (jpeg) or video.

Examples: Athletic award achieved, dance award, special recital, technology achievement, scouts or other organized program recognitions.

Any and all spirit wear can now be purchased locally at VillageTee! Please visit the link and the Village Tee website to see all of the possibilities available. We are just getting started! www.villagetees.net/product-category/chatfield

A.L.L.Y, Accepting Learners Leading Youth, is our middle school peer-to-peer program. A.L.L.Y. is excited to be selling pickles again this year! Pickles are $1.00 and will be sold after school in the lobby on Thursdays. The funds will go towards the programs’ after-school classroom supplies, project materials, and after-school activity needs. The last sale of the year will be Thursday, May 9. Thank you for your support!

The student & parent handbook for 2023-2024 is available now. Please take time to read it over. If you have any questions or concerns please let Mr. Young or Mr. Kraly know.

Handbook LINK

Link to confirm you have read the Handbook:

https://forms.gle/AfA6UCkprHQgcPAD8

The Chatfield School, a tuition-free, public school academy nestled in the heart of Lapeer, offers the best educational opportunities for students in grades K-8.

Email: chatfieldschool@chatfieldschool.org
Website: www.chatfieldschool.org
Location: 231 Lake Drive, Lapeer, MI, USA
Phone: (810)-667-8970