Hawk Updates

November

25th - 29th: THANKSGIVING BREAK. NO SCHOOL.

December

2nd: VAPA Vision

9th: School Site Council. 3:45 pm

12th: Dining for Dollars at Chick-Fil-A in Carmel Mt. Ranch

18th: CAPES Foundation Meeting. 5:30 pm

20th: Community Gathering

20th: 4th Grade Winter Musical

23rd - Jan. 3: District Recess

Click HERE for the School Calendar.

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the parents and community members who continue to make a positive difference in our school. Your unwavering support, kindness, and active involvement help create a warm and welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and encouraged. Whether through volunteering, attending events, or simply sharing words of encouragement, your contributions strengthen the sense of community that makes our school a special place. Thank you for being such an essential part of what makes our school thrive!

In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to our Native American families for their invaluable contributions to our school community. This month provides a special opportunity to celebrate and recognize the rich cultures, traditions, and histories of Native American people. We are grateful for the unique perspectives, values, and knowledge that you bring to our community, which enrich our lives and deepen our understanding of the world. Thank you for sharing your heritage with us and for helping to foster a community built on respect, diversity, and inclusion.

Thank you to I-Ortho and all of our wonderful Hawks who donated back their Halloween candy this year! You donated almost 800 lbs of candy!

As a result, I-Ortho will donate $791.50 to Chaparral.

Out of all the elementary schools that participated, Chaparral donated the most!!

Each holiday season Chaparral and the greater PUSD community help families at our schools in need.

Please grab a gift tag off our virtual “Giving Tree” to make the holidays a little brighter for families in the Poway Unified School District.

Step 1) Go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0949AAAD28A0FA7-52877913-chaparral and select as many gifts as you’d like. Each gift description will contain an identification code which must be provided along with the gift so we know where to deliver it. Please be sure to make a note of this code along with the gift description (i.e. Family GR05, Boy, age 8).

Step 2) Go shopping for the gift. Please attach gift receipts for clothing/shoes when possible.

Step 3) Bring your unwrapped gift to the Chaparral Front Office during the week of December 2nd-December 6th with gift description code attached. December 6th is the last day to drop gifts off!

It is our tradition to make sure each child gets an outfit, shoes, and a few toys they are hoping for this holiday season. We also like to provide families with gift cards to grocery stores and gas cards to make their celebrations special and let them know how much the Chaparral community cares for them.

Questions? Please contact:

Heidi Smith (redheidi@gmail.com)

Get yours today!

Parents-

We’d like to remind you that when students are checked out early, we wait until the parent or guardian arrives at the school before calling them out of class. This allows students to remain engaged in their learning for as long as possible, minimizing missed instruction time.

Additionally, please remember to bring ID!

Thank you for your understanding and patience when picking up your student.

It takes a lot to ensure our kids are getting the best experiences and education. If you or someone you know wishes to donate to a teacher's classroom or the overall school, one way you can do so is through the follow site: CLASSROOM SUPPLIES - ONLINE DONATION PROGRAM

"What's this 'Second Step' I keep hearing about?" Great question! Second Step is a longstanding program at Chaparral and throughout our district. It forms the foundation of our Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum, which is designed to help students from Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through all grade levels develop vital social and emotional skills.

Second Step lessons guide students in building empathy, learning strategies to self-regulate and calm down, solving problems effectively, and understanding bullying prevention, along with many other important life skills.

At Chaparral, we have a dedicated SEL team: Ms. Siebel teaches our youngest learners in TK through 2nd grade, and Mr. Hicks works with students in grades 3 and up. Together, they equip students with the tools they need to confidently navigate social and emotional challenges, fostering a positive, inclusive learning environment where all students can flourish.

2024/2025 School Year Birthday Marquee Signups are now open!

Complete the form from the link provided below if you would like your child's name (first name and last initial) to appear on the Chaparral Marquees during the week of his/her birthday. To secure your marquee reservation, please make a $25 donation to CAPES after submitting the form.

Note--Each marquee has only two (2) available sign-ups per week. If a week is not listed, it has reached the maximum capacity of reservations. Holiday weeks have not been included. This form is ONLY for the 2024/2025 school year. Please do not submit a response for a future school year.

Your child's birthday message (ex. Happy Birthday Lizzie B.) will appear at some point during the week and will stay up for a minimum of 1 day.

Please note that our CAPES volunteers may need at least one (1) week of advance notice to honor birthday marquee reservations.

Click the link HERE to sign up today!

We are looking for any parent who may be interested in helping with the 24-25 Yearbook!

If you are interested, please reach out to Will Smith at chaparralcapes@gmail.com.

Thank you!

PUSD provides breakfast and lunch to all students free of charge pursuant to the California Universal Meals Program. Free meals are available to all families, regardless of their free or reduced-price meal eligibility status. Breakfast service will begin at 8:25 am and end at 8:40 am. Students will report directly to the playground after eating breakfast. Students not eating breakfast need to arrive when the playground opens at 8:25 am.

Meal program details are provided on the Food and Nutrition Department website at PUSD Food and Nutrition. Families are still encouraged to submit a school meal application for free and reduced-priced meal benefits because this information may be used for other programs such as Federal and State funding for your school, reduced registration fees for academic tests, free or discounted fees for bus passes, ESS childcare, and athletic programs, discounted rates for internet service and many more! The application can be found online at https://www.myschoolapps.com/ . Applications must be submitted on an annual basis.

In order to Volunteer on campus, PUSD's Volunteer Requirements must be met and the following documentation needs to be submitted to the office:

1) Volunteer Application & Megan's Law clearance form + picture ID (signed annually)

2) TB clearance/negative result from a health care provider (Good for 4 years)

3) Code of Conduct form (signed annually)

4) Code of Confidentiality (signed annually)

Note--the district office needs at least 2 weeks to process and clear volunteers once all forms/documents are submitted; therefore, please submit the volunteer paperwork as soon as you are able.

Please help us keep the parking lot safe and the drop off and pick up in our front lot running smoothly.

We ask of everyone:

1. Do not park in the parking lot. You may see open spots, especially in the morning, but those are reserved for our staff. If parents fill those spots our staff has a hard time getting onto campus and getting prepared for your students.

2. Please pull forward. Whenever possible, before picking up or dropping off always pull as far forward as possible.

3. Stay in your cars. To keep everything running smoothly, please stay in your cars while in line for the drop off and pick up. If your child needs help, please just roll the passenger side window down and ask one of our staff and they will assist.

4. Stay back from the gates if you are picking up your students in person. It is very helpful if parents stay back from all gates before they open. Additionally, we ask they all parents, even those in grades 1-5, who use the front gates to not go beyond the TK/K gate. Your students will meet you there.

Thank you in advance for helping us keep drop off and dismissal running smoothly by following these guidelines. We are a large school and we need everyone's help in keep kids safe.

Obviously, the best environment for any student to learn is the school environment. Whenever possible, families are strongly encouraged to avoid taking vacations and other trips that results in their students missing extended periods of time from school.

However, when these trips are unavoidable, parents can request an OCIS contract. Details of OCIS contracts can be found below.

Off Campus Independent Study (OCIS) Contracts

This contract allows the student to complete work that he/she would be doing if they were in class and helps the school to continue to receive funding from the state. The student needs to work with his/her teachers closely to submit the assignments.

The threshold for implementing an OCIS contract is limited to a minimum of 3 days through a maximum of 14 school days. The 14-school day limit for OCIS contracts is cumulative for the entire school year.

At least 5 school days of notice is required to set up an OCIS Contract.

*A family who plans to keep their student out of school beyond the 20 days must enroll their child in Poway Home Education Program (PHEP: TK through 8th grade)

Please refer to the PUSD website for more information and contact the student’s counselor.