The CPES BobChat
September 24, 2023
How Do We Respond in Safety Situations?
In all our district schools, we have monthly drills so our students and staff know how to respond to keep everyone safe in a variety of situations. We hope our students learn how they can keep themselves and others from harm both inside and outside of Cherry Park. We want you, as parents, to also know about our drills so you can apply this information to help others in settings outside of school as well. We use the Standard Response Protocol as the framework for our thinking. I will review two drills this week and three next week. 1. Hold--During a Hold, we gather students from the halls and bring them into our classrooms. We notify teachers and students at recess of the Hold but do not require them to come inside. We continue teaching and learning and playing during a Hold. We use this in order to clear a hall if we need EMS to assist someone. If we have a major water spill or obstruction in a hall, we would use a Hold. We also use this to prepare the classes if we need to quickly shift to a more restrictive measure. Holds help us reduce interruptions and distractions. 2. Secure--During a Secure, everyone comes inside and there is no movement of any kind within the building. Internal and external doors are locked and teachers account for all students. We use this procedure when the threat is coming from outside the school. Teaching and learning can still happen but we are on alert if we need to take further action. We may use a Secure if there was a bad accident on Cherry Road or if the police were looking for someone in the area. As we practice any of our drills, we always "throw curveballs" and change the situation so our staff learns how to make effective decisions in a variety of scenarios. In addition, we review our drills after they occur to learn from them and improve our responses. It is a great practice to ask "What if..." questions of our children (and ourselves) so they know what to do to keep themselves safe at school, at home and wherever they are. We appreciate all you do to support the safety and security of our children while you are on our campus. Always feel free to "say something if you see something" when you are visiting with us.
Strength and Blessings,
Mr. Maness
Notes and Reminders
1. Honors' Choir--Congratulations to the following fourth and fifth graders who were selected for the Rock Hill Elementary Honors Choir: Alexa Shepard, Ava Burgess, Beckett Flora, Benjamin Hayes, Eden Williamson, Harmony Moore, Ivy Kutz, Journey Loveless, Kendall Kirkland, Keragan Thomas, Kirsten Massey, Myles McCoy, and Sophia Uribe. Lily Jenkinson and Bayleigh Knight were selected last year. We are so proud of all of our students who took a risk to audition.
2. Boys' Running Club--Cherry Park's Boys' Running Club will start the week of October 2nd! If your boy is in 4th or 5th grade and loves to be active, runs and/or likes a challenge, CPES Running Club is a great place for him! We will have practice twice a week after school until 3:30pm at Cherry Park Fields. Please consider signing up using the link below. We have a limited number of boys to join and so if the link isn't working, please reach out to Mrs. Anderson, our PE teacher, at (eanderson@rhmail.org). Thank you! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScO67UjTmj-wGmbBGA-pqRNIXc9nNwgDTqwACexVJv3b4CpOA/viewform
3. Bobcat Dash on October 27--The PTO is excited to host the 4th Annual Bobcat Dash Fun Run this October! This is our only school Fundraiser and we need everyone's help to make it successful. Please consider Sponsoring the Bobcat Dash or asking your place of employment for a Sponsorship. You can click on the Bobcat Dash Sponsor Letter button below for more information. The Pledge Forms for students to collect donations will go home at the beginning of October. Our goal this year is to raise enough money to complete the turf installation on the playground. This will benefit every student in the school. Please send all questions about Sponsorships or the Fun Run in general to the PTO at cherryparkelementarypto@gmail.com.
4. Signup to Help with Birthday Book Club--We are kicking off the Birthday Book Club celebration for the year! We will celebrate on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. We are starting with July, August and September birthdays. Each child receives a free book of their choosing for their birthday! We need volunteers to help distribute the books during each students lunch time. You will find the sign up time slots on the sign up genius linked. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE AN APPROVED VOLUNTEER THROUH THE DISTRICT! It is district policy that all volunteers have been approved. Thank you so much for your help!
Please review the available slots below and click on the button or link to sign up. Thank you! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49A4A923AAFBC70-44343524-birthday#/
5. School Improvement Council Nomination Form--Please complete the questions below in the link if you wish to submit your name for the ballot for School Improvement Council Elections for Cherry Park for 23-24. Terms are for two years and we will be electing three new members to our SIC. Meetings are on the second Monday of the month from 5:30-6:30 PM. Please do not nominate someone else (although you can encourage them to run). Please submit this form by the end of the day on Sunday, October 1. (Any parent can attend SIC meetings. This election chooses voting members of the SIC.) We encourage having a diversity of members who can represent all perspectives of our families. (The SIC ballot will include your name, how many children you have at CPES and your chosen language program.) You can click on the button below or this link: https://forms.gle/XtxobcseUUqnMPMr8
6. Technology Forms and Fees--Parents, please know that personal mobile computing devices and chargers will be distributed each year only after parents/guardians and students sign the Technology Agreement and parents/guardians complete and pay the $20 Technology fee. These forms can be completed online in Parent Portal and technology fees can be paid online here: https://rockhillsc.csiepay.com/Views/Payment/Pay.aspx See button below if you still need directions to sign up for Parent Portal.
7. Updating Powerschool and Parent Portal--Know that it may take up to 48 hours for information to be update in Power School and Parent Portal. We work to get it updated by the same day but it often takes two days for the update in the system.
Parents, please note that all Bobcat Dash Sponsorship Forms are due Friday, October 6. Also, Monday, October 9 is a Professional Development Day for teachers and it is a student holiday.
School Calendar
September 27--Birthday Book Club (See above for info)
October 1--School Improvement Council Nominations Due
October 6--All Bobcat Dash Sponsor Forms are Due
October 9--Teacher Professional Development Day (No Students); 5:30 School Improvement Council and 6:30 PM Parent Teacher Organization Meetings
October 13--Picture Day
October 20--Half Day for Students (Students will be dismissed at 11:00)
October 27--Bobcat Dash
Parent Organizations
Parent Teacher Organization--This group has three main goals: Raising funds for the school, appreciating the staff and securing volunteers as needed. The Cherry Park PTO is a 501c3 tax deductible organization. Meetings are held at Cherry Park on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 PM (right after the SIC meetings.) All parents are invited to attend. All financial records are distributed and updated at each month's meeting. Officers this year are Amanda Winters (President), Emmanuel Daniel (Vice-President), Celia Kerr (Secretary) and Michelle Dawkins (Treasurer).
Previous Newsletters for 23-24 School Year
"How Can I Volunteer at CPES?" September 17, 2023 https://www.smore.com/7v8ky
"What CRAzy Model Do We Use for Math Instruction?" September 10, 2023 https://www.smore.com/kfbg7
"What Do We Need to Know about Arrival?" September 3, 2023 https://www.smore.com/fc0kd
"Did You Know that a Bobcat 'ROARS?"' August 27, 2023 https://www.smore.com/0g7qv
"What Do We Need to Remember as We Start Back" August 20, 2023 https://www.smore.com/yrt38
"Techno
logy Forms and Fees"--August 25, 2023 https://www.smore.com/72qcg
"How Can We Work Together to Keep Everyone Safe?" August 13, 2023 https://www.smore.com/6cbtm
"How Can Checklists Help You Start a New Year?" August 6, 2023 https://www.smore.com/0jyx61
"Who Are the Newest Hires and What Are the Latest Changes with Technology?" July 30, 2023 https://www.smore.com/z6qnp
"What's the Latest News at Cherry Park" July 16, 2023 https://www.smore.com/w9pth
"Challenger Be Great Academy Update" June 23, 2023 https://www.smore.com/8hqka
"What Staffing Changes Have Been Made at CPES?" June 18, 2023 https://www.smore.com/e0vr2