Dear Chávez Families,
Hello and Happy Fall! The trees on our beautiful Chávez campus are starting to turn. It is hard to believe we are already a month into our new school year. Staff and students have been busy learning new routines and building their new school families.
We are so excited to welcome you all into the building on October 13th for Curriculum Night. This is a time to learn more about your student's classroom environment, expectations, and learning activities. It is also an opportunity to break bread together in the school cafeteria, visit and mingle with others in our school community, and much more. If you haven't already, please RSVP for Curriculum Night by clicking HERE. This will help us order the right amount of pizza!
Below, you will see a Staff Spotlight on Ms. Martha Dyer, our Teacher Librarian. You may have heard that the 4J School Board voted to hire Elementary Teacher Librarians for a pilot program in three elementary schools. We are one of the lucky schools! Research shows that having a full-time certified Teacher Librarian not only boosts students’ reading scores across the board, it also boosts academic achievement in other subjects, like writing and math. We are so thrilled to welcome Ms. Dyer to our school community.
Have a wonderful October,
Ms. Pearson, Principal
10/7 Picture day
10/11 PACK meeting 5:30 - 6:30
10/12 Walk & Roll To School Day
10/13 Curriculum night 5:30 - 7:00
10/14 No school for students/Staff PD day
Elementary School Calendar
Middle & High School Calendar
More Annual Calendar Information
Come to our Annual Title One Family Meeting
during Curriculum Night
October 13, 2022 6:00-6:30 In the Cafeteria
You are invited to join us at Curriculum Night to learn about the Chávez Title One program. Title One is a federal grant that provides funding to schools for additional academic help for students who need it. Your child may currently be receiving additional help with reading in our Title One program. Drop by the Title One table during curriculum night so we can talk to you about our program and to answer any questions you might have.
The Title One teachers will explain:
How children become identified for Title I services
The assessments we use and what they mean
How reading is taught at Chávez and how our Title One program helps students who need extra practice
Activities that you can do at home to help your child succeed
Ms. Martha Dyer, Teacher Librarian
Ms. Martha is excited to join our team as part of 4J's Elementary Teacher Librarian pilot program. Ms. Martha holds a double Masters Degree in Library & Information Science and Education. She brings 13 years of experience as a School Librarian in Santa Cruz, California, after teaching 8th grade English/Social Sciences for 10 years. Most recently, Ms. Martha worked with first and second graders at Awbrey Park as a Literacy EA. Ms. Martha is fluent in Spanish, and she is passionate about working alongside teachers and staff to support and enhance the library services at our school.
"Gardening has been my passion since I moved to Eugene, and when there is time I try to learn a new song on the guitar. I grew up in very small town in Texas, and l have spent many summers traveling to Latin American countries to study Spanish."
Are you interested in volunteering?
Here are some of the ways to volunteer in our school;
- Breakfast time – 7:40 – 8:00 Students enter the building at 7:30 and go to the cafeteria to have breakfast. Extra support would be to help with composting.
- Lunch time – 10:35 – 12:00 This is Kindergarten – 3rd grade lunch. Help with composting when kids are finished eating.
- Family Events – From time to time we have family events and could use extra help with tending booths, set up and clean up.
- Library volunteer – We have a librarian this year and she could use a couple of parent volunteers to shelve books and keep the library in order.
- SMART READERS – (Start Making A Reader Today) This is a program where volunteers come in and read to kindergarten and 1st grade students either one on one or in a classroom setting. If interested in being a SMART Reader please contact Diantha Hull, site coordinator for Chávez School cesarchavez@smartreading.org
- Walk & Roll to school - We encourage students to walk, bus or bike/scooter to school. Every few months we have Walk & Roll to school day where students get a ticket for participating and a chance to win a prize. This would involve helping tend a table right outside and helping kids put their names on their tickets. Ticket gets dropped in the container that is labeled with how they arrived to school.
- Join Cheetah PACK or run for Site Council
All volunteers need to fill out a volunteer background check. Please visit https://www.4j.lane.edu/safety/volunteers/ and fill out the application.
Contact Ms. Angie for any questions about volunteering 541-790-5332 or gee_a@4j.lane.edu
On October 12th, our school is participating in the Walk+Roll to School Challenge. We’re asking every family to use active transportation like walking, biking, scooting, skating or shared transportation like the bus or carpooling to improve our students’ health, learning and independence and to improve safety and traffic around our school and our impact on the environment! We have great prizes to encourage our students to participate!
If driving is your only option, you could “Park and Stride” by parking in the Albertsons parking lot and walking with your child the rest of the way. Students who ride the bus, carpool, or park and stride still be able to enter the raffle for prizes.
If you have concerns about your route or would like help planning a walking/biking route or starting a biking or walking group, contact 4J’s Safe Routes to School Coordinator at mazze_s@4j.lane.edu or 541-790-7539. You can find tipsheets on walking and biking and more on the Safe Routes to School regional website at www.eugenespringfieldsrts.org/local-resources.
We are looking for a new parent to join the Chavez Site Council!
Site Council is the governing body of our school. It is made up of parent representatives serving staggered two-year terms, teacher representatives, a classified representative, and the principal. Site Council meets throughout the year to discuss school curriculum, school structure, staff development plans and training options, the school calendar, and other concerns parents and teachers may have. Serving as a member of Site Council is an excellent way to make a difference in our school and to be involved in important issues and decisions. Two parent representatives are needed, and we have one vacancy for the 2022-23 school year.
CLICK HERE FOR SITE COUNCIL PARENT INTEREST FORM
If you are interested in becoming a parent representative on Site Council, please apply by Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Site Council reps are required to be elected by their peers. Voting will be held during Curriculum Night on Oct 13, 2022.
The Unitarian Universalist Church Food Pantry is a block away from our school, at 1685 W. 13th Ave. They are open every first & third Thursday from 2:00-6:00.
The Eugene Faith Center Food Pantry is across the street from our school, at 1410 W. 13th Ave. They are open every second & fourth Thursday from 2:00-6:00.
Both food pantries offer fresh produce as well as shelf-stable items.
Be safe and respectful in the parking lot.
- We are still having some students arrive before 7:30am. Children who arrive before staff are on duty are unsupervised, and this is not safe! PLEASE do not bring your student to school before 7:30am.
- Our speed limit is 5 MPH. Be mindful to slow down while in our lot.
- There is a crosswalk between the K-1 and the 2-5 pause parking areas. Please do not stop or park in the crosswalk. Use the curbside pause parking areas.
CHEETAH PACK MEETING - Tuesday, October 11th from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. We will send information with finalized details as the date gets closer. Meetings are 2nd Tuesday of the month.
Are you curious about what is going on at school? Do you want to be involved in helping plan events? Do you want to get to know other Chávez parents? PACK is a great place to start! You can attend a meeting or email for more info: chavezcheetahpack@gmail.com
Current available positions:
Treasurer
Social Media Officer
Current Officers:
President: Jacy Berg, mother of Luna Berg, Grade 4
Vice President: Kristen Atchely, mother of Kai Witherspoon, Grade 4
Secretary: Bethy Annsa, mother of Tabor Annsa, Grade 1
Newsletter/Communications: Brooke Stehley, mother of Albert Stehley, Grade 1
Check out our current newsletter!
Parents and families are essential partners in promoting good attendance because they have the bottom-line responsibility for making sure their children get to school every day. Just as parents should focus on how their children are performing academically, they have a responsibility to set expectations for good attendance and to monitor their children’s absences, so that missed days don’t add up to academic trouble. This Parent Handout outlines strategies including:
- Make getting students to school on time every day a top priority.
- Alert schools and community agencies to barriers that keep kids from attending class.
- Ask for and monitor data on chronic absence.
Visit Attendance Works at www.attendanceworks.org for free downloadable resources and tools!
Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early
- Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
- Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
- Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots.
- Introduce your children to their teachers and classmates before school starts.
- Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up.
- Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.
- Try to schedule non-Covid-19 related medical appointments and extended trips when school isn't in session.
- If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
- If you are concerned that your child may have Covid-19, call your
- school for advice.
- If your child must stay home due to illness or quarantine, ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home.
We are an AVID school! AVID is a set of teaching practices to help students gain the necessary skills to become college and career ready. We start some of these practices as early as Kindergarten. We want your students to feel successful!
A few examples you might see at each grade level:
- Organization: Book boxes, Binders, Planners
- Structured note taking
- WICOR: Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization and Reading
WELCOME (BACK)!
It is so wonderful to get to see so many familiar faces of students and families this Fall, and to welcome in our new friends. We are so glad to have you all with us.
For this first newsletter, I'd love to introduce myself and my role here at Chávez and to ask for your thoughts and feedback. I'll reiterate this again at the bottom, but want to invite you as parents and caregivers to always feel free to reach out to me if I can be a support to you. I am here for the whole school!
This year, I aim to be in each classroom every other week to focus on Sources of Strength lessons which promote community, belonging, and connection to each other and to the strengths we have in our lives. You should receive a parent letter from your child's teacher before we begin, and I welcome you to reach out with any questions!
So far, I've visited classes to (re)introduce myself and let students know how they can reach out to me through Meet With Ms. Shannon slips, and what kids of things they might talk with me about (emotions, problem-solving, friendship, or other stressors in their life). We've read stories and brainstormed ways to be kind to one another. On my second trip around to classes, we talked about Zones of Regulation so that we have common language across the building, and classes shared their thinking about different supports we can access and offer to one another when we are in different zones. I've linked to some free resources above if you are interested in checking this out.
In addition to classroom visits and individual student support, I get to offer small groups for students who may benefit from additional focus on social and emotional skills, or perhaps who are going through a challenging time in their life. Groups are informed by student needs, so I invite you to share on the family collaboration form below if you think your student might benefit. Or reach out to me at any point during the school year.
Family collaboration, staff consultation, and 504 coordination (whew! a rhyme) are some of the other pieces I offer in the building. The fabulous Ms. Angie--our school's Family Resource Coordinator--and I work closely on linking folks with community resources and referrals. Along with your child's teacher(s) and other building staff, we really strive to make this a welcoming school community and a partnership with families, so please don't hesitate to let us know what resources you need AND what resources you bring :)
Here is the link to the Family Collaboration Form. I would greatly appreciate if you took a moment (might be 5 minutes) to fill this out.
And as always, please free to reach out to me via email: sell_s@4j.lane.edu or by phone at 541-790-5383 (direct office line) if you would like to discuss your student or family's needs.
Wishing you well,
Ms. Shannon
As you have most likely heard, our district's K-5 Health Adoption team of educators spent last year evaluating, piloting, and selecting a high-quality, aligned, developmentally appropriate K-5 Comprehensive Health curriculum for our elementary schools. It’s exciting to have new comprehensive Health Ed. materials to support Health teaching and learning. It was a unanimous team decision to recommend the adoption of The Great Body Shop Comprehensive K5 Health Curriculum.
The Great Body Shop is a leading curriculum used across the United States and throughout Oregon's many school districts. This skills-based, standards-driven program is aligned with National and Oregon state standards for Health Education and offers excellent comprehensive Health Ed. instruction for our students to support their growing Health Literacy.
The program consists of 10 units that address the following Health topics: Injury Prevention & Personal Safety, Nutrition, Functions of the Body, Growth & Development/Cycle of Family Life, Disease & Illness Prevention, Substance Abuse Prevention, Community Health & Safety (w/violence prevention), Self-worth, Mental & Emotional Health, Environmental & Consumer Health, Physical Fitness.
However, this first year our teachers will only focus on these 5 units as a way to ease into teaching Health:
Unit 1 = Sept/Oct = Safety (Here are the lesson titles, grade by grade)
Unit 3 = Nov/Dec = Nutrition
Unit 5 = Jan/Feb = Social/Mental/Emotional Health
Unit 6 = March/Apr = Growth & Development/Cycle of Family Life
Unit 8 = May/June = Illness/Disease Prevention
Each month your child will receive a glossy, colorful magazine (at their grade level) aligned to the unit being taught called a "Student Issue". The back page of each Student Issue will include a Family Communication Letter to support Health learning at home. Teachers will soon have access to their own Great Body Shop Teacher Portal and students will soon have access via Clever, which will enable them to also listen to the articles in their Student Issue in English, French, and Spanish. Once teachers receive their access to their GBS Teacher Portals, they will be able to connect you to the Family Portal.
As usual, parents are always welcome to come view any adopted curriculum at school. We think you'll be excited by this new, up-to-date, medically-accurate, engaging Health curriculum.