The Chat

Curriculum Nights continue this week. You may be wondering what happens at Curriculum Night, do I really have to go? The answer is YES! You need to attend! Curriculum night is important because it is a good opportunity to find out what your child will be working on this school year. We share many of the books we read as well as the other resources we use to teach. We share expectations for the quality of work students produce and we talk about the many events that happen at each grade level. It is also a good opportunity to meet the teacher and see the classroom.

September 5 6:30pm Middle school Curriculum Night

September 7 6:30pm Upper Elementary (3-5) Curriculum Night

Kids are more successful in school when parents take an active interest in their learning — it shows kids that what they do is important. Of course, helping with learning shouldn't mean spending hours hunched over a desk. Parents can be supportive by setting aside learning time or homework time each night. By demonstrating study and organization skills, explaining a tricky problem, or just encouraging kids to enjoy a book together parents can ignite the desire to learn!

Here are some tips for parents to guide the way to life long learning and school success:

1. Know the teachers — and what they're looking for. Attend school events, such as curriculum nights to meet your child's teachers. Ask about their homework policies and how you should be involved.
2. Set up a homework-friendly area. Make sure kids have a well-lit place to complete schoolwork. Keep supplies — paper, pencils, glue, scissors — within reach.
3. Schedule a regular study time. Some kids work best in the afternoon, following a snack and play period; others may prefer to wait until after dinner.
4. Help them make a plan. On heavy homework nights or when there's an especially hefty assignment to tackle, encourage your child break up the work into manageable chunks. Create a work schedule for the night if necessary — and take time for breaks, if possible.
5. Keep distractions to a minimum. This means no TV, loud music, or phone calls. (Occasionally, though, a phone call to a classmate about an assignment can be helpful.)
6. Make sure kids do their own work. They won't learn if they don't think for themselves and make their own mistakes. Parents can make suggestions and help with directions. But it's a kid's job to do the learning.
7. Be a motivator and monitor. Ask about assignments, quizzes, and tests. Give encouragement, check completed homework, and make yourself available for questions and concerns.
8. Set a good example. Do your kids ever see you diligently balancing your budget or reading a book? Kids are more likely to follow their parents' examples than their advice.
9. Praise their work and efforts. Post an aced test or art project on the refrigerator. Mention academic achievements to relatives.
10. If there are continuing problems with homework, get help. If your child is laboring over homework for more than an hour or two each night, something is wrong. Stop and talk about it with your child's teacher. Some kids have trouble seeing the board and may need glasses; others might need an evaluation for a learning problem or attention disorder.

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

Parents/guardian are welcome to come in to the school in the morning if they have a specific purpose. We would like for parents not to come to the breakfast line as we would like all of the students to get their breakfast independently. We would like for students to walk themselves into their classroom.

We are recruiting homeroom parents to take the lead on a few important jobs. If you are interested in any of these responsibilities please contact the indicated person:

• Homeroom Parent: This parent supports the teacher's plan for classroom events - contact your child's homeroom teacher.
• Homeroom/Grade Level Art Docent K-5 only: This parent provides a monthly brief introduction to an artist and style of art - contact Mr. Lange at nlange@chatfieldschool.org
• Homeroom P.I.E. Parent: This parent represents the homeroom at each P.I.E. meeting - contact your child's homeroom teacher.

Please take a moment to complete the 2023-2024 School Meals and Summer EBT Application and return 1 per family to school. A paper copy was sent home with your child today and is attached at the bottom of this newsletter. This application is necessary as we transition to the Michigan School Meals program offering free breakfast and lunch to all students. This form collects information needed to ensure that Chatfield School receives state and federal funding for several educational programs. Without this information Chatfield School could lose or see a reduction in state and federal funding. This funding helps provide additional supports and services for our students including, but not limited to:

• Instructional Staff (ex. Reading Interventionist, Math Tutors, Behavior Aids)

• Teaching supplies and materials

• Counselors and Social Workers

• Professional Development for staff

• Parent and Community engagement supplies and activities

• Technology

Why is Chatfield School requesting these forms be completed? The 2023-2024 School Meals and Summer EBT Applications determines eligibility of a student or household. The total count of eligible students is used to determine the funding amounts that will be available to Chatfield School. The more forms the better to insure proper funding.

You are invited and encouraged to attend the Chatfield P.I.E. meetings to be held the second Wednesday of each month at 4pm in the middle school commons. The first meeting is September 13 at 4pm. Chatfield P.I.E. serves as an organization to provide student and family engagement and participation and to support school activities. The P.I.E. meetings provide a forum for the school staff to share information with parents. Again we highly encourage you to attend! We have a new leadership team for the new year. Christina Hall is President, Tracy Coulter is Vice-President, Amanda Blay is Secretary, and Jacqueline Wellington is Treasurer. Erin Sawgle and Stephanie Klee remain on the board as trustees.

Meeting dates

Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8, Dec. 13, Jan. 10, Feb. 14, Mar. 13, Apr. 10, May 8

The Bike Rodeo Fall Festival is scheduled for October 7! It is just around the corner! Please stay tuned for details!

The Bike Rodeo is our big P.I.E. fundraiser. With the goal of making enought money to support P.I.E. programs we are looking for businesses that would be willing to sponsor the Bike Rodeo/Fall Festival. Please help out by seeing if your business would consider a sponsorship. The sponsorship request and form is attached at the bottom of this newsletter or at this LINK.

Do you know someone who might like to sell items at the Bike Rodeo Fall Festival? Please see the Vendor Application attached at the bottom of this newsletter of at this LINK

Chatfield students will host their grandparents or special guests on Wednesday, September 20 from 6:30 to 7:30pm. Join us for punch and cookies, a tour of the school and grounds, and a musical treat. We apologize for the date change. We try to avoid events on Wednesdays, we hope everyone can still make it!

Breakfast is served "to go style" in the lobby from 8:00 to 8:20. Students do not need to order in advance. They will take their breakfast to the classroom. Students must be on time to class, breakfast can not be used an excuse for tardiness.

The lunch schedule is listed below. Students must order their lunch each day when arriving to homeroom. Both breakfast and lunch are served without cost to students/families!

Grade - Time

K - 11:15-12:15

1 - 11:20-11:55

2 - 11:20-11:55

3 - 11:45 -12:20

4 - 11:45-12:20

5 - 11:45- 12:20

6 - 12:10-12:45

7 - 12:10-12:45

8 - 12:10-12:45

Lunch Room Expectations:

The lunch room is a good time to teach and practice manners. Please discuss the expectations below with your child.

Students are expected to be polite, use quiet voices, and appropriate language.

Students are expected to use proper table manners and be respectful to each other.

Students must clean up their area and floor prior to leaving the table.

Below are the "Rules of the Playground." Please discuss these expectations with your child.

• Keep hands and feet to yourself.

• When swinging, you may not twirl, twist, spider, go sideways, let your shoes fly off or jump off the swings.

• Do not climb swing poles or pavilion poles.

• Do not throw rocks, sand, mulch, snow, or anything that could become dangerous.

• Use proper language.

• When using the slides come down feet first and there is to be no jumping off slides.

• Sit on the bleachers; do not stand, jump, or fool around on the bleachers.

• On the black top or near play structures, do not kick or drop kick a ball or football. Footballs need to be thrown in the field or on the football field only.

• Do not sit on top of the monkey bars / climbers.

• You may play on the paths in the children’s garden but please stay off of the dark mulch landscape beds.

• Never fight, wrestle, hit, kick or punch.

• Be safe.

• Do not eat snacks - no food. Do not litter.

Teachers and assistants may have additional rules that are not listed here.

Our middle school students are selling Lapeer area discount cards through Sept. 8. The cards sell for $10 and for the student there is a $6 profit for the student towards their field study. All money that is raised in 6th and 7th grade that is above and beyond their trip cost gets rolled over to the next year.The middle school students will be doing four fundraisers this year.

If your child is in middle school, and you would like to sell discount cards but have not picked them up yet, please see the attached form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O-pKwpsTY68Y2BYaiLZwAgh7qNKc6f7e0hNRFsJCyNI/edit?usp=sharing

Bike Club - A Fall Season Adventure League held every Monday at the Willows

Bike club is free and open to any student grades 3-8. Parents and non-Chatfield students are welcome. Students 2nd grade and younger are welcome if a parent rides with them. We will do most of our riding on the Oakdale trail system, 9.5 miles of singletrack with no road crossings. This multi-use, natural surface trail offers some amazing terrain for us to enjoy. Bikes brought in before school can be put on the bike rack near the gym or parked out by the Willows. Helmets are mandatory and we do have loaners. Bike club will last approximately 8 weeks. Contact Peter McCreedy at pmccreedy@chatfieldschool.org with questions.

Link to Register: Bike Club Registration LINK

Weekly participation is not mandatory, but in order to participate you must have completed the registration.

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.

It is an oldie but a goodie: School House Rock! The Preamble to the constitution can easily be memorized using this song!

At home talk about what the preamble means:

Establish justice

Ensure domestic tranquility

Provide for the common defense

Promote the general welfare

Secure the blessing of liberty

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

9/5/2023 6:30 PM Grades 6-8 Curriculum Night

9/7/2023 6:30 PM Grades 3-5 Curriculum Night

9/20/2023 6:30 PM Grandparent's Evening

10/5/2023 Parent-Teacher Conferences

10/7/2023 11AM-3PM Bike Rodeo

10/10/2023 Parent-Teacher Conferences

10/16-19/2023 5th Grade Camp

10/20/2023 No School

10/25/2023 Picture Retakes AM

10/27/2023 End of 1st Marking Period

10/27/2023 Half Day of School 11:30am Dismissal

10/31/2023 Halloween - Trunk or Treat PM

Please visit the Chatfield website to learn about the Chatfield School Board of Directors meeting times and dates. LINK

President Nathan Muir

Vice President Erin Viers

Secretary/Treasurer Karen Dumas

Trustee Katheryn Poniatowski

Trustee Catherine Amboy

Parents & Guardians,

We are hiring some part time employees! If you are interested in being on one of our teams please let us know! Specifically we could use some support on our lunch team, child care team, and on our substitute team. Contact Mr. Kraly at bkraly@chatfieldschool.org or Mrs. Davis at adavis@chatfieldschool.org

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