Cheetah Connection

2/20- President's Day Holiday- No School for Students and Staff

2/21- Staff Development Day- No School for Students

2/24- 6th Grade Field Trip to Medieval Times

2/25- Eagle Run

2/27-3/3- Student Council Selling Smecils (before school)

3/2- Read Across America Day

3/2- Open House/ Art Show 4:30-6pm

3/3- Early Release Day- Students out at 12:00pm

3/3- End of 3rd 9 weeks grading period

3/6-3/10- Spring Break- No School

3/13- Chick Fil Spirit Day

3/16- 4th, 5th and 6th Grade AIM Field Trip

3/17- 6th Grade Field Trip to STEAM Center

3/17- Cheetah Champion Breakfast- 8am

3/20-3/24- Spring Book Fair

3/21- Morning Treats with Someone Sweet- 7am

3/23- Art Night and Empty Bowls Fundraiser- 5:30pm

4/4- Chick Fil A Spirit Day

4/4- Spring Individual and Class Pictures

4/6- Baseball and The Master's Opening Day- Wear baseball or golf attire!

4/7- School Holiday

4/10- School Holiday

4/13- 1st Grade Field Trip to STEAM Center

We are looking for parents who want to partner with teachers to encourage, inspire, and grow our students as well as support teachers in various ways. We send out a weekly sign up with volunteer opportunities (work with small group of students, copy, laminate, lunch duty, help in library), this allows you to choose areas you are interested or feel comfortable. This can change from week to week. If interested, please read through the volunteer handbook linked below then sign and return the last page.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Elizabeth Williams or Jenny Capehart.

• JOIN PTA!!!
• Like us on Facebook: @chandlerelementaryPTA
• Like us on Twitter: @CC_PTA, @cheetahchandler, @ChandlerPrin
• Like us on Instagram: @chandlerelementarypta
• Volunteer! To volunteer, complete a Criminal History Check online at www.allenisd.org each year.
• Contact your child's teacher or sign up to volunteer through the Chandler PTA.

Help support Chandler Elementary and show your school spirit at the same time! PTA is selling these Chandler Elementary car tags for $5 each. Every penny of this purchase goes back to Chandler PTA to help students! Car decals can be purchased on PTA's website in the "Spirit Wear Store": https://chandlerpta.membershiptoolkit.com/home

If your 6th graders is interested in trying out for Cheer in 7th grade, please attend a MANDATORY informational meeting on EITHER February 22 OR February 23 at Ford Middle School, 6:30pm. You may choose which meeting date works best for you. Both parent and student should attend this meeting.

Creating Quiet: Parenting Teens in a High-Anxiety World

• Date: Thursday, February 23rd
• Time: 6:30-8:00 pm
• Location: ZOOM Webinar
• Speaker: Dr. Ryan Smith

Rising rates of anxiety in teens has left a generation of parents concerned and confused as they watch their children struggle in ways they don't fully understand. Where is this coming from? Why is it so intense? How can I help? These questions and more will be the focal point of this presentation by Dr. Ryan Smith. A former high school teacher and basketball coach, Dr. Ryan is a licensed mental health professional who has been working with teens and their families for over 20 years. He is an expert on the mental and relational effects of social media and digital health and will help parents draw lines from our modern, fast-paced, always-connected culture to the current crisis of teenage anxiety. Most importantly, he will offer practical guidance for reducing the anxiety within your teen and family. In "Creating Quiet", Dr. Ryan will leave you hopeful, optimistic, and better prepared for a high-anxiety world.

This program is free! Please click below for more information and registration details. https://www.allenisd.org/Page/64412

Don't forget that Friday, March 3rd is an early release day. All students will be released to go home at 12:00 noon.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Allen ISD would like to introduce parent accounts to Xello, the College and Career Readiness platform for K-12 students. Xello is an engaging online program that helps students build the skills, knowledge, and plans to be future ready. The program uses an investigative, discovery-based learning process. As a result, students better understand themselves, their future career options, and the 21st-century skills they’ll need to succeed.

With Xello, your child will:

Build Self-knowledge

Define their interests, skills, preferences, and aspirations so that they can explore the opportunities right for them.

Explore Options

Learn about career possibilities and educational pathways by exploring rich, engaging content and lessons.

Create a Plan

Your child can create dynamic, actionable plans that outline the steps needed to achieve school, career, and life goals.

Learn & Reassess

Interactive lessons help your child develop age-appropriate skills and knowledge for success in school and beyond.

Xello Family Access

Xello Family lets you explore and discover your child’s future goals and plans so you can better support their learning and development.

Access Your Account

You will receive a "Welcome to Xello!" activation email to the address we have on file. Once you click "Activate Account" through the email, you will be redirected to Xello and asked to create a password.

Explore Xello Family

On the welcome screen, you will see all children linked to your account. Clicking a child’s name will bring you to their profile.

Discover Your Child’s Interests and Goals

In your child’s profile, you can see all the work they’ve done in Xello. If there’s no information in a particular section, your child has not yet started or completed the activity. You can explore each section to learn new information about your child.

Discuss Your Child’s Future Goals and Plan

Xello is a great tool to start future planning conversations with your child. For example, try asking them why they liked a particular career. Were they surprised about their top career suggestions? What different pathways can they take to achieve their goals?

Safe and Secure Environment

We take data protection and privacy very seriously. So does Xello. The program complies with legal requirements for safety and security outlined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). That means advertising is not displayed within Xello, nor is data used for commercial purposes. Xello is also a signatory of the Student Privacy Pledge, requiring them to uphold strict standards for safeguarding student privacy regarding the collection, maintenance, and use of student personal information.

You can learn more about Xello and the student experience by visiting www.xello.world We hope you’re just as excited as we are about this program and making every student future ready.

• Doors will open at 7:30 AM for arrival.
• School begins at 7:45 AM.
• Please ensure your child is arriving with plenty of time to get to class. Instructional minutes begin at 7:45 AM.
• If your child arrives after 7:45 AM, you will need park and sign them in at the front office.

• If you child is having breakfast, they will need to arrive no later than 7:30 AM.

• Please, please, please put your child's name on their personal items.
• We recommend using the initial of the first name and the full last name. (Ex: Bobbie Allen)
• If your child misplaces something and their name is on it, we will do everything we can to get it back to them.
• Suggested items you put their names on:

1. Water bottle
2. Lunchbox
3. Jacket

• Student will be the ones that pass the invitations or items out
• Invitations must be shared with either the whole class or all boys or all girls...we don't want to leave people out. If they don't want to invite all these people, your child will need to pass them out on their own time outside of the school day.
• Digital invitations are a great option, but teachers may not share invitations with parents or provide you with email addresses to do so. If you join PTA, a directory with some of this information will be shared soon.
• Goodie bags or treats need to be shared with all students.
• We highly recommend all items be individually wrapped. This makes it so much easier for the students.

• Parents are welcome to eat lunch with their own children in a designated area beginning on Sept. 6th.

• We ask that all lunch visitors sign up on our "Lunch Visitors Sign Up" at least 24 hours in advance. This helps our overall operations here when teachers know that you will be meeting your student and they send them to join you during their lunch time.
  

• We also do not allow parents to join their students for lunch on state testing days.

• We do have specific days in which we ask for no lunch visitors.

• When you arrive for lunch, make sure you bring your photo ID. You will need to sign in with the receptionist and then proceed to the designated room.

• For security purposes and to avoid hurt feelings of other students, only your student will be allowed to sit with you.

• You are welcome to bring in an outside meal for your student and/or yourself only.

• If purchasing a tray, please have your child order your meal at the beginning of the day in order to have enough food prepared.

• We will have expectations that need to be followed, and at no time will lunch visit any other locations on campus other than the designated space for lunch.

REMINDER- Please keep your child home from school if they are feeling sick. Students must be fever free WITHOUT the use of fever reducing medications for at least 24 hours before they may return to school. We want to keep all our Chandler Cheetahs healthy!

PARENTS- if you have any clothes your children have outgrown, please consider donating them to the clinic. We are low on our supply of extra clothes. Thank you!

The district will continue to monitor the guidance of local, county, and state health agencies to ensure we find an appropriate balance of health and safety procedures that afford us the opportunity to also ensure high levels of student learning.

Allen ISD’s health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 for the 2022-2023 school year are located on the district website. These protocols are subject to change based upon additional Texas Education Agency guidance.

Attention 6th Grade!

Course Selection Sheets were due to Mrs. Horton on February 15th. Please turn yours in if you have not already. Mrs. Horton is reviewing all Course Selection Sheets and will contact parents with any questions or concerns. Students will use the Course Selection Sheets to register for courses in Skyward with Mrs. Horton's assistance February 22-23. If there are further questions about Middle School Registration, please reach out to Mrs. Horton at Dawn.Horton@allenisd.org.

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FMS Cheer Tryout Meeting - February 22 OR February 23

6th grade students interested in trying out for Cheer next year MUST attend a mandatory meeting with a parent on either date (2/22 or 2/23) at 6:30pm at FMS.

FMS Mascot Tryout Meeting - April 6

6th grade students interested in trying out for the FMS Mascot next year MUST attend a mandatory meeting with parent on April 6 at 4:30-5:00pm at the FMS Library. Mascot tryouts will be April 11 from 4:00-5:00pm, also in the FMS Library.

Student Council SMENCIL Sale - February 27-March 3

SMENCILS (scented "smelly" pencils) will be sold from 7:30-7:45am the week of 2/27-3/3 in the Chandler front hallway! Each SMENCIL costs $2.50 each and come in a variety of scents like Bubble Gum, Blue Slushie, Pineapple Swirl, Orange Sode, and many more! Student Council is raising money for our Kids Against Hunger school-wide service project in May and proceeds from our SMENCIL Sale will all go toward our Kids Against Hunger fund. Students may bring money for a SMENCIL and have the option to donate their change if they would like when they check out. Questions? Please ask Mrs. Horton or Mrs. McDonnell, Student Council Sponsors.

Random Acts of Kindness Day - February 17th

Chandler Cheetahs have been learning about FRIENDSHIP and KINDNESS with the Counselor this month, and we hope you and your student will find a way to show kindness to another person on Friday (or every day!)! Go to http://randomactsofkindness.org for lots of kindness ideas and encourage kind acts at home and out in the community! Everyone needs a little kindness - we truly have the power to change the world through our acts of kindness! Check out this flyer for 50+ Ways To Be Kind! Let's make kindness the norm!

WE ARE 80% TO OUR GOAL!!

• There is only 1 week left to sign up and help us reach our goal of 375 people signed up.

• Instant Prizes

• 300 - Crazy Hair Day on Wednesday, 2/23

• Next instant prize

• Superhero vs. Villains

• WE NEED 49 more People to sign up

• Slime the principals and Coach B

• We NEED 74 more People to sign up

• PACKET PICK UP

• T-shirts and bibs will be included in the Race Packets.

• Packets are available for pick up at the Allen ISD Service Center

• 1451 S. Watters Road, Allen

• Days & Time to Pick up

• Wednesday, February 22, 2 pm-6 pm

• Thursday, February 23, 8 am - 5pm

• Or

• Any packet not picked up at AISD Service Center will be available on race day at the run. Race Packets will be available for pick up on race day, starting at 7am at the Packet Pick Up area.

The PE department receives $2 and PTA will receive $3

for each person signed up for the Eagle Run.

Click on the link below to sign up!

Eagle Run Sign Up

Participate in Kids Heart Challenge!

We are so proud of students during Kids Heart Challenge at Chandler Elementary School and their efforts to make our community a safer and healthier place! So far we have raised $7,091.50 in donations towards our $6,000.00 goal and 71 kids have activated Finn’s Mission!

• Recognizing the top:

• Top fundraising student from every grade will be recognized at our spirit rally,

• Top fundraising grades in K - 2 and 3 - 6

• Pick the games we play during… PE GAME WEEK!

• Finn's Mission

• Every student who completes Finn's Mission will be recognized and entered into a drawing to be coach for a day during GAME WEEK!

Students who are registered and have an online donation by Monday will be entered into a drawing with other students across the country for a Large Squishmallow or a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate and earn some of this year’s Heart Heroes!

With Kids Heart Challenge wrapping up soon, it’s time to reach your goal! See how Gael reached his goal!

Thank you to everyone that signed up and raised money for the American Heart Association through the Kids Heart Challenge.

All envelopes were due on Friday but if you forgot it at home please turn it in as soon as you can so that I can get it all turned in and order the other gifts.

• 4th and 5th grade please start bringing recorders to music! If you purchased a recorder they have arrived!

• 2nd grade musical is April 18th at 6PM. Information went home in Thursday folders!

• Our Cheetahs have done a fantastic job of taking care of library books this year! We do have some books that are several weeks overdue. Please help us round up some of these overdue books so that others can enjoy them too. We do not charge fines for overdue books. Students can also renew books for longer in through Follett Destiny in the portal or by stopping by the library.

• Our library subscribes to several databases and sources for ebooks and audiobooks. Learn more here.

We appreciate your continued support and partnership as we navigate the 2022-2023 school year together. Go Cheetahs!

Thank you,

Bobbie Allen

Principal

Chandler Elementary

Website: https://www.allenisd.org/Page/2390
Location: Chandler Elementary School, Water Oak Drive, Allen, TX, USA
Phone: 469-467-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chandlerelementaryPTA
Twitter: @cheetahchandler