The CPES BobChat
July 24, 2022
How Can You Help Us Keep Children Safe and Secure?
Safety is always our top priority, especially as we start each school year. We constantly review safety systems such as door locks, play area fencing, emergency drills, our School Security Officer's (Mr. Mike Channell) responsibilities, visitor screenings, and supervision protocols. We will spend time when we return going over our procedures and practices for reducing injuries and improving security. There are some things that you can do to help us throughout the school year that further make a difference. 1. If you see something, say something. We remind our staff and students to do the same. 1500 sets of parent eyes and ears are much better than those of our 80 staff members. So many of you have done this well over the years and we encourage you not only to report what you see but also what we can improve. Safety is our collective responsibility and we want to work together to do the best for our children. 2. Always bring your state issued ID. Even if we know you by name and face and can list all your family members, we will ask for your ID. This provides consistency as we screen all visitors who come and then new visitors know that this is our procedure. It would not be appropriate to literally give a "hall pass" to those we know but restrict access to those we don't. 3. Make sure all emergency contacts and custodial paperwork are up to date. We only release students to go home with or visit with those on their contact list. For families who have unique custodial agreements, know that we follow those and simply need a copy of them so we can make the best decisions for your child. We can only respond to what has been documented and determined by our courts. 4. Help your child know how to get into and out of your car safely. Our safety patrol (fifth graders who assist at arrival and dismissal) will open your car door when your car stops. Your child should be able to exit and enter his car quickly and safely. It is best to have your child exit on the right hand side closest to the curb. Safety patrol will not enter the drive or come around your car to get a child from the left hand side. That can be dangerous as we have lots of moving cars during arrival and dismissal. It is also best to keep the floor areas of your car cleaned out so your child doesn't trip on items as she exits. 5. Stay focused on driving safely while on campus. We ask you to put away your cell phone when cars are moving. Also, after your child exits your car, please do not talk or call to your child as he is walking down the sidewalk and you are passing by him in your car. (I can't tell you how many times I've seen a child go back towards moving cars because a parent has called to their child.) Watch for children (and adults) at all times. It is so easy for little ones to drop their water bottle in the drive and instinctively reach for it. Drive slowly and safely and without distractions. If you want to see evidence of distracted driving, look at the tire marks on the inside of our curbs. These reminders are certainly not an exhaustive list of ways you can help. Our CPES Family Handbook (see below) provides further reminders of our safety procedures. All students at Sullivan Middle and Cherry Park Elementary are our children. They all belong to us and we want to be vigilant every day in keeping them safe.
Strength and Blessings,
Mr. Maness
P.S. Parents, don't forget today is the last day to enroll in our Challenger After School Program if you'd like your child to start on August 15.
Positions Open
1. Unique Pathways 3 Assistant--Noncertified
2. .5 Related Arts Teacher (Art, Music, or Other Elective Area)--Certified
3. Tutor (25 hours a week)--Noncertified
4. Substitute Teacher--Noncertified. Know that you can select only CPES and you can let us know if you want to only sub for particular grades or days of the week. We have full-time positions and part-time positions.
Kindergarten Screenings (For Rising Kindergarten Students)
All students beginning kindergarten in Rock Hill Schools will complete this screening for this fall. This screening helps us know a little about your child as we place students in classes this summer. Your child will come to Cherry Park Elementary (Main Office entrance off of Caswell Street) and work with one of our English-speaking Kindergarten teachers for 10-15 minutes. If your child is unable to attend the screening on the following dates, we will screen your child during the first week of kindergarten.
Please note - your child must be registered to attend this screening. If you have questions about registration or need verification that you have fully registered your child, please call (803) 985-2255. All registration information can be found at https://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/Page/9107
When: Monday July 25th - slots from 8 AM to 11 AM and from 4 PM to 7 PM*
Tuesday July 26th - slots from 8 AM to 11 AM and from 4 PM to 7 PM*
*There are two slots available per 15-minute time period on these days.
Where: Cherry Park Elementary School of Language Immersion
1835 Eden Terrace, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Students will be screened in a nearby room while families wait in the lobby near the office.
Next: Sign up for your child's screening by using one of the correct SignUp Genius addresses below (one slot per student, please).
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F44ABAA2CA0FE3-kindergarten
Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!
Summer Notes and Reminders
Openings for Kindergarten and First Grade French--Currently, we still have some openings for kindergarten and first grade French for this fall. (Students do not have to know French to enroll.) Please let friends and family members know about this amazing opportunity for their children to learn a second language. According to the Fluent U French and Culture Blog, here are five great reasons (that are "clickable") for learning French over other languages:
- 1. French has secured its status as a top international language
- 2. Learning French gives you access to the world
- 3. French is on the rise
- 4. French is a favorite among language learners
- 5. For an English speaker, French has a great difficulty-to-benefit ratio
For the complete article, click here: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/why-learn-french-language/#:~:text=Spanish%20grammar%20is%20sometimes%20simpler,demand%20factors%20in%20as%20well.
The application window opened on Wednesday, June 1. Please sign up quickly before the slots are taken. Here is the link for the Choice Application: https://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/Page/6855 (and it is below.)
Summer 2022 Reading Bingo--Summer Reading Incentive sponsored by Media Center at Cherry Park Elementary!
This summer students are invited to play "Summer Reading Bingo!"
This is a fun way to keep up those good reading habits all summer long! Here's how students can play:
- Take home a "Summer Reading Bingo" card from school.
- Place it in a prominent place where you'll be reminded to mark your card!
- Complete the tasks on the card in any order.
- Have a parent or guardian mark the card with his or her initials once you complete a task.
- Get "BINGO" across, down, or diagonally for a small prize.
- Cover the entire board for a chance to win a "Back-to-School" prize pack including brand new books! A drawing will be held in late August.
- Claim your prize by returning the card to Mrs. Austin in the Media Center by Friday of the first week of school in August.
- The Bingo Card will be sent home during the last week of school and a copy of the card will be available under the Media Section of our schools' Website and it is linked below.
- Have a fun Reading Summer!!
Battle of the Books (Rising Fourth and Fifth Graders) The Rock Hill School District School Librarians are excited to announce that Battle of the Books is back! Battle of the Books is a fun club that introduces our 4 th and 5 th grade students to a variety of literature while at the same time allowing them to work with other students, improve reading skills, and enjoy the thrill of competition. Battle of the Books is perfect for students who love to read! During the 2022-2023 school year, all Rock Hill School District elementary schools will participate in Battle of the Books. Each school will develop teams of students who will compete for a school level Battle of the Books winner. The school winners will advance to a district level competition. To begin preparing students, we are providing a list of books that will be used for this program. We encourage students to begin reading these books this summer:
A Boy Called Bat
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
Esperanza Rising
Hoot
A Million Ways Home
The Sisters Grimm (Book 1)
Serafina and the Black Cloak
Zane and the Hurricane
If your 4 th or 5 th grader is interested in participating in Battle of the Books, your reader can contact Dr. Austin, our Media Specialist, when school begins in August!
PTO Officers--At our last PTO Meeting, officers were elected for 22-23. Stephanie Greer--President, Amanda Winters--Vice-President, Liz Lowery--Secretary and Erica Smith--Treasurer. We appreciate all that these ladies did this past year and for their willingness to step into these leadership positions for next year.
Need Tech Support? Call 803-324-TECH
School Calendar
Summer Office Hours--8:00-4:00 Monday through Thursday (Through July 30)
August 3--Class Assignments Sent Out (To families who have completed returning student registration)
August 8--First Day Back for Teachers
August 11--Open House (5:00-7:00 PM)
August 15--First Day Back for Students
September 5--Labor Day Holiday
Previous Newsletters for 22-23 School Year
"What Do We Need to Know" July 10, 2022 https://www.smore.com/y35p6