Gator Bites
CGE Weekly Newsletter 3/22/2021
Welcome
Welcome to our weekly Gator Bites newsletter! Every Friday evening our team at CGE will send out any important updates for the following week. Our goal is to be prepared, transparent and informative! We appreciate your time and urge you to read through carefully each week- especially during these unconventional virtual learning weeks.
Stay safe, stay informed and stay Gator Strong! 🐊
From the Principal's Desk
Dr. Larry Savage, CGE Principal
I have now had the chance to meet with all classroom teachers at CGE to discuss the transition to Plan A. At this time, we do not anticipate any changes needed to our schedules, nor changes in how we are teaching our remaining Virtual Academy students. There is a small exception within kindergarten on days when they have an instructional assistant (IA) being pulled to cover in a different classroom. On those days, our Virtual Academy students in the classroom from which the IA is pulled will join the live Zoom session with Ms. Julie Morgan. We believe that stability for our students, families, and staff is most important at this time.
Also, I’m planning on holding an evening Zoom meeting on Thursday, March 25th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with anyone interested to answer any questions you may have related to the shift to Plan A. The Zoom link may be found here.
Spring Fundraiser!
CHOMPERS of the Week
From our PTA
From the Cafeteria
The week of March 29 through April 2, all Take Home Meals and Wednesday Curbside services will be canceled. Only the spring meal packs will be offered. We will start distributing Spring Meal Packs on April 1 at 12:00 pm at the curbsides listed in the flyer. April 12, 2021 we will resume normal Take Home Meals and Wednesday Curbside Services in the schools.
The deadline for families to sign up is next Wednesday March 24. Families must register for this service, and the sign-up can be found here.
School Updates
Students New to CGE
Important Carpool Reminders
As we continue to transition to Plan A, we will have a lot of new car riders joining our pick up and drop off lines. Please keep in mind these helpful tips to have a safe and efficient carpool.
-Pull up close (but safely) to the cars in front to allow more cars to fit onto campus.
-Do not block the intersection on Andrews Store Road.
-Please have your kids ready with everything they need to exit the car in a timely fashion when you arrive at our drop off points.
-Please be patient. We need your help to make this work :)
-Walkers are not permitted at this time. We do continue to assess, however, when we will be able to welcome walkers--it’s something we are excited to do.
School Pictures & Yearbooks
Mark Your Calendars for April 27th & April 30th!
All students and staff, whether in person or virtual, will have the opportunity to have their pictures taken in a safe, socially distanced setting. More information to come after Spring Break!
From the AIG Department
AIG and Talent Development zoom groups for all grades are cancelled in March, beginning on March 1st, while Ms. Merilee and Ms. Wilkie complete required testing for students referred for AIG evaluation. We miss meeting with your children and rest assured, we are working to finish this testing as quickly as possible so that we can begin meeting with your children again.
During this testing period, weekly asynchronous activities are being posted in google classroom or sent to students via their email accounts, to provide independent challenge and enrichment experiences for students.
The families of students previously referred for AIG evaluation will be contacted via email to schedule remote testing sessions as needed.
From the Guidance Department
Parent Pro Tip
Reading books to young children is a good way to start teaching children emotion words! Emotional literacy is the capacity to identify, understand, and express emotions in a healthy way. Emotional literacy also includes the capacity to recognize, label, and understand feelings in self and others. It is a prerequisite to the development of more advanced social skills and for the continued maturation of emotional self- regulation. Let’s get READING! (Tip from The Center of Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation)
From the Arts Department
NC Symphony Visit on March 31st for 2nd-3rd Grade VA students
Chatham Arts Council- 5th Grade Visits
CGE Ongoing Information
Fuel Up Needs Your Help!
Spring break is fast approaching and Fuel Up will provide food for the duration of the break to participating students who request it. Spring break selections will include fresh produce, milk, perishables, snacks, treats, and shelf-stable items using the funds donated to our Fund-A-Bag program. Spring Break Bags will be delivered to participating Chatham Grove and Perry Harrison students on March 24.
There are numerous ways you can help:
● Please consider a monetary donation to Fuel Up @PHS and Fund-A-Bag for Spring Break for $40 or donate an amount you are comfortable giving with a custom donation. You can make your monetary donation on our website or send us a check to Perry Harrison Elementary. (NOTE: CGE students participating in this year’s Fuel Up program are serviced through Parry Harrison, there is not yet a separate CGE fund.)
● Donate breakfast items, mac & cheese, Chef Boyardee, ramen, or granola bars. Food items can be purchased and sent directly to Perry Harrison Elementary using our Amazon wish list or you contact Aviva at chair@fuelupkids.org. You can also organize a food collection for your church group or neighborhood. Please note, we leave food items untouched in our closet for a least a week before distributing them to the students.
● Gather silver box lining insulated bags (like the ones you get from a Whole Foods delivery) and paper bags with handles - these are needed for packaging. Email Donna at programcoordinator@fuelupkids.org.
● Sign up for at least 3 volunteer shifts on our website.
We are unable to service our students without community support. THANK YOU for joining us in combating food insecurity at Chatham Grove and Perry Harrison. Additional questions can be directed to chair@fuelupkids.org.
Visual Arts Update
Hooray! In person students are cycling into the new visual arts room starting the week of March 8th. Please note we will be painting & creating with other messy media! Please send an “art shirt” with your students so they may have something to protect their clothing. The “at shirt” can be an old, large size tee shirt or button down shirt that can get dirty without worries. This will help the students not be focused on keeping their clothes clean, & be able to create without stress!!!! Any questions, please feel free to email Victoria Sylvestre.
CGE Commemorative Art:
Materials Pick Up
Shout Out to our Amazing IAs!
Chatham Grove Elementary School
Email: lsavage@chatham.k12.nc.us
Website: https://www.chatham.k12.nc.us/Domain/2227
Location: 1301 Andrews Store Road, Pittsboro, NC, USA
Phone: 919-642-7069
Facebook: facebook.com/chathamgrovees