Greetings Seawell Seahawk Families,

March 5-11, 2023 is National School Social Workers Week. The theme for National School Social Work Week this year is “We Rise.” School Social Workers rise up - supporting their students, families, and school communities. School Social Workers rise to share hope, to listen and understand, to challenge inequities, and to support all students.

Please take a moment to celebrate all that our SSW, Ms. Jodeci Farrington in order to support our students and families!!! We are grateful to have her as a part of our learning community.

CHCCS Teacher of the Year Nomination Form- Due by Monday, March 6

Please take the time to nominate the 23-24 TOY for CHCCS. Note that nominees must:

Nominees must meet the state’s criteria: be a full-time, fully certified classroom teacher, having completed at least four years of experience (the fourth year may include the current school year). Guidance counselors, school social workers, media specialists, and instructional technology facilitators are ineligible.

• Join the PTA for just $10 per person or sponsor a Seawell teacher or staff member for only $5 by clicking on the MemberHub link. As a PTA member there is no obligation to attend the PTA meetings or volunteer. We welcome other family members too, such as grandparents, to become PTA members, too!

• Let's get the Seawell community together on March 18, 2023 for the Public School Foundation 5K for Education! This event brings together members of the entire Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district. The Seawell PTA is looking for a teacher or parent representative to help promote the event. Please email ptaseawell@gmail.com if you are interested. If you’d like to run or walk with your family, please register for the event here.

• Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Family Night on the Town at Jade Palace. Our friends at Jade Palace have generously donated proceeds to the Seawell PTA.

The March Seawell Family Night on the Town is scheduled for Thursday, March 9 at Coronato Pizza, 101 Two Hills Rd., #140, Carrboro. Please note that they are not offering dine-in, so this will be a take-out only fundraiser! Our friends at Coronato suggest pre-ordering for take-out orders. They recommend pre-ordering well in advance (even days before) to avoid wait times. Guests can (pre) order online on their website at www.coronatopizza.com using the online ordering tab. You can choose the date and time for their pick up and take care of payment, all online- easy! On Thursday nights they have a “Family Dinner Night Package’ that includes a chopped salad, 3 pizzas of your choice, 6 of their suppli Romana and 6 cannoli. It is a great deal and they recommend that it can easily feed a family of 3-5.

• Register for the St. Patrick’s Day Dance on Friday, March 17. K-2 students will dance in the Seawell Cafeteria and grades 3-5 students will dance in the Seawell Gym, each with their own kids DJ, lights & glow accessories to enjoy! Sign-In and Drop off is 6:00-6:15 pm. Parent Pickup is 7:45-8:00 pm.

Parents, please register your child here: https://seawell.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true&category=School%20Events

-Online Registration will close at 7:00 pm on Thursday, March 16, but in-person registration with cash payment will be available at the dance.

-Parent volunteer sign-up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4fada628abfc1-volunteer#/

Women's History Month

Seawell had 3 positive COVID-19 cases during the week of February 27- March 3.

CHCCS encourages eligible students and staff to get an updated COVID-19 booster. The updated bivalent booster is now available for people 12 and older (two months after they finish their primary series or any booster dose). It offers the most up-to-date protection against the latest Omicron variants. The booster, like all COVID-19 vaccines, is safe to get alongside your annual flu vaccine. The CDC also recommends a third dose for children 5 to 11 who have compromised immune systems. Click on these links for vaccination locations and more information on COVID-19 boosters

Families, please be sure to follow the following guidelines :

• Masks: In general, CHCCS remains a mask-recommended, but optional district. Masks continue to be provided for students and staff upon request. Exceptions to this protocol are outlined on our website as well as the below paragraph about COVID-19 positive staff/students.
• Also: Schools will no longer require masking in the entire building when there are clusters of 5+ positive cases in a small group or a cumulative total of 15+ positive cases in a school. More on this below.
• Symptomatic Staff/Students - Will be required to provide*:
• A negative PCR COVID-19 test, or
• 2 negative Antigen (Rapid) tests separated 24 hours apart in order to return to work/school, or
• An alternative diagnosis from a primary care provider.
• *This is not for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. This is to prove that the COVID-like symptoms being experienced are not COVID-19. Individuals who choose not to test for COVID-19 or get an alternative diagnosis from their primary care provider are required to follow the COVID-19 positive staff/students guidance.
• COVID-19 positive Staff/Students - Must quarantine for 5 days and can return on day 6 as long as they are free of vomiting, diarrhea, and fever without the use of medication and all COVID-19 like symptoms are improving (they do not need to be resolved). The individual needs to continue to wear a mask at work/school while indoors for an additional 5 days after returning. Please contact your school nurse for additional information and guidance on returning to work/school.

March 6 - TOY nominations due to me:)

March 8 - Tornado Drill

March 13 - PreK/Kindergarten Registration Event at Kidzu Museum

This event will give families the opportunity to learn about our programs and meet program staff.

Date: Monday, March 13, 2023 from 4 - 7 PM

Location: Kidzu Museum in the University Place Mall in Chapel Hill

Flyer: Kidzu Pre-K/K Registration Flyer - 2023

March 17 - Student Dance - 6:00-8:00pm

Pre-K Registration January 17-March 17

• Open Enrollment Period is now (January 17 - March 17)

• Pre-K Application 2023-24 - English can be submitted:

• Via email - prekapplications@chccs.k12.nc.us

• In-Person via scheduling appointment - Pre-K Application Appointment

This section will now periodically highlight clothing items found around our campus so that parents can alert their children to reclaim what was once lost! All clothing/items pictured can be found in the Lost and Found section of our cafeteria.

Lonely Jackets @ Seawell ES

As we enter the weeks prior to a much needed Spring Break, our learning community is taking the time to dig deeply into MOY data for both literacy and math in order to finish the nine weeks strong. During this time we also look for opportunities to support reinforcing, reteaching and enriching students around critical skills to strengthen their learning.

In addition, we are leaning into our restorative practices and zones of regulation work as well due to an increase in student behaviors related to social interactions. Currently our school counselor and school social worker are both continuing to meet student social emotional needs with class lessons, small group work and individual check-ins.

Fourth and Fifth Grade SEL Survey Window

Fourth and fifth graders have begun taking the Spring SEL survey. These outcomes will provide valuable information related to how students feel about their learning environment and themselves.

Safety

To encourage North Carolinians to prepare and practice safety plans, March 5-11 is designated as North Carolina Severe Weather Preparedness Week.

CHCCS will participate in the annual statewide tornado drill on March 8 , 9:30am. Students and staff will practice safety techniques so they know where to go and what to do when severe weather strikes.If there is a risk of actual severe weather on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, the statewide tornado drill will be postponed until Friday, March 10, 2023 at 9:30 AM.

Please call Seawell at 919.967.4343 ext 33200 or email Evelin Escobar eescobar@chccs.k12.nc.us to report absences and tardies.

Educational leave for students must be requested at least ten days in advance utilizing this form.

We are now able to have parent volunteers in our learning spaces again! In order to assist you with this process, please access the volunteer registration link . Note that you must go through the district volunteer process in order to chaperone filed trips, but not before beginning to actively volunteer in your child's classroom/school.