The Bulldog Bark
Chartwell School Weekly News and Highlights
August 29th, 2019
Upcoming Events
9/2 (Monday) - NO SCHOOL - Labor Day
9/11 (Wednesday) - BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT & BBQ - ALL SCHOOL - 3:30-6:00 PM
Come meet your student’s teachers and join us for a community BBQ afterward. Families will follow their student through their daily schedule with the student acting as the guide. All grade levels are participating.
9/15 (Sunday) - AIM FOR MENTAL HEALTH WALK - 1:00-4:00 PM
Click here to register or to learn more.
9/24-9/26 (Tuesday - Thursday) - HIGH SCHOOL FIELD EXPERIENCE (See Below)
All School Updates
The start of the school year includes many assessments for our students so that we can provide them with the right classes and supports for their learning style. This year we will run Math Modules during our Flex/Advisory period in order to help students fill in gaps in their math skills. The High School is also running Structured Literacy support during Advisory. All new students will be assessed for Speech & Language support as well. If you’d like your student to meet regularly with our Speech & Language Pathologist, Asha Cox, or one of our counselors, Carolyn Kelleher or Shon Fields, please let us know.
Middle and High School students are benefitting from Friday Electives. This 70-minute block allows students to dig into an area of interest. Students chose between the following options: Underwater Robotics, Bike/Hike, Outdoor Painting, Design/Build, Ceramics, Woodshop, Garden & Nature, Creative Writing Workshop, and Cooking.
Lower School News and Highlights
Social Emotional Academic Development (SEAD)
High School Updates
Project Period 1 Theme & Field Experience
Project Period 1 is underway. The theme is The Myth of the West. The driving question is: “What mindset informed or encouraged American Expansionism and what were the outcomes?” Students will explore manifest destiny, the old West, and American Expansionism, especially in their Literature, U.S. History, and Philosophy classes. Students are reading either The Grapes of Wrath or My Ántonia in literature classes. The final project will be writing a short story. To help students write knowledgeably about the West, we will travel by bus to the Bar SZ Ranch in Paicines for a two-night field experience from 9/24 - 9/26. We will leave Chartwell shortly after drop-off on Tuesday, September 24th and return in time for pick-up on Thursday, September 26th. We have many activities planned, including hiking, egg collecting, learning about animal husbandry, archery, playing field games, building, going on hayrides, roping, cooking, and enjoying nightly campfires. Field experiences are school days and are essential to the curriculum (not to mention social bonding!); thus they are mandatory. If your student cannot attend, please contact us as soon as possible. We will send home an itinerary and a packing list prior to the field experience.
Technology: Laptops & Phones
All the High School students have been issued an Apple laptop with a case and a charger to use for their school work. Each student has a Chartwell email address and password, and all students have logged in successfully. Students will use their Chartwell email address to access Google Classroom, the platform we use for assignments.
ACT Testing for Seniors
Seniors are signed up for the ACT, which will again be administered on campus and with approved accommodations. The first testing window runs September 14th-29th. Also, check out FairTest.org to see the long list of test-optional colleges and universities.