The CPES BobChat
August 9, 2020
What Matters Most for Teaching and Learning This Fall?
I had a great conversation with a parent this week about these questions. Are we going to try to go faster and reteach a quarter of last year's content? Do face to face students or virtual students have an advantage for instruction? Are our kids going to be OK? These are all good questions that worry us from the effects of COVID-19. What will we do? 1. We are going to take children as they are, where they are, as far as they can go. As a teacher and principal, that has been my target every year for 29 years. The first thing we will do this fall is see how our children are doing from a physical, mental, social, emotional and academic perspective. All of us have been through so much and our little ones have as well. We are going to assess the total well-being of our children to know where we need to start with them. Once we have that clarity, we will best know how to help them achieve. 2. We will maximize our time. As an immersion school, we constantly feel the pressure of having the time to "get it all in." Our teachers have always taken captive instructional minutes to reach our goals. We will do the same again this year in a different way. We want "school time" or "home time" or "virtual time" to be the best it can be so every child can excel. 3. We will prioritize what is most important for our children to learn. There is so much in the South Carolina Standards to teach. Some things are more important than others. Students must know how to read, write and problem solve at high levels. They need perspective of a wider world. They must be able to get along well with others. They have to know what to "be" as well as what to "do." We already have a process to determine what is essential to learn and we will follow that guide to help our children. 4. We will constantly monitor their progress. We will do that in all areas of their lives. We will send you regular updates on their learning and assessments. We will constantly check in with them to see how they are feeling and what they are thinking. We want to hear from you what you see as well so we can help them. I have to be honest that we are going to focus on the same meaningful methods that we always have. We will definitely do it differently this year given new schedules and formats of instruction. But, whether the instruction is virtual or face to face, our mission is to change children's lives so they can change our world. Ultimately, that's what matters most to us and I believe that's what matters most to you, too. We look forward to partnering with you to accomplish that big, lifelong goal. We consider it a privilege that you have chosen Cherry Park Elementary as the place that you want that to happen.
Mr. Maness, Principal
P.S. Please see some reminders below about some updates for the fall. There are more to come this week.
School News
LEAP Days August 31-September 4--The South Carolina Department of Education has designated five additional days for 4K-8th grade students as Learn, Evaluate, Analyze, and Prepare (LEAP) instructional days. These days are required in response to the COVID-19 school closures. Rock Hill Schools has set aside the week of August 31st - September 4th as LEAP days on the district calendar. All families will participate in a scheduled one-on-one parent/student orientation during the days of August 31st - September 2nd. Each family will only attend one 30-minute session during these dates. Parents and students will have the opportunity to meet the teacher, see the classroom, and review the instructional and safety procedures for the year. Your child’s teacher will be contacting you to schedule your orientation beginning the week of Monday, August 24th. In addition, on Thursday, September 3rd, “A” Day students will attend school, and on Friday, September 4th, “B” Day students will attend. These dates will be full instructional days for students based on their assigned grouping. Transportation, breakfast and lunch will be available on these dates as well. Details regarding assigned groupings will be forthcoming.
Request for Bus Transportation--If your child will be riding the bus this year, we need you to complete the Request for Bus Transportation below. Even if your child rode the bus last year, you will need to complete this form.
Request for A Day or B Day--Please click on the link below if you have a need for your child to attend on A Days or B Days or if you wish to share any information with us about that. We will do all we can to accommodate your request.
School Supplies--We will send you a list this week with supplies needed for school. Each school (and grade level) will have it's own supply list instead of a district wide list as in years past.
Repairing Computers Before School--As we prepare for an amazing school year, we ask that if your child has a district issued device that is damaged or lost, please fill out the form https://bit.ly/2X1G7hp ASAP so that we can service the device prior to the start of school. Upon completion of the form, one of our technicians will be in contact with you and help you over the phone or make arrangements to swap out your device. Back to school is a busy time and we want to ensure that we are prepared for a great year.
District Calendars--The links for the 20-21 District Calendars in English and Spanish are below.
Returning Student Registration--Please click on the link below to update your child's information for this fall. Please, please, please be sure to do this because all of our data management and communication programs pull from the information you update. Remember that all families must provide an updated proof of residence.
New Kindergarten Student Registration--Is a different link located below. This is for rising kindergarten students who have not been in Rock Hill Schools. (If your child attended K4 at a Rock Hill school, please use the Returning Student Registration link.)
PTO and SIC Information
Parent Teacher Organization and School Improvement Council Update
The PTO serves to raise funds, coordinate volunteers and encourage teachers through appreciation activities. Click on the PTO Newsletter button below if you wish to receive the PTO Newsletter: PTO and SIC are tentatively planning to meet on the second Monday of each month next year. School Improvement Council meets at 5:30 (in the Fish Bowl) and our Parent Teacher Organization meets at 6:30 (in the Media Center.) Elections were held in the spring for these organizations but all parents are welcome to attend to help provide input and volunteer.
School Calendar
August 31-September 2--Conference and Orientation Days with Teachers (LEAP Days)
September 3--First A Day
September 4--First B Day
September 7--Labor Day Holiday
September 8--A Day Students Return