Chimborazo Elementary Newsletter
October 2020
Principal's Message
Hello Chimborazo families,
First, I’d like to continue you to thank you in support of our virtual teaching and learning endeavors. You have been extremely supportive of our teachers, and I am thankful for this. I have seen continual progress across all grade levels, and your contributions are certainly a part of this progress. In grades K-3, we have been able to come significantly closer to completing PALS testing in grades K-3, and I appreciate your patience. Kindergarten will have one other small diagnostic during the middle of October, and grades 3-5 will complete Measures of Academic Progress Assessments which will scale how each student at Chimborazo compares to other students nationally in reading and math. This data is very useful as we work to support students in structuring small group instruction.
This past month our PTA, led by new officers, conducted our first PTA meeting of the new school year. We discussed how to meet the students and teachers needs during this time, and considered events we can conduct in the coming months. I encourage you to attend and share any ideas with me or our PTA officers in the meantime to ensure we are enriching the academic experience for our students without compromising their safety or the safety of others. In this spirit, the University of Women’s soccer team has reached out to me in respect to conducting monthly street soccer events, and although initially these will be asynchronous, our hope is to conduct monthly street soccer events that are structed outside that adhere to CDC guidelines and parameters outlined by our school board. When the end of the month approaches, I am also looking forward to Book Character Day on the 30th of October. Regardless as to whether you celebrate Halloween or not, I believe we can all agree that celebrating literacy and the characters we want our children to emulate is beneficial for our young scholars! Besides, dressing up is fun, and our kids love it!
Lastly, I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the loss of our beloved Ms. Hendrick. She will and has had such a profound impact on so many of our lives and personifies the care, love, and selflessness that I strive for in my own life. There will be a sense of emptiness without her in the office and in our halls, but she will be commemorated, and a discussion with local artist, Mrs. Dinan, with administration has taken place to ensure there are lasting symbols of her contributions to remember her. Information has been shared on her viewing, which will take place this Sunday. In the meantime, I look forward to a great October as we continually reflect, refine, and show progress on multiple fronts. There are some large disparities between virtual and in person learning, however, that does not mean our high standards and expectations should waver for our students. We will continue to show resilience in the face of these challenges and the pride that being a Chimborazo Jaguar embodies.
Respectfully,
Mr. David T. Peck
Principal- Chimborazo Elementary
October Events and Important Dates
Diagnostic Assessments
October 12th-October 26th Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP) AssessmentOctober 12th-October 28th Measures of Academic Progress Assessment (MAP) Grades 3-5
Monday, October 19th Professional Learning Day (Students do not report)
Monday, October 26th Student Early Dismissal/Teacher Work Day
Friday, October 30th Book Character Day (Dress as your favorite book character)
Order your child's Chimborazo House Swag now!
Now’s your chance to purchase spirit wear for your child to represent their house! Fill out the Chimborazo House gear order form using the link below. Payments are made directly to our vendor via the options below! The last day for orders is October 9th.
Youth shirts are $12.75 each
Sizes: XSm - Sm - Md - Lg - XL
Payments can be made via:
CashApp - $JCDrums
Zelle - (804) 873-8092
PayPal - jcarsonjr@aol.com
Virtual math manipulatives
Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15 to October 15th is National Hispanic American Heritage Month! During announcements and as students take Spanish, we will be celebrating and honoring the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries. During this month and throughout the year, the National Park Service and our partners, share history, heritage, and accomplishments of Hispanic and Latino Americans of past and present.
Primary grade Book of the Month-Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble.
Upper Elementary Book of the Month-The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao (Illustrator)
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.
Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.
Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
Resources and information from PTA!
Please sign up for PTA information and updates via PTBoard: This link has valuable information on how to support our school and students and receives constant updates. While we are learning and teaching virtually, we will be discussing innovative ways to engage our students, parents, and Chimborazo community! Please click on the link here: https://chimborazo.ptboard.com/home
Social media correspondence and RPS Direct
RPS Family Support Line
RPS Online
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David T. Peck
Email: dpeck@rvaschools.net
Website: https://www.rvaschools.net/CES
Location: 3000 East Marshall Street, Richmond, VA, USA
Phone: 804-780-8392
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chimborazoelementary/
Twitter: @chimborazoes