Chester Elementary School
February 4, 2022. Connect. Thrive
Happy February!
We have some great things happening at CES this month!
Our character focus this month is on Perseverance. Students will be learning about what it means to never give up, to have determination, and to have that Mountain Kid GRIT that we all love! Our book of the month, The Magical Yet, goes with our character focus and reminds us to keep trying, we just might not be there yet, but with perseverance we can reach our goals!
We will also be kicking off a school wide Creative Writing Contest! We have a mystical, magical, miniature door at school and we want our CES kids to tell us a creative story about it. Kids should use their imagination and be creative! The best entry wins the DOOR!
Another exciting event is we will have kids share their thoughts on who will be the Superbowl Champion this year! Kids get to color a football and put it up near our CES field goal. We will see who our Chester Kids support!
Have a great week everyone!
Mrs. Fischer and Ms. Crowther
A Note from Ms. Crowther
Dear Families,
I just wanted to let our wonderful parents and students know that I have decided to return my classroom and leave the Vice Principal position at the end of this school year.
I have enjoyed my experience as the Vice Principal at CES this year, but I miss my fourth graders and the magic that happens in the classroom. I miss my creative projects and taking my students from their first day to their last day of school. I miss being with a group of students day in and day out.
In my time as Vice Principal, I have had many achievements for our school. I have established community partnerships, increased Chester Elementary's presence via social media, mentored and coached staff, and created events, trips, and programs that have strengthened our school community. One of my biggest accomplishments has been to garner $10,000 for CES through a combination of grants, fundraising events, and donations of equipment and resources for use by our students.
Thank you everyone for your support, encouragement, and partnership as we have all worked collectively to make this a wonderful year for our students.
Gratefully,
Ms. Crowther
A Note from Mrs. Geer
Dear CES Families,
I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to be the Special Education Teacher this year at Chester Elementary. I grew an even stronger appreciation for all the work that goes into individualizing academics for the kiddos at CES. Thank you for support and patience as I polished my skills in this field!
With that being said, I still feel a void this year from not being in the general education setting. I found myself really missing teaching in my own classroom. I miss my students and the joy that comes from being with the same group each day. I feel I made a great impact so this wasn't an easy decision to make. I plan to return to teaching next year at CES.
I am confident that we will find someone wonderful who can take over special education for next year and continue the progress that has been made!
Gratefully,
Mrs. Geer
Upcoming Dates
2/14 Valentine's Day!
2/17- Thriving Thursday
2/18-No School, Lincoln's Birthday Observed
2/21-No School, President's Day
3/18-School in Session (since we used a Snow Day on 12/14/21)
5/27-School in Session (since we used a Snow Day on 12/15/21)
NEW LUNCH MENU!
CES Site Council is looking for members
Are you interested in getting involved at CES? Well, we have an opportunity for you! Our School Site Council has openings and we would love to have you join. The School Site Council is a stakeholder group for determining the focus of the school's academic instructional program and all related categorical resources. We meet every 6-8 weeks to review the happenings at CES, review reports, and discuss ways to improve our school. If you are interested, please contact Colly Fischer at cfischer@pcoe.k12.ca.us or at (530) 258-3194 ext. 1200.
Appendix B Changes-January 2022
Based on the latest guidance documents from the CDPH, and in consultation with Plumas County Public Health, we have updated Appendix B in regards to our COVID protocols. We have followed the convention of strikethrough for deleted content, and Red lettering to denote newly added content.
https://www.pcoe.k12.ca.us/apps/pages/AppendixBHealthSafetyProtocols
The most significant changes involve quarantine and isolation periods under various conditions, and can be found in Sections 7.2, 7.7a, 7.7b, and 7.9. These sections can be used when determining isolation (positive test) and quarantine (close contact) periods.
Antigen testing plays a large role in shortening both isolation and quarantine under this new guidance.
The source documents include the updated 1-12-22 CDPH Guidance for K-12 schools, the CDPH Guidance on Isolation and Quarantine for the general public, which is adopted by reference under some circumstances in the K-12 guidance document, and the Group Tracing Approach to Students Exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 Setting document, which describes in-school quarantine under certain conditions.
It is the hope that the implementation of these new strategies will reduce the number of students excluded.
Staff Spotlight: Jen Loranger
Jen Loranger, originally from Los Angeles, joined the CES team in 1998. Jen, our Cook Manager, moved to the area with her family when they purchased a local gas station.
Jen, a staff member for the last 24 years, loves Chester Elementary School! She loves the kids and the staff. Jen enjoys how friendly, kind, and unique everyone is. She also enjoys that her job is different everyday and she is excited about the CES kitchen being remodeled.
In her free time, Jen loves travelling to Costa Rica. She enjoys the beautiful water, amazing people, and awesome food. Jen also loves dogs, the color green, and eating tacos and pizza.
February Book of the Month
Each month, we have carefully selected one children's book that showcases the character trait that we are focusing on at CES.
Students in grades kindergarten through sixth each hear these beautiful, inspiring, and thought provoking stories in class with their teachers.
Check out our February Book of the Month focused on having Perseverance and Grit!
Board of Imagination Contest for Kids
For more details on the contest click here!
Independent Study
There are two types of independent study, long and short term. Long Term Independent Study is an option for your student if in-person instruction presents a health risk to your child. You will follow the instructions found here. Notification of Independent Study
Short Term Independent Study is provided in case a student is excluded from school due to Covid-19, exposure or symptoms and can do work from home. The school will communicate with you and explain the process. Then, we will send a short term independent study agreement to you on Parent Square. The teacher will provide work and for the work that your student completes, he/she will have those days credited and not marked as absent.
If you are planning for a child to be away from school for a family trip or the like, please notify the office. You may request a Short Term Independent study agreement in this case although we encourage any trips to be planned during the school breaks. This request should be 5 days in advance of your departure and will need to be approved by the principal. If approved, your child will be provided work which should be returned the day your child is back in school.
Volunteers on Campus
Volunteers on campus
CES values our volunteers who help us so much. This year, in addition to the paperwork that volunteers complete we will be requiring
proof of vaccination
Or a weekly Covid test
and be fingerprinted (this can be done at the District Office in Quincy)
You are considered a volunteer if you come in consistently to assist at school in your child’s class. Field Trip drivers or parents that help for one event are not considered volunteers in this circumstance.
Testing will occur on campus once a week starting in early October but one can get a test result from anywhere convenient. The “quick test” AKA antigen will be the test provided at the school. At this time, over the counter tests will not be accepted.
Covid Protocols
Hello Chester families!
We’d like to remind all of our families that the same COVID protocols remain in place from last school year. If your child is ill, you will need to keep them home and follow the return to school criteria (see below). The complete PUSD Covid Protocols are found
Please use the At-home Staff and Student Screening to screen your children at home prior to sending them to school. The schools will contact any guardian for pick-up if your student develops symptoms during the school day. After experiencing any of the symptoms on this list, the student must meet the return to school criteria before they will be permitted back on campus. If you have any further questions, please contact your school office.
This week brings a change to Appendix B. See below for the details.
Here is to a great year!
Your PUSD nurses,
Emilee Pruitt, BSN, RN, Lead School Nurse
Jessica Logan, BSBA, RN, School Nurse
Lauren Tasaki, BSB, RN, School Nurse
Christina Tate, LVN
Emilee Schramel LVN
Chester Elementary School
Email: cfischer@pcoe.k12.ca.us
Website: ces.pcoe.k12.ca.us
Location: 158 Aspen Street, Chester, CA, USA
Phone: 5302583194
Facebook: facebook.com/ChesterElementary