Dear Chávez Families,
It was wonderful to see so many families during our November Parent Teacher conferences. If you were unable to attend for some reason, please reach out to your child's teacher. That home-school connection is so vital to your child's success.
During the month of December, we hold our annual Food Drive. Students can participate by bringing one or more cans or boxes of food. If your family cannot contribute this year, no problem. This is not a competition, but rather a celebration of what our school can accomplish collectively. At the end of the Food Drive on Dec. 16, our entire student body walks the donations over to the Eugene Faith Center Food Pantry. This is a fun, high-energy event that I look forward to greatly. It is an opportunity for our students to give back to their community and experience the joy of giving.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out if your family could use a little extra support around the holidays. We are connected with several organizations that can help. Our full time Family Resource Coordinator, Ms. Angie, is always available for a chat. You can email her at gee_a@4j.lane.edu.
I am wishing you all the best as we finish out 2022! After Winter Break, we will see you back here on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023.
Ms. Deirdre Pearson, Principal
DECEMBER 5 - 16 ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE FOR THE FOOD PANTRY AT EUGENE FAITH CENTER
Our annual school wide food drive will be happening from December 5th - December 16th. We will be accepting non-perishable food items. Grocery carts will be set up in the hallway and arranged by buddy classrooms. Delivery of food-filled grocery carts to the Food Pantry at the Faith Center across the street will be on Friday, December 16th at 8:30 in the morning.
Thank you for your support as we help feed our community!
Eugene Faith Center Food Pantry is open 1st and 3rd Thursdays in December from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
The Unitarian Universalist Church Food Pantry is a block away from our school, at 1685 W. 13th Ave. They are open every first & third Thursday from 2:00-6:00.
Eugene Faith Center Food Pantry is open 1st and 3rd Thursdays in December from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
Both food pantries offer fresh produce as well as shelf-stable items.
Ms. Jen Kirkwood, K-1 Sped Teacher
"Hello! My name is Jen Kirkwood. I originally come from Arizona, but I have lived in Eugene since 2001 and have been teaching here since 2003. I attended the U of O for a Master’s in Special Education (2001-2003) - Go Ducks! I have taught in a variety of special education classrooms, was a Title One coordinator, and I taught general education second and third grade online for two years. I love teaching elementary students, and I especially enjoy helping students who have special academic and social needs.
"When I am not teaching, I like to garden, read, ride my bike, kayak, paddleboard, swim, ski, and hike. I am a mom to two parrots- a quaker and a ringneck parakeet. One of my birds is 21 years old and the other bird is 2. They are my babies!
"I am excited to be back at Chavez where I completed my reading endorsement student teaching with Alice Williamson as my mentor teacher! Chavez has a talented staff and great students and families; I am thrilled to now be a part of the team!"
Have you talked to your child's teacher about volunteering in the classroom? Do you want to volunteer but not sure where or how to get started. Click on this link to get the process started. It takes about 10 - 14 working days so don't wait till the last minute!
Here are some of the ways to volunteer in our school;
- Breakfast time – 7:40 – 8:00 Students enter the building at 7:30 and go to the cafeteria to have breakfast. Extra support would be to help with composting.
- Lunch time – 10:35 – 12:00 This is Kindergarten – 3rd grade lunch. Help with composting when kids are finished eating.
- Family Events – From time to time we have family events and could use extra help with tending booths, set up and clean up.
- Field Trips - Go on a field trip with your child's class to some fun and exciting places!
- Library volunteer – We have a librarian this year and she could use a couple of parent volunteers to shelve books and keep the library in order.
- Classroom projects - help a classroom teacher with projects from time to time.
- SMART READERS – (Start Making A Reader Today) This is a program where volunteers come in and read to kindergarten and 1st grade students either one on one or in a classroom setting. If interested in being a SMART Reader please contact Diantha Hull, site coordinator for Chávez School cesarchavez@smartreading.org
- Walk & Roll to school - We encourage students to walk, bus or bike/scooter to school. Every few months we have Walk & Roll to school day where students get a ticket for participating and a chance to win a prize. This would involve helping tend a table right outside and helping kids put their names on their tickets. Ticket gets dropped in the container that is labeled with how they arrived to school.
- Join Cheetah PACK or run for Site Council
All volunteers need to fill out a volunteer background check. Please visit https://www.4j.lane.edu/safety/volunteers/ and fill out the application.
Contact Ms. Angie for any questions about volunteering 541-790-5332 or gee_a@4j.lane.edu
We are a curbside drop-off and pick-up school. Please do not get out of your car in the parking lot unless you have business in the office. If you would like to park and walk, we offer the Albertsons Park N Stride option. If you are picking up your child on foot or bike, please wait at one of our family meet-up areas.
Please also remember to turn off your engine while you are waiting. This helps provide healthy air quality for students and staff. Thank you all for your help in keeping our parking lot safe, healthy, and secure.
Meet other parents and help us plan events that support our teachers and Cesar Chavez as a whole!
Meetings will be in person and offered via Zoom.
Join us the second Tuesday of the month -
January 10th, 5:30-6:30pm - Cesar Chavez Library, or
via Zoom meeting https://uoregon.zoom.us/j/94123926121
Are you curious about what is going on at school? Do you want to be involved in helping plan events? Do you want to get to know other Chávez parents? PACK is a great place to start! You can attend a meeting or email for more info: chavezcheetahpack@gmail.com
PACK = Parents & Advocates for Chávez Kids
Parents and families are essential partners in promoting good attendance because they have the bottom-line responsibility for making sure their children get to school every day. Just as parents should focus on how their children are performing academically, they have a responsibility to set expectations for good attendance and to monitor their children’s absences, so that missed days don’t add up to academic trouble. This Parent Handout outlines strategies including:
- Make getting students to school on time every day a top priority.
- Alert schools and community agencies to barriers that keep kids from attending class.
- Ask for and monitor data on chronic absence.
Visit Attendance Works at www.attendanceworks.org for free downloadable resources and tools!
Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early
- Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
- Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
- Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots.
- Introduce your children to their teachers and classmates before school starts.
- Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up.
- Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.
- Try to schedule non-Covid-19 related medical appointments and extended trips when school isn't in session.
- If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
- If you are concerned that your child may have Covid-19, call your
- school for advice.
- If your child must stay home due to illness or quarantine, ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home.
We are an AVID school! AVID is a set of teaching practices to help students gain the necessary skills to become college and career ready. We start some of these practices as early as Kindergarten. We want your students to feel successful!
Our AVID Teacher Leaders for this school year are Ms. Sarah Singleton and Mr. Jay Swanson. Ms. Singleton and Mr. Swanson model and lead staff professional development in AVID teaching strategies. One focus for this year is being explicit up front about what the Learning Targets and Essential Questions are, so that students can see the big picture and have context for their learning.
Welcome to a new section of the Cheetah Chatter. To celebrate and spotlight each month's Heritage focus, our Teacher Librarian Ms. Martha Dyer will be showcasing a special book. Ms. Dyer also shares these book recommendations each week during Morning Announcements as part of "Book Title Tuesdays."
In December, we celebrate Universal Human Rights Month, and for this month's Heritage Month Spotlight, we’d like to share a book called I Have the Right to Be a Child, by Alain Serres.
Do you agree that….. kids have a right to go to school? To be protected from disasters and wars? To be free from violence, and to breathe air “pure as the blue sky”?
In 1989, world leaders made a historic commitment to the world’s children by adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – an international agreement on childhood.
It’s become the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and has helped transform children’s lives around the world.
With the darker days and school breaks and winter holidays, we've got the whole gamut of human emotions. Above, I've shared a graphic from The Growlery with ways to slow down and support ourselves, and wanted to share a connected quote from Dr. Mona Delahooke: "We can't truly help children with their behavioral challenges without first helping ourselves to be present, self-aware, and calm." This is the crux of Conscious Discipline and we hope to get our Conscious Discipline parenting nights re-started this month, or in January at the latest, so please stay tuned!
A reminder that any and all families are free to reach out to me via email: sell_s@4j.lane.edu or by phone at 541-790-5383 (direct office line) if you would like to discuss your student or family's needs.
Wishing you well,
Ms. Shannon