The Chapman Chatter
CES Newsletter | Week of August 30, 2021
A Message from the Principal
Each week I will share a weekly newsletter. This communication provides you with important information and updates that impact our school community and dates for you to write on your calendar. Although at times our newsletters may have a lot of information in them, it is important to read weekly. I will label repeat items but continue to include items in a few newsletters for your reference.
Yours in partnership,
Mrs. Harrell, Principal
Health & Safety Update
We continue to work extremely hard to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff. Procedures and adjustments to our classrooms will take place as we get more information and guidance from the district as a whole.
This week, the following adjustments have been made:
Increased Distancing for Students at Lunch (Effective 8/30/21)
Beginning Monday, August 30, students will begin following an updated plan for lunch. This change in procedure will allow students to be seated 5-6 feet apart (previously 3 feet apart). Our kindergarten students will be eating in their classrooms, Grades 2 and 4 in the Media Center and Art Room and Grades 1, 3 and 5 in the cafeteria (Due to number of students per class and per grade). This maximizes space, while allowing our master schedule (including recess times) to remain the same. As we implement this new protocol, I will continue to communicate if any further changes are made. The goal of increasing distancing during lunch is to decrease the number of student quarantines should there be a positive case.
Please see below for reminders from Dr. Ryba regarding protocols (Repeat Item):
Wearing Masks on the Bus
Per the CDC, all students and staff must wear a mask on a school bus, whether coming to/from school or for an athletic/music trip. CLICK HERE for the mask exemption form, if needed. A new form will need to be completed along with medical or religious documentation if a student is requesting an exemption for the 2021-2022 school year.
Wearing Masks in School
It is recommended that all staff and students wear masks in school, especially those that are unvaccinated, yet it is not required. Please read below and become familiar with the quarantine protocols. The best way to significantly reduce the risk of being quarantined and to stay in school is to wear a mask.
Student Isolation Protocols
If your child tests positive for COVID, s/he is required to isolate at home for then (10) days from the date of the positive test or the onset of symptoms.
Student Quarantine Protocols for Unvaccinated Students Wearing a Mask
If your child is unvaccinated, wearing a mask and identified as a direct contact to someone at school that is COVID positive, s/he will not have to quarantine as long as your child has no symptoms and was at least 3 feet apart. If your child was less than 3 feet, s/he will have to quarantine. You can CLICK HERE for a flow chart detailing the quarantine procedures we will follow.
Student Quarantine Protocols for Unvaccinated Students NOT Wearing a Mask
If your child is unvaccinated, not wearing a mask and identified as a direct contact to someone at school that is COVID positive, s/he will have to quarantine. You can CLICK HERE for a flow chart detailing the quarantine procedures we will follow.
Supporting Students in Isolation/Quarantine
When a student is in isolation/quarantine, teachers will provide the student with their assignments and support through Google Classroom. Additionally, teachers will live stream classroom instruction and/or provide instructional videos. Teachers are only required to live stream instruction for students in isolation/quarantine.
Parent Requests/Masking
If parents at the elementary level request teacher support/feedback in terms of having their child wear a mask at school, we will do the best we can to help out. This means that we will remind the child and share feedback to the parent on how they are doing during the initial weeks of the school year, if requested.
Student Insensitivity/Bullying for Masking
If we have students acting inappropriately towards someone that is wearing a mask or not wearing a mask, we will address it in accordance with our code of conduct in the same manner we handle any other situation of inappropriate behavior for name calling, bullying, etc.
Thank you for your support as we work to keep a safe learning environment for all. This will remain a repeat item in our newsletter for reference.
Positive COVID-19 Case Notification
If we receive a POSITIVE COVID-19 Case within the school, the following steps are taken:
- Contact tracing is completed, identifying areas including the bus, classroom, cafeteria, playground, and hallways where direct contact (as identified by district communication) could have occurred.
- If your child is identified as a direct contact, you will receive a phone call from our office to notify you of when this occurred and asked to pick your student up from school (Should this happen during school hours). If this occurs after the school day, an email notification will be sent to ensure timely notification to families.
- A letter via email will be sent to ALL families, informing them that there was a positive case in the school. Again, if your child is a direct contact, you will be directly contacted and informed.
- If the positive case is a student within your child's classroom, ALL families who in that specific class will receive a letter via email informing them that there was a positive case in their child's classroom. Again, if your child is a direct contact based on contact tracing in the classroom, you will receive a phone call/email notification.
- If the positive case is a student who rides a bus, ALL families who ride that specific bus will receive a letter informing them that there was a positive case on their bus. Again, if your child is a direct contact based on contact tracing on the bus, you will receive a phone call/email notification.
Change in Student Dismissal
End of Day Student Pick Up
Breakfast Available Daily
No Longer using NutriSlice to Pre Order Meals
Visitor and Volunteer Policy
Please review our volunteer policy HERE.
The Clinic Needs Your Help!
Is Your Child a Bus Rider? Masks required.
Strongsville Lacrosse Information
For more information click HERE.
When Should You Keep Your Child Home? (Repeat Item)
PLEASE DO YOUR PART. IF YOUR CHILD IS NOT FEELING WELL, KEEP THEM HOME and CONTACT THE SCHOOL.
In order to do your part in preventing the spread of germs, it is imperative that we are frequently doing symptom checks of our children at home. If your child is displaying any of the following symptoms, please keep them home and inform our front office. We will work to ensure that your child stays up to date with assignments and the teaching taking place in the classroom:
- A fever of 100.4 degrees or higher. This is one of the strongest Covid Symptoms
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Persistent cough or runny nose
- Loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
We need you to assist in helping us, by monitoring for these symptoms on a daily basis, and keeping your child home if they aren't feeling well.
Dismissal Information - Attention Afternoon Pick Ups!
Thank you for your patience as we work on strengthening our afternoon school-wide dismissal. This procedure may continue to evolve to ensure the safety of our students. We appreciate your patience as we work each week on this procedure.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
- If your student(s) will be a daily car pick up, please send in a note to your child's teacher or come to Door G at the end of the day for a BLUE pick up form to complete. It is important that we know who our daily pick ups are and the adult(s) that will be picking them up.
- We need ALL adults picking up students to wait in/near the first two grass patches near Door G. The further away, the more difficult it is to connect students to their safe adult.
- If you have a kindergarten or first grade student, please come closer to the door for pick up. It is hard for our youngest learners to see their adults who may be waiting further away.
- Students will not be permitted to walk to a car. All adults must park and get out of their vehicle for pick up.
Office Staffing During Dismissal
Due to the nature of our dismissal plan, we will be unable to answer the phones starting at 3:20 pm, as our office staff supports dismissal supervision of students. If you need to call the office in order to get a message to your child, please do so prior to 3:20 pm. Calls after 3:20 pm will go to our voicemail. Once we return to the office, we will get back to you.
Change in Student Dismissal Plan
Please make sure that you communicate your student's dismissal plan to their teacher. It is imperative that we know how students are getting home from school. Should you need to make a change is your student's dismissal plan, please communicate that change with your child's teacher or the office. We will not take a verbal communication from students regarding change in dismissal to ensure safety.
Thank you for your support as we ensure the safety of all during arrival and dismissal.
Stay Safe, Speak Up! (Repeat Item)
Nancy Lowrie & Associates LLC, Counseling Program Information (Repeat Item)
Dear Parents/Guardians of Strongsville City School Students:
We are writing to tell you about an exciting opportunity for you and your child. Strongsville City Schools have a well -established partnership with a Behavioral Health Private Practice, Nancy Lowrie & Associates, LLC, (NLA), that specializes in child therapy, adolescent therapy, and family counseling. All NLA therapists are Masters-level and licensed by the State of Ohio. They are able to diagnose and treat all emotional and behavioral health concerns. We are pleased to be able to offer you the chance to work with an Ohio Licensed Clinical Therapist in an effort to improve your child’s well being. The following are just some examples of the topics we address in individual, group, or family sessions:
• Strategies for managing relationships with peers, parents and teachers
• Development of social skills and communication
• Ability to deal with teasing and bullying
• Understanding and treating addictions
• Coping skills for anger management, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and mood disorders
• Fostering good choices by decreasing impulsivity and distractibility
• Managing family problems
• Gender Identity Concerns
• Controlling Eating Disorders and Self-harm
Best of all, NLA is able to offer you this service at your school. NLA will send our trained therapists to your school to meet with your child individually during the school day or via teletherapy. Also, to make this easier for you, NLA counseling services are covered under most health insurance plans, including State Medicaid, Medicaid HMO’s (CareSource, Paramount, and Buckeye) and most private health insurance plans (Medical Mutual, Anthem, Aetna, Cleveland Clinic, etc). NLA does all the clinical work plus does the actual insurance billing for you. This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to receive confidential sessions with a caring clinician. If you are interested in participating in this program, please return the bottom of this letter to your child’s school counselor. An NLA therapist will call to schedule an initial meeting with you to get your child started in the program and verify your insurance information.
Sincerely, Nancy Lowrie & Associates, LLC
Family Letter can be found HERE
A Note About Grades for Music, Art and PE (Repeat Item)
When looking at grades for these courses, please know that they are standards based and NOT traditional percentages/letter grades like you may be used to in the past few years.
M= Standard Met
P= Progressing to Standard
N= Standard Not Yet Met
In order for our system to turn the student’s performance into standards- based grading, we have to put it in as a percentage. Each grade level and department has standards that students are working toward and this is what is being evaluated.
Although you may see a percentage, please ignore the percentage and look at the progression toward the STANDARD (M, N, P). Grades are not utilized in the sense that a traditional grading system uses them. You will see somewhere between a 50% and a 100%, but again, focus on the M, N, or P, as that is the official mark; the percentage is just a placeholder.
Shared Food Guidelines Reminder (Repeat Item)
Please be sure to read the District Shared Food Guidelines. The District adheres to guidelines for shared food and snacks so that we can promote safety, consistency, and equal access for the growing number of children who have life-threatening food allergies.
Mustangs Team Shop! (Repeat Item)
The “Back to School” online Mustangs Team Shop is open now through Sunday, August 29. Shop for lots of great Strongsville gear, including personalized items! Visit https://mustangsteamshop-fl21.itemorder.com/ for the complete selection of items.
A portion of sales will be donated back to Strongsville City Schools.
Encore Red, White, Blue Calendar (Repeat Item)
Students attend Encore Classes (Art, Music, PE) during a specific "color" week. Your child's teacher will share their specific class Encore Schedule with you. (Example: If I have PE on red weeks, I would want to dress appropriately (wear tennis shoes) on the days that are shaded red on the calendar).
Visit our website to view the Encore Class Calendar.
5th Grade Band and Orchestra Announcement (Repeat Item)
Attention all fifth grade students and parents. All fifth grade students have the opportunity to learn to play an instrument and become a member of the Strongsville City Schools Band and Orchestra team. Our band and orchestra teachers will be meeting with the fifth grade classes to demonstrate the awesome instruments students may choose to learn. They will also be providing information on how to become a Musical Mustang. All fifth grade students will be invited to join a special Beginning Band and Orchestra Google Classroom; be sure to check your school email.
The beginning band and orchestra parent meeting will take place in the Strongsville High School Auditorium, on Wednesday, Sept. 8th at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be livestreamed for those who can not attend. Beginning band and orchestra lessons will start the week of Sept. 13th. We are looking forward to meeting you!
If you have any questions, please email your specific band/orchestra teacher. Thank You.
Chapman Band Teacher - Mr. Chidsey (cchidsey@scsmustangs.org)
Chapman Orchestra Teacher - Mrs. Rogers (trogers@scsmustangs.org)
Drinking Fountains: Water Bottles Encouraged! (Repeat Item)
Health and Safety Information (Repeat Item)
COVID-19 prevention strategies remain critical to protect people, including students, teachers, and staff that may not be vaccinated. As we want to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone, we will continue to implement the following preventive measures for the 2021-22 school year in consideration of the recommendations provided by the Ohio Department of Health.
Vaccination. We will continue to share vaccination opportunities/locations for eligible students and staff.
Wearing Masks. Per the CDC, masks must be worn by all students and staff when riding on the school bus. When at school and indoors, masks are optional for students and staff, yet strongly recommended for those who are unvaccinated. When outdoors, masks are not necessary, but still are optional based on individual/family preference.
Ventilation. We will continue to implement our ventilation protocols to bring in as much outside air as possible and provide air filtration at the highest level possible for our existing HVAC units.
Social Distancing. We will strive to maintain 3 feet social distancing within classrooms, cafeterias, and learning spaces. Cooperative grouping opportunities for students may be phased throughout the fall based on COVID trends in the school district.
Additional Mitigation Strategies. We will continue to provide opportunities for regular hand washing / hand sanitizer use and educate students on proper respiratory etiquette (i.e., covering coughs and sneezes.)
Cleaning / Disinfection. We will continue to implement the same cleaning / disinfection procedures as were implemented last school year.
Health Screenings. Families/Staff continue to be required to perform daily health screenings and must stay at home when feeling ill and/or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms (CLICK HERE).
Contact Tracing, Isolations, and Quarantines. We will continue to perform regular contract tracing in combination with isolation or quarantine mandates as set by the Ohio Department of Health or other state/local mandates.
Specific Information pertaining to District/Elementary School Buildings
- Visitors are allowed as long as they have a designated purpose/appointment.
- Visitors are not permitted during lunch/recess.
- Class parties will have a limit of 3 volunteers inclusive of the room parent and no additional children may attend.
- For classroom assistance, only one volunteer will be permitted at a time. Volunteers working with students/in classrooms must be vaccinated and a Board approved volunteer.
- Students will have assigned seats during lunch.
- Students will stay on the right side of the hallway when walking to/from locations.
- Book circulation will be done at pre-determined scheduled times by classroom.
- Limited use of shared materials when possible.
Note. The Superintendent may enact further restrictions, such as mandatory masking and increased social distancing by classroom, grade-level, or building based on COVID-related data and trends.
For additional information on the prevention strategies listed above and COVID-related restrictions in our buildings for the 2021-22 school year, click on the link below.
PTA Fall Fundraiser - It's MUMkin Time!
Our fall fundraiser kicks off on August 30th! Decorate your porch with MUMKINS & MUMSTERS this year, while supporting our Chapman PTA! More information is coming home with students on Monday. Ordering will take place online. See this information video for more information.
Important Dates
- August 30th - Fundraiser kick off
- September 17th - Ordering ends
- October 1st - Pickup at CES
Join the Chapman PTA Today!
If you would like to join/rejoin the Chapman PTA for the 2021-2022 school year, please follow the link below to sign up and purchase. Prices are $5 for single membership/staff and $10 for family memberships. PTA has a fun year planned for students, families, and staff!
Join Chapman PTA HERE!
Room Parents Needed!
To sign up, click HERE!
If you have any questions, please reach out to Cori Messenger (Room Parent Coordinator): corina.mesenger@gmail.com
PTA Facebook Page
Tentative Meeting Dates
- September 9th @ 7:00 (Virtual)
- October 14th @ 7:00
- November 11th @ 7:00
- December TBD
- January 13th @ 7:00
- February 10th @ 7:00
- March 10th @ 7:00
- April 14th @ 7:00
Important Dates for Your Calendars!
- 9/6 - No School (Labor Day)
- 9/7 - Band/Orchestra Parent Meeting for 5th grade parents
- 9/13 - Picture Day
- 9/30 - Parent Teacher Conference Night
- 10/6 - Parent Teacher Conference Night
- 10/8 - NO SCHOOL
- 10/8 - CES Night at SHS Football Game
- 10/18 - Asynchronous (Remote Learning) Day for Students
Howard Chapman Elementary School
Email: kharrell@scsmustangs.org
Website: https://chapman.strongnet.org/
Location: Howard Chapman Elementary School, Drake Road, Strongsville, OH, USA
Phone: (440) 572-7140