Chestnutwold Phoenix
Handbook Edition
District Mission and Strategic Goals
Haverford School District Goals
In collaboration with the entire school district, Chestnutwold Elementary will be working towards the district's goals of Diversity and Inclusion, Social/Emotional Wellness, and Preparing Contemporary Citizens. Teachers and administration continue to attend district professional developments to enhance our approach to these goals. We are excited to implement this work in our classrooms and throughout our learning communities this year!
SDHT Calendar 2023-2024
Chestnutwold Schedule
8:35 a.m. - 1st Bell (students may enter the building, unpack, and prepare for the day)
8:45 a.m. - 2nd Bell (learning begins)
3:30 p.m. - Dismissal
Kindergarten:
AM: 8:45 AM – 11:25 AM
PM: 12:50 PM – 3:30 PM
Classroom instruction begins promptly at 8:45 AM. All children begin the school day with Morning Meeting, and it is a favorite part of the school day! We value every minute of the school day with our students!
Arrival and Dismissal
Arrival for 1st- 5th Grade Students
Walkers
Doors open at 8:35 for students to enter the building. Teachers and Instructional Aides will meet the students right inside the doors and direct students to their homerooms.
Car Drop off
Parents can drop off their children in the back of the school at the ground level doors closest to the kindergarten playground.
Please stay in your car until a car line monitor asks you to unload.
Please do not pull out and around other cars in front of you.
Dismissal for 1st- 5th Grade Students
Dismissal for walkers
Grades K-2 are dismissed at 3:28 P.M.
Kindergarten and first grade students, exit the rear doors by the kindergarten playground/parking lot area. Parents/Guardians should meet their child at these doors.
Second grade walkers will exit the Main Entrance Doors. Parents/Guardians should meet their child at these doors.
Grades 3-5 are dismissed at 3:30 P.M.
Car Riders
All car riders will exit the rear doors by the Art Room or 1st-grade hallway.
Bus Students
After walkers are dismissed, bus riders are dismissed. All bus riders will exit from Belmont Avenue toward the bus lane.
Kindergarten Drop-Off and Dismissal
Arrival (AM: 8:35-8:45 | PM: 12:45-12:50)
When the bell rings in the AM, the students may enter the building. Teachers will bring students into school in the PM.
AM: Parents will drop off their children in the back of the school at the ground level doors closest to the kindergarten playground or at the front entrance to Chestnutwold.
PM: Parents will drop off their children in the back of the school at the ground level doors closest to the kindergarten playground. A staff member will be waiting at the ground level doors in the back by the kindergarten playground for your child to arrive. A different staff member will be waiting at the side doors if your child is a bus rider from home or from before care. Children will be considered late if they arrive after the final bell at 8:45 AM | 12:50 PM and a parent/guardian must check them into the office before they go to their classrooms.
Dismissal (AM: 11:25 | PM: 3:25)
AM: A staff member will walk students out. Students will be walked to the kindergarten bus. If students are picked up, they will be dismissed from the ground level doors next to the kindergarten playground closest to the parking lot.
PM: Students will be dismissed to the kindergarten playground area from the Art Room doors (to the right of the playground). Parents and older siblings should be waiting to meet the kindergarten student. A staff member will escort the bus students to their afternoon buses. Family Services (Extended Day) students will be escorted to their area.
**Families are expected to be waiting for their students outside the doors promptly at 3:25pm. If you are running late, please call the office at 610-853-5900 ext. 8000. Your child will be brought to the office for pick up there. This should be an exception and not the rule.
Attendance Information
The District’s Attendance Policy may be read here.
Whenever possible, please try to schedule doctor’s appointments after school.
Reporting an Absence, Late Arrival, or Early Pickup
To excuse an absence, parents/guardians must either submit on the School Pass App, email, or send a written note with the reason the child is absent. Email communication may be sent to both Ms. Moss and your child’s teacher.
If your child is absent, tardy, or must leave school early, a note from the parent or guardian is required. Parents may email Ms. Moss and the teacher or send in a handwritten note.
If your child must leave school early one day, please send a note to your child’s teacher. Parents or guardians must report to the office with their driver’s license to sign the student out of the building; students are not permitted to wait outside of the school independently to be picked up.
If a student returns to school the same day, he or she must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and report directly to the school office to check in before proceeding to the classroom.
Educational Travel
Parents may request a maximum of 5 days of excused absences for educational purposes. The request must be made in writing at least 2 weeks in advance by submission of the “Request for a Preplanned Educational Travel” form available on our school website.
Please contact Ms. Moss with questions about educational travel.
Bus Information
Please remind your child that students sit by grade level on the bus. K is in the front, then 1st grade, with 5th grade having the back of the bus. Assigned seats will be used if students are not following the bus routines.
No TECHNOLOGY- this includes tablets, chromebooks & phones.
No food or drink.
Students must remain seated.
Please remind them to be safe with hands and arms in the windows, quiet voices, kind to others.
Bus drivers have the hardest job in our district! Their eyes are on the road!
Lunch and Snack
Students in grades 1-5 may bring lunch from home or purchase lunch from the cafeteria. A selection of additional snacks are also available for purchase, and they are typically offered after the first couple of weeks of school to allow for the food services team and the students to focus on lunches at the start of the year.
Read more information from our dining services director HERE.
Lunch will be served on the first day of school. Menus are available on our district website (Sept. menu is coming soon): https://www.haverford.k12.pa.us/departments/food-services
The price of elementary lunch this year is $2.90. Families may apply for free/reduced lunch and this information is confidential. Click the link in the section below for more information.
Students purchasing lunch will use their 5 digit ID code. It will take our first graders and new students some time to learn their code, and that is okay! Our teachers are very helpful in preparing note cards for the children to practice with until they get it, and I try to help 1st graders at lunch for the first couple of weeks!
Please send your child to school with a healthy snack and reusable water bottle every day. They are encouraged to refill their water bottles throughout the day.
All students in grades 1 - 5 may bring a snack to school. Our students have breaks for an additional "snack recess" during the day.
Free and Reduced Lunch
Recess
Recess is a very important part of the school day! Students in grades 1 - 5 have recess for 20 minutes after lunch each day. Kindergarten students have a designated time to play each day as well! Movement, play, social interaction, and brain breaks are very important for all children, and our teachers are intentional about providing these for our students every day.
School Safety
All visitors to Chestnutwold Elementary School must enter through the main entrance and report directly to the office. All visitors must present a valid driver’s license that will be scanned and used to produce a visitor’s badge through the Raptor System.
Under no circumstances may parents enter the building without coming through the main entrance. Please understand that this is necessary for the safety of our students.
All students will participate in safety drills throughout the school year. Fire drills will typically be held once per month and there will be several lockdown drills during the school year. Teachers and staff will make every effort to prepare students for these drills so that all students know the procedures.
Please carefully review and update your contact information in PowerSchool to indicate your child’s dismissal plan in case of an emergency.
School Nurse
Mrs. Pennoni is our certified school nurse and is present at Chestnutwold three days per week. You are welcome to contact her directly if needed at 610.853.5900, ext. 8213. Mrs. Gallagher, ext. 8470, is the school nurse who is present daily.
Prescription and over-the-counter medications may be administered by our school nurse only upon written order by the child’s physician. All medications must be in their original container and must be properly labeled when brought to school.
Please be sure that our school nurses are aware of your child’s medical issues, including allergies and potential reactions.
Medication Drop Off
Medication may not be sent in a backpack with students. Parents/guardians may drop off medication in the original pharmacy container with the prescription from the doctor. Please fill out this medication consent form in advance of dropoff.
Technology/Acceptable Use Policy
The Board of School Directors supports the use of computers, the Internet, and other network resources in the District’s instructional and operational programs in order to facilitate learning, teaching, and daily operations. Please refer to School Board Policy 815 for more information and forms.
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
We are required under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to supply parents of students under the age of 13 with our list of commonly used educational applications. This information is available on our District website under Technology - Parent Resources - COPPA Compliance.
Student Web Access
Student website access for elementary students will remain the same as it was at the end of the 22-23 school year. Elementary students have no access to streaming services or social media and can only access YouTube videos that have been requested by a teacher to be allowed. The teacher must supply the student with a link directly to the video as they cannot search YouTube.
PowerSchool Contact Information and Form Updates
If you haven't already done so, please make sure you log into your PowerSchool parent account and make sure your contact information is current and that all forms have been completed for your child. Step-by-step instructions to do this and more on PowerSchool can be found on the technology department's PowerSchool page.
Technology Assistance
If you have any questions regarding your child's school-based technology throughout the year, please submit a ticket to our IT department by emailing ithelpdesk@haverfordsd.net. We are happy to help with any questions or concerns regarding Chromebooks, PowerSchool, School Pass, ClassLink, or any other program your student uses as part of the curriculum.
Personal Electronic Devices
Items such as cell phones, iPods, iPads, Apple/Smartwatches/Gizmo Gadget, DVD players, MP3 players, radios, tape recorders, and other electronic devices, etc. should remain at home.
Students shall be solely responsible for the safekeeping of any electronic device brought to school and each student who brings an electronic device to school or to a school function or activity shall assume the risk of loss, theft, damage, or another injury to the electronic device.
Students should not use personal devices such as watches or phones to call or text during the school day.
Code of Conduct
One of the major goals of the school district is the development of a learning environment that will help provide our students with the opportunity to receive the maximum benefit of the educational program. A major part of any successful school is the degree to which the students accept their responsibility to demonstrate the type of behavior that permits a healthy learning climate. Inappropriate behavior not only prevents a student from contributing to the educational process, but it also affects other students' ability to learn. The School Board of Directors adopted a policy to ensure the safety and well-being of all students and staff. You can view the policy on Student Discipline here.
Lost and Found
Please label your child’s personal belongings. We will have a “Lost & Found” space and the PTO will periodically try to send you photos of the items collected so that you can help to identify your child’s lost belongings. We also display items during school events and parent conferences in the hopes that items will find their way home. We end up donating many unclaimed items each year.
Chestnutwold PTO
Chestnutwold PTO
Fresh Schools
In order to receive updates and communication from the Chestnutwold PTO, you will need to sign up for Fresh Schools. Click the image for directions.
About Us
Location: 630 Loraine Street, Ardmore, Pa 19003
Website: https://www.haverford.k12.pa.us/home-chestnutwold
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haverfordsd.net
Twitter: @Chestnutwold_ES
Main Office:
Ms. Ronnie Moss, Secretary
610-853-5900 x8000
Principal:
Mrs. Ashley Leach
610-853-5900 x8000
Assistant Principal:
Mr. Jerry Ummarino
610-853-5900 x8128