Chartwell School: The Bulldog Bark

Weekly Newsletter for Chartwell Families

March 16, 2023

Reminder: No School Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Friday, March 17, is a Faculty In-Service Day and there are no classes for students.


Tomorrow is also St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday observed every March 17 that has expanded from its historical beginnings to be a celebration of Irish culture. Check out the links below and the attached PDF to learn more about the holiday’s green history and how it is observed in places outside of the US.


History of St. Patrick's Day (History Channel)

Who Was St. Patrick and Why Does He Have a Day? (National Geographic)

Snakeless In Ireland: Blame the Ice Age Not St. Patrick (National Geographic)

Montserrat St. Patrick's Celebration (National Geographic)

How Green Became Associated with All Things Irish (Time)


Enjoy your three-day weekend!

What's In This Newsletter

If you missed previous issues of the Bulldog Bark, you can find the archives here.


ALL SCHOOL

  • No School Tomorrow: Faculty In-Service Day

  • CAIS/WASC Visiting Committee on Campus Next Week

  • Parent and Caregiver Climate and Culture Survey

  • Community Workshop: The Science of Reading, Thursday, March 23, 5:30 pm (Zoom)

  • Street Hockey Starting Next Month - Contact Rory Patterson for more information.

  • Carpool Survey for 2023-2024 Academic Year

  • Water Bottles Needed for STEAM

  • Financial Aid Timeline


LOWER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL


HIGH SCHOOL


CLUBS

  • Climbing Club: Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30-5:00 pm at Sanctuary Climbing; concludes on March 29 and will resume after spring break
  • Surf Club: Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30-5:00 pm


UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST


OTHER

  • March Chartwell Team Birthdays

Upcoming Important Dates

Upcoming

Friday, March 17 - Reenrollment Contracts Due

Friday, March 17 - No CFN Walk - No Classes

Friday, March 17 - Faculty In-Service Day - No Classes

Friday, March 17 - Deadline for FS Applications

Monday, March 20 - Wednesday, March 22 - CAIS/WASC Visiting Committee On Campus

Monday, March 20 - Offers Extended to New Families

Monday, March 20 - NO CFN SOCIAL at Starbucks due to Tuesday Meet & Greet on Campus

Tuesday, March 21 - Community Coffee with Accreditation Committee, 8:30 am, McMahan Hall

Thursday, March 21 - Chartwell Wrestling Academy Graduation, 3:30 pm, McMahan Hall

Wednesday, March 22 - SENG Parent/Caregiver Meeting, 5:30 pm, Room 205

Thursday, March 23 - Community Workshop: The Science of Reading, 5:30 pm (Zoom)

Friday, March 24 - CFN Walk; Leave from Campus at 8:40 am; all welcome!


*Every Monday, the CFN meets at Starbucks in Marina at 8:30 am; every Friday, all parents and caregivers are invited to join a walk from campus, leaving at 8:40 am; check The Bark weekly for updates due to weather.


Looking Ahead

Thursday, March 30 - 1st Annual Students vs. Staff Hockey Game

Thursday, March 30 - LMS Free Dress Day

Friday, March 31 - First Day of Spring Break - No Classes

Saturday, April 1 - FRC Robotics Tournament at Seaside High School

Monday, April 3 - Friday, April 7 - Spring Break - No Classes

Tuesday, April 18 - LS Field Trip to The Tech Interactive

Thursday, April 20 - HS STEAM Career Day

Friday, April 21 - Grandparents & Special Friends Day

Tuesday, April 25 - ULS Field Trip to The Tech Interactive (Whitman and Morton)

Thursday, April 27 - ULS Field Trip to The Tech Interactive (Sanchez and Warcken)

Thursday, April 27 - LMS Free Dress Day

Monday, May 8 - HS Grandparents & Special Friends Morning

ALL SCHOOL EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

CAIS/WASC Visiting Committee on Campus Next Week

Independent schools in California regularly go through the process of renewing their accreditation with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). These organizations engage with schools in a rigorous and relevant self-evaluation and peer review process that focuses on student learning.


In December we submitted our 90-page self-study and next week, a visiting committee of five school leaders from independent schools throughout California will be on campus to observe classes and interview school and community members.


We are hosting a meet and greet for parents and caregivers on Tuesday, March 21 at 8:30 am in McMahan Hall for anyone interested in meeting the committee members.

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Climate & Culture Survey

As part of our efforts to better understand and continually work to improve our community, Chartwell asks our parent and caregiver community to complete a climate and culture survey. This survey helps us ensure our community feels safe and supported.


Please take a moment to complete the survey below.

Carpool and Transportation Survey

Carpools and transportation to and from school continues to be a challenge within our growing community. In an effort to develop more options and better support for our families who commute long distances, we have developed a survey to gather information. Please take a moment to complete the survey and help us work to find better solutions.

Santa Cruz Carpool Help Needed

We are still working through some carpool challenges for families in the Santa Cruz area. if you are interested in carpooling with another family or have space in your current carpool, please email info@chartwell.org. Thank you!

Financial Aid Process and Timeline

Tomorrow is the deadline for Financial Aid applications. Families applying for financial aid will receive an email early next week sharing the award amount. Once accepted, you will receive an enrollment agreement.

Bottles Needed for STEAM

The Chartwell STEAM program is collecting 1 liter SMART water bottles for an upcoming project. If you have empty SMART water bottles, please donate them to Chartwell. Students and families can bring them to Room M8 or hand them off in carline. Thank you so much!

LOWER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Lower and Middle School Grandparents and Special Friends Day - Invitations in the Mail!

We are excited to be hosting Grandparents and Special Friends Morning for the Lower and Middle School on Friday, April 21. For those of you who completed the form, invitations went in the mail today. RSVP is required for the event, so please follow-up and encourage your guests to do so by April 10.


  • If you prefer to share a digital invitation, you can use the below attachment.
  • If you did not complete the form, and would like a printed invitation sent, please email info@chartwell.org with the names and addresses of your guests.
  • If your student would like to be matched with a special friend for the day due to friends and family not being available, please email info@chartwell.org. We have several board members, high school students, and friends of the school standing by help.


Grandparents and Special Friends Morning

Lower and Middle School

Friday, April 21

8:30 am - 12:00 pm


(See the High School Section below for information about High School Grandparent and Special Friend Day)

New Date! 2nd Annual Bulldog Wrestling Academy

Next Thursday, March 23, is the final day of Coach Reggie's ULS wrestling academy. If you would like to come and celebrate the wrestling athletes, please join us in McMahan Hall between 3:30-4:30 pm.

LMS Athletics

ULS Golf

If students are interested in joining Golf, contact Regan Albee, Coach Postadan or Coach Patterson to be added to the roster.


ULS Kickball

ULS intramural kickball will begin after spring break and will last four weeks. Contact Coach Patterson at rpatterson@chartwell.org with any questions.


April 10 - April 14: First week

April 24 - April 28: Second week

May 8 - May 12: Third week

May 22 - May 25: Last week


MS Track & Field

The first track and field practice/orientation is today from 3:30-4:30 pm at Monterey Peninsula College.

Practice: Monday-Thursday, 3:30-4:30 pm DURING LUNCH @ Chartwell


MS Golf

RLS Thu, March 16, 2023 4:00 pm - - 6:30 pm Spanish Bay Golf Course

Practice Tue, March 21, 2023 TBD Laguna Seca Golf Ranch

Buena Vista Thu, March 23, 2023 4:00- 6:30 pm Twin Creeks Golf Course

Flag Football Summer Camp! Registration Opens Next Week

Now the most popular school year sport is available in the summer! The Chartwell Flag Football Summer Camp teaches sound fundamental offensive and defensive football skills to both experienced and beginner youth athletes. Individual and group drills will be demonstrated to teach basic techniques. Proper warm-up, physical conditioning, skills drills, and review are part of each scheduled session!


Monday, July 17 - Friday, July 21 (9:30 AM - 2:00 PM)


● Cost:$300

● Age Group: 6-14 (Grades 1-8)

● Gender: Co-Ed/Non-Binary

● Camp Type: Day Camp

● Schedule: 10:00 am-2:00 pm Monday-Friday (9:30 am arrival for stretch, warm up, socialize with teammates)


Watch for a registration link in next week's Bark! Anxious to reserve your spot? Email Rory Patterson at rpatterson@chartwell.org.

There's Still Time: Join Us for a Summer of Fun and Learning!

Chartwell School’s Summer CORE Program is academically focused and open to students Grades 1-8 who would benefit from specialized instruction or would like to maintain progress achieved over the preceding academic year. Designed to reinforce and build upon each student’s literacy, math and STEAM skills, the program offers hands-on activities that spark the imagination and curiosity. Students are active and socially engaged throughout the day.


2023 PROGRAM DATES

June 14 - Orientation

June 15 - Program Begins

June 19 - No Classes

July 4 - No Classes

July 14 - Last Day

HIGH SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

HS Grad Trip 2023 - Help Students Raise Funds

The Class of 2023 is planning a trip to Disneyland for Grad Night!


"We may have started high school online, separated during the pandemic, but we are ending it together! Help us celebrate together before we head off to college, gaps, and careers! Every little bit helps!"


Thank you for considering a gift to support their efforts to make this trip possible.

Corporations Pay-Out

All eight of the student-run corporations made a profit! This means all students will be paid out based on the profit made by their specific corporation. All members of a given corporation are paid out equally based on the $20 that they all contributed at the start of the project. Please be advised that students will bring home cash by next week. Thanks to all of you who supported this authentic project in many ways!

High School Grandparents and Special Friends Day - Monday, May 8

We will be hosting Grandparents and Special Friends Morning for the High School on Monday, May 8. Please share with us the mailing addresses of any grandparents or special friends you would like to receive an invitation through the form below. Invitations will be sent


High School Grandparents and Special Friends Morning

Monday, May 8

Reminder: High School Schedule Information: Quarter 4 Fridays from April 14 - May 19

CHS is planning off-campus service work hours for Fridays in our fourth quarter (April & May). Students will choose from a variety of interesting opportunities at various non-profit organizations and will serve at the selected organization each Friday. The options range in location from Moss Landing to Salinas to Monterey, and there will be one on-campus service work opportunity as well.


Please note these Fridays are school days and attendance is expected. Excusal from these Fridays will require written excusal from caregivers and/or possibly a doctor's notes. Families will drop-off and pick-up at the organizations. Families in carpools may want to discuss choices with their students to ensure that all students in a carpool choose the same location, or choose an organization that is closer to home.


Our organizations will be: Meals on Wheels (Monterey), Last Chance Mercantile (Marina), Dorothy's Kitchen (Salinas), SPCA of Monterey County (Salinas/68), First Tee of Monterey County (Salinas), Asilomar State Beach (Pacific Grove), Elkhorn Slough Foundation (Moss Landing to Las Lomas), Chartwell School (Seaside). We are grateful to these organizations for their willingness to welcome our students, and many thanks to the Chartwell families that helped us connect with this organizations!

HS Track and Field

HS Track and Field has begins today with the first track and field practice today from 3:30-4:30 at Monterey Peninsula College.


Please contact Coach Regan or Coach Patterson to sign up or for more details.


Practice: Mondays-Thursdays during lunch and after school (3:30-5:30 pm at Monterey Peninsula College)

Upcoming Events in the Community

AIM Youth Mental Health Symposium - Save the Dates!

A life-changing symposium you won’t want to miss: On April 19 – 21, 2023, AIM Youth Mental Health will gather world-renowned researchers, best-selling authors, youth experts, parents, clinicians, educators, first responders, and community members to protect the mental health and safety of our children.


This year’s AIM Youth Mental Health Symposium will be held at the Monterey Conference Center in beautiful Old Town Monterey, California. Chartwell is proud to be a sponsor of this event and Amanda Zonghi, assistant director of the high school, will be presenting at the symposium.


Click here to learn more.

RESOURCES

March Faculty & Staff Birthdays

March

Karla Bell - March 8

Amanda Chace - March 10

Diane Sunseri - March 18

Topher Mueller - March 24

Katie Whitman - March 24

Sarah Chavez - March 25

Genee Cahill - March 30

Maryn Sanchez - March 31

Chartwell Family Directories

Chartwell Family Directories: LMS available here, HS available here.

Questions?

If you have questions for us, please contact one of the following Chartwell Team Members:


Head of School, Danielle Patterson: dpatterson@chartwell.org

Director of Teaching and Learning, Jodi Amaditz: jamaditz@chartwell.org

Assistant Director of Lower School, Katherine Kanaski: kkanaski@chartwell.org

Assistant Director of Middle School, Karla Bell: kbell@chartwell.org

Assistant Director of the High School, Amanda Zonghi: azonghi@chartwell.org

Director of STEAM and EdTech, Sandra Varajic: svarajic@chartwell.org

Director of Student Support: Billy Swift bswift@chartwell.org

Director of Campus Management and Safety, John Langrill: jlangrill@chartwell.org

Director of Advancement and Communications, Elena Mueller: emueller@chartwell.org

Director of Human Development and Wellness, Batya Fields: bfields@chartwell.org

Director of Athletics: Rory Patterson rpatterson@chartwell.org

Business Office: Katia Stornetta kstornetta@chartwell.org

Technical Support: techsupport@chartwell.org