Gator Bites
CGE Weekly Newsletter 3/15/2021
Welcome
Welcome to our weekly Gator Bites newsletter! Every Friday evening our team at CGE will send out any important updates for the following week. Our goal is to be prepared, transparent and informative! We appreciate your time and urge you to read through carefully each week- especially during these unconventional virtual learning weeks.
Stay safe, stay informed and stay Gator Strong! 🐊
From the Principal's Desk
Dr. Larry Savage, CGE Principal
Important Carpool Reminders
As we transition to Plan A, we will have a lot of new car riders joining our pick up and drop off lines. Please keep in mind these helpful tips to have a safe and efficient carpool.
-Pull up close (but safely) to the cars in front to allow more cars to fit onto campus.
-Do not block the intersection on Andrews Store Road.
-Please have your kids ready with everything they need to exit the car in a timely fashion when you arrive at our drop off points.
-Please be patient. We need your help to make this work :)
-Walkers are not permitted at this time. We do continue to assess, however, when we will be able to welcome walkers--it’s something we are excited to do.
Students New to CGE
School Pictures & Yearbooks
With more of our students returning to in-person classes in the coming weeks, we have reached out to Strawbridge to schedule pictures in April for individual photos and our 1st CGE yearbook!
All students and staff, whether in person or virtual, will have the opportunity to have their pictures taken in a safe, socially distanced setting. More information on dates, times and picture purchasing options will be communicated in next week’s Gator Bites.
Spring Fundraiser
Help for Fuel Up!
Spring break is fast approaching and Fuel Up will provide food for the duration of the break to participating students who request it. Spring break selections will include fresh produce, milk, perishables, snacks, treats, and shelf-stable items using the funds donated to our Fund-A-Bag program. Spring Break Bags will be delivered to participating Chatham Grove and Perry Harrison students on March 24.
There are numerous ways you can help:
● Please consider a monetary donation to Fuel Up @PHS and Fund-A-Bag for Spring Break for $40 or donate an amount you are comfortable giving with a custom donation. You can make your monetary donation on our website or send us a check to Perry Harrison Elementary. (NOTE: CGE students participating in this year’s Fuel Up program are serviced through Parry Harrison, there is not yet a separate CGE fund.)
● Donate breakfast items, mac & cheese, Chef Boyardee, ramen, or granola bars. Food items can be purchased and sent directly to Perry Harrison Elementary using our Amazon wish list or you contact Aviva at chair@fuelupkids.org. You can also organize a food collection for your church group or neighborhood. Please note, we leave food items untouched in our closet for a least a week before distributing them to the students.
● Gather silver box lining insulated bags (like the ones you get from a Whole Foods delivery) and paper bags with handles - these are needed for packaging. Email Donna at programcoordinator@fuelupkids.org.
● Sign up for at least 3 volunteer shifts on our website.
We are unable to service our students without community support. THANK YOU for joining us in combating food insecurity at Chatham Grove and Perry Harrison. Additional questions can be directed to chair@fuelupkids.org.
From the PTA
Updates
Believe it or not, it's time to start thinking about the 2021-2022 school year! Your Chatham Grove PTA is seeking volunteers to serve on the executive board and as committee chairpersons. If you are interested in learning more, please send an email to chathamgrovepta@gmail.com and the Nominating Committee will get in touch with you!
Exciting news…Chatham Grove Elementary is hosting a Virtual 5K! More details will be available soon, but we can tell you that the proceeds raised will be used to commission an outdoor sculpture celebrating the students and staff of its inaugural year.
Here’s how you can help:
· Local Artist Recommendations – Know of any local artists who would be a good fit for this project? If so, please send us an email with their name/contact info to chathamgrovepta@gmail.com
· Join Our Committee – Interested in joining the Virtual 5K race committee? If so, please send an email to cgeptavp1@gmail.com
From the Library
From the AIG Department
AIG and Talent Development zoom groups for all grades will be cancelled in March, beginning on March 1st, while Ms. Merilee and Ms. Wilkie complete required testing for students referred for AIG evaluation. Wemiss meeting with your children and rest assured we are working to finish this testing as quickly as possible so that we can begin meeting with your children again.
During this testing period, weekly asynchronous activities will be posted in google classroom or sent to students via their email accounts, to provide independent challenge and enrichment experiences for students.
The families of students previously referred for AIG evaluation will be contacted via email to schedule remote testing sessions.
School Updates
CGE Commemorative Art:
Third Grade Families
Read to Achieve Parent Session
Thank you to the families who attended our RTA Parent Session on Thursday. If you were unable to attend, we recorded the session and are also providing some resources below:
Read to Achieve Parent Night (Condensed Presentation)
Released Passages (Practice at Home)
Please contact your students' teacher or our curriculum coach, Erin Boecke, with any additional questions: eboecke@chatham.k12.nc.us.
CoGat Testing
From the Guidance Counselor
Parent Pro Tip:
Help your child stay active! The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans by the CDC recommends at least one hour of exercise per day for children and adolescents to strengthen cardio fitness and keep depression and anxiety at bay. Surprisingly, just 1 in 3 children get physical exercise each day. Parents should encourage younger children to exercise by turning off screens and sending them outside to play.
From the Arts Department
Visual Arts Update
Hooray! In person students are cycling into the new visual arts room starting the week of March 8th. Please note we will be painting & creating with other messy media! Please send an “art shirt” with your students so they may have something to protect their clothing. The “at shirt” can be an old, large size tee shirt or button down shirt that can get dirty without worries. This will help the students not be focused on keeping their clothes clean, & be able to create without stress!!!! Any questions, please feel free to email Victoria Sylvestre.
Chatham Arts Council- 5th Grade Visits
CGE Ongoing Information
School Nutrition Update: Curbside Meal Pickup
Curbside meal pick-up will take place at CGE each Wednesday from 10:30 to 1:00 starting on January 13th. Please reach out to our Cafeteria Manager, Ms. Jessica Frye, for questions. Her email address is: jfrye@chatham.k12.nc.us.
Materials Pick Up
Student materials will be available for pick up again starting on Monday March 1st at 9 a.m. Please contact your student’s classroom teacher if you have a question about the materials/resources that need to be collected at our school.
Specials Grading for VA Students
To create consistency in grading K-5 Art, Music and PE classes, all students for quarters 3 and 4 in grades 3-5 district-wide will receive the following feedback on report cards--Proficient, Developing, or No Evidence. For quarters 3 and 4, all students in grades K-2 will receive a 1, 2, 3, or 4 for specials.
Please know that in conversations and in our recent CGE Parent Survey, we heard feedback regarding assessing for Virtual Academy students in our specials’ classes. Specifically, some of our VA parents are really struggling with balancing, home, work, and school demands. We understand. For K-2 students who are unable to consistently attend specials, they will not receive a grade and that section of the report card will be blank. For 3-5 students who are unable to consistently attend specials, they will not receive a grade and that section of the report card will say ‘No Evidence.’
Chatham Grove Elementary School
Email: lsavage@chatham.k12.nc.us
Website: https://www.chatham.k12.nc.us/Domain/2227
Location: 1301 Andrews Store Road, Pittsboro, NC, USA
Phone: 919-642-7069
Facebook: facebook.com/chathamgrovees