Chartwell School: The Bulldog Bark
From: The Administration Office
February 11, 2021
Sending Our Community Good Vibes for a Great Long Weekend!
We wish all of our Chartwell families a relaxing long weekend. Classes resume for all grade levels on Wednesday, February 17 (on campus for our Lower and Middle School students, and online for our High School students). Our High School students will come to campus on Friday, February 19.
Travel Requirements & Quarantine Policy
In a recent communication from Head of School Kate Mulligan, specific expectations were outlined in regards to vacation travel.
As a reminder:
If your family chooses to travel around the state, or take a weekend trip away from home, your child will need to self-isolate at your home upon your return.
This means your child cannot return to school and we cannot accommodate them in our on-campus program for 10 days.
Assignments will be posted in their Google classroom.
Students will not be able to Zoom into class.
There are currently no online office hours scheduled.
Vacation travel is not necessary travel, and we will not make accommodations for it. That is the commitment school leadership has made to employees and to the Chartwell community.
Thank you for understanding - this is not intended as a punishment for families who choose to travel; that is each families' choice and it may be the best one for your family right now. As a school, however, we need to protect our community as best we can and this policy is an important part of that effort while Monterey County is still in the purple tier.
Take Care of Your Tech
Lower and Middle School students need to bring laptops and chargers home daily so that they can be prepared for any shift into online learning and attend classes online for Fridays.
Please help your child follow these rules:
- The protective cases must always stay on the laptops
- Laptops must be fully charged overnight before bringing them back to school
- No food or drink near the laptop
More guidelines for laptops and study spaces at home can be found in our distance learning support site's FAQ.
Next COVID Testing Day Scheduled for February 19
On Friday, February 19, 2021, Chartwell is hosting a COVID-19 testing clinic onsite. All school personnel will be tested, and although not required, we are strongly encouraging students and Chartwell families to take this opportunity to be tested as well.
Important Notes for High School Students
This on-campus testing day is an excellent opportunity for high school students to have a test done while at school. We will be having testing events every two weeks and are planning a regular testing protocol to allow us to begin to move toward having HS students on campus for instruction. Although this is the PCR test, we are looking into Rapid Testing for students in the coming weeks.
- High School students interested in a test must schedule an appointment through the system.
- High School parents can email Katia Stornetta at kstornetta@chartwell.org with completed forms and the copies/photos of insurance cards if that is more convenient for your family.
- High school students do need to individually register if they plan to take the test. We recommend choosing a time between 10:30 am - 12:30 pm as this time is being held for HS students and faculty.
All Chartwell family members may sign-up for testing as space allows.
If you are interested in taking advantage of this voluntary testing opportunity, you must:
- Read the instructions below;
- Sign-up for an appointment by end of day February 16. Registration will close after that;
- Complete all of the paperwork to bring with you next Friday.
We are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to our Chartwell students and families.
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COVID-19 Testing Information and Details
Please see the calendar link below to schedule an appointment for testing on Friday, February 19. The process to register is as follows:
- Click the calendar link below
- Select if you are an employee or family member
- Make sure the correct time zone is selected on the drop down above the available times
- Select an available time slot (reminder: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm is reserved for high school faculty and students)
- Enter your name, phone number, email, and all other required information
- Click here to schedule an appointment.
Family members may not share an appointment time. Each participant must schedule an individual time for testing.
You will need to bring the following forms with you on the day of testing:
- Patient Test Request Form
- Venous Consent Form (if doing the antibody test)
- A printed photocopy of the front and back of your medical insurance card
- You may also send a photo of the front and back of your insurance card to Katia Stornetta at kstornetta@chartwell.org
- If the participant/patient doesn’t have insurance, they must provide:
- Uninsured Patient Form
- Photocopy of their government-issued photo ID (driver's license, state ID card, etc.)
On the day of the clinic, a nurse(s) will collect a small blood sample for the antibody test and a nasal swab sample for the RT-PCR. This process will take approximately five minutes. The sample(s) will be sent to the laboratory which will then process the samples. The results will be sent to our local health department and you will be able to access your results through the PMH Laboratory website after three business days from the date of the clinic. Instructions for accessing your results are attached.
If you have any questions about testing or scheduling, please contact Katia Stornetta at 831-393-8013 or kstornetta@chartwell.org.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Summer Extended Year Program - Registration Open!
The CORE Summer Program begins June 18 (required orientation) and runs for four weeks, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm (June 21 - July 16.) There are several online and on-campus afternoon options, as well.
Details about the CORE program, which extends skills over the summer in literacy, mathematics and STEAM, and registration information can be found at www.chartwell.org/summer
CLASSROOM SNAPSHOTS
Artist of the Week: Savannah Totaan
Savannah Totaan
Painting: Hidden in the Leaves
Medium: Acrylic
Learning About the Renaissance through Gardening
Students in Mrs. Chavez's class are learning about the Renaissance through the analogy of the Renaissance Tree. Each part of the "tree" connects with an aspect or influence of the era - the roots grow from the Medieval and Classical Eras, the "rain" of commerce helped it grow, etc...) By planting sunflower seeds, students reinforced their learning around this fascinating time in history.
Dance, Dance, Dance
With Mr. Santos background in music, it's no wonder the students in Santos/Maras class are learning to dance and move to all different types of beats and rhythms. This week they took over McMahan Hall.
A Stitch in Time
Matthew B. was the first to finish his handsewn patchwork pillow this week in Mrs. Kirshner's class.
Winter Birds Line the Hallway of Building 200
The "Winter Birds" project consisted of a few stages. First, the students practiced watercolor techniques (resist, wet-on-wet, salt effects). As that dried, the class used black paint and a small piece of cardboard to make black bark-like lines on white strips of paper.
The next day the kids traced bird stencils to cut out birds from their now dry watercolor paper. Then the trees and birds were glued on a colored background and details like branches were added.
Learning is Electric!
Mr. Colella’s online Lower School STEAM students were excited to receive an electricity science kit from Chartwell. These photos show the students creating circuits and testing household objects to see if they are conductors or insulators. The hands-on activities put a spark into the online classroom!
Celebrating Dr. King
Explorando Columbia
After School Art
The High School After School Art class enjoyed painting in the outdoors last Friday. The student artist of the week (see image earlier in newsletter) shows just one example of the results of this extra time on campus.
High School Building In Full Use
Word of the Year
3D Design for Rocketry
Middle School LEGO Engineering
With the help of the robotics team, Mr. Postadan's and Mrs. Chavez's students learned to build and code with their new LEGO Engineering kits. Watch for more exciting news about our grant through Apple and FIRST Robotics!
PARENT RESOURCES
Recommit to the Chartwell Family Pledge
Returning to live school is not without risk. As a community, we must work together to foster the safety of our students, parents, faculty and staff. In light of the current statistics and increase in cases in California, we are asking our families to review and recommit to following specific community guidelines while we slowly and safely return to campus. Please review the below “pledge” and, for the safety of our faculty, students, parents, and community, uphold the following commitments on a daily basis:
Conduct a health and symptom screening before your child leaves home each day. Keep your child home when they are sick or exhibiting symptoms of general illness. If the temperature reads 100.4 or above, keep your child at home for the day. A temperature check will be done upon arrival at school, and students with temperatures in this range will be sent home.
Wear a mask or cloth face covering to minimize risks to others when out in public, and clean and sanitize them often.
Come to school directly from home, and return home after school, minimizing stops to essential errands when possible.
Limit your child’s outside of school engagement to only immediate family or students in the same cohort.
Wash hands frequently.
Avoid unnecessary travel this includes visits to or from family and friends in other parts of California, out of state, or out of the country. We will not accommodate students who miss school due to unnecessary travel.
If travel is necessary you must notify us and self-isolate for 10 days after traveling. Your child cannot come to school during this time.
Avoid all gatherings and events - especially those where people are not adhering to state and local safety guidance.
Self-report to Chartwell immediately if your child or a member of your household has been exposed to COVID-19.
Wear masks (adults and children) when carpooling, with windows open if possible. Masks are required to be double layered and cover the nose and mouth,
Abstain from the practice of providing fever reducing medicines for the purpose of sending your child to school.
Not following the guidelines of the Chartwell Family Pledge may put others at considerable risk. We ask all members of our community to embrace with positivity and an open mind the changes required this school year, understanding that because of COVID-19, our learning spaces, activities, and other events may look and feel different than in other school years.
If you do not feel you can follow these guidelines, we encourage you to continue with the online learning model. Thank you for being part of our community and working with us to bring our students back together, where they learn and grow best.
Chartwell Support Site
We encourage everyone to visit this site created by our STEAM Director, Topher Mueller. He is the mastermind behind the creation of our Distance Learning Platform. You will find the most up to date information regarding the 2020-2021 school year, answers to frequently asked questions, and technology tutorials to support distance learning from home.
Important Dates for the 20-21 School Year
School Calendar 2020-2021: Link
2021
February 12-16: In-Service for Teachers and President’s Day Holiday. NO CLASSES for students.
February 19: COVID Testing Day - On Campus
April 5-12: Spring Break - No Classes
April 13: Students return to campus and classes resume
May 31: Memorial Day - No Classes
June 7-9: Parent-Teacher Conferences
June 9 - 8th Grade Ceremony
June 10: Last day of school LMS; Transition Ceremony
June 11: Last day of school and Graduation for High School/ Retrospectives
Faculty Birthdays (January - February)
Rory Patterson 1/29
John Langrill & Emily Garber 2/5
Patti Kirshner 2/14 (Valentine's Day!)
Nicole Buice 2/18
JUST FOR FUN
David Zinn's Street Art
"'Around the Block' is a short video focusing on street artist David Zinn. David finds inspiration in the cracks, streaks, and specks on the pavement, and brings his creations to life with chalk.
Questions?
If you have questions for us, please contact one of the following Chartwell Team Members:
Head of School, Kate Mulligan: kmulligan@chartwell.org
Director of Lower and Middle Schools, Jodi Amaditz: jamaditz@chartwell.org
Director of High School, Alyse LeValley: alevalley@chartwell.org
Director of Outreach and Family Engagement, Danielle Patterson: dpatterson@chartwell.org
Director of Campus Management and Safety, John Langrill: jlangrill@chartwell.org
Director of Advancement and Communications, Elena Mueller: emueller@chartwell.org
Technical Support: John Langrill at jlangrill@chartwell.org or Topher Mueller at tmueller@chartwell.org