Chartwell School: The Bulldog Bark
From: Jodi Amaditz and Alyse LeValley
January 7, 2021
A Message from Our SEAD Team
This week’s events in Washington D.C. may have prompted questions and triggered emotions for your children and your family. Billy Swift, director of student support, compiled some helpful tips and resources to support our families in the important and sensitive conversations that may be taking place in your homes.
Here is a list of potential questions your child may be thinking about after seeing or hearing the news. Take some time to think about how you would answer them in preparation for how to talk to your child.
- Why did rioters do this, and what were they trying to achieve?
- How did this happen, and was it preventable?
- Why didn’t the police protect the U.S. Capitol, since so many people thought there was going to be a riot?
- What will happen to the President now? To Congress?
- Will there be riots in my city or near my home?
- How will this impact me?
And here are some questions to help you establish how to talk more deeply about these types of topics. They are also good questions for general discussion too, especially for younger children.
- What’s the difference between a discussion and a fight?
- How do you show respect to another person even if you disagree?
- What does it mean to “assume good intentions?”
- Is it helpful to interrupt someone when they are talking? Why or why not?
- Are discussions better when people have reasons and evidence? Why or why not?
To read more, we offer these three articles to help you navigate this challenging topic:
- From Child Mind Institute: Helping Children Cope from Frightening News.
- From PBS: Helping Children with Tragic Events in the News.
- From Teaching Tolerance: When Bad Things are Happening.
Chartwell in the News
You can read the article here.
IMPORTANT UPDATES
Lower & Middle School Schedule Changes
The lower school schedule has changed slightly for the new semester:
- Students have Fitness and Wellness included in their schedule during the school day, even during distance learning.
- Lower school students will also have music instruction during the day once a week during their FLEX period once we are live on campus and following a full-day schedule. Therefore, we are currently no longer running afternoon fitness and wellness or lower school music classes.
- All other afterschool online activities have resumed.
High School Schedule Changes
Chartwell's Universal Expectations for Virtual Learning
Important Reminder for Families Scheduled for COVID-19 Testing on Friday, January 8
Please remember 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
- If the participant/patient doesn’t have insurance, they must provide:
- Uninsured Patient Form
- Photocopy of their government-issued photo ID (driver license, state ID card, etc.)
- If the participant/patient doesn’t have insurance, they must provide:
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.
Please note: We do have space for a limited number of walk-ins. If interested, please contact Katia Stornetta at 831-393-8013 or kstornetta@chartwell.org.
Checking Your COVID Results Online
If you have any questions, please contact Katia Stornetta at kstornetta@chartwell.org.
Rube Goldberg Project Deadline Extended to February 1
We can't wait to see the videos that students submit by the deadline of February 1st. Get in on the fun! Students must do all the work, but we encourage input from the whole family. To learn more about creating and submitting videos, and to see previous submissions, visit the challenge website here. Have questions? Contact Topher Mueller at tmueller@chartwell.org.
The True Gifts of a Dyslexic Mind
UPCOMING EVENTS
RESCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK
Join Head of School Kate Mulligan and Director of Outreach and Family Engagement Danielle Patterson for an overview of the new year schedule, an introduction of our new families, and a question and answer session. (Please bring all of your questions! This is a very open and interactive session.)
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13
5:00 p.m.
Zoom link here and in the button below.
CLASSROOM SNAPSHOTS
PARENT RESOURCES
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.
The Chartwell Family Pledge
Returning to live school is not without risk and as a community, we must work together to foster the safety of our students, parents, faculty and staff. We are asking our families to adhere to certain community guidelines while we slowly and safely return to campus. Please review the below “pledge” and 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.
Abstain from the practice of providing fever reducing medicines for the purpose of sending your child to school.
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.
Avoid unnecessary travel and self-quarantine after returning from another country.
Avoid large gatherings and events where people are not adhering to state and local safety guidance.
Wear masks (adults and children) when carpooling, with windows open if possible.
Limit your child’s outside of school engagement to only immediate family or students in the same cohort.
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 and support you in continuing 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.
Important Dates for the 20-21 School Year
School Calendar 2020-2021: Link
2021
January 4: Teacher In-Service Day
January 5: Teacher In-Service Day/ Faculty COVID Testing
January 6 - 15 Distance Learning
January 8: COVID-19 Testing Day
January 18: MLK Jr. Day - No Classes
January 19: NEW PROJECTED DATE: Return to On-Campus Learning (Lower and Middle)
February 12-16: In-Service for Teachers and President’s Day Holiday. NO CLASSES for students.
April 2: Tentative date for Grandparent and Special Friends Day (LS/MS)
April 5-12: Spring Break - No Classes
April 13: Students return to campus and classes resume
May 31: Memorial Day - No Classes
June 10: Last day of school and closing ceremonies for LS/MS
June 11: Last day of school and Graduation for High School
JUST FOR FUN
Boston Dynamics Dancing Robots
If you're not one of the 25 million people who have watched this since its launch in late December, you're in for a treat. And if you have seen it, it's worth watching again. Enjoy and happy new year!
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