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February 19, 2016
Volume 4 / Issue 23
 
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Note from Dr. Beekley
- CES in Top 100
- CES S.T.E.A.M. Fair
- February Fitness Calendar
- Chester Enumeration
- CES Lunch Accounts
- Social Development News
- PTO Bingo & Basket Raffle
- Community News 


Thursday, February 25th
- Town Meeting

Friday, February 26th
- PTO Bingo & Basket Raffle Night
(5:30 pm - Doors Open - Gymnasium)

Wednesday, March 2th
- Grade 2 Math Night
(6:30-7:30 pm)

Monday, March 7th
- Grade 2C LEARN Field Trip to Bushy Hill Nature Center

Tuesday, March 8th
- PTO Meeting
(7:00 pm - CES Library)

Friday, March 11th
- Grade 2 Animal Reports
(9-10 am & 2:00-2:45 pm)

Wednesday, March 16th
- Grade 2M LEARN Field Trip to Bushy Hill Nature Center

Thursday, March 17th
- Student Banking & Box Tops Due
- Grade 2 Field Trip to Charlotte's Web Play

Tuesday, March 22nd
- PTO Book Fair

Wednesday, March 23rd
- PTO Book Fair
- Early Dismissal (Parent/ Teacher Conferences)

Thursday, March 24th
- PTO Book Fair
- Early Dismissal (Parent/ Teacher Conferences)
- Chester Board of Education Meeting
(7:00 pm - CES Library)

Friday, March 25th
- Good Friday (No School)

Tuesday, March 29th
- S.T.E.A.M. Fair Open House

Wednesday, March 30th
- S.T.E.A.M. Fair Judging

Saturday, April 9th
- PTO Fun Run (Rain Date April 10th)

Tuesday, April 12th
- PTO Meeting
(7:00 pm - CES Library)

Thursday, April 14th
- Student Banking & Box Tops Due

Friday, April 15th
- Early Dismissal (Professional Development for Staff)

April 18th-April 22nd
- Spring Recess

Monday, April 25th
- Possible Snow Make-up Day

Tuesday, April 26th
- Possible Snow Make-up Day

Friday, April 29th
- Arbor Day

Friday, April 30th
- State Invention Convention

Tuesday, May 3rd
- PTO Teachers' Appreciation Lunch

Wednesday, May 4th
- ACES Day
- Spring Arts Festival

Tuesday, May 10th
- PTO Meeting
(7:00 pm - CES Library)

Tuesday, May 17th
- Grade 3 Field Trip to Trash Museum

Thursday, May 19th
- Student Banking & Box Tops Due

Thursday, May 26th
- Chester Board of Education Meeting
(7:00 pm - Location TBD)

Friday, May 27th
- Early Dismissal (Professional Development for Staff)
- Memorial Day Program

Monday, May 30th
- Memorial Day (No School)
- Memorial Day Parade

Tuesday, May 31st
- Possible Snow Make-up Day
- PTO Spring Clothing Drive

Wednesday, June 1st- Friday, June 3rd
- PTO Spring Clothing Drive

Thursday, June 2nd
- Grade 6 Unity Day (JWMS)

Wednesday, June 8th
- Grade 4 Field Trip to State Capitol

Monday, June 13th
- Field Day

Tuesday, June 14th
- PTO Meeting
(7:00 pm - CES Library)

Wednesday, June 15th
- Early Dismissal (Last Day of School - depending on number of weather/ emergency days used)
A NOTE FROM DR. BEEKLEY     
 
Here we are, smack in the middle of the drudgery of winter. With a decrease in temperature and an increase in hours spent inside, it is sometimes difficult to find ways to maintain contact with the outside world. However, most experts agree that giving children regular contact with all that nature can provide is an essential part of growing up, even when it is cold!

Regular contact with nature has shown to have many positive effects on children's intellectual, as well as physical development. Having unstructured playtime outside also develops a sense of creativity and adventure. For many children, being able to connect with nature helps provide a sense of calm and of being part of a larger community. These feelings can lead to lower levels of stress (especially in children) and fewer behavior challenges. Spending free time outside also appears to be connected to an increase in children's critical thinking and in their ability to handle and resolve problems.

Children learn by exploring through their senses, and nothing stimulates the senses like items from the natural world. Look for ways that you as a family can reconnect with nature. Even in winter, a short nature scavenger hunt can provide a brief respite from being cooped up inside. Start an herb garden inside or plant the seeds of the fruits and veggies you eat and watch what happens. Take a minute and explore the ground that is around your home, dig in it, and investigate how it changes from one season to another.

Joanne D. Beekley, Ed.D. 
Principal        
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
CES IN THE TOP 100 
 
Chester Elementary School is ranked in the top 100 elementary schools in the State of Connecticut. If you would like to view the entire article, the link is below:
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S.T.E.A.M. FAIR 
 
Chester Elementary School is once again charging full STEAM ahead, introducing students to important 21st Century skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design and Math, through our S.T.EA.M. Fair.
 
The ways in which students can participate are outlined below:
Grades K, 1, 2 & 3 = Invention (optional)
Grade 4 = Science Experiments (mandatory)
Grades 5 & 6 = Invention or Engineering Design (mandatory)
 
Mrs. Lenz has introduced the invention opportunity, as well as the importance of considering art and design elements as you invent, engineer, or experiment, to all CES students.
 
Mrs. Clark will be working with all fourth grade students on the scientific method. Each student will be participating by researching and completing an experiment as part of a class assignment.
 
Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Kalkreuth and Dr. Beekley have introduced fifth and sixth graders to the engineering options. Students in fifth and sixth grades have the opportunity to invent something or participate in one of three engineering challenges:
Engineering Challenge 1 = Catapult
Engineering Challenge 2 = Rube Goldberg Machine
Engineering Challenge 3 = Buoyant Vessel
 
Our S.T.E.A.M. Fair Open House will be held on March 29th. The judging of student inventions will take place in the morning on March 30th. Competitions for the three engineering challenges will take place in the afternoon on March 30th and March 31st. Full STEAM ahead!
 
More details have been sent under separate cover with your child.
 
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FEBRUARY FITNESS CALENDAR  
 
At Chester Elementary School, we encourage our students to be physically active both inside and outside of the school setting.

Our February Fitness Calendar offers you and your child simple ideas for how to integrate physical activities throughout a busy day. Check it out for ways to get your whole family moving! 
Please click here for the February Fitness Calendars.

 
CHILD ENUMERATION FOR CHESTER 
 
For an accurate kindergarten count this year and for predicting the future count, an enumeration of children is done every year. If you know of any families who have moved to Chester and who have children ages five and under (birth dates 2011-2016), please ask them to call Pam Graham at Chester Elementary School (860-526-5797). Thank you!

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CES LUNCH ACCOUNTS
 
Many cafeteria accounts are not up-to-date, and we ask that all accounts be brought current. If you receive a letter with a lunch deficit, please be sure to include all of the information on the check or the front of the envelope if payment is sent to school. You may also pay on-line at any time. Your assistance with this is greatly appreciated by all of us.
 
 
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS 
 
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT THEMES

The Social Development Theme for the month of February is Cooperation.  The Social Development Book of the Month is  Stone Soup. Please enjoy a description of the book below.
                                              
Clever soldiers outwit greedy townspeople with the creation of a special soup in this cherished classic, a Caldecott Honor book. First published in 1947, this picture book classic has  remained one of Marcia Brown's most popular and enduring books. This story, about three hungry soldiers who outwit the greedy inhabitants of a village into providing them with a feast, is based on an old French tale.

The goal of our Social Development Book-of-the-Month is to integrate literature and concomitant language arts objectives with themes and ideas that support our social development program. 
 
The Chester Public Library is graciously partnering with us on our social development Book-of-the-Month initiative.  Our Book-of-the-Month is displayed at the library and there are multiple copies available for families to borrow, so that the discussion begun at school can be shared and extended at home. 

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SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM CES LIBRARY 
 
Our Social Development theme of the month for February is Cooperation. There are many excellent books in our library about cooperation. A few will be featured during February and any may be borrowed from the library to be shared with your family.  Just email Mrs. Moshier at bmoshier@reg4.k12.ct.us to request the book and she will send it home with your child.

Building Our House by Jonathan Bean
 
A young girl narrates her family's move from the city to the country, where they have bought a piece of land and live in a trailer while they build a house from the ground up, with help from relatives and friends.

The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers

Stranded on the moon after his extraordinary airplane takes him into outer space, a boy meets a marooned young Martian with a broken spacecraft, and the two new friends work together to return to their respective homes.
 
Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit by Catherine Rayner

A rather large moose that cannot fit on the page teams up with his little chipmunk friend to find a solution. Final pages form a gatefold.

The Landry New by Andrew Clements

A fifth-grader starts a newspaper with an editorial that prompts her burnt-out classroom teacher to really begin teaching again, but he is later threatened with disciplinary action as a result.

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth Speare

Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills.

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PTO NEWS
 
BINGO & BASKET RAFFLE NIGHT IS COMING NEXT FRIDAY! 

February 26, 2016 - CES Gymnasium
Time:  Doors open at 5:30 pm, Bingo from 6:00 pm - 8:00pm

Details:
- Basket Raffle Tickets are 2 Tickets for $1 or a sheet of 25 Tickets for $10
- Bingo Cards are $1 per card (.25 for each additional card)
- Upon admission, each child who plays must donate a prize for the prize table
- Pizza is $2 per slice
- Water & Lemonade = Free

Raffle Tickets will be sold Feb. 22 - Feb. 26 in the morning before school from 8:00 - 8:20 am. Raffle Tickets will also be available the night of the Bingo and Basket Raffle Night. Between each Bingo game played, we will select a winner for a basket. You don't have to be present to win! 
 
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COMMUNITY NEWS 
 
REGION 4 COLLABORATIVE PRESCHOOL  
 
The Region 4 Collaborative Preschool is seeking community children for the 2016-2017 school year. The Collaborative Preschool is an integrated setting located at Essex Elementary School. We offer preschool and prekindergarten classes for children with and without special needs. Children being considered for the program must reside in Deep River, Chester or Essex and be 3 by September 1st. Applications are due by April 12, 2016. For more information about our program, the enrollment process and to download an application, please visit the Collaborative Preschool link on the Region 4 School District website http://www.reg4.k12.ct.us or contact the staff at (860) 767-3195 or (860) 767-8215 before or after school hours.
 
SAILING CAMP 
 
The Pettipaug Sailing Academy is offering a Junior Sailing Program in Essex, CT for ages 8-16. For more information, please see the Chalk Talk Digital Backpack, or click here.
 
 
Chester Elementary School
"It Takes a World of Differences to Make a Difference in this World"
23 Ridge Road / Chester, CT  06412 / 860-526-5797
www.ces.reg4.k12.ct.us