top   
April 1, 2016
Volume 4 / Issue 29
 
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Note from Dr. Beekley
- CES S.T.E.A.M. Fair
- Fitness Calendars
- CES Lunch Accounts
- Social Development News
- Social Development Books from CES Library
- PTO Fun Run Challenge
- Community News 


Saturday, April 9th
- PTO Fun Run (Rain Date April 10th)
(9:00 am)

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

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

Friday, April 15th
- Grades 3 & 4 Field Trip to Ivoryton Playhouse
(9:00 am)
- 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

Monday, May 2nd
- Board of Education Teacher Appreciation Breakfast

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

Tuesday, May 24th
- Grade 1 Field Trip to Theaterworks

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)

Tuesday, June 7th
- Grade 3 Field Trip to British Art Museum & Yale Art Gallery
- Grade 6 Field Trip to Puerto Vallarta Restaurant

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

Thursday, June 9th
- Grade 1 Field Trip to The Children's Museum

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     
 
School Climate Parent Survey Time!

It is time to complete the School Climate Survey. Our students in grades 2, 4 and 6 will complete a survey here in school during the month of April. I am encouraging all parents to complete the survey. We use the results of the survey to develop one of our School Improvement Goals. This year, we are focused on our Social Development Monthly Themes. Next year, we will set a new goal based on the parent and student responses to the survey questions. All of the data help us set a direction for the next school year.

The letter from Mrs. Martineau, Assistant Superintendent, explaining more details regarding the survey was e-mailed to all parents earlier today. To view Mrs. Martineau's letter, please click here. If you wish to access the survey directly, please click on the link below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CHSPRNTSVA

Thank you so much for taking the time to complete the survey. All of us at CES appreciate it very much.

Joanne D. Beekley, Ed.D. 
Principal        
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
S.T.E.A.M. FAIR
 








Thank you to all of our 2016 STEAM Fair participants! The students were very excited to share their inventions, experiments and engineering designs! 
 
The judges recognized the following students in the different categories:
 
Science: Best Use of Scientific Method
Tali Merola 
Will Fleischer 
Cooper Edwards 
Hannah Gessner  

Invention State Finalists
Mae Carpenter 
Erin Ward
Kaitlyn Whaples
Jolie Edwards  

Invention Art and Design
Belle Rice 
Mia Stack

Catapult Art and Design:  Lindsey Valentino 
Catapult:  Ben Costanzo

Rube Goldberg Art and Design:  Fallyn Belisle 
Rube Goldberg:  Lauren Valentino

Buoyancy Art and Design:  Sophie Scrivo 
Buoyancy:  Ben Safran
 
APRIL FITNESS CALENDARS   
 
At Chester Elementary School, we encourage our students to be physically active both inside and outside of the school setting.

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

 
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 UPDATE

Service-Learning Projects
Our winter service-learning project is in collaboration with Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Our students will be working with their buddies on April 8th to decorate coloring book covers to send to the patients at CCMC. Our Social Development Committee members will be making fun shaped crayons (from used crayons that were donated by CES families) to send along with the coloring books.

Our spring service-learning project will be "Change for Change," to collect change for an impoverished school in India. This project will start on May 2nd and run through the month of May. Please look for more information in April.
 
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT THEMES

The Social Development Theme for the month of April is Responsibility. The Social Development Book of the Month is Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners by Laurie Keller.

Please enjoy a description of the book below.

Mr. Rabbit's new neighbors are Otters. OTTERS! But he doesn't know anything about otters. Will they get along? Will they be friends? Just treat otters the same way you'd like them to treat you, advises Mr. Owl.                                            
  
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.

Back to Top
 
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM CES LIBRARY 
 
Our Social Development theme-of-the-month for April is Responsibility. There are many excellent books in our library about responsibility. A few will be featured during April 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. 

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
   
Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later.

I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff 
  
Alex and his mother write notes back and forth in which Alex tries to persuade her to let him have a baby iguana for a pet.  

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
 
The children at Napville Elementary School always ignore Officer Buckle's safety tips, until a police dog named Gloria accompanies him when he gives his safety speeches.

Rules by Cynthia Lord    

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"---in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?

Back to Top 
 
PTO NEWS
 
PTO FUN RUN CHALLENGE

 
The 2016 Fun Run Challenge takes on a whole new flare with challenging obstacles that participants can navigate to test their physical ability at their own pace.

We've corrected the flyer to clarify that there is no fee required to participate, but we hope that all will make an effort to raise sponsor money to support this PTO fundraiser. Not only is this event a healthy way for your child to spend the morning, all the proceeds go right back to CES to support enrichment activities throughout the year. Every $25 raised gets an entry into a drawing for prizes like sports gear, ice cream, day camp and other certificates for kid friendly businesses.

Last year's event was a huge success, and we hope with the addition of the obstacle course we can even do better!

Please see the Chalk Talk Digital Backpack, or click on the following links, for the Fun Run Flyer, Registration Form and Sponsor Form.

Thank You! 
CES PTO

Back to Top
 
COMMUNITY NEWS 
 
CHESTER PARKS AND RECREATION
 
Chester Parks and Recreation
Celebrating Community through People, Parks and Programs! 

Please call 860-526-0013, x223 or email parkrec@chesterct.org for availability before submitting registration.

MAKE A SPLASH THIS SUMMER!   

We are an outdoor program specializing in waterfront activities! Our Camp Counselors are Certified Lifeguards.  

Our SUMMER CAMP rivals any camp in the area!
We offer swimming, sports, science & nature, arts & crafts, team building, and more, but unlike many camps, children choose most of what they wish to participate in throughout the day from a variety of programmed activities. It is open to children entering grades 1 through 7, and the hours are from 8:15am until 3:45pm, the weeks of June 27, July 5, July 11, July 18, July 25, August 1, August 8, and August 15, at Chester Elementary School on Mondays, Fridays and severe weather days, and Cedar Lake on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The children take field trips on Fridays. The fee is $115 per child, per week, and payable at the time of registration. The weeks of July 5 (SEE INTRODUCTION TO CAMP BELOW) and August 15 are 4-day weeks without a field trip, for $80 each. The weeks of July 5, July 25, August 1 and August 15 are open to children entering Kindergarten, too!

INTRODUCTION TO CAMP for children ages 4 and 5 meets from 8:15am until 3:45pm, Tuesday and Friday at Chester Elementary School and Wednesday and Thursday at Cedar Lake, July 5th through 8th with staff and programming designed specifically to meet the needs of younger children. Activities include games, sports, crafts, nature, teacher led swimming and story time. The children have their own teachers, lunch time, and activities in their group of 8 to 12 campers, running concurrently with our grades 1 through 7 camp, at the same location. The cost is $80 for the 4-day week.

SWIMMING LESSONS are included in the Introduction to Camp program and by request, for all ages, the weeks of July 25 and August 1.

 
YMCA SUMMER CAMP

For information on the Valley Shore YMCA Summer Camp, please see the Chalk Talk Digital Backpack, or click here.

 
LITTLE LEAGUE SIGN UPS!
 
New for the 2016 season -  Chester and Deep River Little League will merge into one League.

You may sign up now at www.deepriverll.com.

Important Dates/Info:

4/30 - Opening day:  Place and time TBD

5/2 - Golf Tournament:  Info to follow

6/4 - Yard Goats Game

If there are any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Bryan Knudsen at bryanknudsen@yahoo.com or 760-271-8274 after 3pm. Thank you.

 
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.
 
 
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