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April 29, 2016
Volume 4 / Issue 32
 
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Note from Dr. Beekley
- CES Spring Arts Festival
- Celebrate Learning
- CES Spirit Wear Items Available
- Screen Free Week
- CES Lunch Accounts
- Social Development News
- Social Development Books From CES Library
- PTO News
- Community News 


Saturday, April 30th
- State Invention Convention

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

Tuesday, May 3rd
- PTO Teachers' Appreciation Lunch
- Grade 1 Cultural Arts Program
(1:30-2:45 pm)

Wednesday, May 4th
- ACES Day
- Spring Arts Festival (Art Show and Concert)

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

Tuesday, May 31st - 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
- Sixth Grade Night

Wednesday, June 15th
- Early Dismissal (Last Day of School - depending on number of weather/ emergency days used)
A NOTE FROM DR. BEEKLEY     
 
We celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week from May 2-6, 2016. All of us have at least one teacher we remember as having touched our life in a profound way. When high school students were asked to describe the best teacher they ever had, the answers were surprisingly similar. Students stated that the best teachers:
*    Cared about them and listened to them.
"She cared about me...about everyone."
*    Had a great sense of humor.
"Everyone laughed, activities were fun and you still learned."
*    Loved and knew their subject well and made students love it.
"She knew so much. It was like receiving wisdom."
*    Believed in students' abilities.
"He believed we could do well and we did."
*    Made the class interesting and fun.
"We had a lot of different assignments...very creative assignments."
*    Related to students in a personal way.
"She loved us."

I want to thank the Chester Elementary School staff for their dedication to our children. They give from the heart and strive to have all children succeed to the best of their ability. Our teachers are the embodiment of all of the characteristics described above. I am proud to work with them.

"Twelve High School 11th Grade Students Examine Their Best Teachers"  
Peabody Journal of Education 
Volume 70, Number 2, Winter 1995 pp. 117-126

Joanne D. Beekley, Ed.D. 
Principal        
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
COME TO THE CES SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL ON MAY 4TH!

Wednesday, May 4th

Art Show Open House 
5:00-7:15 pm  
Stroll the hallways of CES to view our student artwork inspired by famous artists, cultures and techniques. (Student ceramic work may be taken home as you leave for the concert.) 
  
Band and Choral Concert 
Bring your chairs, blankets and picnic dinners for our concert on the field. (Concert will be moved to the gym in case of  inclement weather.)
 
6:30-7:00    Grades 3 & 4 Choral and Band Concert

7:00-7:15     Intermission 

7:15-8:00    Grades 5 & 6 Choral, Band & Jazz Band Concert

* Participating students should report to the field 15 minutes before their performance time.*

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CELEBRATE LEARNING 
 
We are excited to be offering CELEBRATE LEARNING summer courses to the families within our school communities.  Similar to last summer, we are offering classes at Deep River Elementary School for students entering grades K-5, and at John Winthrop Middle School for students entering grades 6-8.

Please refer to the course offerings via the district website (www.reg4.k12.ct.us).  All registrations can be made online at www.reg4.k12.ct.us, or you may contact Lisa Lutz at 860-526-2417 ext. 1459 to register via phone.

Payments are done online at time of registration with a $1.50 processing charge.

Available Programs:

K-5 Literacy   June 27- July 14  $150

K-5 Math        July 18 - July 28  $100

6-8 Lit/Math   July 5 - July 21     $150

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CES SPIRIT WEAR ITEMS AVAILABLE 
We have several Spirit Wear items available for purchase. To view our remaining inventory or to print the order form, please click here. Proceeds benefit our Student Activity Fund. Thank you for your support!

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SCREEN FREE WEEK IS UNDERWAY!   
From April 25 through May 6, Chester Elementary School will be participating in Screen-Free Week. Screen-Free Week is a nationwide event sponsored by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and celebrated by schools, families, and other civic and community groups each year. During Screen-Free Week, we are encouraging students to pledge to spend five days screen-free. Instead of watching TV, looking at ipads or playing video games, students will choose to read books, play games, write stories, create art projects, get physically active, and spend more time with friends and family.   
        
All students who return their Activity Log by May 9, listing their alternative activities for five days, will receive a certificate for a free ice cream cone from the Pattaconk Creamery to redeem in warmer weather!

Please see the Chalk Talk Digital Backpack to view our Screen Free materials.   

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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 UPDATE

Service-Learning Projects  
Please be looking for information on our Spring service-learning project next week. 
 
 
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT THEMES

The Social Development Theme for the month of May/June is Friendship. The Social Development Book of the Month is Enemy Pie by Derek Munson. Please enjoy a description of the book below.

It was the perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became neighborhood enemy number one. Luckily Dad had a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe is spending an entire day playing with the enemy! In this funny yet endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipe for turning your best enemy into your best friend. Accompanied by charming illustrations, Enemy Pie serves up a sweet lesson in the difficulties and ultimate rewards of making new friends.                                                

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 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.
   
Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola
   
When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works.

Can I Keep Him? by Steven Kellogg    

Mother objects to every pet Arnold asks to keep except one, a person.  
 
Three Bears in a Boat by David Soman
  
Afraid to face their mother after breaking her beautiful blue seashell, three bears set out on a high seas adventure to try to find a replacement. 

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker 
 
A foster child named Angel and twelve-year-old Stella, who are living with Stella's great-aunt Louise at the Linger Longer Cottage Colony on Cape Cod, secretly assume responsibility for the vacation rentals when Louise unexpectedly dies and the girls are afraid of being returned to the foster care system.

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PTO NEWS
 
TEACHER & STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCHEON ON MAY 3RD
 
The luncheon is on May 3rd, and we need your help!  
It's time to dust off your recipes and donate your best side, salad, or dessert, or your time with setup/clean up. So don't wait...click the link below to join us in making this a successful luncheon!!!!!

****The luncheon will be held during scheduled school hours; therefore, we do not have access to the cafeteria for the heating of any foods. We ask that you please take this into consideration when making your donation selections.****

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-jwfGYQvQtb6IBkn-JeytXo6oWfKohV56sHZQAUoOVQ/edit?pref=2&pli=1#gid=0

Thank you,
Nikki Copeland & Aaron Zain 
 
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SPECIAL WORKSHOPS ANNOUNCEMENT! 
UPCOMING CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAM AT CES

    
Tuesday, May 3: It's Theatretime with Miss Judy! 
(1:30-2:45) 1st Grade Classes

Creative enrichment through storytelling and music!

Storyteller and guitarist, Judy Potter, invites your children up to the "stage" to "pretend" (act out) the story they've just heard in a "real" theatre setting, with light people, actors, and an announcer. Music, singing and audience participation are woven into each play, and children have an opportunity at the end of the "performance" to come up and strum Judy's guitar for sing-a-long. Curriculum links: Reading, Drama, Music

Judy was a teacher at the Chester Child Center for over 30 years, but due to her recent acceleration of vision loss, she has ventured out onto a new journey with her back-packing guitar and is joyfully taking her "It's Theatretime" program into the schools, homes, and libraries of the shoreline and river valley area.

The Cultural Arts Programs at Chester Elementary School are funded and organized by the Chester Elementary PTO, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is because of the combined efforts of our community of parents, teachers and administration, that we are able to provide our students with bi-disciplinary programs that enhance the classroom curriculum, offering memorable, enriching experiences, as a student body and at different grade levels. Cultural arts programs may include, but are not limited to, music, dance, drama, theater, creative writing, literature, architecture, painting, sculpture, folk arts, photography, crafts, public media, history, as well as archaeological and natural science.

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PTO Officers for 2016/2017
 
Officer positions are open! Interested or have questions? Please speak with any PTO Officer, email us at cespto@reg4.k12.ct.us or call Co-President Kim Stack at (860) 526-9260.

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Spring Clothing Drive: May 31st-June 3rd 

Doing some spring cleaning? Save Your Clothes, Blankets, Coats, Linens, etc. for our Spring Clothing Drive - it's next month, and we get paid by the pound - so the more the better! We will gladly accept leftovers from the Town-wide Tag Sale.  

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COMMUNITY NEWS 
 
FREE GIRLS' LACROSSE CLINIC
For information on the free girls' lacrosse clinic on May 1st at Essex Elementary School, please see the Chalk Talk Digital Backpack, or click here.
 
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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

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.

 
 
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