November 28, 2021 Volume I, Section 14
"Meeting learners where they are and growing them as much as we can!"
Returning to our first full year of full-time instruction on campus since the pandemic began has proved to be a challenge in many ways. One thing is apparent. Students are struggling with returning to the social pressures of being on a campus all day. Every day we work with children who are navigating being surrounded by others, trying to manage friendships, and learning how to manage their own complex emotions. We know students are less available for learning when they feel these challenges. We also see atypical student behaviors when emotions and stressors are high. Recognizing this, we are "meeting learners where they are" and increasing our lessons around Social Emotional Learning (SEL.)
Chet F. Harritt teachers use the Second Step program as our SEL curriculum on campus. This program was adopted by the Santee School District. Second Step's goal is to create "a sense of safety and respect grounded in the social-emotional health and well-being of the entire school community." The strength of a shared curriculum like this is that is builds on itself over the years and allows for common language on campus.
As children grow in this area, you will notice a few things. They will be more aware of the skills needed for learning with regard to focus and attention. They will better understand how to set goals for learning and monitor their progress on those goals. They will better understand the feelings of others and empathy. They will have more tools for identifying and resolving conflicts. These are skills that not only benefit them in school, but in life.
We've all had to acknowledge that these are tough times. It's important to also understand that children do not always have the skills necessary to navigate them. They need instruction, just as they need instruction in reading and mathematics. As a matter of fact, learning reading and mathematics are that much harder without these skills. It's time to show patience and empathy as we all grow together to manage ourselves in this complex learning environment.
Helping Santee Santas Make a Difference
If you are not familiar with the organization, the Santee Santas Foundation is a local group that supports families in Santee throughout the year. They are well-known for their annual meal program that provides food to families during the holiday season.
Santee Santas roots are closely attached to the Santee School District, and traditionally, Santee schools have held food drives to support the holiday meal program. The Covid-19 pandemic has restricted Santee Santas from collecting food as it has in the past, but as schools, we know they need support. Therefore, like last year, Santee schools are holding Grocery Card Collection Drives instead.
A flyer with details about this was posted recently, and I want to thank the Chet families who have already donated! I wanted to let everyone know that we will accept donations for Santee Santas in the form of grocery gift cards with a value of $5 or more in the Office until Friday, December 3.
Below you will see that Chet's generosity is already being shown through donations to our Read-A-Thon, and I recognize that this is asking for a little more. Our community needs us, and I hope you can find one more way to help between now and December 3.
Also, Santee Santas is here to support families who need them. To apply for assistance, go to their webpage www.santeesantas.org and click on the "Receive Assistance" tab. You will need to print and complete an application and submit it in person at the Rio Seco School parking lot on either Saturday, November 20 from 10:00-12:00, or Tuesday, November 30 from 3:30-4:45. If you have questions, you can email santeesantas@gmail.com
Read-A-Thon Update!
After one incredible week of Read-A-Thon, Chet is excelling in both reading minutes and donations. Thank you to all who are participating in this fun activity!
Students who read at home can update their minutes on their personal Read-A-Thon page online. If they don't have a page, they can let their teacher know their minutes and we can update our school total.
At school, classes are tracking their reading minutes and we are updating our schoolwide total. Here are are stats so far:
Total minutes read: 52,819
We plan to increase this dramatically this week and have set a stretch goal to reach 200,000 minutes before we finish.
We are also accepting donations, and that's been amazing. In conjunction with our online organizer, we are able to keep 75% of proceeds donated. Our goal was to raise $5,000 for increased seating in our new outdoor learning area, "Shadow Rock Park." That has been achieved!
Proceeds above that will be used to support our PBIS program. This is the program that focuses on our DREAM character traits, and it needs materials and incentives. We are excited to report that we have already earned over $2,500 toward that program. Here are our unbelievable donation stats:
Total donations: $10,055
Total proceeds to Chet: $7,541.25
Remember, if your child has received donations, they are earning credit in the Reward Store, and they will need to choose their rewards at the end of Read-A-Thon. The company will send those our way after we close the event.
We still have this week to read and celebrate reading. Thank you all for making this a success!
If you want to watch our numbers grow, check out our Team Page here:
https://www.read-a-thon.com/school/Chet-F-Harritt-STEAM-School_44428
November 15 Santee Santas Gift Card Drive begins at Chet
November 19 Read-A-Thon ends
November 22-26 Thanksgiving Week Holiday (No School)
November 30 SSC Meeting (3:20pm online)
December 3 Santee Santas Gift Card Drive ends
December 20-21 Winter Break (No School)
November 7, 2021 Volume I, Section 12
"Meeting learners where they are and growing them as much as we can!"
Now that the clocks have "fallen back" an hour and we have returned to standard time, we encourage all families to plan mornings that will get you to school on time and ready to learn.
Over the past two weeks, the amount of students late to school, or tardy, has increased noticeably. As they days get shorter, mornings sometimes become more challenging. Most tardies are less than ten minutes after school has begun.
What can you do?
Set the alarm 5 minutes earlier.
Pre-plan clothes and meals for the next day.
Have backpacks and school supplies organized the night before and ready to go.
Arriving late to school creates an uncomfortable situation. Late students enter the class when it is underway, often missing a few key announcements. Teachers do their best to compensate, but being on-time alleviates this stress.
We recognize that traffic getting into campus varies, and at times is quite heavy. If you feel that you are in the worst of the traffic day-after-day, shift between 5 and 10 minutes earlier. You should notice a difference.
Finally, during drop off, please understand that many cars are likely behind you. Please be sure that when you stop to drop off, your child is ready to exit your vehicle. Our drop off line is meant to keep moving, so plan ahead to avoid stopping and still needing to get ready to exit in front of the school. One strategy is to run through your drop off checklist as you enter the parking lot out loud. Have children repeat back that they have their items and are ready to step out of the car. If the driver needs to exit the vehicle, please consider parking somewhere and walking in. The drop off slows dramatically when that occurs.
Read-A-Thon Starts Monday!
For the next two weeks, Chet will be involved in a schoolwide Read-a-Thon to raise excitement about reading as well as raise some funds fo our school.
Your child should have brought home an information sheet for signing up for an online page to track their at-home reading. If you choose to create a page with your child, you can use that page to be a part of the fundraiser (but it is not required!) If you don't want to create a page with your child, your child's teacher will be able to add your child's at home reading to our school total. Creating an online page earns a small prize for your child from school.
If you choose to participate in the fundraising, your child will earn online credit in a prize store. At the end of the Read-a-Thon, they can spend that credit on prizes by "shopping" in the prize store. There is a link on their page. Also, if you participate in the fundraiser and email 10 people using the Read-a-Thon system, your child will earn an ice cream treat from the school.
Unbelievably, before we have started Day 1 of reading, we have earned over $3,700 in donations, and the school will receive 75% of those funds to spend on our goal of increasing seating in our new, outdoor learning area called Shadow Rock Park. Anything we raise over $5,000 will go to support our PBIS program that reinforces our DREAM traits.
Most importantly, let's read! I can't wait to see how many minutes we can achieve in two weeks as a school working together!
Check out our Team Page here:
https://www.read-a-thon.com/school/Chet-F-Harritt-STEAM-School_44428
Veteran's Day
No School This Thursday, November 11
On November 11, 2021, Chet will join a grateful nation in honoring those who have served our country in the armed forces. Several Chet staff have connections to those who have served, and three of our staff are veterans who served in the Navy. We know our Chet community is deeply connected to the military and thank all who serve and have served our great nation.
If you are a veteran or know a veteran, you might find these Veteran's Day offers of interest:
https://blogs.va.gov/VAntage/96530/veterans-day-2021-discounts/
We will reopen on Friday, November 12.
November 8-19 Read-A-Thon Schoolwide Fundraiser
November 15 Santee Santas Gift Card Drive begins (ends 12/3)
November 11 Veteran's Day (No School - Thursday only)
November 22-26 Thanksgiving Week Holiday (No School)
November 30 SSC Meeting (3:20pm online)
Looking for past sections? Check out the past months' pages (links at the top of the page).