HELLO FROM THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

   
Dear Parents and Guardians,

As CCDS cycles through the year, we gather input from all of our stakeholders to see how we are doing with regard to our mission and our goals found in our LCAP and WASC plans. These plans provide a valuable way for our organization to purposefully look at the work we do. Parent and student input is an integral part for both of these important plans. Chico Country Day School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Additionally, the state funding formula includes a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) which is the way our school can share performance data, needs, actions and outcomes. The WASC and LCAP process will be discussed and reviewed at our upcoming stakeholder meeting in the Middle School Common Area on February 21 from 6-7:30 p.m. Dinner and childcare will be provided.   RSVP here .

Even if you can't attend, please participate by filling out the Parent Survey: LCAP 2017-18.   Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules for this important event.

Chico Country Day School has been educating and inspiring students for twenty-one years. Alumni students often keep in contact with us and we hear about great things that are happening in their lives. We love that we have alumni staff members who have come back to work at CCDS, including our first alumni future educator Jordan Hoppe (class of 2006) , who is currently a student teacher in Mrs. Chapin's fourth grade classroom. In the After School Program, we have had several alumni come back and work for us.  Currently, we have Lucy Greenfield (Class of 2010), who also works in the middle school office, Callie Cox (Class of 2010), Grace Massa (Class of 2012), and Nick Gazda (Class of 2012).  Welcome back! 

Sincerely,
Colly Fischer

In This Issue

Thank you to Ruth Greenfield and Jim McKenzie and all who made the Winter Concert a success. With over 400 in attendance, each level of band performed with excellence!  Not only were the musicians fantastic, but the parents who chaperoned and helped clean up deserve a hearty thanks! 

A huge thank you to Chas Konopka for helping with the basketball logistics while Mike O'Connor was out. You're awesome!

Our girls' basketball teams had a successful season. Thanks to their awesome coaches Jordan Williams and Chris Nixon and Athletic Director Mike O'Connor for overseeing the program. A big thank you to all the parents who volunteered during home games! 

Thank you to Michele Mittman for distributing CCDS Flyers to the local preschools! You rock!

Thank you to Liz Stewart, a local historian, who visited the 3rd grades to speak about the Barber neighborhood and share other information about Chico. 

B Street Theater came all the way from Sacramento to put on an amazing History Extravaganza show for our school! What a great show! An anonymous donor made this possible. To the secret donor, thank you! If you're interested in learning more about this year's shows, click here.

FREE!
The CAVE Tutorial Program will begin Tuesday, February 20 at 5 p.m. We strongly encourage parents to attend an orientation on the first day to go over mandatory paperwork. The program is avalable to  K-12 in a variety of subjects every Tuesday and Thursday from 
5-6:30 p.m. in the BMU 309 on Chico State's campus. We do not require appointments, as we run on a drop-in, first-come/first-serve basis. 
For questions, call 898-5817.

Chico Science Fair 
February 26-March 2

Registration for the Chico Science Fair is now open.   See the registration link below. The deadline is February 20.  Your child may enter as an individual or with a group of students.  You can find guidelines on the  Chico Science Fair Website. The Science Fair will be open to the public from February 26-March 2.  

100 M & M's!!

FREE Family Day at the Anthropology Museum
February 10, 
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
       Click photo to enlarge.

     
  
Feb. 7           Minimum Day
                     All-School Skate 1-3 p.m.  

Feb. 12        Auction Ticket Sales Begin - More info                                   coming soon!      

Feb. 13       CCDS Band Benefit featuring Paradise Big 
                    Band & Studio One Ballroom Dancers  7 p.m. 

Feb. 16       Lincoln's Birthday-No School

Feb. 19       President's Day-No School

Feb. 20       No Student Day - Professional Development
                    Lottery Day

Feb. 21       LCAP/WASC Parent Meeting  6-7:30 p.m.
                    Middle School Common Area

Feb. 26       Middle School Expo: Learn more about the                         Middle School   6-7 p.m.

Feb. 28       Family Night Out at MOD Pizza  4-8 p.m. 

1st Graders Celebrate 
Penguin Awareness Day 
  
First graders recently participated in  Science   Story time, via webcast with the California Academy of Sciences.  They listened to the story,  Pierre the Penguin, the Academy's most famous resident!  These first grade scientists made observations and predictions during the read aloud and were able to ask the scientist several questions! The first graders learned that Pierre was an African Penguin with an unusual problem.  If you want to find out more, ask a first grader or you can check out the true story of Pierre the Penguin for yourself!

Middle School Teachers Featured on 
People Powered Radio

There's cool stuff happening in the 8th grade! Mrs. Birchard and Mr. Barbera were interviewed last week on People Powered Radio by Bill Mash of Without a Roof. They introduced their new 8th grade project "Abandoned." Students will delve into the homeless issue in Chico. Check out this cool interview below!


                 Abandoned Project Interview
                                          
Mark Your Calendars!

  
Fifth grade parents are invited to our first Middle School Expo on February 26, from 6-7 p.m. Come and learn from our teachers about the CCDS Middle School experience. As students move from our elementary to middle school programs,  there may be "wonderings" that arise. Our staff would like to talk about the unique and exciting CCDS Middle School experience and answer any questions for you. 
The 8th Grade recently visited Chico State. They sat in on a political science lecture, toured the campus and spoke with Dr. Diana Dwyre.

Mark Your Calendars!
2nd Annual CCDS Band Benefit
February 13,  7 p.m.

Looking for something fun to do that the whole family can enjoy? Come enjoy this special performance by Paradise Big Band in the CCDS Gym, from 7-9 p.m. Studio One Ballroom will be providing dance lessons!  Bring the kids, kick off your shoes and let's have fun! It's only $5 for the whole family and all proceeds go toward purchasing new instruments for our band program. Thank you for supporting the CCDS band!


Yearbook elective is working hard to deliver a great yearbook at the end of the year. Purchase your yearbook now!

$32 - through March 12
$35 - After March 12

Yearbooks can be ordered and paid for online here (ID code: 3945118) or you may pay in either school office. Please make checks payable to Chico Country Day School.

Ticket sales for the Auction for Excellence are coming soon! This year, all tickets will be sold strictly online. No tickets will be available for purchase in the main office, although everyone will still receive a beautiful invitation in the mail. Our event ticketing page is hosted by Event Smart. This page will go live and tickets may be purchased starting  February 12.

Now is the time to start thinking about those amazing classroom projects. Get in touch with Andrea Bonis or Stephanie Lewis with your ideas or if you need some inspiration. 

If you would like to make a donation of goods or services for the silent or live auction, please fill out our Google Form. You can also find this form on the website in the Quick Links at the top of the home page. Donor receipts for tax purposes are in the main office.

Get in touch with Irene Henkens or Kerry Hermann with any questions or offers of help!

Social Emotional Learning and Behavior

At Chico Country Day we believe that education should both engage students and build their character. In doing this, we tap into many evidence based approaches that help us address student needs and behaviors. In addition to our discipline and behavior policy, better known as the "rules," some practices we use are Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS), Restorative Practices, Nurtured Heart, mindfulness practices, and classroom lessons from Second Step and Bully Proofing. We use all of these tools to further our mission of providing a safe, joyful community where all learners are inspired to achieve their personal best.

CCDS utilizes a set of beliefs and values - what we call our life skills - to help us define how we (students, teachers, community members) interact and work with one another. The following list of life skills is used for common language and education.

At times, parents may post school-based discussions on social media. We encourage any postings to reflect the CCDS life skills.

FALL 2018-2019 PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
If you would like to put your child on our waiting list for our FALL 2018-2019 school year, please call Kerri at 895-2650, ext. 116. We will process priority registrations first and then fill any open spots with names from our waiting list during the OPEN ENROLLMENT week.

Priority Registration Dates are as follows:

February 5-9 - Current enrolled families
February 12-15 - Returning preschool siblings
February 21-23 - Chico Country Day Families

During registration week, please come fill out a registration form and pay the non-refundable $25 registration fee. Spots are at a first-come/first-serve basis.

OPEN ENROLLMENT BEGINS- February 26-March 2
Beginning in January, please call to get your child on our waiting list. We will call all our families on the waiting list beginning Monday, February 26 to inform you of available openings in our preschool classes. At that time, you will have until Friday, March 2 to fill out a registration form, which is available in the preschool, and pay the non-refundable $25 registration fee. This will hold your child's spot. 

To register for Pre-K (4 and 5-year-old classes), children need to turn four by September 1, 2018. To register for 3-year-old classes, children need to turn three by September 1, 2018.

If you have any questions, please email Preschool Director, Kerri Cooley, or call 895-2650, ext. 116.


News from the Music Department

Congratulations Choirs and Bands!
The Winter Concert was a huge success, perhaps the largest CCDS has ever seen ~ and heard.  There were over 300 people in the audience to hear our bands and choirs perform the music they've been rehearsing all this year.  It was amazing to see ~ and hear ~ the musical growth that's been achieved.  The bands and choir played and sang a wide variety of selections, from "Star Wars ~ The Force Awakens", to "Be Kind To Your Parents" and a finale of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "Into the West." Mrs. Greenfield and Mr. McKenzie try to encourage a generous performance philosophy, wherein the performers believe they're there to give gifts to an audience, and the audience definitely experienced that generosity that evening.  There are over a hundred CCDS kids in our programs!  Thank you to everyone who came to support their hard work!

If you are interested in supporting our band and choir programs financially, please consider a donation. Donations can be turned into either office.  

Choirs accepting new members!
As we start our second semester of singing, we are opening the doors to admit more members.  

Concert Choir: for singers 4th grade and up! Talk to Mrs. Greenfield about your voice to see if this group is right for you.  We are singing in harmony, preparing for a festival, and putting on a musical theater scene.  Concert Choir meets:

Mondays, 3-4 p.m. music room
Wednesdays, 3-4 p.m., Middle School
Fridays 7:30-8:20 a.m., music room

Beginning Choir:  for singers 2nd grade and up.  No experience required. The practices are designed to cover the same material both days in the week, so if you can only come to one time, that's okay!  And everyone is welcome to come to both. Beginning Choir meets:

Tuesday mornings, 7:40-8:20 a.m., music room 
Thursdays, 2:30-3:15 p.m., library 

For more information, please contact Mrs. Greenfield or Mr. McKenzie.
Dissecting Worms in 6th Grade
 
in First Grade   


What is Active Listening?
Active listening is more than just hearing what is being said.  Active Listening means to listen for meaning, understanding and remembering what was said.  

What's the difference between listening and hearing?
Hearing is a very passive activity.  You often hear noises while in a room, without actually registering what is being said.  Skillful listening requires the listener to focus on the message and filter our background noise and distractions.

Why are good listening skills important?
Kids who have good listening skills are more successful in school. Adults with good listening skills communicate more effectively in the workplace and in relationships.

Ways to practice Active Listening:

 

Mark your calendars 
You don't want to miss two upcoming events that will help fund the 8th Grade Dinner Dance:

8th Grade vs Staff Basketball Game 
WhenMarch 7 5:30 to 7:00 (game starts at  6:00)
Where - Eagle's Nest (CCDS Gym)

8th Grade vs Staff Volleyball Game
When -  April 25 5:30 to 7:00 (game starts at  6:00)
Where - Eagle's Nest (CCDS Nest)

Come out and see your favorite CCDS staff member match up against the 8th Grade athletes. A guaranteed fun activity for the entire family.
* Concessions will be sold during both of these events.  

First Successful Family Night Out
We would like to thank the families and friends who came out and supported CCDS by having dinner at Chipotle.  Our combined efforts raised $1,140.50!  Staff and management were impressed by the turnout and patience for the wait time. Thank you again!

On February 28, we will be taking over MOD pizza. The event will take place from 4-8, p.m.  MOD will donate 20% of total sales to CCDS (valid for dine-in, take-out, or phone orders).  

Buy-It-Brick Campaign 1996-2016
In honor of our 20th anniversary last year, we are continuing our Buy-a-Brick campaign. These beautifully crafted, laser-engraved bricks are a way to celebrate your family's time on campus. This will be an on-going campaign that will not only add beauty to our campus, but will also serve as a visual history of our school and families. 

There are flyers in the office, along with a sample brick. The bricks will be delivered in batches to be installed in several locations around campus. Support CCDS and honor your memories!
 
To learn more or order your brick, please  click here.

Wonderful Art Created by CCDS Students 


100 Days BRIGHTER Today!

 

  Chico Country Day School
  
102 West 11th Street
  Chico, CA,  95928                                        Follow us on Twitter
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