"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."
Mother Teresa
The Head's Heads Up
Last year, Chesapeake Academy parents hit a significant milestone! One hundred percent of families at CA participated in annual giving, which set a record at Chesapeake Academy, a fact that thoroughly impressed the VAIS visiting team in October. They mentioned the achievement several times.
Repeating this achievement is a lofty goal, but now that you have set the gold standard, we must keep this momentum going. Annual gifts are renewable, repeatable gifts that help provide the essential resources our students need to thrive at Chesapeake Academy.
Why is 100% parent participation in the Bell Tower Annual Giving Fund so critical to the success of Chesapeake Academy?
- Tuition dollars only cover 70% of the cost of an education at Chesapeake Academy. Fund raising through the Bell Tower Annual Giving Fund, the Oyster Roast, and the Annual Auction make up the other 30%. Without fundraising, tuition rates would increase by a minimum of $2900 per student. That means every student receives financial assistance to attend CA.
- 100% of faculty and staff and 100% of the Board of Trustees support the Bell Tower Annual Giving Fund each year. Our employees believe in the CA program deeply enough to support the school through their participation.
- Reaching 100% of parent participation speaks volumes to other individual donors and to grant making organizations. In fact, participation rates in annual giving are the first questions asked when CA applies for grants. Grantors want to know that constituent groups believe in what Chesapeake Academy does and that they support the program. Last year the school recieved over $50,000 from local grants.
- Annual Giving enriches the experience of each and every student at Chesapeake Academy. Classroom materials, field trips, athletic equipment, art supplies, and technology are all funded through the Bell Tower Annual Giving Fund.
- The larger community recognizes the important role that Chesapeake Academy plays in the educational and economic life of the area. Alumni, alumni parents and grandparents, current grandparents, and those who have no personal affiliation with CA comprise a large number of contributors to CA. It makes an important statement when parents whose children currently benefit from the educational experience also step up to add their names to the donor rolls.
With CAPPA's help, we will begin a campaign for the 2017-18 school year (Fiscal year is July 1 to June 30) to reach 100% parent participation by the end of the school year once again. No amount is too small or too large. Your participation is what counts. Together, you can have a huge impact on your own child and all the children at Chesapeake Academy. Please consider how you can support this very important initiative and help us reach 100%.
With much gratitude for your efforts,
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A Call to Action:
The 2018 Virginia Living Best of Virginia voting season has begun! Chesapeake Academy has been top-rated in three categories!
Vote now to keep our streak going!
- Best Independent School--Chesapeake Academy
- Best Annual Charity Event--Chesapeake Academy's Community Oyster Roast
- Best Summer Camp--Chesapeake Academy Summer Camp
Then, spread the word!
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Please Welcome Our Newest Ospreys!
Our newest students are here! Thomas
Stone (fir
st grade) and his brother, Harris Stone (fourth grade) started school at Chesapeake Academy in January!
Thomas and Harris are the sons of Harris and Jessica Stone. Their family moved to the Northern Neck from South Carolina.
Please join us in welcoming the Stone Family and help to make them feel included in our community!
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Class Acts...
What's Happening on the Halls?
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Celebrating Service
and
Peaceful Advocacy!
To celebrate the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of service to his community and his nation, Head of School, Julie Duvall Keesee addressed Chesapeake Academy's student body to review King's contributions to Civil Rights in America, his philosophy of peaceful protest to create constructive change, and his focus on service. Highlighting the theme of empathy as a foundation for justice, Keesee focused on the importance of our connections to one another and our desire to serve. The assembly concluded with Keesee leading the student body to brainstorm ways they can continue this legacy, applying empathy to serve others and be positive citizens.
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Driveway Etiquette Update!
With student safety always on our minds, it is a good time for a refresher on driveway etiquette at Chesapeake Academy.
- Pedestrians use marked crosswalks and have the right of way. There is a crosswalk in front of the school on Steamboat Road and one that crosses the pick-up line by the gym. Keep your eyes peeled!
- All children must be in age- appropriate carseats or seat belts. Every time. No exceptions.
- The entire campus is a "no passing zone." Patience is a virtue.
- The speed limit on campus is 5 miles per hour. Yoga breathing and foot on brake. You can do this!
- Children may not be left in cars unattended, and no cars may be left running. Unattended children will be charged tuition. Carpool greeters are happy to keep an eye on your car while you drop off a pre-kindergartener or kindergartener. Just give them a smile and a wave and they will give you a hand.
- Cell phones are never, ever, ever in use while driving on campus.
- We need to be good neighbors! Please do not line up on Steamboat Road before afternoon carpool if you arrive early. Park in the parking lot and join the line when the cones are removed.
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The Business of Biography!
Second and third grade learners teamed up to research heroes from the past. Working in multi-grade pairs, students read, researched, and rethought the facts they collected. Gathered information was summarized and recorded on "fact sheets." Main ideas were highlighted and important points explained. The unit culminates with each group presenting their findings on a poster and in a student-designed visual aid. Researchers on the move!
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Parent Partnership Conferences:
A Parenting Power Tool!
Grab your calendar, and contact your child's teacher to schedule your bi-annual progress check! A strong partnership between school and home can help make the most of your child's education. Every family meets a minimum of twice a year with their child's teachers to hear what is working, what strategies best address needed growth, and what to celebrate! Teachers will share a GoogleDoc sign-up sheet to make this easy for you. If you need a hand scheduling convenient conferences with multiple teachers, Ms. Connie Smith is happy to help!
Middle School students lead their own conferences, so please plan a time when your child is also available.
If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.
Carol Dweck
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Math is All Around Us Gearing Up Again!
Lower School students got acquainted with their new groups in anticipation for a new "Math is All Around Us" challenge later this month. Students participated in various card and board games that further develop visual processing in mathematics. As stated by Dr. Jo Boaler (Stanford University), "Strong mathematics learners are those who think deeply, make connections and visualize." Mathematics is normally presented as an almost entirely numeric and symbolic subject, but Chesapeake Academy students know that mathematicians rarely solve a problem without visual representations! Here our Ospreys are stimulating their dorsal visual pathways, the core brain region for representing the knowledge of quantity.
"What did they know? They knew that human qualities, such as intellectual skills, could be cultivated through effort. And that's what they were doing-getting smarter. Not only weren't they discouraged by failure, they didn't even think they were failing. They thought they were learning."
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It's Auction Time!
You won't want to miss A Grand Affair, A Roaring 20's Auction! Just everybody's going to be there! Planning for Chesapeake Academy's 41st annual auction (May 5, 2018) is well underway!
This event is bound to be the cat's meow (just wonderful) with a power-house team of bearcats (lively, spirited women) at the helm! Current Parents Kelly Denton, Michelle Ritter, Lara Brown, Betsy Stanley and Alumni Parent Johanna Carrington are spearheading this event, and they are asking all parents to help out! No dewdroppers (lollygaggers) allowed!
There is a role for every guy and doll and something to suit every schedule! Procurement teams are being formed, a decorations team is needed, clerical help is constantly required, and we will need set-up and clean-up teams. So shake your gams (legs) and raise a few clams (dollars)! Ring up one of these parents, Catherine Emry in the Development Office, or Julie Duvall Keesee, Head of School, to see where you can help the most.
Sponsorships, keepsake catalog ads, and dough (donations) are also being accepted, so watch for information in your mailbox soon!
The auction is our biggest fundraising event and together, we can make this event the bees knees (you know what that means)!!!!
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Arts and Innovation Discussion Sparks Enthusiasm About Student Learning
Completing the final part of a three-part series of professional development workshops with Dr. Mark Hofer from William and Mary's Center for Innovation and Learning Design, the CA faculty created and shared a gallery of arts and innovation experiences from each class as a springboard for a discussion of how to use arts and innovation as a powerful tool for inductive critical thinking accross the curriculum.
"The CA faculty continually grapples with the question of how best to pr
epare Chesapeake Academy students for a constantly changing future. Differentiated classrooms focused on twenty-first century skills build creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration--core skills that will prepare flexible, constructive thinkers for the workplaces of the future.
"Head of School Julianne Duvall Keesee explains. "Each grade and subject addresses larger essential questions designed to inspire inquiry on higher level thought. Project based learning taps into student passions, igniting curiosity and driving learning deeper--and hinting at the rewards of bold forays into innovation and design learning. We are now ready to move forward on new opportunities for our students in innovation and design."
"We embrace design learning at Chesapeake Academy because we believe that it will benefit our students, increasing student motivation, developing resilience, and promoting deeper learning."
"Design thinking requires bridging the "knowing-doing gap." The tools of the design thinker-getting out into the world to be inspired by people, using prototyping to learn with our hands, creating stories to share our ideas, joining forces with people from other disciplines-are ways of deepening what we know and widening the impact of what we do."
Tim Brown, Change by Design
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Aura Curatlas Performs for CA Students!
Thanks to the Rappahannock Foundation for the Arts, Aura Curatlas delighted the Chesapeake Academy audience with their performance of "Dream Logic." Aura Curatlas combines acrobatics, dance, and theatre into highly skilled physical storytelling.
With each new work, the Aura Curatlas troupe finds different ways to tell stories, keeping the qualities of lightness (Aura), play (Curiosity), and strength (Atlas) at the center. The lightheartedness and athleticism of their work and their reliance on physical storytelling make them accessible to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
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Oh, Yes! Science is Fun!
What could be more thrilling than exploration, learning, and hands-on inquiry at the Science Museum of Virginia? Not much, if you ask Chesapeake Academy fourth and fifth graders.
Students travelled to the Science Museum of Virginia to explore interactive exhibits and investigate basic scientific principles from their science curriculum. Science teacher, Robin Blake, explains,
"The Museum inspires curiosity! It is a place that generates ideas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). So it is just the huge classroom to engage our small school!" The Museum features permanent exhibitions about space, health, electricity and Earth and hosts visiting exhibitions from around the world. Hannah Ditch, a fifth grade student, sums it up,
"It was a great learning experience because we got to learn about sound and electricity and how things work. Very fun day!"
Working in groups, fourth graders built a bobsled and timed how long it took to travel down the track while considering variables that impacted speed. Fourth grade students also got to see a live science demonstration of 100,000 volts of electricity from the Van de Graaff generator as they learned about lightning, the forces between charges,
and how static electricity is formed.
Fifth graders challenged their critical thinking skills as they explored more complex science principles including matter, sound, and light. Participating in a "live science" sound lab and constructing a musical instrument, students learned about resonance, vibration, frequency, and pitch.
Fifth graders also discovered how plate tectonics shaped modern world geography and watched an earthquake happen in near real-time, learning how natural disasters were tracked in the past and using GIF technology to locate earthquakes and take a closer look at more recent occurrences that have impacted our world. Both groups explored all three levels of the museum and enjoyed a day of fun-filled science!
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Past is Prologue: Seventh Grade Learns Valuable Lessons about Propaganda Using Historic Sources!
After studying the Boston Massacre in the American Revolution, seventh graders analyzed an engraving on the topic made by Paul Revere. Tasked with finding a variety of techniques used to persuade, students became better able to define and identify propaganda. Critical analysis of media is an essential modern skill.
"The new survival skills-effective communication, curiosity, and critical-thinking skills-are no longer skills that only the elites in a society must muster; they are essential survival skills for all of us."
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With a Sad Heart....
Longtime supporter of Chesapeake Academy,
William Raleigh "Billy" Rowe Jr., 93, passed away January 2, 2018.
Mr. Rowe was a longtime director of Northern Neck Mutual Insurance Company and president of Tri-State Agency Corp.
Born August 23, 1924, he was a lifelong resident of Irvington where he was the fourth generation of his family to reside on Rowe's Point on Carter Creek.
He enlisted in the Navy immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in the Pacific Theater on the USS Alcor destroyer repair ship and was honorably discharged at the end of the war.
He was an avid hunter and fisherman, both locally and during travels in the U. S. and abroad.
In 1965, he donated his former family home place on Steamboat Road in Irvington as the site of Chesapeake Academy, and the property is now known as the school's Rowe Campus.
Mr. Rowe was the senior member of Irvington Baptist Church and also attended All Saints Anglican Church in Saluda.
He was predeceased by his parents, William R. Rowe Sr. and Mary Seward Rowe.
As an only child, he considered his lifelong friend, the late C. Jackson Simmons of Irvington, a brother. He leaves behind his "adopted" family, Frances Chase Simmons of Irvington; J. Rawleigh and Susan Simmons and their children, Chas Faulkner and Emory Simmons of Wicomico Church; Sarah L. Simmons of Atlanta, Ga., and her son, Spencer Nicholson of Irvington.
William Raleigh Rowe, Jr's Obituary
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Do you know a terrific student who could be a great addition to Chesapeake Academy? Please share this exciting opportunity!
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What is Discovery Day at Chesapeake Academy?
Discovery Day is a fun and creative hands-on experience for
community children
on Saturday mornings. These events are offered as a means to bring together early childhood and elementary school families in our community with enriching, age-appropriate art, science, math, movement, and music activities centered on popular children's literature. Chesapeake's next Discovery Day, on Saturday, January 20, will feature teacher-guided activities centered around the book, Violet the Pilot by Steve Breen
.
Discovery Days are sponsored by the Early Childhood and Lower School teachers at Chesapea
ke Academy and the Wiley Foundation and are open and free to all children ages 4 - 7 in our community. While these events are not for current Chesapeake Academy students, we encourage our families to share this opportunity with families with young children between the ages of 4 - 7. If you know of a family that may have interest in attending our Discovery Day event
(HINT: you could submit a referral form to earn a $1000 tuition credit!)
, please have them contact Hilary Scott at 804.438.5575 or
[email protected]
to reserve a spot!
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CAPPA Countdown!
It was terrific to have new faces adding to the brain trust at the CAPPA meeting this month! The next full CAPPA meeting is March 14. Mark your calendars! This is a great way to support Chesapeake Academy: there is a role for everyone!
Procurement has begun for the 2018 Annual Auction, A Grand Affair! Be thinking about how you can support this vital fundraising event. Remember, special events are responsible for 30 percent of the cost of educating a child, so it is up to all of us to make them successful.
Each year, every class joins the school community in contributing an item to the auction. It is time to plan class projects for Auction donations, so if you have a great idea, contact your room parent or your child's teacher. These creative donations are always a big hit!
Got cold feet? Who doesn't these days? We now have three styles of CA socks in the Osprey Nest which are uniform approved. It has been determined the socks will fit second through eighth graders.
The price is $14 per pair or 2 for $25.
"
The strongest principle of personal development is every person's ability to make conscious decisions how to act and determine what purpose he or she attempts to fulfill. People with a fixed mindset believe that their basic personal qualities such as intelligence, talent, and other skills are traits that are predetermined or fixed, and they ignore opportunities for personal development. A person's growth mindset represents a belief that there are certain basic qualities that a person can cultivate through applied effort, if they exhibit a passion for learning, a resolute willingness to stretch their personality, and through fortitude make personal improvement despite experiencing initial hardships."
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THE Attitude is Gratitude
Hilary Scott, Director of Admission, would like to recognize the following parent volunteers for helping to distribute marketing posters in over 100 locations in the surrounding counties.
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Kate Carey
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Gracie Wessinger
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Jennifer Hinton
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Whitney Shelton
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Robin Cunningham
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Phoebe Hollingsworth
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Kim Olsen
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Sonja Smith
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Fiona Chao (Li)
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Diana Wolfson
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Alison Weddle
Thanks to the Rappahannock Foundation for the Arts for bringing the unique theatre and dance company, Aura Curatlas, to Chesapeake Academy. This company provided a refreshing cultural experience for our students.
Thanks to the Wiley Foundation for their consistent support of the Performing Arts and Lecture Series. Thanks to Ian York for chauffeuring area preschools so they can attend performances. Thanks to Hilary Scott who books exciting, educational performances for the areas youngest children!
Thanks to the Mason and Lula Cole Trust for making a grant to Chesapeake Academy for arts and innovation equipment that will support theatre and fine arts! Goodies will include
a green screen for video recording, portable lighting for the stage, a stage skirt, portable
mics, and a large design computer for the art room.
Thanks to alumni Drew Ransone at Ransone's Nursery for clearing our parking lot and getting us back to school. Thanks to Richard Abbott for salting all the walkways!
Thanks to long-time friend of the school H. Hiter Harris, Jr. for funding new opportunities in financial assistance. The gift of a Chesapeake Academy education can change the future!
Board Member Grover Branson continues to step up when needed! We appreciate his chauffeur services!
Rosetta Struse, Lauren Leo, Michelle Ritter, and Emily Thomas deserve heartfelt kudos for making short work of an auction mailing this week.
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Don't Miss the Dates!
1/15 Head of School Day/School Closed
1/16 Basketball vs. Dahlgren at St. Margaret's School, Girls @ 4:00, V Boys @ 5:00 p.m.
1/17 PALS Event, Flumpa: Space Odyssey, 9:30 a.m.
1/18 Basketball vs. Aylett Country Day School, JV Boys @ 4:00 p.m., Girls @ 5:00 p.m. and V Boys @ 6:00 p.m.
1/19 End of Second Marking Period
1/20 Discovery Day,
Violet the Pilot
1/23 through 1/26 Exams, seventh and eighth grades
1/23 ERBs, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades
1/25 Basketball vs. Ware Academy, JV Boys @ 4:00 p.m., Girls @ 5:00 p.m., V Boys @
6:00 p.m.
1/25 Pre-Kindergarten 3&4 Step Up Day
1/26 Teacher Work Day
1/29 ERBs, seventh and eighth grades
1/30 Basketball vs. Aylett Country Day School, JV Boys @ 4:00 p.m., Girls @ 5:00 p.m.,
V
Boys @ 6:00 p.m.
1/31 Dental Health Presentations by VCU Dental Students, pre-k 3&4 through third grade
1/31 "The Little Red Hen, second and third grades, 10:05 a.m.
2/5 through 2/8 Parent Partnership Days
2/7 Dress Uniform
2/9 Basketball Hosts Ware Academy: JV Boys @ 4:00 p.m., Girls @ 5:00 p.m., and V Boys @ 6:00 p.m.
2/13 ISAC Tournament @ Ware
2/14 Science Museum, grades six and seven
2/15 ISAC Tournament @ CCS
2/16 President's Weekend, no school
2/21 Faculty Professional Development, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable"
Thomas Fowell Buxton
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Post Office Box 8 107 Steamboat Road Irvington, VA 22480
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