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HELLO FROM THE LEADERSHIP TEAM
Happy October! Thank you all for your assistance in driving on field work experiences, volunteering in classrooms, and support you give at home to encourage deeper learning for your students. All the ways you contribute are valuable and we appreciate all you do!
We have a busy and exciting month ahead! As a Project Based Learning school, students are immersed in real world projects that connect to the community, are relevant, and offer opportunities for student-led inquiry. It's a really different model from what we had in school, which was often more of a "sit-and-get" model for learning. With PBL, students are in the driver seat and teachers facilitate deeper learning for all students. Your role as parents and community members comes into play for the Exhibition of Student Work. This is a chance for you to be an audience for students and hear about their learning. Please be on the lookout for a Project Handout from your child's teacher which outlines the big ideas of the project, interim due dates, and exhibition plans.
On a personal note, I wanted to let everyone know that I'll be taking some time away from school this winter. My husband and I are expecting our second child and my due date is
October 31st. It's an exciting time and I actually can't believe how close the date is now! Our four year old son has offered some great name suggestions; my favorite being to change his name to Batman and giving his baby brother his name. I'm looking forward to introducing our new addition to our CCDS family when he arrives!
I hope to see many of you at the Parade of Lights
on Saturday evening. We participated last year and it was such a joy to share our CCDS spirit with the Chico community.
Warmly,
Wendy
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Wonder Wednesday
Students in grades
K-5 will participate in Wonder Wednesday this coming Wednesday and each minimum day for the remainder of the school year. This is an opportunity for students to choose an activity to try, meet new friends, and have an extra level of agency and choice for that time. We are excited to give this opportunity to our students!
Teachers will offer a variety of activities for students, including outside games, marble runs, craft activities, Band Jam, computer programming, make your own comic strips, and more! We also have a lot of support staff who will help students transition from activity to activity. This is sure to be a great topic for dinnertime on Wednesday night!
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The Jogathon was lots of fun and a great success. The kids had a blast! Thank you to Cori Dennhardt for her leadership, time and energy, along with all the volunteers who helped to make the day successful. A special thank you to Jordan Williams for his DJ skills and PTP for providing popsicles!
The volleyball teams ended their season last week. A big thank you to: Katherine Chapin, Pete Pembroke, Randy Loeb, Mike O'Connor, our awesome team members and their families! Thank you to Beth DiMaggio for taking the team picture and Jenny Skibo for getting great action shots! It was a great season!
Thank you to the Anderson family for the donation of two cornhole boards and bean bags. They originally won these custom-made boards at the auction and donated them back to the school for the students to enjoy!
Thank you to Serve Chico and a few CCDS families for dedicating their Saturday morning to cleaning up the garden. It looks amazing and we appreciate it.
PTP recently had math teacher, Robert Preston, speak about Common Core Math at their General Meeting. It was an
ah-ha moment for all that attended. Thank you to Robert for sharing his
expertise.
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Can you help
2nd grade?
2nd grade is working on their project,
World of Wonder, and is recruiting families from our greater community to come and help 2nd graders learn about different cultures. If a parent is interested in sharing about their culture in a short presentation, please contact the
Mrs. Biddle.
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Oct 6 Middle School Dance 7-9 p.m. (tickets for sale during lunch time)
Oct. 7 Parade of Lights 7 p.m.
Oct. 10
Make-Up Picture Day
Oct. 13 Harvest Fair 4-7 p.m.
Oct. 16 No Student Day
Oct. 17/Oct. 19 Most Likely to Succeed Movie 6-8 p.m.
Middle School Common Area
Oct. 31 Halloween Parade
Nov. 1 Minimum Day
Nov. 6 PTP Holiday Fundraiser Begins
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PARADE OF LIGHTS
Saturday, October 7
This year's theme for the light parade is "Magical Adventures in Book!". The theme of our float is "CCDS in Wonderland". Our middle school leadership class is working on the float design and CCDS is inviting all families, past and present, to come out and walk with their kids behind the float. All kids should be accompanied by and adult.
Please look for Mrs. Fischer at the corner of 3rd Street and Salem (near the PG&E office) at 7 p.m. There will be an opportunity for some students to ride on the float. Students will be chosen by raffle which will be held right before the parade begins.
Make sure you dress up in crazy, bright colors and be prepared to have your face painted. This is sure to be a fun evening!
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Halloween Parade
October 31
This year's Halloween Parade will take place on Tuesday, October 31 at the beginning of the school day.
Student Costume Guidelines: Costumes should be worn to school. Please send an extra set of regular clothes; students will change into regular clothes after the parade. Make sure costumes are comfortable, not scary, and no blood and guts. Masks and weapons are not allowed.
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Density Lab in 8th Grade
(Way-to-go Pason!)
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Only two weeks to go until Harvest Fair day! This much-loved CCDS tradition is going to be bigger and better than ever. Mark your calendars and bring the whole family to CCDS for an afternoon of playing games, winning prizes, enjoying a delicious dinner and sampling a variety of fall treats.
Each classroom is in charge of planning and running a booth. Please check with your child's teacher to see how you can help.
The Details:
Dinner Options
Hamburger Meal - $5
Tri Tip Meal - $7
Meal will include drink and chips
Ticket Prices
Tickets will be available for purchase the day of the event.
Stamp Card - $5
Wrist Band - $12 (or 2 of $10)
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Nurse's Corner
We're excited to introduce Peggy Hicks, Nurse Liz's replacement for the 2017-18 school year. She comes to us with many years of school nursing experience and we're happy to have her join the team. You can reach Nurse Peggy at extension #210. She will be be working two mornings a week.
Free Flu Vaccine Clinics
There are two free walk-in clinics scheduled soon in Butte County:
Tuesday, Oct 3
7-11 a.m. & 3-7 p.m.
Chico Elks Lodge
Saturday, November 4
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Enloe's Community Wellness Expo at the corner of 5th and Magnolia Ave.
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Garden Clean-Up Crew - Thank You!
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Most Likely to Succeed Movie Coming to CCDS
We're excited to share the film Most Likely to Succeed with our parent community! This film offers an inspiring look at what students and teachers are capable of if we have the vision and courage to transform our schools.
Directed by acclaimed documentarian Greg Whiteley, Most Likely to Succeed has been an official selection of two dozen of the world's top film festivals. It has also been featured at leading conferences on education. Audience members call it the most compelling film ever done on the topic of school.
We will be showing the film in our Middle School Common Area on October 17 and October 19 free of charge from 6-8 p.m., followed by a short discussion. This is a parent only event and does require an RSVP, as our Common Area only has seating capacity for 150.
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Measure K Update
Thanks to the greater Chico community, Measure K was passed in November 2016, and provided bond funds to public school students in Chico. Charter schools played an important role in the ballot measure, and funds were allocated to all of the public charter schools within Chico Unified School District. Allocation to each individual school site was based on enrollment of in-district students.
For CCDS this amount is approximately $5.5 million over the course of the next 6 years.
Through a lengthy and thorough process, CCDS submitted plans to begin spending our allocation. This first round of projects included $130,000 in furnishings and equipment, as well as a solar project which will begin in December. Over the summer, our teaching staff and administration ordered new furnishings and equipment for the first, fourth and fifth grade classrooms, as well as seating and tables for the middle school common area. Three new outdoor tables were also purchased. For first, fourth and fifth grade, the teachers felt that flexible seating arrangements and different ways students can utilize school furnishings to learn was their highest priority. The teachers researched several different options, and completely redesigned their classrooms to meet the needs of their students. According to Mrs. Efseaff, "My students love our new furniture. Removing the traditional desks has created so much more space in our classroom. My students have the flexibility to choose where they will learn best. I've noticed some of my students sit in one area for math and another for writing. I love that they are able to choose what is best for them.
We have options for students who need a little more movement: rocking chairs, ball chairs and stools that rock. Some students choose to complete classwork while laying on the floor or standing at our tall table, and students who need more movement choose to sit on ball chairs. My former first graders are so intrigued by the furniture, they stop by frequently to check it out!" Mrs. Chapin agrees, "My students love having choice in their seating and the ability to discover what helps them learn best. I have noticed a decrease in students needing to move about the classroom and an increase in concetration. My students and I are loving our new flexible seating!"
According to Mrs. Peterson-Young, "
My students and I absolutely love our new furniture. Our space now reflects and meets our individual learning styles, and provides an environment that supports many different educational activities. Thank you!". So far, reports from students has been very positive. Thank you again to our CCDS community, the Chico community, and to Lori McGLone and MIchele Mittman for their work on the Measure K ballot measure!
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Boxtops for Education
Start clipping your boxtops! Each boxtop is worth ten cents and it adds up fast!
Look for the cute plastic garbage cans in each classroom. Tip: put your child in charge - they love finding them and saving, however this could lead to a few random holes in your food boxes!
Thank you to parent and CCDS staff member, Cathy McDonnell for taking this fundraiser on and working to promote this super easy fundraiser. Check out the video below for easy instructions. Loran is clearly in charge of the boxtops collection at home and would like every CCDS student to join him!
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School Directory Available through
DirectorySpot App
Have you added the DirectorySpot app to your phone yet? The 2017/2018 Parent Directory is now available and using your phone to contact CCDS families is easy and convenient.
If you were a DirectorySpot user last year, then you don't need to do anything. Just log in with your username which is your current email and password. You may need to reset your password. If you are unable to do this on your phone, please go to the website.
If you are a NEW user, you can download DirectorySpot for free from the App Store (iPhone users) or Google Play (Android users), or you can also access the data from the web.
If you do not have a smart phone, you can access Directory Spot on your computer at DirectorySpot.net. Once you are in the site, you will see "download PDF" on the left side and print your own directory.
If your information changes, you should be able to update your own profile. If you have problems logging in, please contact Lisa Hoppe at 895-2650 X202.
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In 2nd grade, one of the lifeskills that we focus on is Mindfulness.
WHY TEACH MINDFULNESS?
Mindfulness is a lifeskill that teaches children to tune into their thoughts and feelings. Fostering this skill early on helps them better handle stress in the years to come.
WHY IS MINDFULNESS GOOD FOR STUDENTS?
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It boosts their mood and self-esteem.
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It reduces peer aggression and promotes conflict resolution.
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It aids academic learning and improve's cognitive control in the classroom.
HOW TO TEACH MINDFULNESS AT HOME:
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Start with yourself: children learn by watching you.
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Encourage short bursts of mindfulness and build it up a little at a time.
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Keep it simple: be aware of surroundings and notice sensations.
Books to read:
The Listening Walk
, by Paul Showers
The Sound of Silence
, by Katrina Goldsaito
Take the Time for Mindfulness
, by Maud Roegiers
Videos to watch:
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Mind in a Jar - Planting Seeds of Mindfulness MOVIE!
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Fall Sports Update
Volleyball
CCDS is proud of the 6th/7th and 8th grade volleyball teams! Congratulations girls on a great season! Thank you to Katherine Chapin and Pete Pembroke for their commitment to the CCDS Sports Program. They have spent a great amount of time and energy teaching and coaching these super volleyball stars. Another big thank you to Randy Loeb for refereeing the season and Jenny Skibo of Passion for Life Photography for her amazing pictures below. You all rock!
7th Grade Team
8th Grade Team
Girls Basketball
Basketball tryouts began on Friday and finish up today. Practices begin Tuesday at 5 p.m. followed by a parent meeting at 6:15 p.m. First home game is November 7!
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Music at CCDS
After-School Program
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Bands and choirs are off to a fantastic start! We hope to have one of our school's ensembles share a song or two once a month at All School Sing. In September, our beginning choir shared two fun rounds, and taught one of them to the school to become one of our community songs. Band kids are progressing wonderfully and often bring their instruments to serenade the quad at recesses. Concert Choir got to go to CSU, Chico's newest recital hall to view a screening of the San Francisco Opera's recent production of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. It was amazing! The opera is such a tribute to the importance of honoring diversity in America.
In classroom music, we are digging deep into our love of and appreciation for music. Second graders are learning to read notes and rhythms, third graders are learning to play the recorder (contributing to the serenades at recess), and fourth and fifth grades are utilizing almost every single instrument in the music room to create interesting arrangements of songs. The Middle School Elective has studied music history from pre-history through the early 20th century, and especially enjoyed dressing up and learning a Renaissance dance.
Thanks for supporting our music department!
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The students in After School are having fun and enjoying the following weekly programs:
Small Bites with Steph
- learning kitchen safety and cooking some tasty dishes such
as Pumpkin Turkey Chili, Chicken Potpies and Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites.
Cooking Around the World - students are exploring different cultures and cooking some yummy dishes around the world. Some of the dishes they have created so far include Empanadas de Carne, Cannoli and Crepes. Next week they are headed to Egypt to enjoy Kofta patties with Tzatziki.
Athletics
- a new sport is focused each week. The students can't wait to start the unit with pickleball, bocce ball and croquet! Ultimate frisbee is coming soon too.
ASP will also be working in the garden planting seeds and bulbs for spring. We will also create a fun scarecrow in our school garden space. We would love any and all help from our school community. Volunteers, donations and suggestions are welcome. Please contact ASP Directory,
Angela Cherry or come by to say hello if you would like to play in the dirt with us!
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JOGATHON 2017
Weather was perfect, students had fun, and we're pretty sure the money collected is the most ever made! The total was a
pproximately $10,400! Thank you to all the CCDS families who fundraised - this is AMAZING! There were two winners.
The Chiklettes brought in approximately $1650 and won a pizza party. The individual who brought in the highest amount was Samantha Hermann! That means Mrs. Daverson's 1st grade class will also be enjoying a pizza party soon!
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PTP is busy finishing up the Jogathan, preparing for the Harvest Fair and getting ready for the holiday fundraiser. (Clue: the products sold will be local and they will be ideal Christmas presents!) Stay tuned for more information coming soon!
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!
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Chico
 Country Day School
102 West 11th Street
Chico, CA, 95928 
(530)895-2650
(530)895-2646 fax
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