2-12-23 PAW'S PRESS

Friday, February 17th is a half day.

It is our last day before mid-winter break.

Half Day Dismissal Times:

11: 18 AM SACC/Safety/Service Squad

11:21 AM Walkers/Parent Pick Up

11:25 AM Bussers

Dear Cherokee Families,

We had so much fun at our 100th Day Celebration on Thursday, February 9th! We are all so proud of our students and all that they have accomplished so far this year. See below for some pictures!

Upcoming Important Events:

• Ordering Lunch - See below for the February and March menus and ordering links.
• Valentine's Day Parties (February 14th) - Teachers will provide details regarding parties. See below for important allergy reminders.
  
• LAST DAY BEFORE MID-WINTER BREAK & Half Day (February 17th) - Half Day Dismissal Times:11: 18 AM SACC/Safety/Service Squad, 11:21 AM Walkers/Parent Pick Up, 11:25 AM Bussers
• MID-WINTER BREAK - Break begins at dismissal on February 17th. See times above.
• Classes Resume (February 27th)
• Spring Conferences - Spring conferences will be held in March. Spring conferences are "as needed" if requested by a teacher. Your child's teacher will let you know if a conference is required and provide sign up details.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help make the school year a success for you and your child!

Sincerely,

Heather Batko

Cherokee Principal

hbatko@cvs.k12.mi.us

• We have many students at Cherokee with severe peanut/tree nut allergies. Therefore peanuts/tree nuts products and products contaminated in a facility that processes peanuts/tree nuts will not be allowed for certain classes, common areas, etc.
  
• Due to the severity of some of our students with allergies it has been asked that some classes avoid bringing peanut/tree nut products for both lunch and snacks consumed in the classroom. Other classes have only been asked to avoid bringing peanut/tree nut products for snacks consumed in the classroom. Guidelines have been communicated to individual classrooms/grade levels. Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions about the guidelines for your child's classroom.
• The link for the Snack Safely Guide is below. This guide has many great many recommendations for foods do not have peanuts, tree nuts and are not processed in facility with these items. This guide updates regularly so it is best to check the link below rather than printing.
• Click here for the Snack Safely Guide.

Click here for a video of our 100s Day Parade! Thank you to Ms. Tropper, our media specialist, for creating the video!

Please note that we have received new communication that it is ideal for families to order lunch by 9:30 AM the school day prior. For example, when ordering lunch for pizza on Monday, it is ideal to order by 9:30 AM on Friday. This helps with the accuracy of our lunch count. We of course always order extra but this helps with accuracy.

Click here to order hot lunch for February.

Click here for printable hot lunch menu.

Click here to order hot lunch for March.

Click here for printable menu link for March

February is Black History Month. We will celebrate the many accomplishments and contributions of these individuals!

Click here for parent resources.

All Chippewa Valley elementary schools hosted Cyber Safety presentations. At Cherokee, students attended the presentations on January 13th. Students learned about ways to be safe when using technology.

Additionally, students and parents are asked to sign an Acceptable Use and Safety Policy form at the start of the school year. Click here for this policy. It is very helpful for parents to review these expectations with their children throughout the school year. Our staff regularly reviews these expectations.

The policy states:

I understand that using the computer correctly and responsibly is very important. I promise to follow these rules when using the computer and other equipment at school or at home. I understand that if I break these rules, I might not be able to use school computers.

• I will use computer and technology equipment only when a teacher or trusted adult is present.

• I will use the computer and the Internet for schoolwork only.

• I will use only the programs and websites that my teacher has approved.

• I will not share my password with anyone, and I will not use another person’s password

. • I will not damage or change settings on the hardware, software, or the network.

• I will not remove or alter any labels, barcodes, or serial numbers on my computer.

• I will not add stickers or other decorations to my computer

. • I will obey all copyright laws

. • If I notice my laptop is broken, I will not try to fix it myself, but I will tell my teacher or another adult immediately.

• I will take care of my computer and be responsible for it. I will not put food or drinks by it. I will carry it with two hands and do my best to take care of it responsibly.

• I will tell my teacher if I read or see something on the computer that is inappropriate, makes me feel uncomfortable, or if someone I don’t know attempts to contact me on the computer/Internet at any time.

• I will never give out personal information about myself or anyone else (full name, address, email address, phone number, photo) over the Internet.

• I will never use the computer to be hurtful to others. I will not look at, send or display inappropriate messages or pictures, nor will I use the computer to intimidate, harass or bully others.

• I will report anything that I may see on social media that may impact others well-being or safety at school to a teacher, administrator, or parent.

Recently an inappropriate internet character named "Momo" has been resurfacing. Students should not be seaching for this character at school, showing it to others or discussing it. Doing so can result in discipline as supported by the Code of Conduct.

When Momo made his first appearance years ago it was mostly on YouTube which has since been blocked from student computers. The district tech department is already looking into how to prevent students from having access to Momo at school. Our staff is aware of the character and will address any issues accordingly. Our technology department reports that as Momo has evolved over the years he can't be fully blocked because he can be shared in lots of different places. Students can search for Momo images, but we do have restrictions on student searches so he shouldn not come up much there. The technology department is continuing to comb the internet to determine other ways they can prevent this character from resurfacing and have blocked many. It’s impossible to block every single place he might come up. Students should not be searching for or sharing Momo. Just like with any other inappropriate image, students should report to a teacher if someone tries to share Momo with them.

We will host a parent only informational night for families who have incoming kindergarten students for the 2023-2024 school year. It will be a PARENT ONLY INFORMATIONAL NIGHT on May 23rd at 6:00 PM.

Click here for registration information and more!

(Information shared by district on 1/20)

Dear Students and Parents:

A quick reminder that Chippewa Valley Schools is now offering a Student Life Advisor Program. At Chippewa Valley, we recognize that our students may be struggling with numerous challenges these days, and these challenges can have a negative impact on their day-to-day functioning and ultimately the quality of their lives. We believe that an investment in your student’s well-being is a sound investment. To ensure that the best possible services are available to our students, CVS has partnered with Ulliance, Inc., a nationwide provider of student assistance services with 30 years of experience.

The Ulliance Student Life Advisor Program is designed to help your student cope with personal, home, and school challenges that they may encounter from time to time. For example, your child might need assistance dealing with a bully, avoiding peer pressure, or making new friends in a new school or in the neighborhood. Ulliance provides a variety of services to meet their needs, including short-term counseling, crisis intervention, and identification of community resources.

Other areas of assistance include:

• Relationship and family concerns
• Death of a loved one or a pet
• Stress, anxiety, and depression
• Experimenting with drugs or alcohol
  

The Student Life Advisor Program also includes a robust student/parent portal full of videos, articles, and information to address all areas of well-being. You can visit StudentLifeAdvisor.com to find out more. In addition, the program is confidential and no cost to students K-12. To access services, including 24/7 crisis assistance, simply call 1-800-448-8326.

To learn more, please go to our Student Life Advisor webpage, or watch the videos for parents and students.

Student Life Advisor Video for Students

Student Live Advisor Video for Parents

Decrease Screen Time Video for Students

It is our hope that you or your student will take advantage of the services the Student Life Advisor has to offer.

Sincerely,

Chippewa Valley Schools

We are so lucky to have so many amazing students at Cherokee! These students will be on the 2023 Cherokee Science Olympiad Team!

Kylie Mucha

Harlow Anderson

Rachel Wolf

Vivienne Bennett

Aminata Fall

Evan Malerich

Niko Prantzalos

Aydin Vandenheede

Luka Mladenovic

Natalie Kincher

Piper Kincher

Michael Nawrocki

Julia Theisen

Ben Chambers

Jack Laezza

Jackson Zborowski

CJ Farmer

Dean Handley

Emma Dismuke

Evan Malerich

Landen Gregory

Aubrey Henson

Mia Clymer

Brycen White

Chase Vagts

Sawyer Antkiewicz

Mason Folk

Liam Drost

Jack Wolf

• If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home and call our attendance line.
• Attendance at school is of course very important. However, if a child is not feeling well they should stay home so they are able to rest and recover. This year it seems that it is taking children longer to recover from some of the viruses that are going around. We know this and totally understand.
• We a want to prevent the spread of illness as much as possible.
• Students should be fever free for at least 24 hours (without the assistance of fever reducing medication) before returning to school.
• Students should also wait at least 24 hour to return to school after vomiting.
• Students who are having difficulty breathing, severe cough, etc. are also strongly encouraged to stay home.

Just a reminder, students continue to go outside for recess when it is 20 degrees or above (including if the wind chill factor 'feels like' below 20 ). Please make sure that your students come prepared with hats/gloves/snow pants/boots etc. Families may want to label these items with their child's name to make it easier for lost items to find their owner.

All children go out for recess unless a doctor's note has been submitted/is on file in the main office indicating otherwise.

Safety is our top priority! You can help staff, students and families stay safe by doing the following:

• Please only enter the building through Door 1/main entrance. Students/staff may be let in through many doors in the building. However, adult family members/guests should only enter through Door 1/main entrance by buzzing the office.
• Please do not park on Rivergate near our bus loop and school parking lot. This is a safety issue for students and drivers trying to navigate the sidewalks and parking lot. This section of Rivergate should not be used as an alternate drive pick up/ drop off lane. This limits visibility for walkers, parent pick up students and drivers.
• Please utilize parking spots for vehicles. If parking spots are not utlized properly it causes visibility and safety issues. This is key to keeping our cross walk clear and allow visiblity for children crossing.
• Police have been visiting our school and will enforce these protocols so that everyone is safe.

If you are sending someone else to pick up your child, please make them aware of these safety protocols. Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.

• Thank you to Russ Milne Ford for sponsoring our class t-shirts!
• Russ Milne Ford is located at the corner of M-59 and Gratiot (24777 Hall Road, Macomb 48042)
• Sales Department 586-842-0653
• Service Department 586-840-8285
• Click here for the Russ Milne Ford website.

• We are so excited to welcome volunteers back into our cafeteria once again! See the flyer below!
• Please understand that these volunteers are not in place of lunch monitors.
• Our lunch monitors will be responsible for supervising the students, cleaning, etc.
• Paw's Pals volunteers will have time to chat with students and build relationships during lunch. If recess is outdoors, they are also welcome to go outside and spend recess with students.
• This program is very similar to the Watch D.O.G.S program that was in place at Cherokee prior to the pandemic. It is not limited to male volunteers as the Watch D.O.G.S program was.
• Just like any other school volunteer, our Paw's Pals volunteers will respect the privacy of our students.
  
• In order to participate in the program there are 2 steps to complete.
• Step One: click here to select a date in January. OR click here to select a date in February. Keep in mind that if your 2022-2023 volunteer background check is not on file, it takes two weeks to process.
• Step Two: Click here to complete the Paw's Pals Application. The volunteer background check is a part of this application.
• Please give our main office a call at least 48 hours prior to your volunteer date if you are note sure if your background check has been approved. If you already know that you have a background check on file for this school year, you may come to the main office on the date you have selected.

• Throughout the school year we are required to complete 5 fire drills, 3 lockdown drills and 2 tornado drills.
• We have already completed our first three fire drills and three lockdown drills. The students did a great job!
• We do not tell families or students the exact dates/times of these drills for safety reasons.
  
• The book, I'm Not Scared I'm Prepared, that is utilized for the lockdown drills is below in a PDF format in case you would like to review it with your family. This book is used at all elementary schools in the district.
• Our teachers do a great job of reviewing procedures in a way that makes students feel safe.
• We just had our first cardiac drill on 11/17. The cardiac drills are unannounced even to our staff. The purpose of the drills is for our staff to be able to respond quickly to a cardiac emergency. A notification will be sent home after each cardiac drill.
  

Click to visit: CVS Transportation Webpage

Click here or below to access step-by-step directions on locating your Bus Stop Information

Click here to log in to VersaTrans

In December, some CVS schools piloted a new bus tracking system. This system is now available to Cherokee Families as well! Click on the MyStop button below for more information.

From Transportation (on 9/11) - E-Link has resolved the issue with the server. All student passwords were reset to the 8-digit birthdate, and you will have to reset the password again, but this time you will not get the error. E-Link has since been reactivated and you are able to log in any time.

Full Day Dismissal Times:

3:05 SACC, Safety & Service Squad

3:08 Walkers & parent pick up

3:12 Bussers

Half Day Dismissal Times

11: 18 AM - SACC, Safety and Service Squad

11:21 AM - Walkers and Parent Pick Up

11:25 AM - Bussers

Bus Riders:

• Busses may run slightly late picking up students the first few days of school as our drivers and students learn their new routes. It is still recommended that students arrive at their bus stop 10 minutes prior to their scheduled time.
  
• Busses may run slightly late for drop off this week since students and drivers are learning their routes.
• Directions on accessing Transportation information can be found below.

Walkers/Riders:

• Walkers/Riders should line up and be dismissed from their classroom entrance doors. Teachers will pick-up their students from their entrance at 8:25 when the morning music begins.
  
• A map of grade level entrances can be found below.
  

Parking Lot:

• Please review the Parking Lot procedures below to know your student's entrance and exit.
• Staff will be present in the Parking Lot, Bus Loop and Building Entrances to help ensure a safe and smooth arrival and dismissal process at the start of next week.
• We ask for your patience and support as our new families learn the process and our returning families get back-in-the-swing-of-things :)

Upcoming Meetings

• Thursday, March 9th
  
• Thursday, April 20th
• Tuesday, May 30th (elections)

We love celebrating birthdays at school! Please send treats that are prepackaged, include ingredients, and are individually wrapped.

If your child is placed in a peanut/tree nut free classroom, the treats should be peanut/tree nut free as well. We should avoid sending snacks that have been processed in a facility with peanuts/tree nuts. Thank you!

If you have any questions about birthday treats, please reach out to your child's teacher. Thank you!

Click here for the link to the district calendar. Printable versions are available at this site as well.

Please remember, ALL of the policies and procedures put in place at Cherokee are intended to keep our children safe. Many of these policies are district-wide and can either be found in the CVS Return to School Guidelines, the CVS Student Code-of-Conduct, or Cherokee's Paws' Policies & Procedures. Links can be found below.

We appreciate your understanding and appreciate those families who continue to model kindess, patience, and respect. You make a difference & we are all doing the best that we can!

Please Remember:

• Adults are to remain outside of the building and must be "buzzed-in" by the front office.
• All adults must show their ID at the entrance if they need to drop something off or pick-up their child early.
• Contact information must be up-to-date in case we need to contact your family.
• We release children to only those people listed on your child's PowerSchool contact list.
• Changes in your child's dismissal process must be called in no later than 2:30 so we can be sure to get the information to our staff.
• Families are asked to preorder lunch using the online ordering system below.
• Refrain from parking on Rivergate near the school including the bus loop.

A NOTE FROM MRS. ASHLEY

For families looking to register for SACC

• SACC registration is first come first served.
• Due to limited staff and capacity limits some registrations may not be approved at this time until more staff are available.
• As staffing levels increase, so will our ability to enroll more students. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
  
• Once your registration application is submitted you must receive a registration approval email before your child can attend.
• Registrations will remain pending in the system and will be approved as openings become available.

For families currently enrolled in SACC

• Adding on additional days other than what was originally scheduled may be limited at this time due to student and staff ratios. You will be notified if your schedule change can be approved (some days may be available where others may not)
• If your child does not need to attend on a scheduled day please remove them from the schedule to open up a spot for someone else.

We appreciate your understanding at this time and anticipate more staff to be available soon. Until then we must adhere to the Licensing Rules for Child Care Centers and stay within the required student to staff ratios. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

NOTE: SACC will continue to remain peanut/tree nut fee.

Ashley Murphy

Cherokee SACC Director

(586) 723-4860

• CLICK HERE to access the CVS SACC informational page.

If you would like to be a Cherokee Elementary sponsor please contat our PTO at 35pto@cvs.k12.mi.us or call our main office.

We choose to Inspire, Believe, Achieve & LEAD!

Website: https://www.chippewavalleyschools.org/schools/elementary-schools/cherokee/
Location: 42900 Rivergate Drive, Clinton Township, MI, USA
Phone: 586-723-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CherokeeWildcats

https://www.facebook.com/CherokeeWildcats

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CherokeePTO/