11-12-23 PAW'S PRESS

Dear Cherokee Families,

All Cherokee Elementary students will have the opportunity to view a performance of The SpongeBob Musical at Chippewa Valley High School on Monday, November 13th, 2023.

Please see below for information regarding the field trip.

Permission Slip: A PDF of the permission slip is below. Hard copies were set home. If you need another hard copy, please reach out to your child's teacher. Please complete and return the attached permission slip if you have not done so already.

Date of Trip: Monday, November 13th, 2023

Time: The performance will start at 11:45. We will leave Cherokee at approximately 11:20 AM and return at approximately 1:45 PM.

Cost: $7.00 per student (due by 11/08/23). Tickets are a reduced rate due to support from our PTO. If a family is financially unable to cover the cost of the trip, the school will cover it. We want all of our students to be able to attend the trip.

NOTE: Please use PaySchools to pay for the trip. Link below: https://www.chippewavalleyschools.org/for-parents/payschools-central/

Lunch: Please send a bag lunch with your child or order online prior to the date (using our normal lunch order link below). We will eat lunch before we leave.

Snack: It is also very helpful to provide a snack for your child.

Class Shirts: Please have your child wear their class shirts on the day of the trip.

Chaperones: Staff will be chaperoning the field trip.

THANK YOU TO THE CHROKEE PTO FOR HELPING WITH THE COST OF OUR TRIP SO THAT OUR TICKETS ARE AT A REDUCED RATE!

Dear Cherokee Families,

We are so excited to attend the CVHS production of THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL on Monday, November 13th! Thank you to PTO for helping with the cost of our trip so that tickets are at a reduced rate! See reminders above for the day of the trip!

One of our very own students, 5th grader Madilyn Gordon, is in the show! Good luck Madilyn!

Other Important Updates:

• November lunch ordering link is below.
• THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL WHOLE SCHOOL FIELD TRIP (November 13th) - See above
  
• Thanksgiving Break (November 22nd - November 24th) - NO SCHOOL
• Picture Re-take Day (December 1st)
• PTO Meeting (December 5th) - 6:15 PM in the media center
• 4th Grade Winter Concert (December 12th) - stay tuned for more details
• Holiday Parties (December 21st) - stay tuned for more details

As in the past, the Paw's Press newsletters will include key information and typically will be sent at the end of each week. 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

Even though lunch is free for all students, we still need parents to complete the digital online ordering form so that we have an accurate count and enough food for all students.

Ordering deadlines: Please note that we have received communication from food services that families need to order lunch by 9:30 AM the school day prior. For example, when ordering lunch for pizza on Monday, please 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.

There is a charge of $1.50 for ordering doubles.

Click here for the Food Services website.

Click here to order hot lunch for November.

Click here for printable November lunch menu.

If your family is able to help a family in need, please see below for image and PDF file.

We hosted our PEN night (learning games and pizza) for grades 3-5 on 11/8. Thank you to Michelle Harrison, the PEN team and the Cherokee staff for a fun night! It was so nice to see so many families and kids having fun while learning!

Click here to order. See flyer below

This year we are piloting a leadership program called The Positivity Project. This is in place of Leader in Me. Click here for more information.

Students have the opportunity to earn PAWS tickets for being great leaders! They use their tickets to shop at our PAWS leadership store.

Funds from PTO Walk-a-thon help with the funding for leadership store.

Also, thank you to our ticket store volunteers!

We are so lucky to have such a supportive PTO and school community at Cherokee!

Thank you to all of our families for their generosity! The Walk-a-thon donation total and class winners are below! We will be distributing prizes soon!

Check out their Facebook page for regular updates!

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

We have a brand new sound system in our cafeteria/gym! We are able to start having music concerts again!

Our 3/4 blend and 4th grade students will be performing a winter music concert! Stay tuned for more details from our music teacher, Mr. Rodriguez!

• Last year we created the Paw's Pals Lunch Volunteer Program at Cherokee. The name for the program was inspired by our school mascot, Paws (he is Wildcat).
• 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.
• The purpose of the program is to help children have a sense of belonging and build positive relationships. Kids love extra attention at lunch! They love to talk about sports, toys and what they like to do for fun! Having extra adults at school shows children that education is important and they are important!
• 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 their own child (children) and other Cherokee students during lunch periods. If recess is outdoors, they are also welcome to go outside and spend recess with students.
• 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 to volunteer. Keep in mind that if your 2023-2024 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 not 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.
• Thank you to Monica Radyko for her help with this program!

• Throughout the school year we are required to complete 5 fire drills, 3 lockdown drills and 2 tornado drills.
• We already completed three fire drills and the students did a great job!
• In October, we had two lockdown drills. These drills are comprised of age-appropriate lessons as well as practicing other tasks such as relocating to a safe place, utilizing our blue light/lock down alarm, etc.
• 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.

• Chippewa Valley is excited to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students starting this school year thanks to the Michigan Healthy School Meals Program!

• Students DO NOT need to arrive early for breakfast at the elementary level. Breakfast will be served after the first bell in classrooms once the school day has started.Breakfast is free for all students. Our goal is to improve student success by providing a nutritious meal at the start of the day.
  

• Even though meals will be provided for free, it is important for families to continue sharing household income information in order for our schools to receive full access to federal and state funding for educational programs that our students are entitled to. Click here for the School Meal Application Form or see the image below.

• Also, please view the document below for allergy information for parents and well as other important information from Food Services.
• Food Allergy Flyer
  

• 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 in many classes, common areas, etc.
  
• Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3/4 Blend, 4th grade and 5th grade classrooms are peanut/tree nut alert zones. Foods/snacks that contain peanut/tree nuts should not be consumed in these classrooms.
  
• Pods for all grade levels are peanut/tree nut alert zones. Foods/snacks that contain peanut/tree nuts should not be consumed in pods.
• Due to the severity of some of our students with allergies it will be asked that some classes avoid bringing peanut/tree nut products for both lunch and snacks consumed in the classroom. The lunch period for 4th grade and the 3/4 blend is a peanut/tree nut alert zone. Peanut/tree nut products may not be consumed during lunch by students in these classes.
• Your child's teacher will review guidelines and answer any specific questions.
• The link for the Snack Safely Guide is below. This guide has many great many recommendations for foods that 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.

BUS TAG WITH ROUTE NUMBER/SIGNS - Students in grades K-2 will be given a tag with their bus route number/color on it. Please leave this tag on your child's backpack until they are confident about their bus number. If the tag falls off before they are confident about their bus number, please write their number on their backpack or provide another tag. Adults will be guiding students to their busses and adults will be holding a signs to match the bus tag route number. A sample backpack with tag and corresponding bus sign are below.

LABELING ITEMS WITH STUDENT'S NAME - Many students have difficulty repeating their first and last name to unknown adults. It is often a good idea to write your child's name on their backpack so adults can get them to the appropriate class/bus if they can't repeat their first and last name. It is also a good idea to label other items so they don't get lost (jackets, lunchboxes,etc.).

IMPORTANT - FROM TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT:

Families are urged to check bus stop information prior to the start of school

Dear Chippewa Valley Families,

Make sure you check the Info Finder Bus Stop Information page before school starts to verify your child’s bus stop. Several routes have changed because of new student enrollments and driver changes.

https://www.chippewavalleyschools.org/departments/transportation/

Have a great school year! Thank you.

Updated - Arrival Times:

• Students may enter the building at 8:50 AM.
• School begins at 8:55 AM.

Updated - Half Day Dismissal Times

At Cherokee we have a staggered dismissal for safety purposes.

11:40 AM - SACC, Service Squad and Safeties

11:44 AM - Walkers and Parent Pick Up

11:48 AM - Bussers

11:50 - School Fully Dismissed

Updated - Full Day Dismissal Times

At Cherokee we have a staggered dismissal for safety purposes.
3:29 PM - SACC, Service Squad and Safeties
3:33 PM - Walkers and Parent Pick Up
3:37 PM - Bussers
3:39 PM - School Fully Dismissed

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.
  
• More information from the transportation department will be coming soon.

Walkers/Riders:

• Walkers/Riders should line up and be dismissed from their grade level/ classroom entrance doors. Teachers will pick-up their students from their entrance at 8:50 AM when the morning music begins.
  
• An updated map of grade level/classroom entrances is below.
  

Parking Lot:

• Please review the parking lot procedures map below.
• Staff will be present in the parking lot, bus loop and building entrances to help ensure a safe and smooth arrival and dismissal process.
• 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 :)

Small revisions have been made due to the recent change in bell times.

Click here for the 2023-2024 Chippewa Valley Schools District Calendar for Parents.

• See below for a summary of some important dates.
• A PDF file is also available below.

Our District Medication Policy requires all prescription medications to have a Request for Administration of a Prescription Medication to student form filled out with a physician’s order with parent’s signature each school year. The medication must be in a new original container and/or prescription bottle with the child’s name on it. Over the counter medication will also need a Request for Administration of Non-Prescription Medication to student form filled out and signed by parent.

All medication administration forms can be found on the chippewavalleyschools.org web page (click here). Forms can also be picked up at the school in the main office.

Please bring in completed forms signed and dated by your health care provider with parent signature along with any required prescription medications.

Parents must hand deliver medications with completed forms to the Health Aide in the main office to be checked for full accuracy. No medications will be administered at school without accurately completed forms. Also please check the expiration date on medications as we cannot accept expired medications.

• If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home and call our attendance line.
• Our attendance line is 586-723-4899.
• 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.
• 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.

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 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 3:15 so we can be sure to get the information to our staff.
• Families are asked to preorder lunch using the online ordering system. Links for the menu and online ordering will be in the Paw's Press Newsletter as soon as they are available.
• 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.

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

If your child is going to be absent, please call our attendance line at 586-723-4899.

https://www.facebook.com/CherokeeWildcats

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