Dear Cherokee Families,

We are so excited to see you at conferences this week! Teachers are eager to share all of the amazing things our students have accomplished so far this year. We are so proud of all of our students! Also, I will be available in our main entrance hallway if you have any questions or would like to just stop by to say hello! In the fall, we request a conference for all students. We will share important updates on your child's academic, emotional and social gains. Assessment data and other important reports/documents will be shared at conferences.

If you have not already done so, you can still sign up for conferences.Click here to sign up.

Conferences are in person. However, if you need a phone conference, please sign up for a slot and let your child's teacher know.

The Scholastic Bookfair will be open during conferences. Children will also have the opportunity to visit the Scholastic Bookfair during the school day. See below for more information. Thank you to Ms. Tropper, our media clerk, for organizing! Proceeds benefit the Cherokee library.

Other Important Updates:

• Half Days (October 18th, 19th and 20th) - Dismissal at 11:44 AM
  
• Leadership Assemblies and Ticket Store (October 27th) - Students can wear class shirts or other Cherokee gear.
• PTO Trunk or Treat (October 27th) - See below.
• Halloween Celebration (October 31st) - Outdoor parade begins at approximately 9:10 with parties to follow. See below for more information.
• Half Day (October 31st) - Dismissal at 11:44 AM
• No School (November 7th) - Teacher Professional Development Day
• Positivity Project - 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.

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

Thank you to our families for their incredible generosity! Total donations for our walk-a-thon will be announced soon!

Below are the classes and families who earned the most donations.

I will be turned into an ice cream sundae this Friday by Beliveau/Kincher's class! We will have a livestream link for other classes to watch! Dates for other prizes coming soon!

It was so fun to see all the cute smiles on picture day! The brochure PDF is below.

If you would like to volunteer to help out with the book fair please fill out the Jotform at the following link:

https://form.jotform.com/222704833770052

Join us for this year's Trunk or Treat! To register online for this event, use the QR Code in the flyer below or the link here: https://square.link/u/VieifUJv

Please email Crystal Kozak, Trunk or Treat Chairperson, at crystalkozak@yahoo.com with any questions.

We need your help! To sign up to host a trunk in this year's Trunk or Treat, please use this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F48A4A62AABFE3-44681685-trunk

Please email Crystal Kozak, Trunk or Treat Chairperson, at crystalkozak@yahoo.com with any questions.

The Cherokee staff are committed to helping each child reach their highest level of success. We have systems in place to support the unique learning needs of ALL students. One of the ways we support students is with our "Wildcat Workshop." ALL students will participate in Wildcat Workshop each day for 30-40 minutes depending on the grade level. Wildcat Workshop will begin on Monday, October 9th.

Our staff reviewed recent FastBridge data and other assessments to identify the specific learning needs of each student. Staff placed the students into Wildcat Workshop groups based on their specific learning needs. The instruction in each Wildcat Workshop group will target specific reading skills or strategies that will help each student reach their highest level of success. The reading skills taught within the Wildcat Workshop groups vary by grade level. Concepts may include phonemic awareness, letter identification, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary development, and comprehension strategies. We will continue to monitor the success of each student as the year progresses. Staff will adjust the skills and Wildcat Workshop groupings in an effort to meet the ever-changing needs of the students. Many staff members support the Wildcat Workshop process such as teachers, paraprofessionals and our reading interventionist. More information about the skills and concepts being taught in your child’s group will be shared at conferences. We appreciate your support as we continue providing high-quality educational experiences to meet the academic needs of ALL students.

Note: Wildcat Workshop is more commonly known as a component of a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) in education.

• 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 October.

Click here for a printable October lunch menu.

• If you have any Halloween costumes that you are willing to donate to students at Cherokee, please drop them off at our office or send them to school with your child.
• Please label/note that the costume is for the Cherokee costume closet.
• Thank you!

• Tuesday, October 31st is a ½ day with dismissal at 11:44 AM.
• It will also be Cherokee’s Halloween Celebration.
• Please take a moment to review important information regarding activities and costumes.
• School-wide Parade: Cherokee’s parade will begin at approximately 9:10 AM. We will begin the parade as soon as we have taken attendance and have the children ready to go. We plan on holding our parade outdoors, weather permitting. Parents and family members wishing to view the parade will have the best opportunity to do so by lining up along the swing set playground, basketball court, and bus loop. Please wait along the edges of the sidewalk so our students can safely parade around the perimeter of the school. Only students and designated volunteers will be permitted back into the building after the parade. In the event of rain, the outdoor parade will be cancelled, and a student-only indoor parade will take place instead. We will record the parade and send out the video at a later time in the event of inclement weather.
• Classroom Parties and Volunteers - Classroom parties will follow the parade. Teachers will be communicating details about their classroom parties and volunteer needs.
• Snacks - Your child is welcome to bring store bought, pre-packaged treats to share. Most of our classrooms are peanut/tree nut alert zones. If this is the case for your child's classroom, please make sure that your child does not bring in treats that contain peanuts/tree nuts or are processed in a facility with nuts. Teachers can answer any questions you have regarding treats. Click here for the Snack Safely Guide for ideas for safe treats.
• Costumes: Since Halloween will be a ½ day of school, students can wear their costume to school in the morning. Please remember when making decisions about Halloween, costumes should represent a non-violent, friendly theme and should not promote violence. Costume accessories such as spears, play guns, or weapons of any kind should not be brought to school. Costume masks should not be worn at school and large accessories are not permitted on the bus. Please help your child plan a costume appropriate for our school parties and parade. For younger students, please remember that they will need to be able to sit in their costume and use the bathroom without assistance.
• Thank you again for your cooperation in helping make Halloween a safe and enjoyable day for all!

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!

Our whole school will attending the CVHS production of The SpongeBob Musical on November 13th. More details coming soon! PTO funds from the Walk-a-thon help support this trip.

Congratulations to Mrs. Sadowski on her new role as an administrative intern. Mrs. Sadowski will begin her role as administrative intern at Cherokee on 10/9. She will also be the administrative intern at Huron Elementary. See below for a message from Mrs. Sadowski.

Dear Cherokee Families,

I’m excited to continue to serve the Cherokee community as the administrative intern this school year. As the administrative intern, I will split my time between Huron and Cherokee. This is my 14th year in education, and I have previously taught and held leadership roles in Chicago, Detroit, and Warren before coming to Chippewa Valley six years ago. I found my love of teaching while teaching abroad in both Guatemala and Honduras. For the past six years, I have taught 4th and 5th grades at Cherokee Elementary. I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. In 2011, I graduated from Dominican University with a Master of Arts in Teaching. Most recently, I earned my Education Specialist in Leadership and school administration certification from Oakland University. Cherokee is a great place to be! Go Wildcats!

Mrs. Sadowski

• 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 will have the first of our lockdown drills. These drills are comprised of age-appropriate lessons as well as practicing other tasks such as relocating to a safe place.
• 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
  

Originally the district had a daily calendar for breakfast items. However, there has been such a high demand that our suppliers are not able to consistently provide certain items on a specific day. Therefore, breakfast items may be an assortment of the items that were originally listed but not necessarily in a specific order. Items will rotate between Pop-Tarts, muffins, graham crackers, breakfast bars, donuts, banana bread and Benefit Bars. Fruit, juice and milk will also be offered.

• 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.

We are so lucky to have such a supportive PTO and school community at Cherokee. The Cherokee PTO board members are listed below. They have already been hard at work this summer brainstorming ways to make this an amazing school year! More details will be coming soon about special events and ways that families can connect with our PTO. Our PTO, families and other school community members make Cherokee a great place to be! We are so lucky!

Check out their Facebook page for regular updates!

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

• Crystal Kozak is also the event chairperson for Trunk or Treat.

• Caren Melton is also the Mom/Son event chairperson.

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/