Chisholm Update

I hope you are doing well as we move into the middle part of April. This time of year often gets busy as the school year begins to head towards the final weeks (after today, we have 28 school days left in the year), and there are still many events and activities that will occur between now and the last day. I hope you are able to find the opportunities to rest, recharge, and enjoy the little things when life gets busy.

I took a moment this morning during Charge Up to acknowledge the students for how well they did last Monday as we went outside to observe the eclipse. The students did a fabulous job following the directions of their teachers, and use the glasses that were provided. The next eclipse in this area won't take place for another 20 years, but I feel confident that the next time it does occur, many of our students will think back to this experience of last Monday.

Last evening our 4th graders presented their Family Fun Night with a variety of activities of singing and ukulele playing, a dance, and sharing of art and computer science lessons, which were related to projects they are covering in their specials classes. I'd like to thank everyone from our staff members to volunteers that had an hand preparing our 4th graders for this event. Thank you as well to the families that were able to be with us during this activity. It really was a great evening.

The Oklahoma State Testing Program (OSTP Exams) will begin next week on Tuesday, April 16 and Wednesday, April 17, for our 3rd grade students as they take their ELA exams. On Thursday, April 18, our 5th Graders will take their science exam.

The following week, April 22 and 23rd, the 4th and 5th grade students will take the ELA exam. On Wednesday, April 24, the 5th grade will be taking their writing exam. We will close out the scheduled exams on Thursday and Friday of that week, April 25 and 26, as 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will be taking the math exams.

All exams will begin shortly after 9:00 each morning on the day of grade-level exams. We appreciate your help ensuring all students are present and on time for the day of their scheduled exams, as testing with their grade level can streamline the process and minimize the need for make-up exams.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Charger Palooza, which is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, May 2nd from 5:30 to 7:30. This event will take place on the Chisholm playground. We will have food trucks on site to purchase something to eat, and Live music by Spaghetti Eddy. A shuttle bus will be available to help alleviate our limited parking. We hope you can bring your family, lawn chairs, and enjoy the evening as we begin to wind down the school year.

I've added a flyer below with information on an upcoming Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma Mental Health Awareness Event open for all girls ages 5-17. This event is scheduled for April 27 from 9am to 12pm at the Kramer School on Nursing in Oklahoma City.

The minutes from the April PTO meeting have been added below to this newsletter.

Lastly, I wanted to remind everyone that next Friday, April 19, school will not be in session for the last holiday of the school year. I hope that you are able to use the extra day to do something fun and relaxing.

Have a great weekend!

Thomas Higdon

Attention Chisholm 5th-grade students that will be at Cimarron for the 24-25 school year, there is a green button below for you to purchase supplies and will be open until June 15 when the ability to order supplies next year as 6th graders at Cimarron closes.

The Edmond Creative - The Edmond Creative is a monthly newsletter that provides an update on Edmond Public Schools Fine Arts. The April Volume can be found by clicking this link. This can be used as a resource to discover what great things are happening, and provide information for fine arts educators throughout the month.

The April Smart Social Tip of the Month is full of information on a social media app we hear a lot about in the news, TikTok. What is it exactly? Why do students want to spend time on the app? What should you know about it as parents or guardians? And what are some of the biggest concerns related to TikTok? That information is available by clicking this link: https://smartsocial.com/post/tiktok-app?org=edmond

Edmond Early Birds Parent Program -Sunbeam Family Services is providing a parent program designed to help parents with children from birth to 5 years of age. They have dates upcoming in April along with information of what will be presented on a flyer below for those that might be interested in attending one of these classes.

Please help us during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal by not turning right on red as you enter the parking lot from the west. This will provide those turning left from the east an opportunity to enter into the parking lot as cars move along.

Dismissal Reminder for Spring Hill/ Old Farm/ Thornbrook walkers should only be used by students that live in those areas. If your student doesn't live in those neighborhoods they need to either use bus or car rider to get home at the end of the day. We don't want to send students into a neighborhood that don't live in that neighborhood.

Calling all Substitutes - If you are interested in becoming a substitute, as a classroom teacher or classroom assistant, or even if you want to inquire more about the possibility of becoming a substitute in the future, please click on this link or you can call the school. The district has recently approved some additional incentives ( Subs now get paid twice a month and if you work 6 out of 10 days in a pay period, they can now earn an addition $100 in the pay period).

Looking forward...

April 16, 17, 18 - State testing begins for 3rd and 5th. Please see schedule above

April 17 - Kindergarten Field Trip

April 18 - 1st Grade Field Trip

April 19 - April Day (No School)

April 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 - State testing 3/4/5. Please see schedule above. (No Charge UP)

May 2 - Charger Palooza (Chisholm Playground) 5:30 to 7:30 - Live music and food trucks

May 3 - 3rd Grade Pioneer Day

May 6-10 - Teacher Appreciation Week

• Edmond Public Schools wishes to build strong partnerships with families by offering our parents and
• guardians the opportunity to access free research based and clinician-led live webinars to build resilient children.

It can be hard to understand what your child might be going through.

EPS welcomes you to join us from the comfort of your home.

• Spanish – Thursday, April 18 th from 6:00 to 7:00 pm (Registrate Aqui)
• English – Saturday, April 20 th from 10:00 to 11:00 am (Sign up Here)

Uso y Abuso de Sustancias Edmond PS. Inscripción e información adjunta.

The topic for our first free and confidential webinar with a clinical expert from Daybreak Behavioral

Health is Understanding Changes in Your Child’s Behavior (K-5 th Grade), including:

• Identifying developmentally typical and concerning childhood behaviors
• Understanding stressors and risk factors
• Learning how to support your child through behavior changes
• Confidential Q&A with a licensed clinician

The Center for Brief Counseling is a training center for students pursuing a Master of

Education in School and Professional Counseling. The Center serves a tri-fold mission: 1)

to provide training for graduate students pursuing licensure in professional counseling; 2) to

provide counseling and services to individuals and families in Edmond and the surrounding

areas; and 3) to advance knowledge in the field of counseling.

A limited number of counseling sessions are now available. Sessions during the Spring 2024

semester will occur on Tuesday evenings at 5:15 and 6:15. There is no fee charged for these

sessions. You will be responsible for the visitor lot parking fee.

Counseling is provided by students who are completing their final semester in a graduate

counseling program. Supervision is provided by the program coordinator and clinic supervisor,

Dr. Lea Ann Garcia, a licensed professional counselor (LPC), and state approved LPC

supervisor. The Center complies with the ethical standards of the American Counseling

Association.

To schedule an appointment or for more information, please contact:

Lea Ann Garcia, Ph.D., LPC -- Clinic Supervisor

College of Education, Box 193

(405) 974 -5315

lgarcia6@uco.edu

It’s an increasingly popular social media platform among teeangers, but how much do you know about Snapchat? March’s Smart Social Tip of the Month focuses on all things Snapchat. Learn what students like so much about it, dangers you should be aware of and may want to discuss with your student and some tips for how to keep it fun and safe at the same time. To access the information, all you need to do is click this link: https://smartsocial.com/post/snapchat-app?org=edmond

8:20 - Doors open and we will begin receiving students. They can eat breakfast or go to class.

8:45 - Our school day begins with announcements. Parents need to sign in late-arriving students.

2:55 - Pre-K Dismissal begins

3:25 - School Dismissal beings

Office hours:

Mon -Fri from 8:00 - 4:00

Website: https://chisholm.edmondschools.net/
Location: 2300 SE 33rd Street
Phone: 405 -340-2950
Facebook: facebook.com/chisholmelementaryedmond