The Column

The 2022-23 CPFA Student and Parent Handbook of Policies and Procedures outlines important information regarding the dress code, attendance policy, the academic policy, and more. These policies and procedures help guide CPFA faculty, staff, parents, and students in behavior, discipline, and praise. All students and parents are required to read the handbook and sign the agreement linked on the final page of the document. The deadline for student and parent signatures is November 7, 2022.

• Middle School: The Role Models for Change presentation, has been moved from November 2 to December 7
  

• Start of PALCS Marking Period 2- Tuesday, November 8

• Opening Night of Fall MS Play, “She Kills Monsters”- Thursday, November 10

• Veterans Day / Student Day Off (Teacher In Service Day)- Friday, November 11

• Fine Arts Field Trip - Thursday, November 10

• MS Dance Showcase- Wednesday, November 16

• West Chester University Opera, “Cinderella” assembly- Thursday, November 17
  

• HS Dance Showcase- Thursday, November 17

• Friday Night Café- Friday, November 18

• NO CPFA Classes Monday, November 21 - Wednesday, November 23

• Thanksgiving Break begins on Thursday, November 24

• CPFA classes resume Monday, November 28

The next ambassador meeting will be held during lunch on Monday, November 14 for Middle School and Tuesday, November 15 for High School. Please be sure to reach out to Ms. Mazzio or Ms. Severson if you will be unable to attend.

As a reminder to all students and parents, all CPFA absences must be communicated with Ms. Severson by phone or email as early in advance as possible. Planned absences that may affect a student's attendance standing must be approved by the Head Administrator or will be counted as an unexcused absence. Please read the CPFA Student and Parent Handbook of Policies and Procedures for more information.

For PALCS attendance, please email attendance@palcs.org.

CPFA Picture Day was held on Monday, October 24 for Middle School and Tuesday, October 25 for High School. Make-up days will be available- dates will be announced soon. Check out more information on how to purchase and access your photos HERE! Consider ordering photos as the perfect gift for the holidays!

Mandated school health screenings were conducted throughout the month of October. Make-up screenings will be conducted throughout the school year, as needed. If you have any questions please contact the school nurse at jgrablewski@palcs.org.

Besides the usual advisories to wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, get a flu shot, and disinfect high-touch surfaces, here are some additional ways to keep yourself feeling well during this cold and flu season:

Get Good Sleep

Research shows that people who get less than seven hours of sleep each night are three times more likely to catch colds than those who get at least eight hours. Getting quality sleep on a regular basis strengthens your immune system!

Boost Your Immune System

You can boost your body’s ability to fight off sickness by adding the right vitamins and nutrients to your diet. Some research suggests vitamin C can help shorten the duration of colds or even help prevent them. Zinc and vitamin D3 have also been shown to support your immune system!

Get Some Fresh Air

Even when it's cold out- One of the reasons sickness spreads more easily in winter is because we’re all inside sharing the same air. Opening a window to let in some fresh air or stepping outside for a brief walk can do wonders for clearing out the lungs.

Stay Home- It should go without saying, but stay away from others who are sick if possible. If you are sick, stay home. Cover your mouth when you cough, preferably with something other than your hand. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

(Dr. Rudolf Kotula https://bestcare.org/news/20220209/10-tips-staying-healthy-during-cold-and-flu-season)

The next Pillars meeting will be held on Monday, November 14 from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. in Dr. Dziekonski's Zoom Room.

Pillars provides critical volunteer support to all classes and extra-curricular activities for the four CPFA departments. There are a variety of commitment levels needed, and the CPFA staff can't do it without you.

Dance Instructor, Mrs. Toni Duncan is continuing Yoga and Mindfulness at CPFA this November!

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Mrs. Duncan will be offering Yoga & Mindfulness to all CPFA students from 7:40 - 8:05 a.m in Dance Studio B. Students should arrive at 7:35 a.m. to participate in yoga postures (asanas), gentle movement sequences, breath work (pranayama), and relaxation (savasana). The objective of the practice is to bring awareness and mindfulness to the breath and the body. Yoga mats will be provided or feel free to bring your own. Links to sign up will be posted each month in the newsletter and on the CPFA Facebook page. Please sign up for November here:

Middle School November Yoga Sign-Up

High School November Yoga Sign-Up

On October 19 and 20, our students participated in our first Unity Day group activity! To promote kindness, inclusion, and acceptance as part of bullying prevention, students were split into groups and tasked with creating a poster that represents what unity means to them (the photos in the background of this month's newsletter feature some of our Unity Groups in action!). During this activity, students had awesome conversations about what kindness and unity look like at CPFA and how they can promote a culture of inclusion at school. While all of the posters were amazing, the following groups won the pizza party for their posters. Thank you to all students for a successful Unity Day celebration!

• Middle School: Mr. Townsend’s group including Savannah Wagner, Julian Hontz, Ciara McFadden, Tatiana Vetrano, Lily Spolym

• High School: We had a TIE! Ms. Bennett’s group including Joshua Na-El, Maximus Klevence, Kylie Turnage, Sierra Wilson, Alex Blab, Sam Ely and Mr. Fuiman’s group including, Zane Zangwill, Vanessa Dennis, Chloe Lee, Kennedy Miller, Alyssa Carlow, Austin Stephens, and Addalyn Abney

On Monday, October 31 and Tuesday, November 1, the Middle School and High School students celebrated the annual CPFA Fall Festival! Activities included a costume contest, candy corn guessing game, delicious food and apple cider provided by the amazing parent pillars volunteers, and quality time with our amazing community. A HUGE THANK YOU to the parent volunteers- YOU made this event possible!

The celebrations continued as the Fall Festival was tied into the CPFA Spirit Week activities! Wednesday and Thursday concluded the week with Color Wars and "Anything-But-A-Backpack". Students got creative by carrying their school supplies with items from home including a cooler, popcorn bowl, and a pillow case!

The first show of the season is the CPFA Fall Middle School Play, She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition, written by Qui Nguyen, and directed by Ms. Sophie Gore.

Tickets are now sale for performances on Thursday, November 10, 2022 - Saturday, November 12, 2022! For tickets go to http://cpfa.booktix.com.

She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with ill-tempered fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.

We are excited to announce that the CPFA NY THEATRE FIELD TRIP is resuming this school year on Wednesday, March 22, 2023! We are going to see the award winning Broadway musical Kimberly Akimbo! This trip is very popular and will sell out fast! Get your tickets as soon as you can. Only CPFA students are permitted to buy tickets. There is a no refund policy. Get your tickets HERE!

The total student cost comes to $214.08 and includes...

• Bus Trip
• Broadway Workshop
• Lunch at Hardrock Cafe
• Ticket to Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway

The CPFA Chorale was selected from over 100 scholastic applicant ensembles to be a featured performing group at this year’s PMEA Annual In-Service Conference in April at Kalahari Resort in Mt. Pocono, PA. Here is a video of their recent performance at the Temple University Cantata Choral Festival.

The CPFA Jazz Mavericks attended a Q&A, open rehearsal and concert by the U.S. Air Force “Rhythm in Blue” Jazz Band on October 13 at Penncrest High School. It was a great opportunity to listen to and interact with full-time professional musicians!

Tri-M Music Honor Society extends a big “thank you” to everyone who was involved in our first Friday Night Café of the school year. Check out the recording HERE! We had 11 acts and an audience of approximately 40 people. Let’s make the next one on November 18 even bigger! Sign-ups for the next FNC will be posted on the CPFA Homepage in Canvas and on sign-up sheets on-site on the Student Kitchen door.

There have been some exciting changes to the CPFA facility this month with the addition of the new CPFA Annex in the office suite next door. The old Student Lounge space has become a new, more spacious Vocal Music Room while the Music Department has gotten some sorely needed upgrades to our classroom spaces. The new Student Lounge also serves as the Guitar and World Music Drumming classroom and the new storage space has made it possible to declutter the Instrumental Music Room, freeing up much more instructional space and protecting equipment from being tripped over and damaged.

Mark your calendars for the Dance Showcase where we welcome family and friends to an informal performance in the dance studios at CPFA. The Middle School Dance Showcase is Wednesday November 16, 2022 from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and the High School Dance Showcase is Thursday November 17, 2022 from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. All dancers are required to participate in this event. Parents, please look out for an email from the Dance Department Liaison, Colleen Saul, who will be requesting donations of light snacks and refreshments to enjoy after the event.

The Dance Department is excited to welcome 9 new members to the CPFA Chapter of National Honor Society for Dance Arts. The follow students will be inducted on Thursday, November 17 before the High School Dance Showcase: Dylan Bail, Caylee Brenner, Chloe Lee, Malloree Marshal, Kennedy Miller, Annie O’Rourke-Tallman, Leah Rehrman, Keyaira Tozer and Ethan Zieff.

The National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) is preparing for “Love Your Body Week,” a national campaign to encourage body positive dance environments and to celebrate all the wonderful things our bodies can do. “Love Your Body Week” is celebrated the week of November 13-19, 2022. To fully participate in this important celebration, CPFA will be acknowledging "Love Your Body Week" through a Unity Group activity, encouraging students to have a discussion around body positivity and what that means to them.

The next NHSDA meeting is Tuesday, November 8, 2022 in Dance Studio B during lunch.

The 2022 Dance Concert RHYTHM DVD’s and Link are still available for purchase. Information was emailed to dancers. Please reach out to Mrs. Carey at lcarey@palcs.org to get your DVD and Link.

There are still a few 2022 Yearbooks left for purchase! Yearbooks are $60 cash or check (made out to “Balfour”). If you attended CPFA last year - you don’t want to miss this beautiful book!

Fine Arts Storing, Cleaning, Purging & Organization Day: Friday, November 18 from 10:45 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. NAHS students will take the lead to help “beautify” our creative spaces to make them function best for all. All students in CPFA fine arts classes are invited to attend.

Welcome April Howard! Our NEW Fine Arts Department Liaison. Ms. Howard brings a wealth of leadership, art and organizational skills to join our fine arts team re: all things fine arts at CPFA such as: preparing for art exhibits in regard framing/hanging artwork, opening event details such as food presentation, public relations and more. Thank you for volunteering Ms. Howard. Fine arts parents, please look out for emails from our new liaison in the coming months ahead.

Chester County Medicine Journal featured a Spotlight article written about 4 CPFA AP fine Arts students: Sage Pohlhaus, Peyton Woznicki, Sam Palladino and Katherine Horoho. Writer Dr. Bruce Colley, the past President of the Chester County Medical Society, and current editor of its journal visited CPFA this past month to meet and interview these four talented artists. Read the article at https://www.chestercms.org/magazine which cites the history of the journal and the society as the oldest medical society in PA, listing past journals for all to read. The journal presents a Chester County artisan each issue; we are so proud to have these students highlighted!

The CPFA Chapter of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) held their Induction ceremony on October 27th in the 3-D studio. Fine arts students gathered to read their independently written (or adapted from artists that inspire them) passages to share and read aloud along with a national NAEA (National Art Education Assoc.) pledge words in a candle lighting ceremony. The ceremony included food, planning for next events, announcement of new NAHS student leadership roles and the creation of a special ceramic NAHS keepsake charm. Here is a part of a passage that students recited:

“I will in my life,

to the best of my ability

through my talents in art,

help to create a more beautiful world

for myself, for humankind,

and for all living things.”

Come join the giving fun! NAHS supports HS student Dylan Bail’s (grade 11) social outreach initiative - the "16th Annual Holiday Cruise for Kids Toy Run" program with U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots(PA). Help us support Dylan and this initiative by bringing an UNWRAPPED toy to the event. (No stuffed animals.) Toy collection is Sunday, December 4th from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. at Rose Tree Park (1671 N Providence Rd, Media, PA 19063) , with a Marine led escort for a toy drop with Santa. A rain, snow, or shine event. This event is hosted by the DELCO Cruisers that Dylan is a member of.

The Fine Art Department will be taking High School students to visit Center City, Philadelphia for a creative, immersive, hands-on day full of rich art experience and culture on Thursday, November 10. Check out this link to sign up and make a deposit via credit card.

All other fees for the trip need to be brought as cash on the day of the trip. The trip will DEPART & RETURN at the SEPTA Whitford train station ONLY. There will be NO drop-off or pick-up at CPFA that day for students attending this field trip. It is open to any HS student in a fine arts class (there may be some other spots available on November 4th for non-fine arts class students- TBA). All information for this trip is posted on the CPFA Homepage via links. If you have any additional questions, please contact Mrs. Okcuoglu - dokcuoglu@palcs.org

Important Upcoming Dates:

Monday, November 7th: Marking Period 1 ends

Tuesday, November 8th: Marking Period 2 begins

Virtual Counseling Lessons:

The CPFA and USP Counselors have teamed up to deliver virtual counseling lessons! There will be one virtual counseling lesson each month for both middle and high schoolers across both divisions. The first High School lesson was held on Friday, October 28th and explored Healthy Relationships. The Middle School virtual counseling lesson is on Friday, November 4th at 1:00 p.m. The topic is Development Self-Management: What is Self-Motivation? We hope to see you all there!

College & Career Updates:

For students applying to college under the Early Action and/or Early Decision deadline, most deadlines fall between November 1st and November 15th. Make sure to check the deadlines specific to your schools if you are interested in applying under either of these deadlines! For more information about Early Action vs. Early Decision, check out this article!

Life After High School:

The recording of our first Life After High School workshop is now posted on the CPFA School Counseling Canvas page! The workshop focused on the college search, and discussed Common App/Naviance, scholarships, and tips for auditions and portfolios.

If you are planning to apply to college for the 2023-2024 school year and have NOT already been in contact with Ms. Mazzio, please set up a meeting to make sure you are on track to hit your goals!

CPFA Senior's Michael Meck and Amanda Mason have been busy planning for life after High School. Both senior's have been exploring continued education and have had some exciting experiences recently! Michael has toured colleges including Boston University and Emerson College while Amanda has auditioned for, and was accepted into, the AMDA College of the Performing Arts New York campus next year!

Elle Fox - Former CPFA HS student had her book published recently! Elle has illustrated and written Meatball and Birdie, published by highlanderpressbooks.com - whose focus is on creating collaborative support for women owned businesses. Elle would like to thank all of her fine arts teachers for helping to advance her skills and support her to win an opportunity with the Young Entrepreneurs Academy to make her wish of publishing a book come true.

The Middle School Community Service Committee is collecting new and gently used winter warmth items to help our PALCS families in need during the cold months! They are collecting the following items: coats, gloves, hats, scarves, blankets, warm socks. There is a donation box in the CPFA Lobby for any donations. The PALCS Winter Share Warmth Drive runs from October 28th through November 11th.

Please make sure you have downloaded the Remind app on your phones and any other mobile devices you may have. This is the platform we use to best communicate with our students and families in case of school closings or emergencies.

If you are not on the Remind group for CPFA, you can text @palcscpfa to the number 81010 to get text messages, or download the app and search for @palcscpfa or CPFA Parents. Once you have downloaded the app you will be prompted to enter your email address, enter an emailed verification code, and select your school and role. We are identified as Pennsylvania Leadership Cs and the class is called CPFA Parents. If you have any questions, please reach-out to Ms. Sophia Severson (sseverson@palcs.org)

CPFA Student and Parent Handbook of Policies and Procedures

Remote Access Program

Theatre Department
Music Department
Dance Department

Fine Arts Department

Check out the October edition of The Column HERE for more information on Jazz Mavericks, the Dia Dolce PALCS fundraiser, and October department news!

Email: info@palcs.org
Website: https://www.palcs.org/cpfa/about-cpfa/
Location: 211 Carter Drive suite c, West Chester, PA, USA
Phone: (610) 430-6525