From the Principal’s Office

Dear Families,

Thank you for assisting with this smooth beginning to our brand new school year.  It was a pleasure seeing so many of you at our Hot dog social this year. We have welcomed a lot of brand new families and have welcomed back a lot of returning families. We started the school year with a fantastic number of children and a wonderful group of teachers. I thoroughly enjoy the fact that we are able to maintain two teachers in every classroom for the bulk of the day so that all learning opportunities can be made the most of.

We anticipate that this school year will be busy and full of learning experiences and teachable moments. Please try to have your children in school as early as possible so that they are not missing out on those experiences. I certainly encourage everyone to be at school between 8:30 and 9am so that experiences are not missed and classes are not disrupted for others. If you are going to be late for any reason, a quick phone call is always useful so that we know to expect you and we are not worried about your child.

As we all know, communication is the key to every successful relationship and partnership and we strive to have great communication with you. We hope that you are all enjoying our Links To Home app which allows you a glimpse into your child’s day.  As we all become more familiar with this system, it will only increase the great communication that we have. Please feel free to use the app to communicate with us also.

With a school of 200 families, it takes a while for us to get to know everyone. Please feel free to introduce yourselves at any opportunity. Our management team is here to help you with anything that you need. You will always see Melissa and Andrea at the front desks but my office is hidden away. My door is always open however and I encourage you to stop by if you have any questions or if you just want to say hello. We all look forward to the relationships that we will build with your children and with you.

So welcome to Chesterbrook Academy 2016/17. It is going to be a great year.

Regards,
Helen Parks, Principal

Events

• 5 – School Closed (Labor Day observed).
• 5-19 – Little Caesar’s Pizza Kit Fundraiser.
• 8 – Open House @ 7pm-8pm.
• 9 – Grandparents Day Celebration @ 9:30am.
• 22 – CiCi’s Pizza Night @ the Village at Sandhills (5pm-8pm).
• 22 – First Day of Fall.
• 30 – Links to Learning Folders Go Home.

Stay tuned!! The schedule of field trips will be posted soon!

Uniform Policy

All children from 3 year old Preschool and up are required to wear uniforms daily at Chesterbrook Academy.  The official uniform is navy blue (NOT denim) or khaki bottoms and white, navy blue or hunter green solid tops.  Girls may also wear navy blue or khaki jumpers, skirts, skorts, or the plaid jumper offered by the uniform company, Flynn & O’Hara.  Shoes should be preferably athletic type.

Want to save time making payments?

We offer weekly automatic draft directly from your checking or savings account or you can utilize our new credit card option!!

School Spotlight

Start Date: Monday, September 5th
End Date: Monday, September 19th

Stock up with Little Caesar’s Pizza Kits!  Have them on hand for quick dinners, birthday parties, snacks, or entertaining guests!  They are FUN to make and eat!!

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CiCi’s Pizza Night
Thursday, September 22nd
The Village at Sandhills
5:00pm – 8:00pm
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What is a Fresh Food Box?
A REAL box of food filled with top-quality fruits and vegetables.
12 to 15 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables in each box.

Cost: Each Fresh Food Box costs $21.00

Next delivery dates are September 14th and 28th.

Please drive slowly on school property!
Be courteous and patient with other
drivers and watch out for our children!!!

If you or your passengers are NOT disabled, please do not park in the handicap space provided in the front of the school.  This space is reserved for persons that have been issued placards or special license plates.  Thank you.

Resources

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!! We invite you to “like” our page at www.facebook.com/ChesterbrookAcademy where we’ll be providing our fans with regular educational tips for children from preschool to 8th grade and the opportunity to network with fellow parents. We would love to have your participation in this forum and encourage you to continue to check our school website for local updates specific to our own school. We look forward to having you as part of our Facebook community!

Open House: Invite a family member or friend to come to our Open House on Saturday, November 5, 2016 between the hours of 10am-1pm. This is a great opportunity to meet the staff, tour the facility and see first hand how Chesterbrook Academy makes a difference in the lives of children!!

Chesterbrook Academy & Queensboro Apparel Company: If you are interested in ordering Chesterbrook Logo apparel for your child(ren), please view our online store. You may notice all the wonderful colors available, but please keep in mind that Chesterbrook Academy uniform colors are Navy, White and Forest/Dark Green.

Chesterbrook Academy & Mabel’s Labels: As a way to target the problem of lost belongings and a large lost and found closet, Chesterbrook Academy is fundraising with Mabel’s Labels, a company with all types of labels that are colorful, indestructible, easy-to-use and fun! Iron-Ons, Stickies, Bag Tags, Allergy Alert labels & more! Personalize your labels with names, nicknames, initials – whatever you choose. Cool icons help even little ones identify their own belongings. Dishwasher, microwave, laundry & kid tested! Dispatched within 24 hours!

Visit www.chesterbrookacademy.mabelslabels.com to place your order.

Extra Curricular Activities will begin in September!

*Register for Golfsquad online…..

https://golfsquad.com/programs/sc/col/chesterbrook-academy

Reminders For Parents

Tuition: Parents, please understand the importance of paying your tuition & paying it on time! Payments are due every Friday for the coming week. Late fees will be applied at 12 noon on Monday following the due date. Unpaid tuition, more than a week past due, will result in immediate dis-enrollment. If you have any questions, please see Helen, Melissa or Andrea in the front office. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Field Trips for the 2016-17 School Year: Please be reminded that students must wear the Chesterbrook logo navy t-shirt on field trips.  All monies for field trips are to be paid at the front desk.  Turn in signed permission slips to your child’s teacher.

Automatic Payment Program: Parents this is a very easy way for you to not worry about writing those checks every week and avoiding late fees. APP can be used to pay tuition only invoices or all invoices (tuition, registration & activity fees). Please see Helen, Melissa, or Andrea in the front office for details and information on getting signed up or you can print the form from the link on the school website. In addition, you can also set up online bill-pay through your bank.

Contact Information: Please be sure that all home, work, cell and pager numbers and any other contact information is up to date in your child’s file. This helps the staff at Chesterbrook have every available option to contact the parent(s) in the event of an emergency.

E-Mail Addresses: Please update your email addresses with the front office in order to receive important information about upcoming and/or emergency events from the school. We can send email notifications to more than one email address.

School Operating Hours: This is a friendly reminder that Chesterbrook’s hours of operation are 7:00 am – 6:00 pm, Monday thru Friday. Half day hours of operation are 8:30 am – 11:30 am. The late pick up fee is $15 per child for the first 15 minutes and an additional $15 per child for each quarter hour after the regularly scheduled pick up time. Also parents, if you are running late and its close to closing time, please be sure to give the school a courtesy call.

Entry & Exit Doors: ** DO NOT USE THE BACK DOOR FOR ENTRY TO THE SCHOOL!!!** As you all know there is a code required for entry to the school. Please be sure to limit the code to family members and/or friends that are picking up your child(ren) on a regular basis. Do not give the code to your child(ren). In addition, everyone should use the front entrance for drop off and pick up. We advise strongly not to let individuals in the side entry door, as this person may or may not be a Chesterbrook parent or other family member. The side door is to only be used as an exit. This guarantees the safety of Chesterbrook Academy students and staff. Thanks in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

Parent Ambassador Program: Spread the word about our school and save on your child’s tuition! Refer a new family to our school and you could earn a free week of tuition. For more information on our Ambassador Program, see your school’s principal. The current referring Chesterbrook family will receive a discount after the referred child has attended full time for 3 months. Discount applies to the tuition of the oldest child in the referring family.

For Parents & Teachers

NUT FREE SCHOOL: We have several children enrolled at Chesterbrook Academy with severe nut allergies. Please do not send your child to school with food containing any type of nut products.

Prescription Policy for Chronic or Allergic Conditions:
** WE CANNOT ADMINISTER OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS TO YOUR CHILD**
Medication may be brought in for chronic or life threatening medical conditions. All medications must be in their original container with the prescription label attached to include the proper administering time(s) and dosage to be given. For the use of a nebulizer, a letter or note will be required from your child’s doctor’s office stating time(s) to be administered and the tubule dosage to be given. In addition, an “Authorization to Administer Medication Form” must be completed and turned in by the parent. Please see Helen, Melissa, or Andrea in the front office if you have any questions or concerns.

Weather Policy: In the event of severe weather, we will make every effort to open on schedule and to remain open during the course of our regular hours of operation. In the event that severe weather requires us to close our school, delay our school or close early, parents will be notified initially by e-notify. Please make sure we have your most current email address and that you have added us to your address book so our message does not go to spam. In the event that your employer will not allow you to receive email at work, please provide us with an alternate email address for you. Parents may also call the school’s voicemail at 803-699-9988 and listen to the prerecorded message by 5:30 a.m. for information regarding the operating hours. Information will also be posted to the school’s website which is http://Wildewood.ChesterbrookAcademy.com. You can also tune into WIS channel 10 and/or WLTX channel 19 for closing and/or delay information.
**Chesterbrook Academy DOES NOT follow the schedule of Richland School District 2 during weather delays or closings**

Sign In & Out Books: We wanted to take this time to remind you all about an important security here at Chesterbrook. Please remember to sign your child in and out every day on the class Sign In/Out sheets located outside or inside of your child’s classroom everyday. If someone on your child’s authorized pick-up list is picking up, please remind him or her to do so as well. Although we have never had any problem nor do we expect to in the future, this is an important security measure that keeps all of the children safe. Thank you for your continued compliance with our security policies.

Parking Policy

• Traffic should enter the school parking lot at the first driveway and exit through the carport out the last driveway.
• Cars should be parked in designated parking spaces or on the road above the school.
• Please do not park under the carport, behind the bus, or in front of the dumpster.
• Please do not block the mailbox.
• All preschoolers must be escorted into the school by an adult.
• Elementary students may be dropped off at the front door. Cars should stop in the right lane only and students should exit their cars through the passenger side door.
• Please do not allow your child to run through the parking lot unattended or play on the hill.
• Please drive slowly on school property. Be courteous and patient with other drivers and watch out for our children.

Illness Policy
A parent of a child that is determined to be ill shall be notified immediately. The child must be picked up within an hour of notification. No child shall be allowed to remain at school with the following conditions:

• Elevated Temperature (100 degrees or higher)
• Vomiting and/or Diarrhea
• Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
• Head Lice
• Other Communicable Diseases (ie. chicken pox, strep throat, etc.)
• Student Pick-Up

Student Pick-Up: Parents, please be sure to inform the teachers and/or front office if another family member or friend will pick up your child. This applies to names that are on your list as well as names that are not. If it will be the first time the family member or friend picks up your child, please remind them to bring in their drivers licensewhen they come in. This is very important to insure the safety of your child(ren).

September

Students

• 1 – Tajleah Bernard
• 7 – Coury Gowans, Jr.
• 7 – Olivia Mackey
• 10 – Ava-Symone Nelson
• 10 – Justin Nelson, Jr.
• 11 – Kaden Mascari
• 12 – Ty Brunecz
• 14 – Kaylee Daniels
• 15 – Sofie Wright
• 17 – Patrick Sanderson
• 19 – Kira Spurgeon
• 20 – Gavin Witherspoon
• 25 – Landon Gilchrist
• 26 – Masai Staley
• 27 – Diego Jamison

Staff

• 4 – Lauryn Lee
• 11 – Olivia Spires
• 15 – Connie Ridges
• 18 – Katie Capobianco
• 29 – Cathy Franklin

From the Education Department

Go Beyond “I’m Sorry” to Foster Sincere Apologies from Your Preschooler

September, 2016   |   Topics: Social-Emotional Learning

Your child grabs a toy from a playmate, tears erupt, and you immediately tell him to say, “I’m sorry.” Does this sound familiar? Although apologizing might seem to diffuse the situation, these words alone don’t fix hurt feelings, nor do they help your child understand how or why he caused[.....]
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– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director of Early Childhood Education