After School Clubs are Back!

We are thrilled to be able to offer after-school clubs again at Chestnutwold!

Club meetings will mostly be held outdoors when weather permitting. All volunteers running the clubs have their clearances and have provided proof of vaccination. Club sizes are limited so in order to make sure that as many kids as possible have access to the after-school clubs, we request that you indicate your child's first and second choices for clubs. If there is a club with too many requests we will need to have more club leaders. If we are not able to accommodate all requests, please consider volunteering as a club helper. Our goal is for every child who wants to participate, to be able to join at least one club. 

Please be sure to check the description for each club, dates, and times to make sure that will work for your child's schedule. Our clubs are run by parent volunteers! Before signing your child up, please make sure they are excited and interested in participating. All students MUST complete a club contract form available on the PTO website and in the main lobby.

This sign-up is just for clubs beginning this fall: Dungeons & Dragons, Lego club, Roots & shoots, Art club, and The Chestnutwold Chatter. More clubs will be available later in the year including Running Clubs, Yoga Club, Photo and Sketch Club, Chess Club, and Spanish Club!

Club Contract - Everyone should submit a contract form before attending a club meeting. Forms are available on the website and in the main lobby. 5th graders can bring the form with them to the first Art Club meeting, or submit them beforehand in the PTO mailbox.

Phoenix Fun Day and Dance a Thon 10/1/21

Phoenix Fun Day is a free PTO-sponsored event that welcomes all Chestnutwold families! This annual event will be held Friday, October 1st, 4:30-7:30, and features an inflatable slide, games, music, button-making, an obstacle course, and free popcorn! Baked goods and drinks will be available for $1. Pizza slices will be available for purchase, but we do encourage you to pre-order a pizza pie for your family, as we will sell out! (Thanks to Sam’s Boardwalk Style pizza for providing the pizza AND giving back a portion of the proceeds to our PTO.) Spirit Wear will also be available for purchase! 

 

PFD also features our annual Dance-a-Thon fundraiser, which is deejayed and emceed by All Around Entertainment! From 5:30-6:30, the deejays will lead us in line dances, dance-offs, and competitions. Dancing and fundraising are optional, but we do encourage it as the Dance-a-Thon is one of our biggest fundraisers for our $40,000+ annual budget! With parent and community fundraising support, we have provided the following for our school in the past:

 

  • Classroom Enhancements: Gym equipment, smartboards, carpets, piano for music class, STEM toys and technology, books, and more!

  • The Arts at Chestnutwold: Art in the Classroom, Young Writers’ Day, Cultural Assemblies, Artist in Residency, the Art Show, and more!

  • Community Building Events: Phoenix Fun Day, Trunk or Treat, Variety Show, MLK Day of Service

  • Programming: School newspaper and yearbook, after school clubs, New Family Sponsors

  • And much, much more!

 

Prizes will be raffled off for some of our biggest student fundraisers, so get your kids involved in the fundraising process! Students can fill out the attached donor form to ask grandparents and neighbors to support our local school!

 

Finally, none of this can happen without your support! You- the CW parents and guardians- are what makes Chestnutwold stand out as an amazing neighborhood school community; however, I know everyone is BUSY, so I’m providing a nifty checklist to help keep all of this information organized for you!

 

  • Mark your calendar: Friday, October 1, 4:30-7:30 at Chestnutwold

  • Volunteer to help at Phoenix Fun Day and/or donate to the Bake Sale

  • Pre-order your pizza from Sam’s Boardwalk Style Pizza.

  • Donate! Print off the attached fundraising documents for details. Ask family and friends to donate as well. (Remind your kids that our biggest student fundraisers are entered into a raffle for fun prizes!)

  • Forward this email to new Chestnutwold families and/or share the event on Facebook!

  • Come have FUN!

 

Questions pertaining to Phoenix Fun Day? Email lalasamohr@verizon.net

Questions pertaining to Dance-a-Thon? Email Jamie.Hawthorn@gmail.com

 

See you on October 1!

Sign up for Event notifications through Fresh Schools

Are you NEW to the school? Or do you have a NEW child entering kindergarten? (*Returning parents your account remains the same - you just need to update your account with your child’s new teacher name. Instructions below.)

We invite you to become part of the PTO's student directory called FreshSchools, which is great for seeing who else is in your child's class, getting contact info of parents for making connections, and more!

All parents of NEW children at Chestnutwold, please use this link to register:
https://www.freshschools.com/app/schools/chestnutwold-elementary-school/register?fbclid=IwAR3AdZesycVeL1bdHpDDjlYagb1Rcdh-4TEW4aU9aoaCvqmX84gDGeDCHfE

You'll go into a pending status, once you complete the link above. We'll approve you and you'll get an email invite to the directory with in a couple of days.

STUDENTS WITH EXISTING ACCOUNTS -- PLEASE ASSIGN YOUR CHILD/CHILDREN'S CLASSROOM: 

  • Log into Fresh Schools via a DESKTOP computer only (the app will not work for the following instructions). Search for your child using the search bar in the top right.

  • Click on your child's name.

  • Click the "pencil" icon in the top right window of your child's profile.

  • In the "Classes" field start typing the name of your child's teacher. Select the teacher name.

  • Scroll all the way down and click "Save Profile"

NEW “Community Cultures” newsletter

The NEW “Community Cultures” newsletter should be in your email inbox! It’s something fun to share with the whole family! Here is a teaser from the first issue:

Meet the Suryanarayanan-Joshi Family!

Tell us about your family’s cultural background.

Our family is originally from Mumbai, one of the biggest cities in India. India is the largest democracy in the world. People belonging to a variety of ethnicities and religions live in India. Did you know that India has 22 official languages? We speak English, Hindi and Marathi at home.  

What does a typical dinner time look like in your family?

There are a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Indian cooking uses many types of spices. We eat a lot of vegetarian dishes in our family. Typically, our dinner consists of home-made roti, a type of flatbread, daal, which is made from lentils, and vegetables sautéed or cooked with Indian spices.

What are some of your family’s favorite traditions?

We celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali (Festival of Lights) every year. Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. During Diwali, we make delicious Indian snacks and sweets and share with friends and family. We also draw colorful ‘rangoli’ designs on the floor and light bright lamps called ‘diyas’. We also celebrate Christmas and decorate our tree every year.

What is a traditional greeting in your family’s culture?

Namaskar or Namaste are traditional greetings in the Marathi/Hindi language and mean “hello.”

March Madness

March Madness has officially begun and the 2021 Chestnutwold 50-50 Bracket Pool is live! Half of all funds raised will go to the PTO, the other half to the top 3 participants. Remaining Prize Money: Winner: 60%, Second place: 25%, Third place: 15%

Step One: Pay $10/bracket on Venmo @ChestnutwoldPTO (Indicate the $$ is for the March Madness Bracket Pool)

Step Two: Use the link below to fill out your bracket by Friday March 19th at 11:59am.

https://picks.cbssports.com/.../kbxw63b2gu3tinjug42a====

You can check the standings throughout the entire tournament and the final winners will be announced after the Championship game on April 5th. If anyone has any questions or issues trying to submit their brackets, feel free to reach out (jvarallo91@gmail.com / 610-368-2799). May the best bracket win

New to the school? Learn More About Fresh Schools

Are you NEW to the school? Or do you have a NEW child entering kindergarten?

We invite you to become part of the PTO's student directory called FreshSchools, which is great for seeing who else is in your child's class, getting contact info of parents for making connections, and more!

All parents of NEW children at Chestnutwold, please use this link to register:
https://www.freshschools.com/app/schools/chestnutwold-elementary-school/register?fbclid=IwAR3AdZesycVeL1bdHpDDjlYagb1Rcdh-4TEW4aU9aoaCvqmX84gDGeDCHfE

You'll go into a pending status, once you complete the link above. We'll approve you and you'll get an email invite to the directory with in a couple of days.

New Family Sponsors

Be a Sponsor Family This School Year: Do you love our wonderful community here at Chestnutwold?  Want to share that experience with the next group of incoming families? We are gathering volunteer families who will help us welcome incoming kindergartners and new students to the school and let them know how much we love our community. This year, more than ever, welcoming our new families will be appreciated.  It is a great way to give back to the community with just a little bit of time!  

 

The goal of this program is not offer advice or insight into virtual learning so much as it is to talk up our community. Sponsor families can direct Covid related questions to the appropriate school district resources.  More information will follow but you can sign up to participate by emailing Amy Solwecki, amymsolwecki@gmail.com, before Sunday, August 17.  

 

Questions - email Amy Solwecki - amymsolwecki@gmail.com or Sandy McManus - sandydoylemcmanus@gmail.com. 

Box Tops

Box Tops are on many products such as General Mills Cheerios, or Annie's macaroni and cheese. Box Tops earn our school easy money ($668.40 this past year)! Watch this 2 minute video for instructions!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWuXDKejVEg
Then... 
1. Download the App
2. Choose Chestnutwold as your school to donate to.
3. When you scan your receipt, you can give credit to your child's class by clicking the credit button BEFORE submitting the picture of the receipt. You can just type in the teachers last name, and that's it! Your child's class will get credit for the classroom competition to see who turns in the most Box Tops for the water ice party at the end of the year.
 Thank you!

Here is a video showing how to scan with the box tops mobile app.

Welcome, New Chestnutwold Families!

Welcome, New Chestnutwold Families!

Are you NEW to the school? Or do you have a NEW child entering kindergarten?

We invite you to become part of the PTO's student directory called Fresh Schools. The directory is a great way to see who else is in your child's class, schedule playdates, and send out birthday party invites! Also, registering will ensure you get information about all the PTO sponsored events and after school clubs. 

Please register all NEW Chestnutwold students using this link: https://www.freshschools.com/app/schools/chestnutwold-elementary-school/register

You'll go into pending status, once you complete the link above. We'll approve you and within a couple of days, you'll get an email invite from Fresh Schools to join the directory.

Please share this information with any friends or neighbors that you know have students that will be NEW to Chestnutwold in the Fall!

Thank you,

-The PTO