November 14, 2012
Dear Chase Lake Families,
In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed kids laden with jackets and boots in response to the rain and wind. This is good because the same kids often leap into puddles formed in pavement around the school. Not to worry, I’m sure these are science experiments in water displacement!
This year, the staff decided to pay closer attention to student attendance. Good school attendance is one indicator of school success, and families play an important role in setting good habits. Start with the expectation that children attend school every day that they are well, and then try your best. If a child misses just one school day a month, they miss a total of two weeks of school over the year. That is a lot of learning. You can partner with us by tracking your own child’s attendance, and we will do our part to make school a place that kids want to be every day.
Last Friday, we had our Veteran’s Day Assembly and featured our new Student Council Officers, the Chase Lake Singers, and guest veterans that are fathers and a great-grandfather of our students. This holiday is a time to pause, reflect and thank the men and women who give up part of their lives to serve our country. Thank you to Mr. Press who prepared the Chase Lake Singers, Mrs. Peters who organized and rehearsed a small Color Guard to begin and end the assembly, and Mrs. Takara who organized the Wall of Honor banners on the walls of the Commons. And again, a heartfelt thank you to any of the veterans in our school community that were unable to join us Friday morning.
This next week will begin our annual Food Drive at Chase Lake. Mrs. King-Norton, the student council and our third grade “accountants” will manage this project over the next months. Most of the donations to the Food Drive will benefit families at Chase Lake through the winter break, and any food that is not distributed here will go to food banks or community kitchens in our neighborhoods. This project provides a good example of how we work together to care for others. Whether it is a hurricane or tough times, there are always some neighbors who need assistance with the basics like food, shelter and clothing. Outreach at Chase Lake models helpfulness, and inspires the best in us and our children. If you would like to contribute time or goods, look for information in the Wednesday packets.
The next few weeks are busy for schools and families, and looking at the calendar it’s hard to imagine how we’ll accomplish it all. You can hear many adults sigh with one big collective sigh. But school kids are happily making turkeys from paper plates, paint and construction paper as their anticipation builds. They look forward to seeing grandparents, or traveling to a favorite aunt’s house. They are good inspiration to be happy, I‘m soaking up their excitement.
Some of us remember a lot of Thanksgivings. Some of them were far from home, and sometimes we were between homes. I recall one Thanksgiving I spent with a box of cereal because my college break was too short to get home. Every Thanksgiving plays a part in life, and that one year on my own put all of my other Thanksgivings in perspective. Now I can look around the room at our family and friends, and I am gratefully busy. No matter where you are, have a great holiday next week, gobble gobble!
Sincerely,
Karen Nilson
Principal
