Chesterfield Township School District Newsletter
November 2015
As the season settles in, we are reminded how beautiful Chesterfield is in the fall. The
fields are speckled with pumpkins and the landscape is rich with color as we transition
into the fall months. Our preschool, kindergarten and 1st graders have visited area
pumpkin patches and family days at the local farms were the perfect way to enjoy the
autumn weekends.
November is also a month of transition at school. As we move towards a new marking
period, teachers are preparing for conferences later this month. On November 5th and
6th, school is closed as the teachers head for the NJEA convention and the kids enjoy the
extra, long weekend!
Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for November 19th through 24th, which are
early dismissal days (12:45) for the students. Conferences will be scheduled by the
parents through the Genesis Parent Portal, as we have done for the past several years.
This feature will be open from Wednesday, November 4th at 4:00PM and close at 4:00
PM on Wednesday, November 11th. Detailed instructions have been sent home,
along with a guide to assist you with the process. The teachers look forward to
spending time with you to discuss your child's academic progress.
Thanksgiving is a much anticipated holiday. We begin our break on Wednesday,
November 25th, an early dismissal day at 12:45. The older students enjoy Mr. Mazzoni’s
annual soccer game with alumni and 6th graders on Fenton Fields! School is closed on
November 26th and 27th so we may take a break from work, sit down with family for a
big holiday meal and transition into the holiday season.
Finally, as the month comes to a close, we should all take a moment and appreciate the
gifts we call our children, give thanks for what we have and cherish the moments – big
and small – that fill our lives. Please take a moment to help out those less fortunate and
contribute to the school food drive. There is a box for donations in the atrium that will
be delivered to the local food pantry. Together, we can make a difference! Enjoy the
Thanksgiving holiday!
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MONTHLY
HIGHLIGHT
Instrumental Music Highlight by Mrs. Gwendolyn McCreary
In Chesterfield Township Elementary School, the Instrumental Music
Program is a long-standing tradition. Beginning in the early 1980’s, an
Instrumental Music Program was introduced, and students were offered small
group instruction on “Band Instruments.” That program evolved into the
program we offer today: Instrumental Music and Band.
Students in grades four through six are offered instructional, small group
lessons on flute, clarinet, oboe, alto saxophone, trumpet, F horn, trombone,
baritone horn, and percussion…all of the standard, concert band instruments.
On one day, during each cycle, small groups of instrumental students are
pulled from their regularly scheduled class for a 30-minute, instructional lesson.
These lessons range in difficulty from beginner (a student playing an instrument
for the very first time) to advanced (a student comfortable reading and playing
many notes, rhythms, and songs). During the instrumental lesson, students learn
new notes, rhythms, fingerings, songs, and technique. A playing assignment is
given at each lesson. After a cycle of daily practice at home, students return to
the following lesson, play through the assignment, and advance each week,
becoming more and more proficient on the instrument.
The other facet of our Instrumental Music Program is Advanced Band.
Once beginners have accomplished fifteen rudimentary goals, students join the
Advanced Band. Each Tuesday morning, from November through April, students
of all instruments come together to play band music in a large ensemble. In the
spring, our band plays a culminating concert at Fine Arts Nights.
The Chesterfield Instrumental Music program is an enriching course,
offering music instruction, discipline, and team building. The program continues
with courses in middle school and high school, and the opportunities are
limitless.
“I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly
MUSIC, for in the patterns of music and all the arts are the keys of learning…”
PLATO
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Calendar of Events
November 4th–11th Parent Portal open for Conference Scheduling
November 4th
November 5th/6th
November 10th
November 19th
November 20th
November 23rd
November 24th
November 26th
November 27-28
Chesterfield Fund Meeting 7:30pm
School Closed – NJEA Convention
PARCC Informational Night – 7:30 Media Center
EARLY DISMISSAL – (12:45) Evening Conferences
EARLY DISMISSAL – (12:45) Afternoon Conferences
EARLY DISMISSAL – (12:45) Evening Conferences
EARLY DISMISSAL – (12:45) Afternoon Conferences
EARLY DISMISSAL – (12:45) Enjoy the Holiday!
SCHOOL CLOSED – Thanksgiving Holiday Break
Little Dragons Visit Bullock Farm!
On Oct. 21, Mrs. Hillman’s Little Dragons Preschool classes took a “field”
trip to Bullock Farm in Cream Ridge. The students were accompanied
by their teacher Mrs. Hillman and classroom paraprofessional. The
morning trip included and the afternoon class was also accompanied by
Mrs. Cindy McNally. Special thanks to Mrs. Janet Haney our everreliable little bus driver and our parent chaperones.
The preschool students had a great day exploring the farm! They had
opportunities to learn about farming and special fall activities. The Little
Dragons…
-learned about sunflowers, soybeans, and corn
-took a tractor-pulled hay ride around the farm
-saw scarecrows, horses, sand cranes, a pond, a barn,
-saw growing fields of soybeans, corn, pumpkins, and gourds
-walked in the pumpkin patch and picked pumpkins off the vines
-walked through a maze made of hay bales
-played in the large “corn box” (similar to a sandbox, but filled
with dried corn kernels)
This was a great learning and fun adventure! The children had many classroom
connections to their experience. Thanks to the folks at the Bullock Farm for
taking such good care of our little ones. You can visit their website at:
www.bullockfarms.com .
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Character Education
Responsibility & Caring
The month of November has big shoes to fill because October was a very eventful
month in Character Education! We kicked off October with the Week of Respect
followed by Red Ribbon Week two weeks later. Both weeks proved to be both fun and
beneficial to our students. In October, the Character Education Bulletin Board was
dedicated to Respect and it was beautifully decorated by the 6th graders.
Responsibility & Caring are the Character Education traits that we are focusing on in
November. Responsibility and Caring are extremely important character education
traits because it teaches students many very useful qualities such as: self-discipline, to
plan ahead, to persevere, to use self-control and to be accountable for their own words,
actions and attitudes. We will have a school wide food drive to enforce that we care for
our community and those that are in need.
Our November Character Education Bulletin Board will be decorated by the 5 th grade!
We can’t wait to see what they come up with!
Character Education is essential in developing a well-round individual. Without
character education, students miss important building blocks on the way to adulthood.
Character is the real foundation for all worthwhile success. By John Hays Hammond
Did you know? …
Our decorated pumpkin patch was the brainchild of Mr. Salamon over 30 years
ago! We’ve been delighted with a variety of creative, spooky and spectacular
pumpkins ever since. This year they were all awesome!
It takes a village…
No one should go hungry. In keeping with our character education theme of
“Caring”, we will be collecting food items throughout the holiday season for
donations to help families in need. This year, we will be sending non-perishable
items to the St. Mary’s food pantry in Bordentown. Just a little from each of us can
make a big difference!
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Library Corner
BOOK FAIR:
The Scholastic Book Fair, sponsored by the PTA, is going strong! Students will have a
chance to shop for books during their regularly scheduled library period. The PTA
parent coordinator, Laurie Hawkins, along with Mrs. DiMeola, would like to thank all the
parent and staff volunteers that helped with set-up and assisted the students during the
fair. We appreciate all that was done by our volunteers to make this event a success.
Fairview Lake Meeting
On Thursday, December 3rd, we have scheduled a meeting to give the parents
information they will need to prepare their child for the Environmental Education
trip. This meeting will give them the opportunity to see slides of Fairview Lake,
meet some of the staff that will be going and receive information regarding the
required clothing list. A letter with more detailed information will be coming
home soon.
School Community Partners --
Board of Education
The general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2015, will include voting for
two seats on the Chesterfield Township Board of Education school board.
Two community members are on the ballot – they are, Mrs. Laura Bond and
Mrs. Andrea Katz. Please make an effort to vote on November 3, 2015, for all
important items in addition to the school board.
Budget time is upon us – please become familiar with the budget process by
attending school board meetings.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on
November 18, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. in the Media Center. All are welcome and
encouraged to attend.
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CHESTERFIELD PUBLIC EDUCATION FUND
The Chesterfield Public Education has been busy already this school year with
the coordinating of the many assorted fall clubs that will come to an end on
Nov 3rd and the approval of 4 grants including a Robotics Grant, a grant for a
SCOPE subscription and a NEWSELA.com subscription and a grant to support
the Science Olympiad.
November promises to be an even busier time for the CPEF as we launch our
fundraisers and provide educational opportunities for the children here at
Chesterfield Elementary School. Feel free to join us on Wednesday, November
4th at 7:30pm for our monthly meeting to be held in the Media Center. We
start the month of activity with providing you the opportunity to purchase
Thanksgiving pies from A & M Farm Market from November 3rd through
November 13th with a delivery date of November 25th.
This year, the CPEF has moved the Annual Read-A-Thon to begin on
November 18th and concludes on November 30th. We always love to see how
many minutes the kids can read! The class who reads the most minutes will
be able to enjoy a wonderful surprise for their efforts - so mark those dates on
your calendars for sure! The announcement of the winning class will still be
done at the 7th Annual Barnes & Noble Night which has been moved to
December 8th.
Finally on November 30th, the CPEF is sponsoring a school wide assembly on
bullying presented by “The Walnut Street Theatre”.
We are thankful for all of your support and look forward to another
successful year enhancing and enriching the educational experience of
Chesterfield Elementary School students
As you fill out your calendars with your family gatherings, school closings
and conferences the CPEF asks that you also keep these dates in mind:
 CPEF Monthly Meeting 11/4 @ 7:30pm in the Media Center
 Pie Sale- Orders taken 11/3 through 11/13
Delivery on 11/25 from 12:45 to 6:00pm in the Foyer
 Read-A-Thon Begins on 11/18 and concludes on 11/30.
 Walnut Street Theatre Assembly- 11/30
 7th Annual Barnes & Noble Night- 12/8
CPEF Board President- Sheri Friends, Vice President- Carol Cooper-Braun,
Treasurer- Phyllis Tsai, Secretary- Lorrie Thier
Trustees- Kathleen D’Aulerio, Paula Hessinger, Jonathan Katz, Stacey Lindes,
Jessica Masters Members- Kelly D’Oria, YOU?
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PTA NEWS CORNER
The season of thankfulness is approaching. With that said, the PTA would like
to thank everyone who helped with the Harvest party. We know the kids
really look forward to these special days. If you didn’t get a chance to help
with Harvest party you can still volunteer or help plan the Holiday party next
month.
The PTA is always accepting new members. All the information is on the
Chesterfield PTA website.
Don’t forget about Chesterfield spirit wear!! Great looks for the whole family.
November 10th
4th-6th grade author visit.
News from the Nurse –
This is the time of year when the flu spreads and everyone seems to be sick. In order to
combat illness, the Burlington County Health Department encourages parents to:
 Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or alcoholbased hand sanitizer. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
 Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed
utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. If they don't have a
tissue, they should cough or sneeze into their upper sleeve, not their hands.
 Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100
degrees Fahrenheit), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches,
headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
 Don’t send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are sick at
school will be sent home. Staying home when sick will allow your children to rest
and allows you to monitor their health closely. Keeping your sick child home is the
responsible thing to do. It protects fellow students and school staff, especially
those who are at higher risk of severe illness from the flu. If your child has been
sick with flu-like symptoms, they cannot return to school until they have been
fever-free, without the use of fever-reducing medications, for at least 24 hours.
SCHOOL BULLETIN BOARD
 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
The Chesterfield Township School District is an Affirmative Action/Equal
Educational School District and Employer. If any parent/guardian, student, or
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other person feels that he or she or any other person is being or has been
discriminated against because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, ancestry,
national origin, socioeconomic status or handicap, such discrimination should be
reported immediately to the following school district officer: Dr. Gino Sivieri.
 ABSENCES
If your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, you must call the
school office to report that your child will not be present in school. Please call
the main office at 298-6900 by 8:45 a.m. and leave a message after the “To report
a student absence prompt”. An automated message will go home to all students
that are absent before 9:45am. Absences more than 13 consecutive days, due to
travel will require a student to be withdrawn and re-instated upon their return.
If your child is going to be absent for an extended period of time, please speak
with the secretaries in the main office to fill out the necessary paperwork.
 BACKPACKS
Because of space limitations on our buses, it is necessary to restrict backpack
size to a maximum of 15" wide by 18" long (approximately) and only the nonwheeled variety are permitted on the bus. Teachers have indicated that this
style sufficiently meets their standards regarding the materials students
transport between home and school.
 BEFORE & AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM
If you need child care either before or after school, Champions is an
independently run program held at the school for your convenience. Visit online
at discoverchampions.com or contact Melissa Capone at 267-994-3565 for
more details.
 BIRTHDAY PARTIES
Following up on suggestions made by our school Wellness Council, food will not
be served in school for children’s birthday celebrations. Teachers will develop
grade level guidelines for birthday celebration activities.
If you are planning a party at home, please only send invitations in to school if
you will be inviting everyone (or just the same gender) in the class. If you are
sending only to a few classmates, please distribute them by mail. Thanks for
your cooperation!
 CELL PHONES & ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Cell phones have become a part of our daily routine. However, the use of cell
phones in school by students is prohibited, unless the use is approved by a
teacher or administrator. If a child is carrying a cell phone in his/her backpack
for emergency use, it must not be displayed while in school or on the bus. If a
student is found using or playing with a cell phone during school, it will be
confiscated and a parent/guardian must come into the school office to retrieve it.
All electronic devices, IPods, Gameboy, etc., should be enjoyed at home.
Thanks for understanding.
 CHILD FIND
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If you have concerns about your preschool child’s (ages 3-5 years) language,
social or learning development, please call our Child Study Team office at 609298-3027. Our Supervisor of Special Services, Dr. Gino Sivieri; Supervisor of
Curriculum, Mrs. Jeanine May-Sivieri, School Social Worker, Mrs. Cindy McNally
or Speech Pathologist, Ms Marian Rock will be happy to speak to you about your
concerns and provide information about the Child Study Team evaluation
process and possible services that may be provided for pre-school students.
If you have concerns about your infant or preschool child’s development (birth 3 years) services may be available through New Jersey’s Early Intervention
System. Please call PROJECT CHILD FIND at 1-800-322-8174 or Burlington
County Early Intervention at 609-267-1950.
 EARLY PICKUP
If you are picking your child before early, please send a note into the teacher
with all the details – time of pickup, who will be picking up and the reason for
early dismissal. If your child is picked up before 3:00 p.m., they will be charged
as a tardy for on their attendance record. Regular dismissal begins at 3:10 pm.
 KINDERGARTEN ROUNDUP
If you have a child who will be five years old on or before October 1, 2016,
register on-line at the school website at www.Chesterfieldschool.com.
Kindergarten screenings are held in the spring for all our new enrollments and
parents will be notified by mail at that time.
 LOST AND FOUND
Items found without any identification will be placed on the “Lost and Found”
table located in the cafeteria. Please check this table if your child is missing a
lunchbox, coat, book-bag or other items.
 OPEN DOOR POLICY
The Chesterfield Township School faculty, staff and administration believe that a
child’s parents and local community are an important and integral part of the
total school program. The Superintendent and all other personnel will welcome
any inquiries, questions or suggestions from any interested member of the
community.
 SCHOOL CLOSINGS
The Honeywell Alert System will be used for emergencies closings and
delays. A message will be sent to you depending on the profile you set up.
Therefore, it is very important to log onto Genesis to set up your family profile.
 VISITORS
In our continuing efforts to ensure the safety of our students, every visitor must
sign in and obtain a visitor’s pass upon arrival. Never go directly to the
classroom without being announced, even to just drop off a lunch, forgotten
items or to walk a student to class when they arrive late.
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