Yesterday, we took time to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. In thinking about the upcoming inauguration, I was reminded of his words, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” We will be witnessing a historic moment, as two women of color take the stage when Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor swears Kamala Harris in as Vice President. As we honor the life of Dr. King who fought and sacrificed for human progress, it is an important moment indeed!
This week we will take a closer look at our 2nd School Improvement Goal: By Spring of 2021, 80% of students receiving a Tier III academic intervention will make measurable growth towards meeting their individual success criteria as established by the SIT.
In the world of academics, we categorize the types of instruction that students receive in the general education setting into three distinct tiers. Tier 1 is the instruction that all students receive from the classroom teacher. This is typically whole group instruction. For students who may need a bit more support, we deliver Tier 2 instruction. This is usually a small group that meets with the classroom teacher to get reteaching or other support around a skill or concept. It can also be tutoring received from Reading Results or specific lessons in a digital program such as Lexia or Dreambox that are tied to a student’s learning needs. If a student is not showing adequate progress with the combination of Tier I instructions and a Tier 2 intervention, the teacher can refer the student to Chapman’s Student Intervention Team. This team, composed of administration, instructional and learning specialists, and counselors reviews the student information and determines whether the student would benefit from a Tier 3 intervention. The Student Intervention Team decides the intervention to be provided and defines what adequate progress would be for the specific intervention. Currently, Tier 3 interventions are provided in small groups with one of our intervention teachers.
For this goal, we will be tracking the growth of students receiving a Tier 3 intervention not only to see how students are improving, but also to build upon and improve our own process in responding to the learning needs of students. We have not had a clear Tier 3 intervention process in the past, so we have been working this year on strengthening this system.
2021 Hopes
Please consider adding a flipgrid to our Hopes and Goals for 2021! This could be a fun family activity. Your flipgrid could be selected to be on our Round Up stage!
Service Opportunity
We are asking students to create cards and letters for senior citizens that live in the Chapman neighborhood. Cards can be delivered to the Chapman front porch during library book distribution Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between 2-4.
LIPI
The school district is starting the process of rolling out Limited In Person Instruction for K-3. We do not know an exact date yet when Chapman will be phased in. We are currently in the initial planning stages for this, but we are anticipating only being able to serve a small number of students. LIPI will be a supplement to distance learning and not a replacement for it, and it will only be offered for 1-2 hours on some afternoons. More information will be forthcoming.
Chapman GSA
This week will be the first meeting of the Chapman Gender & Sexualities Alliance. Any interested student in grades 3-5 are invited to join the Google meeting on Thursday at 2:15. Code: chapmangsa
Principal Van Der Wolf
Counselor's Message: Kids and the Inauguration
Tomorrow is the Inauguration of our nation’s 46th president. It is a historic event on it’s own, but this one is an inauguration like never before in our nation’s history. This nation will see its first female, multi-racial Vice President; COVID-19 pandemic and safety protocols are changing many aspects of the ceremony; and this is all occurring shortly after an invasion of the U.S. Capitol. There is plenty to make this Inauguration Day go down in history. Many families are wondering how to engage their children in the inauguration tomorrow. Here are a few suggestions:
Use it as an opportunity to teach about the democratic process as well as your family’s values
Consider using this Inauguration Day "I Spy" Activity to help your children learn about who the players are in this year’s inauguration.
Don’t avoid uncomfortable topics, but do offer a sense of safety and protection. Discuss difficult topics to the extent that you feel you can offer support and hope in a truthful way, and consider the developmental level of your child.
If you are concerned about violence occurring at the Inauguration, consider watching the Inauguration recorded after-the-fact. This will give you a chance to process any events that take place and decide what is the most helpful way to tell the story to your kids.
The counseling department is grateful to be alongside all of our families as our nation makes history tomorrow. As always, we are available to connect for any reason, so feel free to reach out.
Ariel & Shoshana
Girls On the Run - Spring Sign-up and Coaches Needed
Girls on the Run is coming back to Wallace Park in April. Chapman girls participated in the fall with two teams at Wallace Park. It was a great way to get the girls outside, keep moving their bodies and socialize while wearing a mask and social distancing.
We are looking for volunteer coaches, if you are interested learn more and please fill out this application here.
Coaches Applications are due by April 1st. We need 3 coaches per team.
Kids Registration opens Feb 15th. With a lottery prior to April practice to confirm your child’s spot on the team.
First practice is the week of April 12th. Details regarding signs ups will be shared as the registration date nears.
If you have questions or are interested, feel free to email your site Liaisons (Ashley B Koch and Devon Healey) at the following addresses: devonhealey0904@gmail.com and ashleybkoch@gmail.com
We'd love to have your girls involved and we are committed to making Girls on the Run accessible to all girls. Financial aid is available to any girl who needs it. The online registration form will walk you through a few questions to find the fee that is right for your family based on a sliding scale.
