The next Home & School Association meeting will be this Wednesday February 1st at 7pm in the school library.  Agenda items will include Mr. Marsella’s update on possible enrollment increases for 2012-13, HASA Event/Activity updates from committee leaders, and information about ongoing and upcoming public school budget issues.  The tentative agenda can be found here.  If you would like to have something added to the agenda, please click here to submit your topic or question.

Meetings typically last about an hour.  Attending is a great way to get involved and have an impact on all that is going on at Chatham Park.

Get your Tickets for the Adult Social!

Date: February 11, 2012

Time: 7:00-10:00pm

Place: McGillicuddy’s on the Boulevard

Cost: $30 for individual tickets and $50 per couple, your ticket includes a three hour open bar and a buffet dinner.

To get your tickets simply click here and fill out the form, then place the form and your payment in an envelope marked Adult Social and have your child hand them in to their homeroom teacher. Forms are due by Tuesday, February 7^th and tickets will be sent home with your child on Thursday, February 9th.

If you have any questions contact Ryan Devitis at ryandevitis@gmail.com.

Come enjoy this evening out and support Chatham Park!

Cinderella Comes to Chatham

Chatham Park is scheduled to have the next cultural assembly on Friday, Feb 3rd at 1:00pm (K, 1 & 2) and 2:00pm (3, 4 & 5). This assembly will be presented by Pages to Pirouettes. They will be preforming ’Cinderella’ the ballet, the classic fairy tale performed with humor and elegance. All morning kindergarten students are welcome to attend the 1:00pm assembly with a parent or caregiver. This assembly is sponsored by the Chatham Park Home and School Association.

The Golden Apple

The Golden Apple Tree is now up in the hallway next to the library for the kids to see their names posted with their progress toward the Golden Apple award.  We are excited about the participation of the kids, especially in the younger classes.  If you need more information on the Golden Apple program, or need to print out the forms, click here. Encourage your kids to read & hand in their forms in the library!

The 6^th Annual Talent Show

This Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 1:00pm Chatham will be putting on their 6^th talent show. The 50 acts include things such as singing, dancing, guitar, violin, piano, joke telling, magic, hula hoop, pogo stick, gymnastics and the choreographed 5^th Grade Finale. The show will be held in the Haverford High School Auditorium and admission is free. Come out an support all these daring kids and enjoy this great afternoon of entertainment.

Bake or Buy treats to support our talented kids!

If you’d like to contribute something for the intermission bake sale, please contact Julie Brown at jleedybrown@comcast.net or 610.924.9010. Contributions can be dropped off at the Talent Show or at Julie’s house the morning of the show. All goodies should be bagged or wrapped as a $1.00 item. Thank you in advance for all of your support!

Coat Drive for Mother’s Home – It’s not too late!

There are just two more days to get your donations in. The 5^th grade Service Club is hosting a coat drive for the most needed items during winter. Donations can be placed in box located outside the main office Monday and Tuesday of this week. A full list of items needed can be found at http://www.mothershome.org/donate/in-kind-items/. Most important are coats, hats, gloves, and boots.

Thank you for helping with our 5th grade Service Club Winter Project.

Upcoming Dates

• February 1^st HASA Meeting
• February 3^rd Pages to Pirouettes Assembly
• February 5^th Talent Show
• February 11^th Adult Social

• March 1^st HASA Board Meeting

• March 9^th Science Fair

Tonight in Chatham Park’s Auditorium  at 7:00pm Chestnutwold’s PTO will be hosting  a presentation “Teaching Anti-Bullying K-8″.  The presenter is Dr. Claudio V. Cerullo.  It will last approximately one hour with a Q & A at the end.  For more information contact Daniela Redpath at dfe@comcast.net or visit Dr. Cerullo’s website at www.teachantibullying.com.

Chatham Park will be having an Adult Social on February 11^th from 7:00-10:00pm at McGillicuddy’s on the Boulevard. Invite your friends and family. This event is not just for Chatham families, it is open to all adults. The cost will be $30 for individual tickets and $50 per couple, they include an open bar for three hour and a buffet dinner. There will also be a silent auction, 50/50 and there may even be a few door prizes. Some of our silent auction items include tickets to sporting events as well as donations from local artists and businesses.

The money we raise form the Adult Social will help HASA fund things such as Cultural Assemblies, Young Writers Day, the Science Fair and community building events. These are things enjoyed by EVERY child in the school. Come enjoy this evening out and support Chatham Park!

To get your ticket click here. If you have any questions contact Ryan Devitis at ryandevitis@gmail.com.

The 6^th Annual Talent Show

Will be taking place Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 1:00pm. The show will be held in the Haverford High School Auditorium. Admission is Free so come out an support all these daring kids. The 50 Acts include things such as singing, dancing, guitar, violin, piano, joke telling, magic, hula hoop, pogo stick, gymnastics and the choreographed 5^th Grade Finale. Come and enjoy this great afternoon of entertainment.

Bake or Buy treats to support our talented kids!

During intermission of the Talent Show will be having a bake sale. If you’d like to contribute something for the sale, please contact Julie Brown at jleedybrown@comcast.net or 610.924.9010. Contributions can be dropped off at the Talent Show or at Julie’s house the morning of the show.  All goodies should be bagged or wrapped as a $1.00 item. Thank you in advance for all of your support!

Grant Update

The Empowerment Grant committee submitted the application for $10,000 to the Haverford Township Education Foundation the last week of December.  The funds will be used to cover program expenses for “Chat Live!” a student led news show which will be broadcast to all classrooms. Initially on a weekly basis the broadcast will cover information similar to morning announcements; however, the program has the potential to expand into features reporting, investigative reporting and remote reporting on sports and other activities. We envision the program as a fun, exciting way for children of all grades to improve their verbal and written communication skills and technology skills as well as building teamwork and confidence. We have asked the grant committee for the funds to start and maintain this program as well as make some technology improvements in classrooms to make it easier to broadcast the weekly show. Thank you to everyone who assisted in the application process.  We are awaiting a response from the district on funding approvals.

Coat Drive for Mother’s Home – 1/17 – 1/31

The 5^th grade Service Club is hosting a coat drive for the most needed items during winter at the Mother’s. Donations can be placed in box located outside the main office between January 17^th – 31^st. The Mother’s Home needs many items to take care of the new families while they are in transition. A full list of items needed can be found at http://www.mothershome.org/donate/in-kind-items/. Most importantly are coats, hats, gloves, and boots. Other items we will take are gently used diaper bags, alarm clocks, 3 month baby clothing, and twin bedding.

Thank you for helping with our 5th grade Service Club Winter Project.

Upcoming Dates

• January 27^th  Beautification Project
• February 1^st HASA Meeting
• February 3^rd Pages to Pirouettes Assembly
• February 5^th Talent Show
• February 11^th Adult Social

• March 1^st HASA Board Meeting

• March 9^th Science Fair

Reminder

Check the lost an found. The collections of items is growing and growing. It can be found across from the gym down the hall from the main office.

We our about to undertake our first project which will be the second grade bathrooms and we could use your help.  The theme is Strega Nona, the book series by Tommy DePalma.  It would be great to have some extra hands so that we can get this project completed. We are looking at after school or early evening hours on Friday, January 27^th. Hopefully we will get a strong response and knock this project out on time and within budget! Thank you in advance for your dedication to Chatham Park.

If you are able to help please contact Simone Swantak at  sswantak@verizon.net

Chatham Park’s Annual Family Bingo Nite!

When: Friday, January 20th 6:30-8:00pm

Where: Chatham Park Cafeteria

How it works: Bring $5 prize or $5 cash per person to play.

Refreshments: Will be for sale by the 5th Grade Service Club including Pizza and Pretzels.

Come Enjoy the Family Fun! If you have any question please contact Erin Denman at 484-680-3300 or erindenman@verizon.net

You will also be able to buy tickets for the Chatham Park Adult Social. If you would like more information on this click here.

Coat Drive for Mother’s Home – 1/17 – 1/31

The 5^th grade Service Club is hosting a coat drive for the most needed items during winter at the Mother’s. Donations can be placed in box located outside the main office between January 17^th – 31^st. The Mother’s Home needs many items to take care of the new families while they are in transition. A full list of items needed can be found at http://www.mothershome.org/donate/in-kind-items/. Most importantly are coats, hats, gloves, and boots. Other items we will take are gently used diaper bags, alarm clocks, 3 month baby clothing, and twin bedding.

Thank you for helping with our 5th grade Service Club Winter Project.

Upcoming Dates

• January 20^th Bingo Night
• January 27^th  Beautification Project
• February 1^st HASA Meeting
• February 3^rd Pages to Pirouettes Assembly
• February 5^th Talent Show
• February 11^th Adult Social

Reminder

Be sure to check out the community links page of our website. We are starting to get new additions for spring sport sign ups, including lacrosse and baseball.

When: Friday, January 20 6:30-8pm

Where: Chatham Park Cafeteria

How it works: Bring a $5 prize or $5 cash per person to play.

Come Enjoy the Family Fun! If you have any question please contact Erin Denman at 484-680-3300 or erindenman@verizon.net.

Adult Social

Chatham Park will be having their first Adult Social on February 11^th from 7:00-10:00pm at McGillicuddy’s on the Boulevard. The cost is $30 for individual tickets and $50 per couple, and includes an open bar and dinner. There will also be a silent auction and raffle items.

Tickets will be available at Bingo Night, or you can contact Ryan Devitis at ryandevitis@gmail.com.

Come enjoy this evening out and support Chatham Park!

Anti-Bullying Presentation

Chestnutwold Elementary School’s PTO has invited all School District of Haverford Township parents to a “Teaching Anti-Bullying K-8″ presentation on Tuesday, January 25 at 7pm.  The presenter is Dr. Claudio V. Cerullo.  It will last approximately one hour with a Q & A at the end and will be held in Chatham Park’s auditorium.  For more information contact Daniela Redpath at dfe@comcast.net or visit Dr. Cerullo’s website at www.teachantibullying.com.

Reserving Building Space

Please remember to reserve any meeting space at school, such as the cafeteria or library, prior to any committee meetings or class gatherings.  If you would like to host a meeting on school property between 9am and 6pm please reserve the space with Karen Noone in the school office.  Thank you!

Winter is Coming!

January means the possibility of snow, and snow means the possibility of two-hour delays and early dismissals.  Please be sure you have your Snow Day plans in place – just in case!

Willis 5^th Grade Service Club

Our next meeting is scheduled for January 13^th from 11:30 am – 12:15 pm in the Cafeteria. We will be making posters to advertise our Coat Drive and Pretzel Sale. If your child has any supplies that they would like to contribute, please have them bring them to the meeting. If you have any questions please contact Julie Schultz at baga01@yahoo.com or call 215.460.2786.  New members are also welcome to join be sure to click here to print and fill out a permission slip to bring with you and it is good for the whole year.

Upcoming Dates

• January 20^th  Bingo Night
• February 1^st  HASA Meeting
• February 3^rd  Pages to Pirouettes Assembly
• February 5^th  Talent Show
• February 11^th  Adult Social

Reminder

Don’t forget to register your Giant cards. Go to www.giantfoodstores.com, enter your bonus card number, enter our school ID (03857) then click Designate Your School and you are done! Giant Food Stores will then total all of the points that Chatham families earn and send us a donation based on our points earned. They will be giving away $3 million to schools this year.

There will be a HASA Board Meeting on Thursday January 5 at 9am in the school cafeteria.  All are welcome to attend!  If you find it difficult to make it to the evening HASA meetings, here is another opportunity to find out what is going on and how you can get involved.  Contact Becky O’Hara at 610.853.0233 or becky.ohara@verizon.net or Jen Reimer at 610.789.2976 or jreimer@comcast.net with any questions, comments or concerns.

2012 Science Fair

Fourth and fifth grade students are invited to take part in the 11^th Annual Chatham Park Science Fair on Friday, March 9, 2012 from 7pm to 9pm.  The fair is a great way to explore science in a fun and interesting way and learn how to think like a real scientist!  Project proposals are due by Wednesday January 18 to your homeroom teacher.

In addition, we will be having a t-shirt design contest.  An original science-based drawing will be selected and printed on t-shirts, which will be distributed to all science fair participants!  Friday January 13 is the deadline for t-shirt design entries.

Click here for complete information on the Science Fair and the T-Shirt Design Contest.

Missing Box of Lace

A parent borrowed a box of lace from Mrs. Cohan that was used for the mosaic mural last year. We are not exactly sure which parent borrowed the lace. If anyone knows anything about the box of lace please contact Mrs. Cohan at ecohan@havsd.net as she would like to use it in an upcoming project. Thank you in advance!

Labels For Education Bonus Points

In this coming weekend’s paper there will be a coupon to receive 100 bonus point for Labels for Education. Click here to learn more about this great offer!

Upcoming Dates

• January 5^th  HASA Board Meeting
• January 20^th  Bingo Night
• February 1^st  HASA Meeting
• February 3^rd  Pages to Pirouettes Assembly
• February 5^th  Talent Show
• February 11^th  Adult Social

Reminder

Head over to J.D. McGillicuddy’s at 33 Brookline Boulevard any Sunday night from now until June, mention that you are a Chatham Park Family, and  J.D. McGillicuddy’s will donate 20% of your bill to Chatham Park’s Home and School Association!  All you need to do is mention “Chatham Park” to your server.  Tell your friends and family – you do not need to be a Chatham family to earn 20% for Chatham Park!

What a great first trimester at Chatham Park!  Without the tremendous involvement from so many parents as committee chairs and volunteers we wouldn’t have had the Back to School Picnic, Kindergarten Meet & Greet, 5^th Grade Artist in Residence, two Cultural Assemblies, Family Portrait Night, the Walk-A-Thon fundraiser, Pumpkin Decorating Contest and the Annual Pancake Breakfast & Winter Festival including the 5^th Grade Students vs Parents basketball game.  Parents have also donated their time and talents to ongoing committees such as Art in the Classroom, School Spirit items sales, Homeroom Parents, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th Grade Service Clubs, Box Tops and Labels for Education donation and collection, Hospitality, 5^th Grade Yearbook and the Golden Apple Book program.  None of these events or activities would be a success without all of the parents who volunteer.  Thank you for all that you have done for Chatham Park in 2011.  We look forward to more great events in 2012!

Under Privileged Family Collection

The 4^th Grade Service Club is conducting a glove, hat, scarf and a toy drive for the under privileged families in Philadelphia.  The toys can be wrapped but tagged with an age appropriate group and gender. We know this is short notice but we will only be collecting toys until December 21^st  please do what you can to help make this a success. There will a box outside the main office to collect your donations.  Thank you in advance for you support! Please contact Jolie Csernica at jocsernica@yahoo.com with any questions.

Upcoming Dates

• December 24^th – January 2^nd Winter Break
• January 5^th HASA Board Meeting
• January 20^th Bingo Night

Reminder

Check out the community links page for a survey regarding a new summer camp program.

We are looking for 5^th graders to participate in the choreographed 5^th Grade Finale. Click here to get the list of rehearsal dates. If you are interested in participating please send an email to cptalentshow@ymail.com by December 16^th.

Community Information

While the school district no longer lets information come home in students’ backpacks, Haverford Township is still bustling with sports clubs, children’s art classes, scouting groups and Parks & Recreational activities.  The Community Links page on the Chatham Park Families website was created as a place to share information from these local organizations.

If you know of a local club or community event that would be of interest to the students and parents at Chatham Park, please forward the information/website to HASA via the Contact Us page.  Please do not use the Bulldog Browser for distributing information on community events.

A Reminder note is included at the bottom of the weekly Chatham Chat whenever the Community Links page is updated.  Be sure to check out the page this week for local Winter Concert information!

Sunday Nights at J.D. McGillicuddy’s

Head over to J.D. McGillicuddy’s at 33 Brookline Boulevard any Sunday night from now until June, mention that you are a Chatham Park Family, and  J.D. McGillicuddy’s will donate 20% of your bill to Chatham Park’s Home and School Association!  All you need to do is mention “Chatham Park” to your server.  Tell your friends and family – you do not need to be a Chatham family to earn 20% for Chatham Park!
 

Chatham Park Ski Club

We’ll have an organizational meeting on Monday, December 19th, 2011, 5pm – 6pm in the cafeteria.  If you signed up for ski club via the PTO manager, I will reach out via email.  If you can’t make it, please email me and let me know that you are interested.

Fourth and Fifth Graders are eligible for ski free passes.  I will have the paperwork for you if you need it or click here to check out the website.

Weather permitting, we’re hoping for a ski trip the week after Christmas.

Please contact Rich VanTrieste at 610.853.6555 or vantrieste@verizon.net if you have any questions.

Pancake Breakfast Thank You

Thank you to all those who attended and volunteered their time for this year’s Pancake Breakfast & Winter Festival.  It was a huge success and a fun day of community building.  Congratulations to the 5th grade students who played (and beat!) their parents in the 5th grade basketball game.

Adult Social Donations

As part of our first Adult Social we will be having a Silent Auction and we are hoping to have many great items to auction off.  If you or your business has something you would like to donate, please contact Ryan DeVitis at ryandevitis@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your help.  We look forward to making this event a great success and a fun night out!

Empowerment Grant Committee Update

The Empowerment Grant committee is hard at work completing the application for the $10,000 Education Foundation Empowerment Grant, which is due December 31.  Thank you to everyone who submitted program ideas.  After much discussion, the program that we decided to submit is called “Chat Live!” which will be a student led news show which will be broadcast to all classrooms, probably on a weekly basis.  Initially the broadcast will cover information similar to morning announcements, however, the program has the potential to expand into features reporting, investigative reporting and remote reporting on sports and other activities.  We envision the program as a fun, exciting way for children of all grades to improve their verbal and written communication skills and technology skills as well as building teamwork and confidence.  We will be asking the grant committee for the funds to start and maintain this program as well as make some technology improvements in classrooms to make it easier to broadcast the weekly show.  We are also looking into the possibility of bringing in some outside speakers.

If you are interested in being a parent volunteer to help with this program or if you know someone with media experience who might be willing to participate as a speaker or “consultant”, please let any of the committee members know:  Dan Marsella, Lauren Grant, Maria Pernaci, Kelley Cornish (kelleycornish@verizon.net) or Peggy Hermann (peggyhermann@hotmail.com).

Lost and Found

Please check the ever growing lost and found section in the school. If your son or daughter has come home missing some clothing items they may be located on the tables across from the gym.

Upcoming Dates

• December 24^th – January 2^nd  Winter Break
• January 5^th  HASA Board Meeting
• January 20^th  Bingo Night

Reminder

The community links page has information on a number of holiday events and concerts in the upcoming week.  Please check back often for local information of interest.

The next Home & School Association meeting will be next Wednesday December 7 at 7pm in the school library.  Agenda items will include Mr. Marsella’s update on the first trimester, HASA Event/Activity updates from committee leaders, and information about ongoing public school advocacy, budget and voucher issues.  The tentative agenda can be found here.  If you would like to have something added to the agenda, please click here to submit your topic.

Meetings typically last about an hour.  Attending is a great way to get involved and learn about all that is going on at Chatham Park.

The Golden Apple Program

The Golden Apple, Chatham Park’s annual reading incentive program, has started.  Children who choose to participate in the program read books to earn their pink, red, yellow, green and gold apples.  At the end of the school year, the children who have read enough books to earn their golden apple are invited to choose a book from Chatham’s library to recommend to future readers.  A name plate in the student’s honor is placed in the book they choose acknowledging their Golden Apple achievement. Click here to for the full details and reading logs, get your kids started! 

Donation Drive for Delaware County SPCA Deadline this Week!

The 5^th grade Service Club is hosting a donation drive for items for the Delco SPCA. We have extended our donation drive to this Wednesday, December 7. Donations can be placed in boxes located outside the main office. The SPCA needs many items to take care of the pets while they are finding them their forever homes.   A full list of needed items can be found at http://delcospca.org/donations/ under Wish List.  Some of the items are dog and cat food, toys, leashes, crates, cleaning supplies and even older electronics that they can recycle for money to care for the animals, such as:

• Laptops
• Cell phones
• Ink cartridges
• MP3 players

Thank you for helping with our 5th grade Service Club Project.

Upcoming Dates

• December 7^th  HASA Meeting
• December 8^th  Parent/Teacher Conferences and half day for students*
• December 9^th  Parent/Teacher Conferences and half day for students*
• December 24th – January 2^nd  Winter Break
• January 20^th  Bingo Night

* Kindergarten is on an altered schedule for these two days, please check the calendar that was sent home with your student for more information.

Reminder

Be sure to check out our community links page for information on an opportunity to meet one of our 2011 Young Writer’s Day authors and as well as other local December events.