Family Knightline

Your voice is important to us, and your opinions will help us to address current priorities. The survey is anonymous and it is voluntary. The results will be used to help create a plan to address school climate needs and make improvements to the school.

You may submit a separate survey per child in the school building if you feel their experiences are different, but you do not have to.

Click here to take the survey and enter the password: parent

We appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to exploring new ways to continue working together to create the most supportive and engaging learning environment for your child.

Our school will be participating in survey data collection using the New Jersey School Climate Improvement (NJ SCI) Survey, which was developed, and is administered, by Rutgers University in order to help schools obtain multiple perspectives on aspects of school climate. Collecting data is important for understanding strengths and needs in our school and how it feels to be a member of the school community. The data will be used to make improvements to the school. This survey is anonymous and voluntary. A letter with instructions on how to take the parent and caregivers survey will be sent soon. Your voice is important to us and we hope you will participate.

School and district staff will be able to view responses from the survey on a password-protected online platform. Individual responses on the survey are combined for reporting purposes by group. For example, your answers on the survey will be combined with those of other parents. No one will have access to individual respondent’s answers.

Administration of the student survey will take place during class sometime between 11/10/2025 - 11/24/2025. Preview the items on the student survey(s) here: Students Grades 5 Survey; Students Grades 6-12 Survey. This is a chance for us to learn about your child’s opinions about the school, but your child does not have to participate in the survey.

Mr. Park

Check out our Thriller Dance.

Thanks to Mrs. Sutton, Ms. Sicolo, Mrs. Munoz, and Ms. Rodriguez for choreography, running practices, and creating the video.

Shout out to all of our staff who volunteered to take part in the dance and all the folks who supported with logistics behind the scenes.

We hope you enjoyed the dance and much as we enjoyed performing it.

We share a quote each week during morning announcements. Please consider having a dialogue about the meaning of the quotes and the meaning of SERVICE. Better yet go live it out with your children. Let them experience the joy of serving others.

Family Culture Talk Questions:

• How does your family define service or serve others?
• How can we serve our friends and staff at school?
• What does that look like in the classroom? During lunch and recess?

The right column is geared for our older students and the column on the right for our youngest Knightlets.

“We don’t compete to be better than others — we compete to better serve others.”

We’re excited to announce our Food Drive Competition! This year, each grade level, partnered with their buddy grade, will compete to see who can collect the most non-perishable food items to support our local food pantry and families in need.

🥇 The grade levels that collects the most items will win an Ice Cream Party with Mr. Park and a Special Guest! 🍦

Here’s how you can help:

• Send in non-perishable food items with your child between now and 11/21.

• All donations will be counted toward your child’s grade team total.

• Every can, box, and bag makes a difference!

This is a great opportunity for our students to show kindness, teamwork, and community spirit—while having some fun along the way!

Thank you for helping us make this year’s food drive a huge success!

"A Child Cannot Learn and Grow...If They Are Not Present."

Chronic absenteeism in New Jersey, as defined by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), occurs when a student is absent for 10% or more of the school year, regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused. In a typical 180-day school year, this means that a student who misses 18 or more days is considered chronically absent.

Chronic absenteeism is closely monitored because it can negatively affect student achievement and long-term success. The NJDOE includes chronic absenteeism as a key metric in school performance reports and school accountability. Schools and districts are encouraged to implement strategies to reduce absenteeism and engage students to improve attendance rates.

Parents will receive letters from the school at 4, 7, and 10 days of student absences. School personnel will also be in contact with families of students who have excessive absences to offer support and discuss any underlying issues. If needed, a formal meeting with the principal can be scheduled to further address concerns and explore solutions for improving attendance.

Our Lost and Found rack is overflowing with items that miss their owners.

Please have your child check the rack or come and check out the rack, located in the main foyer, on your own if you believe you have missing items.

We will be donating all Lost and Found Items on November 14th.

When: Nov 20, 2025 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Virtual Community Meeting

Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85762330743

Phone one-tap:

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Join via audio:

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Webinar ID: 857 6233 0743

Due to the effects of the unprecedented federal government shutdown, we have members in our own beautiful community who are at risk of immediate food insecurity. Although charitable holiday food drives are just around the corner, we have a need to act now.

Please join the ARK Community Exchange (ACE) to give or receive gift cards for food! This process is entirely anonymous. If you are able to donate gift cards to Aldi, ShopRite or any other grocery store, send them to school in a sealed envelope marked ACE. If you are in need of cards, please email jkotzen@chclc.org. We will arrange a private exchange. EVERYONE needs help at some point. If you are in a position to give or receive, please join ACE!

All for One and One for All!

If you want to be in the know on what your children are learning in Art Class, follow ARK Art Class Instagram.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we’ve begun this school year, we’ve been fortunate to expand the ways we support our students. We’ve welcomed a new Basic Skills teacher, adjusted our Literacy Coach’s schedule, and are also tapping into the expertise of other staff within our building. These changes allow us to provide both intervention and enrichment opportunities for students across all grade levels.

You may hear your child mention that they are working with an adult who is not their homeroom teacher or a familiar paraprofessional. In some cases, teachers within the same grade level may be working with students not in their homeroom. For example, your child might move next door to work with another teacher in their grade for a short period of time. An example of a time when same grade-level teachers may share students would be if there were a specific math skill that students from several classrooms needed additional support with. In that case, it often makes more sense for one teacher to deliver that targeted instruction rather than each teacher repeating the same support in separate classrooms. This approach also allows each individual teacher to have additional time to engage with more students throughout the day.

Our goal is to use all of the talented adults in our building to meet as many student needs as possible.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to support every student’s growth and success.

Mr. Park

Principal

We’ve noticed an increase in challenges related to SMART device use during the school day. These devices have become a growing distraction for students. For example, some students have been communicating through SMARTwatches and attempting to take cell phones out near dismissal. In some cases, SMARTwatches have gone off during class.

We completely understand that SMART devices can offer convenience and peace of mind for families. However, during the school day, these devices often interfere with learning.

If you believe your child must bring their devices to school, know that they must remain in their bags and not be used during the school day. This helps ensure that all students stay focused, engaged, and fully present in their learning, and that our classrooms remain free of unnecessary disruptions.

See the Family/Student Handbook for Additional Details (Go to "Telephone Calls and Smart Devices")

Thank you for your understanding and partnership in helping us maintain a focused learning environment for all students.

October:

Hispanic Heritage Month

Italian-American Heritage Month

• 10/29: PTA Meeting (7 - 8 pm)
• 10/30: ARK Trunk or Treat (5:30 - 7 pm)
• 10/31: Halloween Parade and Party (2:00 - 3:15 pm)

November:

• 11/6 & 11/7: School Closed - NJEA Convention
• 11/26: 1 PM Dismissal Day
• 11/27 & 11/28: School Closed - Thanksgiving Break

December:

• 12/5: PJ Day (Chop Fundraiser)
• 12/8 to 12/11: 1 pm dismissal days (parent/teacher conferences)
• 12/12: 1 pm dismissal day (Teacher In-Service)
• 12/18: Winter Concert for 4th and 5th Grade Families (1:30 pm)
• Door Open at 1:15 pm
• 12/23: Holiday Parties (10:30 to 11:30 am)
• 12/23: 1 pm dismissal day
• 12/24 to 1/2: School Closed for Winter Break

January:

• 1/6: School Closed --- Teacher In-Service

The district's calendar can be found here.

• December 8: 2:20 - 4 pm
• December 9: 6 to 8 pm
• December 10: 2:20 - 4 pm
• December 11: 6 to 8 pm

I would encourage all of you to join our PTA. We need all hands on deck to support our wonderful ARK community.

Anything PTA related can be found with a click of the button below.

Email: epark@chclc.org
Website: www.knight.chclc.org
Location: 140 Old Carriage Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Phone: 856-428-0830
ARK PTA Facebook and Instagram

Knight's vision is to create a community where every member wakes up inspired and goes home fulfilled.

ARK Knights strive to live out the following core values: respect, responsibility, empathy, service, perseverance, effort, citizenship, and teamwork.