Chichester Central Connection

Dear CCS Families,

What an incredible first two months we have had at Chichester Central School! It has been wonderful to welcome our students and staff back and see our classrooms and hallways filled with learning, laughter, excitement, and school spirit.

September and October have been busy months as students settled into new classrooms, built friendships, established routines, and embraced new learning opportunities. From our youngest Rams in Kindergarten to our eighth graders preparing for high school, students have been working hard, trying new things, and demonstrating what it means to be a CCS Ram.

Our theme this year, Empowering Every Learner, reflects our commitment to ensuring that every student feels supported, challenged, and valued. We continue to focus on strong academic instruction, positive relationships, and meaningful experiences that help students grow both academically and socially.

These first two months have been filled with wonderful moments, including our Back-to-School BBQ and Open House, Grandparents and Grandfriends Day, hands on classroom learning, STARBASE, fall athletics, and special school wide celebrations.

Behind the scenes, our staff have been working collaboratively to strengthen literacy and mathematics instruction, support students' social emotional development, and create consistent expectations throughout our school.

I am especially grateful for the continued support of our families, PTO, School Board, staff, and community members. Your partnership makes such a difference in the experiences we can provide for our students.

As we move into November, I look forward to continuing this positive momentum and celebrating all that our Rams accomplish. Thank you for being part of our CCS community! Together, We Are RAMS!

Warm regards,
Tanya Teeboom
Principal, Chichester Central School

At Chichester Central School, everything we do is guided by our commitment to helping students grow into confident, capable, and compassionate learners. Our mission and vision reflect what matters most to us: providing meaningful learning experiences, building strong relationships, and creating a welcoming school community where every student feels safe, valued, and empowered to succeed. Together, we are Empowering Every Learner!

Our second graders have officially launched Wild Time, an exciting outdoor learning experience that takes students beyond the classroom and into nature! During Wild Time, students work together in the woods using natural materials to build, explore, problem solve, and create. Whether hauling logs, constructing shelters, or collaborating on projects, students are developing important skills that extend far beyond academics.

Teachers are already noticing positive benefits, including improved cooperation, communication, problem solving, resilience, and self regulation. The physical activity and hands on experiences also help students return to the classroom ready to focus and learn. Wild Time is a wonderful example of how meaningful learning can happen in many different environments. We love seeing our Rams explore, collaborate, and grow!

Our fifth graders enjoyed an incredible hands on learning experience through STARBASE! This exciting program introduces students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through engaging activities and real world applications. Students have opportunities to explore new concepts, think critically, collaborate with classmates, and apply their problem solving skills. Experiences like STARBASE help students see how classroom learning connects to the world around them and may even inspire future interests and careers. We are proud of the enthusiasm, curiosity, and teamwork our fifth graders have demonstrated throughout this experience!

Several of our CCS grade levels enjoyed a wonderful fall tradition with visits to the apple orchard! Students had the opportunity to explore the farm, learn about apples and the fall harvest, and enjoy hands on experiences outside the classroom. These trips provided a fun way to connect learning with the world around us while making special memories with classmates. We love seeing our RAMS enjoying all that New Hampshire has to offer in the fall!

Our middle school students had the privilege of welcoming Mrs. Taluba, who shared her personal experience from September 11, 2001. Her heartfelt account provided students with a powerful perspective on a day that forever changed our nation. Hearing a firsthand account helped bring history to life and encouraged students to reflect on the importance of compassion, courage, resilience, and coming together during difficult times. Thank you to Mrs. Taluba for sharing her story with our students. It was a moving and meaningful experience that reminded us of the importance of remembering and learning from our history.

Our first graders have been taking their learning outdoors and discovering the wonders of nature! Through exploration and imaginative play in the woods, students are learning to work together, build friendships, solve problems, and use their creativity. These outdoor experiences encourage independence, cooperation, and confidence while giving students opportunities to learn through play and connect with the natural world. Sometimes the best learning happens when we get outside, explore, and let our imaginations lead the way!

Our middle school students had the opportunity to participate in an exciting outdoor learning experience at TimberNook! Through hands on challenges and collaborative activities in nature, students practiced communication, teamwork, problem solving, and relationship building skills.

As part of our focus on developing positive relationships, this experience encouraged students to work together, support one another, and strengthen connections with their classmates. What a wonderful way to build confidence, friendships, and teamwork beyond the classroom! Thank you Mrs. Pecor for organizing this!

Our fourth and fifth graders had an exciting opportunity to attend the New Hampshire Book Festival at the Capitol Center for the Arts, where they got to see Jeff Kinney, author of the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series! What a wonderful experience for our students to connect with a favorite author and celebrate the joy of reading! Experiences like these help inspire a lifelong love of books and storytelling. A special thank you to Mrs. O'Leary, our school librarian, for organizing this memorable opportunity for our students!

Who says math can't be a party? Our fourth graders celebrated the completion of their first math unit with a Place Value Party! The classroom was decorated with streamers, students wore party hats, and everyone participated in fun, party themed learning centers. Students practiced and reinforced their place value skills through engaging activities that encouraged problem solving, collaboration, and mathematical thinking. What a wonderful way to celebrate hard work and make learning memorable!

CCS students participated in MY AMERICA, a nationwide, youth led art project that encourages students to express what America means to them through creativity. Every CCS student created a fabric tile in Art class that will become part of a larger American flag mosaic featuring contributions from thousands of students across the country. The completed mosaic is scheduled to be unveiled in Boston this December. We are proud that every CCS student had an opportunity to contribute to this meaningful collaborative art project. It is a wonderful example of how individual creativity can come together to create something much bigger!

Our 7th grade scientists in Mrs. Jensen's class took learning to new heights with an exciting Egg Drop Challenge! Students designed and built protective structures to keep their eggs safe during a drop from the roof of CCS! This hands on STEM challenge encouraged students to apply their knowledge of science, engineering, and problem solving while testing their creativity and teamwork. The big question was: Would their eggs survive the fall? What a fun way to bring science to life!

Our eighth graders put their creativity, teamwork, and leadership skills to work as they designed Coats of Arms to represent the Class of 2027! Working in teams, students developed a shared vision, mission, representative figure, classmates' character traits, and a flag that reflected their class identity. Each group presented their design and thoughtfully explained the meaning behind their choices and why their Coat of Arms should represent the eighth grade. We were so impressed by the creativity, thoughtful planning, and meaningful discussions demonstrated by all groups! What a wonderful way to build class pride and celebrate the qualities that make this group special!

Our fourth graders took a step back in time during their fall field trip to the New Hampshire Farm Museum! Students explored what life was like 300 years ago, discovering how people lived, worked, and completed everyday tasks before modern conveniences. It was a wonderful hands on learning experience filled with curiosity, exploration, and history! We are especially proud of our students for their excellent behavior, enthusiasm, and thoughtful questions throughout the visit!

Our middle school students kicked off the Halloween festivities with a fun evening of music, dancing, and time with friends! Despite moving the dance up a week, we had a wonderful turnout and students enjoyed celebrating together! A special thank you to Mrs. Bidwell and Mrs. Guest for organizing the event and Mrs. Raymond for providing the music as our DJ! We appreciate our staff for creating these memorable experiences for our RAMS!

Mrs. O'Leary has introduced Books & Bites, a lunchtime book club for students in Grades 3–6! This opportunity combines two wonderful things: reading great books and spending time with friends. Students will explore books nominated for New Hampshire's state book awards, including the Purple Finch Award for Grades 3–4 and the Great Stone Face Award for Grades 5–6. During their lunch period, participating students will gather in the library to enjoy stories, discuss characters and ideas, and discover new favorite books. Her goal is to encourage a lifelong love of reading while providing students with another opportunity to connect, share ideas, and build friendships. We can't wait to see what our young readers discover next!

At CCS, we continue to prioritize high-quality instruction through ongoing professional development, collaboration, and instructional coaching in both mathematics and literacy.

Mathematics Instruction – All Learners Network & Eureka Math²

We continue to partner with All Learners Network (ALN) and math consultant Kaaren Meyer to strengthen mathematics instruction across grade levels. Our professional development includes instructional strategies, classroom modeling, and opportunities for teachers to reflect on lessons, discuss student learning, and identify next steps.

During our most recent professional development session, Kaaren shared additional resources and strategies to help teachers address learning gaps, increase student engagement, and provide meaningful learning opportunities for all students.

Additionally, Mrs. Jaquith organized visits to Deerfield Community School for our K–5 teachers to observe Eureka Math² instruction in action. These visits provided teachers with the valuable opportunity to see lessons being implemented in classrooms and meet with Deerfield teachers to ask questions, share experiences, and gain practical insights into the curriculum. This collaboration supports our teachers as they continue implementing Eureka Math² and refining their instructional practices. Thank you Mrs. Jaquith!

Our ongoing work focuses on strengthening explicit instruction, incorporating effective mathematical routines, increasing student engagement, and ensuring students develop a strong conceptual understanding of mathematics.

Literacy Instruction – Arts & Letters and Wit & Wisdom

We also continue our partnership with literacy consultant Sarah Sharilla, who works collaboratively with our reading teacher, Mrs. Rowell, to support the implementation of Arts & Letters and Wit & Wisdom.

Sarah provides ongoing professional development, models lessons in classrooms, and meets with grade-level teams to reflect on instruction, discuss student engagement, and identify strategies to strengthen teaching and learning. Our continued focus is on explicit instruction, student engagement, and effective instructional practices that support students in developing strong literacy skills.

Our Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Through these ongoing partnerships, we are providing teachers with meaningful, job-embedded professional development that goes beyond traditional workshops. Classroom modeling, peer observations, collaborative reflection, and opportunities to apply new strategies allow our teachers to continually refine their instructional practices. Our goal is to ensure that every student receives engaging, rigorous, and responsive instruction that meets their learning needs. Empowering Every Learner!

Creativity is shining at CCS! Each month, we recognize students through our Artist of the Month celebration, highlighting their creativity, artistic talents, and dedication to their artwork. We love seeing our students express themselves through art, explore new techniques, and take pride in their creations. Congratulations to our talented young artists! Keep creating and inspiring others!

Academic success is only one part of a child's development. At CCS, we are equally committed to helping students develop the social, emotional, and organizational skills they need to be successful in school and beyond. This year, we are strengthening our schoolwide approach to social-emotional learning through several important initiatives.

Responsive Classroom: Our staff are incorporating practices that promote positive relationships, a strong sense of belonging, clear expectations, and supportive learning environments across Grades K–8.

Zones of Regulation: In our younger grades, students are learning to identify emotions, recognize how they are feeling, and develop strategies to manage those emotions. Our guidance program is also reinforcing important concepts with older students to help establish a common language throughout the school.

Executive Functioning Skills: Students in Grades 3–8 are developing skills such as organization, planning, time management, flexible thinking, and self monitoring. These are essential skills that support both academic success and independence.

Middle School Advisory: Our students in Grades 6–8 are participating in advisory activities that focus on relationship-building, teamwork, social emotional development, and executive functioning.

Together, these efforts help us create a school environment where students feel safe, connected, supported, and ready to learn.

Our goal is to empower every learner with the skills and confidence to succeed!

There is something special about the beginning of a new school year! New teachers, new classmates, new routines, and so many opportunities to learn and grow. Our students have done a wonderful job settling into their classrooms and practicing our schoolwide RAMS expectations: Respectful, Act Responsible, Mindful, and Safe. We are proud of the kindness, effort, and school spirit our students have demonstrated as we begin another exciting year together.

What a wonderful way to kick off the school year! Thank you to all of our families who joined us for our Back-to-School BBQ and Open House. It was great to see students proudly showing their classrooms to their families, reconnecting with friends, and spending time with teachers and staff. Events like these remind us how special our CCS community truly is. Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening possible!

CCS was full of swashbuckling fun as we celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day! Students and staff dressed in their finest pirate gear, practiced their best “Arrrghs,” and enjoyed a schoolwide treasure hunt! Hidden gold coins were scattered throughout the school, and lucky pirates who discovered them traded their treasure at the office for fun prizes from the treasure chest! It was a day filled with laughter, school spirit, and pirate adventures! Yo ho ho, and Go RAMS!

One of our favorite September traditions was welcoming grandparents and special grandfriends to CCS! Students had the opportunity to share lunch with important people in their lives and create special memories together. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the day meaningful for our students. We love celebrating the relationships and connections that make our school community so special!

Our Kindergarten through Grade 2 students enjoyed a special visit from the Chichester Police Department for our Bubbles & Badges event! Officers joined students in the gym to talk about their uniforms, equipment, and important role in keeping our community safe. Students then headed outside to explore police cruisers and enjoy music and lots of bubbles! This fun filled event helped students build positive relationships with our local officers and learn that police officers are friendly, caring community helpers. A big THANK YOU to the Chichester Police Department for making this such a memorable experience for our youngest RAMS!

October provided important opportunities for students to learn about fire prevention and school safety. Our younger students participated in fire safety learning, while families were encouraged to complete fire prevention challenges at home. We also spent time reviewing and practicing important emergency procedures, including evacuation, reverse evacuation, secure campus, and shelter-in-place. Our goal is to ensure students and staff know how to respond safely and confidently during an emergency. We appreciate our local emergency responders and community partners for their continued support of school safety.

CCS students recently participated in Similarity Awareness, a program presented by Northeast Passage that focuses on recognizing the similarities we share, regardless of ability. Through interactive activities, meaningful discussions, and the opportunity to play sports using wheelchairs, students gained a greater understanding of the skills, determination, and teamwork involved in adaptive sports. This hands-on experience encouraged empathy, inclusion, and appreciation for one another's abilities. A special thank you to Mrs. Pecor for bringing this valuable learning experience to CCS!

CCS celebrated Red Ribbon Week with a week full of school spirit, meaningful activities, and important conversations about making healthy choices! Led by our wonderful school counselor, Mrs. Pecor, students participated in daily classroom activities focused on kindness, goal-setting, positive relationships, managing emotions, and making healthy decisions. Each day featured a fun dress up theme, including bright colors, sports jerseys, CCS red and white, athletic wear, and costumes for our “Say Boo to Drugs” finale! Thank you to Mrs. Pecor and our teachers for helping students build the skills to make positive choices and support one another!

CCS was filled with creativity and excitement as students and staff dressed as their favorite characters for our school wide Spirit Day! Our annual Halloween Parade brought families together to celebrate, while our middle school students helped spread the fun by handing out candy to our younger RAMS! A special thank you to our amazing PTO for providing the candy and treats, including special goodie bags for our 8th graders! What a wonderful way to celebrate school spirit and community!

A special thank you to Michelle Edmund, who generously volunteered her time to clean up, prune, and reorganize the garden area at the front of our school. Her efforts have helped create a beautiful and welcoming entrance for students, staff, families, and visitors.

We also extend our appreciation to Joe Darrah Enterprises for assisting with lawn and trash needs around our school these past year. We are so thankful for the support.

A big thank you to the Buzinski, Wood, and Joslin families for volunteering their time to assemble and install our new soccer goals at CCS and Carpenter Park. These improvements will benefit our student athletes for years to come.

We also thank the Chichester School Board for supporting the purchase of the soccer goals and continuing to invest in opportunities for our students.

Our school is stronger because of the people who give their time, talents, and resources to support our students. Thank you for making a difference at CCS!

Our Middle School Soccer Team had an outstanding season, finishing with an impressive 5–3 record and earning the #2 seed in the playoffs! The team battled hard against Nute, tying the game in the final five minutes before a late goal ended their playoff run. We couldn't be prouder of their determination, teamwork, and sportsmanship throughout the season!

Our Cross Country runners also had a wonderful season competing alongside Epsom! Our athletes worked hard, challenged themselves, and represented CCS with pride. It was exciting to see their perseverance, growth, and encouragement for one another throughout the season!

A huge THANK YOU to our coaches, families, and fans for supporting our student-athletes and making this fall sports season such a success! Way to go, RAMS! We are so proud of you!

At CCS, we recognize that supporting students means supporting families, too. Our school counseling department is here to help connect families with resources and assistance when needed.

We are partnering with End 68 Hours of Hunger, a program that provides food for students to take home over the weekend. Each food bag includes two breakfasts, two lunches, and three dinners to help ensure students have access to nourishing meals when school is not in session. Families interested in participating are encouraged to contact our school counselor, Shonda Pecor at specor@sau53.org

As the holiday season approaches, we want families to know that support is available. If your family may need assistance with holiday gifts for your children, please reach out as early as possible. Planning ahead helps us coordinate resources and provide support to families who need it.

Families seeking assistance with food, housing, medical needs, or other resources are encouraged to contact our school counseling department. Please reach out to Shonda Pecor at specor@sau53.org. We are here to help and want every CCS family to feel supported and connected.

As the holiday season approaches, we want to make sure our CCS families are aware of resources available in our community. The Holiday Food Project is offering food assistance to families who may benefit from additional support during the holiday season.

Applications are due by November 30, 2026. Families interested in participating can contact our school counselor, Mrs. Shonda Pecor, at specor@sau53.org. Mrs. Pecor can assist families with completing the application over the phone, making the process simple and convenient. We encourage any family who may benefit from this program to reach out. We are grateful for our community partners who help support CCS families during the holiday season!

Safety is always a priority at CCS! Recently, some of our staff and coaches participated in CPR certification training to ensure they are prepared to respond confidently and effectively in the event of an emergency. Thank you Mrs. Strazzeri for setting this up and a special thank you to Cynthia Learson, school nurse at Epsom Central School, for providing this valuable training and sharing her expertise with our team! We appreciate our staff and coaches for taking the time to strengthen their skills and help keep our students, staff, and school community safe!

Keeping our students and staff safe continues to be a top priority at CCS! Recently, Assistant Principal Mrs. Brannock and Superintendent Mr. Finley attended SSAVEIM training, focusing on emergency reunification procedures. This important training provided strategies and protocols for safely reuniting students with their families in the event of a school emergency. By continuing to strengthen our emergency preparedness plans, we are working to ensure our school community is ready to respond effectively when it matters most. We appreciate their commitment to keeping our CCS community safe!

Safety is always a priority at CCS! Our students recently participated in bus evacuation drills to practice safely and quickly exiting a school bus in the event of an emergency. With guidance from our bus drivers, students reviewed important safety procedures and practiced how to respond calmly and responsibly. These drills help ensure our RAMS are prepared and confident if an emergency should ever occur. A special thank you to our bus drivers for helping keep our students safe every day!

Our CCS staff showed off their incredible artistic talents during our Staff Pumpkin Painting Contest! From creative designs to impressive works of art, the pumpkins were absolutely amazing! It was a wonderful opportunity for staff to come together, share some laughs, and enjoy a little friendly competition. We certainly have some talented artists at CCS! A big thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this such a fun fall event!

We are grateful for the continued dedication of our Chichester Central School PTO! Our PTO helps bring families together, creates memorable experiences for students, and supports programs and opportunities that enrich our school community.

This fall, the PTO organized its Trunk or Treat celebration at Carpenter Park, providing another fun opportunity for families and community members to come together.

Thank you to the PTO volunteers, families, and community members who generously contribute their time and energy to making these events possible.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 14, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Chichester Central School! Join us to support local crafters, vendors, and students. Admission is free, and there will be raffles and more! We appreciate everything our PTO does for our Rams!

Want to hear more about what your child is learning at CCS? Try asking a few of these questions:

• What is something new you learned in math or reading this month?

• What does it mean to be Respectful, Act Responsible, Mindful, and Safe at school?

• What is something you have done recently that made you feel proud?

• Can you tell me about a time you worked with a classmate to solve a problem?

• What is one strategy you use when something feels challenging or frustrating?

• What has been your favorite school activity so far this year?

Sometimes the best conversations begin with a simple question!