1-25-26 PAW'S PRESS

Registration for students who will be entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2026 begins on Monday, January 26th. Registration is done through central office.

NOTE: This is NOT for students who are currently enrolled in Kindergarten at Cherokee this school year. This is for the 2026-2027 school year.

Start here by entering your preliminary information: https://ps.cvs.misd.net/public/formbuilder/form.html?formid=5737884

Dear Cherokee Families,

It is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you know that Mr. Gracin’s grandmother passed away this weekend. Additionally Mr. Gracin is ill at this time. We will need to cancel the 4th grade concert for this Tuesday. A new date will be selected once Mr. Gracin’s health recovers and the arrangements are determined for his grandmother’s funeral. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time.
Heather Batko

Cherokee Principal

Dear Cherokee Families,

Progress reports come home this week. We are so proud of all that our students have accomplished so far this school year. Thank you for your continued partnership.

Important Dates

January 27th - 4th Grade Concert (see above)

January 28th - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development Day

January 30th - PTO Daddy Daughter Dance (registration is now closed)

As in the past, the Paw's Press newsletters will include key information and typically will be sent at the end of each week. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help make the school year a success for you and your child! See you soon!

Sincerely,

Heather Batko

Cherokee Principal

hbatko@cvs.k12.mi.us

In February we celebrate Black History Month! This can be a time for families to share stories, quotes, videos or discussions in celebration of the many influential Black leaders and people of our generation and those that paved the way long before us. Click here for helpful resources.

The Kids Heart Challenge is off to a good start! We are trying to get 50% of Cherokee students to sign up online! If we do this, we get an additional $500 to spend on PE equipment. Registering online is simple and quick and does not cost a cent! Click on the link below to get started! We are currently at 15% of our school.

If our school reaches 50% registered, ALL students will get a PJ Day and the registered students will get an ice cream sandwich during lunchtime.

If your student's class has the most kids registered, they will have a Glow In The Dark Dance Party in the gym!

If your student's class raises the most money in the school, they will have an extra Freaky Friday gym class!

The top fundraiser in each class will come down to the gym for a pizza and movie lunch.

The top fundraiser in the WHOLE SCHOOL will get the gym named after them for a full year!!!

Please encourage your students to sign up online for Kids Heart Challenge. In doing so, your students will learn how to keep their hearts and brains healthy.

Thank you in advance for your support! We will be wrapping up our efforts the week of February 9-13 with jump rope contests and fun gym classes!

Here is our school website to register: http://www2.heart.org/goto/CherokeeWildcats

P.S. The QR code on the first sheet I sent home was linked to a different school. All students that registered using that have and will be moved to our school. No worries. If you are ready to register, please use the above link! Thanks!

Dan Walkenhorst

Physical Education

Cherokee Elementary

dwalkenhorst@cvs.k12.mi.us

• Even though lunch is free for all students, we still need parents to complete the digital online ordering form so that we have an accurate count and enough food for all students.
• Click here to order school lunch for January
• Click here for a printable version of the January lunch menu.
• Ordering deadlines: Please note that we have received communication from food services that families need to order lunch by 9:30 AM the school day prior. For example, when ordering lunch for pizza on Monday, please order by 9:30 AM on Friday. This helps with the accuracy of our lunch count. We of course always order extra but this helps with accuracy.
  
• There is a charge of $1.50 for ordering doubles.
• Click here for the Food Services website.

• Even though lunch is free for all students, we still need parents to complete the digital online ordering form so that we have an accurate count and enough food for all students.
• Click here to order school lunch for February
• Click here for a printable version of the February lunch menu.
• Ordering deadlines: Please note that we have received communication from food services that families need to order lunch by 9:30 AM the school day prior. For example, when ordering lunch for pizza on Monday, please order by 9:30 AM on Friday. This helps with the accuracy of our lunch count. We of course always order extra but this helps with accuracy.
  
• There is a charge of $1.50 for ordering doubles.
• Click here for the Food Services website.

Click here to purchase.

We celebrated some great leaders in January!

Winter is coming! If your Cherokee student is in need of a winter coat or other winter gear, please complete this form (click here) for each Cherokee student. Our social worker, Mrs. Gilbert, works with many organizations to connect families with coats and other resources. She will do her best to fulfill as many requests as possible on a first come/first serve basis.

Just a reminder, students continue to go outside for recess when it is 20 degrees or above (including if the wind chill factor 'feels like' below 20 ). Please make sure that your students come prepared with hats/gloves/snow pants/boots etc. Families may want to label these items with their child's name to make it easier for lost items to find their owner.

All children go out for recess unless a doctor's note has been submitted/is on file in the main office indicating otherwise.

We are already planning for NEXT school year. If you have a Kindergarten student for the 2026-2027 school year, save the date for our Kindergarten Kick-Off on May 12th.

This is NOT for current Kindergarten students.

Click here for the Cherokee PTO Newsletter for January 2026

Click here to apply.

• Throughout the school year we are required to complete 5 fire drills, 3 lockdown drills and 2 tornado drills.
• We completed 3 fire drills in September. The other two will be in the spring.
• In October, we will had two lockdown drills. These drills are comprised of age-appropriate lessons as well as practicing other tasks such as locking down in a safe space, relocating to a safe place, etc. For one of our drills, we used our lockdown "blue light" alarm with our school resource officer.
• We do not tell families or students the exact dates/times of these drills for safety reasons.
• The book, I'm Not Scared I'm Prepared, that is utilized for the lockdown drills is below in a PDF format in case you would like to review it with your family. This book is used at all elementary schools in the district.
• Our teachers do a great job of reviewing procedures in a way that makes students feel safe.

• We have many students at Cherokee with severe peanut/tree nut allergies. Therefore peanut/tree nut products and products contaminated in a facility that processes peanuts/tree nuts may not be consumed in classrooms.
• A designated area/table in the cafeteria will be available for students with peanut/tree nut allergies. Peanut/tree nut products may not be consumed in this designated area/table. The area/table will be labeled as a peanut/tree nut alert zone.
• Your child's teacher will review guidelines and answer any specific questions.
• Click here for the Snack Safely Guide. This guide has recommendations for foods that do not have peanuts, tree nuts and are not processed in facility with these items. This guide updates regularly so it is best to check the link below rather than printing.

Click here for the district calendar.

• Several years ago we created the Paw's Pals Lunch Volunteer Program at Cherokee. The name for the program was inspired by our school mascot, Paws the Wildcat.
• This program is very similar to the Watch D.O.G.S program that was in place at Cherokee prior to the pandemic. It is not limited to male volunteers as the Watch D.O.G.S program was.
• The purpose of the program is to help children have a sense of belonging and build positive relationships. Kids love extra attention at lunch! They love to talk about sports, toys and what they like to do for fun! Having extra adults at school shows children that education is important and they are important!
• Please understand that these volunteers are not in place of lunch monitors.
• Our lunch monitors will be responsible for supervising the students, cleaning, etc.
• Paw's Pals volunteers will have time to chat with their own child (children) and other Cherokee students during lunch periods.
• Just like any other school volunteer, our Paw's Pals volunteers will respect the privacy of our students. Volunteers are asked to stay in the designated area (cafeteria) and not visit other areas of the building during this time.
  
• In order to participate in the program there are 3 steps to complete.
• Step One: Volunteers need to have a background check on file for the 2025-2026 school year. If you have not completed the background check for the 2025-2026 school year, please email Mrs. Krellwitz at ykrellwitz@cvs.k12.mi.us If you are not sure if you have a background check on file, please email Mrs. Krellwitz. Background checks take at least three weeks to process.

• Step Two: Click here to complete the Paw's Pal's Application.
• Step Three: Click here to sign up for a date in January. Even if you can't stay the whole time, we would love to have you!

We choose to Inspire, Believe, Achieve & LEAD!

Website: https://www.chippewavalleyschools.org/schools/elementary-schools/cherokee/
Location: 42900 Rivergate Drive, Clinton Township, MI, USA
Phone: 586-723-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CherokeeWildcats

If your child is going to be absent, please call our attendance line at 586-723-4899.

https://www.facebook.com/CherokeeWildcats

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CherokeePTO/