Cheetah Chatter Parent Update

CORE VALUES of CDES: Community, Relationships, Equity, Excellence

OUR MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to work together to support students as they grow in the areas of academics, socio-emotional awareness and mental health. We will strive to prioritize community, relationships, equity, and excellence for all students.

2025 APG Chesapeake Best of the Best Public School Winner!

Chapel Families-

We are thrilled to share the exciting news that Chapel District Elementary School has been named the APG Chesapeake 2025 Best of the Best Public School! This is an incredible honor, made even more meaningful because it was a community-voted award!

This recognition reflects the hard work, dedication, and heart that our entire school community brings to each day. We are incredibly proud of the work we do for all of our students, and we are grateful to be part of such a supportive, engaged, and caring community.

With the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we want to take a moment to share just how thankful we are for our amazing students, staff, and families. Your trust, encouragement, and partnership make all the difference and help create the warm, vibrant school environment that makes Chapel so special.

Thank you, Chapel students, staff, and families, for your continued support. This award belongs to all of us, and we look forward to continuing our work together to help every child learn, grow, and thrive.

With gratitude,

Dr. Clow :)

Important Upcoming Dates

11/26-11/30- TCPS Thanksgiving Break- Schools Closed
12/3- PTO Grade-level tree ornaments due- Grade Level Themes
12/6- GPC Breakfast With Santa @ CVFD 8:30-11:00 a.m.
12/9- CDES Winter Concert @ EHS 6:00 p.m. (K-5th) (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.) ALL CONCERT INFO HERE
12/9-12/11- Penguin Patch Holiday Shop
12/20-1/2- TCPS Winter Break- Schools Closed

What Are Our 1st Grade Students Thankful For?

1st grade students in Ms. Britt's, Mrs. Myers', and Mrs. George's classes reflected on what they are thankful for. Check out this creative bulletin board in the 1st grade hallway!

Amazon Wish List- SCREEN FREE Activities!

Help Us Cut Down On Screen Time for Our Chapel Students!

Chapel teachers are attempting to limit the use of iPads when students arrive in the morning and during indoor recess time. We feel that our students get plenty of screen time, so we're hoping to facilitate positive peer interactions by engaging students in constructive play during these less-structured times of the day. If you would like to help us in this endeavor, please check out the Amazon Wishlist linked here to donate the items requested. All items will be sent directly to CDES. Thank you for helping!

Off-Site Evacuation Information for CDES

We completed our off-site evacuation drill to the Cordova Volunteer Fire Department this past week. Students and staff did an incredible job! We practice this off-site evacuation drill each year.

As a reminder, if Chapel District Elementary School was ever deemed to be unsafe (gas leak, bomb threat, etc.), students would be transported to the Cordova Volunteer Fire Department on Kitty's Corner Road. As part of the reunification process for students and parents, parents would stay in their cars, would show their license to one of our staff members, staff would then take the student to the parent's car, and school staff would complete a form for reunification and accountability purposes, outlining who picked up your child. This form would be signed by the parent/guardian/emergency contact who picked up your child and we would keep on file. A reminder that ONLY a child's listed parent in PowerSchool or emergency contacts (can list up to 3 names) are allowed to pick up a child. If you need to change your child's emergency contact information, please call Ms. Christy in the front office or send her an email at cpaugh@talbotschools.org. It is important to keep your child's emergency contact information up to date throughout the school year.

Be A Part of The Chapel Cheetah Legacy- "That's My Brick!" Fundraiser- DEADLINE EXTENDED!

Calling all Chapel Cheetah students, parents, families, alumni, and community! Would you like to be a part of our new school's renovation and our Chapel legacy? Consider participating in our "That's My Brick" CDES PTO fundraiser and have your custom brick part of our new playground pathway! All funds raised will go directly to our new playground equipment! Flyers will go home with students this week OR you may order online at: thatsmybrick.com/ChapelDESPTO

Chapel Kids Care Food Drive

One of Chapel’s core values is COMMUNITY! Our Chapel Kids Care Food Drive provided Thanksgiving meals for local families and we would like to thank all of our Chapel students, staff, and families for assisting. What an amazing team effort!

A special thank you to:

Mrs. Szymanski and Mrs. Easter for organizing and coordinating in school and with local families
Higginbottom Orthodontics (Doctors Mark, Erik, and Kyle, Cathy Cannon) for donating turkeys
Giant Food of Easton for assisting with the turkey donation
Shore Time Moving (Taren and Stephan Knopp) for donating pies
The Leeson Family (Laura and Taylor) for donating jugs of iced tea

Our collective Chapel community is amazing and we are beyond blessed and grateful for your support!

Order CDES Spirit Wear HERE!

CDES Family Handbook 25-26

TCPS 25-26 School Calendar (English)

TCPS 25-26 School Calendar (Spanish)

Below is some general information about the CDES building's past and where we are headed for a beautiful new PK-5 school!

Will be a full renovation (46,070 SF)
9,600 SF addition (new CACC site)
Design Capacity- 431, Grades PK-5
Estimated Cost of Project: Construction and site work estimated $25 million, Total Project cost closer to $30 million (60% paid locally- $17M, 40% paid by state)- $13M
Phase 1 of the project is complete and includes the new Critchlow Adkins Childcare Center.
Phase 2 is currently underway, which includes the kitchen, cafeteria, gym, PK & K classrooms, and the addition of a classroom on that wing.
Phase 3 will take place this fall and will include the renovation of the existing spaces of the building (existing front hall, front office, building of new media center, etc.)
More information to come in the fall regarding specific school day logistics and safety protocols specific to Phase 3.
There will be significant impacts to the car rider loop and bus loop.
Parking will continue to be VERY limited at the school, which may impact larger events we typically have.