The Chapman Chatter

Chapman families,

This newsletter is packed with new dates and information! Please take a few minutes to read through it as you begin your week.

This Week

• Monday, February 9th-Friday, February 13th - Student Council Candy Gram Sale
• Wednesday, February 11th - Inclusion Committee Meeting
• Friday, February 13th - Valentine's Day Party

Next Week

• Monday, February 16th - No School Presidents' Day
• Wednesday, February 18th - Understanding Executive Functioning Session
• Thursday, February 19th - PTA Meeting at 7:00 PM
• Thursday, February 19th - Parent-Teacher Conferences (as needed)

Following Week

• Thursday, February 26th - Rare Disease Awareness Day (Wear stripes/zebra print!)
• Thursday, February 26th - Trimester Ends
• Friday, February 27th - No School - Staff Professional Development

Repeated Reminders

• Valentine's Day School-Wide Guidelines
• Valentine's Day Party Volunteer Student Sign Out

New Information

• Blood Cancer United Campaign (Chapman Alumni)
• 6th Grade Counselor Visit (For current 5th Graders) - Course selection email will be sent 2/13
• PBIS Student Climate Survey - Opt out due by 2/20
• PBIS Family Climate Survey - Open 2/9-2/20
• Erin's Law Counselor Lesson - Opt out due by 2/20
• Rare Disease Awareness Day - 2/26
• SCS Financial Facts Newsletter
• Kiwanis Read Around the World Event

With warm appreciation,

Mrs. Harrell

Main Line: (440) 572-7140

Attendance Line: (440) 572-7140 *choose #2*

Bus Transportation: (440) 572-7060

Clinic: (440) 268-5677

We’re excited to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our students! Classroom parties, sponsored by our amazing PTA, will take place on February 13.

Important reminders for families:

• Please do not send in treats or goodie bags. All food for parties is pre-arranged through our room parents.

• Homeroom teachers will communicate directly with families about passing out valentines and if bags or boxes need to be sent in.

• As a school, we do not permit valentines that include food or candy.

• All food shared in classrooms is checked by our school nurse, and we do not have the capacity to check individual valentines.

Thank you for your support in helping us keep our celebrations safe and fun! Be on the lookout for more specific information from your child’s teacher soon.

We’re so grateful for our sweet school community — Happy Valentine’s season!

Next year's 6th grade counselor, Mr. Greer, came to visit our Chapman 5th graders this week. The students learned all about the middle school and had an opportunity to ask some great questions. Parents of 5th graders, you will receive a link from me on Friday. This link will be used to submit course requests for next school year. Please be on the lookout for this email on February 13th.

Our school is committed to fostering a positive and supportive learning environment for all students. To better understand our school climate and identify areas for improvement, we plan to conduct a School Climate Survey with students in grades 3-5 during the window of February 23-27.

The survey will gather anonymous feedback on topics such as safety, behavior expectations, engagement, and overall school culture. The data collected from the survey will be used to identify student perceptions of school climate issues within our school. Our school’s PBIS team will review the responses for enhancement and sustainment of positive behavior supports.

If you do not want your child to participate in this survey, please complete the form below by February 20th. If this form isn't completed, we will assume you consent to your child's participation.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Harrell. Thank you for your attention and support.

Our school is committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for all students and families. To help us reflect on what’s working well and where we can continue to grow, we invite you to complete our School Climate Survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable and directly informs our planning and decision-making. The survey is brief, confidential, and makes a big impact. Thank you for partnering with us and sharing your voice! The window for completing this is February 9-20. Thank you!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

In January of 2023, Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 288 (SB 288), also known as “Erin’s Law, mandating that school districts notify parents about required curriculum implementation around child sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention. Schools must implement these new requirements grades K-12 beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, and thereafter.

SB 288 requires that school districts provide students in grades kindergarten through six developmentally appropriate instruction on child sexual abuse prevention, including information on available counseling and resources for children who may experience abuse.

To meet the requirements of the law, our elementary school counselors will be teaching lessons to our K-5 students from a supplemental component of our current Second Step program, Child Protection Unit Grades PK-5. The Second Step program is a program our District counselors have utilized for many years to provide lessons to students, and the additional Child Protection Unit meets the requirements of the law. Our school counselors will be teaching these topics as part of their regularly scheduled monthly lessons in classrooms. School personnel selected this curriculum due to its age-appropriate content regarding child abuse prevention and healthy relationships, as well as its approval from the Department of Education. Providing this child protection prevention curriculum may help to create a greater awareness of the warning signs associated with unhealthy relationships and prevent abuse before it occurs. More information about the specific curriculum can be found at this link. Utilizing the trained school counselors to present these lessons helps communicate the message in a safe, age-appropriate manner. This content will begin in the next month as part of the counselor’s regularly scheduled classroom lessons.

Concepts that will be included in Grades K-3 include:

• The Always Ask First Rule - understanding stranger danger, creating boundaries and knowing who trusted adults are

Concepts that will be included in Grades 4-5 include:

• Keeping yourself safe - when you’re on your own or with friends, you are responsible for your own safety

• Always Ask First - discussing three ways to stay safe (recognize, report, refuse),

There is an opt-out policy whereby the parent/guardian may sign a permission form to withdraw his/her child from participating in these classroom lessons. If you do not wish your child to participate in the child protection curriculum, please sign the form on the back and return it to your child’s teacher, and your child will receive alternate activities to complete outside of the classroom during the lesson time with no penalty or work to make up. If you do not sign and return this form, your child will remain in the classroom to take part in the counselor’s lessons. In order to opt your child out of these lessons, please return this to your child’s teacher by February 20, 2026.

If you have any questions about the curriculum or its implementation in the classroom, you may contact Mrs. Erin Green, Director of Curriculum at eringreen@scsmustangs.org

Sincerely,

Erin Green

Director of Curriculum

Please click HERE for this month's edition of the Financial Fast Facts Newsletter from our District's Treasurer, Mr. George Anagnostou.

Over the last two school years, as part of our District's strategic plan, we launched Financial Fast Facts to keep our community informed about Strongsville City Schools' finances. What began as informative infographics evolved into a video series and now we are adding newsletters. Past Financial Fast Facts can be found HERE.

This newsletter features information about where Strongsville ranks compared to other school districts in Cuyahoga County Effective Residential Tax Rates, and the December 2025 Financial Update. Since our District's fiscal year runs from July through June, December marks the halfway point of the fiscal year making this an important milestone to review our financial health..

We hope this newsletter helps to further explain our District's finances. Should you have any questions or need additional information, please reach out to the SCS Treasurer's Office (ganagnostou@scsmustangs.org / 440.572.7021).

The Kiwanis Club of Strongsville is hosting their annual, free of charge, READ AROUND THE

WORLD event on Saturday, February 28 nd at the Community Library. Doors open at 10:00 A.M.

and close at 12:00 P.M. The program is intended for pre-school through 2nd graders. Activities

include short skits; puppet shows; face painting; and refreshments. Each child visitor will select

and take home a free children’s book.

Coming soon! The Scholastic Book Fair will be at Chapman March 2nd through March 6th! Be on the lookout for more information soon!

Know an SHS graduate that has accomplished great things? We are looking to recognize alumni that have made a significant impact in their professional career and/or in their community and are currently accepting nominations for the SHS Distinguished Alumni - Class of 2026. Fill out THIS FORM to nominate a deserving SHS graduate for this honor. This year’s selected class of Distinguished Alumni will be recognized at a special event in April 2026.

Does your child need help with organization, time management, working memory or problem solving? The Parent Mentor Office is offering a presentation on February 18 at 6-7 pm located in the SHS Media Center. Drew Kuzmickas will share information on executive function and how we can support our children who struggle in this area. Please RSVP to Teresa Karsnak at tkarsnak@scsmustangs.org or 440-573-2584.

Parent Teacher Conferences are February 19 from 4:45-7:45 pm. This conference cycle will be held by teacher request. If you would like a conference, you’re more than welcome to request one. If your child’s teacher has not requested a conference by February 6, please contact your child’s teacher to schedule a time.

Chapman PTA is having a fundraiser with Kalahari on February 26th. Room rates for 4 people with water park access is $149. Use the link below to book!

Outbreaks of head lice may increase following school breaks, as children often spend more time in close contact with classmates and family members. As we approach the holiday breaks, please review the following information:

Connecting for Kids (CFK) provides resources, support and community to families in Northeast Ohio who have concerns about their child. We serve all families, including those children with and without diagnoses. Click on the link below to learn more about the FREE programs for kids and families:

Learn more about our free programs:

Speaker Series
Workshops
Share & Support Groups
Music Therapy & More
Playgroups
Adapted Library Programs

We invite you to join the Chapman PTA! Your membership helps strengthen the vital partnership between our school and families, creating enriching experiences for all our school community.

The PTA plays a key role in supporting events, programs, and resources that enhance learning and build community. There are many ways to get involved—whether you have a little or a lot of time to share, your participation makes a difference!

Join us in making Chapman an even better place for our school to grow and thrive. Together, we can achieve great things!

Thank you for your support!