August 7, 2026

Dear Charger Families,

We hope this newsletter finds you enjoying summer and eagerly anticipating the start of the new school year. As the Interim Principal for the 2026-2027 school year, I am honored to have the opportunity to join such a dedicated and thriving school community, and I look forward to getting to know each of you in the months ahead! If you haven't had an opportunity to review my letter of introduction yet, you can find it linked below:

Welcome to the 2026-2027 School Year - Introduction Letter to Charger Families

I am also very pleased to share that Sarah Field will be the Interim Assistant Principal for the 2026–2027 school year. Sarah has served as the Instructional Coach for Cherry Chase for the past three years, and she is excited to continue the great work happening at our school!

To all of our incoming families, we extend a warm welcome to the Cherry Chase Community. Cherry Chase is an engaging, diverse, and enthusiastic community with a dedicated and responsive staff. We are all dedicated to collaborating with our families to ensure that all students are safe and can focus on their academics while learning about themselves and developing their social-emotional skills.

We value your feedback and partnership in making Cherry Chase an exceptional place of learning and growth for everyone. The Weekly Charger Newsletter will be emailed to all our families every Friday. Please take a few minutes to read it and stay informed about upcoming events, meetings, and the wonderful opportunities our PTA offers for all of us to connect as a community!

The office is currently open to the public, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Once school starts on Monday, August 17, it will be open Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.

We look forward to welcoming you and making the start of the school year memorable for our entire Cherry Chase School community! I am excited to see you on August 17, 2025!

Best,

Allison Crawford

Interim Principal

We are very excited to welcome Cherry Chase staff and teachers back for a new school year!

Please welcome our new and newly returning members of the Cherry Chase community:

• Zain Farkouh - 5th grade Room 16
• Emily Steinmetz - Speech Language Pathologist Room 6A
• Lydia Dupré - Instructional Coach Room 9
• Allison Crawford - Interim Principal
• Sarah Field - Interim Assistant Principal
• Katherine (Katie) Rodriguez - District Nurse supporting Cherry Chase

Bell Schedule

Here is the link to the CCE 2026-2027 Bell Schedule. Some key information about the Bell Schedule to keep in mind is listed below:

• For the first weeks of school, TK is in session Monday through Friday from 8:15 to 11:35 a.m. Students will be dismissed at 11:35 am
• Beginning on Tuesday, September 9, 2026, TK will transition to a full-day schedule Monday through Thursday from 8:15 a.m. to 2:25 p.m.
• Kindergarten begins full-day classes from the very first day: Kindergarten students will start in full-day classes on Monday, August 17, 2026 and is dismissed at 2:25pm.
• On Fridays, TK through 3rd Grade will be dismissed at 12:45 pm.
• On Teacher Learning Days (TLD), ALL students are dismissed at 12:45 pm.
• During Conference Week (October 5-19), ALL students are dismissed at 11:35 am.
• SESD Academic Calendar 2026-2027

• TK — Recess 11:10–11:30 | Lunch 11:30–11:50
• K–2 — Recess 11:35–11:55 | Lunch 11:55–12:15
• 3–5 — Recess 12:00–12:20 | Lunch 12:20–12:40

Drop off & Pick up:

We welcome parents to drop off and pick up students at their classrooms on campus.

Here are a few reminders:

• For drop-off, the gates will open at 8:00 am. to allow parents and students on campus.
• Students arriving on school buses at 7:45 am will be picked up by staff and supervised until the gates open at 8:00 am.
• For pickup, the gates will open a few minutes before the bell rings and will be closed from 2:45 pm. to 4:00 pm.
• After 4:00 pm., the school grounds will be open to the public as a park and community will have access.

Attendance:

• School begins promptly at 8:15am
• If students are not in class by 8:15am, they must report to the front office to receive a tardy slip

The district will email class assignment information to our families on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

Please check your email to find your child's teacher and classroom number.

We would also like to remind parents and guardians that we do not accept requests for specific teachers or classrooms.

Student Breakfast & Lunch

Student breakfast and lunch continues to be provided for free for all students this school year.

The menus can be found linked here once they have been set for this month - School Breakfast & Lunch Menu.

Universal Benefits Application

We do ask that all families please fill out the state’s income eligibility application which greatly helps our school’s funding. The data from this form call support our school in qualifying for discounted or free admission on field trips, transportation, and more! This additional funding can allow our students to experience more opportunities for enrichment. Families may also qualify for benefits such as SUN Bucks, reduced activity fees, and discounted college application fees. You can read more in the flyers linked below and submit your application using the QR code or the following link: https://linqconnect.com/public/universal-benefits-application/new

Parent Square

We use this free app to communicate with families. You can see whole school updates, district updated, as well as classroom specific updates. Please download the app for free in the App Store or Google Play Store.

When you login, you can update your notification preferences in your Settings.

Calendar of Events

Here is the link to the public Cherry Chase Elementary Google Calendar. We want to highlight some important dates and upcoming events over the next 2 weeks to ensure a smooth transition for our students. Please take the time to review the information listed below:

August

11 - Coffee with the Principal for Incoming Families at 10:00 am

12 - Teachers’ First Day 8:00 am- 3:00 pm

12 - Class Rosters to Families

13 - District Board Meeting at 6:00 pm

14 - TK Meet and Greet 2:00-2:20 pm

15 - TK/K Playdate 10 am-12 pm (PTA event)

17 - Students’ First Day

17 - Coffee with the Principal- Welcome Back at 8:30 am

20 - TK/K Charger Pride Classroom Visits - students only

21 - Charger Pride Expectations Assemblies - students only

• Grades 4-5 at 8:30-8:50 am
• Grades 1-2 at 9:00-9:20 am
• Grade 3 at 9:30-9:50 am

21 - No Friday Flag Assembly

21 - PTA Back to School Picnic and Resource Fair 5:30-7:30 pm

To learn more about the upcoming events from Cherry Chase PTA, be sure to check out their website and JOIN as a member to get regular communication and be a part of supporting the Cherry Chase students and community.

Cherry Chase PTA Website

Add the Cherry Chase PTA Google Calendar

Upcoming PTA Events:

• TK/K Playdate @ Cherry Chase - Saturday, August 15th 10am-12pm
• Cherry Chase PTA Community Picnic & Resource Fair - Friday, August 21st 5:30-7:30pm
• Family Paint Night - Friday, September 11th 6:00-7:30pm

Information about the YMCA after school program can be found here:
YMCA After School @ Cherry Chase 2026-2027