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.

Halloween Costume Parade 10/30 @ 9:30 a.m.

Dear Chapel Families,

We are looking forward to a FUN week with our Cheetahs! Here are a few important reminders and upcoming events to keep on your radar.

🎃 Annual Halloween Costume Parade – Friday, October 30th

We are excited to welcome Chapel parents and family members to our annual Halloween Costume Parade on Friday, October 30th, from 9:00–9:30 a.m.! We can’t wait to see our students show off their creative costumes! A reminder that all costumes must be school appropriate (no fake weapons, violence or gore).

A few important reminders for visitors:

Valid ID is required for ALL visitors attending the parade.
All visitors will watch the parade from the cafeteria/gymnasium area.
Due to our early dismissal schedule, lunch shifts will begin immediately following the parade. Therefore, visitors will not be permitted to visit classrooms after the parade.

Thank you for helping us keep this special event safe, organized, and fun for everyone!

🇺🇸 Veterans Day Slideshow – Honoring Those Who Serve

As we prepare for our Veterans Day Program on Tuesday, November 10th, we are collecting pictures of Chapel family members and friends who are currently serving or have served in our military. These pictures will be included in a special slideshow honoring the brave men and women who have served our country. Please email all pictures to Mrs. Mandy Leffler at aleffler@talbotschools.org. We appreciate your help in making this tribute meaningful for our students and school community!

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We hope you have a wonderful week filled with fall fun, school spirit, and plenty of Cheetah pride!

Dr. Clow :)

Dr. Kari M. Clow
Proud Principal
Chapel District Elementary School

Important Dates & Events

10/30- Halloween Parade 9:30 a.m.
10/30- Early Dismissal 12:20 p.m., End of Q1
11/3- No School for Students- Election Day/Elementary Parent Teacher Conferences
11/4- Grandparents Club Meeting 6:00 p.m. Media Center
11/6- Fall Picture Re-takes
11/6- 2nd Grade Field Trip
11/10- CDES Veterans Day Program 9:30 a.m. & Grandparents Day 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
11/12- No School for Students (Teacher Inservice)
11/13- NO School- TCPS Buildings Closed for Waterfowl Festival

CDES Halloween Parade Info for Families

We welcome family members to our Halloween Costume Parade Friday 10/30 from 9:30-10:00 a.m. Visitors MUST BRING AN ID! Family members will then go into the gym or cafeteria to wait for and watch the parade. After the parade, students will return to their classrooms and visitors will be asked to exit. Family members are welcome to sign students out for the day, as it is an Early Dismissal.

Veterans Day Program🪖

As we prepare for our Veterans Day Program on Tuesday, November 10th, we are collecting pictures of Chapel family members and friends who are currently serving or have served in our military. These pictures will be included in a special slideshow honoring the brave men and women who have served our country. Please email all pictures to Mrs. Mandy Leffler at aleffler@talbotschools.org. We appreciate your help in making this tribute meaningful for our students and school community!

PTO Game Day Cooler Raffle 🏈

Our PTO is holding a raffle to win an Igloo tailgate cooler with game day drinks ready! Tickets are 1 for $10 or 3 for $25. For tickets contact Mrs. Laura Taylor or Mrs. Jen Trego, or the PTO cdes.pto@gmail.com

Clarification Regarding Avalon Theater Field Trips

Dear Chapel Families,

We would like to clarify some recent miscommunication in the community regarding upcoming field trips to the Avalon Theater.

Field trips are selected collaboratively by TCPS Fine Arts Supervisor Mrs. Sherry Spurry, former EES and EHS principal, and Michael McCormack of the Avalon Foundation. Each experience is selected to align directly with grade-level curriculum and to be age-appropriate for participating students. If a parent feels a particular field trip is not appropriate for their child, they may choose to excuse their child from attending.

Due to the Avalon Theater’s limited seating capacity of approximately 400, chaperones are not permitted for these performances. Students from CDES, EES, SMES, TES, and WMES attend, along with students from local private schools in many instances. These arrangements allow the schools to provide this opportunity to as many students as possible.

We also want to acknowledge that a permission form sent home last week by one of our teachers did not include identifying information about the upcoming trip. This was an error, and the teacher promptly followed up with families by email to provide the pertinent details. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

We value our partnership with the Avalon Theater and the opportunities it provides our students. For many children, these field trips offer a first experience with live theater and help broaden their appreciation for the arts beyond the classroom.

If you have questions or concerns about this or any other upcoming fine arts field trip, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Clow (kari.clow@talbotschools.org) or Ms. Spurry (sherry.spurry@talbotschools.org).

Upcoming Avalon Theater Shows for Families

We’re excited to share that the Avalon will host three TheaterWorksUSA shows in Easton this year. Some students will have the opportunity to see these productions during the school day, and evening performances will be available for families to enjoy together.

Ada Twist, Scientist & Friends
Friday, November 6, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
Ada, Rosie, and Iggy go on a musical adventure filled with curiosity, science, and teamwork.
Tickets: https://avalonfoundation.org/event/theaterworksusa-presents-ada-twist-scientist-friends

Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical
Friday, February 26, 2027, at 6:00 p.m.
Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog start a comic club for 21 baby frogs. It’s a funny show about creativity, imagination, and friendship.
Tickets: https://avalonfoundation.org/event/theaterworksusa-presents-cat-kid-comic-club-musical

The Pout-Pout Fish: The Musical
Friday, May 7, 2027, at 6:00 p.m.
Mr. Fish heads out on an underwater adventure to find Miss Clam’s missing pearl, with puppets and live performers.
Tickets: https://avalonfoundation.org/event/theaterworksusa-presents-pout-pout-fish-musical

Families can receive a 10% discount when they purchase tickets to all three shows in the same transaction. The offer ends November 6.

The Avalon is also providing free school-day bus-in performances for many grades this year, with support from the Sara B. Ryan Fund. Annie, the Avalon’s holiday production, is coming soon, too, and tickets will be on sale shortly.

The Avalon Children’s Theatre will also have children’s shows this spring. We’ll share more information as soon as it’s available.

We hope you and your family can join us for a show!

Michael J. McCormack

Talent & Concessions Buyer/Technical Assistant

Avalon Foundation

(O) 410-822-0345
(C) 410-310-0269

CDES Volunteer Interest Form 26-27

Please email Dr. Clow directly if you are interested in serving as a volunteer and being trained to do so (kari.clow@talbotschools.org).

Family Guide to TCPS Elementary Grading

CDES Lunch Menu

MySchoolBucks (Click To Add Funds to Your Child's Lunch Account)

CDES Family Handbook 26-27

TCPS 26-27 Calendar (English)

TCPS 26-27 Calendar (Spanish)

Playground Brick Fundraiser

Calling all Chapel Cheetah students, parents, families, alumni, and community! Would you like to be a part of 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 PTO! You may order online at: thatsmybrick.com/ChapelDESPTO

Click to Purchase an Engraved Playground Brick

School Attendance is Important!

10.2AR - TCPS Attendance Policy

Tips for Balanced Screen Time

Less Screen More Seen Parent Workshop Presentation

Important Upcoming Dates- Mark Your Calendar!

October

10/30- Halloween Parade 9:30 a.m.
10/30- Early Dismissal 12:20 p.m., End of Q1

November

11/3- No School for Students- Election Day/Elementary Parent Teacher Conferences
11/4- Grandparents Club Meeting 6:00 p.m. Media Center
11/6- Fall Picture Re-takes
11/6- 2nd Grade Field Trip
11/10- CDES Veterans Day Program 9:30 p.m. & Grandparents Day 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
11/12- No School for Students (Teacher Inservice)
11/13- NO School- TCPS Buildings Closed for Waterfowl Festival
11/17-11/21- American Education Week
11/17- Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Meeting- 5:00 p.m. Zoom
11/17- PTO Meeting 6:00 p.m. (childcare provided for this meeting only)
11/20- PTO Indoor Holiday Movie Night 6-8 p.m.
11/25-11/29- TCPS Schools Closed- Thanksgiving Break