Clipper Connection

Greetings, CUSD Families!

Thank you to all the families who participated in yesterday’s Parent-Teacher Conferences. If you were unable to attend but would like to follow up with a teacher, please reach out to your school’s main office next week to get connected.

Last week, CUSD was proud to join schools across the nation in celebrating American Education Week. It is a special time to reflect on the power of public education and the many people who help make it all possible. From our teachers and support staff to school leaders, families, and community partners, we thank everyone who plays a part in helping our scholars grow and succeed.

As a reminder, scholars are off for the remainder of the week for Fall Break, and Central Office will close at noon today.

To everyone celebrating Thanksgiving, I wish you a joyful and restful holiday. I also hope everyone enjoys the time off and finds a moment to relax and recharge.

We will see everyone back in school on Monday, December 1.

Enjoy this edition of the Clipper Connection, which features highlights from across the district over the past two weeks.

Our varsity football team closed out an unforgettable, historic season with a tough 34–12 loss to Springfield in the District 1 5A Championship this past Friday.

While the final score wasn’t in our favor, this team made history, inspired the city, and brought unmatched energy and #CPride to every game.

We are so proud of Coach Shaw, his coaching staff, the entire team, and our famous cheerleaders for their hard work and dedication.

The sea of orange and black that packed the stands was a reminder of how much our community loves and supports the Clippers. Thank you all for an amazing season. We know this is only the beginning of even greater things to come.

We are inviting local stakeholders to participate in our Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA). This is a required component of the Perkins V Grant. The CLNA is a data-driven evaluation of our Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs, focusing on:

• Student performance and program quality
• Access and equity for all student groups
• Alignment with workforce and labor market needs

CLNA Stakeholder Meeting:

DATE: Tuesday, December 16, 2025

TIME: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

(This will be a hybrid meeting with in-person or virtual attendance options available.)

Please RSVP by Tuesday, December 9, to Ms. Jeannette Best at jbest@chesteruplandsd.org and include:

• Name
• Organization
• Email

• Secondary CTE Representative
• Postsecondary Partner
• Workforce Development
• Business & Industry
• Students & Parents
• Special Populations Representative
• Other

Once your RSVP is received, a follow-up message will be sent with the location or virtual login details. Your feedback is essential to strengthening CTE programs and expanding scholar success across our district.

Thank you in advance for your support and time.

Our high school scholars in the Career and Technical Education program recently attended the 2025 CTSO Fall Leadership Conference at Kalahari Resorts.

Our scholars participated in public speaking activities, team-building challenges, and career-focused competitions, where they demonstrated impressive skills and collaboration.

We also placed first in the cheer competition and brought home several awards and medals. We are so proud of their accomplishments.

Special thanks go to Ms. Best and all the CTE program directors for their leadership and support.

It was a joy to welcome more than 120 senior citizens to Chester High for our 4th Annual Grandparents Pre-Thanksgiving Luncheon.

The Red Brick Café served a delicious holiday meal, and our talented CTE Culinary and Marketing scholars helped with hosting and dessert prep.

I’m grateful to our entire school community and city partners for making this event so special. It’s always an honor to celebrate and give back to our seasoned community members who support our scholars every day.

Last week, we joined school districts across Pennsylvania in recognizing Red Shirt Day during Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) Awareness Week.

Staff, students, and CUSD stakeholders proudly wore red to raise awareness for students who may be experiencing housing instability.

We are so grateful to our school community and community members who participated and helped shine a light on this important issue.

We also want to highlight our Department of Student Success and Engagement as a resource. Students and families facing hardship, or anyone who is in need of help, please reach out to the department for assistance.

The end of 2025 is near, and here is our last SEL: Promoting Positive Actions Calendar for 2025.

Let's finish our SEL school and community initiative strong, and continue to promote positive actions all throughout December.

• DISTRICT-WIDE (Staff In-Service Day, No School for Students) - November 26
• DISTRICT-WIDE (Fall Break, Schools & Offices Closed) - November 27 & November 28
• MAIN STREET (PBIS Candy Gram Sale) - December 1 - December 22
• (Committee of the Whole Reorganization Meeting) - December 1
• MAIN STREET (Science Fair, PreK - 2nd Grades) - December 3
• MAIN STREET (Science Fair, 3rd - 5th Grades) - December 4
• MAIN STREET (Honor Roll & Perfect Attendance Celebration) - December 5
• ESA-MIDDLE (Science Fair) - December 8 - December 9
• DISTRICT-WIDE (Staff In-Service Day, No School for Students) - December 10
• MAIN STREET (Tiger of the Month Celebration) - December 11

Click here to view the district-wide calendar.