The Chapman Chatter

Chapman families,

We are so excited to kick off the 25/26 school year!

Transportation:

• Just a reminder that if you're less than 1.25 miles from Chapman, you do not receive transportation. Please see the list of non-bussing streets HERE.
• If there are any issues, please call transportation at (440) 572-7060 or email transportationoffice@scsmustangs.org.

New information in this week’s newsletter:

• Mustang's First Day of School - Signs

First Day of School Reminders:

• Please make sure that your student and their teacher know their dismissal plan for the day!
• If dropping students off, all caregivers will say their goodbyes outside and students will enter the building independently. We have many Chapman stuff inside of the building, walking students to their classrooms if needed.

Kindergarten Orientation Reminders:

• Kindergarten orientation is Monday, August 18
• Parent/guardian and student attend orientation together
• Please bring school supplies if you did not bring them to Open House on 8/13/25
• Full Day: 9:30-11:30 AM for last names A-L AND 1:00-3:00 PM for last names M-Z
• Half Day: 9:30-11:30 AM KG
• If you are attending the orientation session beginning at 9:30 am, please do not arrive prior to 9:25 am. This will allow for our students in grades 1-5 to arrive and parking to open up for families attending orientation.

Soak in this final weekend of summer and we will see students in grades 1-5 Monday for their first day of school and our kindergarten families for orientation!

Warmly,

Mrs. Harrell

Main Line: (440) 572-7140

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

Bus Transportation: (440) 572-7060

Clinic: (440) 268-5677

• August 18 - First day of school for students in grades 1-5
• August 18 - Kindergarten orientation
• August 19 - First day of school for students in kindergarten
• August 22 - PTA Mum sale fundraiser kick off
• August 28 - PTA Meeting @ 7:00 pm
• September 1 - Student Annual Forms updates due

We want to see pictures of students celebrating their first day of school! To help with your first day pictures, we have created printable signs for your students. CLICK HERE for signs for all of our grades and schools. No matter how you are documenting the memories of the first day of school, make sure you tag your social media posts with #MustangsFirstDay. Good luck to all of our students on this very special day of the school year!

Arrival Time for Students:

• Elementary students who walk to school or use transportation other than the school bus cannot arrive before 8:50 AM, as there is no supervision available.
• The official arrival window is 8:50 AM to 9:05 AM.
• All arrival doors will close promptly at 9:05 AM. If you arrive after this time, please check in at the main office with the secretary.

AM Car Drop-Off:

• Students being dropped off should enter through the main entrance, Door G.
• Please park your vehicle and walk your student(s) to the sidewalk.
• IMPORTANT: Student(s) are not allowed to walk in the parking lot without an adult.

AM Walkers:

• Walkers must use the sidewalk for safety.
• Depending on their starting point, students may enter through Door G (North) or Door B (South).
• Students walking from south of Chapman must enter through Door B due to traffic and the lack of a sidewalk leading to the front of the building.
• Students arriving after 9:05 AM must enter through Door G and should be accompanied by an adult.

**Please reference map below**

PM Car Pick-Ups:

• All car pick-ups will begin at 3:30 PM at Door G.
• Adults must exit their vehicles and walk towards Door G to pick up their child.
• IMPORTANT: Please do not stand in front of Door A, as that is the exit for our bus riders.
• Students will be dismissed by grade level, starting with kindergarten students.
• Note: Students will not be released to walk to the parking lot alone to meet their adult.

PM Walkers:

• All walkers will be dismissed at 3:30 PM from either Door G or Door B.
• We kindly ask that an adult or older sibling accompanies kindergarten and first grade students while walking home.
• If you are walking home with your student(s), please be at the designated door you've selected at this time.

**Please reference map below**

After picking up your student, please proceed to your vehicles and refrain from playing on the front lawn. This is to ensure the safety of all students and families. Thank you for your cooperation!

Calling Our Main Office During Dismissal:

• For transportation changes, please call the office before 3:00 PM.
• Our office staff will be unavailable to answer phones starting at 3:15 PM due to dismissal support. Calls after 3:15 PM will go to voicemail.

Change in Student Dismissal Plans:

• To communicate a change in your student's dismissal, please send a note or call the Main Office.
• If notifying after the school day begins, do not email or use Remind to inform your student's teacher, as they may not see it before dismissal. Please contact the main office.
• Important: Changes must be communicated by a parent or guardian; we cannot accept a student's word for dismissal changes.

Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring a safe and organized dismissal for all students!

25/26 Meal Pricing: Breakfast $2.00 | Lunch $3.80.

Payment: You may set up on online account through www.payschoolscentral.com, send in a check made out to Strongsville City Schools or cash (Please place in an envelope/ziplock with students first and last name visible.

Free/Reduced Meal Pricing Information: For the first 30 days of school, students will retain their previous year’s status (Free/Reduced or Paid.) After 30 days, we will require a Free and Reduced Form with a new approval for this school year. If we do not receive a new form by the end of the first 30

days of school, the student will revert to a “Paid” status meaning they will need to pay for their

meals.

We encourage families to complete the Free and Reduced forms electronically. Forms can be

found online at: www.payschoolscentral.com.

Menu: The breakfast/lunch menu will be sent home with students monthly and is also available to view online (linked below).

In order to avoid disruption of the educational environment and protect students' right of privacy, student use of cell phones are prohibited, in school classrooms and on field trips, excluding use as approved by the classroom teacher or the Principal. Cell phones may be prohibited in any other areas within the school building as deemed necessary by the Principal. Possession of a cell phone by a student at school during school hours is a privilege that may be forfeited by any student who fails to abide by the terms of this policy, or otherwise abuses this privilege. Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action and/or confiscation of the cell phone. The Principal will also refer the matter to law enforcement or child services if the violation involves an illegal activity (e.g., child pornography, sexting).

In practice, here is what this will mean for our students.

• PreK-5: Cell phones and airpods / earbuds are not permitted during any time of the school day. Students that have these devices should keep them stowed in their book bag and locker (if applicable).

Smartwatches & Other Devices

Although there is not a global policy on Smartwatches at this time, we recognize that more and more students are wearing smartwatches that have the same functionality as cell phones (i.e. text message, apps, etc.) Currently, students are permitted to wear them, but while they are at school they need to be used as a watch and not a cell phone for the reasons listed above. Therefore, we will follow these guidelines for devices in the classroom:

It is recommended that you have your child place any smartwatch or device into Airplane or School mode while at school. This decreases the functionality and limits what is possible on the watch while at school.

If, for any reason, a staff member believes that your child is using their watch for reasons that align with the cell phone policy or their watch is becoming a distraction in the classroom to their learning, they will be asked to remove the watch and place it in their backpack.

If a cell phone, smartwatch, or other device needs to be addressed for any reason we will utilize this protocol:

1. First Offense - The staff member will ask your child to place the device in their backpack or a safe location. If they don't feel that their backpack or locker is safe, they can turn it into the teacher.

2. Second Offense - The staff member will ask that the device be turned into them, they will store it safely, and return it to your child at the end of class. You will receive communication from the staff member.

3. Third Offense - The staff member will ask the device be turned in, they will give it to the administrative team, who will address the issue with the student, including a phone call to parents, and return the device to the student at the end of the school day.

4. Any Additional Offense - We will follow the same protocol as above and require the parent/guardian pick up the device in order to hold a meeting.

It is important to note that you can always call our building to get immediate support if necessary.

Our spirit wear sale is open! 25% off their entire site with the code SCHOOL25. This is the company that our PTA is partnered with and 10% of every sale comes right back to our school!

Kindergarten Orientation

Chapman Elementary School: Parent/guardian and student attend orientation together

Monday, August 18, 2025

Please bring school supplies if you do not bring them to Open House on 8/13/25

Full Day:

9:30-11:30 AM for last names A-L

1:00-3:00 PM for last names M-Z

Half Day:

9:30-11:30 AM KG

Transportation information is live in PowerSchool for updated bussing details. Please review your information carefully, as bus stops and routes have been revised. If you want your child to ride the bus and you are not on this list of non-bused streets, please sign up here as soon as possible: Transportation Request Form.

Starting Monday, August 4, 2025, annual information updates, including emergency forms, will be available on PowerSchool. Please log into your parent account and complete the update before school begins. All students must have a completed information online update prior to September 1st.

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!

With school starting back in a few weeks, that means the start of our Fall Young Rembrandts session is just around the corner! We are excited to again be offering our Young Rembrandts drawing classes at Chapman Elementary with our Fall session starting September 16th. The Fall session will be 11 weeks long. Registrations is now open!

Classes will run for 1 hour directly after school, 3:30-4:30 pm.

Don't miss the Strongsville Baseball Youth Camp for ages 10 & up! Camp will be held from Tuesday, September 2 - Saturday, September 6 at the Strongsville High School Baseball & Softball Fields. Participants will receive baseball training from SHS players and staff and some great SHS Baseball gear. Click HERE to register. Questions? Contact Coach Pecoraro (440.539.4849 / cpecoraro@scsmustangs.org)