CES Weekly Communicator

Issue #28: March 7, 2025

This weekly update will be how we communicate with the school community. Please check your emails on Fridays for the most recent school news.

Principal Corner

Happy Friday, Chapelfield families.

Our students have been working hard this week. For example, 1st graders are learning how to solve addition algebra math problems and 5th graders are learning how the Civil War impacted boys. You can see a 5th grader trying on baggy clothes which is what boys wore when they joined the army.

We ended the week celebrating those individuals at our Quarter 3 PAWS breakfast who have been leaders in HARD WORK. We also recognized 3 phenomenal teachers:

Miss Keller-4th grade teacher
Mrs. Huenemann-ELSS teacher in 2nd & 5th grade
Miss Johnson-MTSS Alternative Instructor who supports behavior and math intervention

Please remember that there is no school on Monday, March 10. It is a teacher work day.

Enjoy the long weekend. We will see you back on Tuesday, March 11.

Sincerely,

Nikki Miller

Counselor's Corner with Mrs. Jasin

Hello Families!

This month, we covered a variety of different topics in classroom guidance lessons! Please read below to help support these important skills at home.

In kindergarten, we learned about self-control. We discussed what self-control looks like and sounds like in and out of the classroom using one of our favorite sea creature friends, Clark the Shark! Learning and practicing self-control helps to contribute to not only academic success, but also our overall well-being. We encourage you to engage in conversations with your child about the meaning of self-control and how we can practice it in different scenarios.

In first, second and third grade, we learned about conflict resolution through i-Messages. When we talk it out, we use our words to peacefully solve conflicts. We practiced i-Messages by using this prompt, "I feel…when…Could you please…"

In fourth and fifth grade, we discussed conflict resolution from a lens of seeing another person's perspective. Seeing a problem from someone else's point of view helps us understand their feelings and find a fair solution, making it easier to solve conflicts. We also looked closely and practiced the difference between you-messages vs. i-messages.

You-message: "You never listen to me!"

I-message: "I feel frustrated when I’m not heard because I want to share my thoughts too. Can you please let me have a chance to talk?"

GRIN provides weekend snack bags to be sent home on Fridays for families in need. If this is something you would be interested in, please email me at jasink@gjps.org.

If you have a social, emotional concern for your child that impacts them while they are at school and would like to share this with me to see how we can help support your child, please reach out to me at jasink@gjps.org.

Best,

Krysten Jasin - School Counselor

Practice this breathing strategy at home!

Related Arts Spotlight

Music Updates from Mrs. Herrmann

Kindergartener’s are having so much fun with our friend, Bob! Bob loves to tell the class fun facts about himself but he only answers if a singing voice is used when asking a question! Ask your child to sing you a question that they might want to ask of Bob!

1st graders have been learning about quiet spots in music class and are excited to sing/play our new hello song called “Howdy, Hi, How Are You?” This song has lots of ways to say hello in many different languages and is a fun partner activity that they can share with you!

2nd grade learned a new song called “PIzza Pizza Daddy-o” and are learning to improvise movements while singing. They recently worked in small groups, moving through various stations that were focused on rhythm practice which included creating pizzas with rhythm cards, playing rhythm versions of the memory card game and Go Fish.

3rd graders were introduced to Google’s Chrome Music Lab - an awesome site where students can compose music! It is a favorite for many of them.

4th graders had a great time attending a concert with The Columbus Jazz Orchestra at the Southern Theater in downtown Columbus! Students learned American Sign Language to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," sang along to Ella Fitzgerald's song, "A Tisket, A Tasket" and Duke Elington's "It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.” It was a great day!

5th graders are finishing up our unit of ukulele and have grown so much in their playing ability, learning to strum and switch between several chords. I am proud of their hard work!

Culture & Community Night-Thursday, April 10

Save the Date for our second annual Culture and Community Night on Thursday, April 10th from 5:30-7:30pm. We will celebrate the diverse cultures represented at Chapelfield through food, crafts, music, and games. Student artwork will be on display across the entire school. Also, in the third-grade hallway, be sure to visit "Town" night to purchase goods and services produced by our entrepreneurial third-graders.

A cultural dish sign-up sheet will go home with students on March 20th.

Make a Lunch Payment

Make a lunch payment

Spring Ohio State Testing (OST) Calendar

Spring will be here before you know it. As you know, there is a lot of state testing that happens in April. See the dates before for 3rd-5th grade state testing as you make appointments. Thank you for your support.

4th grade families-Ohio History Connections

4th Grade Students and Families,

Ohio History Connections, the organization that operates the Ohio Historical Center and the Ohio Village, also oversees over 50 other historical sites across the state. In addition, they also publish the Ohio as America curriculum Gahanna uses for 4th-grade Social Studies. Because our district uses its curriculum, Ohio History Connections is offering a free membership for each of our 4th graders! This membership will grant each student and one adult free entry into any of the historical sites they operate until August of this year. To register for this membership, complete the registration form found here. You can also find a list of all of the historical sites they operate here.

Visitors

We kindly ask that ALL visitors follow the steps below each and every time you visit Chapelfield:

1. Once at the front, exterior doors of the school, press the buzzer. A member of the office staff will ask your reason for visiting Chapelfield.

2. Once inside the vestibule, you will enter your drivers' license or state ID into the scanner. ALL visitors/guests/guardians need to scan their drivers license EACH and EVERY time they visit Chapelfield.

3. Once your license has been scanned and processed you will be permitted to enter the main office area to pick up your visitor/volunteer badge.

4. If you have NEVER had your driver's licensed scanned at Chapelfield before, this will take a longer time. You will want to plan accordingly.

**As a reminder, if there is a non-guardian planning to visit Chapelfield for any reason (to eat lunch, read a book in the classroom, visit the bookfair, take your child to an appointment etc.), we ask that the guardian email the teacher and front office (gilzows@gjps.org ) to let us know prior to the visit.

Our Vestibule

The vestibule will be a place you have to wait if you are picking up a student, dropping off a book bag or lunch box.

The office is a busy place and there are times that we are dealing with student confidential issues. The vestibule will be a place to wait. It also allows us to keep our building safe. We want to keep students and staff safe including keeping confidential information safe. Thank you for understanding.

PTO Updates

PTO Events

*Tuesday, March 11: PTO meeting at 7 p.m. in the library. We have the following people coming to talk to us:

Mrs. Kara Coates and Mrs. Megan Dimmerling; GJPS Board Members
Ron Smith; Neighborhood Bridges

*Spring Flower Sales begin February 25-March 12 . Delivery will be on April 29th. This is right in time for Mothers Day!

*We need a Carnival Chair in order for this event to happen on Friday, May 9th 6:00-8:30. Please email us if you are interested in chairing at Chapelfield.elementary.pto@gmail.com. A few vendors have already been secured! It is a great event to organize. Tina Green can support you and show you the ropes!

*Mark your calendars for Pancakes and Pajamas with The PTO on March 19th 6:00-7:30 p.m.

The PTO needs your support for 2025-2026. Sign up here:

open_in_new

5th Grade Committee Updates:

Mark your calendars:

*April 24th Skate Night 5-7:30

*Spring Spirit Wear information is below.

5th grade parents ONLY

Dear 5th Grade Families,

The end of the year will be here before we know it, and we will be celebrating our children's last year of elementary school. There will be several fun things to come, and we wanted to get a head start on collecting photos for two separate projects.

1. Baby Photo Guessing Game: Please submit a photo of your child as a baby. The students will walk around and try to identify as many of their classmates as possible as an infant. The student with the most correct matches will win a prize. Please send the attachment with your child's name and homeroom teacher.

2. End of the Year Slideshow: Please submit photos of your children from early childhood through Fifth Grade. These can include extracurricular activities, field trips, class parties, Walk-a-thons, etc. We would like all the kids to feel included, so if you have group photos that would be wonderful as well.

We appreciate your help in making these kids feel celebrated during this really exciting time!

Please submit the photos to chapelfield2032@gmail.com

Sincerely,

The Fifth Grade Committee

Community Connections

Register for 2025-2026 GJPS Kindergarten

GJPS Heart and Pride Award

The Heart and Pride Award recognizes two outstanding staff members each month who make a profound impact on our students and Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools.

The Heart & Pride Nomination Form will remain available year-round and is open to any member of our staff, regardless of position.

March Important Dates

Tuesday, February 25-March 19: PTO Spring Flower Sales

Monday, March 10: Staff Work Day; No School

Tuesday, March 11: PTO Meeting @ 7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 19: Pancakes and PJs with PTO @ 6 p.m.

Tuesday, March 25: Guys with Ties for 4th & 5th grade BOYS

Thursday, March 27: Yearbook class pictures & 5th grade group picture

Friday, March 28: Learning Communities @ 8:30 a.m.

Monday, March 31-Friday, April 4: Spring Break; No School

Monday, April 7: First day back to school

Important District Links

GJPS Elementary Student Handbook 24-25

2024-2025 GJPS District Calendar (PDF)

2024-2025 School Menus

2024-2025 Bus Schedule and Routes

2025-2026 School Calendar

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