Upcoming Dates
December 10th - AAP Level IV Parent Referral Process Information Meeting 6PM (Parents Grades 2-6)
December 12th - 3rd Grade - Meet and Greet for new teacher, Mr. Baker. 8AM Library
December 13th - 4th Grade Strings Concert 6PM
5th/6th Chorus, Strings & Band Concert 7PM
December 14th - PTA Meeting 9AM; 3 Hour Early Release for Students; Staff Development (Green slips need to be submitted by 10:30a.m.)
December 21st - Full day of school for students; Last day before winter break
December 24th - January 4th - Winter Break; No School
 Hour of Code
Chesterbrook ES began last week taking part in Hour of Code! This annual event is celebrated internationally and corresponds with Computer Science Education Week. Over the course of the week, students are given the opportunity to have a sustained, hands-on experience in coding.
Here at Chesterbrook, Hour of Code sessions are being held in the Computer Lab, classrooms, and the Library. An important resource for this activity is the Code.org website, https://code.org/learn, which has a collection of self-guided puzzle-like tutorials that are highly engaging for students of all ages. Students in grades 2-6 also enjoy coding with MIT's Scratch, https://scratch.mit.edu/.
Why practice coding? Computer science is more important than ever, both to students’ daily lives and to their future schooling and careers. When students practice coding, they gain skills in the FCPS Portrait of a Graduate attributes of Critical and Creative Thinker, as well as Goal-directed and Resilient Individual.
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Short Term Parking - Use of Fire Lane
The Fire Lane at the front of the school should not be used as a parking spot for pick up or drop off. While we understand this may make it quicker to access the school, it also presents an unsafe situation. If your vehicle is unattended, it should not be parked in the fire lane. Thank you for utilizing a parking space if you need to exit your vehicle. Your assistance with this safety matter is much appreciated.
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 Dressing for Recess during Cold Weather
As our winter weather has settled in, we need to be sure our students are dressed appropriately for outdoor recess. Please send your child to school with a coat, gloves and hat on cold weather days so they can enjoy outdoor recess. Parents are encouraged to label coats, hats and gloves with your child's name.
There are times that we need to hold recess indoors such as extremely cold days, high wind or wind chill warnings. We make every effort to take students outdoors to play, so please send them with appropriate outerwear.
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Book Talk Series: The Self-Driven Child
This year, the PTSA is partnering with counselors in the McLean Pyramid to offer a Pyramid-Wide book talk series and author event on The Self-Driven Child, The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives by William Stixrud, PhD, and Ned Johnson.
The Self-Driven Child empowers parents with practical tools to help their children reduce stress and anxiety, while building capacity for resilience, success, and optimal development. The authors work with students in the Washington, DC metro area and offer keen insights into the stress and anxiety that children of high-achieving schools are experiencing. The strategies shared in the book are relevant for parents of children of ALL ages…from age 2 to age 18 and beyond!
Kathleen Otal, M.Ed., a former elementary school counselor and current counselor at McLean High School, is leading the book talks. In addition, the authors of the book will speak at McLean High School in the spring. Even if you don’t have time to read the book, you will learn valuable parenting strategies that will help your child develop the skills to succeed!
Please join us for our second session on Wednesday, January 9th at Chesterbrook Elementary School from 7–8 PM as we discuss Chapters 6 - 9. You will learn:
- Why downtime is essential for children to develop resiliency.
- How to teach children to stay in charge of technology without it taking over their lives.
- How to encourage your child to take their sense of control to school.
You can also look forward to hearing the authors of the book speak when they come to McLean High School the evening of Wednesday, March 20.
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