It can be confusing to hear terms you’re not familiar with, and we hope this glossary helps everyone at Chabot feel like an "insider". If we’ve left anything off, please email us at info@chabotelementary.org  Pop quiz! - What's a Minimum Day? Find out below...

A
Absence
When your child will not attend school, please be sure to call the school office at 879-1060.

Adventure Time
Adventure Time is the before and after-school childcare program, most commonly referred to as “A.T.” A.T. is an independent, non-profit childcare provider leasing space on the Chabot campus. For more information contact the Site Director: Valerie Wilson-Abuan at 510-655-8151.

After-school Enrichment Programs
The PTA coordinates the after-school enrichment programs, which are fee-based programs for all grades. Registration packets are mailed to families a few weeks before each session, three sessions per year. Scholarships are available. Programs include science, chorus, computer, Spanish, cooking, chess, art, carpentry, yoga and gardening. (The program list varies each session.) 

Art
Chabot boasts a noted art enrichment program for 1st – 5th grades. Funded and directed by the PTA, this program features visits to a visual arts studio and instruction by an art specialist who is an experienced teacher. Projects include work in varied media such as charcoal, pastel, watercolor, pen and ink, acrylic paint, papier mache, plaster, ceramics and wood construction.

Auction
The biggest, most festive, exciting event of the year! Don’t miss it. Donations are gathered from the community, businesses, families - you name it - and auctioned off during this night to remember. Year after year, this Spring-time event pulls in the most money of all PTA sponsored fundraising efforts, which in turn fund enrichment programs.

B
Back-to-School Night
Back to School Night in September is when parents get to meet their children’s new teachers and learn about the curriculum.

Book Fair
Kids can purchase books when they visit the fair during the day, and/or parents can come one evening to browse the shelves. Parents will also have the opportunity to purchase books for their child’s classroom, a nice way to augment the class bookshelves.

C
Chabot Broadcast
A weekly email communication system managed by the PTA. Follow these instructions to subscribe. A printed copy of the weekly broadcast is posted on the wall outside the office.

Chabot Broadcast Summary
This printed summary of the weekly Chabot Broadcast is sent home monthly.

Chabot News
The PTA/SSC newsletter, produced monthly – a great way to keep up with goings-on at the school.

Chabot Website
The PTA sponsored website for Chabot School. Here you can find information about your child’s classroom, school-wide events, recent newsletters, calendar notices and just about anything else you need to know!

Classroom Representatives
A student from each class (3rd through 5th grades) represents their class before the student council.

Computer
Chabot’s PTA funds a computer program with up-to-date iMACs and internet connections. The program is staffed by an experienced computer consultant. Teachers can opt to work with the consultant during the day to support their curriculum.

Communication with School
Parents often need to communicate their concerns to the school. Please use a new form for this purpose. The office will have the forms and help you with this new procedure.

Counseling Psychologist
A professional is on site weekly to help students with the challenges they face at home or when interacting with students at school. Contact the office for more information.

D
Drop-off and pickup
Safety comes first when arriving at and departing from Chabot. Be particularly cautious during the heavy congestion at the beginning and end of the school day. Please keep the following suggestions in mind when dropping off or picking up children:

Use the drop-off zone

• Walk, bike or carpool to school if possible.
• Park a block or more away if you plan to stay at school to volunteer or for an event.
• Drop off quickly, but safely.
• Do not double park! Repeat: Do not double park! This means stopping your car anywhere but against the curb.
• Adults and children should cross the street only at crosswalks.
• Follow all safety and traffic rules and school safety personnel.
• Be respectful of our neighbors, do not block driveways.

Drop-off zone
Between 8:15 and 8:45 in the morning, parent volunteers are stationed on Chabot Road between the corner of Patton and the main school building. They're here to help you safely drop your children off without getting out of your car.

E
Enrichment
PTA funded programs that enrich the overall academic program for our students. Fine arts, library, music, computers, and garden are just a few of the enrichment programs that our PTA fundraising pays for during the year.

F
Fall Carnival
A great, community-building, fun-for-all-ages, event at Halloween. Room parents from each class help coordinate a booth at the carnival. Lots of parent participation makes this event a great success. You’ll hear about how you can help early in the school year.

Fire drills/Earthquake drills
Fire drills and earthquake drills occur on a regular basis.

G
Garden Program
An enrichment program in which all grades visit our on-site garden for instruction. The PTA’s garden committee has made great improvements to the school grounds. They've also incorporated gardening into our science and math curriculums.

GATE
Gifted and Talented Education -- a state funded program for 4th and 5th grades (some 3rd graders may be eligible.) There are two ways to be eligible: 1. GATE testing or 2. Two years of high CAT6 scores. Students in the GATE program attend special classes once every week or two.

Good Citizenship Movie
Good citizenship is rewarded each year with a Good Citizenship movie in the auditorium. Something positive each student can work towards.

H
Halloween
Costumed kids participate in the annual Halloween parade at Chabot. Parents -be sure to come with cameras in hand! A minimum day.

Honor Our Elders Day
A special day to invite grandparents to visit the school. Children will be encouraged to write to grandparents or other elders in their family or community.

I
Instrumental Music
4th and 5th graders can participate in a district funded instrumental music program. Instruction is provided during the school day. The district makes every effort to provide instruments to children on a first-come first-served basis.

K
Kindergarten Movement
In order to enhance children’s gross motor and fine motor abilities, a movement specialist will provide a semester of instruction to our kindergarteners.

L
Library
Chabot has a very strong PTA funded library program. A specialist staffs the library and each class visits the library at least once per week. A new computerized system has been installed to make book searching easier.

Lost and Found
Lost items can be found on a rack outside the school office. Check regularly -items are labeled with the date they were found, and after three weeks the item will be donated to charity.

Lunch
1st through 5th graders may purchase lunch daily for $1.75 and include milk. Milk and juice are also sold separately. Lunches can be paid for daily or prepaid for 7 to 10 lunches at a time. Otherwise, please pack a lunch for your child. Lunch is usually eaten in the school yard; in inclement weather, the students eat indoors.

M
MARE
Ocean weeks, a great time for classrooms to focus on a particular ocean environment. Additional instruction is brought in for this Lawrence Hall of Science coordinated spring-time program.

Marking period/Report cards
Individual student report cards are sent to parents at the end of each semester, three times per year. Parents are required to sign the envelope for their child's report card, and return the signed envelope to their child's teacher.

Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Presentation
All classes and some individual children perform speeches, poems and original works commemorating the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Milk
All grades can purchase milk at school. Just send your child to school with milk money and their teacher will see that milk is distributed to them at lunch time.

Minimum Days
Minimum days occur most Wednesdays, conference weeks, the last week of school and various other days throughout the school year. Be sure to check the Calendar often to be sure which days are minimum days. School ends early for all classes on minimum days.

Music
A PTA funded program which hires professional musicians with teaching experience. K through 2nd grades enjoy vocal music, and 3rd through 5th grades percussion. Students perform varied programs of traditional, popular, folk, classical, holiday and world music for each other and parents several times a year. Chorus and an instrumental music class are also offered as part of the fee-based after-school enrichment program.

N
Newsletters
In order to keep parents informed with what’s going on in the classroom, teachers do a monthly newsletter that is sent home as well as posted on the wall outside the office. Each newsletter will also be posted on the website.

O
Oakland School Board
Under the current state administrator, the Oakland School Board advises on the general policies which the OUSD then makes specific, which Chabot then makes concrete. Our local representative is Kerry Hamill who has visited Chabot several times. Contact Ms. Hamill at 510-879-8661 or email khamill@ousd.k12.ca.us

Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)
OUSD is responsible for 48,000 students in more than 100 schools. Chabot is just one small part of this, but our vocal parents and principal have garnered a fair amount of attention. You can learn more about the district from their website: www.ousd.k12.ca.us

Open House/Math and Science Fair
The Open House will take place each spring in conjunction with the Math and Science Fair.

P
P.E.
Physical Education is a part of the academic program and is implemented in a variety of ways for 1st through 5th grades.

P.T.A.
The Parent Teacher Association is a vital part of the Chabot community. The PTA sponsors enrichment programs, such as the art and music programs, the services of a trained librarian, the purchase and upgrading of computers and software and various other facility, gardens, and safety improvements. Throughout the school year, the PTA organizes fundraising activities as well as an annual clean-up day to kick off the school year. A small fee allows families to become members. PTA meetings will be listed on the website Calendar, and announced in the Chabot Broadcast and Chabot News.

Parent/Teacher conferences
Take place once in the fall and once in the spring, or upon request.

Picture Day
“Smile!” Order forms are sent home prior to picture day in October. Please send kids to school on picture day with payment and completed order forms.

Playground
Children should not be left on the playground before 8:15 or after 3:15 – there is no supervision. Parents can stay and supervise their kids before and after school.

Poets in the Schools
Sponsored by the SSC, Poets in the Schools is a valued part of Chabot’s language arts program.

Prep
Each teacher in grades 1-5 receive 100 minutes per week of preparation time during the school day. A credentialed teacher covers the class during this time.

Principal
Principal Saddler makes herself available to children and parents to discuss any issues at hand. Contact the office or stop by to schedule a time to meet with her.

R
Recess
1st thru 5th graders get two 15-minute recess breaks during the day.

Room parent
Each class has one or more designated room parents who work to coordinate families for classroom trips, help with events such as the Fall Carnival and Auction, and other class functions.

S
SAT 9
State-wide required standardized testing takes place each spring for grades 2-5.

Saturday School
Part of the School Improvement Plan (SIP), this special program provides additional instruction to students who have been identified by teachers.

SSC
Comprised of 50% parents, 50% teachers, the School Site Council focuses on annual and long-term planning regarding curriculum and the physical plant. The SSC also looks at ways to implement state and district educational policies.

Second Step
A conflict resolution program utilized by all school staff that promotes empathy and problem solving.

SIP
School Improvement Plan. State funds that provide resources to improve the school and address academic issues with children functioning below the 50th percentile. The SSC is charged with implementing the School Improvement Plan.

School Psychologist
A school psychologist is available once per week and is responsible for the assessment and diagnosis of children that may have learning disabilities.

Snacks
Every class takes a snack break at recess. We ask that children be sent to school with healthy snack foods in reusable or recyclable containers.

Spring Break
Plan your vacation now: School is closed April 12-16.

Storytelling
This wonderful program, new to Chabot, is coordinated by teachers with help from parents, culminating with a Storytelling Festival. Children are engaged by storytellers and learn to appreciate the art of storytelling.

Student Council
4th and 5th graders are elected by the student body to represent students on school issues.

Study Tours/ Field Trips
Each class participates in various field trips throughout the year. Teachers will send out information on specific field trips in the weeks leading up to the event.

T
Teachers
Chabot’s teachers are highly skilled and talented. Chabot is very fortunate to be the beneficiary of several master teachers as well.

V
Volunteer
A variety of ways for parents to participate:

1. In the classroom, no better way to get a feel for the class dynamic. This greatly helps the teacher and the students by lowering the adult/child ratio for focused learning.
2. Participate in fundraising events or activities, many opportunities throughout the year.
3. At home, talk with your teacher or visit the volunteer board outside the office to learn more about how you can help.
4. All parents are invited to participate in the planning, and policy-making for the school via the SSC or the long range planning committee.
5. Join the PTA.
6. Decide to write a glossary for the school. You get the idea ;-)

W
Winter Break
A festive time of year and our approximately two week Dec - Jan vacation.

Word of the week
A word will be highlighted each week of the school year to support the principles put forth in the second step program. The meaning of words such as welcome, courage, loyalty, kindness, wisdom and truthfulness will be explored in detail. Parents can reinforce the word of the week at home. The word will be posted on the board outside the office.