Hello Chabot Community,
Our campus is buzzing with excitement as we prepare to welcome our 580 bobcats back onto campus! Teachers returned yesterday for a full day of professional development and are now enthusiastically diving into setting up their classrooms and preparing lessons. The office is busy processing registrations, distributing materials, and making sure everything works. Our custodians are finishing up their summer cleaning so our students return to a beautiful campus. Truly, we all can’t wait for Monday.
ADVENTURE TIME
The year has not even begun and I am already so moved by the understanding and generosity of the Chabot community. Earlier this week I sent out a notice that due to the severe, nationwide, labor shortage, Adventure Time would need to start the year at a reduced capacity. So many families recognized that for them, after-school care was a “nice to have” while for others it is an essential service. Enough families volunteered to delay their start in Adventure Time so we are able to serve all of you for whom aftercare is mandatory. This response is a strong example of Chabot’s community spirit and commitment to equity. Thank you!
In short, if you indicated YES, I can delay my start, your child will NOT attend Adventure Time next week. A.T. will contact you as soon as space is available. If you indicated, partially or no, I can not delay our start, your child will attend A.T. next week for whatever hours you registered for. Please contact Adventure Time’s Regional director Mimi Albert, mimialbert@comcast.net, for questions or more information.
FIRST WEEK SAFETY & LOGISTICAL DETAILS
I understand that we have many families starting Chabot for the first time this year, and even our returning families have A LOT of questions about new safety protocols and other details. I will be hosting a LUNCH CHAT WITH THE PRINCIPAL (like Coffee with the Principal but at lunch time!) tomorrow Friday, 8/6 from 12 noon – 1 pm on Zoom. Link will be sent via Parent Square – contact Margaret.Thorp@ousd.org if you are unable to access messages through Parent Square.
At this meeting, I will share safety updates, details about drop off and pick up, and address other logistical/first week questions. I apologize that this event is being scheduled so late and will be sure to record the session. Recording, Slide Deck, and FAQ will be shared over the weekend via Parent Square so anyone who can’t attend on Friday will have access to the information. Please review these documents before Monday as there is a lot of very important information to share.
MORNING TRAFFIC SAFETY AND PROTOCOLS – THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW/REMEMBER FOR NEXT WEEK (and every week)
Chabot was not physically designed to accommodate 300-plus cars dropping students off each day. We need all of our community to come together to keep our kids safe. Please be patient and follow the instructions of staff, parent volunteers, and Safety Patrol (all wearing orange or yellow vests).
COME EARLY – Parking and traffic are both big challenges – especially the first few days when most people want to come onto the Yard with their kids. The best plan is to park a few blocks away and walk up to campus with your children. The Yards open at 8:10 for parents and children; there is limited staff supervision during that time. Bell rings at 8:30.
BE PREPARED TO SAY GOODBYE ON THE YARD – Parents/caregivers will only be allowed into the buildings for prearranged meetings, scheduled volunteering (more info coming soon), or emergency situations.
USE THE DROP-OFF ZONE – The Drop-Off Zone runs daily from 8:15-8:35. You may drop off your children on Chabot Road in front of the school office entrance each morning. Orange cones mark the zone. Pull forward at the curb inside of the cones so that eastbound traffic on Chabot Road can pass on the outside. Parent volunteers will help unload your children safely and will make sure they get into the school gates. Do not get out of your car — it isn’t safe on the traffic side — the parent volunteers will help you. Please say your goodbyes and give last-minute instructions before getting to the top of the queue. Have backpacks in the car, not in the trunk. Do not allow your children to retrieve things from the trunk as they are standing in the street and you have the engine running. Be careful pulling out of the zone as Chabot Road is busy.
Remember –
- DO NOT DOUBLE PARK, BLOCK A DRIVEWAY, OR STOP IN RED ZONE- The Drop Off Zone is really the only safe and appropriate place to drop off your child unless you want to come early and find a legal parking space in the neighborhood. Be mindful of others in our community!
- ONLY DO U -TURNS AT THE TOP OF THE UPPER YARD at the large, three-way stop sign intersection of Chabot Road and Roanoke.
- CROSS THE STREET ONLY AT THE CROSSWALK – Please do not endanger our students by modeling illegal and unsafe behavior by crossing in the middle of the street to save a minute or two.
- DRIVE PREDICTABLY and obey traffic laws and signs. Follow the directions of the School Safety Patrol members. When the whistle blows and the hand-held stop signs come out, STOP!
- FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF OUR DROP OFF ZONE VOLUNTEERS wearing orange vests.
CLASS PLACEMENTS
Central Office is starting to activate the Master Schedule (what they call the class roster) and this takes about a day and a half. Sometime between 2:00 this afternoon and tomorrow, when you login to your AERIES parent portal, the teacher’s name will show up on the main portal page for your student. If you have more than one student here, click on your student’s name, and the teacher’s name will appear in the Classes section.
Chabot teachers and Administration put a tremendous amount of thought and effort into the process of creating balanced, diverse classes. We are so lucky to have 22 amazing K-5 teachers; and I feel confident saying that no matter what class your child is in, they will have a great year!
Every year, there are some students/families who did not get their first choice class – maybe an older sibling had a teacher they wanted, maybe a friend is in another class. Please remember that helping our children develop resiliency when things are not perfect is an important part of parenting. Children will take their cues from you. If they hear, “Well, that’s too bad, you got Mr. X and we really wanted Mrs. Y”, they will respond accordingly. If they hear, “Wow! You got Mrs. Y, I have heard great things about her!”, the story will be very different.
At this point, class placements are final. If there is a SERIOUS error or concern with your teacher placement, please email me directly – jessica.cannon@ousd.org. Please title your email CLASS PLACEMENT CONCERN. If you are unable to access your teacher by noon tomorrow, please contact Margaret.thorp@ousd.org
REGISTRATION
We have decided to do Registration virtually, the two Chabot specific forms are attached to this notice. You can print them out, sign them and turn them into our Outdoor Portable Office by the Multipurpose Room (MPR) on the first day of school. There will also be a box for these forms outside of the Main Gate all next week between 8 am and 4 pm. Alternatively, you can sign them electronically and email them back to me.
The “Back to School forms” required by the district can be done through Aeries. Many families have already completed this, and we want to thank you for taking the time to clean up your data.
If you haven’t yet..here is how you do it.
Log in to parent.ousd.org and enter your email address in the space provided. Click “forgot password” to get an email link to set a new password.
To change the language click the box in the upper right corner of the login screen.
Once in the Parent Portal you should see a Notification saying “you have not yet completed….Click on the blue Click here to start the process. Please answer/update each section and click “Confirm and Continue; when done click Confirm/Finish.
If you are changing your address, you will need to send Margaret a picture of a recent bill with the new address on it.
***Complete the “Back to School” tasks as soon as possible to ensure your spot at Chabot. We have a very large waiting list and need to ensure our data confirmation is complete.
If you need support with this process or if you would like paper copies, please email margaret.thorp@ousd.org to schedule a time either virtually or at the office for support.
SEE YOU ALL MONDAY MORNING!!!
