Upcoming Events

• January 30: No School for teacher prep and planning day

• January 31: UPSD Preschool Family Partnership Project (view flyer here)

• February 1: Late Start 9:15 / Wear your grade level t-shirts

• February 1-10: Food drive

• February 8: Late Start 9:15 / Wear your grade level t-shirts

• February 14: Red, White & Pink Day (spirit day)

• February 17 & 20: No School

• February 22: Late Start 9:15 / Wear your grade level t-shirts / PTA Playdate

• February 24: PTA Popcorn Friday

Click here to see our spirit days throughout the school year

 

Principal’s Message

I was outside at Kindergarten recess on Wednesday and there was a group of students singing “We Shall Overcome.” Mrs. Van Soest taught all students how to sing this song and sign language to go with it. It was a heartwarming sight to see students come together and sing these words. In honor of Black History month, we are building a student designed bulletin board in our main hallway. Teachers will have coloring sheets of influential African Americans throughout history and modern times. There will also be coloring sheets that allow students to conduct some research and choose someone they would like to highlight for the bulletin board. We want students to learn about people that not only influenced the Civil Rights Movement, but also about people that influenced other aspects of our lives through science, music, sports, politics, education, etc.

​

Reminders/Notifications

Food Drive (reminder): The Families Unlimited Network provides an amazing amount of support for our students and families, and we would like to show our appreciation to them! Starting February 1st through February 10th, Chambers will be participating in a food drive, where all donations will be given to the FUN Food Bank. This organization relies on donations and provides much needed support for our families. Giving back to local organizations that provide such amazing support to our students and families is a great act of service that fosters togetherness and community!

​

For more information about this organization, check out their website: https://www.familiesunlimitednetwork.org/ If you have any questions, please contact Betsy Quay, equay@upsd83.org

​

Repeat Yearbook Pre-Sales are January 9th - January 31st. All sales are online only. Click the following link to order yours today: 22-23 Yearbook Sales

​

​

Assistant Principal’s Message

Hello Chambers Families!

Hello Chambers families! This upcoming week, we will continue working on following the school's expectations at all times. This includes the recess area, transitioning, and the lunchroom. Please talk with your student about what it means to be a C.H.A.M.P. at school, even in less structured areas. As a reminder, At Chambers, we are CHAMPS, which means we are Courteous, Honest, Achieving, Mindful, Persistent and Safe. Student safety is our top priority, and we want to ensure that all students feel safe.

We are working to pursue our goal of having 95% of all students at school daily. 

If you need support with attendance or tardiness, please contact me to collaborate on a solution. Thank you for your partnership and collaboration as we team to ensure all students are successful.

 

Yours Truly,

Mrs. Vaughan

​

Monthly Specialist Updates

Music

Kindergarten: Kindergarteners have been singing alone and with others, moving to show steady beat, singing songs with partner movements, dancing with scarves, identifying high/low, fast/slow/, loud/quiet. We read Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Robin Nelson and learned all five verses of We Shall Overcome with Sign Language! We also sang a song called Sing about Martin. We have a lovely group of kindergarten students at Chambers!

​

1st : 1st graders have been enjoying playing poison rhythm and rhythmic four corners. We read Martin’s Big Words by Rappaport/Collier and Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream and You by Weatherford/Ransome and learned all five verses of We Shall Overcome with Sign Language! 1st graders have started a unit on Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. Students are learning about telling a story through music and the different instruments of the orchestra. The student worksheets also support handwriting skills, spelling and reading.

 

2nd : 2nd graders continue to work on being able to identify rhythmic patterns both visually and aurally, read and write rhythms and perform rhythms using quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, and paired eighth notes. They have been playing rhythmic four corners, rhythmic car racing, and rhythm songs using sticks. Students have colored a rhythm robot that helps them see the simple mathematical patterns in music. We read Martin’s Big Words by Rappaport/Collier and Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream and You by Weatherford/Ransome and learned all five verses of We Shall Overcome with Sign Language!

​

3rd : 3rd graders read We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song by Levy/Brantley-Newton and Let the Children March by Clark-Robinson/Morrison. Students learned all five verses of We Shall Overcome with Sign Language. We listened to a lovely arrangement of James Taylor’s Shed a Little Light for their listening journals. Students have started learning to play the ukuleles!!! We have a class set of instruments, and we are working on correct posture and technique along with playing chords C and F. Changing chords is tricky, but students are giving it their best effort. I’m really proud of them. I love that this group will sing along with their playing. If you are interested in purchasing a ukulele for your student, I recommend a wooden, soprano instrument. https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Hawaiian-Students-Professional-Ukalelee/dp/B016EZODT8/ref=sr_1_31?cri d=2QZARDWT6SM4J&keywords=ukuleles%2Bohuhu%2Bsoprano&qid=1674514931&sprefix=ukuleles%2Bohuhu%2B soprano%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-31&th=1

​

4th : 4th graders read We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song by Levy/Brantley-Newton and Let the Children March by Clark-Robinson/Morrison. Students learned all five verses of We Shall Overcome with Sign Language and Keep Your Eyes on the Prize. We listened to a lovely arrangement of James Taylor’s Shed a Little Light for their listening journals. Students have started learning to play the ukuleles!!! We have a class set of instruments, and we are working on correct posture and technique along with playing chords C, F and A minor. Changing chords is tricky, but students are giving it their best effort. I’m really proud of them. If you are interested in purchasing a ukulele for your student, I recommend a wooden, soprano instrument. https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Hawaiian-Students-Professional-Ukalelee/dp/B016EZODT8/ref=sr_1_31?cri d=2QZARDWT6SM4J&keywords=ukuleles%2Bohuhu%2Bsoprano&qid=1674514931&sprefix=ukuleles%2Bohuhu%2B soprano%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-31&th=1

 

It is an honor that I hold with great reverence to be able to teach students about the important work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., share historical African American Freedom Songs, and help them understand why it’s important to learn lessons from the past and continue working toward making this world a better place for all people. Our students at Chambers have big hearts and are very aware that love is more powerful than hate. I’m looking forward to our tradition of the whole school singing We Shall Overcome together in the next week. Mrs. Van Soest

​

Library

This month students have finished up their S.T.E.A.M lessons and activities. Moving into February, we will continue to engage through storytime to promote The Washington Children’s Choice Award Books. We will also celebrate the achievements and recognize the contributions that African Americans have made and continue to make to our world. The library skills at each grade level are as follows:

● K-2nd: Sequence of the story and how to use illustrations as clues to the story’s events, as well as the use of nonfiction text features

. ● 3rd, 4th & Challenge: Reinforce skills learned to date, including titles, authors, and illustrators. Also, introduce primary and secondary sources.

​

Here is our February Choice Board. On this board are embedded Choice Boards for Black History Month, Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, and Presidents' Day. Each contains read-alouds, videos, crafts, and technology fun!

Kudos to all 47 students participating in our Sasquatch or Otter Reading Challenge! There is still plenty of time to participate! Click here for more information.

​

KHC Update from Ms. Davis (PE) - Be The Torch!

Dear Families – We are halfway through our Kids Heart Challenge, and I am so proud of our students for Moving More and Being Kind! Let’s continue to Be the Torch and light the way to saving more lives, follow these THREE easy steps to raise lifesaving donations and be a Heart Hero. If you haven’t, take the challenge here: http://www2.heart.org/goto/ChambersPrimary Thank you for your support and helping the American Heart Association on their mission to defeat heart disease!

As a reminder, donations are due Friday, February 3rd!

Be The Torch:

Spread the Word: Send 10 emails or e-cards to family and friends (pre-written templates are in your KHC headquarters when you log in!) Click on your online headquarters for a quick way to reach even more family and friends! Learn how to Spot a stroke F.A.S.T.: Learn the warning signs of a stroke so you can be a hero and help save a life! Then share the video to help spread the awareness.

Chambers Primary PTA 

The Afterschool playdate was a lot of fun on Wednesday. We hope that those who made it enjoyed themselves as much as we did. Mark your calendars for the next on Feb 22

​

Family Resource Page: We now have a family resource page on our website and we invite you to check it out! There is information related to activities in the area, free programs, parks, and events in the area. The website also has resources for families with special needs children, autism resources, attention/learning resources, military family resources, multicultural family resources and resources for guardians. Link: https://www.chambersprimarypta.com/family-resources Email Michele at face@chambersprimarypta.com if you have any further questions or think there are important links that could benefit others that should be added to the website.

We are looking for volunteers to organize and execute a few events/fundraisers in the spring. If you are interested or just want to get on the volunteer email list contact Kat at volunteer@chambersprimarypta.com.

 

Family Resource Page: We now have a family resource page on our website. We invite you to check out the website! There is information related to activities in the area, free programs, parks, and events in the area. The website also has resources for families with special needs children, autism resources, attention/learning resources, military family resources, multicultural family resources and resources for guardians. Link: https://www.chambersprimarypta.com/family-resources We also invite you to email Michele at face@chambersprimarypta.com if you have any further questions or think there are important links that could benefit others that should be added to the website.

​

Grade Level T-Shirts Grade level T-shirts are officially every Wednesday. Late start = grade level T-shirt day. It has been fun to see the kids in them every week. If you are interested in donating the cost of t-shirt ($10) check out the donation page here: www.memberplanet.com/campaign/chamberspta/colorspiritday_1

 

​

 

​

​