Month: October 2015

Where does the money go? Part 1: Destination Imagination

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There are so many different requests that the PTO gets throughout the year for funds from teachers and others that impact the kids at Chapman’s Retreat.  These requests span a huge range of items and projects that impact daily life for our children.  We wanted to start a blog series on letting you know where your money goes, and how it impacts kids so you know how important PTO resources and fundraisers are to all of our children and teachers.

The first project we want to highlight is Destination Imagination.  It has been several years since Destination Imagination (DI) has been at CRES and we are so excited to have teams again.  DI was opened to all children at CRES and a parent information night was held.  Not only was there interest in forming a team, but we have now formed EIGHT TEAMS!!! That’s 48 CRES kids who are benefiting from this amazing program!! We also have 10 amazing parents and grandparents who have volunteered to coach teams.  We are blown away by the interest in this program, and believe it is an amazing opportunity for our kids to grown and learn.  We have four Rising Stars teams (K-2nd) and four competition teams (3rd-5th).

While DI is not a PTO sponsored activity, the PTO did vote to cover a portion of the registration fees for our 8 DI teams.  The parents of the children involved in DI were asked to cover the rest of the fees.  We believe this DI is great for our school and for our kids and would like to see it continue.

For those not familiar with DI, it is an amazing program where kids work on both instant challenges and a long term STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) based project throughout the year.  They then present their projects at a Regional tournament in March.  For the older competition teams, the top three placing teams at Regionals move on to state, and then potentially Globals (held in Knoxville).  As a summary from the DI website, “Destination Imagination Challenges are all about fostering creativity, courage and curiosity and teaching students how to think, not what to think.”  You can learn more about DI at http://www.destinationimagination.org/.

The CRES DI Teams meet on Friday’s after school and have had two meetings so far this year.  All of our teams are full, but if you are interested in starting and coaching your own team, you may contact Crystal Freemon for more information.

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International Walk to School Day

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 Chapman’s Retreat Elementary to celebrate International Walk to School Day on October 8, 2015 

Chapman’s Retreat Elementary School will join schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on October 8, 2015.

We are encouraging as many students, parents, and teachers to walk to school on this day.  The event will begin at 8:10, with students, parents, and teachers walking or biking to school.  Teachers in the past have met their students on the trail at the bridge, and walked the rest of the distance with them. Bus riders will be let off at the top of the hill, so they can be included in the event.  

Walk to School Day events raise awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. The events build connections between families, schools and the broader community. 

For those that need to cross Duplex, Spring Hill Police Department will be there in the morning and afternoon. They will be assisting walkers to cross the road from 8:15 to 8:35 in the morning and then 3:30 to 3:45 in the afternoon. 

For additional information, please contact Phil Willoughby or Elizabeth Yancey.

2015 Parent VS. Teacher Kickball Game

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When: Friday October 9th 6:00-7:30pm

Where: Heritage Ball Park field 3

   4799 Columbia Pike, Thompson Station, TN.

Cost: $1.00 per person with a max of $5.00 a family

Details: This year we will be playing a thrilling game of kickball against the teachers. No previous experience necessary! Please consider signing up to play on our team. It is going to be so much fun!! If you are planning on coming out to cheer on your favorite parents and teacher we will have concessions with Chick-Fil-a sandwiches and chips as well as lots of drinks and snack. We will be offering a meal which comes with a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, chips, and a drink for $6.00. Please send in the form that your child should be bringing home this week if you plan to purchase a meal so we can order enough. We will also be selling all of our wonderful spirit wear. If you get chilly we will have you covered on long sleeves!  

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