Dear Chacon Families,      

            Welcome to the first family newsletter of the 2014-2015 school year! Though your child may not be at school, teachers and staff have been hard at work throughout the summer as usual to ensure a successful learning experience for every student at Chacon. Upon arriving at campus today, you may have noticed some changes. You may have noticed our new fence, security cameras, and lighting that will provide added security to everyone at Chacon each and every day. You may have noticed some new teachers who will along with our veteran teachers continue to provide top quality instruction to your child each and every day. You may notice in the coming days your child talking about and making choices with Lifeskills as their guide each and every day. Although our wonderful culture and structure of Chacon will mostly be the same as years past, there will be a few more changes that will significantly add to the success of our school. I ask for your support as families to embrace and assist all of us at Chacon with those changes for the betterment of our campus. Below is an update on some of the events, activities, and matters happening at Chacon.     

• New Teachers: As with all schools, there are times when teachers leave and new teachers arrive. We at Chacon are very fortunate this school year to have a fabulous group of teachers joining our staff. Ms. Patricia Padilla, our first grade – Spanish teacher, will be in BF7. Ms. Stacy Yaangh, our first grade – English teacher, will be in BF8. Ms. Leana Sanchez, our third grade – English teacher, will be in BF9. Ms. Veronica Cuellar-Lopez, our sixth grade – Spanish job share teacher with Ms. Ultreras, will be in BF15. Ms. Andrea Francis, our Resource teacher for this year, will be in BF3. All of us as teachers and staff are excited to have their energy, enthusiasm, and experiences brought with them to our school.
• Design Team – Safety/Security Committee: All of our projects with the exception of the Kindergarten play area extension have been completed. I am delighted that our new fence, security cameras, and lighting were installed before the start of this new school year. It is anticipated that the Kindergarten play area extension will be completed by the end of November.
• Roundabout: As a reminder, please drive safely and slowly while dropping off and picking up your child at school. We are well staffed in the Roundabout and ask that you follow their guidance as well as always driving to the farthest available drop off/pick up space. This will enable the most amount of cars to get in and out of the Roundabout as quickly as possible. Also, please be very aware of the curb red zone areas as they are never to be used as a drop off/pick up space. It is a very dangerous place, and it quickly backs up traffic. Please be mindful that our Roundabout is an excellent example of everyone benefiting through cooperation, patience, and teamwork.
• Cafeteria: New this school year at Chacon is the policy of only having teachers, staff, and students inside the cafeteria during meal times. This will help our campus with further ensuring safety, getting students to class on time, providing more space and time for eaters, protection of our federal lunch program requirements, and the effective management of students inside the cafeteria. Kindergarten students that are eating lunch will be escorted to the cafeteria by Chacon staff at 12:05p and will be lined up in the front of school for dismissal to their families at 12:25p. The cafeteria policy began today after breakfast.      
• Enrichment Programs: Based on the feedback of families from our ELAC meetings, Family Input Forms (FIF), and informal discussions, various organizations and services were introduced during our Orientation Days to find out the interest level for each program. Please complete the FIF and return it to school by September 12 if you are interested in any of the programs.
• Lifeskills: As an important component of Chacon’s Integrated Thematic Instruction, our school, which includes every teacher and staff, will be active and involved with the daily support and use of Lifeskills. We are asking all families to join us as well by working on these same skills at home. These learned skills will forever be important to your child in being a responsible and productive member of all communities. Our Lifeskills focus for September are Responsibility and Effort. More information will be provided to families soon.
• Parent Teacher Association (PTA): Chacon PTA President Patricia Enriquez and Vice President Cora Franco worked at our Orientation Days to get our association off to a great start. They have already met with the teachers to do some initial planning for the school year. More information will be provided soon regarding the first PTA General meeting. Please attend and be active and involved with PTA!
• English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC): The first Chacon ELAC meeting was held on August 28 to start our school year off on the right track. Introductions were made and Chacon updates were provided at the meeting. Chacon ELAC President Nora Barraza along with officers and members will be working throughout the school year to organize and grow this committee. Please join us for our next ELAC meeting on Thursday, September 25 at 5:00p. Food and childcare will be provided.
• Parents as Partners Tier II Workshop: The second series of the Parents as Partners Workshop will begin on Thursday, October 2 in the Chacon BF17 Family Resource Center from 8:30a – 10:30a. This series is for 10 weeks and will continue weekly until Thursday, December 11. The participation last school year was terrific with 15 to 20 parents participating at each workshop. Attending last year’s workshop is not a requirement to attend this year’s workshop. Childcare, light snacks and beverages, translation, and workbooks are all included for free. More information will be provided to families soon.

Other upcoming events, activities, and matters: September 19 at 5:00p – Carnival, September 25 at 5:00p – ELAC meeting, October 1 at 2:30p – Human Growth Movie Parent Viewing (4th – 6th grade only), October 2 at 8:30a – First Day of Parents as Partners II Workshops, and October 17 – Picture Day.     

Thank you,

Jack L. Kraemer                                                                                                                                                            Principal