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Chesapeake Academy's mission: to inspire each student to approach learning with curiosity and creativity,
pursue excellence in all endeavors,
and act with integrity--
so each can make our community and world a better place.
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The Head's Heads UP
One of the reasons my husband Tayloe and I chose to be part of the Chesapeake Academy community when our children were young was the connections the school has with families and the connections families have with the school. We were impressed by those relationships, and we saw them as foundational to our sons’ success and to the educational experience at CA.
I hope that is part of the reason you chose and continue to choose Chesapeake Academy for your children. As we approach the midpoint of the school year, our connection to and communication with each other comes into focus with Parent Partnership Conferences, scheduled with the teachers or advisors between February 3 and February 7. Parent Partnership Conferences are a great time to consider successes, challenges, and opportunities together.
In partnership, we can address challenges or concerns, celebrate successes, regroup on occasion, and develop trust with one another as we build a community that expects the best of us. Of course, we also seek to be a place where we each also offer support when we are not quite at our best.
The connection between teachers and parents is one that grows with appreciation and respect, a shared responsibility, and an investment in relationship. Parents love their children. The choice to be at Chesapeake Academy is a financial and personal commitment to your child's education. We are grateful that you value the learning environment here and value what we do for the children in our care. We also know how much time, energy, and resources you spend supporting your child's progress.
Our teachers are also invested in your child’s progress. They are expert educators, and they know children really well. They put in long hours during the school year and the summer to stay on top of their game. They play as a team, working collaboratively to create the classrooms and school that we all want to be a part of.
We share a responsibility, not just to your child as a student, but to your child as a developing individual. The shared responsibility means that we each need to follow through, communicate, listen, and contribute. Relationship building means we establish a track record of doing so so that we can trust each other.
We may all misstep along the way in this shared goal to help your child be the learner, person, and community member we all want him or her to become. Growth isn’t linear and is often messy. We expect that! However, if we resolve to communicate with respect, own our responsibility in the process, and focus on how we can solve problems together, we will continue to build a vibrant community in which your child and each of us can flourish.
As you think about Parent Partnership Conferences, it may be helpful to write down some questions or thoughts about your child's strengths, challenges, and goals. Thank you for being engaged in your child's education and for supporting those of us who work with your children as an avocation. We love your children, our work, and our school community!
Catherine L. Emery
Head of School
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Catherine L. Emery Takes the Reins at CA
Following a national search, the board of trustees of Chesapeake Academy has announced that Catherine L. Emery has been named Head of School. The Board's unanimous decision to select Emery as the thirteenth Head of School at Chesapeake Academy followed the recommendation of the Search Committee after a nearly six-month search process.
Previously serving as Chesapeake Academy’s Dean of Students and Assistant Head of School, Emery was appointed Interim Head of School on July 1. “In a short time, Catherine has demonstrated to our school community that she is not only well suited for this new challenge but is also the best person to lead our school at this time,” said CA Board Chair John Clair. “No one embodies the Chesapeake Academy culture more deeply than Catherine; and as a past CA parent and teacher she is uniquely positioned to inspire our faculty, students, and families to new heights. She comes ‘pre-loaded’ with the soft skills required for successful leadership; and with a professional development plan and mentors, and her long-term commitment to CA and the community, we believe she will be a great Head of School.”
“I am humbled and honored to lead Chesapeake Academy in its next phase of growth,” said Emery. “I am excited to begin charting the school’s path forward right away with the development of a new 5-year strategic plan, which will create a road map for continued academic excellence and financial strength, further securing CA as an integral part of our community."
Emery was selected from an impressive pool of candidates following a comprehensive national search led by the highly regarded independent schools consultant firm, The Education Group. The Search Committee was composed of current and past trustees and board officers, current and past parents, and past faculty.
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How to Prep for Parent Partnership Conferences
It is nearly time to discuss our favorite subject! Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up February 3 through February 7. Grab your calendar, and contact your child's teacher to schedule a progress check! A strong partnership between school and home can help you make the most of your child's education. Every family meets a minimum of twice a year with their child's teachers to hear what is working, what strategies will address needed growth, and what to celebrate! (Most teachers will share a GoogleDoc sign-up sheet to make this easy for you.) If you need a hand scheduling convenient conferences with multiple teachers, Ms. Amy is happy to help!
Since middle school students run their own conferences, please make sure to sign up for a time when your child is available.
Giving important touchpoints a little advance thought can maximize what you glean from these conferences. Come prepared to collaborate! Your child's teachers are experts on how your student operates in their classes with same aged peers. You are the expert on many unseen factors that may play a role in learning. Prepare a list of comments, compliments, questions, concerns, and things that you want to share. Let your students know you are looking forward to conferences and that you support their progress through this partnership with teachers.
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Vote for CA in Virginia Living's
Best of Eastern Virginia
Virginia Living's Best of Eastern Virginia polls are open, and you can join a winning team when you vote for Chesapeake Academy! The four categories are:
- Best Independent School
- Best Pre-school
- Best Summer Camp
- Best Annual Charity Event (CA's Community Oyster Roast, no doubt!)
Click here to complete the survey!
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Pre-Kindergarten Authors Present Their Work
Harnassing each child's passions to teach the fundamentals language, pre-k and their posse of Old Grey Mare Publishing Company editors are composing and illustrating some riveting tomes! Assisted by an editor, each child narrates a story that illustrates their interests. After some careful editing to index each work to individual learning goals, students illustrate their work while constantly discovering more and more about the way written language works. When they are ready, they share this process in a readers' theater style presentation to their friends, families, and editors!
It is showtime for the first authors, and these stories are too good to miss! Click the link below to hear Virginia Dollar's tale of friendship! Meet her delightful dogs Butter and Peanut Butter and hear all about their antics!
Virginia Dollar Debuts in the Old Grey Mare Publishing Company!
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Shaping Up in First Grade!
First grade's math unit on three-dimensional shapes is filled with excitement as students explore cubes, spheres, cones, cylinders, and rectangular prisms. Hands-on activities and building projects spark curiosity and help students recognize these shapes in everyday objects like boxes, balls, and cans. Learning about the edges, faces, and vertices of these shapes becomes even more meaningful when students see how they are used in real life, from designing buildings to creating art.
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Third Grade Gears up in Spanish!
Third grade Spanish students have been busy learning the Spanish vocabulary for clothing! Students have been identifying articles of clothing, practicing their pronunciation during discussion, and creating their own visual dictionaries.
Third graders have also had fun playing "Qué lleva," a game in which the teacher asks questions with the goal of figuring out who the "secret student" is, based on what they're wearing. So far, students have been able to triumph over the teacher more often than not! ¡Felicidades a los/las estudiantes!
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Osprey About Town: Sophia Roman
Kindness has the power to brighten our days and create meaningful connections. Ms. Vanderpool's first-grade class is excited to honor students who exemplify this through The Kindness Award. This special recognition highlights individuals who live out the class motto: “Kind thoughts, kind hearts, and kind hands.”
Sophia Roman is the class's second recipient of The Kindness Award! Sofia’s thoughtful actions and caring nature have made a significant impact on her classroom community. She consistently shows respect and compassion for her peers, her teachers, and visitors. Through her positive attitude and generosity, Sofia fosters a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for everyone around her.
By earning The Kindness Award, Sofia demonstrates the beauty of spreading kindness in everything she does. Her actions remind us all that kindness isn’t just a word but a way of making our world a better place.
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Rocking Out In Third Grade!
Busy third graders started their Earth's Land Unit, focusing on igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Students observed and recorded information about six samples. Then based on their observations, students paired up, researched each sample, and sorted pictures according to type.
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Fifth Grade Explores Fundamentals of Democracy!
While learning about different types of political systems around the world, fifth graders dove deeper into National governmental structure. As students learned about the three branches of U.S. government, they examined and discussed the responsibilities of each branch, as well as how the system of checks and balances is designed to balance power. Afterward, the entire class worked together to create a poster to share their knowledge. Students enjoyed this collaborative activity and their newfound understanding of government and civic responsibility.
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Exams: A Rite of Passage
Getting Ospreys ready for the rigors of high school includes preparing them for the cumulative assessments that are part in parcel for most high school programs. Seventh and eighth grade students learn and practice study skills, time management, and self care under the watchful eye of middle school faculty. Learning to take these larger tests in stride by preparing well helps to ensure they have the tools to succeed in their next steps.
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Arts & Innovation: Gaming Innovations!
Over the past nine weeks, sixth-grade students in Art & Innovation have explored the exciting intersection of creativity and technology by coding their very own video games. Through hard work, problem-solving, and collaboration, they brought their unique ideas to life.
From designing characters and levels to programming interactive gameplay, each project reflects the creativity and technical skills students developed during this journey. These games are a testament to their growth as innovators and coders.
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Student Council Update!
Student Council, fresh off of winter break, is back in full planning mode for 2025! First, a look back... In December, winners of our Clash of Coins competition were announced. Congratulations to sixth grade, winners of the collection bin decorating contest, and to fourth grade, who raised the most money! These deserving students will receive donut parties in the near future. More importantly, thanks to the generosity of private donors, as well as the funds raised from students through Clash of Coins, CA was able to grant the Christmas wishes of fifteen families in our community!
Student Council officers, with the help of Ms. Emery and Ms. Novak, were able to purchase holiday gifts for these families served through the CancerLinc non-profit organization. Student Council is grateful for the opportunity to help others in need of assistance!
Stay tuned for further information about service projects and an after-hours middle school event in the near future!
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Coach's Corner
As we head into the second half of the season following exam week, it's a great time to reflect on the hard work, growth, and exciting moments we've seen so far in our winter season. Our student-athletes have been competing with heart and determination, and we couldn’t be more proud of their efforts!
The girls' team, led by Coach Haydon, has been fun to watch with a thrilling win over ACDS and a hard-fought loss to Ware. The team continues to show growth, both in skill and teamwork, and we’re excited to see how they build on these experiences in the second half of the season.
Under Coach T, the JV boys played two strong games against ACDS and Ware, though they came up short in both. These competitive matchups have provided valuable learning experiences, and the team is making significant strides. We’re looking forward to their continued development!
The Varsity boys had an exciting win against ACDS and a tough loss to Lancaster. Coach T and the players are continuing to build chemistry, and we can already see the improvement on the court. Their effort and commitment to getting better is evident in every game.
Our cheerleaders, composed of energetic first through fourth graders, have been a tremendous source of school spirit. These young student-athletes work hard to bring excitement and energy to every game, and their halftime routine is a highlight for fans! Their enthusiasm and dedication to supporting our teams make a big impact on the atmosphere, and we’re grateful for all their efforts.
A big thank you to our dedicated coaches and all our supporters! Your encouragement and commitment make a difference in our student-athletes' success, both on and off the court.
We can’t wait to see what the second half of the season holds! Let’s keep the energy high and continue to support our teams as they strive for greatness.
Go Ospreys!
Coach Allen
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CAPPA Countdown!
Chesapeake Academy Parents and Patrons Association's primary purpose is to support the school program, identifying program needs through close communication with the Head of School and providing support by mobilizing volunteers for key programs, annual support of the Bell Tower Annual Giving Fund as well as hosting other fund raisers. Most importantly, CAPPA members are the school's biggest cheerleaders. Along they way, parents develop a strong connection to the school and to one another: A win/win! There is a way to help for every Osprey!
CAPPA has some fun new events coming up soon--mark your calendars! The first will be a Parents Night Out on Friday, January 31 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Seventh and eighth grade students (under the supervision of several adults) will be watching younger CA students on campus in the gymnasium. The night will consist of a movie, dinner, and fun games or crafts, all with a “Halfway to Summer Luau” theme! The cost is $30/child, or $25/child for families with more than one child attending. This event will be capped at a max of 30 kids. To claim your spots, please fill out this Google form (one form per child) and send in payment to the CA main office (checks should be made out to CAPPA):
https://forms.gle/8NFPnYdzYFHRuzPz5
If more than 30 students are registered, we will keep a waitlist in case of cancellations.
On Thursday, February 13, we will be hosting a Compass night for CA students, and on March 22, we will have a CA brunch at The Black Duck at Yankee Point. Look forward to additional details about those events coming soon!
CAPPA meets on the third Friday of each month at 8:30 a.m. in the CA art room. All parents are invited to attend these meetings!
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Cue Up Your Calendars!
1/27 V Boys Bball vs. Ware, 4:00 p.m.
1/29 Tag Day
1/29 PALS presents Johnny Peers and the Muttsville Comix, pre-k through 4, 9:30 a.m., in the gym
1/29 JV Boys Bball dress with Varsity, 4:30 p.m.; V Boys@ Lancaster, 4:30 p.m.
1/29 PALS Presents Johnny Peers and the Muttsville Comix
1/31 Report Cards Home
2/3-7 Parent Partnership Days
2/3 Girls Bball @Ware, 4:00 p.m.; JV Boys @ Ware, 5:00 p.m.; V Boys @ Ware, 6:00 p.m.
2/5 Girls Bball vs ACDS, 4:00 p.m.; JV Boys, 5:00 p.m.; V Boys, 6:00 p.m.
2/7 Start Financial Aid Process
2/5 Birthday Book Assembly
2/14 through 2/17 Winter Break
2/18 ISAC ISAC Semifinals
2/20 ISAC Finals
2/26 Tag Day
2/26 PALS Presents Greanbeats Live by the Virginia Stage Company
2/28 Interims Home
3/5 Winter Athletics Awards, Dress Uniforms
3/15 Financial Aid Applications Complete and Submitted
3/27 PALS Presents Richmond Ballet's "Cinderella," pre-k through fourth grade; 9:30 a.m. in the gym
3/28 End of 3MP, half day
3/31 through 4/4 Spring Break
4/9 Dress Uniform
4/11 Report Cards Home
4/17 PALS, Songs and Stories of Mexilachia
4/18 Good Friday
4/21 No School/Easter Monday
4/22 Earth Day
4/30 Tag Day
5/2 Interims
5/3 Auction
5/5 through 5/9, Science Field Study, seventh and eighth grades
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Attitude of Gratitude!
- Thanks to Jack Novak at White Stone Water Solutions for the assist in completing state mandated water testing for the Wiley Building.
- Thanks to Kelly Antonio and Alice Riviere as well as an anonymous donor for their generous subsidy of the Class of Coins campaign to support CancerLINC in Richmond, Virginia.
- Thanks to alumnus Drew Ransone at Ransone's Nursery for keeping our parking lot ice free and plowed.
- Thanks to Cedrick, Malcom, and Marcus Sanders for patching up some frayed wallboard and giving the staff restroom a refresh!
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