Blind Taste Tests in Kindergarten Teach Scientific Observation!

Kindergarten has been learning how to conduct scientific observations. As part of that process, students have been exploring their five senses. In order to focus on their other four senses, observers recently donned blindfolds to block their vision. Students honed their hearing as they explored the source of sounds and identified familiar foods using their senses of taste and smell. The kids had an almost 100% success rate and enjoyed a tasty lesson.

Solids, Liquids, Gasses: Yum!

This month second grade students are learning about the states of matter, and what can happen when different kinds of matter are combined. Students experimented with making root beer floats, concluding that when carbonated root beer comes in contact with ice cream, carbon dioxide bubbles are released. The soda helps to free the air bulbbles trapped in the ice cream. A successful and tasty investigation.

An Apple a Day at Ditchley Cider Works!

Chesapeake Academy's kindergarten and second grade students enjoyed a field trip to Ditchley Cider Works for some Fall fun. After visiting with the resident herds of Belted Galloway Cows and Black Heritage Hogs, students had fun with apple crafts and games as well as a treasure hunt and story time. Each group also conducted a science experiment to predict which apples would sink or float. The day concluded with a trip to the apple orchards, making apple cider, and of course enjoying the refreshing fruits of their labor. 

Osprey About Town: Charley Manetz Recognized for

Service to Church by Virginia Bishop

Eighth grader Charley Manetz was recognized at his confirmation for his service to Wicomico Parish Church. He has been the sole parish acolyte and piano accompanist and is deeply appreciated by congregants.

New Parent Roundtable Collects Input to Polish Transition Process

Admission Director Sonja Smith hosted a roundtable discusstion last week with newly enrolled families to glean feedback on the transition to Chesapeake Academy. Smith is continually working to improve the admission and transition processes, and parent feedback guides the process.

The Book Fair is Here!



Check out this web link to find out all about it!

Book Fair Web Page

Fourth Graders Take Flight!

In fourth grade, students are introduced to the engineering design process in a fun and hands-on way by designing, making, and flying paper airplanes. This activity allows students to experience the key stages of engineering: planning, designing, testing, and improving. First, students brainstorm different airplane designs and fold their planes according to their ideas. After testing the planes by flying them, students analyze how well their designs performed and make adjustments to improve flight distance or stability.

Community Partnerships Aid Place Based Learning

Thanks to the Urbanna Marine Legacy Education Foundation, Chesapeake Academy fourth and seventh grade students took their marine science inquiries on boat trips! Aboard the Bay Quest students learned about biodiversity, water quality, and watermen. Students also learned about the parts of a crab; fished a crab pot; and then using oyster tongs, raked some oysters off the bottom of the Rappahannock River. Finding several other marine organisms ensconced with the oyster haul led students to understand that these vital filter feeders also create a habitat for many other organisms as well.

Sixth Grade Uses Poetry to Reflect on Literature

Sixth-grade literature students are finishing Becoming Muhammad Ali, by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander, a historical fiction novel written in prose. The story shares Cassius Clay's childhood, ensconced in a loving family navigating the unfairness of segregation. Clay knows that boxing success will bring a voice to his community and allow his family to rise out of poverty. Classroom conversations focused on Cassius's character, focusing on his experiences. Students also write individual poems, sharing their childhood and mirroring one from the book, "Where I'm From."

Rappahannock River Headwater Field Study

Chesapeake Academy's sixth and seventh grade science students traveled to the home base of the Friends of the Rappahannock in Fredericksburg to explore the headwaters of the Rappahannock in order to better understand the issues that impact the health of this local waterway. While there, students kayaked along shorelines looking at ecosystems and runoff potential, participated in STEM challenges, and used a seign net to collect samples of freshwater organisms to observe.

Me gustaría...¡aprender más español!

After learning how to express their wishes in Spanish, eighth grade students created slide presentations to share what they would like (me gustaría) and would not like (no me gustaría) to do in the future. Everyone enjoyed hearing the interesting, funny, and sometimes surprising aspirations of their classmates!

Free Falling.....

If a gorilla and a banana both fell out of a tree at the same time, which one would land on the ground first? Eighth grade science students have been studying forces, friction, and the acceleration of gravity. They delved into a video of people in an zero-gravity vacuum to see what actually occurs with objects in a vacuum and they compared it to what occurs with objects here on Earth in free fall.

Comparing the free fall characteristics of a solid wooden block with the same size and shape styrofoam block offered some insights. Then students compared a flat piece of paper to a piece of paper crumpled into a ball to add to their observations.

Student Council Update

Elections are over, and Student Council leaders have hit the ground running! The officers spearheaded several events for the annual middle school Inward Bound trip, including games and a Wild West themed dance. Student Council also held a hurricane relief fundraiser to help those affected by flooding in North Carolina, raising an $800 donation from our generous student body and families. Look for more to come from this industrious group! These young leaders are busy making the world a better place!

Coach's Corner

 As the fall sports season comes to a close, I want to take a moment to celebrate the fantastic achievements of our cross country, soccer, and volleyball teams! This season has been filled with hard work, growth, and sportsmanship.

Cross Country: Our runners have shown determination and grit as they have been working on their endurance and race strategy skills all season. They will have a chance to demonstrate how much their hard work has paid off on October 30, when they compete in a meet hosted by Ware Academy. We can't wait to see how they tackle the course and set personal bests in a race! 

Soccer: As always, both our JV and Varsity teams played with heart and skill this season. The growth the JV team demonstrated throughout the season, both individually and as a unit, was impressive, and we're excited to see what they do as they continue their soccer journey! For our Varsity team, this season included more cohesive play and lots of tenacity and spirit; it also included some good challenges against talented teams. And, not to be left out, for the fifth year in a row, the Varsity team took home the ISAC Championship! A massive congratulations to our student-athletes and coaches for this accomplishment! 

Volleyball: Our volleyball teams showcased exceptional teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the season, making every match fun to watch! The members of the JV team continued to improve in their skill and overall knowledge, and it has been exciting to see them shine in their matches! While the Varsity team ended the ISAC season with a loss in the semifinals to a talented ACDS team, our girls have a lot to be proud of this season as they are playing together at a high level. Every volleyball player has grown significantly, and it's been fun to cheer them on during their journey! Their dedication to practice and improvement was evident, and they represented our school with pride.

Before we end the fall season, I want to say a big THANK YOU to all our coaches for their guidance and support throughout the season. We are so lucky to have Coach D, Coach Nuhan, Coach Watts, Coach Grass, and Coach Blake: their efforts have made a significant impact on our student-athletes! I also want to thank Mr. Branson and Ms. Novak as we wouldn't be able to get to any of our games without them.

Also, a huge thank you to everyone else behind the scenes who makes our seasons possible, including our fans! We are so grateful for their support!  Once the fall season ends on October 30, we will take a short pause in athletics before the winter season begins. We will celebrate our Fall student-athletes during our Fall Athletic Awards Assembly on Wednesday, November 6, and then basketball and cheer will start soon after. Keep an eye out for more information, and we’re excited to continue building our athletic community!

Thank you for your continued support, and Go Ospreys!

Coach Allen 

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 is excited to announce the launch of our annual apple sales, which is our main fundraiser. Parents should have received an email with the order form, and paper copies also went home with students. Apples are sold by the bushel, half bushel, or peck. They are fresh and delicious! Stock up now for delivery right before Thanksgiving, when you can share with family in town, and make all your delicious apple treats.

The apple sales (along with other potential CAPPA fundraisers) go toward our support of the following programs:

• Hospitality at CA’s big events (e.g. Grandparents’ Day, Holiday Program)
• Santa visit with hot chocolate & cookies
• Middle school ice cream social
• Field Day bounce house & Kona ice truck
• Teacher Appreciation Week treats & activities
• Teacher back-to-school luncheon
• Kilmarnock Christmas parade float & campus holiday decorations
• CAPPA supports the CA program with a donation to the Bell Tower Annual Fund

If you would like to learn more about CAPPA and how you can help, please contact Becca Sterrett at becca.sterrett@gmail.com or (804) 436-4643.

Polish Your Parenting

• 19 Ways to Help Your Elementary Student Self-Regulate
• Is Screen Time Altering the Brains of Children?
• How to Teach Your Child Good Manners and Why They Matter

Cue Up Your Calendars!

10/18 Dragon Run field study, seventh grade

10/18 CAPPA Meeting, 8:30 a.m., art room

10/21 Book Fair Continues

10/21 V Soccer@NMS, 4:30 p.m.

10/21 Volleyball @NMS, 4:30 p.m.

10/24 JV Soccer @ St. Clair Walker, 4:30 p.m.

10/25 Half Day, End of 1MP, Grandparents' and Grandfriends' Day

10/26 Community Oyster Roast

10/27 Oyster Roast Clean-up

10/29 JV Volleyball @ ACDS, 4:00 p.m.

10/30 Tag Day

10/30 Cross Country Meet @ Ware Academy, 4:30 p.m.

10/31 Halloween Class Parties in Lower School, 2:30 p.m.

10/31 Urbanna Oyster Festival Education Days, seventh grade

11/1 Report Cards Home

11/3 Daylight Savings Time

1/5 Election Day

11/6 Picture Make up Day

11/6 Fall Athletic Awards, 10:05 a.m., gymnasium

11/8 Report Cards Home

11/11 Veteran's Day

11/13 Academic Awards Assembly, 10:05 a.m., gymnasium

11/15 CAPPA Meeting, 8:30 a.m., art room

11/20 Tag Day

11/20 PALS Presents, "Galumpha" 9:30 a.m., (pre-k through four)

11/23 to 12/1 Thanksgiving Break

12/3 PALS Presents "Frosty," 9:30 a.m., (pre-k through eight)

12/4 Dress Uniform

12/13 Interims

12/13 Kilmarnock Christmas Parade, 5:00 p.m.

12/18 Tag Day

12/20 Holiday Performance, Half Day

12/23 to 1/6 Winter Break

1/7 Classes Resume

1/8 Dress Uniform

Attitude of Gratitude!

• We are thankful for the recent grants and generous gifts that will fund secure doors for the front of Chesapeake Hall, the art room, and the Wiley Building!

• Thanks to CAPPA for supporting the school program and teachers by volunteering and fundraising!

• Still loving the umbrellas that shade lunching students!

• Octobers are fairly fabulous! Shoulders stand straighter and steps lighten as the seasons change. Can not wait till the Ginkos change!

• Emily Thomas sets the standard for volunteerism for all her faithful help in the development office!

• Thanks to the Oyster Roast co-chairs, donors, volunteers and sponsors for all the legwork it takes to make this community event the best!

• Accolades and laurels to Sarah Parsley for taking on the organization of hot lunches. Many thanks!

• Many thanks to the Friends of the Rappahannock and Ditchley Ciderworks for hosting CA explorers!