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!
The sound of children playing, learning, and working together punctuates our days at CA in the most delightful ways, even as we still manage the constraints of pandemic safety protocols. Our students have gotten into the rhythm of school life; and our new Ospreys–faculty and students–have fit right in. We have been able to safely add a few more layers back to school life, including athletics.
What a joy it is to see our Ospreys back on teams, competing well, and gaining so much from these experiences! That has most certainly been a highlight of September. The memory of the fourth grade JV soccer players leading spirited cheers from the bench to support their teammates in their first game wearing a CA jersey still makes me smile.
It's hard to believe that we are already well into October and heading into a favorite weekend for many in our area: our Community Oyster Roast. As one of two major fund raisers for CA, this event takes so many folks to carry out and we are all thrilled to be able to host this event (outdoors, of course) in person this year. After 18 months of reimaging and reinventing every single aspect of school life, it is nice to be able to be together for this event (even with some adaptations for COVID safety).
Funds from the Oyster Roast directly support each and every student at Chesapeake Academy by annually providing a portion of the revenue needed to meet our instructional needs. Since tuition does not cover operational expenses for our small non-profit organization, we rely on the Community Oyster Roast, the Annual Auction, repeatable and renewable gifts to the Bell Tower Annual Giving Fund, and foundation grants to ensure that our students have current technology, classroom materials, opportunities for field trips, athletic equipment, and art supplies.
In addition, the Community Oyster Roast also connects folks in our area to Chesapeake Academy so that more and more people know about the successes and opportunities for students in our area. After all, CA is a vital economic entity in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula and an organization interwoven into the fabric of our community.
Like the team members leading the cheering squad, our sponsors and friends so generously support this event and each Osprey student. This “fund raising and friend raising” event could not happen without the work of Catherine Emry in the Development Office, our Oyster Roast Chairs Kelly Antonio and Beth Somers, Richard Abbott, Business Manager, and the many volunteers who work before, during, and after the event.
My heartfelt thanks to all who have sold raffle tickets, purchased tickets, or volunteered. We are looking forward to a festive evening of camaraderie, delicious food, and the rocking music of Dead Rise. This is an amazing CA team, and together, we can do great things!
Julie
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Put the Virtual Bookfair on Your Calendar!
Ospreys, it is book fair time! CA families have an opportunity to purchase books and support the James Library. From October 25 through November 5, 25% of your purchases at Children’s Bookstore will come directly to the library for new books. Browse the wonderful selection, https://www.childrensbookstore.com/welcome/chesapeake-academy-2/?ref=t6fqmgm. Chesapeake Academy will receive 15% on purchases made before or after our book fair dates.
You can also buy books specifically for Chesapeake Academy's library. Check out the two wishlists at the bottom of the homepage in the link above.
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Class Acts...
Chesapeake Academy 3.0: Blended Learning
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Geoffrey Marsh: Juggler Extraordinaire!
Chesapeake Academy's Performing Arts and Lecture Series (PALS) presented Juggler Geoffrey Marsh to students from three years old through grade eight on Wednesday, September 29 in the Osprey Dome.
Geoff Marsh performs all over the world, sharing his unique circus stunts and zany marionette puppets at schools, family festivals, and Renaissance fairs. Marsh's engaging act includes unique equilibrium stunts, close-up card/coin/rope magic, and musical plate spinning. Interspersing walk-around performances between stage shows with his marionette puppets, Marsh easily makes connections, inspiring interactions and engaging guests. A life-like dog marionette that loves to play with kids was an instant hit as was a skeleton marionette that performed comedy, stand-up, impersonations, and various dances from around the world. Marsh provided juggling workshops for students following the performance.
PALS programming is funded by the Wiley Foundation with support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
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Pre-K 3&4 Launches Old Grey Mare Publishing Company 2021-22
To the very young, the code of written language can seem arbitrary. The Old Grey Mare Publishing Company increases engagement and interest in the process by using a student's own interests, passions and stories to fuel the process. Editors capture each child's unique story and collaborate with teachers to tailor the text to address specific learning goals for specific students.
When the book is complete and illustrated, students present their work in an author's corner that includes famliles and friends--and sometimes costumes!
A win/win all around!
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The Life Cycle in Action!
First graders have been studying life cycles! Before taking a hands-on approach, students studied what all plants need to survive: water, good soil, air, and sunlight. They also studied the process that a plant undergoes while transitioning from a seed to fully grown. After arming themselves with knowledge, students wanted to see it in action! They each planted the seeds of a Forget Me Not flower, placing their plants in the window, where they would receive plenty of sunlight. They watered them faithfully, and waited! Finally, their plants began to grow!
What’s next? Currently, first graders are excitedly studying caterpillars and butterflies, and waiting as their classroom caterpillars' transition into Painted Lady Butterflies! Did you know that a caterpillar sheds its skin four times before entering a chrysalis, AND that the caterpillar eats its shedded skin? If you didn’t, then find a Chesapeake Academy first grader, and they will tell you that and even more!
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The World is Our Oyster!
Third grade has been working on their world map skills. completing a final map project. Students have been locating oceans, gulfs, bays,continents, mountain ranges, rivers, and other land forms.
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Email Etiquette
In middle school, students are expected to communicate effectively with their teachers. To get a jumpstart on communication skills, fifth graders are immersed in an email etiquette unit. Not only have they learned tips for writing professional emails and gotten a chance to flex their creativity muscles by writing an email that broke all the rules, students are working in pairs to identify and correct email examples. They are getting practice in email etiquette, and they are also gaining experience in offering peer feedback according to a rubric, a skill that will be key later in Writer's Workshop!
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Watershed Wonders!
Chesapeake Academy's fifth, sixth, and seventh grade classes participated in a one-day field experience featuring watershed dynamics, water-quality testing, estuarine food chains, trawling for fish, fish identification and adaptations, mapping skills, crab potting, point source/non-point source pollution, and the various ways people make their livelihoods on the Bay. These invaluable hands-on science experiences were sponsored by the Marine Science Legacy Program from Urbanna Oyster Festival Education Days and provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Marine science students boarded the Jenny S. with Chesapeake Bay Foundation educators who introduced the wonders of the watershed. Students observed samples of aquatic life and learned about the effects of human activity on the estuary.
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Characterization is Key!
Books with flat characters get little traction. Ever wonder what it takes to bring a character to life in a novel you are reading? In Esperanza Rising there were various really well-developed characters from all walks of life. Students exploring these characters, telling each character's story in a first person point of view as if they were their chosen character. Because everything is better with visuals, students are also creating an image of what that character would look like based on the description provided in the novel.
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Democracy at Work!
Chesapeake Academy announced the results of elections for class representatives at the school's Inward Bound retreat. Congratulations to eighth grade representative Davis Bugg, seventh grade representative Khloe Hohensee, sixth grade representative Ryann Kenner, and fifth grade representative Kate Johnson.
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Inward Bound Builds Community!
Designed for middle school students to get to know themselves better and to bond as advisory groups, grade levels, and as a larger middle school group, Chesapeake Academy's annual Inward Bound retreat is all about creating a nurturing learning environment. At Inward Bound, students participate fully in group problem solving activities, games, contests, and reflections. Activities, centered on the annual character theme, (This year it is pursuing excellence) build character and relationships, and connect the idea of pursuing excellence to advisory topics of transition, friendship, self-discovery, and leadership.
Activities at Inward Bound are led by the eighth grade students in each advisory family and include games and tasks that encourage collaboration, critical thinking, teamwork, and creativity. As these student leaders guide their advisories, they emphasize really seeing and listening to peers and helping students form connections in and out of their advisory groups. This year's spate of activities was action packed and punctuated with some reflective interludes. Dean of Students Hillary Smith commented, "We love seeing all the ways students can step up as leaders. They are helpers, pathfinders, nurturers, directors, problem solvers. Everyone has their own style of leadership."
This year's Advisory Collaborative Challenge was called "Ramp Rampage." From a pile of assorted materials, advisory teams selected six items to design and build a ramp and an object to travel down the ramp. Some trades and additional selections could be negotiated periodically. Teams planned for friction, durability, strength, and any particular needs of their object. The object that traveled the longest distance won. Kim Dynia, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, commented that, "This year's challenge demonstrated considerable growth in student collaborative, design and problem solving skills since the advent of the Arts and Innovation Curriculum and the design hub."
As Inward Bound is traditionally the first Student Council event of the year at Chesapeake Academy, a costumed dance generally is a popular event. This year middle school students adopted a tropical theme and dressed creatively to evoke more sunshine than the weather provided.
Pursuing Excellence as a school theme took center stage in a retreat reflection that asked students to consider their lives and goals at this stage of their education and reflect on the prompt: If you could become excellent in an area, and have it immortalized in the stars, what would your constellation look like? Responses ranged from academic and athletic goals to personal and character goals.
Every student deserves to be known and seen and this does not happen by accident. At the outset of the Inward Bound retreat, each student was given the names of three peers who were not generally in their sphere of contacts. Without revealing themselves, middle school students found ways during the retreat to get to know each of the people on their list and to look out for them quietly from behind the scenes. Identities were revealed and new connections cemented in the final activity of the retreat when students wrote a note to each individual from their list. "Creating a positive learning environment is a purposeful and continuous process at Chesapeake Academy," explained Head of School Julianne Duvall. "And this retreat demonstrated that commitment in so many ways."
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Student Council Scoop
Congratulations to 2021 Student Council officers:
President: Porter Pittman
Vice-President: Sam Antonio
Treasurer: Miles Hollingsworth
Secretary: Thomas Emery
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CAPPA News
The much anticipated Apple Sales program is in full swing. Several weeks ago order forms were sent home with the kids and are due back by October 12. These are delicious apples from Dickie Brothers Orchard in Roseland, VA. This is a real treat and looked forward to by all! The Oyster Roast is fast approaching on Oct 9th. It is great to have this event back in person this year and it quickly sold out. We do still need volunteers to help out with this important night. Clicking on the Sign Up Genius link will show you where we need extra hands. Another program that is great to have back is the Hot Lunch--one of the kids' favorites! If you have time to assist with that for a short time on a Friday(one or many) please reach out to Maggie Major at maggiekeeney@hotmail.com.
These programs and events would not come together without the commitments of so many. We cannot thank you enough for the time and effort!
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After last year's hiatus from competitive sports, we were thrilled to have 47 Ospreys come out for Varsity and JV soccer, Varsity volleyball, and Varsity tennis this fall! We have all missed being able to come together and show our love for Osprey Athletics, and the pride that exudes from our student-athletes when they wear their jersey to school on game days is so fun to see! We are also so thankful for the support that our fans have shown! It's so great to see a full sideline for each of our teams, and it shows just how wonderful it is to be a part of the Chesapeake Academy community!
In a time when coming together, working towards a united goal, and getting some exercise have become even more important, we are proud that our athletic teams are able to provide this kind of opportunity for our student-athletes. Our commitment to finding a place for our Ospreys to learn a sport, discover new things about themselves, and to develop the important life skills that comes from playing on a team is something in which we take pride. Each day our student-athletes continue our theme of "Pursuing Excellence" in practice. They work hard to improve, play to their potential, and find ways to work through challenges and pressure--all things that are more important than any stats and the win/loss record.
We are about halfway through our fall season, and each of our teams is continuing to show improvement every time they step onto the field/court. If you haven't had a chance to come out for a soccer game or a volleyball match, please check the school calendar and find a day when you can come support our Ospreys in action! Also, mark your calendars for the fall ISAC tournaments. The soccer semifinals are on October 19th (time and location TBD), and the soccer championship is on October 21st. The ISAC volleyball tournament is held on the following week with the semifinals on October 26th (time and location TBD), and the volleyball championship is on October 28th. Both championship matches will be held at Christchurch School at 4:00 PM on their respective days.
We're looking forward to a great second half of the fall season, and thanks for all your support!
Go Ospreys!
Coach Allen
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Attitude of Gratitude
- Middle School faculty brought the joy to the Inward Bound retreat despite the weather! Excellent planning equalled a wonderful event!
- Thanks to Barbara Hays for sharing her photography skills!
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Marine science legacy program from Urbanna Oyster Festival Education days sponsored watershed experiences for grades five through seven through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation!
- Faculty continue to bring the love of learning each day! Boat broken for field trip? No problem! Regroup and Soar...to another watershed or to the Virginia Living Museum! Takes a village! And it helps when that village is quick on their feet!
- Thanks to Oyster Roast donors, vounteers, and sponsors!
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The generous souls who helped with campus cleanup made such a difference! If you see Scott Keplinger, Loraine Trollip, Katie Wilson, Jen Clair, Kate Carey, Mike McCormick, or Frank Keplinger, be sure to thank them!
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Save the Date
10/9 CA Oyster Roast
10/9 Unity in the Community Celebration, Town Park, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
10/11 Fall Break, No School
10/21 ISAC Varsity Soccer Tournament at CCS, 4:00 p.m.
10/25 through 11/5 Virtual Bookfair
10/26 ISAC Volleyball Semifinals,place TBA,
10/27 Tag Day
10/27 PALS Bright Star Tourning Theatre, FrankenSTEM, 9:30
10/28 ISAC Volleyball Championship
10/29 EC and LS Class Halloween Parties
11/1 School Closed, faculty professional development
11/2 Election Day
11/3 Dress Uniform
11/3 Picture Day Make-up
11/5 End of First Marking Period, noon dismissal
11/10 PALS Elizabeth Massie, Writer, grades 3 through 8, 9:30 a.m.
11/11 Veteran's Day
11/12 Report Cards Mailed
11/15-19 Parent Partnership Conferences
11/17 Tag Day
11/24-26 Thanksgiving Holiday
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