Hello Allen Families and Staff,
There are a lot of exciting things happening at Allen this week! We invite parents to join us for the school site meetings on Monday, Oct. 17th. Our ELAC meeting to support English Learners is at 3 pm. Our SSC meeting for school governance is at 3:30 pm. Our PTC meeting (or Parent-Teacher Club) is at 6 pm. All three meetings will be online (links below) and in person in the MPR at Allen.
Please also be sure to join our district’s 130 Anniversary Celebration this Thursday, October 20 from 5 to 7 pm at Hedenkamp Elementary for FREE food and fun!
Allen’s Fall Festival is also this Friday, October 21 from 4:30 to 8 pm at Allen.
If you would like some suggestions on free or affordable ways to spend your weekends, check out this resource for FREE events in San Diego County for the month of October: https://www.famdiego.com/kidsfreeoctober.
We are pleased to share that Ella B. Allen Elementary School has been awarded a BRONZE Implementation Award in 2022 from the California PBIS Coalition! Our school is being recognized by the state for creating the conditions to maximize academic and social behavioral outcomes for ALL students.
If you have questions for our staff or need assistance, please call at at (619) 479-3662. Office hours are 8 am to 3:30 pm, M-F.
Have you downloaded the Family Handbook for 2022-2023? Kindly review this with your child.
https://allenelementary.org/family-handbook/
Mr. Greenwell’s Message of the Week
Please watch Mr. Greenwell’s Message of the Weeks for the week of October 16, at the YouTube link below:
San Diego County Public Health Services is investigating two large, suspected outbreaks of respiratory and flu-like symptoms reported among students at two large high schools in San Diego County. Although this infection has not currently been observed in Chula Vista and Sweetwater, we encourage families to monitor their child’s health and keep them home if they exhibit any cold or flu-like symptoms. Please call our school office at (619) 479-3662 to report your child’s absence.
Please see our updated 2022-2023 Family Handbook here: Link to Family Handbook
A reminder of our school’s Core Values and Common Courtesies:
The Core Value for this week of school is Honesty. The Common Courtesy for that week is “Thank you.“
Students may earn an Allen Eagle Ticket for demonstrating the Core Values and Common Courtesies each day. Students can redeem these tickets at the Eagle’s Nest Store at the end of each quarter of the school year. Our staff is always looking for ways to celebrate our students!
Kindness counts! Wondering how to support children if they experience a problem with another student? We suggest:
- Use “I feel…” statements to express yourself clearly.
- Set boundaries by saying “I don’t like that…” or “Please stop!”
- Move away from the student you have conflict with and…
- Seek help from an adult nearby.
Our staff prides itself in actively monitoring students at all times. What our staff has noticed is that students are learning how to interact with one another and having some problems or conflict. This is not bullying. It may be due to trauma and other sudden social-emotional issues with a child. What is bullying? See the helpful graphic below:
If you have a concern about another child’s behaviors impacting your child, we suggest you first contact your child’s teacher. Afterwards, please see this page here. It’s our District’s Anti-Bullying page.
If you need to conduct business with the school office, please contact the school office between the hours of 8 am and 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday, at (619) 479-3662 and we will arrange an appointment with you.
A Look Ahead:
Monday, October 17, 2022 – Parent Meetings
- ELAC at 3 pm in the MPR and online here
- SSC at 3:30 pm in the MPR and online here
- PTC at 6 pm in the MPR and online here
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
- DAC/DELAC 12 noon to 2 pm at 84 E. J Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910
- Kickball Game at CVLCC at 4 pm
Wednesday, October 19, 2022 – CVESD Board of Education meeting at 6 pm
Thursday, October 20, 2022
- The Great Shake Out – Earthquake and Fire Drill
- Purple Spirit Day – Wear purple to pledge that you choose to be a buddy, not a bully!
- 130 Anniversary Celebration at Hedenkamp Elementary (5 – 7 pm)
- Hedenkamp is located at 930 East Palomar Street, Chula Vista, CA 91913
Friday, October 21, 2022
- TK Family Orientation 4:30 pm to 5 pm in room 101
- Allen’s PTC Fall Festival 4:30 – 8 pm [see below for more info]
October 24-28: Red Ribbon Week and Fall Spirit Week [see below for more info]
Monday, October 24, 2022
- Start Date for TK at Allen (8:50 am – 3:10 pm)
- Diwali
- Red Ribbon Spirit Week begins
Tuesday, October 25, 2022 – Kickball Game at Allen (v. Rice) at 4 pm
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 – Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) at the ESSC at 6 pm
Thursday, October 27, 2022 – Kickball Game at Allen (v. Hilltop) at 4 pm
Monday, October 31, 2022 – Halloween
- Costume Parade 8:50 – 9:30 am
- Book Fair begins in MPR
Friday, November 4, 2022 – Family First Friday 8 am – 9 am (Free coffee for adults)
Monday, November 7, 2022 – 4th grade swim lessons begin
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
- Kickball Game at Casillas at 4 pm
- CVESD Board of Education meeting at 6 pm
Thursday, November 10, 2022 – Kickball Game at Allen (v. Rogers) at 4 pm
Friday, November 11, 2022 – NO SCHOOL (Veteran’s Day Holiday)
Monday, November 14, 2022 – Parent Meetings
- ELAC at 3 pm in the MPR and online here
- SSC at 3:30 pm in the MPR and online here
- PTC at 6 pm in the MPR and online here
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 – Kickball Game at Allen (v. Hedenkamp) at 4 pm
Thursday, November 17, 2022 – Kickball Game at Muraoka at 4 pm
Monday, November 21 – 25, 2022 – Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL)
Monday, November 28, 2022 – 5th grade at Living Coast Discovery Center
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 – Kickball Game at Heritage at 4 pm
Thursday, December 1, 2022 – PTC Family Art Night [details coming soon]
Friday, December 2, 2022 – Family First Friday 8 am to 9 am
CVESD’s 130 Anniversary Celebration
This Thursday, October 20, 2022, the Chula Vista Elementary School District will host a 130th anniversary celebration event at Hedenkamp Elementary School for all community members to attend. Hedenkamp’s address is 930 East Palomar Street, Chula Vista, CA 91913. Parking will be available along East Palomar Street. The free event will take place from 5 pm to 7 pm, where we will recognize students, staff, and individuals who have impacted the District over the years. Join this event for FREE food and fun!
Don’t forget to follow along on our district’s social media pages! Like and follow CVESD social channels here: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Of course, the latest news is always here at our school’s blog: https://allenelementary.org/.
Allen Fall Festival
Allen’s PTC will be hosting its annual Fall Festival this Friday, October 21st from 4:30 pm to 8 pm at Allen. Join us for special treats and food, games, craft projects, monster mash dance party, vendors, and trick-or-treating!
SciTech Program for Girls
The Fleet Science Center is partnering with Allen to offer its after school FREE Science Enrichment program intended to support young female scientists, SciTech! Space is limited to 30 students in Grades 4-6. To participate, please email Ms. Farlow at melissa.farlow@cvesd.org. This free Science Enrichment for Girls will be on Fridays from 2 – 4:15 pm. Families must make the commitment to attend each week. All supplies required for students are included in this free program.
Red Ribbon Week 2022
Red Ribbon Week 2022 will be October 24 – 28, 2022. At Allen Elementary, we celebrate this commitment to a healthy lifestyle by participating in Spirit Days, completing special lessons on health, and wearing red! More details below:
Gathering of Nations at the Bonita Museum
The Bonita Museum and Cultural Center invites you to attend the Gathering of Nations from 10 am to 5 pm Saturday, November 5th. The gathering features the opening reception for exhibition Old World / New World by artist Roberto Salas. This public gathering will celebrate indigenous culture through craft, dance, music, storytellers, filmmakers and food presentations. The event will honor Kumeyaay educators. For more information about the exhibition and presentations please see: https://bonitahistoricalsociety.org/roberto-salas-old-world-new-world/ RSVP on Eventbrite to attend.
Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Information
Allen’s all-day Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classroom will start on October 24th.
Please join our TK Family Orientation this Friday, October 21st from 4:30 pm to 5 pm in room 101. Stay afterwards for the Fall Festival! Mr. Greenwell sent out a letter to enrolled families on Friday, October 14th. A copy of that letter is here:
Please see our district’s Early Childhood Education department page for more information or to enroll your child in our TK. Kindly contact the Early Childhood Education Department (619) 425-2362 or (619) 425-9600 Ext. 181725.
Free Campus Clinic Testing
Families may come to the school office, Monday- Friday, between 8 am and 3:30 pm to receive a free COVID-19 antigen test. The testing is not required. Please report all positive cases to our school office at (619) 479-3662.
Weekly, voluntary testing will continue on our school campus via Campus Clinic each week. Parents and legal guardians must opt-in to the program and no child will be tested without proper consent. If families would like to watch a video on the registration process, they can visit: https://campusclinic.org/how-to/. For community testing at the kiosks, individuals will need to register on-site. You only need to register one time for a test through the kiosk
As we all know, the fall and winter months are often accompanied by cold & flu season. In alignment with our district’s commitment to keeping your children healthy and in school, we are excited to expand Campus Clinic’s testing services by adding the flu combo test to our weekly COVID-19 testing program. This combo test is designed to provide results for symptomatic individuals for some of the most common fall and winter illnesses, such as Flu A, Flu B, RSV, and COVID-19.
We hope these additional results bring you peace of mind as our community gathers with family and friends during the upcoming holidays. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the information above, please call or email our Campus Success team.
Campus Success; 8:00am -4:00pm PST
855.286.2577
support@campusclinic.org
www.campusclinic.org
Again, for this free testing support, please email: support@campusclinic.org.
COVID-19 Corner: Health and Safety
Vaccines for children are now available. Please understand that the state of California may in the future be requiring children to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 in order to attend a public school, just as they already do for other diseases (polio, mumps, rubella, etc..). This decision is not a school-based or district-based decision, but rather a state government decision.
Masks, although not required at this time, are strongly encouraged for all staff, students, parents, and visitors while indoors on campus. There is an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 in any public place where people are present. The school and district strive to reduce this impact to staff, students, and families. It is a current public health recommendation for all eligible people to get COVID-19 booster shots.
If your child has a chronic health condition, such as allergies or asthma, please contact the school office and download the form below to have your child’s doctor complete and send it back to the school’s nurse. We recommend doing this in advance of a child showing symptoms.
If your child experiences any symptoms of COVID-19, please keep your child home and contact the school office at (619) 479-3662. If any person (regardless of vaccination status) presents with symptoms of COVID-19 while at school, that person will be immediately sent home and may only return with a negative test and no more symptoms. All schools in CVESD must follow the latest County of San Diego COVID-19 Decision Tree (see below) for persons with symptoms associated with COVID-19.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19 and should stay home:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
*** Please see the latest COVID-19 Decision Tree here: LINK to Newest Decision Tree
Parent-Teacher Club (PTC) Corner
Visit the PTC website at AllenPTC.org to become a member of the PTC and make a donation to support the latest initiative at the school. Allen’s PTC is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports the school’s educational mission through funding programs and initiatives.
Please help support Allen’s PTC by shopping at smile.amazon.com! AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to the Allen Elementary PTC when you shop on smile.amazon.com and choose Allen Elementary School Parents Teachers Club Inc as your charity.
Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations.
- Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
- Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into ‘Settings’
- Tap ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process
Please choose Allen Elementary School Parents Teachers Club Inc by clicking this link for your Amazon purchases: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/95-4403426
The standing PTC Meeting link is here: PTC MEETING LINK 2022-2023
Meetings for Families & Staff
Allen School needs parents and legal guardians to support our school through important parent groups, such as the PTC (Parent Teacher Club), the School Site Council (often referred to as SSC), and the English Language Advisory Committee (often referred to as ELAC). The site-based groups work with the Principal, staff, and other community members to ensure that community voice is part of the shared decision making process of a public school.
Family First Friday Meeting
The first Friday of every month is usually reserved for our Family First Friday, Allen’s version of Coffee with the Principal. Our next Family First Friday will be on Friday, November 4, 2022 from 8 am to 9 am. This meeting will be in person at school with a coffee cart available in front of the school.
We encourage parents and legal guardians to join this meeting with a free cup of hot coffee or a cold cup of cold brew on nitro and listen to Mr. Greenwell give an update on the school year and meet other amazing Allen families.
English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC)
Ella B. Allen’s next ELAC Meeting will be on October 17, 2022 at 3 pm. This meeting will be both online and in person at Allen in the MPR. Online link here.
The school encourages all legal parent/guardian of students designated as an English Learner to attend these meetings.
School Site Council (SSC)
Ella B. Allen’s next SSC Meeting will be on October 17, 2022 at 3:30 pm. Please note that if you join early, you’ll be attending the ELAC meeting already in progress. This meeting will be both online and in person at Allen in the MPR. Online link here.
All SSC members are welcome to attend ELAC meetings for additional information.
SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL (SSC) is composed of five elected parent/community representatives and five elected staff/teacher representatives. The role of the SSC is to develop, approve, and monitor the School Plan for Student Achievement.
With a few exceptions, meetings are held the second Monday of every month. All parents and staff are welcome to attend. Council members serve for two year terms.
Parent Teacher Club (PTC) Meeting
Allen’s PTC usually meets the second Monday of every month at 6pm. This meeting will be both online and in person at Allen in the MPR. Link: via this link. The next PTC meeting is October 17 at 6 pm. Please also check out the new PTC website to become a member and make a donation: AllenPTC.org
CVESD Board of Education Meeting
The district’s Board of Education meetings are also being held online and generally occur the second Wednesday of each month. The next regularly scheduled CVESD Board of Education meeting is Wednesday, October 19 at 6 pm. Limited in-person access is permitted, but check the district’s website for more information on this.
To access these public meetings, please click the link here: https://www.cvesd.org/board_of_education/board_meetings
CVESD DAC/DELAC Meeting
District Advisory Council (DAC)
The DAC is composed of parent and staff representatives from each School Site Council. It meets regularly during the school year in open public forum to share information, study instructional issues, approve school planning schedules, and make recommendations to the Board of Education on specific items. District meetings take place once a month, mid-afternoon. Most meetings occur on Tuesdays from 12 – 2 pm, with a parent training beforehand. This is an elected position to serve a one-year term.
District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)
The district will continue to conduct all meetings online until further notice, including all DAC/DELAC meetings. DAC is the District Advisory Committee. DELAC is the District English Learner Advisory Committee. Both of these groups are designed to support and inform parents in a shared communication setting with the district. Parents learn with other parents and district leadership at the DAC/DELAC meetings.
The next DAC/DELAC Meeting will be on October 18, 2022 at 12 noon. This meeting will be in person at the CVESD Education Services and Support Center (ESSC) in room C. The address is 84 East J Street, Chula Vista, CA. 91910.
The link below contains a schedule of all DAC/DELAC meetings for the upcoming school year. I recommend all parents download this schedule if they are interested in learning more about theses district meetings: https://www.cvesd.org/parents/getting-involved/dac-delac
CVESD B-LAC Meeting
District Black Learners Advisory Council (B-LAC)
The B-LAC is composed of parents, staff, and community representatives from around the district. The B-LAC provides and monitors the ongoing support for Black/African American students and families in the Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD) to ensure unbiased practices/policies, equitable educational outcomes, and equal access to a quality education. The group meets regularly during the school year, once a month. Most meetings occur on Thursdays from 6 – 7 pm. The next meeting is October 13 at 6 pm and will be in person at Hedenkamp Elementary (930 East Palomar Street, Chula Vista, CA 91913). For more information and to download the schedule of these meetings, clink the link: https://www.cvesd.org/parents/getting-involved/black-learners-advisory-council—b–lac
CVESD BAC Meeting
District Budget Advisory Council (CVESD BAC)
The District’s Budget Advisory Council (BAC) is composed of parents, staff, and community representatives from around the district. The BAC monitors the financial statements and fiduciary obligations of the Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD). Although it usually only meets 5 – 6 times a year, the BAC’s meetings are useful in understanding how state and federal monies support student learning at a local level. Please check the calendar at http://www.cvesd.org for the next meeting!
Calendar for the 2022-2023 School Year
The 2022-2023 School Calendar is available online! Click this link to download it. Please reference this when planning vacations or scheduling appointments with your children that may require them to miss school. Excellent attendance is important in student success!
Students in our District started the 2022-2023 school year on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 and will end the school year on Friday, June 2, 2023.
Key breaks include:
- Thanksgiving Break: November 21 – November 25, 2022
- Winter Break: December 19, 2022 – January 6, 2023
- Spring Break: March 20 – March 31, 2023
Be well Eagles! Stay safe: As a California public school, we encourage everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine (and/or booster shots), and to test regularly. The health and safety of our students, staff, and community is our number 1 concern!
Ella B. Allen Elementary School 