Dear Chautauqua Parents and Families,   

Spring is just around the corner, and March is full of important events and opportunities to connect as a school community. This month we will host Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences, an important time to reflect together on student growth and plan for a strong finish to the school year. We are also excited to welcome future families during our Kindergarten Information Night, one of our favorite opportunities to share what makes Chautauqua such a special place to learn and belong.

Our Belonging focus for March is Heard. At CES, we want every student to feel that their ideas, experiences, and voices matter. Throughout the month, classrooms will be creating opportunities for students to share their thinking, listen to one another, and practice being thoughtful contributors to our learning community.

As always, we appreciate your partnership and involvement in our school community. You help make Chautauqua a place where every student feels welcomed, known, and heard. Find more details on special events below!

Important Dates and Information: 🌷📚🎉

• Thursday, March 5 5:30-7:00 PM - Kindergarten Parent Information Night

  • Please register your new ORCA on our website.  

• Friday, March 6 5:00-6:30 PM - PTO Family Feast

  • See below for more information

• Sunday, March 8 2:00 AM - Spring Forward!  (latest WA State Proposal)

• Thursday, March 12 2:25-3:25 PM - PTO Meeting in #302

• Friday, March 13 - No School for Staff Professional Development

• Monday, March 16 - Pirates of Penzance at VCA - walking Field Trip

  • Check with teachers for chaperone opportunities

• Thursday, March 19 - 5:30-6:30 5th Grade Camp Parent Information Night

• Wednesday, March 25 11:40 AM - Early Release for students

  • breakfast provided, but NO lunch

• Wednesday-Friday  March 25-27 Family/Teacher Conferences

  • See below for scheduling information

New Kindergarten Parent Information Night

This event is for parents and caregivers to come meet our fabulous kindergarten staff members and learn more details about our wonderful kindergarten program at Chautauqua.  We are blessed with an amazing kindergarten team.  

Contact our office with any questions.  cjohns@vashonsd.org

🍝 Join Us for the Vashon PTO Family Feast – This Friday!

The Vashon PTO is hosting the annual Family Feast and we would love to see our CES families there! The evening will include:

• A delicious pasta bar (with gluten-free options available!)

• Time to connect with families across our island community

• A special “Raise the Paddle” fundraising moment to support specific needs at each school

This year, Chautauqua’s fundraising focus is our CES Garden. Funds raised will help us expand access so the garden can be open and available to students throughout the school day — supporting hands-on science, outdoor learning, and joyful connection to our campus environment.

🎟 Tickets must be purchased by 2:00 PM on Wednesday, March 4.
You can purchase tickets (and make additional donations if you wish) here:
https://givebutter.com/cG8aqC

Thank you for supporting our students and our school community. We hope to see you Friday!

🗓️ Spring Conferences 

Spring Conferences will take place March 25–27, with Thursday, March 26 serving as an extended conference day to provide additional appointment availability for families.

Conferences are an important opportunity to pause and reflect on your child’s growth — academically, socially, and emotionally. This is a time to celebrate progress, review current goals, strengthen our home-school partnership, and make plans together for a strong finish to the school year. Your partnership truly makes a difference in student success.

You will receive a special Parent Square alert once conference scheduling opens to families. At this time, we are making internal adjustments and scheduling at the school level to ensure we can offer appointment times that best support students and families.

📚 Scholastic Book Fair Returns to Chautauqua!

We are excited to welcome the Scholastic Book Fair back to Chautauqua during conference week, March 23–27, in the CES Library! This is a wonderful opportunity for students to discover new books, grow their home libraries, and even purchase a book for their teacher — all while supporting Vashon PTO.

💳 Set Up an eWallet for Easy Shopping

To make shopping simple and independent for our young readers, families can set up a digital eWallet for their student. This allows students to shop without bringing cash to school.

Set up your student’s eWallet here:
https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/how-ewallet-works.html?fairId=6096867

🕒 Book Fair Hours

The fair will be open before and after school on select days, as well as during conferences so families can shop together.

Monday and Tuesday,  March 23-24
8:45–9:10 AM
3:45–4:30 PM

Wednesday, March 25
8:45–9:10 AM
12:05–4:30 PM

Thursday, March 26
8:30 AM–6:50 PM

Friday, March 27
9:00 AM–12:00 PM

🍎 Two Ways to Support Teachers

There are two meaningful ways to grow our classroom libraries during the fair:

1️⃣ Contribute to a Teacher’s eWallet
Teachers will have eWallets set up for classroom library purchases. Watch for an email from your child’s teacher with their personalized link if you would like to contribute.

2️⃣ Purchase from a Classroom Wish List
Teachers who have identified specific books for their classrooms will have wish lists available at the fair. Stop by before or after your conference to purchase a book directly for your child’s teacher.

Please note: Each purchase at the fair will be rounded up to the nearest dollar, with the additional funds supporting Scholastic’s Share the Fair program.

🙋 Parent Volunteers Needed!

To ensure the fair runs smoothly, we need parent helpers. If you’re available to lend a hand, please sign up here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CABAC2AABFBC25-62709629-2026#/

Thank you for supporting reading, our teachers, and our PTO—we look forward to seeing many of our families at the variety of events happening around Chautauqua this month.