Chatham Elementary School

147 Depot Road

Chatham, MA 02633

Principal: Dr. Jennifer Kelly  

phone: (508) 945-5135

fax: (508) 945-5138

Chatham Elementary School homepage

Principal: Jennifer Kelly Ed.D.
jakelly@monomoy.edu
(508) 945-5135

September 2023

Dear Chatham Elementary Families and Friends,

Welcome to Chatham Elementary School!  As part of the Monomoy Regional School District, we at  Chatham Elementary School (CES) are dedicated to building a learning community that exemplifies SHARK expectations. CES SHARKS are:

• Safe
• Honest
• Accepting
• Respectful
• Kind
• Successful

The pages of this handbook are filled with important information regarding school policy and procedures. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the school office or contact me directly. We strongly believe that communication is the key to a safe and happy school and community. 

We are thrilled to welcome you to another year of learning and fun at Chatham Elementary School.  Let’s have a FIN-tastic year!

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Kelly

Start time: 7:45 a.m. 

Dismissal time: 2:15 p.m.

Early Release Wednesday every other week at 1:35 pm (buses will arrive approximately 40 minutes earlier than normal)

Half-day dismissal time: 11:00 a.m.

Drop Off & Pick Up 

Morning Student Drop Off and Parent/Caregiver Pick Up takes place in the Hitching Post Road parking lot. Caregivers should remain in their car at all times during drop off and pick up. 

Caregivers should not park in Hitching Post or Depot Road lots. Please note there is no parking allowed on Hitching Post Road*.

If the queue extends beyond the Hitching Post lot, caregiver cars waiting to enter should form along the southbound side of Hitching Post Road.

*If caregivers would like to walk their student(s) to school, parking is available in front of the town tennis courts on Depot Road. No parking for drop off will be allowed from the front parking lot. 

Student Drop Off (7:35-7:45) 

• Upon entering the Hitching Post Road parking lot, turn right.

• Proceed along the outside lane and drive up to the sidewalk area (along the gymnasium).

• Pull up as far as possible along the safety cones, come to a complete stop, and have student(s) exit the car on the passenger side of the vehicle. Caregivers should remain in the vehicle and be prepared to move forward as quickly as possible.  

• Staff will be available to assist students.

• Please do not pull out of the loading zone until all cars in front of you have unloaded and pulled away fro the sidewalk area.

Afternoon Dismissal:

• Students who attend Monomoy Community Services After School Program or the Chatham Parks & Recreation After School Program will be dismissed from their classrooms to meet staff members from those programs at the Main Entrance.  Program staff will escort students to their after school location.

• Students being picked up by a parent/caregiver will be dismissed from their classrooms to the gymnasium.  (Please see Parent/Caregiver Pick Up information below.)  

• Bus students will be dismissed from their classrooms to bus lines.  Each line will be escorted by CES staff to board the buses.

• Students attending CES After School Clubs will be dismissed from their classroom to their club meeting place.

Parent/Caregiver Pick Up (2:15-2:25)

• Prominently display a name tag on your car’s dashboard. Name tags should include the family name and first names of any students. For example:

• Upon entering the Hitching Post Road lot, a staff member will radio your name to a staff members in the building. By the time you pull up to the loading area your student will exit the gym and be waiting  on the sidewalk to load into the vehicle.

• Dismissal is more efficient and safer when children load on the passenger side of your vehicle.

• Please do not pull out of the loading zone until all cars in front of you have loaded and pulled away from the sidewalk area.

Steps to take to ensure success:

• If carpooling, name tags are required for all students in your vehicle.

• Prominently display name tag(s) on the dashboard of your car.

• Review the traffic flow pattern and general rules of pick-up and drop off

• If you park in the lot please understand that you will need to wait until the entire pick up procedure has been completed to leave the lot.

• Caregivers are discouraged from congregating outside the building during dismissal time. Please stay in your car. 

Parent/Caregiver Pick-Up students must be entered into PickUp Patrol App. Children are often confused and think they are in Parent/Caregiver PickUp, even when they’re not. If the decision to pick up is made after your child leaves home for the morning, you may enter the change into PickUp Patrol App. before 1:00 pm. If you need to make a change after 1:00 pm you may call the office but please be considerate and keep these requests to a minimum. Also, please note that children without a plan for Parent/Caregiver PickUp in PickUp Patrol App will be required to take the bus.

If your child will be in Parent/Caregiver PickUp every day (will never ride the bus), please enter that plan into PickUp Patrol App. If you wish to pick your child up on one or more of the same days each week (for example every Mon. and Wed.) enter that into PickUp Patrol App indicating the specific days and we will send your child to Parent/Caregiver PickUp only on those days you have listed. Please make sure the PickUp Patrol App is up to date with your student’s schedule. It is the caregiver’s responsibility to maintain the correct plan in the PickUp Patrol App.       

All students in grades K-4 who are being picked up before regular dismissal time will be dismissed from the Main Office. All persons picking up students must be listed on the approved contact list in the office and be prepared to show proper identification.

PickUp Patrol

Please enter all dismissal/transportation changes (either one-time or recurring) into PickUp Patrol. PickUp Patrol is our online system for parents to communicate dismissal plan changes to the school. Parents with an existing account will be able to continue to make changes as they have in the past. Parents of kindergartners and new students will receive an email at the beginning of the school year with PickUp Patrol login instructions. Dismissal changes can be entered from a computer or smart phone at any time until 12:45 p.m. on the day of the changes (12 p.m. on Early Release Wednesdays). Changes can be made days, weeks, or even months in advance. However, please note that if you enter a change and the dismissal plans are cancelled, you must remember to delete the change from PickUp Patrol or your student will be given the PickUp Patrol dismissal directions. After 12:45 p.m. (12 p.m. on Early Release Wednesdays), changes will not be accepted except in the case of an unexpected emergency. Such changes can be made via phone directly to the Main Office. As the end of the school day is a busy time, please plan accordingly and limit these exceptions to emergencies only to ensure the safety of all students.

For the MRSD calendar for the 2023-2024 school year, click here.

All Monomoy employees may be contacted regarding school business via email. Every employee has an email address consisting of their first initial and last name @monomoy.edu (with a few exceptions). An online staff directory can be found here, searchable by name, title, and/or location. 

Monomoy Regional School District Administration Offices

Office of the Superintendent

425 Crowell Road, 2nd Floor, Chatham, MA 02633

phone: (508) 945-5130  fax: (508) 945-5133

Transportation Line: (508) 945-5123

District Administration/Central Office

Dr. Scott Carpenter - Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Robin Millen - Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment

Lindsey Parker – 5-12 ELA/Humanities Curriculum Director

Ann Marie Varella – 5-12 STEM Curriculum Director

Melissa Maguire – Director of Student Services

Jim Birchfield – Director of Technology

Michael MacMillan – Business Manager

Rick Travers – Facilities Director

Garth Petracca – Director of Food Services

Holly Thyng – Data, Compliance, and Assessment Specialist

Ellen Bearse – Human Resources Coordinator

Joy Jordan – Community Engagement Coordinator/Web Manager

Leah Tambolleo – Assistant to the Superintendent

Faith Rushnak – Transportation Coordinator/Administrative Assistant

Annlise Yurgelun – Administrative Assistant, Student Services

District School Committee - 2023-2024
Meredith Henderson, Chair
Betty Gray, Vice Chair
Ryan Clarke
Scotti Finnegan
Tina Games 
Jessica Rogers
Terry Russell 
Jackie Zibrat-Long