Principal's Weekly Message

Greetings, Chatham Park Elementary Bulldog Families!

Congratulations—and thank you—for helping us reach another milestone in what has been a successful school year of growing, learning, and thriving together! Our students—your children—continue to evolve and engage in meaningful, productive challenges each day, guided by our outstanding teachers and staff.

While not every day is perfect, our school is filled with laughter, smiles, moments of reflection, recovery, repaired relationships, grace, and, above all, a sense of healthy human connection.

I hope your recent break was a time of rest, restoration, and connection with loved ones—family, friends, and extended family alike. As we return, I’d like to share a point of reflection inspired by a recent Netflix series called Adolescence. Please note, this film is intended for adults and not recommended for children. However, as both a parent and an educational leader, I found several of its themes especially relevant:

Notable Themes from Adolescence:

• The power of societal messaging

• How adults intentionally and unintentionally pass on values to children

• The impact of culture on how we express and process emotions

• The lack of access to due process for those without social capital

• The importance of mental health awareness and appropriate tech/social media usage

• The complexities of setting boundaries as parents or caregivers

• The deep love and the sense of loss we feel as our children grow

• And the ultimate need to trust our parenting

If you haven’t seen the series, I encourage you to view it through the lens of parenting teens, pre-teens, or simply as a guide to proactively engage with these themes. As Maya Angelou said, “When we know better, we do better.”

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 Reminders & Updates

 The Bark of the Bulldog – Winter 2025
Apologies for the delay! Please find attached the latest edition of our school newspaper, proudly developed by our Newspaper Club, sponsored by Grades 3–5 School Counselor, Ms. Elizabeth Corbett.

Chatham Park Winter Clubs Newspaper, 2025 .pdf 

 Spring Nursing Newsletter
Check out our Spring Newsletter from the school nurses—full of helpful tips to keep our community healthy and Bulldog Strong!

Spring Nursing News.pdf 

 Sidewalk Closure
Please be advised that the sidewalk in front of the main walkway and cafeteria (Allston Road) is closed. Families must use the opposite sidewalk and cross at the intersection where the crossing guard is stationed near the staff parking lot.

 PSSA Testing Begins This Week
Testing for Grades 3–5 begins this week and will continue until the return of materials during the week of May 11th. Please avoid unscheduled visits to the building during this period to maintain a focused, disruption-free testing environment.

 Community Opportunity – Girls Flag Football (Grades 3–5)
Check out this exciting opportunity with WE Not ME Sports:
Girls Flag Football Info

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We look forward to welcoming everyone back tomorrow as we continue our shared journey toward the close of another impactful school year. If you have any questions about the above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly.

Wishing you a wonderful evening—

With love and gratitude,
Dr. Jabari Whitehead