The Chapin Check-In

Upcoming Parent Meeting Schedule with Steve Bristol, Interim Head of School

While formal email invitations will be sent under separate cover, you are welcome to RSVP directly at your convenience to Karen Hepburn khepburn@chapinschool.org.

• Wednesday, 2/26/25 8:15am  - In-person Parent Meet & Greet with Steve
• Thursday, 2/27/25 7:00pm - Zoom Parent Meet & Greet with Steve (Zoom details will be sent closer to the date.) 
• Thursday, 5/8/2025 8:15am -  In-person - Meet Steve for Coffee and Conversation hosted by the Chapin Board of Trustees 
• Friday, 5/9/25 3:00pm - Annual Runathon at Chapin - Steve will be in attendance.

Friday, March 28, 2025

Dear Chapin Community,

We hope everyone had a nice, relaxing Spring Break. We are excited for the spring at Chapin, which is full of year-end Parents' Association events and activities!

School Store:

The Spring online Gym Store is now live! Click here to shop online! Please note that this is different from the Spirit Wear store. Click here to go to the Spirit Wear Store. The spirit wear store is open all year round. 

Get your Chapin Gym Uniforms at the Chapin School Store! You may order your gym apparel online during Spring sales periods to ensure availability of desired sized merchandise. The inventory tends to sell out, so it is best to place your orders early! Please refer to the Dress Code for gym uniform requirements.
The dates for the Spring sale periods are:

· Monday 03/31 through Sunday 04/13, expected delivery: by week of May 9th
Please note, orders placed during the upcoming spring sales periods will have the option of being shipped directly to your address for a nominal shipping fee or The School Store will offer school distribution to your child’s locker. 

Chapin School Store Info:

The Chapin School Store is part of the Chapin Parents’ Association. The co-managers of the store this year are Deepti Thota P’30 and Aruna Chinnaswami P’29. We have partnered with a vendor to create an online Chapin Gym Uniform Store for ordering and delivery.

If you have any questions about ordering or sizes, please email the school store at schoolstore@chapinschool.org.

April PA Meeting:

Our next Parents’ Association meeting will be held on Friday, April 11th, at 8:00 a.m. Join us in the Learning Commons to hear from some of our 8th grade students with reflections on their time at Chapin and their experiences with the secondary school process. The PA meetings are open to ALL Chapin parents. Refreshments will be served.

Any questions can be emailed to Melissa McClellan, PA President, at PApresident@chapinschool.org.

Garden Work Parties & Swap:

Please save the dates for our 3 garden work parties of the season. 

· Directly after school hours on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22nd, from 3:10-4:30 pm;

· Sunday, May 4th, from 9-11 am. Please RSVP and sign up here;

· During the Runathon on Friday, May 9th, throughout the day.

On Earth Day, we will focus on garden tidying and organize the shed. On May 4th, we'll be incorporating compost and installing the irrigation system. During the Runathon, students and other community members can transplant seedlings that the upper school will have started and cared for earlier in the season to be used in the school kitchen at harvest time.

Please note that the Runathon will have a sustainability focus this year. In addition to garden activities, a Chapin Gear Swap will also be available. Please drop your gently used, clean Chapin gear to swap into the silver and red bin in the lobby labelled "Chapin Gear Swap" prior to May 9th. You can obtain used gear from the gear swap table at Runathon.

Any questions can be emailed to Erin Gomez, Associate VP of Sustainability, at PAsustainability@chapinschool.org.

Thank you,

The Chapin Parents' Association

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February 7, 2025

Dear Parents of Rising K-8 Students who reside in New Jersey,

All nonpublic school students in grades kindergarten through eight in 2025-2026 who reside in New Jersey must complete both a NJ Nonpublic School Transportation Application (B6T) and a NJ Individual Student Request Form for Loan of Textbooks (LOT). Both forms must be completed for each Chapin student; so, if you have two children at Chapin, you will need to complete two B6T forms and two LOT forms. Please return the forms via email (preferred) or hard copy to Joan Brodie, jbrodie@chapinschool.org, by March 3, 2025. 

Thank you in advance for completing these forms by the deadline.

Click each link below to access the forms:

NJ B6T Transportation Form  

NJ LOT Loan of Textbooks Form

February 4, 2025

Dear Chapin Families:

At the beginning of the year, I sent a letter about our Independent Reading Book Program, and we thought this would be a great time to update our plan. Chapin wants to emphasize reading for enjoyment in the same way we emphasize reading for learning. With this in mind, we want to ensure that all students have a book they can pull out of their backpack or locker before reaching for their iPads. Humanities classes have been managing this in different ways and will continue to do so, but we will put added emphasis on IRB reading in all classes and free time.

Here is an article about the benefits of Independent Reading.

As part of this initiative, we would like to give students access to our high-quality collection of books in the Learning Commons and Humanities classrooms. While this is a small library, it has a vast and age-appropriate collection of fiction and nonfiction books. We will have a checkout system for the students, but it will be important that they show responsibility for managing their borrowed books and respect for Chapin’s collection so the books remain in good condition. Of course, students can still bring in books from their local library or any book you have purchased. 

Please remember that books should be appropriate for school and each student’s reading ability. While we encourage students to read books above their level, please have them check in with their Humanities teacher for guidance about their selections.

Here are some book lists, but students should consult with their Humanities teachers about other book ideas. Non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and plays are all acceptable. Graphic novels are great as long as the images are appropriate for school. 

5th and 6th Grade Books Suggestions

7th and 8th Grade Books Suggestions