North Chatham Elementary School

Our hallways were once again roaring with the sound of students at our Open House last night! Students and their families had an opportunity to meet their teachers for this year, sign up for bus transportation or car rider tags, purchase spirit wear from our PTA, pick up backpacks filled with school supplies from our Student Services Team, finish Infinite Campus enrollment on school computers, and roam the hallways to find some familiar faces. We will see you again next week, Jaguars! 🐆 #onechatham

Our staff is ready to step up to a new school year! We elevated our core value of fostering community as we came together for a whole staff breakfast and opening meeting on Monday morning. Many thanks to the BOLD Foundation for our yogurt parfait bar and to the McDonald's at Cole Park Plaza for the coffee! 🥾 #onechatham

Mrs. Murchison and Dr. Heffelfinger found our Jaguars out in the wild during our safari through the NCE neighborhood communities last week! We hope to spot you again this week at our Open House on Wednesday, August 20th from 4:30-6:00. Keep watching for a video about what to expect at this year's Open House. 🐾 #onechatham

Welcome to "Paw Prints"! Each week families will have access to North Chatham's family newsletter via text or they can access it via Facebook or Instagram. Here is the link: https://secure.smore.com/n/y15428

Our Principal and Assistant Principal are hitting the road in about an hour to look around town for our jaguars! We’re popping up at neighborhood pools for 15-minute meet & greets—come say hi, grab a gift, and get excited for a wild new school year. Some lucky jaguars will even win special prizes just for showing up! Follow along as we go on our safari to bring the school spirit straight to YOU. 🐆

📍Nature Trail Community Pool (326 Nature Trail, Chapel Hill)- 12:00 PM
📍Governors Village Community Pool (30033 Village Park Dr, Chapel Hill)- 12:20 PM
📍Westfall Community Pool (675 Westfall Wy, Chapel Hill)- 12:45 PM
📍Preserve Community Pool (833 The Preserve Trail, Chapel Hill)- 1:15 PM
📍Legacy Community Pool (225 Legacy Club Dr, Chapel Hill)- 1:40 PM
📍Amberly Community Pool (1075 Residents Club Dr, Cary)- 2:15 PM

See you soon!

#onechatham

Our Jaguar staff will soon be ROARrrring with pride they just can't hide wearing these new shirts! 🐾 #onechatham

Beep, beep! Need to make transportation requests for the 2025-2026 school year? Fill out this form to let our staff know: https://forms.gle/Ps3LwtBhkAzxvb7VA. 🚘

For Car Rider requests:
-Students will be given a number upon request.
-An email notification will be provided when the Car Rider tag is ready for pick-up.
-Car Rider tags will be available for pick-up from the main office on August 21st, August 22nd, and August 25th.
-If the tags are not picked up before the first day of school, the tags will be sent home with the student on the first day of school.

For Bus Rider requests:
-Requests for new bus riders will be submitted to the CCS transportation department for approval, and may take up to 10-15 business days to be added to a route. Please plan accordingly for transportation until then.
-An email notification with a start date will be provided when students have been approved by the CCS transportation department and added to a bus route.
-Addresses for bus transportation must match home address in Infinite Campus.
-CCS' transportation practices state that it is the duty and responsibility of parents or their designees to provide supervision at the bus stop for students in grades K-3. Anyone who serves as a designee must be in the 4th grade or beyond.
-Submit a Bus Stop Permission Form for all persons who will be meeting your student at the bus stop and submit to Dr. Heffelfinger (mheffelfinger@chatham.k12.nc.us). The Bus Stop Permission Form can be found in the Google form or in your child's Open House folder.

All updates on transportation requests will be provided to the email address that you include in the form. Look for updates from Mrs. Atkinson (Data Manager) and/or Dr. Heffelfinger (Assistant Principal).

#onechatham

Ever wanted to be the Carline DJ, sit in the Principal's Chair, or shadow the Principal? Come to our Principal Meet & Greets on Friday, August 15th for a chance to win one of 12 unforgettable experiences!

We’re popping up at neighborhood pools for 15-minute meet & greets—see the schedule below, and follow along as we go on our safari to bring the school spirit straight to YOU. 🐆

📍Nature Trail Community Pool (326 Nature Trail, Chapel Hill)- 12:00 PM
📍Governors Village Community Pool (30033 Village Park Dr, Chapel Hill)- 12:20 PM
📍Westfall Community Pool (675 Westfall Wy, Chapel Hill)- 12:45 PM
📍Preserve Community Pool (833 The Preserve Trail, Chapel Hill)- 1:15 PM
📍Legacy Community Pool (225 Legacy Club Dr, Chapel Hill)- 1:40 PM
📍Amberly Community Pool (1075 Residents Club Dr, Cary)- 2:15 PM

See you soon!

#onechatham

Let's leap into the new school year! 🐆 Join us for Open House on Wednesday, August 20th, 4:30–6:00 PM. Meet your teacher, explore your classroom, grab spirit wear from the PTA, check your bus route, and reconnect with friends. Families can enter through the front entrance or cafeteria lobby—we can’t wait to see our Jaguars back on campus! 🐾

Let’s give our staff the jolt of a jaguar as they return from summer break! 🐆 We are collecting coffee pods, individually-wrapped snacks, and sips for the fridge (soda, sparkling water, juice, etc.) — shop our Amazon wishlist or drop off items between August 13th-15th.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2Z9EZUILCPKTO?ref=cm_sw_sm_r_un_un_jn4zuKR6YKHiS

#onechatham

Turning the page on old carpet—our library’s looking novel with its new look! 📚

Kindergarten Screening just got sweeter! Join us alongside our PTA for Popsicles on the Playground on Friday, August 15th. Meet new friends, grab a popsicle & a tee—our tiniest Jaguars are ready to roar! 🍧 #onechatham

We look forward to welcoming our newest Jaguars to the "Jungle" very soon! 🐆

Find all 2025-2026 Enrollment Information on the CCS Website. Please ensure that your child has been fully registered through Infinite Campus to secure placement in one of our kindergarten classes.

Also make sure you have signed your child up for the Kindergarten Screening on Friday, August 15th. The screener includes a one-on-one assessment with a kindergarten teacher. Teachers will use this information to plan the staggered entry dates and classroom rosters.

Students will be assigned to one staggered entry date -- August 26th, August 27th, OR August 28th -- following the Screening on August 15th. Families will be notified of their child's staggered entry date by phone/email following the Screening. Students will only attend one of the staggered entry dates.

Families will be notified of their child's homeroom teacher by phone/email following the completion of the staggered entry dates on the afternoon of Thursday, August 28th. All kindergarteners will begin regular school attendance on Friday, August 29th.

If you have any questions, call our main office at 919-967-3094.

#onechatham

Our School Improvement Team grabbed their binoculars and zoomed in on schoolwide data and instructional practices during yesterday’s summer session. With a sharp eye on improvement, we’re spotting opportunities and getting the Jungle ready—our Jaguars will be back before we know it! 👀 #onechatham

We are on the prowl for Jaguars interested in joining the North Chatham staff! We are currently hiring for our secretary/treasurer, 5th grade teacher, and part-time EC resource teacher positions. Send resumes to Principal Murchison (nicole@chatham.k12.nc.us). 🐆 #onechatham

We hope our Jaguars are just about ready for school! Grab your supply list and get ready for a great start to the year: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kbrEiTWBZARMnXu2X2xtUrhJm8umgM3nO-m1FshsP7g/edit?usp=sharing 🎒 #onechatham

Waving you a little "hello" from the school to the pool! We might be two weeks deep in summer, but the energy from the last day still has us floating. Hope you've traded grades for shades, homework for hangouts, and algebra for adventure! 🛟 #onechatham

It's Throwback Thursday so we are taking it back to the Fifth Grade Moving-Up Ceremony! With a luau spirit, we honored an amazing group of students who are now sailing towards the next exciting island on their educational journey: middle school. Like expert voyagers, they spent the past years gathering knowledge, building friendships, and learning how to navigate through challenges. Just like the waves that shape the shoreline, each one of them made a mark on our school that will never be washed away. Go make some waves, fifth graders! 🌊 #onechatham

It's a warm Wednesday outside, and we have something that will warm your heart! A group of fifth graders asked Dr. Heffelfinger to help them provide a token of appreciation to the NCE staff before they left for middle school. The students worked together to hand deliver a sunflower stem and a poem to each staff member -- including custodians, office staff, instructional assistants, nutrition staff, bus drivers, and teachers. There were lots of hugs, and a few tearful eyes, as the fifth graders said thank you for cultivating, helping them grow, and teaching them more than they could know. 🌻 #onechatham