School District of the Chathams

Ken Bryson, Director of Chatham High School Choirs, took Chamber Choir and Voices on a full day of performances in New York City.
The day began with a performance at the Empire State Building, followed by an uptown trip to sing at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The experience concluded with the group attending Ragtime at Lincoln Center.

It was a wonderful and memorable day—truly a success enjoyed by all! 🎶🎭

Kick off the holiday week with the CMS 6–8 Bands tonight! 🎺🎄 Our talented middle school musicians always put on a fantastic performance.

Dear Giving Tree Sponsors,
Our hundreds of gifts have officially been delivered/picked up. Because of all 116 of you, so many of our students will experience the pure joy and excitement that make the holidays truly special. Each gift pickup was met with tearful eyes and many thanks for your kindness. Thank you millions for helping make this holiday season so much brighter.
Wishing you and your families a very happy and healthy holiday season, and all the best to you in 2026.
Take care,
Kate DeSantis
Supervisor of Health & Well-Being

🏐 Volleython for a Cause!
Join the PRO Student Leaders on Thursday, 12/18 in the CMS Upper Gym as 7th & 8th graders play volleyball to raise awareness for suicide prevention. Proceeds from the event and bake sale support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Come watch our 7th & 8th graders bump, set, & spike to raise awareness for suicide prevention!

🤖🏆 Congratulations, Team Tacocat!
This weekend, Team Tacocat competed at the Regional Championships—an invitation-only event for the top 25% of teams in the region.
They placed 8th out of 80 teams in the robot competition (top 2.5% in NJ!) and earned the Judges Award for impressing the judges in a truly unique way.
CMS couldn’t be more proud of their hard work, creativity, and dedication! 👏🎉

Cougar Academy brought the Cougar Café to MAS this morning—serving up warm coffee and plenty of holiday cheer at the Winter concert! ☕✨

🎶 Milton Avenue School Holiday Concert 2025 🎄

Another morning of musical melodies in the SDOC! 🎶 Our district Winter Concerts continue today as Milton Avenue School’s first and second graders take the stage to showcase their talents and spread holiday cheer!

🎶🎄 Last night’s Play Unified Rock & Roll Holiday Party was one to remember! The Spectrums took the stage in ECLC’s gym and wowed a full house with their talent — rocking out to Metallica’s Enter Sandman and getting everyone in the holiday mood with Jingle Bell Rock. Truly a night filled with music, joy, and fun for all!

Do you hear what I hear? 🎶
Chatham Middle School’s 5th graders filled the morning with holiday melodies—such a wonderful way to start the day!

Cougar Academy showed their holiday spirit at Milton Avenue School’s Winter Boutique! For the past two days, they helped the K-2 students shop, tally up their orders, and wrap their gifts. Such a wonderful way to spread cheer! 🎁✨

Zach Morrow and Ella Farwell did an outstanding job presenting their Honors Entrepreneurship Projects today. Both impressed the class with their creativity, professionalism, and thoughtful business ideas.

CHS Students Against Cancer hosted the first-ever Cougars Against Cancer event!
A night of stories, performances, and presentations brought our community together while raising $1,500+ for MSK Rare Cancer Research.
Thank you to everyone who supported this important cause!

The Winter Concerts continue! ❄️🎶 Tomorrow, our WAS first- and second-graders will take the stage to share some favorite winter holiday tunes. We can’t wait to see their hard work shine!

🎷❄️ The CMS 5th Grade Winter Wonderland Jazz Band braved the cold on Friday to spread some holiday cheer throughout Chatham! They lit up the Reasoner Park Tree Lighting with performances of “Winter Wonderland” and “Jingle Cowbells.” 🎄🔔

Missed it? Don’t worry! You can catch “Jingle Cowbells” again at the 5th Grade Concert on Wednesday, 12/10 at 10 AM in the CMS Upper Gym. 🎶✨

What a magical way to kick off the holiday season! The memories these young musicians make—and the confidence they build—while performing are truly priceless.

👏🎉 Way to go, 5th Grade Band!

🎻 This Friday, December 12th!
Our CHS Chamber Orchestra will be special guests at the Montclair State University Orchestra concert!

✨ The CHS Chatham Orchestra will perform Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite — a piece rarely performed by non-professional ensembles, let alone high school musicians. Truly an incredible accomplishment!

PLUS — MSU will perform Dvořák’s 8th Symphony and will be joined on stage by Liam Keller, SDOC Director of Orchestras, along with a few select CHS students.

🙌 Help us pack the theater and celebrate our talented student musicians!
🎟️ Get tickets here: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/Kasser/1631/event/1433894

Come support our amazing performers and enjoy an unforgettable evening of music! 🎶

Reminder there is a BOE Meeting tonight, December 8, 2025 in the CHS Auditorium at 7:30 PM. The meeting will also be live streamed on YouTube at https://www.chatham-nj.org/page/live-stream-video-of-boe-meetings

🎶🏒 The Chatham Middle and High School Bands showcased their talents at the Prudential Center earlier this week during a New Jersey Devils game! Such an amazing experience — fun was had by all!
📸 Photo Credit: M. Dangler