The Central Scoop
February 22, 2019
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
Yesterday, we celebrated President's Day with an all-school assembly. Our kindergarteners got to sing and wave flags to This is America. We also recited the Pledge of Allegiance and our Central School Pledge (which your children will happily recite for you if asked!). Glee Club sang, We Salute the Presidents. Our assembly ended with the introduction of our new student council representatives. We know our new representatives will come up with some wonderful service learning projects and we can't wait to hear their ideas. As you can see - there are a lot of wonderful activities going on here at Central School! A special thanks to Mrs. Jeanne Gierke who organized our assembly.
Today our kindergarteners all celebrated our 100th day of school! They have been collecting and counting a variety of items all week. They also turned the special day into a service learning project by collecting 100 cans of food. We will be donating the cans to the New Trier Food Pantry.
Have a wonderful weekend,
- Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
President's Day Assembly
Kindergarten Celebrates Our 100th Day of School
Upcoming Board of Ed Meeting
The monthly Board of Education meeting is Monday, February 25th at 7:00 PM at the MEC. Below are a couple of topics that may be of interest. If you can’t make the meeting, you can view it live or later, either on the District website or on Channel 6. Highlights of the meeting will be emailed and posted online within a day or two.
- 2018-19 Strategic Plan Update - continuing initiatives
- Summer Construction Highcrest Phase II
- Addressing E-Cigarette Use in D39
Parent Input for Class Placement for 2019-20 School Year
We are approaching the time of the year when we begin to consider student placement for next school year. Starting immediately after spring break, we review each child’s individual learning needs with the corresponding team of teachers. The team of teachers includes your child’s classroom teacher, the “specials” teachers, as well as the special education staff. In addition, we consider other factors such as gender balance, learning styles, academic needs, social/emotional needs, and overall make-up of a class. As you can imagine, a lot of thought is put into classroom placement. We consider each child individually and place him/her with an appropriate classroom mix, as well as a good student/teacher combination.
We feel confident in our ability to appropriately place your child successfully, however, if you feel that extraordinary factors exist that the school should be aware of, please complete the attached PDF form by March 22nd (before spring break). Placement forms should be given to the secretaries in the office or placed in the principal's mailbox. Finally, we approach each year with a fresh start. Parent input letters from previous years are not considered. If you have a specific concern, it needs to be reiterated each year. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the principal or assistant principal. Please know that we will work diligently to ensure the most appropriate placement for every student.
**Also note that Highcrest has their own form/process/timeline that is different from the elementary schools. The administrators from Highcrest will be reaching out to current fourth grade parents separately about their placement process at a later date.
Music Class Announcements
The second grade music performance, “My Trip to the Mountains” will be Thursday, March 7th at 2:00pm in the Central Auditorium. This event will require that you bring a "ticket" - electronic or paper. Mrs. Gierke will create the ticket and email it to all parents before the event. Please show the secretaries your "ticket" when you arrive - just like you do to enter a movie theater.
Parents Visit Music Class is March 18h - 21st for grades K, 1st, 3rd and 4th. For more details and to view a full schedule of "Parents Visit Music Class," please visit Mrs. Gierke’s website at:
https://sites.google.com/a/wilmette39.org/central-music/parents-visit-music?authuser=0
Report Card Access Ends Monday - view reports online now!
Report cards have been accessible to parents online since Wednesday, February 7th. To access report cards, navigate to https://ps.wilmette39.org and sign in. If you do not remember your user credentials, use the "Forgot Username" or "Password?" link. If that doesn’t resolve your issue, please contact Sallie or Cathy in the front office. I'm attaching two pdf documents (How to Read the Revised Report Card and Behaviors that Promote Learning) for your reference when reviewing your child's report, see documents below.
D39 Summer Enrichment Program
Wilmette, District 39’s Summer Enrichment Program brochure will be available to view online January 21st.
Reminder, registration is done online . Registration opens February 4, 2019.
Park District After School Clubs - Spring Session
PTA Announcements and Reminders...
* The PTA sends out their own newsletter on Sundays - here are just a few highlights:
Dad's Night Out
Back by popular demand: DAD’S NIGHT OUT! Calling all Central School Dads: Get ready for delicious EATS and DRINKS at Backyard BBQ on Friday, March 15 from 7:00 - 9:30. Dan will be grilling up some delicious apps & entrees to enjoy while you catch up with friends and enjoy some beer. Cost is $75 per dad which includes three beers. All proceeds benefit Central School. Sign up below. **No walk-ins will be permitted, so please be sure to register for the event in advance - there is a cap on attendance. See you there! Sign up Here !
Community Announcements...
- 2019 Municipal Election Candidate Forums will be held at the Village Hall on Saturday, March 16th. Check the website for specific groups and times.
- Wilmette Public Library hosts Maker Fest on February 23rd, 10:30-2:30.
- Wilmette Baseball Association has opened registration for spring leagues. 4th grade registration is closing soon with evaluations on February 23rd.
- Wilmette Historical Museum hosts "Design Your Dream Home" on March 17th, 1:30 - 4:00 pm.
- Northwestern’s Center for Talent Development offers Weekend Enrichment Programs for students age 3 through 8th grade.
- Kids Against Hunger service project on Saturday, March 16th.
- Love to sing? Youth Choral Theatre of Chicago offers a free vocal training class with flyer. Vocal classes available for children ages 4-18.
- The Center Fitness Club schedule and various park district classes for children ages 3-14 are posted.
- Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
- Family Action Network (FAN) - Click HERE for information about FAN and upcoming speakers.
Wilmette Junior High Musical
Here’s a link to the spring musical site with ticket info: https://sites.google.com/a/wilmette39.org/fall-play/performance-ticket-info Please “be our guest” at this year’s spring nusical, Beauty and the Beast, Jr., featuring almost 80 students from Wilmette Junior High School! Beauty and the Beast JR.tells the story of Belle, an adventurous young girl, and the Beast, her hideous captor who is actually a young prince trapped under a spell. In order to break the spell, the Beast must learn to love another and earn her love in return – before time runs out. With the help of the castle’s enchanted staff, including a loving teapot, a charming candelabra, and a nervous mantel clock, Belle and the Beast find a beautiful friendship and love that neither knew was possible. Beauty and the Beast JR. features classic songs from the Academy Award®-winning film score such as “Be Our Guest” and “Belle,” as well as original songs from the 1994 Tony®-nominated Broadway musical. Our performance of Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.is open to the public at WJHS on Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16 at 7 pm, and Sunday, March 17 at 1 pm. Tickets will be sold for $5 in the WJHS cafeteria from 11:30 to 12:30 on March 11 - 15, and at the door for $7.
From the Nurse's Office
Call Central School "Attendance Line" For Absences: 847-512-6150
Please call the Attendance Line to report absences even if you let the classroom teacher know, because some teachers don't see the email/voicemail until later in the day. Teachers assume you are calling the office. It's important that the school nurse is directly aware of any absences otherwise, your son/daughter may be considered "missing." The school nurse keeps track of all school absences in the building. For safety reasons, we want to make sure all of our students are accounted for and safe.
New Central Health Office Website!!
Here is your go-to site for all of your health related questions including PE/Recess Notes, Health Requirements, Dental Examinations, Allergy and Asthma, Medications, Snacks in Classrooms, Lice, Influenza...and more!
https://sites.google.com/wilmette39.org/centralhealthoffice/home
Join us on Twitter!
Central School is on Twitter!
- We have TWO Twitter accounts. Please "follow" us at Twitter.com! Explore Central 39 (with our actual "handle" as @explorecentral). With this account, we mostly share student activities that are completed in the Learning Commons (but other activities are often included as well). We are also providing this Twitter feed on our Central School homepage.
- There is also a principal page @BeckyLittmann where you can follow a variety of school happenings including all-school events, classroom activities, PTA enrichment, and school goals.
Save the Dates...
2/24 - Central School Annual Daughter Dance 2-4pm
3/1 - D39 Education Foundation's Annual Family Bingo Night
3/5 - Pass39 Special Ed. Annual Report Meeting
3/6 - PTA Evening Meeting - Ramaa Krishnan 7:00pm
3/8 - Sleep-Under Fundraiser 5-8:30pm
3/15 - Dad's Night Out 7-9:30pm