The Central Scoop
January 22, 2021
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Central Families,
Valentines Day allows us to show appreciation to those around us. Both students and adults look forward to sharing messages of kindness and inclusion. As with so many things this year, Valentine's Day will look a little different within our classrooms, however we encourage you to continue to use this day to spread the message of love and kindness to our community. Specific classroom-based celebration information will be sent out by classroom teachers, but rather than exchanging Valentines and passing out trinkets in the classroom like we do in a typical year, we are encouraging our students to make Valentines for others. Specifically, we will be providing opportunities for our students to send Valentines to our sister school, The Little Village Academy, and we will have more details on how to best do this at school next week. We are also suggesting our families and classrooms spread the message of love and kindness to the greater community. Consider sending cards to neighbors, children in the hospital, individuals in local nursing homes, military service members, etc. Many organizations are accepting cards this year, but if you need ideas, click HERE. We look forward to seeing how our Central School Foxes can brighten the greater community!
As a reminder, Friday 29th is an Early Release Day. KEEP39 and grades 1-4 are released at 11:55am and AM Kindergarten is released at 10:00am.
With Warm Regards,
~ Becky & Taylor
Updates From District 39
SafeGuard Screening:
Please register your child to participate. Thank you to everyone who has registered and participated in our SafeGuard Screening program for in-person students and staff. This is an important additional mitigation measure to help us identify and isolate COVID cases, reduce the need for quarantines, and maintain a healthy school environment for all. If you have not done so already, please register to participate here.
Board of Education Meeting:
The D39 Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting on Monday, January 25 at 7:00 pm. The agenda is posted here, and includes links to the live-stream as well as instructions for those wishing to attend in-person. On Monday, the Board will review the District’s experience thus far with SafeGuard Screening, and hear updates on Strategic Planning, vaccines for educators, planning for summer 2021, and the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Calendar, among other topics.
Remote Learning Parent Webinar:
If you missed our D39 Remote Learning Parent Webinar on Wednesday evening, a recording is available here. Thank you to all who joined us!.
Metrics Team Update
Our District 39 Metrics Reopening Advisory Team hosts regular meetings to study important school-relevant metrics of COVID-19 and the District’s health and safety protocol. The team did not meet this week, and is scheduled to meet again next Friday morning. The D39 Metrics Dashboard and full report for this week are available online for those interested in reviewing it.
D39 Parent Education Event
Winter Weather is Here!
We had a few cold days this week! Here ere are a few reminders about our cold weather procedures.
Arrival and Dismissal
When it is below 5 degrees (feels like/wind chill):
- Doors will open at 8:25 and students will be brought into the building (after temps are checked) to stand on hallway markers, socially distanced, until the bell rings when they can be dismissed to classrooms.
- Students will be brought into the lobby area if they are waiting outside too long at dismissal (discretion of the supervisors).
Recess
When dressed properly, school-aged children can participate in safe, active play in an outdoor environment in most weather conditions. Increased caution should be practiced when temperatures are below 5 degrees including the wind chill factor.
- 5 degrees or above including wind chill = Outdoor recess
- Below 5 degrees including wind chill = Indoor recess in classrooms
Snow
Students must have snow pants, boots, gloves/mittens, and hats in order to play in the snow during recess and PE.
MAP Testing
During the coming weeks, grade 2-8 students in Wilmette District 39 will be taking the NWEA MAP Growth Assessments. By now, students should be familiar with this assessment, which is given near the start, middle, and end of each school year starting in 2nd grade. Both remote learners and in-person students will be taking the tests online, administered by their teachers.
Administering these assessments multiple times per year allows teachers to monitor student progress over time and target instruction based on results. If you would like to learn more about the assessment, here is a link to NWEA’s Family Toolkit.
Report Cards
Report cards will be viewable to parents on 2/5. 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. We are attaching two pdf documents (How to Read the Report Card and Behaviors that Promote Learning) for your reference when reviewing your child's report, see documents below.
Wilmette Warriors - This Week!
In an effort to recognize our outstanding students, each classroom teacher is identifying a student from class for a weekly special recognition. Each week, students will be selected for showing characteristics such as kindness, respect, trust, caring, friendship, courage and community. Selected students will receive a certificate and recognition through a short celebration video that will be shared on Friday afternoons. Please see the video below celebrating our WILMETTE WARRIORS from this week!
Reminders For In-Person Learners
- Please refer to the SPECIAL NEWSLETTER for in-person learners with reminders about our health and safety practices.
- Please remember to send your child daily with a completed COVID certification ticket (and remember to sign the bottom)
- Remember that if anyone in the household is experiencing symptoms, everyone in the household should quarantine at home until a negative PCR test result is received.
- IDPH recently updated their COVID decision tree.
- Please note that the shortened 7 day quarantine with a negative PCR test does not apply to students.
- Cook County DPH determines the length of student quarantines based on individual cases.
- Please remember to send your students to school with a well-fitting and clean mask (and at least two extras in their backpack) daily. Any worn masks should be washed before they are used on another day.
- Reminder that masks with valves and gaiters are not allowed.
- If a mask is not staying up on your child’s face and they constantly need to adjust it or it isn’t covering their nose, it should not be used.
- Students are also encouraged to bring personal sanitizer bottles for their desks/spaces. While there is plenty of hand sanitizer throughout the school, we are finding that children like to have their own personal bottles nearby for easy and quick access.
Educational Foundation Silver Lining Project (2nd Posting)
We are pleased to announce D39 Educational Foundation’s The Silver Lining Project: Celebrating the Unexpected & Rewarding moments During Covid-19. We are excited to launch this project in the D39 community and capture the positive moments our students and families have experienced during the past year. This is easy and fun to do as a family! The D39 Education Foundation would like you to share a photograph, drawing, painting, poem or audio file, that expresses your unexpected and rewarding moments during COVID-19. We shared this project with students via Seesaw yesterday. The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 26th. All submissions will be compiled into a bound hardcover book for each school, so your inspiration and our memory of this most unique time of our lives will live on forever.
Families can share artifacts by:
- Uploading an artifact to this Google Form with your gmail account.
- Email the silverliningproject@d39foundation.org. Please include your child's name, grade and school, digital file (10mb limit) and 1-2 sentences why it is your Silver Lining.
Calling All Incoming Kindergarten Families! (2nd Posting)
Please mark your calendars for kindergarten registration beginning on March 8th.
March 8th: 9am-7pm @ Central School
March 9th: 8am-3pm @ Central School
Below you will also find some information regarding our Kindergarten Enrichment and Enhancement Program or KEEP39. We are anticipating that KEEP39 will be an option for our kindergarten students during the 2021-2022 school year. Decisions regarding KEEP39 will be finalized after the Board of Education meeting on February 22nd. At this time, we are not sure if there will be a lottery for KEEP39 spaces, or if all students will have a space. Please look forward to receiving more information by Friday, February 26th. You can also check on the most updated information on the district's Kindergarten Enrichment website.
We look forward to working with you to register for academic kindergarten and KEEP39 in March!
Early Bird Before School Care At Central (2nd Posting)
Did you know that the Before School Child Care Early Birds Program is now available on a DROP-IN basis? Once you’ve registered your student, you may drop-in whenever you need the service. We open at 6:45 a.m. every in-person school day. Invoices and charges are processed weekly; pay only for the days used.
- We offer an adult to student ratio of 1 to 5
- Enrollment is capped at 15 children per school
- Personal craft supply baskets are provided for each child
- Masks, social distancing and hand hygiene are practiced
- Safety, creativity and fun activities are encouraged!
Register and pay online through the District’s web store
Additional information is available on the website. Please contact Mary Ann Esler eslerm@wilmette39.org if you have any questions.
Spring Bus Registration (2nd Posting)
For any students that did not ride the bus in the Fall, bus registration for the Spring is now open. There are limited spots, so please contact me, transportation@wilmette39.org to see if we can accommodate your child. If we can, a link will be sent to you for payment.
The Spring semester fee is $191.50 for one-way service, and $337.50 for round trip service.
Monthly Birthday Bash with the Principals
Here is the Zoom link:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86424245957?pwd=UWJyYllIWC9pQzA4S1FTaXlpSGh3Zz09
Meeting ID: 864 2424 5957
Passcode: Foxes
PTA Announcements & Reminders
Central Foxes, on Thursday, January 28th we are teaming up with Fuel!
Call (847)251-3835 or text (312)719-8088 for your farm-to-table, locally sourced fuel for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don’t forget to mention Central Check out the family style entrees on this week’s menu below. Beat the rush—pre-orders are being accepted starting Tuesday at 8 am.
Community Announcements...
- Scouts BSA Troop 5 of Wilmette hosts a recruiting event Sunday, January 24th, 2:00-3:30 p.m. at Wood Oaks Green Park in Northbrook for boys and girls in grades 5-8. Dress for the weather!
- Trevian Girls Softball Association is adding players to their girls 8-12 year old spring and summer teams. Contact Kelsey Farmer at kfarmer@trevians.org for more information.
- Wilmette Baseball Association’s 2021 Spring House League registration is now open for Kdg. through 8th graders.
- Wilmette Historical Museum is offering two fun virtual events. Virtual Wilmette Bingo will be held on February 21st. Reserve your Bingo board by February 19th. Color a Vintage Valentine and spread some virtual love.
- Cub Scouts Pack 1 Welcomes all McKenzie students! Contact wilmettepackone@gmail.com to sign up.
- Covid Catch Up Tutors offers free virtual tutoring by qualified high school students for Pre-K through High School grade levels.
- Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
- Covid Catch Up Tutors offers free virtual tutoring by qualified high school students for Pre-K through High School grade levels.
- Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
From the Nurse's Office
Call Central School "Attendance Line" For Absences: 847-512-6150
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!
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...
1/25 - 2nd Semester Begins
1/26: General PTA Meeting @9:15 (Zoom)
1/28: PTA's Dine with Central: Fuel
1/29: Early Release (KEEP39 and 1-4 released at 11:55am, K at 10:00am)
2/15 - No School, President's Day
2/22 - Birthday Bash with the Principals @ 3pm
2/26 - No School, Institute Day