The Central Scoop
December 22, 2017
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
This week has been filled with fun activities with a winter theme. Yesterday we had a wonderful school-wide assembly that featured several classrooms including our afternoon kindergarten students and Glee Club. Mr. Truman and his class also shared a lovely winter poem with all of us. We would like to thank Mrs. Jeanne Gierke for her direction and guidance with this special student performance.
Today students in grades 1-4 participated in a "Winter Wonderland STEAM Day" in the Learning Commons. We completed activities with a focus on integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math. Lauren Wysocke, Linda Diekman, and Bonny Skutch planned six stations for students, including:
- "Dash on Snow Patrol", where students had to program a Dash robot to plow the snow
- Creating a Holiday Circuit Card with paper circuit materials (copper tape, LEDs, and batteries)
- Squishy Circuit Snowflakes, where students used playdoh to conduct electricity and make LEDs light up
- Snowflake Challenge, where students had to design a tunnel for a snowflake pom pom to travel down
- Sledding Ramp Challenge, where students built a sled ramp for a Lego figure
- Lego Mystery Pictures, where students created mosaics of different winter pictures out of legos using coordinate grids
Our fourth grade students helped to run the activities, and we greatly appreciated their help and leadership!
With the holiday season upon us, Dana and I find ourselves reflecting on the many wonderful people in our lives. We are truly grateful for our dedicated staff, collaborative parents, and talented students. The passion and enthusiasm that everyone displays each day is inspirational. We appreciate everything you do to make Central a very special place for all of us.
Over the next couple of weeks, we hope you will find plenty of time to relax with your loved ones. We wish you a very joyous holiday season and a New Year filled with peace, prosperity, and memories you will cherish for years to come.
Warmly,
- Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
School & District Announcements and Reminders...
A Note From the Nurse - Are you going on vacation early??
While we prefer that your children are at school all week next week, we understand that you may be leaving a little early for vacation due to previous vacation plans. If you already have dates planned in advance, you can call the safe phone ahead of time to report absences. The safe phone is available 24/7 at 847-512-6150. You should also be notifying the classroom teacher of any planned absences.
Lost and Found
Just a reminder that any items still in "Lost and Found" will be donated to charity over winter break.
Recess - Winter is Here!
Please remind your child(ren) to bring the following items if they would like to play in the snow during recess:
- Jacket
- Hat
- Gloves
- Snow pants
- Boots
Cold Weather Procedures (When we keep the children inside for recess)
The district policy is for schools to hold indoor recess when the temperature is below 5 degrees, including windchill.
Call Central School "Safe Phone" For Absences: 847-512-6150
Please call the "SAFE" (absence) phone to report absences even if you let the classroom teacher knows, 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.
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 professional development, student activities, parent involvement, and school goals.
Green Team Announcement
Are you decorating for the holidays? Have you found any old or broken holiday lights? Are you looking for a way to get rid of them in an environmentally friendly way? Well great news! The Green Team (and Central’s Environmental Awareness Committee) is teaming up with the Village of Wilmette and SWANCC to keep all those lights and wires out of our landfills! Just bring your lights to Central School and drop them into the boxes located in the front lobby. We’ll be collecting lights until Friday January 19th. So easy and no guilt! What a great way to stay green this holiday season - Happy Holidays from the Green Team!
PTA Announcements and Reminders...
* The PTA sends out their own newsletter on Sundays - here are just a few highlights
Central School Garden
Please help the garden grow as Central looks forward to celebrating its 20th Anniversary next year! The PTA is excited about improvements to enhance learning and further ways to enjoy outdoor space. Please consider donating, we appreciate your support!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4daeab28a2fa7-support
Community Announcements...
- Wilmette Park District hosts after school clubs for students at Central, Harper, McKenzie January 9 - March 23.
MasterChef Junior is hosting open casting calls in Chicago on January 13th for children ages 8-13.
Family Action Network (FAN)
Click HERE for information about FAN and upcoming speakers.
Additional information on community events can be found here http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Upcoming Events...
- 12/25-1/5 - No School, Winter Break (school resumes Monday, Jan 8th)
- 1/17 - PTA Meeting @9:00am
- 1/18-1/19 - Kindergarten registration
- 1/19 - PTA's Family Fun Night/Bingo Night at Central
- 1/22 - Board of Education Meeting @7:00PM