Wildcat News
AUGUST 2021
Contact our office at: 253-298-3200 centralavenue@fpschools.org
Central Avenue Elementary
Tonya Middling - Principal
Kristin Hillius - Assistant Principal
Dear Parents and Families,
Welcome back!! Hopefully you have had a wonderful summer so far, enjoying family and friends, and finding the right balance of rest and adventure! We are getting excited about students returning to school in three weeks from now!
During the week of August 23rd, our staff will be engaging in professional development organized around our school district's 3 pillars:
- Improved Instruction
- Equity/Social Justice
- Family/Community Partnerships
Our school MISSION statement will continue to be our guide for this year's work:
With the support of, and in partnership with our Wildcat families, our mission is to provide equitable and engaging instruction in a mutually safe and respectful space where all students prosper academically, socially, and emotionally for success in life and learning beyond Central Avenue.
We hope to create new pathways for our families to have an authentic voice in the work that we do as a school and community. To that end, teachers will be reaching out to some families to arrange an introductory meeting for students that are newer to our school as a means to connect prior to the school year starting. There will be additional opportunities to connect to our school as noted below.
It's great to be a Wildcat! Get excited. Let's go!
Mrs. Middling
Welcome Back to School Family Zoom Meeting with Principal & Asst. Principal
We are so excited to see each and everyone of you! We want to share some important information about what to expect the first day of school. We will be covering topics such as COVID Safety, Arrival/Dismissal Procedures, Volunteering, our Family and Student Handbook, and more!
https://fpschools.zoom.us/j/83304308397?pwd=NndVZEFRQ3FEMTJ1YkZmb0s1MzNuQT09
Get your questions asked and answered!
We look forward to seeing you!
When: Wednesday, August 18th at 6:00 p.m.
Mrs. Middling, Principal
Mrs. Hillius, Assistant Principal
COVID Guidelines
Social Distancing:
- 3ft between STUDENTS in the CLASSROOM
- 6ft in common areas & community settings
- 6ft during lunches and mealtimes
- 6ft during activities when increased exhalation occurs
Masks:
- Cloth masks must be worn except when eating or during mask breaks.
- Students can ask for a mask break when they need it.
Cleaning/Sanitizing:
- Hot spots (door handles, water fountains, desks, etc.) will be cleaned throughout the day.
- Deep cleaning/sanitizing will be done in the evenings.
Lunchtime:
- Students will be eating in the gym 6 ft. apart with their class and grade level.
Recess Time:
- Students will play in designated zones with their classmates. Masks must be worn except if they ask for a break.
- There will be 6 zones that they will rotate through so they'll have a variety of activities and things to do that are different from one zone to another.
Daily Schedule:
- Schools will return to normal bell schedule times
- Weekly early releases on Wednesdays will remain for all students (90 minutes release)
- Transportation will return to normal operations
Important Dates to Remember
August 18th @ 6:00pm: Welcome Back Family Zoom Meeting with Mrs. Middling & Mrs. Hillius
August 24th: Virtual Back to School Open House- 4:30-6pm (this will be done virtually now)
August 31st: First day of school
FIRST WEEK OF KINDERGARTEN REMINDER
-Information about your scheduled time will be coming later this month.
The official kick-off for Kindergartners will be Tuesday, September 7th where they'll be here every day, all day.
2021-2022 Immunization Requirements
2021-2022 Enrollment
We are currently registering new kindergarten through grade 5 students who live within our attendance boundaries or have daycare in our area. If you live outside of the Franklin Pierce Schools boundaries, and attend Central Avenue because of daycare, a district waiver form is needed from your home resident school district. Current students are automatically enrolled for next year. Enrollees must provide a copy of your child’s birth certificate, immunization records, and proof of residence. To be eligible for kindergarten, children must be five years of age by August 31, 2021. On-line registration is available on the district website. Click on the "Enroll for 2021-2022" button, and follow the steps.
Attention Parents of Students with District Releases
Now is the time to get your releases! The deadline for school choice/releases to have your children considered for placement at Midland next year is May 31st.
Out of District - If you live outside of the Franklin Pierce district boundaries please click here to submit your Choice Transfer form. Please note that if you live in the Bethel School District, you must contact them directly to get your release. Once you receive the release, you will need to send it to our office (Bethel does not automatically send it to us).
With-In District - If your child attended Midland on a within district transfer, please click here and complete the Within District Transfer Request form.
Overload students – If your child is currently enrolled at Midland on overload from another school in our district, you must enroll as soon as possible in your home school. This ensures that your child will be included in the spring placement process. Please remember that your child will be withdrawn from Midland at the end of the 2020-21 school year.
Daycare - If your child attends Midland for daycare purposes, the daycare forms can be located here.
YMCA Child Care
COMMUNITY BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR
ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
We are keeping the same procedures as last year for parent drop-off and pick-up. Parent drop-off will be no earlier than 9:20am and parent pick-up will be at 4:05pm.
Parent Drop-off & Pick-up:
Our parent drop-off and pick-up area is off of Bingham in our back parking lot. You will stay in your vehicle and wrap around the parking lot to the the designated drop-off/pick-up area (blue painted sidewalk and cones with numbers designating loading area). Your child will be sent to the loading area as we see you come into our lot.
1- Each student who is parent pick-up will be assigned a number and a car hanger will be given to the parent so the numbers match (siblings will have the same number). Students have a matching tag that will be attached to their backpack.
2-When pulling into the parent pick up line, be sure your car tag is displayed on the rearview mirror. Please leave the tag up until your student is in your car. We will have someone writing down the number and communicating to student waiting area.
3- Student Pick-ups will be waiting under the covered area for their number to be called. Once called they will go to the loading zone (blue sidewalk area).
4- Please do not linger but drive away when you can do so safely to help us with traffic flow.
Please be patient, it will take a bit to get the procedure to run smoothly. Our parking lot is quite small so be mindful of others coming into the parking lot. Do not go around anyone until you have been waved to do so by a staff attendant (yellow vest)!
IMPORTANT: To avoid blocking traffic on Bingham, we ask that if cars are backed up at the entrance to our parking lot that you continue to drive down Bingham (southbound) and turnaround to get in line so we don’t hold our busses up who will need to come onto Bingham to get into our bus circle. Please be mindful of driveways by leaving space for their owner to get out without having to wait. It is recommended that families arrive for pick-up as close to 4:05pm as possible. Thank you!
Bus:
Students riding the bus will be dismissed by their bus number. They will walk through the hall to the bus following our 3 ft. distance guidelines. They will enter the bus and leave when everyone has been dismissed.
EARLY LEARNING CENTER
Central Avenue Elementary
Email: centralavenue@fpschools.org
Website: http://centralavenue.fpschools.org/
Location: 4608 128th Street East, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-3200
Facebook: facebook.com/centralavenueelementary