The Central Scoop
August 16, 2019
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
Welcome Back to School! I hope you had an enjoyable summer spending quality time with family and friends. I took a relaxing vacation in Europe with my family in July. We visited London and St. Tropez. We enjoyed going to the theater in England and soaking up the sun in France. I am now preparing to drop-off my oldest child at college this weekend…it’s amazing how quickly time has passed as my daughter is now a young adult.
Everything you need to know for the start of school can be found on our website here: Back to School Information. In addition to important dates and reminders, our website includes letters from each classroom teacher welcoming his/her students and families. Please review the district’s parent handbook (and the “Central Handbook Addendum”) where you will find information about pick-up and drop-off procedures, food policy information, lunch/recess procedures, etc.
Parents will receive an email with class assignments for all registered students by the end of the day on Tuesday, August 20th. Please be sure to check your spam/junk folder. In the event that you do not receive this email, please contact the office on Wednesday, August 21st.
Below is the schedule for the first day of school on Wednesday, August 28th. Like last year, parents may walk their children to the classroom for a quick “Kiss and Drop-off." Parents are then welcome to go to the gym for the annual “PTA Coffee” where you can sign-up for volunteer opportunities starting at 8:45 AM.
Grades 1-4
Students attend 8:35AM - 11:55 AM (early dismissal)
*Parents may go to classrooms from 8:35 AM - 8:45AM only
PTA Coffee & Sign-ups in the Big Gym 8:45 AM-10:30 AM
Kindergarten
Children attend this with their parents and meet the teacher:
AM Kindergarten:
8:40 AM-9:25AM- Last name beginning with letters A-K
10:25 AM-11:10AM- Last name beginning with letters L-Z
PM Kindergarten:
1:00 PM-1:45PM- Last name beginning with letters A-K
2:15 PM-3:00PM- Last name beginning with letters L-Z
On Friday, August 30th, grades 1-4 are dismissed at 2:15PM. Kindergarteners will follow their regular morning or afternoon schedule: AM Kindergarten (8:35 AM-11:10 AM) and PM Kindergarten (12:40 PM-3:15 PM).
We are all looking forward to another rewarding and exciting school year at Central Elementary!
~ Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
Who's New at Central?
Andrea Reiser Cummins (4th Grade)
Matthew Crawford-Lutz (1st Grade)
Matthew Crawford-Lutz joins the Central Elementary School staff as a first grade teacher. The 2019-2020 school year will mark his tenth year as an elementary school teacher. Prior to coming to Central, Matthew spent four years teaching first grade and five years teaching full-day kindergarten. He loves working with the youngest of learners. He believes that each child brings something unique to the classroom community and finds joy in helping students grow emotionally, socially, and intellectually. Matthew holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Reading and Literacy, both from Lewis University. Currently, he is working to complete an additional M.A. in School Leadership with a Principal endorsement from Concordia University Chicago. Matthew looks forward to working in partnership with the Central community to provide an exceptional educational experience for students.
Nina Silvasy (Learning Behavior Specialist)
Nina has several years of teaching experience as a learning behavior specialist. After graduating from Xavier University with a bachelor’s degree in Education, Nina continued her education at Xavier University to pursue her master's degree in Special Education with an additional focus on reading. Nina has lived in Ohio for the last nine years and looks forward to becoming an integral part of the educational team at Central Elementary. In her free time, Nina enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and cooking. She is looking forward to meeting the students at Central.
Kathleen Bowers (Learning Behavior Specialist)
Annie Henry (Learning Behavior Specialist)
Amanda Kahana (Comprehensive Learning Center)
Samantha Kopley (Social Work Intern)
A Familiar Face in a New Place!
Anthony Haduch (Assistant Principal)
Anthony is excited to be returning to Central School, this time as the new Assistant Principal! In his former role as a third grade teacher, he learned how dedicated our students, staff, and families are to the success of every child. As he moves into this new role, he brings the same sense of passion and excitement to connect children to help them accomplish their goals.
Anthony first received his teaching license from Western Michigan University in elementary education with endorsements in early childhood, English as a second language, and special education. He began his teaching career in Phoenix, Arizona and gained a Master's degree in Educational Leadership from the Arizona State University. As a life-long learner, he recently completed his certification in gifted education. It is with this rich background, that he works to bring heightened levels of curiosity and love of learning for children.
Anthony will be working as the assistant principal for both Central and McKenzie Schools. He can be reached by phone at 847-512-6101 at or email at haducha@wilmette39.org
New Support Staff & Paraprofessionals
New Flexible Learning Environments
You will notice that many of our teachers are beginning to update their classrooms. Teachers are working to provide flexible and innovative learning environments for their students. To help get us started, Central's PTA and the D39 Educational Foundation provided us with funds so that we can begin to transform classrooms in 3rd and 4th grade. We appreciate everyone's support and we can't wait for the children to see the updated spaces!
Pathway to Play
Friday Early Dismissal Reminder
As a reminder, with the start of the 2018-2019 school year, 2:15pm-3:15pm supervision for our Friday Early Dismissal will be offered only to families who meet one of the following criteria:
- Your child attends the Park District After School Recreation Program and takes the 3:15pm bus from Central School to the Wilmette Park District Recreation Center. In this case, your child is automatically included in after-school childcare on Fridays.
- You have a child in grades 1-4 who has a sibling in PM kindergarten. In this case, please call the office if you would like your older child included in after-school childcare so he/she can wait for PM kindergarten to be dismissed.
- Your child participates in a Friday After School Park District 3:15pm club at Central School. In this case, the office will receive a list of students who are enrolled in a club from the Park District and those students will automatically be included in childcare during that club's session.
** Feel free to call the office with any questions about after-school care on Fridays at 847-512-6100
Classroom Snack Guidelines and Reminders
As you know, in any given classroom, we have students with a variety of serious, and often life-threatening, food allergies. To ensure a safe learning environment for every student in our schools, we are limiting classroom snacks to fruits and vegetables only. The items brought to school can be cut up and placed in baggies/containers from your home, or be pre-packaged bags of apples, carrots, etc. as we often see sold in bulk. Please avoid those that are packaged with dips or items that require the labeling of contents. We prefer fresh fruits and vegetables. If there is an ingredient list, it really doesn’t follow the guidelines. Thank you, in advance, for supporting our efforts to keep Central School safe for every child.
Wilmette Park District After School Clubs
Here is the link to the Park District website where you will find information regarding after-school park district clubs: http://www.wilmettepark.org. The fall packet is also attached below for your convenience. The Fall 1 session runs Tuesday, September 9 – Friday, October 18. The Fall 2 session runs Monday, October 21 – Friday, December 20. All participants can register through the Wilmette Park District starting on Tuesday, August 27 at 9:00 am. If you have any questions or concerns about a club, want to know how to sign-up, discuss an absence, etc. please contact Collin Jaffe at cjaffe@wilpark.org or 847-853-6297. ** Please do not call Cathy or Sallie at the front office as the school does not plan/teach/run the clubs - thank you!
PTA Announcements and Reminders...
* The PTA sends out their own newsletter on Sundays - here are just a few highlights
Save The Dates!
Central School Carnival September 21st from 2:00 – 5:00pm
Kick off the new school year with tons of Carnival fun! Bring the whole family to meet up with old friends and new classmates. Buy a Carnival wristband and get UNLIMITED access to NEW midway games, goldfish toss, TWO bouncy houses, the Screamer Slide, and Dunk Tank. Play the games and earn FANTASTIC PRIZES!! Your wristband is also your ticket to Face Painting, Balloon Creations, Crazy Hair Spray and 3 chances at the Cake Walk. Buy your wristbands early. Bring the whole family – kids 4 and under are FREE! Snowcones, cotton candy, popcorn, pizza and hot dogs will be available for purchase. More information coming soon!
Pathway to Play Benefit
Mark your calendars and save the date on Friday, September 27th for Central Elementary School’s Pathway to Play Benefit. All proceeds from this school-wide adult party for Central parents and teachers will benefit the Pathway to Play initiative.
From the Nurse's Office
Call Central School "Attendance Line" For Absences: 847-512-6150
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!
Community Announcements...
- Information on community events can be found here: Community Events
Family Action Network (FAN)
Click HERE for information about FAN and upcoming speakers.
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...
8/26 New Family Orientation @ 6:30PM
8/28 First Day of School
8/28 Kindergarten Curriculum Night
9/4 Second Grade Curriculum Night @ 6:15PM
9/4 First Grade Curriculum Night @7:15PM
9/11 Fourth Grade Curriculum Night @ 6:16PM
9/11 Third Grade Curriculum Night @ 7:15PM
9/10 Picture Day
9/13 Picture Day Rain Date
9/21 Fall Carnival
9/27 Parent Teacher Party