The Central Scoop
September 30, 2022
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
We would like to recognize and thank our 4th grade student Green Team for all of their leadership this week. Our students had fun saving energy by turning off lights, coloring pictures for local nursing homes, walking to school, playing environmental bingo, and wearing green for spirit day. For more information about our Green Team and Environmental Awareness week, please check out the Green Team’s website, which can be found under the "Student" tab on Central’s homepage.
Warmly,
~ Becky & Katherine
Having Fun in the Garden!
Thanks to the PTA and Organic Gardener, our students enjoyed time exploring the garden and learning about how to plant and harvest vegetables.
Mileage Club Update
The Central School Mileage Clubbers have already run/walked a total of 2,394 miles! We have 3 students who have completed their first marathon of the year.
Congratulations:
Wyeth B.
Jackson S.
Max F.
For the month of September the following class completed the most mileage and will receive the giant gym shoe poster to display in their classroom. Congratulations to Mrs. O'Briens class for completing 200 miles in the month of September.
Just keep moving!
This week Mr. Elman's class won time with our Fantastic Fox school mascot, Bolt!
Mr. Elman's students did a wonderful job with their behaviors that promote learning during MAP testing. They managed their emotions throughout, embraced the challenge of the assessment, and focused their attention to the best of their abilities during the test. They continue to use these behaviors throughout the day and plan to improve them even more as the year continues. GO ELMANSKIS!
It's Special
Published several times a year, this newsletter provides information on art, PE, music, technology, library and Spanish.
Halloween
We are looking forward to celebrating Halloween this year! We plan to start the day with our annual outdoor parade followed by parties in the classrooms. Here are a few tips and reminders as we plan for the fun holiday this year.
Parade
If the weather is nice, we plan to hold a Halloween Parade outside (on the sidewalk) starting at 9am on 10/31 like we have in past years. Parents can line-up outside to watch our outdoor parade. The parade will start at the front of the school and move along the sidewalk around the perimeter of the school. We move down 9th Street, Lake Avenue, 10th Street and Central Avenue. All classes will eventually end on the blacktop for pictures. If there is inclement weather, the outdoor parade will be cancelled.
Costumes
Costumes can be worn throughout the half day of school. As you purchase costumes, please remember that students are not allowed to bring weapons or wear a costume that "is in bad taste." Costumes should be developmentally appropriate for school. We also want to remind families to be sensitive to all cultures when picking out costumes. We prefer no face masks that cover the entire face (we want to be able to see and identify children). Please have conversations with your children about what is appropriate. We are all looking forward to this year's festivities and we appreciate the extra thought and reflection when planning costumes.
More information about our parade, costumes, and classroom parties will be shared by the classroom teachers.
Updates From the District Office
D39 Communication Survey
In alignment with Goal 4 of our strategic plan, we are gathering feedback from our families on District- and school-level communication preferences. Please take this brief survey to help us learn how to continue to effectively and efficiently communicate. Note: this survey does not include classroom-level communication.
Parent-Teacher Conferences: Save the Date
Our fall parent-teacher conferences will take place on Nov. 16-18, immediately preceding Fall Break (Thanksgiving week). Conferences will be held via Zoom, with in-person appointments available by request. More details, including sign-up information, will be provided in the coming weeks.
Parent Education Event
Make plans now to join us on the morning of October 12 for our next Parent Education event titled “Parenting in a Digital Age.” Please click here for the full schedule of 2022-23 parent education events and registration links.
Shine on 39
This week’s “Shine on 39” features our Central Elementary Spanish teachers and students and a special team-building project that they did this year to learn about one another. The project is a wonderful example of Goal 2 of our strategic plan, which revolves around cultivating a supportive and inclusive learning community that is responsive to the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of each student. Great work!
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Assessments
As we have shared previously, D39 staff and students have been engaged in lessons and activities designed to address social-emotional objectives. These lessons have focused on their continued growth and development in social-emotional competencies and will continue to be a point of emphasis throughout their time in District 39. You can learn more about SEL on our District webpage, which includes helpful parent resources.
An important part of a robust social-emotional learning framework is the inclusion of assessment practices that help teachers gauge how their students are developing and how they can adjust instruction to support their students’ continued development. While our teachers will use these results to help in planning for their classrooms, D39 will also use overall results from this assessment to plan for improved supports for students, as we continue to develop Tier 2 and Tier 3 structures for social-emotional intervention (Strategic Plan Action Steps, Goal 2).
Beginning the week of October 10th, students at Central School will be participating in SELweb EE (Early Elementary for K-3 students) or SELweb LE (Late Elementary for 4th grade students). SELweb is a direct assessment narrated for students that presents scenarios and pictures to students to assess their social-emotional competencies in four areas: Emotion Recognition, Social Perspective Taking, Social Problem Solving, and Self-Control. Students will also participate in a short, school climate assessment which asks about safety and support at school. An outline of the different areas on the test and some graphics to illustrate are available for you HERE.
Since SELweb is a narrated assessment, students will need access to wired headphones. Please make sure that your children have headphones at school for the week of October 10th. This assessment will be administered in students’ technology and library classes, and in November a report on fall results of social-emotional assessments will be shared with the Board of Education.
MAP Assessment Results
We completed our Fall MAP assessment. Results went home with all 2nd-4th graders this week. Be sure to check your child's backpack for the results. Here is a link to the family's guide to MAP growth that you can use as a reference to understanding scores.
PTA Announcements
Central Green Team
The Green Team needs 1-2 parents to help deliver roughly 20 boxes of pop tabs to The Ronald McDonald House located at Lurie Children's Hospital. For those who are unaware, The Ronald McDonald House provides a place of comfort and rest for families with children in active treatment at nearby hospitals. The pop tabs are sold to help run these houses. If you are able to help in this important endeavor, please contact the Green Team Advisors Ms. Pokakis or Mrs. Dietrich
The Central School Carnival is Back!
Please join us on Saturday, October 15 from 2:00-5:00 PM on the Central School blacktop for carnival games, inflatables, food, and the very popular Cake Walk. You can now buy wristbands, learn about the Cake Walk, and make donations via Membership Toolkit.
Adult and teen volunteers are needed. Please sign up (and encourage your teens) to volunteer. If you have any questions please contact Volunteer Lead, Cassie Kirby at cassiekirby84@gmail.com. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4bafad2aaafa7-teen1
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4bafad2aaafa7-parent1
Yearbooks
Take advantage of early bird pricing for the 2022-23 yearbook. The price will increase on October 31. Yearbooks can be purchased through membership toolkit.
Author Visit
The PTA iGNITE program has partnered with Anderson Bookshop to bring an exciting opportunity to Central School. On October 6 our 3rd and 4th grade students will have the opportunity to meet with Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson to discuss their latest novel, BARB AND THE GHOST BLADE. To purchase a personalized autograph copy of the novel, please return the form that was sent home no later than October 5th.
Birthday Signs
Birthday Signs are back for October and November. Rent a new Birthday Sign from the PTA and they will install and dismantle it for your child's special day. Simply rent a sign from Membership Toolkit Store, then contact Jen Curchin (jencurchin@gmail.com) or Kathryn Schmidt (krcschmidt@gmail.com) to coordinate a set-up time and special instructions. Cost is $60.00.
Backyard Movie Nights
Backyard Movie Nights are returning this fall!. The PTA is looking for a Kindergarten and 2nd grade host. If you are interested please sign up or contact Janet Cavanaugh (jlandres23@gmail.com). Attention parents - look for event registration in The PTA Scoop on Wednesday.
Community Announcements
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Good Fest: Good Music, Good BBQ, Good Cause: Join the concert/bbq this Saturday, October 1st at St. Johns Lutheran Church, 1235 Wilmette Ave. Fest features Tributosaurus, Acoustic Fight Club & Backyard BBQ. Portions of the proceeds go to Family Promise Chicago North Shore. Get tickets here.
Destination Imagination (DI) is open for registrations. DI is a creative competition for teams of 3-6 kids led by parents. Kids put together a skit and also practice for spontaneous instant challenges. Sign up for a DI information session or join a team.
Wilmette Jr. Trevians are recruiting Kdg-2nd graders to play hockey in House Mite and Mini Mite programs. Season runs from September - February. Contact: leslie.humbel@yahoo.com
PICKLES - kids supporting kids is a local nonprofit that provides free peer-to-peer support and resources for kids ages 6-18 affected by a parent’s cancer diagnosis. These fun, supportive youth groups meet monthly at Winnetka Community House. For more information: www.picklesgroup.org
New Trier Township offers a Food Pantry 10am - 4pm weekdays for families that live/work in the township. NT Township also offers Emergency Financial Assistance, Legal Aid Clinic, property tax assistance, social service referrals and other available resources. Go to www.newtriertownship.com for more information.
Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:00-11:00 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
"Best Step Tutoring” offers free online tutoring for PreK-12 grades.
From the Nurse's Office
Be sure to read Mallory Fryer's Back to School Letter. Please contact her at with any questions at fryerm@wilmette39.org.
Upcoming District & School Events
October 5th: No School
October 13th: Picture Date Re-takes
October 14th: Picture Date Re-takes (rain date only)
October 15th: Central Carnival
October 31st - Halloween Parade & Parties, Early Release @ 11:55am
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.