Monday Morning Motivation
Central Elementary Staff News----April 17--April 21, 2017
Our Mission
Providing engaging academic experiences, the Central Elementary Community will inspire and support students to become caring, confident, lifelong learners.
Here's to the Kids!
Dear Staff,
What a weekend! The weather was perfect, which made for a great deal of outdoor fun. I hope you had the opportunity to enjoy yourself and unwind a bit. This is arguably the busiest time of year, filled with lengthy "to do" lists. However, it is also an opportunity for us to take another look at our students, as they have matured and grown over the year. As we rush towards the final days of school, take some time to pause and appreciate the special things about your students--their interests, strengths, unique qualities, and everything else you will always remember.
Below is one of my favorite poems celebrating children.
Kids Who Are Different
Here’s to kids who are different,
Kids who don’t always get A's,
Kids who have ears
Twice the size of their peers,
And noses that go on for days.
Here’s to the kids who are different,
Kids they call crazy or dumb,
Kids who don’t fit,
With the guts and the grit,
Who dance to a different drum.
Here’s to the kids who are different,
Kids with a mischievous streak,
For when they have grown,
As history has shown,
It’s their difference that makes them unique.
Author: Digby Wolfe
Have a great week!
Julie
Two Weeks at a Glance
Central Calendar
MONDAY, April 17
- Classified Dinner PHS 6:00 PM
- PTO meeting 7 PM
TUESDAY, April 18
- High Ability Math Meeting 3, 4, 5 7:30 AM Central Office
- ISTEP begins
- Growth and Development Parent Meeting 5:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, April 19
- ISTEP
- Central Teacher of the Year Meeting 4:00 PM
- Optimist Dinner Central Office Board Room 6:00 PM
THURSDAY, April 20
- ISTEP
- Team Leader Committee 7:30 AM
- 4th grade girls growth and development
FRIDAY, April 21
- ISTEP
- Principal meeting until 9:30 AM
- 5th grade Growth and Development
MONDAY, April 24
- ISTEP
TUESDAY, April 25
- High Ability Broad Based Committee Central Office 4 PM
- ISTEP
- Brag Tags--grade 2 (2:45 in LGI) and grade 3 (3:10 in LGI)
WEDNESDAY, April 26
- ISTEP
- Brag Tags--grade 5 (2:45 in LGI) and grade 4 (3:10 in LGI)
THURSDAY, April 27
- RTI Committee 7:45 AM
- Brag Tags--grade 1 (2:40 in LGI) and grade K (3:00 in LGI)
FRIDAY, April 28
- WalkAThon
Announcements and Reminders
- Please note that the final STAR Growth Reports showing your final math and reading data are due to me no later than May 19th. You may turn it in earlier.
- Give the Math Common Assessment--May 15-19
From Laura Burkert Growth and Development class for 4th grade and 5th grade girls. This year the 4th grade girls class will be held on Thursday April 20, 2017 @ 3:00 until 3:40 in the LGI room. The 5th grade girls and boys classes will be on April 21, 2017 @ 2:30 until 3:30. The girls will meet in the LGI room and the boys will meet in a classroom. Plan on Mrs. Cragen’s room in the past. Fifth grade teachers will cover Mr. Lease’s specials class during this time.
The Parent Preview Night will be on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. The girl’s video will be shown @ 5:30 pm, and the boys video will be shown @ 6:00 pm. Please put this information in your communications to your parents.
- PTO Grants--Due May 8th. I encourage you to apply for a grant because they have money they want to give back to the school.
- As we prepare for the summer renovation of the hallways and lockers, we must take everything down and clean out all lockers before the last day of school. Demolition begins in the basement after May 3rd.
Please share with students that the reward for completing the Math Facts Challenges in your grade level this year will be an "out of this world" experience! A dome planetarium will be in our gymnasium on May 17th to allow every student who has met the challenges to attend a 1/2 hour to 45 minute program, depending on the number of students. As we get closer, I will ask for an estimated number to begin creating a grade-level schedule for the experience. This "reward" goes along well with our math facts initiative since many are trying out the Rocket Math program this year.
Letter to new class-Putting this on your radar that you will write a letter to your new students next year introducing yourself to them. You should have your letter last year that you can tweak. Please share these with your new teammates. Again, you can give these to us in envelopes. We can put labels on and mail. Thanks.
Grade-level Curriculum representative--send the name of the person who will represent your grade level as soon as you decide.
Curriculum and Instruction
ISTEP+ Grades 3, 4, and 5
On Tuesday, we begin Part 2 of the ISTEP in grades 3-5, which includes multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items. Below you will find our testing schedule for each grade level.
Grades 3-5--I need your practice books returned and Online folders so I can reuse them.
Reminder--There is no homework for the testing grade level during the week.
Grades K-2--Again, please make note of how this schedule may impact your specials times, assistant availability, etc. It takes our entire school to provide the kind of testing environment we want for our students!
Staff Celebrations!
- CONGRATULATIONS!!The following Central teachers were nominated for teacher of the year:
Courtney Carmichael
Lexy Hollingsworth
Anne Johnson
Jill Maple
Annie Pagels
Curt Pickard
Katy Riester
Anita Stevenson
Rhianda Szepski
Shelly Weaver
WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!
- A huge shout out to Diana C. and Shonda M. for organizing and preparing our ISTEP books and boxes! These ladies are awesome!
- Thank you for thoughtful, focused High Ability meetings. We really used our time well and I feel confident we have the right students in the right classes.
- Attendance for the month of March was 96.93 percent.
- We had a great Kindergarten registration. Families are so excited to attend Central!
Happy April Birthdays
- Heidi Schwettman (3)
- Amanda Klinger (25)
- Sarah Tobey (29)