The Central Scoop
June 7, 2019
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
Activity Day was a HUGE success! The weather was beautiful and the activities were engaging for the children. The children displayed "First Class Central" behaviors throughout the day and everyone had a wonderful time (see the pictures below). Thank you to Ms. Peth who was at the helm for making Activity Day so successful. We also want to thank all the parent volunteers who ran the activities and made this day possible.
Warmly,
- Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
4th Grade Music Performance
Thank you to everyone who attended our 4th grade music performance. Mrs. Jeanne Gierke and the fourth graders performed beautifully. The performance brought tears to many adult eyes as we all watched the performance on stage. We would like to thank Mrs. Jeanne Gierke for all of her creativity and hard work to make this happen. Of course the fourth graders themselves should be proud of the performance!
Park District Clubs/Enrichment - Final Days!
Similary, TODAY (Friday) is the last day for after-school Park District Clubs at Central.
Highcrest Garden Needs YOU TODAY!
Pathway to Play = Last Posting
Dear Central School Community,
It has been 9 months of collaboration to create playground plans that represent the
most thoughtful and accessible space while being conscious of cost, reusing material
and donating to the fullest extent. Thank you for your patience!
As you may know, the Central School playgrounds are about 20 years old. As much as
they have been enjoyed, they are showing extensive wear and tear with many
replacement pieces keeping them together. When the main space was created, the
plan included two separate areas, making it more difficult to run freely between the
structures. Our new plan will make the space one large area for easier access and
play.
Both playground plans exceed the minimum required by the ADAAG for accessible play
components. The existing plastic border will be lowered and ramps added for easier
access. There will be multiple ground level activities that are easily accessible by
mobility devices and include new adaptive swings. Furthermore, the equipment will be
built at various heights to meet a variety of skills, needs and interests.
Our community is a champion for charitable endeavors and the environment. We have
found various ways to align this project with our wonderful community ideals. We are
able to reuse the existing plastic border and some of the existing mulch, which saves
removal manpower, landfill space and money. The existing playground equipment has
been accepted for donation by a Rockford, Illinois charitable organization named Kids
Around The World. They will come in and remove the equipment at no cost. They then
refurbish salvageable pieces and create playgrounds internationally. The ability to
donate the equipment is not only great for humanity and the environment, but saves a
significant amount of money.
Now that we have the plans, our next step is to initiate the Pathway To Play Capital
Campaign. The 2019/20 fundraising goal for the first phase landscape engineering
(including the dig down and removal of dirt) and the equipment itself (with construction
thereof) for the Kindergarten and 1st - 4th Grade Playgrounds is $100,000. Phase 1
includes the large structures and the swings with the remaining equipment coming in
Phase 2 the following year. If we can raise $170,000, we can complete Phase 1 and 2
in the Summer of 2020.
Along with our school teachers and staff, District 39 will contribute to these initiatives.
The teachers have already donated their time and talents and will continue to do so next
year with Sign Up Parties and auction items. District 39 contributes by removing the
two Ash trees on the playground in accordance with the Village of Wilmette, filling in the
large amounts of mulch and maintaining the area and equipment.
Since these playgrounds are used by the community, the Fundraising Team plans to
seek donations from local businesses. If you are a business owner or know of someone
willing to donate, please contact fundraising@centralschoolpta.org.
The Pathway To Play is a big undertaking. But, the resulting playgrounds will be a
much needed upgrade that all of our students can access and enjoy for many years to
come. Please take a moment to “fly through” the new playgrounds by clicking
The Fundraising Team will be busy this summer planning fun events for the 2019/20
school year. They are currently looking for Sign Up Party sponsors. Please click the
following link to learn how you can help make these initiatives a reality. http://
centralschoolpta.org/pathway-to-play/
The PTA would like to especially thank Central Dad, Peter Hepner. Peter connected us
with Play and Park Structures and provided his expertise to our mission. We are so
grateful for his willingness to contact us and offer to help. We look forward to coming
together as a community to bring these plans to our school in the summer of 2020.
Thank you to everyone who have already contributed and to those that will.
Sincerely,
Your Central School PTA and Becky Littmann
PTA Announcements and Reminders...
* The PTA sends out a separate newsletter on Sundays..here are a few highlights/reminders:
4th Grade Farewell Party
- The 4th Grade Farewell Committee is excited for the party on Thursday, June 13th. Doors open at 6pm and the celebrations will start in the auditorium promptly at 6.30pm. Please do not be late. Children must sit with their parents in the auditorium for the presentation.
- After the presentation in the auditorium, there will be games and activities for the 4th graders until 8pm. This is not a drop-off event, parents/minders are expected to stay and supervise their children throughout the night and at the party. Finally, please remember that no siblings/grandparents are allowed at the event due to space restrictions - please remember to book your babysitters as we only have room for the 4th graders and their parents! We look forward to seeing you there!
Save the Date - Fall Parent/Teacher Party!
Mark your calendars for Friday, September 27, 2019 from 7-10 pm for Central School’s Parent/Teacher Party. This is a school wide adult event and is sure to be a blast! More details to follow in August.
Community Announcements...
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
- The Center for the Gifted offers summer programs for Pre-K through 12 grades.
- Wilmette Baseball Association has opened Summer League Registration for students in Kindergarten - 3 grades.
- Wilmette Historical Museum hosts Summer Scavenger Hunt June 17 - August 4th.
- Oakton Community College hosts summer STEAM camps and classes for students ages 8-12. Registration is now open.
- Love to sing? Youth Choral Theatre of Chicago offers a free vocal training class with flyer. Vocal classes available for children ages 4-18.
- The Center Fitness Club schedule and various park district classes for children are posted.
- Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
- Family Action Network (FAN) - Click HERE for information about FAN and upcoming speakers.
From the Nurse's Office
Call Central School "Attendance Line" For Absences: 847-512-6150
Please call the Attendance Line to report absences even if you let the classroom teacher know, 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.
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!
https://sites.google.com/wilmette39.org/centralhealthoffice/home
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.
Our PE Department is now on Twitter too!
The twitter handle is @CentralFoxesPE.
Save the Dates...
6/12 - 4th grade Picnic
6/13 - Last Day of Kindergarten
6/13 - 4th Grade Farewell
6/14 - Last Day of School Grades 1-4, Early Dismissal @ 11:55am