The Central Scoop
February 23, 2018
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
Many of our students are excited by the Winter Olympics! Students have all been participating in various activities over the last two weeks. In physical education classes, students did milk jug curling, long jump (ski jump), spooner boards for balance (snow boarding) and some fun trick jumps (holding a noodle between feet). Students worked on game play, sportsmanship, jumping/landing and balance. They even had fun pretending to speed skate and figure skate. Our PE teachers used a projector to show past Olympic highlights of the sports covered on that day. Our kindergarteners worked with their 3rd grade "buddies" to build bobsleds that would travel the farthest distance. They have been reading "Tacky and The Winter Games" and learning about Winter Olympic sports. I'm including a few pictures from the past two weeks below.
As a reminder, I'm taking parent input for classroom placement next year. Please see the detailed memo below and turn in your input form to the office before spring break if you are interested.
Have a wonderful weekend!
- Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
Milk Jug Curling
Long Jump (Ski Jump)
Spooner Boards (Snow Boarding)
Kindergarten and 3rd grade buddies
Working together in the Learning Commons
Finding materials to make a bobsled
School & District Announcements and Reminders...
Parent Input for Class Placement for 2018-19 School Year
We are approaching the time of the year when we begin to consider student placement for next school year. Starting immediately after spring break, we review each child’s individual learning needs with the corresponding team of teachers. The team of teachers includes your child’s classroom teacher, the “specials” teachers, as well as the special education staff. In addition, we consider other factors such as gender balance, learning styles, academic needs, social/emotional needs, and overall make-up of a class. As you can imagine, a lot of thought is put into classroom placement. We consider each child individually and place him/her with an appropriate classroom mix, as well as a good student/teacher combination.
We feel confident in our ability to appropriately place your child successfully, however, if you feel that extraordinary factors exist that the school should be aware of, please complete the attached PDF form by March 23rd (before spring break). Forms submitted after March 23rd will not be given special consideration. Placement forms should be given to the secretaries in the office or placed in the principal's mailbox. Finally, we approach each year with a fresh start. Parent input letters from previous years are not considered. If you have a specific concern, it needs to be reiterated each year. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please know that we will work diligently to ensure the most appropriate placement for every student.
**Also note that Highcrest has their own form/process/timeline that is different from the elementary schools. The administrators from Highcrest will be reaching out to current fourth grade parents separately about their placement process at a later date.
Board of Education Meeting 2/26 at 7:00pm
The monthly Board of Education meeting is Monday, February 26th at 7:00 PM at the MEC. Below are a couple of topics that may be of interest. If you can’t make the meeting, you can view it live or later, either on the District website or on Channel 6. Highlights of the meeting will be emailed and posted online within a day or two.
- Personalized Learning
- Student Growth
- Summer 2018 Construction Project Bids
Music Performance Information
2nd Grade Music Performance, “Spring, Spring, Spring” on Thursday, March 8th at 2:20 in the Central Auditorium
Please join us for Parents Visit Music Class Week: We invite you to visit your child's music class the week of March 19th-22nd. Our music classes are 30 minutes and we would love to show you what we have been learning! Please note that 2nd Grade music classes will not participate due to their performance for parents on March 8th at 2:20. Please click on the link to find the assigned day and time of your child’s class. All of music classes are taught by Mrs. Gierke in the Music Room #104.
https://sites.google.com/a/wilmette39.org/central-music/parents-visit-music-class
New Trier Township Innovation & Tech Expo
We’re reaching out to let you know of an event being planned called the New Trier Innovation & Tech Expo. This free event is an opportunity for parents to attend and hear about how technology is being used throughout the township. All New Trier Township schools will be participating in this joint mini-conference taking place Saturday, April 28, 2018. It will be held at New Trier Winnetka Campus, 385 Winnetka Avenue, Winnetka, IL, from 8:30am to 12pm.
In addition to saving the date, if you have something of interest to present, parents are welcome to submit proposals to the committee. Click here to submit your proposal by February 9, 2018.
Call Central School "Safe Phone" For Absences: 847-512-6150
Please call the "SAFE" (absence) phone to report absences even if you let the classroom teacher knows, 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.
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 professional development, student activities, parent involvement, and school goals.
PTA Announcements and Reminders...
* The PTA sends out their own newsletter on Sundays - here are just a few highlights
Next PTA Meeting 3/7 @7pm: Parenting In the Digital Age!
Parenting today requires knowledge that was not needed previously. Our kids are growing up with different social rules than what we bound by. Please join us for a presentation on topics that will help you as parents navigate common challenges. These are some of the topics that will be discussed. After the presentation will be an opportunity to ask questions.
- Creating boundaries with mobile devices
- Potentially dangerous apps
- Social networks
- Privacy
- Inappropriate content
- Cyberbullying
Community Announcements...
- Grab your magic carpet and join us for a journey to the Arabian desert as 57 actors and techies bring the family favorite, Aladdin, Jr., to life on stage! (see flier)
- New Trier’s Senior Class is hosting the 2018 Winter Carnival on February 23rd 5:30 - 9:00 pm. Proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity.
- Valley Lodge in Wilmette will donate 15% of all identified sales to District 39’s Angel Fund. Dine in or take out on March 8th 11:00 am - Midnight. Please show flyer to participate.
- Attend the Illinois Baseball Academy and Chicago Cubs Jon Lester’s NVRQT "Never Quit” charity event at the Wilmette Movie Theatre on March 3rd for a special viewing of The Sandlot. Amazing raffle prizes offered to support the fight against pediatric cancer.
- Going Green Matters 2018 will be held March 11th 12:00 - 4:00 pm at Michigan Shores Club.
- Little Legends Soccer Academy offers soccer training for boys & girls ages 2-8.
- Wilmette Park District hosts after school clubs for students at Central, Harper, McKenzie through March 23.
Additional information on community events can be found here http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Family Action Network (FAN)
Click HERE for information about FAN and upcoming speakers.
Upcoming Events...
- 2/26 - School Board Meeting
- 3/7 - Evening PTA Meeting
- 3/21 - Open House @ 6:30pm
- 3/26-3/30 - No School, Spring Break