The Central Scoop
February 9, 2018
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
I hope you are all enjoying the SNOW today! I enjoyed seeing the children out early this morning playing in the snow. Please send me a favorite picture of your children enjoying the snow and I will choose a few to post on Twitter later today.
Just like last year, we are continuing to focus on "mindfulness" throughout the school. In conjunction with being "mindful," we are also learning about the benefits of Kindness. Did you know that next week is "Random Acts of Kindness Week?" See below on resources our staff is using and how you can participate as a family.
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) is an internationally recognized nonprofit that is dedicated to inspiring all citizens to practice and spread kindness in their own lives from February 11 to 17, 2017 and beyond. RAK's strives to make kindness the standard in every aspect of life. Whether it's helping a stranger in need on your way to work, instilling the importance of kindness in students in a classroom, or a mutual demonstration of appreciation of those closest to us, their end-goal is to make kindness not an act at all, but a reflex. And to make the need for kindness obsolete by the overwhelming and undeniable presence of it everywhere.
The organization offers free online resources to encourage acts of kindness across the globe for schools, communities and interested individuals.
As a highlight from this week, and a demonstration of our kindness efforts, I'm including pictures of our school-wide effort to make Valentines for Vets. It's a tradition at Central School that started several years ago by Linda Garcia.
And of course, we are looking forward to celebrating Valentine's Day on Wednesday, February 14th. We encourage children to share valentines with each member of the class. However, please do not attach candy to the valentines. This is a safety precaution for students with food allergies and other health needs. You may attach fun trinkets such as stickers, pencils, tattoos, erasers, etc. Thank you for helping us keep our students safe!
As we head back to school on Monday, I ask that parents and caregivers allow extra time for the carpool line due to the increased snowfall. I also encourage parents to share rides with friends and neighbors to limit the number of vehicles in the line as well. Every little bit helps!
There are several other new announcements below, so please keep reading! Have a wonderful weekend,
- Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
Staff show school spirit every Friday! Students can too!
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.
Report Cards Are Now Accessible Online
Report cards have been accessible to parents online since Wednesday, February 7th. To access report cards, navigate to https://ps.wilmette39.org and sign in. If you do not remember your user credentials, use the "Forgot Username" or "Password?" link. If that doesn’t resolve your issue, please contact Sallie or Cathy in the front office. As a reminder, the format of the report is new this year. To assist with the change, I'm attaching two pdf documents (How to Read the Revised Report Card and Behaviors that Promote Learning) for your reference when reviewing your child's report, see documents below.
Lunch Menu
Did you know there is a monthly menu posted on both the school and PTA websites? You can review the menu daily to see if your child would like the lunch offered for that day. We have noticed some children are buying lunch, but not eating it. Please make sure your children know what is being offered before they leave home so they have full and happy bellies at school in the afternoons.
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.
Summer School Enrichment Program
- Summer School begins Wednesday, June 20th and runs through Tuesday, July 24th.
- The brochure will be available online starting January 16th for viewing only
- Registration begins February 5th @ 9:30 am.
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
Central School Sleep-Under Fundraiser - Friday, March 9th from 5:00pm - 8:30pm
The Central School faculty, led by Mrs. Littmann, is hosting a sleep-under for all 1-4 grade students. This drop-off event will take place from 5 pm- 8:30 pm and include a pizza dinner, scavenger hunt, arts & crafts, snacks and a PG rated movie. The proceeds from this event support PTA initiatives such as the 20th Anniversary Garden improvements, teacher appreciation week and other upcoming events. The cost is $50 per participant with a maximum of 47 participants. Please note, this event is limited to current 1st-4th grade Central students only. Keep an eye out for the sign up link in the Scoop on Sunday!
Community Announcements...
Wilmette Historical Museum celebrates Aftican American History Month February 11th 2:00 - 3:00pm
- 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...
- 2/19 - No School, President's Day
- 2/26 - School Board Meeting
- 3/7 - Evening PTA Meeting
- 3/21 - Open House @ 6:30pm
- 3/26-3/30 - No School, Spring Break