Central Primary School
October Newsletter
A Message from Mr. Cox
I want to thank all of you who have welcomed me and my family to the Central Family. The transition has been easier with the support the Central Community has shown. As I settle in to my new role as your principal, I am thrilled to see such a high level of student support. The family support I have witnessed comes in multiple forms; academic, social emotional, volunteering, safety of students, and sibling support. Nothing warms my heart more than being witness to this level of support with a common goal in mind, our students. The education of our students is much more than simply reading, writing and math. It is a process in which we all unite to help shape and mold a child in to their best self! We will work hard at Central Primary School alongside our families to ensure we accomplish this for all of our students.
Please keep our students in mind when you are driving on campus by being aware of the speed limit, the amount of walkers and bicycle riders, and crosswalks. We are doing our part by ensuring adults are present at crosswalks and stationed around campus on sidewalks. You will also see students walking their bicycles in certain areas of campus in an effort to keep everyone safe. As you discuss safety with your students, share with them what you do as a driver to stay safe when people are present. We won't go wrong if we all step up and share the responsibility of keeping our students safe.
Our future at Central Primary School is bright and I look forward to working alongside the Central Primary School families.
Jonathan Cox
Central Primary School, Principal
A Message from Ms. Johnson
Wow, is it really October already! Time sure is flying and the month of October will bring lots of exciting events our way. Please be sure to check out our list of important dates to remember. Conference time is right around the corner and our CPS teachers are excited to share all about their students' learning. The book fair is coming along with conferences and will be set up for browsing during conference blocks. PTO will be distributing the Yankee Candles from our fundraiser during this time frame as well.
We are excited to celebrate Halloween at CPS with our first parade and classroom parties. We can't wait to see all the costumes and smiling faces.
Classroom volunteers please be sure to complete the volunteer paperwork and turn into our office with your photo ID.
- Teacher Institute, No School for Students: Friday, Oct. 11th
- Columbus Day, No School: Monday, Oct. 14th
- Early Dismissal (2:30), Parent/Teacher Conferences: Thursday, Oct. 24th 4:00-8:00
- No School, Parent/Teacher Conferences: Friday, Oct. 25th 8:00-12:00
- CPS Book Fair: Thursday, Oct. 24th 3:00-8:00pm/Friday, Oct. 25th 8:00am-12:00pm
- PTO Yankee Candle Pick up: Thursday and Friday, Oct. 24th-25th during conferences
- PTO Craft/Vendor Fair: Friday, Oct. 25th 5:00-8:00
- Halloween Parade: Thursday, Oct.31st 1:45
- Halloween Classroom Parties: Thursday, Oct. 31st 2:00
Thank you for your continued support!
Erin Johnson
Central Primary School, Assistant Principal
Active Intruder Drill
We took the opportunity to debrief with the law enforcement officers who were present and shared their feedback with school staff. In addition, teachers completed a form in which they had the opportunity to share their feedback on the drill.
We will continue to discuss all aspects of school safety at the building and district level.
The following explains the ALICE acronym:
Alert – Get the word out! Use clear, concise language to convey the type and location of the event.
Lockdown (Enhanced) – Barricade and secure doors.
Inform – Communication keeps the intruder off balance and allows for good decision-making.
Counter – Apply age-appropriate skills to distract, confuse, and gain control.
Evacuate – As soon as it is safe to do so, evacuating.
Please consider discussing school safety and the ALICE Strategies with your child at home. Their knowledge may surprise you!
Notes from the Nurses- Mrs. Bright and Mrs. Martin
Please remember to hand in your student’s medical forms, DUE OCTOBER 15th (Dental Forms are due May 15, 2020):
Kindergartener: Child Health Exam, Up-to-Date Immunization Record, Eye Exam, Dental Exam
2nd Grade: Dental Exam
5th-8th Grade: Sport physicals are needed every year for those going out for sports
6th Grade: Child Health Exam, Up-to-Date Immunization Record, Dental Exam
Sick Day Reminders
School is in full swing and so are GERMS! Please keep your student home for the following:
Fever (temperature 100.4 or greater)
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Have been diagnosed with Strep throat or other contagious illness (must be on antibiotics for 24 hours and fever-free WITHOUT the use of fever-reducing medications such as Tylenol or ibuprofen)
When should your student return to school? Use the “24 hour” rule. When your student has been free of the above illnesses for 24 hours AND your student is able to participate in all school activities, your student is ready to come back to school. For fevers: Must be fever-free WITHOUT the use of fever-reducing medication such as Tylenol or ibuprofen. These medications mask a symptom (fever); they do not cure the underlying cause (virus, bacteria, etc).
If you have taken your student to the doctor to be evaluated, bring in a doctor’s note or after visit summary for the ladies in the front office for attendance purposes.
Flu Season is Coming
Cases of flu are already being reported- YIKES! The flu is a RESPIRATORY (lung/breathing) illness caused by a virus. Here are some tips from the CDC to help keep your student and family healthy this flu season:
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/family/flu-guide-for-parents-2018.pdf
Social Emotional Learning Corner- Mrs. Arms and Mrs. Freeman
Homework Tips!
Create a Homework Schedule: A homework schedule can help your child set a specific time and place for studying. Find a time of day when your child concentrates best and when you’re available to help. Choose a time when neither of you are in a hurry to get somewhere else. Also, think about creating a designated homework space or homework station. Once you have a set time and place, show your child how to “chunk” homework with breaks in between.
Brain Breaks: Taking brain breaks can make homework less frustrating for kids with learning and attention issues.
Brain breaks can include physical activities or relaxing, quiet activities.
It’s important to pre-plan brain breaks and set ground rules with your child.
The key is to take them before fatigue, distraction or lack of focus set in. For grade-schoolers, that’s typically after 10 to 15 minutes of work.
Middle- and high-schoolers can work for longer—up to 20 to 30 minutes before a break
The goal of brain breaks for kids is to help their brains shift focus. Sometimes that means getting up and moving, especially if your child has been sitting for a while. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which helps with focus and staying alert. It also reduces stress and anxiety, making it easier to focus on important tasks.
Use Checklists: There’s something very rewarding about crossing a task off a checklist. Your child can learn how good that feels by using a checklist to keep track of schoolwork. All your child needs is a small pad of paper or planner to list daily assignments on.
Use a Homework Timer: A timer can help keep homework on track and give your child a better sense of time. There are many types of timers to choose from. For instance, if your child is distracted by sounds, a ticking kitchen timer may not be the ideal choice. Instead, try an hourglass timer or one that vibrates. There are also homework timer apps you can program for each subject. (Don’t forget that your phone probably has a built-in timer, too.)
Switch the Order of Homework: Some kids rush because they don’t like doing repetitive work. For these kids, you may want to try mixing things up.
Homework Contract: Homework can be a hot-button issue for both you and your child. Setting up a homework contract is a good way to defuse some of that tension and avoid homework battles. It’s also a way to make sure you and your child both know your responsibilities. A homework contract is an agreement that outlines what you and your child will do to make sure homework gets done on time and well. Homework contracts can also outline rewards and consequences for kids when they follow or don’t follow their part of the contract.
Leader in Me
Please join us in not only learning about the 7 Habits, but also incorporating them into your homes with your families! The Family Learning Team at CPS will be sending monthly newsletters home describing each habit. Each month will be a different habit. You should have already received the September newsletter for Habit 1: Being Proactive. Along with educating you on each habit, the newsletter will also include books and activities that you can use at home that pertain to that! We look forward to your participation with incorporating the Leader in Me at school and at home.
Social Emotional Learning Corner- Mrs. Neal
As parents, it is easy to identify the areas in which our kids need to improve. However, it is just as important to recognize their strengths!! This activity may be just what you need to begin the conversation with your little one! In a world filled with negativity, we must remind ourselves of the 3-1 ratio. We must work hard to find and talk about three positives for every one negative. A “strength chain” may be just what our kiddos need to see ALL the amazing things they are good at! Make sure you don’t forget to hang this one up in your house so that there is a daily reminder of positivity, strengths over challenges and continuous improvement!!
Check out www.understood.org:)
https://www.understood.org/~/media/972a63a8a93943fcaefe57e515a6b1b7.pdf
You can also click here to see how to make your very own strength chain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=Q5uQ2gMFzvI
Custodial Appreciation Day
This year, our custodial staff has worked together to be extra flexible with all of the construction we are experiencing. A big thanks to all of our custodians for the work you do to support our Central students!
Intervention- Mrs. Mertens, Mrs. Guse, and Mrs. Holmes
During the first 2 months of school, after initial assessments are completed on students, we begin to provide support to the classroom teachers. This support for the most part consists of helping with the students during guided reading or guided math. You may be concerned if you received a letter stating your child is receiving support, but please remember this is early in the year and that support is in class support. This help will give some kids the extra boost they need to get back into the school routine.
We would like to provide some activities over the course of the year that you can work on with your child in a fun way at home.
Math Activity for Fun
Make Ten is an easy to play and fun math card game which teaches kids ways to make 10 with addition and subtraction. You play it similar to a GO FISH game. All you need is a deck of cards, which I bet you already have. Card games are a great, low stress way to practice math skills with your kids. You get a little quality family time as well as helping your kids learn their math facts.
** You can adapt this game for older kids by making 15, **
Reading Activity for Fun
Car games are a great way to get kids reading in a fun way! Have kids search for letters or words while you are driving. For the younger kids, have them find a named letter or see who can find every letter of the alphabet in order the fastest. For older kids, have them find a named word or see who can find and figure out the longest word. There are plenty of different ways to do this.
PTO News!
- Room Coordinators have been chosen and will be getting busy very quickly organizing Halloween parties!
- Grandparent's Day activities took place at CPS with many PTO volunteers!
- AR Prize Patrol volunteers have been in both schools getting prizes ready and organized for your eager readers!
- The 2nd Annual Craft/Vendor Fair will be taking place on October 25th, 5-8 pm at CPS!
- Plans are underway for the first ROCK (Rewarding Outstanding Central Kids) which will take place in November for CIS students.
- The next PTO meeting will take place October 3 at 7 pm in the CIS library! Please feel free to join us to learn more about what the PTO does for your children and their teachers!
A little note from music class…
I can’t believe we are already through September. We have been busy in music class, and we are learning so many exciting new concepts.
Kindergarten is learning about melody and how pitches move up and down. We also have been doing lots of moving to the beat and identifying different sections in music, for example: verse, chorus. They love to play circle singing games and we have a lot of fun learning together.
First grade has been focusing on steady beat and rhythm. They love playing the percussion instruments and making music together.
Second grade has been focused the last few lessons on identifying instruments by their sound or timbre. They are also working on their rhythm reading. We started reading one measure at a time and now they are able to read 2-4 measures at a time!
Third grade just finished our Grandparent’s Day performance. They did a fantastic job learning all the lyrics, music, and movement. I was so proud of all that they accomplished in a short amount of time! We are now working on reading melodies on the music staff and then playing them on our barred instruments.Art Corner- Miss Gleason
This month in art class, k-3 students were working hard on their Art to Remember fundraiser projects! The students projects were shipped off and order forms will be coming home soon! Please keep an eye out for these forms in your students take home folders.
About Us
Email: ejohnson@central51.net
Website: www.central51.net
Location: 1400 Newcastle Road, Washington, IL, USA
Phone: 309-444-3580