The Central Scoop
March 16, 2018
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
This week our library media specialist, Linda Diekman, unveiled our "One Book One Central" picture book for this year: Last Stop on Market Street during an all-school assembly. It is the story of a young boy and his grandmother who take a bus to a soup kitchen... where they are not guests, but volunteers. The book is a candidate for this year's Monarch Award and has won the Newbery, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards. Our assembly included a video featuring the author as he re-enacted the book with a group of students on a bus. The link to the video of the author is below, so you can watch the video as a family and ask your children about the story. There are many things to talk about and notice from the book (various questions and topics are being studied in classes, here are a few examples):
Reading Comprehension, Social Studies, & Social Issues: What is the "Last Stop on Market Street"? What are CJ and Nana doing there? What is a soup kitchen? Who eats there?
- Reading, Making Inferences, & Managing Emotions: Why is CJ upset at the beginning? How does his mood change? Why? Notice how he goes from complaining to noticing beauty, but also from wanting things to appreciating people.
- Reading & Themes: Students of all ages look for themes in books. One theme is about appreciating what we have and not worrying about all the things we want. A related theme is the progression in the story from CJ's fixation on the things he wants to the "last stop" where he finds the joy of giving. Another theme is the finding of beauty in unexpected places, which CJ notices in Nana's finding "beautiful where he never even thought to look." Can you find others?
- Social Studies, Community, & Transportation: What kind of public transportation does your town have? What improvements would you like to see in your town's transportation?
Thanks to the PTA, every teacher in the building is receiving a book so that we can include the story in our learning and conversations with students. Student Council representatives also created an all-school service learning project related to the book (see the flier below for more details).
We also had authors and illustrators visit our school this week. Please check-out our Twitter accounts (@BeckyLittmann and @explorecentral) for pictures and information on the visits.
Sincerely,
- Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
Student Council Service Learning Project Building-wide
Parents Visit Music Class - Next Week!
School & District Announcements and Reminders...
Open House
We look forward to seeing you on Open House this Wednesday from 6:30PM-7:30PM. It's one of our favorite times of year! We enjoy sharing your children's accomplishments from the year with you. As we prepare for your visit, please don’t ask to see classrooms early. Teachers are working hard to set up their classrooms and they will not be ready until Wednesday night. If you are unable to attend the event, we can send home projects and school work with your child.
Spring Conference Information
- March 23rd - The district sends an email to parents with login instructions.
- April 2nd - Spring conference sign-up will begin online
- April 18th - Kindergarten Conferences begin
- April 19th - Early Release K-4 students & Parent Teacher Conferences in the afternoon
- April 20th - No School - Parent Teacher Conferences
Upcoming PARCC Testing
PARCC testing is coming soon for our 3rd and 4th grade students. Students will be testing from April 3rd - 12th. Please limit doctor appointments and other family obligations during this testing window, in order to limit makeups. Please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher for specific scheduling information.
Youth Connection Announcement From HMS and WJHS
As some of you may know, Youth Connection will be dissolving at the end of this school year. We have been fortunate to benefit from many years of Youth Connection service and support that has had a positive impact on HMS and WJHS students and so many D39 families. For the future, we are committed to offering after school programming at both HMS and WJHS, and we are working with Youth Connection during this transition process. Reports at D39 Board of Education meetings in the coming months will provide details on what will be available for students. We will have programs ready for students when they return for the 2018-19 school year.
Summer Enrichment Program
Don't miss out on Summer Enrichment Classes! There is still time to register. Registration will be open until March 9, 2018. Visit www.wilmette39.org for more information.
New Trier Township Innovation & Tech Expo
The New Trier Innovation & Tech Expo is a free event 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.
Spring Session of After School Park District Clubs
Information for spring session after school clubs are now available online through the WIlmette Park District website: http://www.wilmettepark.org/after-school-clubs Registration opens March 20th. Please call Wilmette Park District contact Carol Heafey with questions at cheafey@wilpark.org or 847-256-9692.
PTA Announcements and Reminders...
* The PTA sends out their own newsletter on Sundays - here are just a few highlights
Parenting In the Digital Age!
Please join us at Harper Elementary School, March 21st at 9am, for a presentation that will help parents navigate common challenges of raising kids in the digital age. Topics include: creating boundaries with mobile devices, potentially dangerous apps, social media, privacy, inappropriate content, cyberbullying. Presenter is Tony DeMonte (D39 Director of Technology).
Central School's Production of WILLY WONKA JR.
Central School's own 3rd and 4th Grade Skyline Cast will be performing Willy Wonka Jr. on Thursday, March 22nd at 5:45pm in the Central School Auditorium. Please come and support our students in our first Central School Production! The performance is free!
Family STEAM Night!
Family STEAM night planning is in the works and we are in need of recyclables! If you have any cardboard boxes (any size), cardboard tubes (from wrapping paper rolls, paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, etc), shoe boxes, or coffee/oatmeal cans, please drop them off at 619 Greenleaf Ave on the front porch. Every little bit will help!
From the Nurse's Office
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.
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!
Community Announcements...
- Adult English Language Classes are being offered by the district for 5 weeks beginning Thursday, April 5th and ending Thursday, May 3rd at Highcrest Middle School. See flier for more information.
- Regina Dominican offers a Spring Basketball Clinic March 24th for 4th - 7th graders.
- Wilmette Public Library’s "One Book, Everybody Reads" featuring Amor Towles discussing his best-selling novel A Gentleman in Moscow at WJHS Auditorium April 22nd at 3:00 pm
- Illinois Baseball Academy is registering boys & girls 3-6 years old. Register individually or as a group and form your own team.
- Little Legends Soccer Academy offers soccer training for boys & girls ages 2-8.
- Wilmette Baseball Spring House League registration is open.
- Wilmette Park District hosts after school clubs for students at 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.
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.
Upcoming Events...
- 3/19 - Board of Education Meeting @7pm
- 3/21 - Open House @ 6:30pm
- 3/26-3/30 - No School, Spring Break
- 4/2 - Sign-up for Conferences Online
- 4/3-4/12 - PARCC Testing for 3rd and 4th Grades
- 4/18-4/20 - Conferences