The mission of the Central School Community is to help all children grow to their fullest potential emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially in a safe, caring, and enriching environment.

While there is always a lot going on here at Central, these last two weeks have been especially busy. We have made our way through NJSLA, had our PTA Mother's Day Plant Sale, celebrated International Day and Night, and honored our Teacher and Support Staff persons of the year. Please keep reading for some great visuals of these events and for information on anything and everything Central.

Easily one of my favorite days of the school year is our celebration of International Day. We had a wonderful parade during the day and an incredibly successful evening. There are too many people to thank but I would be remiss if I did not recognize the efforts of Ms. Herrera who is a star ESL teacher and Mrs. Tanious who took the lead from the PTA side. The diversity of our town is such an asset to all of our students so to have a night where so many cultures come together to share their culture is a joy. Thank you to everyone who joined us.

Our students have done such a wonderful job at showing all that we know on the NJSLA. Over the years we have learned that setting the mood is integral so here you can see the 4th grade team literally rolling out the red carpet for day one.

We have SO many great spring events here at Central and just about every single one is a partnership with our incredible PTA. We had a very successful plant sale last week and I had a blast with our Principal of the Day winners. We ended up with $763 raised for the chance to be me for a day. All of that money will go right back into our school so thank you to everyone who contributed.

I want to thank the PTA and all of the volunteers who will help to run our events next Thursday. This couldn't happen without you and our tremendous PE team of Mr. Petz, Mr. Sturm, and Mr. Corsale! If you are not able to volunteer but wanted to stop over to see your child in a few events, that is fine. We just ask that you remain in the areas designated by security for you to watch.

Our celebration will take place this year promptly at 9:30 in the cafeteria on June 14th. The Kindergarten team asks that you bring a snack for your child (nothing with nuts please) so that we can have a bite to eat following the ceremony. The event is casual. I will give an address followed by each student receiving a certificate and then perhaps a cute surprise for our audience. We will then finish with the snack.

The traditional "Clap Out" for our 4th graders will take place on June 16th at 1:15. If you will be attending the event, please park in the front lot (plan to get here early since there will already be cars in the lineup). If you cannot attend and your child takes the bus home or is in aftercare, they will still walk out with their classmates before returning to the building for either the bus line or ASK.

Please be on the lookout from your child's teacher regarding some of the specifics of our Moving Up ceremony, but here are the basics:

1) The event will take place at the JMPAC (Hammarskjold) on June 15th starting promptly at 6:00. No tickets will be required.

2) Students will be asked to arrive at Hammarskjold at 5:30 so that we can take attendance and get them lined up.

3) I expect that the ceremony will take approximately 45 minutes.

4) Following the ceremony, there will be refreshments provided in the cafeteria.

As many of you know, my preference is to have events like this at Central School but this year our fourth-grade class is larger than normal and we do not have access to Trinity Church's parking lot that evening.

1) Please be mindful that dismissal time is a very busy time of the day for our office team and for the aftercare crew. If your child is in aftercare, please do your best to avoid picking up prior to 3:45. This greatly assists us in ensuring that all students have been properly dismissed.

2) If you are like me, you love watching movies with your kids and sharing some of your favorites with them. That said, my wife and I are sometimes shocked at what we didn't remember was in the film. Ghostbusters was a classic example. Regardless, I now always google: IMDB Parents Guide and the title of the film before we watch. This site will tell you exactly, and I mean exactly, what you want to know as a parent before you hit play.

3) If you enjoy miniature golf, and want something far more challenging than hitting the ball through a windmill, then try Pine Creek miniature golf on Route 31 in East Amwell, NJ. It's a trek from EB but parts of the drive are beautiful and the courses (there are two) wind through a picturesque stream. In the same lot is a great place to pick up burgers, fries, and ice cream called the Red Barn Milk Company. If you are a fan of mint chocolate chip ice cream, this one is top-notch.

5/19: 4th Grade Dance at 6:00 in the Central Cafeteria

5/24: 4th Grade trip to HUES

5/25: Field Day

5/26: Single Session Day (with Lunch)

5/29: School Closed

6/1: 1st Grade Trip to Von Thuns Farm

6/1: PTA Color Run at 5:30

6/6: Single Session Day (with Lunch)

6/7: 4th Day Trip to Lakeview

6/9: Early Learning Academy (ELA) Ceremonies in the Cafeteria

6/12: 2nd Grade Trip to the Monmouth Museum

6/15: Moving Up Ceremony!!!

6/16: 4th Grade Clap Out at 1:15