Wildcat News
OCTOBER 2021
Contact our office at: 253-298-3200 centralavenue@fpschools.org
Central Avenue Elementary
Tonya Middling - Principal
Kristin Hillius - Assistant Principal
Dear Parents and Families,
Student mental health and behavior is a topic that is so important for our children in today's world. I talk with parents every day who ask for resources and help with their child's social-emotional wellness, mental health, or behavior and de-escalation strategies. I am excited to share some free resources with you this week!
First, Kids' Mental Health Pierce County is an organization that is offering monthly webinars on the topics mentioned above. The series will occur monthly from October to June and monthly flyers will be released with session information and links to register. The topic for October is Supporting Mental Health through Social Emotional Learning (Understanding the function of behavior). You will come away from the session with steps to support your student with behavior at home. Below is the flyer to register for this FREE session on October 6th from 4:00-5:30pm.
Next, our school district has a partnership with Greater Lakes Mental Health, to support students and families with counseling that is deeper that our school counselor can provide. Central Avenue has a Greater Lakes counselor who comes to our school, to provide weekly, confidential counseling. If you are interested in a referral for your student, please contact our school counselor, Mrs. Nelson at enelson@fpschools.org.
Finally, our classroom teachers continue to take part in ongoing professional development on creating trauma-informed classrooms. Teachers check in with students multiple times per day and teach students how to recognize and respond to their emotions. When children are validated for how they are feeling and empowered to do something to help themselves self-regulate, they will be able to access the parts of the brain for higher order learning.
All of these efforts help us create a safe and nurturing environment for young learners. I encourage you to reach out to our school for services you believe will help you and your child. We are here to be your partners!
It's great to be a WILDCAT!
- Mrs. Middling, Principal
Important Dates to Remember
October 4th: No School - PRAD Training
October 5th-8th: Conferences - Early Release 12:35
October 13th: Early Release Wednesday 2:35
October 20th: Early Release Wednesday 2:35
October 20th: Unity Day - wear Orange & promote kindness
October 22nd: Picture Day at school
October 27th: Early Release Wednesday 2:35
NUTRITION SERVICES WEEK!
The week of October 11-15 is Nutrition Services Week!!
Thank you to Ms. Melanie and Ms. Anne in our Central Avenue Kitchen for always taking great care of our students!! Both Melanie and Anne have been out there everyday maintaining a positive place for students and families to continue to have the food services they need! Thank you for being that constant for our students and always greeting them with a warm smile!! They are extremely valued and appreciated!! Please show them some love and appreciation, especially during their week!! We appreciate all you do!
Transportation Week
The week of October 18-22 is Transportation Staff-National Bus Safety Week!
Huge thanks to our transportation staff as they've been working so hard to prepare routes and staff to safely transport our kiddos this upcoming year. Please show them some love and appreciation, especially during their week!!
Reminder: Click here to view Transportation website.
Mon-Fri 7:00 am-4:30 pm
(253) 298-3865
Reminder: Sign up for the Bus Bulletin:
PICTURE DAY!
Is your child too sick to come to school?
IS MY CHILD TOO SICK FOR SCHOOL?
Please monitor the following BEFORE sending your child to school each day. Does your child have ANY of these symptoms that are not attributable to another condition documented by a doctor?
One of the following symptoms
o Fever of 100.4 or higher
o Cough
o Loss of taste or smell
o Shortness of breath
o 2 or more of the following symptoms
o Fatigue
o Headache
o Muscle or body aches
o Sore throat
o Congestion or runny nose
o Nausea or vomiting
o Diarrhea
One of the following symptoms that last longer than 24 hours
o Fatigue
o Headache
o Muscle or body aches
o Sore throat
o Congestion or runny nose
o Nausea or vomiting
o Diarrhea
o Positive COVID case in the home
o Notified that your child has been deemed a close contact by the health department.
If so, DO NOT send them to school. Call Central Avenue Elementary 253-298-3200
When a student has the symptoms listed above, they could be absent for 10 to 14 days. If the recommendation is for the student to be absent 10 or 14 days, they may be encouraged to be tested or seen by a medical provider. Under some circumstances, students can return earlier with a negative COVID PCR test (rapid test not accepted). Each case has multiple factors that determine how long a student will be absent for. Thank you for your help in keeping our Collins community healthy!!
If your child will be absent or has any symptoms, always call:
Central Ave Attendance, 253-298-3206
Nurse Tami, 253-298-3408
Free diapers and wipes
El sistema Ayúdeme a Crecer (Help Me Grow) del condado de Pierce financia una red de bancos de pañales. Encuentre un lugar cercano:
Family Resource Center
COVID-19 Vaccine
Contact Information
In order for your student's teacher, school or the district to communicate with you, we need accurate contact information. Please log into family access to make sure that your contact information is correct and that you select your preferred language. This information is used for mail, email, phone and text messaging. If you need help updating your information, please contact the school office.
SCHOOL LOCATION
Reminder: We are still located in our temporary location at Historic Collins. Our address is:
Central Avenue
4608 128th Street East
Tacoma, WA 98446
Phone: 253-298-3200
We will be here through the end, while the existing Central Avenue is being rebuilt! We are anticipating our move over winter break! We are so excited about a new school for our Wildcats!
Central Avenue Elementary
Email: centralavenue@fpschools.org
Website: http://centralavenue.fpschools.org/
Location: 4608 128th Street East, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-3200
Facebook: facebook.com/centralavenueelementary