Central Hub
August 2017 Edition
Message from the Principal
Dear Central Parents,
It has been a very smooth and successful first week of school! Thank you all for attending Supply Night and the Meet the Teacher nights. A shout out of appreciation goes out to the PTO for supplying free snow cones. It was a great way to kick-off the start of school.
You have received many important papers this week and I want to remind you to turn the following in to us.
Very Important Papers:
- Book Rental
- Signature Sheet for Handbook and Parent Right To Know Section
- Student Release Authorization and Emergency Closing Information
- Volunteer Background Check
- Car Rider Number Paper
Please note that in your child's folder, you will find your Parent Portal login information for PowerSchool. Many of you already have this account set up. It is different than registration, so this is mainly for new students. However, we wanted to sure that all parents are able to get information from PowerSchool.
This week the children learned what it means to be a Central CHAMPS student during our school-wide Expectations Convocation. We shared our CHAMPS matrix shown below and explained how students could earn Brag Tags again this year. Mrs. White shared that we are a Bully Free School and explained what to do if someone is unkind to you.
Please do not hesitate to call with questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Julie Thacker
IMPORTANT DATES
- Monday, August 7--School Safety Meeting Cafeteria 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday, August 9--School Board Meeting
- Thursday, August 17--Community Forum Kindergarten Meeting PHS 6:00 p.m.
- MOnday, August 21--PTO Meeting in Cafeteria 7:00 p.m.
Transportation Information
- Car riders can begin entering the building at 8:30.
- Students are not permitted to play in the front and parking lot area.
- Students MUST be under the supervision of an adult until 8:30 a.m.
- Be sure to pull all the way around the circle when dropping your child off on the sidewalk. Please do not stop in front of the building to drop off or get out of your car to hug good-bye. We must keep traffic flowing.
- For the safety of your child, please have your child exit the car on the sidewalk side. The passenger side is so much safer!
- Please do not use your cell phone when dropping off your child. We must have everyone's eyes focused on our students. For many this will be a new experience and we need to be paying attention.
- If you plan on picking your child up from school and your child will normally be a bus rider, you must provide us a note in the morning. Last minute changes, especially on the first days of school, create a lot of confusion at the end of the day.
- Bus riders- Bus numbers will be posted to PowerSchool by Monday, July 24th.
Dismissal
Car riders are dismissed at 3:45 p.m. to go to the gym. As parents pull up to the curb, their child/children will be called for and escorted to your car. Bus riders and walkers are dismissed at 3:50 p.m. Walkers will line up by the office counter and will be escorted outside by an adult.
Car Rider Number Request
In order to increase safety during car rider dismissal and to formally register our car riders, Central Elementary will be implementing a car rider number system.The number system is a part of the name card on the dashboard of your car and is the only thing which will be new to our process. The number will be sent home and added to the name card.
Once the number is assigned the following steps will take place.
Every family that picks their child(ren) up from school will be assigned a CAR RIDER NUMBER. Please have your number on the card placed on your dashboard.
- As you enter our half-circle lane, please have your CAR RIDER NUMBER VISIBLE on your dash board
- Reminder to please DO NOT get out of your car. There are staff members available to help children.
- Dismissal students will be seated in the gym and will wait to be called by name to come outside to go home. This is the same process.
You can find the form on our website.
Car Rider Pick Up Procedures
Option One: Picking your Child up by Parking and Walking into the Gym
1. Please park in the grassy area across from the gym (not the parking lot b/c it is owned by the funeral home).
2. Please make sure you wait to cross until the cars have stopped! We will have teachers outside to help with this.
3. You will need to know your child’s assigned number for added security.
Option Two: Staying in Your Car and Driving Through the Horseshoe
1. Please have your card with your child’s name and number in the dashboard.
2. Pull forward as soon as you can and go all the way around as far as you can as close to Wabash Street.
3. Stay in your car. We will walk your children to you.
4. Please do not stop on US 40. Drivers can receive a ticket for waiting in the pick-up line. If there is a line, we encourage you to drive around the block or park and come in the building.
Important Bus Information
What’s my bus number? Where’s my bus stop? When will the bus pick me up and drop me off?
Pick-up and drop-off times shown in PowerSchool reflect any road construction taking place. For example those impacted by the Hadley Rd. closure will see times that take this into account. Of course, times on the first few days of school are likely to be a bit delayed. If you have moved after you filled out the student registration, you will need to fill out a transportation form and turn it into the office to make sure your child is routed correctly.
You can find that form on the documents page of our website.
Changing the End of the Day Transportation Routine
The following information is from our handbook:
If your child is to go home a way different than their normal arrangement, you must send in a note to the teacher with instructions as to how the child is to go home. We will not allow a child to go home a different way without a note. The bus driver also needs a note if the child does not normally ride their bus. Please make these arrangements before school or by 1:00 p.m. at the latest.
If you call requesting that your child become a car rider, you are required to come into the school office to sign out your child no earlier than 3:50 p.m. Your child will be waiting in the office lobby until you sign them out. Signing your child out prior to 3:50 does affect your child’s attendance, as it counts as a partial day present.
If you call requesting that your child ride a bus home instead of being a car rider, we will need to verify that we are speaking to the child’s parent/guardian by asking certain questions or through caller ID on our phone system. To make this smoother, please call from one of the phone numbers that you have registered with our school as contacts.
Finally, please note that e-mail notifications of changes for the end of the day ride home will no longer be accepted. We are not able to ensure that the email will be read in time.
ADDRESS CHANGE? RECENTLY MOVED?
Girls Basketball Skills Clinic
Be a Central CHAMPS student!
Our Positive Behavior Intervention Support program is rooted in Central character and the idea that Champions Make Choices and Choices Make Champions. Our faculty was involved in creating and defining a Central CHAMPS student. The following defines what it means to be a CHAMPS student:
Caring
Honest
Achievement
Making good choices
Prepared to learn
Safety
Furthermore, we have defined our Central Champs expectations in all areas throughout our school. In a continued effort to recognize our students making good choices as well as build our climate and culture, we are going to continue this year our school-wide incentive program using Brag Tags.
Food Service Information
We will take care of your children the first day of school and everyone will eat.
There are a couple of options
Students can pack a lunch.
Students may purchase a lunch. Please send a check to school on the first day made out to PLAINFIELD LUNCH FUND
EFunds for Schools
You may fund your child's lunch account online. This is available July 26, 2017.
Please visit www.plainfield.k12.in.us and click on "Food Services". On that page, you will find a link to the E-Funds for Schools secure payment server. When you get there, you can choose the payment method that is easiest for you.