Central Connection
Central Elementary's Monthly Newsletter
Office News
Notes from Mrs. Oden
The end of the day, is hectic with all the things that happen. Please make sure to call the office by 2:45 pm with any end of the day messages as they are delivered at 3:00 pm. Additionally, checking your student out early, could take a bit longer at the end of the day. Please plan your time accordingly if they have an appointment and get a Doctor notes to excuse your student for an appointment or sickness. To help keep your student safe we always ask for your ID when checking out a student. Please make sure you have it with you.
ParentVue / Medication Make sure your student’s information, especially their emergency contact and medications are up to date. Please make sure to adjust ParentVue if your student no longer needs medication, etc. to note this change. Prescription medications must have the Linden Community Schools perscription medication form signed by a physician.
Schedule
School Hours 8:19 am - 3:27 pm Every minute counts!
Students arriving after 8:20am must be signed in by an adult in the office.
4th Grade Lunch 11:20 - 11:50 am
Recess 11:50 am - 12:20pm
5th Grade Lunch 12 - 12:30 pm
Recess 12:30 - 1:00 pm
We could use your help!
Popcorn Volunteers:
The office is sponsoring the popcorn pop on 11/17 to fund a variety of projects including birthday books for students. We could use a couple volunteers to help out. Please contact Mrs. Oden in the office to sign up. Thank you!
Office Donations:
- Gallon size Ziplock bags
- Gallon size hand sanitizer
- Mini size water bottles (students tend to leave theirs at home)
- Band-Aids of all sizes.
Halloween Fun
Central Students very much enjoyed wearing the costumes they earned in the mums sale and the opportunity to walk over to LHS and do a little trick or treating during LHS's SOAR time this Halloween.
Social emotional wellness corner
Time Management Skills and Techniques for Students
We don’t know about you, but we are sitting here wondering how we are already heading into November?! We are grateful for how strong the foundation has been for this school year, it has been inspirational to witness new friendships, academic successes, SOAR tickets handed out, and students embracing what it means to be a Central Champion.
November brings a month of chilly evenings, pumpkin spice, family gatherings, and the opportunity to express gratitude. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, the ability to feel appreciation, and the intent to receive or return kindness. Gratitude involves understanding and appreciating what we have, without comparing it to others in a negative way. Having gratitude requires that we realize that everyone struggles and no one’s life is perfect, even if it looks that way. Living with an “attitude of gratitude” results in a more positive day. It is important to appreciate where we are in life, because many people in the past and present have experienced conditions much more difficult than our own. Folks who focus on developing an appreciation for the positive aspects of their lives experience increased happiness, reduced hopelessness, psychological well being, and a more positive outlook. The rise in the rate of childhood depression in recent years directly impacts a student’s desire to learn. Students who embrace a mindset of gratitude experience higher self-esteem, lower depression, and more positive emotions.
Here are a few ideas to bring gratitude into your home with your family.
Begin a gratitude jar. Each day have your family write something that they are grateful for, and then on Thanksgiving or at the end of the month, gather the family together and read aloud the gratitude notes that have been collected in the jar.
Focus on what went "right" each day. Take a couple of minutes at bedtime to write down or talk about at least one thing, no matter how small, or one part of the day that you and your family are grateful for. Studies show that gratitude improves sleep quality and decreases symptoms like unexplained aches and pains. By focusing on the positive parts of the day, gratitude promotes a positive outlook.
Promote sincere verbal or written expressions of thankfulness. Guide your children to build a habit of thankful expression. Thanking others helps to increase self-esteem, mental strength and positive social behaviors—such as helping, sharing, and volunteering. All of these are vital to strengthening our resiliency, a trait that we all need right now.
Find ways to help others in need. It's important to encourage children and teens to take active steps in providing service to their communities. Help them find causes that they are interested in, such as volunteering for a nursing home or raising money for charity. By participating in such giving activities, they will gain a sense of purpose and develop skills that will help them succeed in life.
Be a role model. One way to teach your children to be more grateful is by actually being more grateful yourself. Show them your appreciation on a regular basis and they will learn to follow in your footsteps. You can start by modeling good behavior and practicing positive discipline techniques.
Remember: Spending just a few minutes a day to practice gratitude with our family can have a positive impact on how we address stressful situations life unexpectedly throws our way. It is especially effective as part of an overall family wellness plan that focuses on healthy eating, sleeping, screen time habits, and daily physical activity. We wish everyone a healthy November, and let each and every one of our family members know that we are grateful to teach your children, we are grateful for our Central community, and we are beyond grateful for our families.
The Adventures of Belle the therapy dog.
This portion of the newsletter will follow Belle's adventures each month, as told by Belle.
October was an interesting month with a few firsts for me. I made a bunch of new friends at parent conferences greeting people at the front door and I had my first Halloween. I stood at the door waiting for the big people to come in and pet me and Mr. Culver let me chase a ball down the halls when there weren't new people to see. Everyone was so nice. A couple people even offered to have me come home with them, but I like it at Central way to much.
Mr. Culver told me about something called Halloween, but I didn't think he was serious. He was and he made me wear a dress, but drew the line at wearing a wig. It was too much. I got dressed up like Princess Belle, because I'm basically a princess at school all the time. There was candy everywhere that smelled so good, we got to take a trip to a new school and they were dressed just as silly as my students. There was also lots of people laying on the floor of their classrooms that day just so they could pet me. This might be my favorite month yet!
Getting cozy during reading intervention!
Intervention at Central Elementary has gone through some drastic changes this year. Mrs. Strickert has spearheaded district efforts in improving our procedures for identifying students that need additional academic support and working with our intervention staff to provide highly effective, data focused lessons. Mrs. Emerton, Mrs. Hamlin, Mrs. Howard, Mrs. Redlich and Mrs. Wernet have been working hard with our students to make intervention a different experience for our students. They've already coordinated an academic night with activities and cookies during conferences and have given their classrooms an updated feel that allows students to a space where they can tackle difficult content a little more informally. It looks like our students are very much enjoying their new spaces.
Principal's Challenge
For the month of November our Principal's challenge is one that allows us to honor veterans that are close to us. Starting November 1st. Directions will be posted on the Principal's Challenge bulletin board at school or can be found below. Let's help cover Central with our veteran heroes.
Veterans Day falls on November 11th each year and is a time for us to honor those that have served in the US armed forces. The date chosen to celebrate Veterans day is also significant. It is the day that countries involved in World War I agreed to a cease fire, essentially ending the war. Our November principal’s challenge is to fill our school with decorations that will honor someone close to us that has served our country in a branch of our armed services.
Your task is to get a 12x12 sheet of paper, you can use one from home, or get one from the office. You can use is as a square or cut it into a special shape that represents/honors your person. On your sign place information about the veteran that you know. Include their name, a picture, which branch of the armed forces they served, their job, or other unique things you learned about that person. You may need to ask for help with some of the information so use your resources, the best are probably your family, friends, or the person themselves. You can add any decorations or details that you’d like to your sign and bring it to the office before the end of the day on November 10th. We will post them on the walls around the school for everyone to see as they come in. I hope you have a fun time learning about and honoring your special veteran.
Positivity Project
This month our Champions at Central focused on the character strengths of Being Present and Integrity. With a significant focus on Integrity as we transition into November. Integrity means you are honest and speak the truth. You present yourself genuinely and sincerely.
Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. People with integrity practice what they preach and maintain a consistent pattern of behavior aligned with their values. They have the courage not to follow the crowd if it means going against their beliefs. Integrity is closely aligned with the terms of honesty and authenticity. People with integrity tell the truth and have alignment in their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Integrity is vital to individual growth. It is correlated with a multitude of psychological well-being measures. Harmony in your feelings, thoughts, and actions makes you better able to personally grow and achieve goals. Authenticity and a lack of pretense make you more likable and trusted by others, meaning your relationships will benefit.
To practice and encourage the character strength of integrity with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.
Upcoming events
Our outdoor learning space is slowly moving to fruition. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has worked with us to plan, mark and tilled an area near the Central bus parking lot and is almost ready to seed it with native wild flowers. We need your help going that last step. On 11/15 right after school we will be cleaning out the last unprepared section so it can be incorporated into the project. If you have gloves or some grass rakes they may be helpful to bring with you as a limited supply will be available at the school.
Student Council with support from Central PALS is supporting Central families in need again this year with our Friendsgiving food donation. Each class is assigned a Thanksgiving meal item to bring in and student council will collect and sort the food and provide some holiday cheer for families in Linden that might need a little support and love this season. Please see the poster or talk to your student about donating to Friendsgiving.
There will be no school for students on November 22nd, 23rd and 24th in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.