Central Hub
July 2018 Edition
Message from the Principal
Dear Central Parents,
As an educator, the time right before school starts is my absolute favorite. Everyone is excited and anticipating a wonderful year. Like many of you, it just makes me want buy school supplies, especially Sharpies and pencils. We have been very busy this summer preparing for your child's arrival.
Summer Office Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 3 :00 p.m. Monday through Friday through July 27th.
Important dates
Kindergarten Screening--July 19 from 9:00-12:00 This is for children who did not attend the screening in May.
Class placement information will be emailed Tuesday, July 24. Please look for a letter from your child's teacher in the mail, following the email.
Supply Night Drop Off for grades K-5--Sunday, July 29 at 4:00-6:00. We would like for K-2 to come between 4:00-5:00 and for grades 3-5 to come between 5:00-6:00. Since teachers will still be preparing for your arrival, we are not opening classrooms. We appreciate your understanding that this is just a time to drop off supplies and explore the school. For added fun, Frigid Frog will be in our parking lot with Snow Cones. (There is one free snow cone for each Central Elementary student.)
Please note there will be a small ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:00 to celebrate Wal-Mart and our new outdoor patio space.
Car Rider Meeting July 29 from 5:30-6:00 in the gymnasium. This meeting is for parents who plan on their children being car riders rather than daycare, bus riders, or walkers. As always, we are looking for ways to betting improve the communication and make this as safe and smooth of a process as possible.
First Day of School-- July 31, 2018- Students may arrive at 8:30. The tardy bell rings at 8:50. Please note that for security reasons, parents are not permitted to walk their child to their classrooms.
Meet the Teacher Night
Kindergarten--Monday, July 30 at 6:00-7:00 (Students may attend with their parents)
Grades 4 and 5--Tuesday, July 31 at 6:00-7:00 (Parents only)
Grades 1-3--Thursday, August 2 at 6:00-7:00 (Parents only-Please feel free to use Van Buren's parking lot if needed)
Lunch with Students--Please note that in order to make sure we have our lunch time routine down, we are not allowing parent/visitors to eat with their children the first two weeks of school. We will welcome you with open arms on August 13th and encourage you to visit and volunteer at Central.
School Safety Meeting- Monday, August 6 at 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. Safety is our number one priority here at Central. I encourage you to come to the meeting to hear all the efforts we have made and will continue to make to keep your child safe at school.
I cannot wait to see our returning students and to meet our new students! Most of all I am looking forward to building a partnership with you. Central is a special place to learn and grow because of the people and kindness found in our community.
Only 18 days to go!
Sincerely,
Julie Thacker
Time Schedules and Calendars for Schools 2018-2019
Below are the board approved school start times for the 2018-2019 school year.
Student Day: 8:50 a.m. -3:50 p.m.
Middle School
Student Day: 7:50 a.m. -2:50 p.m.
High School
Student Day: 8:05 a.m.- 3:05 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.
Important Bus Information
What’s my bus number? Where’s my bus stop? When will the bus pick me up and drop me off?
As we get closer to the beginning of the school year, we know you are interested to know how bus service will work for your child this year. Beginning Tuesday, July 24th, you will be able to see student bus information from your PowerSchool account. This will include the bus number, bus stop location, and pick-up and drop-off times. All kindergarten students and all students new to the district will receive a phone call before Monday, July 30 from the bus driver with that same information. 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.
ADDRESS CHANGE? RECENTLY MOVED?
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 3:45 p.m. Your child will be waiting in the office lobby until you sign them out. Signing your child out prior to 3:45 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 are not accepted. We are not able to ensure that the email will be read in time.
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 for your child's lunch every day:
Students can pack a lunch.
Students may purchase a lunch. Please send a check or cash to school on the first day made out to PLAINFIELD LUNCH FUND. Please put this in an envelope with your child's name, teacher's name, and amount enclosed.
EFunds for Schools
You may fund your child's lunch account online. This link is available July 23, 2018.
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.
A Note From the Central PTO President
July 1, 2018
Dear Central Elementary Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to Central Elementary School! My name is Danielle Bell and I am serving as President of the Central Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization (Central PTO) during the 2018-19 school year. Perhaps you’ve heard about our group through various fundraising activities or the supplies and programs we financially support at school. Providing these extras is important to us, but our work goes beyond raising money.
One of our key missions is to develop united efforts that will secure, for every child, the highest advantages in physical, mental, and social education. We’re always eager to find more great people, like you, to help us meet this goal. Other special people in your child’s life may be eager to help as well, and we are so happy to have them.
We don’t expect a huge time commitment from volunteers. An hour can be a big help to our group and the school, and we have positions and tasks to fit all schedules and interests. Just let us know whether a program, event, or activity interests you and when you might be free to help. (You don’t even have to come to the school or attend a meeting to be involved, although we’d really like to meet you personally!)
Research shows that students whose parents are involved in their education have better grades and fewer discipline problems. Involvement at the school also makes it easier to establish friendships with teachers and other parents. We promise that the time you give our group and the school will be worth your while—and fun!
Feel free to call or e-mail if you have any questions. Together, we can make a tremendous impact at our school!
Sincerely,
Danielle Bell
President, Central Elementary PTO
317-750-7652 | dbell@highgarden.com
facebook.com/PTOCentralElementary
Sign up for email updates & text reminders about school events here: http://bit.ly/centralptoinfo
School Supply List
YMCA BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE AT CENTRAL IN THE FALL
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 317-607-2333