The Central Scoop
February 15, 2019
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
It was wonderful seeing everyone participate in Valentine's Day activities throughout the building this week. The halls were filled with laughter and classrooms were loaded with arts and crafts activities and fun games. I even received a few adorable handmade Valentines myself - thank you!
Today, we celebrated President's Day with a special visit from President Lincoln. Our first graders enjoyed learning from President Lincoln and Mrs. Lincoln during a special assembly in our auditorium. President Lincoln also visited first grade classrooms. Next week, we will continue our President's Day celebration with an all-school assembly on Thursday.
Have a wonderful weekend, and as a reminder, there is no school on Monday.
- Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
Parent Input for Class Placement for 2019-20 School Year
We are approaching the time of the year when we begin to consider student placement for next school year. Starting immediately after spring break, we review each child’s individual learning needs with the corresponding team of teachers. The team of teachers includes your child’s classroom teacher, the “specials” teachers, as well as the special education staff. In addition, we consider other factors such as gender balance, learning styles, academic needs, social/emotional needs, and overall make-up of a class. As you can imagine, a lot of thought is put into classroom placement. We consider each child individually and place him/her with an appropriate classroom mix, as well as a good student/teacher combination.
We feel confident in our ability to appropriately place your child successfully, however, if you feel that extraordinary factors exist that the school should be aware of, please complete the attached PDF form by March 22nd (before spring break). Placement forms should be given to the secretaries in the office or placed in the principal's mailbox. Finally, we approach each year with a fresh start. Parent input letters from previous years are not considered. If you have a specific concern, it needs to be reiterated each year. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the principal or assistant principal. Please know that we will work diligently to ensure the most appropriate placement for every student.
**Also note that Highcrest has their own form/process/timeline that is different from the elementary schools. The administrators from Highcrest will be reaching out to current fourth grade parents separately about their placement process at a later date.
Music Class Announcements
The second grade music performance, “My Trip to the Mountains” will be Thursday, March 7th at 2:00pm in the Central Auditorium.
Parents Visit Music Class is March 18h - 21st for grades K, 1st, 3rd and 4th. For more details and to view a full schedule of "Parents Visit Music Class," please visit Mrs. Gierke’s website at:
https://sites.google.com/a/wilmette39.org/central-music/parents-visit-music?authuser=0
Art Awareness Week
Art Awareness Week has come to a very successful conclusion. Ms. Berngard and The Art Awareness Committee successfully brought the traditional art form of hand embroidery into the classrooms. Thank you to everyone who volunteered
Rope Climbing in PE Classes For 3rd and 4th Grade
Report Cards Are Now Accessible Online = Final Posting
Report cards have been accessible to parents online since Wednesday, February 7th. To access report cards, navigate to https://ps.wilmette39.org and sign in. If you do not remember your user credentials, use the "Forgot Username" or "Password?" link. If that doesn’t resolve your issue, please contact Sallie or Cathy in the front office. As a reminder, the format of the report is new this year. To assist with the change, I'm attaching two pdf documents (How to Read the Revised Report Card and Behaviors that Promote Learning) for your reference when reviewing your child's report, see documents below.
New Principal Named for Harper Elementary School
Destination Imagination Winners
Congratulations to all our students who competed in last weekend's Destination Imagination regional tournament. Our two teams, DI Doctors and Bunny Ninjas, will move forward to state finals in April.
D39 Summer Enrichment Program
Wilmette, District 39’s Summer Enrichment Program brochure will be available to view online January 21st.
Reminder, registration is done online . Registration opens February 4, 2019.
PTA Announcements and Reminders...
* The PTA sends out their own newsletter on Sundays - here are just a few highlights:
Registration Coming Soon: Central School Sleep-Under Fundraiser!
Friday, March 8th from 5:00pm - 8:30pm
The Central School faculty is hosting a sleep-under for all 1-4 grade students. This drop-off event will take place March 8th from 5 pm- 8:30 pm and includes a pizza dinner, scavenger hunt, arts & crafts, snacks and a PG rated movie. The proceeds from this event support PTA initiatives. The cost is $50 per participant with a maximum of 47 participants. Please note, this event is limited to current 1st-4th grade Central students only. This popular event fills up very quickly, keep an eye out for the sign up link in the PTA Scoop on Sunday!
Art Awareness:
We are looking for parent volunteers for Art Awareness Week- The Art of Embroidery, February 11th - 15th. This year Ms. Berngard and The Art Awareness Committee are excited to bring the traditional art form of hand embroidery into the classroom. Please join your child's classroom and help us prepare for a unique experience.
Sign up HERE!
Community Announcements...
- Wilmette Public Library hosts Maker Fest on February 23rd, 10:30-2:30.
- New Trier’s Student Dance Company presents “Kinesis Kids Dance Concert”. An interactive show for children ages 3-11 on February 9th.
- Wilmette Baseball Association has opened registration for spring leagues.
- Wilmette Historical Museum hosts “Meet the Lincolns” February 17th and "Design Your Dream Home" on March 17th.
- Wilmette Park District hosts Kindergarten Enrichment Open House February 20th, 6:00-8:00 pm
- Northwestern’s Center for Talent Development offers Weekend Enrichment Programs for students age 3 through 8th grade.
- Kids Against Hunger service project on Saturday, March 16th.
- Love to sing? Youth Choral Theatre of Chicago offers a free vocal training class with flyer. Vocal classes available for children ages 4-18.
- The Center Fitness Club schedule and various park district classes for children ages 3-14 are posted.
- Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
- Family Action Network (FAN) is hosting two speakers, W. Thomas Boyce, MD on February 19 & 20 and Dr. Zhao on February 21st at New Trier Cornog Auditorium. Free CEUs for educators and open to the public. Click HERE for information about FAN and upcoming speakers.
From the Nurse's Office
Call Central School "Attendance Line" For Absences: 847-512-6150
Please call the Attendance Line to report absences even if you let the classroom teacher know, because some teachers don't see the email/voicemail until later in the day. Teachers assume you are calling the office. It's important that the school nurse is directly aware of any absences otherwise, your son/daughter may be considered "missing." The school nurse keeps track of all school absences in the building. For safety reasons, we want to make sure all of our students are accounted for and safe.
New Central Health Office Website!!
Here is your go-to site for all of your health related questions including PE/Recess Notes, Health Requirements, Dental Examinations, Allergy and Asthma, Medications, Snacks in Classrooms, Lice, Influenza...and more!
https://sites.google.com/wilmette39.org/centralhealthoffice/home
Join us on Twitter!
Central School is on Twitter!
- We have TWO Twitter accounts. Please "follow" us at Twitter.com! Explore Central 39 (with our actual "handle" as @explorecentral). With this account, we mostly share student activities that are completed in the Learning Commons (but other activities are often included as well). We are also providing this Twitter feed on our Central School homepage.
- There is also a principal page @BeckyLittmann where you can follow a variety of school happenings including all-school events, classroom activities, PTA enrichment, and school goals.
Save the Dates...
2/18 - NO SCHOOL, President's Day
2/21 - Mom's Night Out at Salt @ 7:30pm
2/21 - Open Gym Night @ 6:00pm
2/24 - Central School Annual Daughter Dance 2-4pm
3/1 - D39 Educational Foundation's Annual Family Bingo Night
3/8 - Central's Annual Sleep-Under Fundraiser 5:00-8:30pm