The Central Scoop
November 3, 2017
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
Thank you all for joining us Tuesday for our Halloween parade. It was so much fun seeing all the cute and creative costumes this year. The children really appreciated having you there to observe them and cheer them on as they strutted around the building showing off their costumes.
The week of November 13th-17th is Book Week at Central School. This year's theme is - Camp Read S'More! Highlights of the week will include:
- Author Candace Fleming on Wednesday, November 15th
- Guest Readers on Thursday, November 16th
- "Flashlight Friday" Reading Marathon (in PJs!) on Friday, November 17th
- Special STEM and literature activities throughout the week.
As a reminder, parent/teacher conferences are next week. If you have any questions regarding your scheduled time, please contact your child's teacher.
Warmly,
- Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
The third grade teachers celebrated the '80s on Halloween with the game, Tetris
School & District Announcements and Reminders...
Student Council Announcements
Student Council will be collecting extra Halloween candy November 1st thru November 7th. Students can give the extra candy to their classroom teachers. Student Council is preparing special collection boxes for teachers to use. No candy will be shared or eaten at school. All the candy that is collected will be donated to Hillside Food Panty in Wilmette.
Friday, November 17th is a turkey spirit day! All students will receive a feather at school which will represent one thing they are thankful for this year.
Friday Early Release Reminders
If your child is signed-up for after-school supervision on Fridays and you want to sign him/her out early, please follow the procedures below. The procedures are in place for the safety of students because 2:15PM-3:15PM is still considered part of the school day for students who have been enrolled in after-school supervision.
- You will need to come sign your child out on a clipboard in the main office in order for your child to be released. You can do this in the morning or at any point of the day that works for you.
- Your child will also need to still go to the cafeteria at 2:15PM like he/she normally does on Fridays so supervisors can take attendance. After attendance is taken, the supervisors will collect any students that have been signed out and bring them to the main office to meet the person who is taking them home. This process usually takes about 10 minutes so please plan accordingly.
- Please let your child know what the protocol is and that he/she still needs to go to the cafeteria like usual on Fridays. When students leave the building without checking into the cafeteria, they can be considered "missing".
Carpool Line Safety Reminders
As the weather gets colder, our carpool line gets longer. I thought this would be a good time for safety reminders. Please adhere to our safety procedures below. Also, please make sure your caregivers are aware of the procedures as well.
- Cell phones are not allowed while you are driving, even in the carpool line.
Please follow the suggestions of our supervisors in green vests on the curb. They are staff members who are there to help your child get in and out of your vehicle safely. These adults are also safe people for students to use if they need help finding a caregiver.
- Please wait to let your children out of your vehicle in front of the school. Letting them out of the car any earlier is dangerous.
Pull your vehicle up as far as possible in the line (even across the driveway to the black top), but leave room to pull out so you don't need to back up to get around the car in front of you.
Keep pulling up as cars exit the line to keep it moving.
Stay in your car at all times. Please don't leave your car or park it in the carpool line. This is very dangerous for you and for those trying to maneuver around your car. If you must walk your child to the door, please park your car across the street or a block away so you can walk your child safely to school.
Use the crosswalk on Central Avenue. We have a wonderful crossing guard on Central Ave. His name is Dudley and he is hired by the Wilmette Police Department. Please make sure that your entire family uses the crosswalk on Central Avenue. Dudley will ensure that you get across the street safely.
Also, please be mindful of our crossing guard, Dudley. It is his responsibility to ensure drivers are following the rules of the road. He will call the police, if necessary to ensure everyone's safety.
Call Central School "Safe Phone" For Absences: 847-512-6150
Please call the "SAFE" (absence) phone to report absences even if you let the classroom teacher knows, 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.
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 professional development, student activities, parent involvement, and school goals.
PTA Announcements and Reminders...
* The PTA sends out their own newsletter on Sundays - here are just a few highlights
Gift of Giving Begins Sunday, Nov. 5
Calling all elves! The Gift of Giving Committee is looking for some spirited Central families to help the holiday season “take flight.” This November, please consider contributing to Central School's Gift of Giving program, which for the past 9 years has helped two Chicago-based organizations – LYDIA Home and Metropolitan Family Services – provide gifts and funds to families and individuals in need during the holidays. A range of donation options is available and both organizations deeply appreciate and need our support.
You can sign-up to donate to LYDIA Home and/or Metropolitan Family Services via SignUpGenius or on the PTA website beginning Sunday, Nov. 5. Donations will be collected through Monday, Dec. 4.
Links to the donation opportunities:
LYDIA Home: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080848a5a728ab9-lydia1
Metropolitan Family Services: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080848a5a728ab9-mfsgift
In addition, LYDIA Home has made a special request for us to help them make their housing units “cozier” by donating items such as toasters and board games.
Below is the Amazon link for those items:
https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/2N5HSY10HG7FF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_E4H8zbWCRV9Q9
For more information about the charities, what you can contribute and how it works, please visit the PTA website and click on “Gift of Giving.” Thank you for your consideration!
Book Fair
Central School’s Book Fair, "Camp Out with a Good Book," is just around the corner. The dates of the fair are Monday 11/13-Thursday 11/16. We will have a family shopping night on Wednesday evening 11/15, from 6:30-8:30pm. A coloring page was sent home with your child this week. We hope your child enjoys decorating this page. Please return the colored page to school no later than Wednesday, November 8th to be included in the annual Book Fair coloring contest. There will be a winner chosen from every grade. We will use all of these coloring pages to decorate our Book Fair!”
Central School Garden
Please help the garden grow as Central looks forward to celebrating its 20th Anniversary next year! The PTA is excited about improvements to enhance learning and further ways to enjoy outdoor space. Please consider donating, we appreciate your support!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4daeab28a2fa7-support
Community Announcements...
- League of Women Voters of Wilmette & Wilmette Public Library host informational meeting on IL School Funding Reform - SB 1947 at Wilmette Library on November 5th 7:00 - 8:30 pm
- PEDAL POWER is collecting gently used bicycles to reward CPS students for making honor roll! Drop off in Wilmette at McKenzie Elementary School November 11th 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Other drop off sites available.
- New Trier HS Football Schedule is posted online.
- Wilmette Rotary Club hosts annual BIG BOOK DRIVE October 2nd - November 15th. Donate books at any D39 school.
- Register now for Wilmette Park District’s Saturday Basketball for boys & girls grades 4-8.
Jo Boaler at FAN on November 16th! More information is linked here.
- Additional information on community events can be found here http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Upcoming Events...
- 11/3 - Dodgeball Fundraiser - TONIGHT (sign-up is FULL)
- 11/7 - D39 Parent Event at the Junior High - Social Emotional Growth: Navigating Social Conflicts (see flier below)
- 11/8-11/10 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
- 11/9-11/10 - No School
- 11/13-11/17 - Book Fair
- 11/13 - Board of Education Meeting
- 11/14 - D39 Parent Event at the Junior High - Social Emotional Growth: Growth Mindset (see flier below)
- 11/20-11/24 - No School, Thanksgiving Break
- 11/28 PASS 39 Meeting
- 11/29, 11/30, 12/1 - Outdoor Education for 4th graders
- 12/6 - D39 Parent Event at the Junior High: How to Raise Resilient Children (see flier below)