Craddock's Weekly Update

For the Week of April 24, 2023

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Principal Pals and a Sweet Treat for the Kids!

I am soooooo excited to be going into each classroom this week to do Principal Pals! I have a scheduled time to go in, read a story, do a craft and pass out a little treat. It is one of the best weeks of the entire year for me and I hope for the kids too!


Because we are doing a treat this year, please check out the ingredients list below. First graders will be offered a cookie and second graders a mini cupcake. The treats were picked to align with the books I am going to share. If you do not want your child to have the treat, please let his/her teacher know! Thank you!

1st Grade Treat Ingredients

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2nd Grade Treat Ingredients

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Student Placement Parent Feedback Form

Please click here if you would like to provide input on your child's placement for the 23-24 school year.

Craddock Transportation Request 22-23

If at any time, you wish to change your child's mode of transportation for one or more days, you must fill out the Google form attached. We are no longer able to accept notes, phone calls and/or emails to do this, outside of emergencies. Thank you!

Click Here for Craddock's Lunch Menu

It is recommended you check this link often when making decisions about whether your child is buying lunch or not. The menu has been changing more often than we anticipated. Thank you!

2nd to 3rd Grade Parent Orientation is Coming Soon!

Welcome to all of our Upcoming Leighton Families! It is so hard to believe that the end of another school year is upon us and we will once again be welcoming a new group of 3rd Graders to Leighton Elementary.


I am so excited to meet each of you and am looking forward to welcoming you to Leighton Elementary on Monday, May 8th for our in-person 2nd to 3rd Grade Parent Meeting from 6:30-7:30pm. The parent meeting will be held in the Leighton Gym where we will open our evening together with a presentation from myself, Mr. Lehman, Assistant Principal, and Mrs. Mazzella, School Guidance Counselor, so we can share all the wonderful things that make Leighton Elementary an amazing place to learn and grow. Our presentation will be followed by a building tour and a visit to the 3rd Grade classrooms. There will also be time for a question and answer session!


We are equally as excited to meet our upcoming 3rd Graders on May 22nd when they make their way over to Leighton Elementary from 9:30-10:30 a.m. to enjoy meeting Mrs.Nizen, Mr. Lehman, Mrs. Mazzella, the Third Grade Teachers, and, of course, spending some time on the playground. During this time students will start their morning with a brief welcome by me, and then each classroom will be paired with our Fifth Grade Leighton Leaders who will help take students on a tour around the building and even make a visit to the third grade classrooms to meet the teachers. Our time together will end with a visit to the playground. I can not wait to meet each of you and our upcoming Third Graders in the next few weeks! See you soon at the May 8th 2nd to 3rd Grade Parent Meeting!


As we near the end of the school year our teams at Leighton will be getting ready to begin the process of student placements for our third, fourth, and fifth graders. This process takes several days to complete as many factors are worked through including servicing needs, data to support best placement, teacher and specialist input, parent input, and any student needs. Mrs. Menta has already shared this form! We work very hard to ensure each student is placed in the best learning environment. While we are unable to take specific teacher requests, please feel free to fill out the form provided if you have any special circumstances of which I should be aware. I do my best to honor special circumstances. Mrs. Menta will also be meeting with me to share any special circumstances.


Looking forward to seeing our upcoming Third Grade families and students very soon!


Kind Regards,

Mrs. Michelle Nizen

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Mark Your Calendar

Week of April 24th - Principal Pals :)

Wednesday, 4/26 - Virtual Parent Meeting for Any Parent of a Student on an IEP or 504 at 7:00

Wednesday, 5/03 - 2nd Grade Performance at AHS Auditorium

Thursday, 5/4 - 1st Grade Field Trip to Playhouse Square

Monday, 5/08 - Moebius Field Trip for McBenttes and Julien

Monday, 5/08 - Parent Orientation for Current 2nd Graders Headed to Leighton at 6:30 at LES

Tuesday, 5/09 - Moebius Field Trip for Gonzalez and Brezovec

Wednesday, 5/10 - Moebius Field Trip for Wilk and Leko

Thursday, 5/11 - Goff to the Aurora Public Library 9:15 - 10:30

Friday, 5/12 - Tackett (9:45 - 11:00) and Doherty (12:30 - 1:45) to the Aurora Public Library

Monday, 5/15 - Moebius Field Trip for Serafino and Yaeger

Monday, 5/15 - K to 1st Grade Parent Orientation at 6:00 at Craddock

Tuesday, 5/16 - Moebius Field Trip for Moticak

Tuesday, 5/16 - McArthur to the Aurora Pubic Library 9:45 - 11:00

Wednesday, 5/17 - Janko to the Aurora Public Library 9:15 - 10:30

Thursday, 5/18 - Armbrecht (9:15 - 10:30) and Schaefer (10:15 - 11:30) to the Aurora Library

Friday, 5/19 - Field Day for Craddock

Monday, 5/22 - 2nd Grade Visit to Leighton

Monday, 5/22 - Williams to the Aurora Public Library 9:45 - 11:00

Tuesday, 5/23 - K Visit to Craddock

Wednesday, 5/24 - Acevedo to the Aurora Public Library 9:15 - 10:30

Thursday, 5/25 - Lunch on the Lawn for 2nd Grade

Thursday, 5/25 - Last Day of School - HAPPY SUMMER!

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Gather Portal Access for Your Child

This brief letter gives you all the information you need to access your child's Gather narratives for the second trimester. They went live on Friday, 3/10/23. Please reach out with any questions. We are here to help you! Thank you!

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Important PTO Information

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