The Central Scoop
August 31, 2018
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Parents,
Our first few days of school have been very successful. The students have already made new friends, adjusted to the lunch and recess procedures, and learned about "First Class Central." I visited all of the classrooms and can confidently say that all of the students are starting to settle into their academic routines.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding and flexibility regarding our new arrival and dismissal procedures. Due to parent feedback, we will be adjusting our procedures. While we have to limit access to the school with two doors for security reasons, we can let you choose which door you want your child to enter and exit the building each day that is best for your family. To make this adjustment successful, we need your help with dismissal. Please talk to your children about which door to exit each day that works best for your family: blacktop or front entrance. While the teachers will be walking their classes to each dismissal door for safety, they won’t be able to keep track of individual family schedules each day to know which door your child should use. Students should know which door to exit on their own. It’s also a very good idea to find a “meeting spot” outside regardless of what door your family chooses to use. Thanks again for your continued patience with this process. Student safety is a priority for all of us and we will make the necessary adjustments to be the most helpful for all.
As a reminder, today is Early Dismissal and school ends at 2:15pm. All students in grades 1-4 are dismissed at 2:15pm. PM Kindergarteners will follow their regular afternoon schedule: 12:40 PM-3:15 PM. The following students may stay at Central for "childcare" if they fit the following criteria (and they are automatically "on the list" - there is nothing you need to do!):
Your child attends the Park District After School Recreation Program and takes the 3:15pm bus from Central School to the Wilmette Park District Recreation Center.
You have a child in grades 1-4 who has a sibling in PM kindergarten.
Your child participates in a Friday After School Park District Club here at Central (clubs start on 9/11 so that is when those students can stay for "childcare").
Finally, the staff and I have a video that we created for students to welcome them back to school. We shared the video with students today. See the video below. We hope you enjoy it as well as we welcome all of our families back to school!
Have a wonderful holiday weekend with family and friends!
~ Becky
Rebecca Littmann
Principal
Central Elementary School
Enjoy Our "Welcome Back to School" Video For Families
Students Are Settling Into Their Routines and Making Friends!
New Lunch Times This Year!
11:05-11:55 - 4th Grade
11:10-12:00 - 2nd Grade
11:25-12:15 - 3rd Grade
11:30-12:20 - 1st Grade
Superintendent Search
Tuesday, September 18th at 9:15 a.m.
Village Wide PTO, D39 Educational Foundation, Community Review Committee, PASS 39
Tuesday, September 25th at 10:00 a.m.
Parent forum at WJHS
Wednesday, October 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
Community forum at WJHS – all are welcome
Improved Security Protocol
District 39 continues to evaluate our safety procedures and has made some adjustments for when we have visitors. When you come to volunteer at Central, you will need your driver’s license each time you come into the building. While in the past, a parent could show his/her license one time, the new requirement will be to bring the license EVERY time. The secretaries will hold onto the driver’s license while you are in the building and return it to you when you leave for the day. These procedures will be practiced in all D39 schools. Our new procedures will be aligned with other schools in the area, including New Trier High School. Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe!
Friday Early Dismissal Reminder
As a reminder, with the start of the 2018-2019 school year, 2:15pm-3:15pm supervision for our Friday Early Dismissal will be offered only to families who meet one of following criteria:
Your child attends the Park District After School Recreation Program and takes the 3:15pm bus from Central School to the Wilmette Park District Recreation Center.
You have a child in grades 1-4 who has a sibling in PM kindergarten.
Your child participates in a Friday After School Park District 3:15pm club at your home school (Central).
Classroom Snack Guidelines and Reminders
As you know, in any given classroom, we have students with a variety of serious, and often life-threatening, food allergies. To ensure a safe learning environment for every student in our schools, we are limiting classroom snacks to fruits and vegetables only. The items brought to school can be cut up and placed in baggies/containers from your home, or be pre-packaged bags of apples, carrots, etc. as we often see sold in bulk. Please avoid those that are packaged with dips or items that require the labeling of contents. We prefer fresh fruits and vegetables. If there is an ingredient list, it really doesn’t follow the guidelines. Thank you, in advance, for supporting our efforts to keep Central School safe for every child.
Wilmette Park District After School Clubs
Here is a link to the Park District website where you will find information regarding after-school park district clubs: http://www.wilmettepark.org. The Fall 1 session runs Tuesday, September 11 – Friday, October 19. The Fall 2 session runs Monday, October 22 – Friday, December 21. All participants can register through the Wilmette Park District starting on Tuesday, August 28 at 9:00 am. If you have any questions or concerns about a club, want to know how to sign-up, discuss an absence, etc. please contact Haylee Kessler at hkessler@wilpark.org or 847-853-6297. (please do not call Cathy or Sallie at the front office as the school does not plan/teach/run the clubs - thank you!)
PTA Announcements and Reminders...
* The PTA sends out their own newsletter on Sundays - here are just a few highlights
Save The Dates!
Central School Carnival
Kick-off the new school year with The Central School Carnival! There are volunteer opportunities for both adults and teens that are in two shifts, so you can attend the Carnival with your family AND help out. The Carnival is on Saturday, September 15th from 2:00PM to 5:00PM, rain or shine, at Central School. Bring the whole family to meet up with old friends and new classmates. This is a family fun event you don't want to miss! To see all of the Carnival details, including how to volunteer, purchase tickets, or donate a cake to the tremendously popular cake walk please click here http://centralschoolpta.org
Saturday, September 22, 2018 - Parent/Teacher Party
Mark your calendar for the party of the 2018/2019 school year! Central School’s Parent/
Teacher Party is happening on Saturday, September 22, 2018. This is a school wide adult event and is sure to be a blast! More details on the PTA website.
Board Meeting Highlights
Village Wide Environmental Awareness Reminder
From the Nurse's Office
NEW: Call Central School "Attendance Line" For Absences:
847-512-6150 (this used to be called the "SAFE PHONE")
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!
Community Announcements...
- Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30 - 11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church; WilmetteFoodPantry@gmail.com or 847-251-7333
- Family Action Network (FAN): Click HERE for information about FAN and upcoming speakers.
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...
9/3 - No School
9/5 - 1st Grade Curriculum Night @ 6:15PM
9/5 - 2nd Grade Curriculum Night @ 7:15PM
9/10 - No School
9/12 - 3rd Grade Curriculum Night @ 6:15PM
9/12 - 4th Grade Curriculum Night @ 7:15PM
9/13 - Picture Day
9/14 - Picture Day Rain Date
9/15 - Fall Carnival 2:00PM-5:00PM
9/19 - No School
9/22 - Parent Teacher Party - new date!