Central Hub

Dear Central Families,

Like many of you, this is my favorite time of year! Autumn is the perfect season for my favorite things.... cozy sweaters and socks, seasonal coffees in decorative cups, pumpkin flavored foods, campfires with Smores, golden colored leaves, and increased family time.

However, for many, it can be stressful. As educators, we are aware of this as we teach and care for your children. During this time of year, if you have concerns, I encourage you to reach out to one of the following people: your child's teacher, our home-school advisor, Mrs. White, our assistant principal, Mrs. Rogers, or me, Mrs. Thacker, because we truly want to be a support for you and your children.

Overall, fall becomes a time where we pause to be thankful. I am truly grateful to serve as the principal of Central Elementary and have incredibly supportive families, like you! My hope over the next couple of months is to continue to be intentional in getting to know our parents even better. Please feel free to stop in the office or talk with me in the cafeteria.

We have some exciting events coming up: Family Fun Night, Light the Tree, and our Veterans' Day program. We sincerely hope you will join us for these events.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Julie Thacker

As the daughter and granddaughter of veterans of the Vietnam War and World War II, Veterans' Day has always had significant meaning to my family. It is with great pride that I am excited about the work the students and staff have been putting into our Veterans' Day program November 12, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. in our gymnasium. If you are a Veteran parent or grandparent of a Central Elementary student, it would mean so much if you would attend that day.

We look forward to sharing our special music and tributes with you!--Mrs. Thacker

Nancy McGarry, our School nurse, has been a school nurse for over twelve years prior to joining us at Central Elementary School. Nancy relocated to Avon, Indiana with her family in 2016 from Staten Island, New York where she worked for the NYC Department of Education as a School nurse.

Nancy attended St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center- School of Nursing in Staten Island. She graduated in 2003 and had privilege of delivering the Valedictorian address to her fellow students.

Nancy lives in Avon with her husband, son and her parents. She is a member of the St. Susanna R.C. Church here in Plainfield. Nancy enjoys spending time with her family, especially her daughter and sister who both live within walking distance of her house (it's a New York thing). Nancy is a compassionate, loving person who is always willing to help in any way she can. We are so happy to have her join our Central family.

Children will be expected to go outdoors for recess when the temperature and wind chill are 20 degrees Fahrenheit and above. Please make sure you are sending your children to school dressed for this kind of weather. Students will not go out if it is raining or sleeting. Our handbook states that if your child must stay indoors because of illness during recess time, we ask that you write a daily note requesting that your child stay inside. Repeated requests for indoor recess will prompt the nurse to require a written statement from the family doctor concerning the request.

Our School Motto this year is Succeed Like a Champion

At the end of every quarter we hold a CENTRAL CELEBRATION to recognize student achievements, awards, and generate school spirit. Our first Central Celebration for the 2018-2019 was on Friday, October 12th and was a great success. We recognized the Value winners from each class from August and September, Specials Awards from each grade, Rising Star student from each class for the first quarter, students with perfect attendance, and high honor roll and honor roll students from 3rd-5th grades. Our next Central Celebration for the second quarter will be on Friday January 11th.

Twitter---@cnquakers

Facebook--Central Elementary School or find us (@centralquakers)

BE IN THE KNOW!

This year we have moved to Google, so I am sharing our Central Elementary Parent Calendar. I am hoping this will help you to have all our important events at your fingertips. (Disclaimer: Every phone is different, and everyone will be able to access the calendar. If you have a Google calendar, it will work for sure; others will have different steps to follow, but your phone should prompt you.) Note - for Google, you need to be on a computer to add the calendar.

Link to VIEW ONLY the Central Elementary Parent Calendar

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=plainfield.k12.in.us_k4mb22sskfrkul9o8017a6fovc%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FNew_York

Since we are looking to help increase each student’s reading comprehension,

Central Elementary students will be participating in a reading challenge!

Students will be divided into 4 “racing teams” in their classroom. Each classroom kindergarten through fifth grade have the same 4 teams. During school, each team will read books and take Accelerated Reading quizzes over the book they read. Kindergarten will turn in their reading log for points. The Points that they receive from the quiz or reading log will be used to decide the winning team.

• The winning team with the most points for each quarter will receive a cool brag tag to add to their collection as well as special privileges in the library for that week!!

• During Central Celebration, the winning team will stand up to be recognized and a bronze, silver, and gold medal will be handed out to the three students with the top A.R. points per grade level!!

You can always help your child with book choices by accessing the books that are available in our library by going to www.plainfield.k12.in.us. Click on Central Elementary. Click on Student. Click on the Catalog Tab at the top left side. Click on Destiny Quest on the left. The students can look through the books that are in the A.R. level and even make a wish list!! Ask your 2nd through 5th grade student about this great asset!!

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at kcrum@plainfield.k12.in.us.

We enjoy seeing your children every day. Although we understand that there will be times when your child is sick and needs to stay home, there is a direct correlation between student attendance and success. Here are a few ways we can work together to make sure your children have very good school attendance and don't feel like they are missing out.

• Schedule all doctor’s appointments outside of the school day if at all possible.
• It is very important to turn in medical notes (doctor, dentist, therapy, etc) to the nurse when returning to school.
• Share with your child how important it is to be at school.
• Make sure to communicate absences in advance, if possible, so the classroom teacher can ensure that your child still has opportunities to learn skills that he/she will miss when they are absent.
• Help to make sure that your child arrives at school on time each day. The doors open at 8:30 and students need to be seated in their classroom each morning by 8:50 or they are counted tardy.

Our teachers work hard to provide the best instruction and we want to make the most of each of our days together. We look forward to seeing you at school!

• Bus Riders-Here Comes the Bus app!- Available in three languages (English, Spanish and French), the Here Comes the Bus app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. You need the following two Pieces of Information to create an account:

The PCSC School Code is 82021
Your child's student ID number (you use it to log in to Power School or update lunch balances; if you don't know it, your school's secretary can provide it for you.)

• Car riders can begin entering the building at 8:30am.
  
• 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.

• 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.

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. You can use Efunds as well to pay online.

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.

We love to see you come eat with your children! But PLEASE remember to bring exact cash or check with you to purchase lunch for yourself or another visitor. We only have a small amount of cash in the register and cannot make change. Lunch is $2.40 for students and $3.25 for adults and visitors.

Also, since we have no way of knowing who puts money on the account, you cannot use your child's lunch card balance towards the purchase of your own lunch.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

November 2018

Dear Central Elementary Parents and Guardians,

Please note the following upcoming events:

- Central's annual FAMILY FUN NIGHT is Friday, November 2nd. This is our school's biggest fundraiser -THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT WITH SILENT AUCTION ITEMS AND VOLUNTEERING!

-PTO Meeting November 19, 2018 in Central's cafeteria

-Santa Shop--Please be on the lookout for links to volunteer

- SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: On June 2, 2018, we will host the first annual Central Classic Golf Tournament at Deer Creek Golf Course. We will have space for 36 foursomes. Sponsorship opportunities will be available. More info to come next semester!

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

Providing engaging academic experiences, the Central Elementary Community will inspire and support students to become caring, confident, lifelong learners.