Help wanted for 2009/10, fabulous opportunity for motivated individuals, benefits will come in hugs from our children and your name in the infamous PTO calendar.

We are fast approaching the end of the school year and we still need your time and talent in a few areas next year! We have received lots of your committee and room parent forms (thank you, thank you), but several committees remain un-chaired (say it ain’t so!). The PTO would greatly appreciate your taking the time to read through the following list and consider chairing/co-chairing one of the committees listed. Please send an email to Jennifer Sedivy at firstvp-jenn@centralptonews.org before school lets out, or you might find her knocking on your door, calling your home, disturbing the general peace of your summer months…no one wants that to happen! Thank you very much for your consideration.

• Book Fair: Seeking a DYNAMIC TRIO. Urgent Need! Do you want to be loved and revered by teachers, students and parents alike? We need 3 co-chairs to take over this fantastic event loved by the whole Central School community. This is a wonderful opportunity to run a major event for the school and learn from the current chair, Beverly Aieta, who will run the fair for one more year to train the next co-chair “team” and pass on all of her wonderful knowledge in this area. (The book fair is scheduled for the week of April 5th, 2010, immediately following spring break).
• Cultural Arts: The Cultural Arts Committee needs another co-chair for the classroom presentations. This is a position that is busy in September organizing the presenters for each grade level and classroom. The children love to have mom, dad, caregivers come into the classroom to discuss a work of art. Cultural Arts in the Classroom cannot happen without someone to help organize it. There is an immediate need to fill this position (1-2 people).
• 100% Fund: Promote our tax-deductible fundraiser (generally with flyers). Great for a working parent.
• Birthday Boards: Needs one more co-chair to share the responsibility…can you take every other month and honor student and staff birthdays on the hallway bulletin board?
• Pavers: Promote brick paver dedication program during fall and spring with flyers.
• Roller Skating: Reserve the rink for Central’s October skating event (usually an early-release day).
• School Supplies: Coordinate the online ordering and distribution of pre-packaged school supplies. Many people love this convenient way to obtain school supplies, but we currently have no one to coordinate it.
• Science in a Can (K, 2, 4th Grades): Organize and replenish cans once per week for 10-12 wks in winter (30-45 min.)
• TV Turn-Off Week: Plan/execute this event where children choose to be active, rather than watching tv, playing video games, etc. Folder is available with all of the information from this year’s successful first annual tv turn-off event.
• Programs: Select and schedule 2-3 daytime all-school assemblies for the year.

Thanks for your honest consideration of your time and talents!

If one of these opportunities sound like a heck of a lot of fun, contact Jennifer Sedivy at firstvp-jenn@centralptonews.org and win her unending gratitude.

This year’s Artist in Resident program featured the Striding Lion company working primarily with our fourth and fifth graders to develop a song about geometry. Network 6 will air the performance daily at 6pm. Network 6 says it will probably air for about 2 weeks. Watch and see your favorite Math song!!

Thanks to all who supported this Artist in Resident program: Illinois Arts Council, Riverside Township, the Central School PTO and our devoted Central staff.

Our students K-5 have done an amazing job with their Youth in Art month silhouettes. Every child in the school, under the talented direction of Mrs. Jean Mathis, our art teacher, completed a “self-portrait” in the style of a famous artist. Kindergarten students emulated the style of Seurat, first graders tried their hand at the impressionism of Monet, second graders showed off their pop-art Andy Warhol skills, third graders became Picassos, fourth graders blossomed into Van Gogh, and fifth graders followed the style of Matisse.

A special thanks to the parents who helped with the actual “Youth in Art” installation. Parents helped to display 370 figures throughout Central School. The school looks awesome! Thank you for your help and creative talents:

• Cathy Daun
• Dawn Gmitro
• Susan Strause-Lynch
• Mary Ellen Meindl
• Kate Nessinger
• Carla Novak
• Stephanie O’Brien

The Cultural Arts team is looking for some great pictures from the Striding Lion performances. If you have any good shots, please forward them on to Allyn Pilewski (see student directory for contact information).

Thank you!

Aspiring young artists are needed to help design the front cover page of a new Central School brochure.

The content winner’s artwork will be printed on the cover of our new Central School Parent Handbook!

Please place your entry in an envelope marked PTO handbook artwork and place in the PTO mailbox by Friday, April 24, 2009. Questions, please contact Laura Durkin or Jeanine Vaia (see student directory for contact information).

You are cordially invited to an original collaborative performance of “The Geometry of Childhood: looking at all the angles”, featuring the 4th and 5th grade students of Central School

The performance will be held on Thursday, February 26 at 1pm and 7pm, Hauser Auditorium with a reception to follow the evening performance.


Students performing in the evening performance need to be at school at 6:15pm with doors to the public opening at 6:45pm.

Please come and help us celebrate the conclusion of our six week artist in residency with the Striding Lion InterArts workshop.

Questions, please contact Dawn Gmitro, Artist in Residence Chair (see student directory for contact information.)

A special thank you to Kathy Dudek and her volunteers; Elaine Cinkay, Kim Frank, Jeannine Glavas, Mary Mathey, Kate Nessinger, Chris Rocco, MaryJo Robling, Jennifer Sedivy and Maureen Zalewski for their efforts to make the preschool screening run smoothly.

Our Cultural Arts: Artist in Residence, Striding Lions InterArts workshop is in full force and our children are having some fun and challenging themselves.

The final performance, by a group of 4th and 5th grade students, will be held on Thursday, February 26th at 1pm and 7pm in the Hauser auditorium. In order to fulfill our Illinois Arts Council Grant, we need to record this performance and produce a CD and are looking for a talented Central School parent willing to record at either the 1pm or 7pm performance and provide us with a CD. If you are that parent, please contact Dawn Gmitro (see student directory for contact information.)

Thank you in advance!

Beginning on January 21, 2009, Central School will welcome the Striding Lion interArts Workshop to our school for a six week artist residency.  A team of three professional artists specializing in creative dramatics, music and dance will guide the students through an arts intensive focusing on collaboration. While introducing the fundamentals of the art mediums explored, the improvisations and arts activities used by Striding Lion will also teach interpersonal skills and tools for teamwork.   The Striding Lion artists work closely with the faculty to create an arts program that grows out of class curriculum.

The kindergarten through third grade classes will receive one visit from the artistic team during the six week period while the fourth and fifth grades will meet with the teaching artists three times a week culminating in a performance of original material developed by the students on Thursday, February 26.  All students will attend a performance by the teaching artists on Tuesday, February 3^rd at 9 am, as well as the February 26^th final performance by the fourth and fifth grade students.

If you have questions please contact Dawn Gmitro. (Information in our school directory.)

This program is funded by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, an agency of the State of Illinois, the Riverside Township and the Central School PTO.

New Location: Hauser Cafeteria

The Cultural Arts initial volunteer meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 from 7-8pm in the Hauser Cafeteria. There is no need to be artistic, crafty, or an art history buff. The PTO has fantastic materials which will allow all parents, grandparents and caregivers to present the “picture of the month” in your child’s classroom. All materials are available on-line. If you cannot make the meeting and would like to volunteer, please contact the Cultural Arts Coordinators Sue Pipal at pipals@centralptonews.org or Nancy Hutchings at hutchingsn@centralptonews.org. A sign up sheet will also be available in the school office after the meeting for those who would like to sign up in person but cannot make the meeting.

Thanks to everyone who has signed up already.