The Central Leadership Team and the PTO has planned an exciting school-wide writing project to support Central’s new writing initiative.

Author and teacher, Esther Hershenhorn, will lead writing workshops with all Central Students, sharing the writer’s journey, and the reader/writer connection, inspiring our students as they work to create a grade-level book.  Ms. Hershenhorn will be at our school on February 12 and April 16.  Look for future classroom volunteering opportunities to assist with this project.

Ms. Hershenhorn will highlight the philosophy of Regie Routman and her own experiences as a children’s book author.  Her website is: www.estherhershenhorn.com.

This residency is made possible through a generous grant from District 96 to support our Residency Programs.  Some fundraising will be necessary to complete this project.  The fundraising committee is finalizing details on a fundraiser.

Looking for ways to help at school?

Please come to the Tattered Book Cover Meeting on Friday, November 13, 2009 right after drop off (in the library).   Help cover new books and replace tattered covers, 1 book at a time, even if you only have 15 minutes.

Complete training will be provided at the meeting.

If you have any questions, or if you are unable to attend the meeting, but would like to help, please contact Jeannine Glavas.

Any help is appreciated, and you will be in good company.

A huge round of applause to all the volunteers who help throw THE PARTY of the fall.

From the Family Fun Co-Chairs:
Katie Cavanagh, Michele Mendoza, Tracy Sloan and Vicky Young

Volunteers:
Mark Roth, Anne Flynn, Monica Degand, Jeanine Vaia, Jim and Nancy Berger, Bianca Loftus, Jen Gentile, Jennie Hepker, Vanessa Wilkowski, Erin Durkin, Angela Izzo, Lynda Murphy, Lara Gatermann, Jean Mathis, Carla Kelliher, Stephanie O’Brien,Sandy Briolat, Julie Tucek, Niki Epstein, Jen Pacourek, Maureen Wunderlich, Natasha Wolf, Sue Pipal, Lisette James, Chris Rocco Sedlack, Molly Carl, Terry Keating, Amy Mooney, Karen and Mike Foley, Carol Fortman, Melinda Brom, Barb Johnson, Kris Sagan, Mary Robertson, Jennifer Cameron, Karen Cochran, and Cyndi Robinson

and the various Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and St. Mary’s students who provided some good game energy.

and Special, Special Thanks to: Jim Berger, Mark Roth and Charlie Pipal for their help with the “heavy lifting”.

The PTO has a Birthday Bulletin Board to the left of the Central office. It is updated with the children’s pictures and birthday dates.   Our commitee chair needs help taking those pictures.  If you have a camera and school hours available, Monica Degand needs your help.  Please e-mail her at degandm@centralptonews.org.

Our famous Central Yearbook, The Roadrunner, needs your help.

Fifth graders interested in joining the yearbook staff as a reporter or photographer
need to turn in their permission slips to their teachers by Friday, Sept. 11.
Interested students should make sure to indicate why they want to join the staff and
get a parent’s okay to participate.

Can’t find your original form? Please download form here .

We’re also recruiting parents to join the Roadrunner team.

If you’re interested in taking photos of events and activities for the yearbook,
Please download volunteer form and return it to Kim Frank via the PTO mailbox in the Central office.

Interested in joining our newly formed committee? Dawn Gmitro, our Environmental Concerns Chair, will host a volunteer meeting on September 24th at 8:45 in the Central Conference Room. They will discuss ideas and goals for the upcoming year.

Please come! If you are unavailable to attend the meeting or have any questions, please feel free to e-mail Dawn at gmitrod@centralptonews.org. There are plenty of opportunities for working parents/grandparents/ guardians. Thank you.

WHEN? Monday, September 14, 2009 8:30 a.m.

WHERE? Central School 1st floor conference room

WHO? Moms, Dads, Grandparents.


WHY? Cultural Arts is an easy and great way to be involved in your child’s class.

HOW EASY IS IT? You choose the date and time of the day that works for you within the school year. Just arrange it with your child’s teacher.

WHAT WOULD I DO? You present the “picture of the month” to the class. You can work with a friend (or spouse) if you like. It is up to you. The research is done for you on the artist and the artwork…and is available on-line. Learn a little and share a little with the class.

You also conduct an art related activity as a follow-up to the artist and artwork that was looked at that day. (Ideas and suggestions are provided – folders provide examples).

The whole thing takes about 45 minutes. That’s it!

WOULD I LIKE IT? Most likely, YES.

HOW DO I SIGN UP? An information and sign-up meeting will be held on September 14th at 8:30 a.m. in the Central conference room. Don’t worry if you cannot make the meeting, you may also sign up in the school office at the front desk through September 30, 2009. You may also contact Molly Carl (carlm@centralptonews.org), Lara Gatermann (gatermannl@centralptonews.org) or Carole Fortman (fortmanc@centralptonews.org).

View the original flier here.

Calling all Library Volunteers! We need your help! Please come to the library volunteer orientation meeting on Friday, September 4, from 11:00am – 12:00noon in the library.

Who can volunteer? Hopefully, you. If you know of anyone (Parents, grandparents, relatives and friends) who would like to help, please encourage them to come!

Are you the parent of a new student? This is a great opportunity for you to become involved at the school. Every pair of hands is needed.

What volunteer opportunities are available? When can I volunteer? There are volunteer opportunities both during class library time and at your convenience. During class library time, you can read a story (grades K – 3), help the children find books (grades K-5), and use the OPAC system (on-line card catalogue system) (grades 1 – 5).

Other ways to help include the following: re-shelving books (always needed), repairing/covering books, shelf reading, and decorating the monthly bulletin board. Training will be provided for all positions.

Why? It’s fun and easy to do. You can make a big difference in the quality of library services available to the children, and the children are happy to see you participate. You also will be able to keep up with the latest children’s books!

When can I sign up to volunteer? Sign up at the library orientation meeting on September 4th from 11:00am – 12:00pm in the library. If you are unable to attend, please contact Jeannine Glavas or your Lead Room Parent as soon as possible.

A class library schedule along with the corresponding Lead Room Parent(s) names and e-mail addresses will be provided at the meeting.

Questions? Please contact Jeannine Glavas at glavasj@centralptonews.org. Thank you!

Original Flier

Mark your calendars for the Central School Family Fun Night! Join us on September 25th from 5:30-7:30 PM* to kick-off the school year with other Central families. Family Fun Night will take place behind Central/Hauser in the school parking lot. This is a great way to meet new Central friends and catch up with old friends.

Don’t miss our games, prizes and giant jumpee! Dance lessons will be provided by Riverside’s Principle Dance along with rockin tunes from our DJ! What if all of that dancing gets you hungry? Pizza, popcorn and ice cream too! Look for more information about this exciting event over the next few weeks.

We are currently looking for parent volunteers to sign-up for 1/2 hour time slots to help set-up, serve food and supervise activities during the event on September 25th. This is a great way to meet other parents. If you are interested in volunteering — please contact Tracy Sloan at sloant@centralptonews.org. Thanks in advance for your help.

*Note – event time was originally published as 6-8PM. Correct time is 5:30-7:30PM.

Are you looking for a great opportunity to help our kids and Central School? If so, we need your help. The following PTO Committee Chair/Co-Chair positions are available and looking for enthusiastic volunteers:

Book Fair – Lead and coordinate the spring fund raiser April 5 – 9, 2010. There are many assistant volunteers to help – we need someone to coordinate their activities in setting up, decorating, scheduling for classrooms, cashiers, and clean-up. This annual event is much loved as it encourages a life-long passion for books and reading.

Central 100% Fund – Promote and monitor participation in the PTO’s most lucrative fund raiser. Please help us lead up this effort to solicit tax-deductible contributions. This funding supports PTO programs and activities. The 100% Fund Chair is a great position for those with availability during non-school hours (you set your schedule!).

Cultural Arts – Classroom – a Co-Chair is needed from October 2009 through May 2010, to ensure the assigned volunteers have their classroom schedules and available materials for the monthly presentations. Please help us facilitate bring the arts into our kids’ classrooms.
(Note – the Cultural Arts Fieldtrip Chair and Co-Chair positions have been filled.)

Halloween Play – Produce our very own PTO Halloween play. A fan favorite! No writing experience needed as we have a playwright, but we lack a producer.

Turn-off-TV Week – let’s “unplug” for a week. We need a Chairperson, or a team of chairpersons, to coordinate this annual event that encourages our kids to turn off the TV, as well as other electronic media (computers, games, music, etc.).

If you are interested in any of these once a year — will not be offered again for a year, opportunities, please e-mail Nancy Hutchings at firstvp-nancy@centralptonews.org or Jennifer Sedivy at
firstvp-jenn@centralptonews.org.

Hope you are enjoying the summer!!