Central School Staff will soon begin discussions about class placements for students next year. If you would like to provide the school with additional information and input regarding your child’s placement for next year, you are encouraged to read and fill out the attached Class Placement Form.

2012 Class Placement Notice and Form

Dear Central Parents,

Room parents are needed for all Central School classrooms for the 2012-2013 school year. Your involvement will make a difference! Decades of research shows that students with involved parents tend to thrive in the classroom, score better on standardized tests, and have increased confidence and better behavior. Even if you have limited time, becoming involved at school benefits you, your child, and the school. Each classroom has a Room Parent team, which includes a lead room parent and helper room parents, as follows:

• Lead room parent – in collaboration with the classroom teacher, organizes and plans classroom activities, including parties and field trips, and coordinates classroom photos of such events for distribution to the yearbook committee. The lead room parent also coordinates teacher gifts and may communicate news from the classroom and the PTO. In addition, the lead room parent provides support to both the Library and Cultural Arts Program in several ways, which include scheduling Readers during classroom library time, as well as coordinating and scheduling volunteers for monthly Cultural Arts classroom presentations.
• Helper room parents – help the Lead Room Parent as needed with the responsibilities noted above, and may also be asked to chaperone field trips and assist with classroom events, including classroom parties, the Cultural Arts Program and classroom library time. Helper room parents may provide snacks, beverages or paper products for a class party or they may assist with other projects at their convenience. (Please note that younger siblings are not allowed to participate in school field trips, classroom parties, etc.)

Around the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, room parents will be notified of their assignment. A gathering may be planned to discuss responsibilities, catch up on news, and to socialize with friends. Moms, Dads, and Grandparents are welcome to volunteer as room parents. If you are interested in participating as a Room Parent, please complete this electronic form by Thursday, May 3, 2012.

Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Warmest regards,

Paula Fudacz (firstvp-paula@centralptonews.org)
Amy Mooney (firstvp-amym@centralptonews.org)
Incoming First Vice Presidents, Central PTO, 2012-2013

Dear Central Parents:

The Central School Parent-Teacher Organization is looking forward to your help with educational and entertaining activities for all of our children at Central School!

Please review the volunteer opportunities listed on the following pages. Check the committee(s) that interest you, and return the form by Thursday, May 3, 2012. New for 2012: you can submit your form online.

The committees require varying time commitments, some of which are perfect for working parents or those with young children. You will find some that need assistance on one particular day or event, others that have recurring needs throughout the year. Chances are there is something perfect to fit your schedule that will allow you to become involved in your child’s school and help us strengthen our Central School community! Training is provided with pleasure.

Attendance at PTO meetings is not required to be a volunteer, but it is a wonderful way to learn about new endeavors at Central, to meet fellow parents, and to spend time with the principal and superintendent. Meetings are generally the 2nd Friday morning of each month. Additionally, at least two evening meetings will be held during the school year for those unable to attend daytime meetings. We encourage you to attend the meetings whenever possible.

Please e-mail us with any questions you may have. Thank you in advance for your continued interest and support.

Sincerely,

Paula Fudacz (1stvp-paula@centralptonews.org) and
Amy Mooney (1stvp-amym@centralptonews.org)
1st Vice-Presidents 2012-2013

Dear Central Parents,

What a wonderful year we have had!  Now is the time to start thinking about the next school year.  The 2012-13 PTO forms are now available for completion.  We have some great news!  As we continue to be as green as possible, we now have the ability to complete both the Committee Application and Room Parent Application electronically.  No more figuring out how to get the completed documents back to school.  We want to make volunteering in our school as easy as possible!  The following 2012-13 forms are found below:

• Room Parent Letter (describes how you can help in your child’s classroom) and Committee Application (lists and describes each of our PTO committees) – submit your information electronically for both the Room Parent Letter and Committee Application by Friday, May 4.
• District 96 Calendar Order Form (PDF or DOC) – Print out and return the completed form with payment to the PTO mailbox by Friday, May 4 (the calendar is accessible online at no charge);
• Fundraising programs flyer (PDF or DOC) – lists and describes Fundraisers sponsored by the PTO including our upcoming Auction on November 9.

We continue to encourage you to:

Get Connected, Stay Informed, and Get Involved!

All communications from the school and the PTO are via electronic mail, and information is disseminated in two major ways. The first is through E-Backpack sent from Principal Dr. Limperis every Wednesday. To receive weekly E-Backpack e-mails, you must subscribe by going to www.district96.org/central, where there is a sign up option located on the right hand column. Second, if you would like to keep apprised of upcoming PTO events and programs, subscribe to weekly “feedblitz” announcements at feedblitz.com.  If you are a Facebook user, we encourage you to join the discussion on our Central Facebook page by liking us at www.facebook.com/CentralElementaryPTO.

We have so many ways for our Central families to get involved.  Take a look through our long list of committees and there is sure to be something that will be of interest.  We have lots of opportunities for parents who work outside of the home to get involved in addition to those who have more flexibility with their schedules.  Getting involved is a great way to get to know our fabulous teachers and staff as well as other Central parents and their children.

Last, but very important are our Fundraisers.  The money that we raise through our Fundraisers allows us to put on events like the Science Fair, Cultural Heritage Festival, Artist-in-Residence, Science in a Can and Family Fun Night!  The attached document gives an overview of our planned 2012-2013 fundraisers… our largest being the Auction on November 9!

We look forward to serving as PTO Co-Presidents for the 2012-2013 school year.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have something to share.

Regards,

Amy Jacksic (Pres-amy@centralptonews.org)
Lynda Carey Murphy (Pres-lynda@centralptonews.org)
Incoming Co-Presidents, Central PTO, 2012-2013

REMINDER: If your child wants to participate in any Screen Free Events requiring registration, forms must be turned in by Friday, April 20.

Screen Free Week is approaching and there is so much to do!  Your child can sign up for events like Kids Yoga, Floor Hockey, Cardio Kickboxing, and a Theatre Workshop just to name a few of the fun options.   The week will end with a free Family Fun Fair at Central!

Please review this document for the entire list of events available as well as the permission slip.

Screen Free Week Information

Fill out the attached raffle tickets for each day that you are “screen-free”! Your child will have the opportunity to win some great prizes!

Raffle Tickets

A big thank you to Central Girl Scout Troop 40129 for organizing this week!

There are less than  2 weeks left to earn a FREE ticket to Raging Waves Water Park!

The Central PTO is sponsoring a new fitness log program to earn a free pass to Raging Waves Water Park. All your child needs to do is complete 25 hours of exercise, beginning March 5 through April 30. On the attached fitness log, color in each section for each 30 minutes of exercise completed. Your child can participate in any type of exercise: walking, biking, playing team sports, swimming, skateboarding, jumping rope, etc. The ticket also comes with a discounted admission ticket offer for your family.

Please return the completed fitness log to your child’s teacher by Monday, April 30.  Hard copies also are available in the school office.

Download the fitness log here.

Would you like to donate an item or discounted service for the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon on Tuesday, May 1?  It can be your business card with a coupon/discount for purchase by the teachers, baked goods, or small items that your business produces or sells.  The count would be for 62, by Tuesday, April 24.  Everyone loves this!!

Thanks so much for your help!  Questions?  Contact Maura Braun @ maurabraun@yahoo.com.

Did you miss our PTO meeting on March 9, 2012?  Check out the approved minutes to see what we discussed!

www.centralptonews.org/archived-minutes/

Kick off Screen Free Week with a hometown children’s author!  Check out the attached flyer for details on the Monday, April 23 event at 7 pm at Riverside Town Hall.  Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Eric_Rohmann_Poster

On the hunt for a certain treasure? A certain decorative item or some new houseware items?  A new toy or game?  Maybe even a new piece of furniture?  Mark your calendars for Hauser PTO’s Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, April 28th from 8:30 am until 1 pm The sale will be held in the Hauser cafeteria (entrance on Akenside).

We will be accepting donations on Friday the 27th from 4-7p.m. in the Hauser cafeteria (standard garage sale fare, but no clothing). Remember that your junk could be someone else’s treasure!!  Contact Carol Barlow at carol377@att.net with questions.