Morford Monthly Memo

I think we can say now that Fall has officially arrived! The mornings are a bit more brisk and the winds at Recess are a bitter cold with a breeze. Please help support your 4th and 5th grade students with the appropriate school clothes. Students will be going outside for Recess each day so it is important that they have the proper gear. If by chance your student has misplaced something we do have a lost and found in the cafeteria. Make sure to have them check for any items they may have misplaced.

We have parent teacher conferences coming up! Students have a half day of school on October 16th. The afternoon and evening are set up for teachers to meet with parents. If you would like to meet with your child's teacher and haven't heard from them yet about scheduling a conference be sure to reach out to them. It is a great opportunity to learn about the many successes your student has experienced so far this year as well as some areas for growth. As you know it takes a village....we are glad to have you working with our staff to make this a successful year for your Central Eagle!

We are fast approaching our big fundraising event at Central. Already students have raised over $15,000 to support students and teachers. Thank you for your support!

We have the big FUN RUN happening on 10/3 in the morning. Please know that this is a student event. The PALS group will be emailing out a sign up genius with limited spots for those interested in volunteering. Those who are volunteering must have a valid I-chat on file. Those who do not have a valid I-Chat on file will be turned away and unable to stay for the Fun Run. Also, we will not be allowing spectators during this event.

Central Student Council will once again be participating in Socktober!!

What is Socktober?

Socktober is an annual event celebrated in October every year. This year we are partnering with Clara's Hope of Fenton. We will be collecting not only socks, but also pj’s, toiletries, dish soap, hand soap, gift cards, first aid supplies and blankets. Collection dates will be from October 1-31. The top three classes that bring in the most items will win a classroom prize! Please donate today!

First and foremost I want to thank you for your patience the first couple weeks of school. Believe it or not with the amount of cars that we had in the drop off and pick up line we were lined up all the way out to Silver Lake Road! With this in mind it is imperative that all those participating pay attention and be alert during both arrival and dismissal. Parents, please put your cell phones away and save the text or social media scrolling for later as we work to ensure we are getting students out of cars safely to their destination or in the car ready to head home. A couple tips to help us continue:

* Pull all the way forward in the line

* Ensure that your student is looking for you and hops in when car has stopped

Thanks for helping making the morning and afternoon a quick process. If students are quick in the afternoon....believe it or not we can beat the busses and get you out of the pick up line before them!

Linden Community Schools has been participating in Michigan's Promoting Positive School Climate (PPSC) project to enhance positive behavior supports in our school. The survey for students is a perception survey required by PPSC. It is anonymous and used to identify school climate issues within our school.

If you wish to see the survey questions or for your child not to participate please sign the opt out letter sent home or access it here.

Students who arrive after 8:19am are considered tardy. A parent or guardian will need to walk the student into the building to sign them in.

As you know Michigan weather is constantly changing. Students will be going outside unless it is raining or the air temperature and/or wind chill is zero degrees. Please make sure that your student has appropriate gear. Flip flops and Crocs aren't safe for the playground. Please ensure safety for your student and make sure that they have a pair of closed toed shoes for the playground.

Central Elementary will be hosting a presentation on OK2SAY – Michigan’s student safety for students in 4th and 5th grades the week of October 6th.

The program is designed to inform students how they can help make their school and community safer by reporting dangerous and concerning behaviors to a trusted adult or OK2SAY.

Students in 4th – 5th grade learn essential rules for being safe and responsible online. We teach common internet predator grooming techniques and how students can protect their information online. We emphasize the difference between “tattling” and “telling” and help distinguish between rude, mean, and bullying behavior. We discuss appropriate responses to cyberbullying. These topics are supported using several dynamic videos. The students are also introduced to the OK2SAY student safety program and encouraged to always talk to a trusted adult when they see or hear about something that is not right. Please take a moment to review the videos featured in the presentation.

Additional information and resources are available at OK2SAY(ok2say.com).

If you do NOT want your child to participate, be sure to return the bottom of this sheet to your student's teacher by Friday, October 3rd.

In order to promote a positive school climate, Linden Community Schools has implemented the SOAR expectations across all buildings. To SOAR at Central Elementary, we Stay Safe, Offer Kindness, Act Responsibly, and Remember Respect.

Each classroom has a positive behavior matrix that provides expectations for students to be good citizens and successful learners. In addition, the school has a schoolwide matrix that lays out expectations throughout the school: on the playground, in the cafeteria, in the hallway and in the bathrooms. Morning announcements, classroom lessons, and student recognition with SOAR tickets help to build understanding and reward students for SOAR-ing every day.

Be sure to ask your Eagle how they SOAR each day!

This month, we asked Ms. Elmer’s class how they SOAR. Here’s what they said:

• Stay Safe - walking in the hallways, stay in your seat while eating in the cafeteria

• Offer Kindness - help a friend if they are stuck on an assignment, tell a joke to a friend who is sad

• Act Responsibly - being quiet when a teacher is talking, help others to follow expectations

• Remember respect - help people up when they are down, using an indoor voice in the cafeteria

Access the school wide Behavior Expectations Matrix here.

When picking up your student from school early, please be prepared to show your ID. This is for safety and security of our students. Know that while we are working to build relationships with our families we don't always have the same people working in the office nor do we often see you each day. Thank you for being patient to ensure our Eagles are safe!

The office tends to get very busy at the end of the day. If you have an end of day message for your student, like that of a dismissal change, please contact the office by 3:00pm.

Please ensure the Health Alerts are up to date on ParentVue for your student. If a prescription is needed to be administered at school, you must have a physician’s authorization and meds in the original container. If you would like your student to have over the counter medications at school, you must have a parental authorization and the meds in the original container. Students cannot self-carry. Also, at no time should a student be transferring meds in their backpack to take to the office. Meds must transfer from adult to adult.

Each month we like to a recognize a staff member at Central that goes above and beyond.

This month we would like to recognize Jerry, our daytime custodian. Jerry is such a positive influence on our students. He is always in a good mood and he gets along well with the students. It is a gift to us that he has such fun with our students. He has had to deal with a lot over the summer and returning given the ongoing construction. He is always happy - and enlightens any situation. He looks for ways to help make Central a cleaner and better place to be. Thanks Jerry for all that you do!

We will continue to use ParentVue to acknowledge parent/student annual forms. While in your ParentVue account, you will need to initial your acceptance of the required electronic forms, complete Transportation information so your child is picked up and dropped off at the correct location, update any pertinent Health Alert information, and update your emergency contacts, email and cell/work phone number if applicable. To log into your ParentVUE go to https://parentvue.geneseeisd.org/lind and type in your username and password.

Please know it is important to keep ParentVue up to date with the most recent information. Our systems pull from this data and if you haven't updated it, we will not know without you making changes to ParentVue. If you should have questions, please contact Mrs. Oden in the office at 810/591-8410.

If you have someone that plans to pick up your eagle and they are not on your emergency contact being they have permission to pick up, someone will be contacting you to approve this change. To eliminate this from happening, be sure that ParentVue is up do date by adding those who are approved to pick up your eagle. Thanks for your support with this!

Some of our students have been diagnosed with Tree Nut/Peanut Allergies and have had severe reactions after contact. Please be cognizant of any allergy in your child’s classroom.

A few students are diabetic and have food restrictions. If planning for birthday treats please take the above info into consideration and plan for store bought pre-packaged items. Check with your child’s teacher for ideas.

Visitors are welcome in our building. In order to chaperone on trips, assist in classroom parties, help at field day, etc. You must have completed an I-Chat form to have a background check done prior to you helping. The application must be turned into the school at least 5 school days prior to the activity occurring. The form must be completed and is a non-negotiable for student safety. If you do not have one on file the day of the event, you will not be able to attend. As a parent myself, I hope that you understand the importance of the background check and will trust this process.

I-Chat forms are good for one semester so you will need to complete a new one for the second half of the school year (after January 16th). The best way to avoid hiccups and issues is to complete the form now! Please make sure you have a scheduled appointment time with your child’s teacher if coming in. Upon arrival, please sign in at the office.

Access the I-Chat form here. Complete the form and return to the office.

Arrival and dismissal can be a bit challenging. Please know that student safety is of top priority. While we recognize that some of you may be in a hurry, it is absolutely important to pack your patience each day for both arrival and dismissal for pick up and drop off.

Student dismissal

Students will be dismissed at 3:27pm. There are two options for dismissal; pick up curbside or ride the bus. We request that students have one consistent way to get home after school Monday - Friday. This will eliminate any confusion at the end of day.

• Curbside Car Pick Up - We have established a convenient parent pick up loop that aids in the efficient flow of traffic. Please remain in your car, drive through the loop the furthest you can and wait for your child to come to your vehicle. Please remind your student to be looking for you to assist in the line moving quickly for all families. Your student will need to independently enter on the passenger side of the vehicle (sidewalk side). Please stay in your car.

• Students Riding the Bus - All students will be put on the bus at the end of the day unless you have established a regular consistent parent/guardian pick up routine. If a situation arises and you need to pick your child up from school, please send a note that morning to your child’s teacher. Students are not permitted to be removed from their bus once they have boarded nor are parents permitted in the bus loop. Please plan ahead to ensure the safety of all students.

Parent Drop off/Pick Up - Traffic Flow:

It is important that we work together to make sure the traffic during drop off & pick up times runs smoothly. Please refer to the map to join the queue both for morning and afternoon. When the line is long, it starts by the high school then loops to Central. At Central, we don't do tags or signs in cars. We rely on students to be paying attention by the tree (Little Library) and follow their car until the line stops to enter. Please practice patience and remain aware for safety. After a couple weeks our goal is that we are moving quickly.

Notes regarding the parking lot

* Students, visitors and parents must use the crosswalk to get to and from the parking lot. A crossing guard (staff member) will be assisting with this. Please do not walk in between cars in the drop off/pick up line.

* Students cannot be wandering into the parking lot on their own. The parking lot is for "parking" only. If you wish to park and walk your child up to the building that is up to you. If you must pick them up from the parking lot, it is expected that you walk your student to ensure safety. The last thing that we want is that someone gets injured because of carelessness.

Our main goal is fluidity, so please join the queue to drop your Eagle off or pick them up from the car line loop. If all those participating in the loop pull all the way forward, students hop out or into the car quickly, the time will be minimal.

We had our picture day on September 11th. If by chance your eagle missed it or you aren't happy with the picture, retakes are scheduled for October 8th.

A yearbook link will be sent as a mass email to all parents around Thanksgiving time with a link to order. I will also share the link in a future SMORE so you don't miss out on purchasing your Eagle a 25/26 Central yearbook. Stay tuned!

School Hours 8:19 am - 3:27 pm.

8:00am - students getting breakfast can enter building

8:09am - all students can enter building

8:19am - bell rings to start class

Students arriving after 8:19am must be signed in by an adult in the office

4th GRADE RECESS/LUNCH

Block A - ELA Team

11:05 am - 11:30 am: recess

11:30 am - 12:00 pm: lunch

Block B - Math Team

11:15 am - 11:40 am: recess

11:40 am - 12:10 pm: lunch

5th GRADE RECES/LUNCH

Block A - Math Team

11:50 am - 12:15 pm: recess

12:15 pm - 12:45 pm: lunch

Block B - ELA Team

12:00 pm - 12:25 pm: recess

12:25 pm - 12:55 pm: lunch

3:27 pm Dismissal

Our fundraiser has kicked off and things are going fantastic. We are so excited to be able to provide a fun and exciting learning experience for your child this school year. Popcorn Fridays will kick off on Friday 9/26. Our next scheduled PALS meeting is 10/10 at 9am at Central in the cafeteria. We hope to see you there.

PALs meetings are on the calendar. We hope that you can join us each month. Meetings start at 9am right at Central Elementary.

October 10

November 7

December 5

January 9

February 6

March 6

April 10

May 1

Questions contact our Central Elementary PALs via email at central.el.pals@gmail.com

October 3 - Central Elementary 24/25 Fun Run Fundraiser from 9am-1pm

October 8 - Picture Retake Day

October 16 - Half Day of School - Parent Teacher Conferences

October 17 - No School

November 4 - Teacher PD Day - No School for Students

November 26 - November 28 - Thanksgiving Holiday break

December 5 - The NED show Assembly

December 11 - 5th Grade Holiday Musical at LHS Theater

December 22 - January 2 - Christmas Holiday break

January 7 - Half Day of School - Teacher PD in afternoon

January 16 - End of First Semester

January 19 - No School - MLK Day

February 13 - Teacher PD Day - No School for Students

February 16 - No School - President's Day

March 12 - Half Day of School - Parent Teacher Conferences

March 13 - Teacher PD Day - No School for Students

March 30 -April 3 - Spring Break

May 25 - No School - Memorial Day

June 5 - Last Day of School - Half Day for Students and Teachers