Morford Monthly Memo

This week marks the last week of March and shortly Spring Break will begin at end of day Friday. When we return from break it will be a race as we enter the track of testing and end of year activities with field trips and celebrations. Please ensure that your child is getting plenty of rest and a good meal to start their day. We do offer breakfast for every student. Doors open at 8am for those students who wish to come and have breakfast.

I want to remind you that if you want to participate in future activities and volunteer you must have a new I-Chat completed (as beginning of second semester, January 20th). Please see the info below and make sure that you get the form to the office. I know that your eagle looks forward to you being a part of activities. If you do not have a current I-Chat on file you will not be able to stay and participate, so please get these forms in.

No matter where you might be headed for the break the staff at Central wish you a restful and rejuvenating Spring Break! We look forward to seeing our eagles back to learning Monday, April 7th.

In partnership with you,

Mrs. Morford

New SEMESTER - - TIME TO FILL OUT A NEW I-Chat form to Volunteer. Please be sure to get these to the office in time to have the check before the event. Thank you for your help!

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 a Volunteer Registration Form to have a background check done prior to you helping. Given the process takes a couple days, please plan ahead. 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.

The best way to avoid hiccups and issues is to complete the form now! Click here to access the form. Complete the form and return it to the main office.

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.

On March 21st students and staff recognized World Down Syndrome Day by wearing crazy socks! People wear "crazy socks" on World Down Syndrome Day to raise awareness and celebrate the 7unique characteristics of individuals with Down Syndrome, as the idea originated from the fact that chromosomes look like socks, and people with Down syndrome have an extra copy of the 21st chromosome.

HUGE thank you to PALS for supporting learning opportunities for our EAGLES! They brought in an assembly for March is Reading Month to promote reading. Students participated in an interactive assembly that reinforces grade level reading and English Language Arts skills.

Dimes for Diapers is BACK! The student council is heading up this fundraiser. The collection dates are the entire month of April. However, we will not be in school the first week of April, so this will kick off on Monday, April 7. The last collection date will be Friday, May 2.

Students can participate in the following by bringing in $1 to go towards the cause!

April 11th - Crazy Socks

April 17th - Crazy Hair

April 25th - PJ Day

May 2nd - Hat Day

Central has signed up for the Scholastic Book Fair April 21 - 25. Please add these dates to your calendar.

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Dear Families,

Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! This is a great opportunity to connect with your child over the thrill of bringing home new books to dive into again and again. Studies show that kids read more when they choose books for themselves. A love of independent reading boosts academic success, plus children who read more frequently also report improved mental health.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Book Fair:

Dates: April 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th from 8:30 - 3:00 and the 25th from 8:30 - 1:30

Location:Central Elementary Media Center

There’s even more info on our school’s Book Fair homepage:

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/centralelementaryschool2025116

While you’re there, set up a Book Fair eWallet, the digital payment account that allows your child to shop for books at the Fair without cash. Then share your eWallet link so friends and extended family can add funds.

When you fund an eWallet, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to a giving initiative called

Share the Fair™. Your contributions directly support our students who need help buying books

from the Fair.

Happy reading,

Mrs. O’Connell

Media Assistant

Central Elementary

PS: Need one more reason to visit the Book Fair? Every purchase at the Fair benefits our school!

M-Step testing will be as follows for Central Elementary. Please help your child prepare by getting plenty of rest and eating a healthy breakfast to get their brains ready to roll!

4th grade

May 1st - Math

May 6th - ELA day 1

May 7th - ELA day 2

5th grade

April 22nd - Math

April 29th - Science

May 1st - Social Studies

May 6th - ELA day 1

May 7th - ELA day 2

Important info regarding Electronic Device Policy while taking M-Step

To help us prepare I wanted to share with you some info ahead of time pertaining to the Electronic Device Policy. If one of the below mentioned items is found to be on a student, in a pocket, etc. your child's test will need to be coded as invalid with the state of Michigan. According to the state of Michigan the following Electronic Devices will NOT be allowed:

**any electronic device that can be used to record, to transmit, or to receive information not used for testing

**computer tablets, iPads, e-readers (for example: kindle)

**smart watches (for examples: FitBits; Apple, Garmin, Samsung watches, any watch with access to other applications or the internet)

**smart phones and cell phones

**headphones with advanced technology, including voice command, texting, app connection, and connection to the internet

**smart glasses

Please have your eagle check the lost and found! We will be donating items that are not claimed very soon to a local charity.

Would you like your Eagle to have a Central Elementary yearbook?

Order deadline is April 17th. Click here to place your order.

• Stay Safe - walking around the playground equipment, following directions during safety drills

• Offer Kindness - encouraging my friends when they need it, give someone a compliment

• Act Responsibly - making sure I have everything I need for class everyday, turn in my homework when it’s due

• Remember respect - raising my hand so I don’t interrupt my teacher, following rules while playing games on the playground

Ask your student… how did you SOAR today at Central?

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Linden Community Schools has launched a Positive School Climate initiative across the district centered around the S.O.A.R acronym: Stay Safe, Offer Kindness, Act Responsibly, and Remember Respect. Here at Central Elementary, each classroom has a positive behavior matrix listing the expectations for students to be successful learners. We also have a schoolwide matrix that sets expectations for behavior in spaces like the playground, the cafeteria, the hallways, and the bathrooms. Daily morning announcements, classroom lessons, and the distribution of SOAR tickets to students who are following these expectations help reinforce these values and create a strong, respectful community in our school.

We are finding that more and more items from home that are not necessary to the learning environment are making the trip here to Central. Please have conversations with your student that stuffed animals, toys, games, etc. need to stay at home.

Of course the only pass on this is if teachers have a scheduled reading day that students might be able to bring a blanket or stuffed animal. Otherwise, all "home" items must stay at home. If your student continues to be warned, we will place a phone call for you to pick up the item in the office.

Thank you for your support with this!

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!

Just wanted to remind you of the health safety information shared in the welcome back letter in August especially as it pertains to meds and birthday treats.

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. Medications and special accommodations for the health of your child are required to have a medical professional authorization form completed. Please refer to the forms section at www.lindenschools.org. 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.

I am noticing that 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.

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.

I am hopeful that together we can work through this to ensure student safety.

The office is a busy place at the end of the day. If you would like to sign your student out at the end of the day please be sure to stop by the office prior to 3:15pm. As the end of day dismissal is happening, students are packing up, teachers and students are moving, it makes it very difficult to locate students. It takes a village and we appreciate you understanding.

If you are aware of end of day changes in which your eagle will veer off the "normal" schedule (needs to be a pick up rather than ride the bus), please make sure to send your student with a note to school that day. If you must contact the school to make changes to end of day dismissal, you must call the office by 3pm. Please know that the office gets rather crazy towards the end of day and while we do try and make sure all information is passed along, students start traveling throughout the building and it makes the message hard to reach the recipient. A note will help!

Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to switch busses, allow a friend to tag along with another student, etc. so please plan accordingly as the transportation works through continuous transportation glitches.

Emergency contacts and transportation information needs to be updated when changes happen. Please make sure that your ParentVue account has been updated when things change, like that of phone numbers, address, etc. 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 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!

Congrats to Michelle Perkins who is being recognized as our staff member of the month for March. Her colleagues have this to say about her....She brings a unique warmth and passion to her classroom, fostering a nurturing environment where students feel genuinely cared for and supported. Her dedication to building strong relationships with each of her students makes her classroom feel like a home away from home, where everyone is valued and heard. Michelle is a cherished colleague who consistently cultivates positive relationships with staff. She welcomes them into her classroom while she models lessons for them to learn from her best practices. Her love for teaching is evident in everything she does, and her commitment to the success and well-being of her students is truly inspiring. She is an asset to our school community.

Congrats Michelle!

We had a wonderful turn out for the Shamrock Shuffle, a big THANKS to all of our volunteers. We had our Readers are Leaders Assembly this past week which was amazing. We will be reaching out for volunteers for art fair prep, please be on the look out for that.

As the 24/25 school year comes to an end PALS would like to give a huge thank you to Sara Woods (President) and Michelle Belanger (Treasurer) for their commitment to the PALS group, their time and dedication has made a huge impact at Central. We will be in need of a President and Treasurer for the 25/26 school year. If you are interested please consider attending the PALS meeting on Thursday, April 10th, at 9am as PALS will have board nominations and will vote positions in May. We hope to see you there. Have a wonderful and safe spring break!

If you need added to the PALS email list for more in depth information please send an email to central.el.pals@gmail.com.

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 is from 11:15-11:40am

Lunch is from 11:40-12:10pm

5th Grade (divided into 2 groups)

Group 1 Recess from 11:501-12:15pm

Group 1 Lunch from 12:15-12:40pm

Group 2 Recess from 12:00-12:25pm

Group 2 Lunch from 12:25-12:40pm

3:27 pm Dismissal

March 29-April 6 - Spring Break

April 18 - No School

April 23 - 4th grade Spring Concert at LHS Theater

April 24 - 5th grade Spring Concert at LHS Theater

April 21 - 25 - School Book Fair

May 8 - District wide art show at Multi-Purpose Building

May 19 and 20 - 5th grade students heading to middle school to visit

May 21 - SOAR Field Day

May 26 - No School - Memorial Day

May 27 - Sinn and Perkins Field Trip to Greenfield Village

May 28 - Welch and Elmer Field Trip to Greenfield Village

May 30 - 4th grade Field Trip to Mackinaw

May 30 - Barber and Edwards Field Trip to Greenfield Village

June 3 - 5th grade Field Trip to Splash Village

June 6 - Last Day of School - Half Day for Students and Teachers