It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through the first quarter! Hopefully your student(s) talked with you about the CENTRAL Code assembly and things they learned during SEL lessons about Capable. We are now moving on to the “E” in CENTRAL Code, which stands for Empathy. Students will be learning about empathy and friendship this month, which is great timing because  October also happens to be National Bullying Prevention Month! Research shows that positive peer relationships at school are correlated with improved academic performance. There are so many benefits to learning ways to be empathic! As we discuss empathy, friendship, and anti-bullying practices at school, please talk with your student(s) about what they are learning! If you are interested in learning more on these topics, please see the resources below. 

In addition to our CENTRAL Code activities, the month of October will also be when teachers look at students' social emotional skills. Teachers will be completing a student social emotional learning assessment called DESSA to identify students strengths and opportunities for growth. The DESSA looks at the following competencies outlined by The Collaborative for Academic Social & Emotional Learning (CASEL): Decision Making, Personal Responsibility, Optimistic Thinking, Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Self-Management, and Goal Directed Behavior. The findings from this SEL assessment will help administration, teachers, and support staff provide targeted interventions to aid in student social emotional growth! If you would like to learn more about DESSA, please see this Parent Resource.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out via email at kbrosch@central51.net.  

Additional Parent/Family Resources:

https://www.stopbullying.gov/

https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/resources-for-families/5-tips-cultivating-empathy

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/8-ways-to-help-your-middle-schooler-connect-with-other-kids

Hello from your friendly PTO! I have to start with the obvious…The Trojan Trot! We knew it would be a success but you sure wowed us. Over $86,000 was pledged!! We have to thank all of the wonderful teachers for letting us rearrange schedules and for helping us to spread the word on all of the different platforms. They were our connection to students and parents. You all did such an awesome job raising money! Thank you for being such good sports. Our next cheers of gratitude go to Administration. Mr. Heidbreder, Mrs. Bush, Ms. Martin, Mrs. Klein, and Mrs. Roberts really let us “take over” the school for 2 weeks and made all of our wishes come true. Mrs. Bush was such a good sport about getting silly stringed. 

We could not have done this fundraiser without a ton of motivated students, generous parents and family members, and a giving community. The Trojan Trot volunteers, led by Mrs. Jessica Gibson-James, spent a lot of time and energy on this and I’m so glad that it was worth every second. We have been consumed with all things Trojan Trot so stop by our next meeting on Thursday, October 6th (at 7pm in the CIS Library) to hear about what else we have planned for this school year….*hint: ROCK is coming…..

The Fall Scholastic Book Fair will be October 17-20 in the Holford Gym from 4-6. We are excited to offer more chapter books for all our students! We earn Scholastic Dollars for every purchase and we use the dollars for virtual author visits, books and reading incentives. 

We are in need of volunteers!! Please use the link to sign up for an hour time slot. High school students looking for volunteer hours are welcome.

Book Fair Site: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/cgs 

Volunteer Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B44AFAE2EA2FC1-cisscholastic1 

If you have questions about interest levels or any other library related questions please email me at sheffta@central51.net .

Student Council is busy getting back to "normal." We had a great spirit week celebrating homecoming. Stuco is starting donuts and donations again at CIS in October- this month we are giving to Susan G. Komen. (These are the first Wednesday of the month; donuts are $1). We have been planning our monthly assemblies focusing on the Central Code,  creating themes for Pack the Place (girls basketball), and researching various fundraisers for the year.