Dear CIS Families,

We hope you all had a wonderful and refreshing spring break! It’s hard to believe we’re already in the final seven weeks of the school year. The fourth quarter is well underway, and plenty of learning, growth, and exciting moments are still ahead.

We look forward to a spring filled with special events and celebrations. We can’t wait to recognize our students’ hard work and welcome families into the building to join the fun!

🎉 Get Ready to ROCK! 🎉 

Our second reward party for students with no detentions or suspensions is on Friday, April 25, and it will be a blast! This PTO-sponsored event is a student favorite, featuring games, hangout time with friends, and the always-popular Junk Food Buffet!

🎟️ Invitations will be sent out in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out in Skyward Family Access. Remember, ROCK is invite-only.

To help ensure a smooth and fun evening, CIS will send out a reminder of ROCK expectations during the week of the event. Please take a few minutes to review these with your child so everyone can enjoy a safe and successful night.

👐 We Need You!

ROCK wouldn’t be possible without the help of our amazing parent and guardian volunteers. If you’re available, we’d love to have you join us. Sign-up info is coming soon!

☀️ Recess Update: Donations Welcome! 🌧️

While we hope warmer weather means more outdoor recess, rainy days still occasionally keep us inside. During indoor recess, our 5th and 6th graders enjoy access to the gym, but unfortunately, our 7th and 8th graders do not have the same option.

We’re incredibly grateful to the families who have donated games in the past. Your generosity has made a difference! With hundreds of students using these games regularly, many have experienced wear and tear and need replacement.

If you’re able, we would gladly welcome donations of:

• Board games 

• Card decks (standard and non-standard, e.g., Uno, Spot It!, Old Maid, etc.)

• Quick puzzles (100 - 300 pieces)

• Short-activity games

• Or any creative ideas for engaging indoor fun!

Donations can be dropped off in the CIS Office. Thank you for your continued support!

💧Student Water Bottles 💧

Just a reminder that students should only have water in their bottles during the school day. Other beverages, like soda, juice, flavored drinks, etc. are only allowed during lunch and must be in a separate container. These drinks are only allowed in the cafeteria and not on the playground.

This policy helps ensure that spills can be cleaned up quickly and prevents damage to important materials, especially Chromebooks, which sticky liquids can ruin.

Additionally, energy drinks are strongly discouraged at any point during the school day, including lunchtime, due to their high caffeine and sugar content.

If a student brings a non-water beverage in their water bottle, it will be kept in the office until the end of the day.

Thank you for helping us with this!

🏅 CIS Awards Ceremony – Tuesday, May 13 

We’re excited to celebrate our students’ academic achievements at the upcoming CIS Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, May 13! Each grade level will be recognized during their scheduled time, and ceremonies will take place in Holford Gym.

Awards Ceremony Schedule:

8:00–8:43 AM – 8th Grade Awards

8:46–9:29 AM – 6th Grade Awards 

9:32–10:15 AM – 5th Grade Awards

10:18–11:01 AM – 7th Grade Awards

Families are welcome to join us during their child’s award time to help celebrate the hard work, growth, and achievements of the 2024–2025 school year. We look forward to seeing you there!

🎓 8th Grade Graduation – Thursday, May 15 at 6:30 PM 

We are excited to celebrate the CIS Class of 2025 at our 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, May 15 at 6:30 PM. The ceremony will be held at Babcook Field, located at Washington Community High School:

📍 Babcook Field
Washington Community High School
115 Bondurant St.
Washington, IL 61571

This special evening honors our 8th graders’ hard work, growth, and achievements as they prepare to enter high school.

Families are invited to attend and help us celebrate this exciting milestone!

☔ In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved to Holford Gym, and families will be notified of the location change.

We look forward to celebrating the class of 2025!

🎉 CIS Field Day & Family Picnic – Monday, May 19 ☀️
(Rain date: Tuesday, May 20)

We’re gearing up for an exciting and active Field Day at CIS on Monday, May 19! This event is for 5th–7th-grade students, as our 8th graders will have already wrapped up their time at CIS.

🧺 New this year: CIS Family Picnic!
We’re inviting CIS families to join their students during the Field Day lunch hour for a special picnic lunch. The time for lunch will be announced closer to Field Day.     

Families are welcome to:

• Bring lunch for their child

• Join them outside

• Bring lawn chairs, blankets, or picnic supplies to enjoy the time together

🙋 We Need Volunteers!

Field Day runs on fun, sunshine, and volunteers! If you're available to help with activities, we’d love to have you join us. More details and a sign-up link will be shared soon.

🗓️ If the weather doesn't cooperate, our rain date is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20.

We’re excited to create a memorable day of fun for our students and families! 

Communication

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns! 

Email: ebush@central51.net

Office Phone: (309)444-3943 ext. 2402

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! If you need support, please continue to use the Counselor Request or Safe2Help. Let's have a great final quarter!