Mrs. Bush
Mrs. Bush
Embedded Files
Principal's Update
Principal's Update
National School Counselor Week
National School Counselor Week
Last week, we celebrated National School Counselor Week. Mrs. Brosch is an invaluable part of the Central staff, and we are thankful for all she does for students and staff.
Valentine's Day Trojan Treats
Valentine's Day Trojan Treats
Our final Trojan Treats for the school year is this Friday, February 14th. Thanks to all of the families who donated treats for students, and to Central PTO and the CIS Activities Committee for organizing this Valentine's Day celebration for students!
ROCK (Rewarding Outstanding Central Kids) Save the Date
ROCK (Rewarding Outstanding Central Kids) Save the Date
It's never too early to start thinking about ROCK!
The second and final CIS ROCK event is scheduled for Friday, April 25, 2025. ROCK is a PTO-sponsored reward event to celebrate students who have demonstrated good behavior at school. To qualify, students must have no detentions or suspensions between Monday, February 3, and Friday, April 11.
ROCK wouldn’t be possible without the help of parent volunteers. It’s a fun and rewarding way to get involved and support our students. If you’re interested in volunteering, look for more information from PTO closer to the date.
Grade-Level Presentations with Officer Taylor
Grade-Level Presentations with Officer Taylor
CIS staff identified the need for a renewed focus on appropriate language and reporting concerns. As part of this effort, Officer Taylor will present to all students on Wednesday, February 26 to reinforce these expectations.
Presentation Schedule
6th Grade: 2nd Hour (8:30 - 9:03)
8th Grade: 3rd Hour (9:06 - 9:39)
5th Grade: 4th Hour (9:42 - 10:15)
7th Grade: 5th Hour (10:18 - 10:51)
CIS PTO Trivia Night
CIS PTO Trivia Night
We hope you can join us for CIS Trivia Night on Monday, February 24 at 6:00 PM! Check out the flyer below!
Cell Phone Policy Reminder
Cell Phone Policy Reminder
As a reminder, students are not permitted to have their cell phones during the school day, including at their lockers. Our school handbook outlines the consequences for any violations of this policy.
We understand there may be times when a student needs to contact their parent or guardian during the school day. In such cases, students should speak with their teacher and come to the office to use their phone. Likewise, we ask parents and guardians not to text or call students during the school day, as students do not have access to their phones. If you need to get in touch with your child, please contact the school office, and we will relay the message as needed.
We kindly ask families to discuss this expectation with their students to ensure everyone is clear on the policy and its importance in maintaining a focused, distraction-free learning environment. Thank you for your support!
Communication
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
Trojan Trivia 2025 Flyer DARK.pdf
Ms. Martin
Assistant Principal's Update
Assistant Principal's Update
Drop off/Pick up Reminders
Drop off/Pick up Reminders
To assist in a safe and smooth process, please take a moment to review the reminders below:
Vehicles must enter the lot entrance from the south (Eagle Avenue). Left turns into the lot are discouraged to avoid congestion and to allow cars to take a left turn out of the Holford Lot to exit. Please do not use the CPS lot entrance as this creates congestion in our drop-off line.
Drivers who wish to stay in their cars during drop-off must use the CIS drop-off line to drop off students. Students are encouraged to get out of the vehicle on the passenger side.
For student safety, drivers are not to drop students off on the street.
Drivers should pull forward as far as possible in the drop-off zone in front of the CIS entrance to allow as many cars as possible to drop off.
Parents/guardians may park in the Holford lot to drop off and pick up students. Parents must walk students to and from the crosswalk.
Please see the diagram below for the proper usage of the parking lot during drop-off/pick-up times.
Please do not drop any students off prior to 7:40 unless it has been pre-arranged with a staff member.
Mrs. Brosch
Counselor's Corner
Counselor's Corner
On Wednesday, January 29th, we held our 4th CENTRAL Code assembly of the school year. Students were recognized for being Thoughtful. We will have our Responsible assembly on Wednesday, February 26th.
If you or your child have any questions or concerns that you think I can help with, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at kbrosch@central51.net.
Nurse Martin
Nurse's Notes
Nurse's Notes
The peak of cold and flue season is upon us and many schools have been experiencing a noticeable increase in illness. We have seen many cases of cols, influenza, strep throat and the stomach bug. Our custodians have been diligently wiping down door knobs, countertops and other hard surfaces and now we are enlisting your help.
The peak of cold and flue season is upon us and many schools have been experiencing a noticeable increase in illness. We have seen many cases of cols, influenza, strep throat and the stomach bug. Our custodians have been diligently wiping down door knobs, countertops and other hard surfaces and now we are enlisting your help.
To prevent widespread illness in the school, we recommend that your child stay home from school if he/she experiences flu or cold symptoms. Please consider the following guidelines when deciding whether or not to send your child to school.
Consider keeping your student home to rest if they have any of the following:
Nasal congetion and cough
Sore throat (no fever)
Headache
Stomach ache
Definitely keep your student home for the following:
Fever (100.4 or above)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Excessive congested cough
General malaise or feelings of fatigue, muscle aches
To help prevent the flu and other colds, remind your student to practice good hygiene habits:
Wash hands frequently & before eating
Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth
Cover mouth & nose when sneezing or coughing
Avoid close contact with people who are sick
Students with vomiting, diarrhea or a fever should remain home until symptom free for 24 hours without the use of medication. A student who starts antibiotics needs to be on the medication for 24 hours and feeling better before returning to school.
Thank you for helping make the rest of this school year as healthy as possible!
Mrs. Perko - Reading
Skill Building
Skill Building
Motivation can be difficult for students after the holiday break is now a memory. The weather keeps kids inside too much. Their electronic devices can be an overused alternative to other activities (See this article from China about impacts on their students from over exposure to short video apps https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0309899 ). Setting meaningful goals can get us all out of this spiral and can help them overcome a potential lack of motivation.
With IAR right around the corner, it is still not too late for students to make academic goals. 6th-8th grade students have access to a program called ALEKS in math to help them grow. Students can use 99 Math to sharpen their math facts. Could they set a goal to work on math three times a week for 15 minutes? To help sharpen the goal, find a time and a place when this will happen. How will they track their progress? In reading, they could try a more challenging AR book at a slightly higher Lexile level to expand their skill and vocabulary. Could they finish one higher level book in February? Could they plan to take the AR test before the IAR test to check their comprehension? When and where will they work on their reading? How many pages a day would need to be read in February? Our students just need a little guidance to sharpen their goals.
As we looked back over student written goals for the first semester, we noticed a few of the students who made some amazing progress had written specific and measurable goals for the fall. With some guidance, we can help middle school students practice this important life skill. If you would like to learn more about goal setting for middle school students, here are some tips from the Schoolcues Blog Seven Goal Setting Strategies for Students.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions or concerns. Mandi Perko, Reading mperko@central51.net and Elizabeth Hahn, Math ehahn@central51.net
Mrs. Hahn - Math
Mrs. Clarke -
PE
Mrs. Lang -
PE
Physical Education & Health
Physical Education & Health
Hello,
My name is Kylie and I will be student teaching in your child’s class with Mrs. Lang and Mrs. Clarke. Following student teaching, I will be graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in physical education.
I will be student teaching until the beginning of March and I am very eager to be teaching PE at Central Intermediate School. This spring is going to be so much fun and I am very excited to be teaching 5th-8th grade. I have spent the past month teaching the students and getting to know your student! I look forward to the opportunity to be teaching your student PE for the rest of the month!
If there are any questions, you may contact me at kjkrahn@ilstu.edu
Thanks,
Ms. Krahn
Mr. Schumacher - Health
Mr. Brent -
PE Paraprofessional
Mrs. J. Uftring
Student Council
Student Council
DONUT DAYS
This past donut day, February 5th, proceeds went to the LA fires.
Donut days for the remainder of the year are: 3/5, 4/2, 5/7
SPIRIT DAYS
Friday, February 7th- Wear your football gear or Red/Gold or Green/Black to show your spirit for the Super Bowl
Friday, February 14th- Wear red, pink, or purple for Valentine's Day
Fundraiser
Student Council will be selling Valentine bracelets starting next week for $1. Purchase a bracelet for yourself, a friend, or a loved one and get a sweet treat <3
Student Council just purchased an additional 42 balls for our playground. Basketballs, kickballs, volleyballs, footballs, and soccer balls are coming soon!
Mrs. Heffta
Library News
Library News
We will be blind dating books and continuing Winter Bingo this month! Thanks to PTO there are a lot of new books for students to check out this month. Thanks again PTO!
If you are looking to clean out books, we are happy to take them off your hands. You can send them with your students or drop them off in the Holford Entry.
Mrs. Youngman
Central Care Club
Central Care Club
We are currently in the middle of our TAPS drive and we are accepting donations for the no kill animal shelter in Pekin. This is an opportunity to clean out closets to donate used items but there is aslo a need for some new items. See below.
We are also preparing for the used book sale at the end of the year. This is also a time to weed out the books at home that have been read or outgrown. We have lots of readers here at Central that would love the books you no longer want!
Lastly we
Important Dates:
Important Dates:
February 6
Volleyball hosts Metamora Grade School, Holford Gym, 4:15pm (7th Grade, Unified Game, 8th Grade, 6th Grade)
6th Grade Boys Basketball hosts St. Philomena's A & B Teams, 4:30pm
Possible 8th Grade Boys Basketball Regionals at Morton Junior High, 5:00pm
February 7
5-8 Grade Cross Category Field Trip, 9:30-11:15am
February 8
Co-op Wrestling at Morton Junior High School, 10:00am
February 10
Volleyball at Deer Creek-Mackinaw Junior High School, 4:30pm (7th Grade, 8th Grade, 6th Grade)
Possible 8th Grade Boys Basketball Sectionals
February 11
Scholastic Bowl at East Peoria Central, 4:00pm
Volleyball hosts Beverly Manor, Holford Gym, 4:15pm
6th Grade Boys Basketball at Beverly Manor, A & B Teams, 4:30pm
Co-op Wrestling vs Tremont & Auburn at Auburn Junior High, 5:30pm
February 12
Cheer Team IESA State Competition, Peoria Civic Center
February 13
Volleyball hosts St. Pat's (8th Grade Night) Holford Gym, 4:15pm
6th Grade Boys Basketball A & B Teams host Washington Middle School, Central Gym, 4:30pm
Co-op Wrestling vs Decatur & Rochester at Rochester Intermediate School, 5:00pm
February 14
1/2 Day Student Attendance, 11:05 CIS dismissal, 11:30 CPS dismissal
February 15
7th Grade Volleyball County Tournament at Washington Middle School, 9:00am
Possible 8th Grade Basketball IESA State Series
Co-op Wrestling at Glenwood High School, 9:00am
February 17
Observance of President's Day, No School
February 18
Volleyball at Germantown Hills Middle School, 4:15pm (7th Grade, 8th Grade, 6th Grade)
6th Grade Basketball hosts Metamora Grade School, Holford Gym, 4:15pm
Co-op Wrestling vs Morris at Shabonna, 4:30pm
February 19
6th Grade Boys Basketball hosts The Lab - Pekin A & B Teams, Holford Gym, 5:00pm
February 20
Possible 8th Grade Boys Basketball IESA State Series
Volleyball at East Peoria Central Junior High School, 4:15pm (7th Grade, 8th Grade, 6th Grade)
6th Grade Boys Basketball A & B Teams at Dunlap Valley, 4:15pm
Co-op Wrestling vs. Normal Kingsley and Chiddix at Kingsley Junior High, 5:00pm
February 22
School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
8th Grade Volleyball County Tournament at Beverly Manor, 9:00am
February 24
6th Grade Boys Basketball at Washington Middle School Teams A & B, 5:00pm
PTO Trivia Night, Central Gym, 6:00pm
February 25
Volleyball at Normal Kingsley, 4:30pm
February 26
6th Grade Boys Basketball hosts Germantown Hills Middle School Teams A & B, 4:30pm
February 28 & March 1
Spring Musical, Primary Small Gym, 7:00pm
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