Craddock's Weekly Update

For the Weeks of December 19, 2022 and January 2, 2023

Mrs. Menta's Message

Happy weekend Craddock families!

The energy is building here as the holidays and winter break approach. We have had some visits from some adorable elves this week and are getting excited for Grinch Spirit Week the last three days before winter break. Take a look at the schedule below.

We are in the process of completing our winter benchmarking to see how much our students have grown since fall. Many of these assessments have taken place these last few weeks, but a few of them will be done when we return in January. We utilize the data from these important assessments to help plan instruction and intervention.

I want to remind all of our families to log into their child's Gather portal to check progress from the first trimester. Our Gather narratives are what we utilize as a report card and it's important you see how progress is going. We are monitoring log ins closely to ensure our families are accessing this important information. If you need assistance, please read the Gather letter included below or call or email your child's teacher. We can help you!

This will be the final Weekly Update for 2022 and the first of 2023! My next publication to you will come out for the week of January 9, 2023. If you have any questions, concerns or feedback in the meantime, don't hesitate to reach out.

No matter what holidays you celebrate, whether you are sticking close to home or traveling afar, the Craddock staff and I wish you peace, good health and an abundance of happiness this holiday season and for the upcoming year! We feel nothing but gratitude getting to work at Craddock each day with your amazing children! Thank you for trusting us with them and allowing us to help them learn and grow. They are truly wonderful humans and we are already excited to see them back on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023!

Happy holidays!

Kim Menta

kmenta@aurora-schools.org

330-562-3175 - office

216-849-2552 - cell (call or text)

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Thank you PTO and Parent Volunteers!

We are very grateful to our wonderful PTO for helping us secure volunteers to help with the holiday shop and our winter party this coming week. This wonderful group also makes sure the kids have a treat to enjoy at their party. Thank you PTO and parent volunteers!

Click Here to Volunteer to Help at the Winter Party

Craddock Transportation Request 22-23

If at any time, you wish to change your child's mode of transportation for one or more days, you must fill out the Google form attached. We are no longer able to accept notes, phone calls and/or emails to do this, outside of emergencies. Thank you!

Click Here for Craddock's Lunch Menu

It is recommended you check this link often when making decisions about whether your child is buying lunch or not. The menu has been changing more often than we anticipated. Thank you!

Click Here to Add Money to Your Child's Account

News from Mrs. Ambrosia, Craddock's School Counselor

Greetings Families! Over the course of the year, I meet with students in small groups. These groups include students in first and second grades and can include as few as two students or as many as six. Beginning in January, I am starting a new group to focus on Changing Families. Students that may benefit from this group may have a change in their family including separation, divorce, or death of an immediate family member. This group will meet once weekly for twenty to twenty-five minutes for six to eight weeks. Group activities will focus on meeting peers in a similar situation, identifying the change, learning about adult v. kid responsibilities, naming adults that are their support system, reaffirming their identities, and problem-solving scenarios with the group members. If you think your child would benefit from this group, please reach out to me at lambrosia@aurora-schools.org or 330.562.3175 ext. 1260.

A resource of interest is this awesome site shared with me by our Director of Special Services, Mike Maglionico: https://www.onoursleeves.org/

This site is a simple way to gather community resources, contacts, talking points and activities to benefit your family’s well-being and mental health over the holidays. I found the How-To articles super helpful because as a counselor and a parent, I know how I want my students and children to think of themselves, but am often refining the process in which I use to correct their thinking in a more positive way. I hope you find this resource helpful!

Mrs. Lindsey Ambrosia

School Counselor

Craddock Elementary School

330.562.3175, ext. 1260

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Craddock's Nurse, Mrs. Courtad

Hello Craddock families! I have a district cell phone I am using now that will allow me to have much more convenient access to you! Please know you may receive a text from me for minor clinic visits. Any serious issues I will address with a phone call. You are welcome to store the number and can also send me a message during school hours with any questions or concerns for your child. Feel free to email as well! My school cell number is 330-285-3714. Take care and stay healthy!

Click Here to Access the Holiday Artsonia Coupon

Craddock's Reporting System - Gather

For all of our first grade families and new-to-Aurora families, you will notice that Craddock does not follow the typical quarterly schedule the rest of the district does due to our reporting system. We are incredibly lucky to be part of Gather. This is a narrative reporting system that will provide you with an in-depth look of how your child is progressing in regards to our standards.

Please click the button below to read the letter, which will provide you much more information on the program, as well as how to access it and when. Feel free to reach out to your child's teacher or our main office with any questions!

Gather Parent Letter

Car Rider Protocol - IMPORTANT!

Many thanks for your patience as we get things up and running. It will take us a few weeks to run at optimal speed. We will work daily to fix, modify and adapt things to be as efficient as possible. Your patience is greatly appreciated by all our staff.

Students can be dropped off at 8:40 a.m. at the earliest! Please do not allow them to exit your car until that time, as there is no staff to monitor them. Pick up will begin promptly at 3:10 each day. If everyone knows the system and cooperates, we will have all students in cars in 15-20 minutes.

Here are some things I need all car rider families to do, which will help immensely.

Please do not use Willard to line up for drop off or pick up. We are working with the police to get it blocked off, but in the meantime, please avoid it. Enter Hurd Road off of New Hudson and begin lining up there. Please see the map below for guidance.
Parents are not permitted to get out of their car when dropping off or picking up their child(ren). It is one of the main reasons the flow of traffic slows down. If you need to do that, you must pull into a marked parking spot. Again, we ask you don't do it at all. We have plenty of staff available to help your child in or out safely.
All students must exit their car on the passenger side of the vehicle. We understand this can be tricky with child locks and car seats, but it is in the best interest of all our car riders to have it be this way. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
We are not permitting people to turn left into the school from Hurd Road. You will be asked to continue down Hurd, turn around and join the end of the line.
We ask that you please respect the guidelines we have set up and follow them consistently. Everyone involved in the car rider process, staff and parents, thank you!