Wildcat News

Central Avenue Elementary

Jesse McNeil - Principal

Louis Good - Assistant Principal

The staff at Central Avenue were thoroughly excited to welcome students back into the building on Tuesday this week. It is a special feeling to see students in classrooms and filling the halls.

This week, students at Central Avenue Elementary students engaged in conversations on the values, agreements, and expectations at Central Avenue Elementary. We encourage families to engage in conversations with their students at home as well.

CARE outlines the core values at Central Avenue Elementary. Cooperation, Accountability, Respect, and Effort.

Wildcat Agreements - These agreements are foundational to student success and align with our core values. We use kind words and actions because we are safe and respectful. We learn, work, and participate because Wildcats are accountable and show effort.

TEAM is the acronym used at Central Avenue Elementary for common are expectations and developing routines around instructional activities. Talk - What does conversation look like in this common area or during this activity. What does Engagement look like during this activity. How do I learn, work, and participate? During this activity, how do I Ask help? What does Movement look like in this common area or during this classroom activity.

CARE, the agreements, and TEAM work together to provide a school-wide system where students feel safe, know what to expect, and can thrive as a student and grow as a learner.

You may have seen your student come home with some wildcat cash this week! Wildcat cash is our school-wide token economy. We use this to recognize positive behaviors at Central Avenue Elementary. It is given to students who uphold our core values and agreements. It is also given to students for following TEAM expectations in the classroom and in common areas. Students will get to spend their Wildcat Cash at the Wildcat Store at least once a month on designated Wednesdays. Email Jesse McNeil at jmcneil@fpschools.org if you are interested in volunteering at our Wildcat Store on an early release Wednesday and I will share the dates with you. Information on how to become a Franklin Pierce School District volunteer is at the bottom of this newsletter.

September is Attendance Awareness Month! We can all nurture a culture of engagement and attendance at school. Everyone wins when children and youth have the opportunity to gain skills and abilities that prepare them for success in school, work, and life.

Research shows that when students are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year or 18 days over an entire school year), they are less likely to read proficiently by third grade, achieve in middle school and graduate from high school.

As part of a school-wide effort to encourage great attendance, we are rewarding classrooms that have five days of perfect attendance. Every day that a classroom has perfect attendance, they earn a piece of their rocket ship. On the fifth day... they blast off, receive a classroom reward, and start over!

During our Back to School Night Gamer-Graphix was on site selling Wildcat spirit gear. If you are still interested in purchasing Wildcat gear for your student or for yourself, you can do so by clicking on this link https://www.gamergraph-xsports.com/ceavelstap.html

At Back to School Night t-shirts were the only option. On the website you can choose from a variety of options. The store will close at the end of September and all items will be delivered to Central Avenue Elementary to be handed to your student or picked up by yourself. Money raised will go to benefit the Central Avenue Elementary PTA.

September 2nd: No School - Labor Day

September 3rd : First Full Day of Kindergarten

September 4th: 90 Minute Early Release: 2:35pm

September 11th: 90 Minute Early Release: 2:35pm

September 18th: 90 Minute Early Release: 2:35pm

September 25th: 90 Minute Early Release: 2:35pm

2024-25 District Calendar - English

2024-25 District Calendario - Spanish

9:20 Breakfast

9:35 Tardy bell, school begins

11:50-12:50 Kindergarten Recess/Lunch

12:10-1:10 1st Grade Recess/Lunch

12:00-1:00 2nd Grade Recess/Lunch

12:20-1:20 3rd Grade Recess/Lunch

12:35-1:35 4th Grade Recess/Lunch

12:35-1:35 5th Grade Recess/Lunch

4:05 Dismissal

*MOST Wednesdays will be a 2:35 dismissal*

Thank you to families for helping us make the morning transition as smooth as possible in the first week. Just a reminder, we are a closed campus. All students will be dropped off at the front door by families before entering the school. If you are a new family to Central Avenue, let us know. We would like you to have the opportunity to walk your student to their classroom on their first day. Otherwise please drop your student off at the front doors.

Beginning of Day

Students can be dropped off in the parent loop at the front of the school from 9:20 to 9:35am to start the school day. Any student dropped off after 9:35am will check in at the main office window to receive a late pass before heading to class.

End of Day

Students will be released from school and ready for pickup by 4:05pm. Areas will be supervised by staff until 4:20pm. Any student who has not been picked up by 4:20pm will be taken to the lobby.

Just a reminder

Please call the school before 3:30pm when your child's end of day schedule changes. This allows us time to notify your child's teacher and your child of the change. Please call our office at 253-298-3200 to report end of day changes.

Family and Community Engagement is a priority at Central Avenue Elementary and in the Franklin Piece School District. One way families can become involved is through the Central Avenue PTA. Information on how to become in the involved should have come home or will be coming home with your student soon!

Now is a great time to check the contact information that we have for your child. If you have had any changes, you can always log on to your Family Access Account at fpschools.org and update your address, email, and phone numbers. If you need help, please don't hesitate to call the Office at 253-298-3200

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS....

If you are interested in volunteering as a chaperone for field trips or in any other capacity that may come up, please complete the volunteer application as soon as possible. It may take up to two weeks to process an application and we don't want you to be left out of a volunteer opportunity because you are not approved yet! Click here to begin your volunteer application. If you were cleared as a volunteer last year, please complete a new application. Volunteer applications must be completed every year.

Interested in working with some AMAZING Central Avenue Wildcats? Consider becoming a guest-educator! You will have a flexible schedule and work when and where you choose. To be a guest classroom teacher, you need a bachelor’s degree in any subject. With that, you can apply for an Emergency Substitute teaching certificate--you do not need to have a current teaching certificate. We will provide some additional training.

To be a paraeducator, you must possess a high school diploma, plus 72 quarter college credits of 100 level or above, an AA or a BA or pass the Para Assessment exam. For more information, please go to fpschools.org > Get Involved > Careers > Current Job Openings > Job Openings and type sub in the position column to see specific information. We would love to have you join the Wildcats team!

Email: centralavenue@fpschools.org
Website: http://centralavenue.fpschools.org/
Location: 4505 104th Street East, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-3200
Facebook: facebook.com/centralavenueelementary