Central Park Cougar Chronicles

Central Park families,

It is with great pleasure that we welcome the students and families of the Central Park Elementary community to the 2024-2025 school year. Our staff is committed to ensuring an outstanding learning experience for all students as we support their development.

We look forward to continuing our goal of ensuring our students, families and staff are learning in a nurturing, safe environment. As we continue to ensure academic proficiency in our students, we will be developing the following key skills in our students: emotional literacy, effective communication both orally and in written form; being innovative and creative; the ability to critically-think; apply knowledge and skills to real-world settings; and, work collaboratively with others. The more united we are as a school community, the more our children grow each day! Your support and collaboration will support this goal.

This Central Park Cougar Chronicles is PACKED with many important reminders and information! Please read it to “stay in the know” of all the great happenings occurring at Central Park.

If you should have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher or administration if we can provide any further information.

Sincerely,

Mr. Williams, Principal

Mrs. Cordoba, Assistant Principal

September 3

• No School

September 13

• No Early Childhood classes

September 24

• 2 Hour Late Start

October 4

• No School

October 11

• No Early Childhood classes

October 23 & 24

• Parent & Teacher Conferences

October 25

• No School

October 29

• 2 Hour Late Start

Central Park families, join us on Facebook! Check us out at Central Park Elementary
Learn more about the great happenings occurring at Central Park as well as reminders of upcoming events.

• There is no supervision outside of the school building before 8:35 AM.
• The front entrance doors (South Side) to the building will open at 8:35 AM. Students are to wait in their car or with their parent/guardian before the doors open. There is no supervision outside of the school building before breakfast.
• Once arriving into the building, we are asking that all families say their “goodbyes” in the main entrance, allowing their child to enter the cafeteria to get breakfast or walk to class on their own. This builds self-confidence and independence.

Thank you for taking time to review these updates as it helps us ensure all students, parents and staff experience a safe transition to and from school each day.

• Parents/guardians who drop off and pick up by car will drive through the pick-up/drop off loading zone in front of the school (south side of building).
• Students who walk or are dropped off by car will enter the building each morning through the Main Entrance (south side).
• Saratoga Street (north side of building) is reserved for school buses/daycare only. Students loading the bus or daycare vehicle will exit the building with a Central Park staff member to the bus loading zone. There will be no pick up or drop off of students by car at this side of the building.
• At dismissal, students being picked up will wait for their parent/guardian on the side walk at designated assigned locations with Central Park staff. As you approach the school in your vehicle, please remain in a single file line and follow the car in front of you in the loading zone nearest the sidewalk.
• There is no need to exit your vehicle to pick up your child unless you are parked in parking space in the parking lot. Staff will be monitoring the flow of traffic to promptly deliver your child to you.

In advance we appreciate your support as we transition into this process to ensure the safety of all students, staff and families while at Central Park Elementary.

Did you know it takes an average of three days for students to catch up for every one day they’re absent? Omaha Public Schools is committed to working with our families to support student attendance every day, because we know every minute counts. Our district has updated our action plan to follow state guidelines on assisting students who miss a significant amount of class time. Our student attendance team will meet with families of students who have 20 total absences, whether or not those absences are excused. The team will work with the family to create a collaborative plan to improve attendance. You can make an impact on your student’s attendance now, and we’re here to help. If anything is getting in the way of getting your student to school, please contact your school’s principal, school support liaison, school counselor or bilingual liaison for help.

If your student is going to be absent from school, please ensure to contact the office to report the absence at 531-299-1200.

We are celebrating attendance!

• School begins at 8:50AM
• Did you know that school minutes missed add up? Students who are tardy or checked out early will accumulate minutes which lead to days missed over time.

• Attendance is a vital component to the success of Central Park Elementary students. Attendance will be taken daily. If your child is unable to be in attendance, we ask that you please contact the office at 531-299-1200.

• Families of students who are absent, will receive an automated phone call alerting the parent that their child is not present and requesting that the parent contact the school to follow up on your child’s absence. Doctor’s notes can be provided to the front office upon return from the school to excuse your child's absence.

At Central Park we are dedicated to celebrating student achievement, which includes that of attendance! Please reach out to the office with any questions you have regarding attendance.

Parents, it's that time of year where we will begin NWEA MAP testing.

What is the MAP Growth Assessment?

• MAP Growth assessments are online, computerized tests that adapt to each individual student and his/her ability.

Who will be tested?

• The MAP Growth Assessment for both reading and mathematics is administered in grades K - 5. Also, the MAP Growth science assessment will be administered to students in grades 3 - 5. The MAP Growth Assessment will be administered three times during the academic school year during the fall, winter, and spring.

Why are we testing?

• The MAP Growth Assessments allow for monitoring student growth and informing instructional and programming decisions. In addition, the MAP Growth Assessment fulfills the state requirement of administering a norm-referenced test.

When will we assess?

• The MAP Growth Assessment will be administered for students in Kindergarten - 5th grade in the fall, winter, and spring.

How can I help my child be successful?

• Encourage your child to do their best and take the test seriously.
• Getting good rest supports children in being productive and engaged.

• The behavior matrix highlights the behavior expectations for each common area of the building. These behavior expectations are taught and practiced daily throughout the course of this school year to empower students to do their Cougar Best!
• Please review and reinforce the school expectations below of being Safe, Responsible and Respectful with your child at home!

Throughout the semester, your child will learn important digital citizenship topics, learning how to navigate and interact safely and responsibly in the digital world. As partners in your child's educational journey, we encourage you to support their development in these skills by talking with them about media balance. Here are some talking points:

Take Breaks

Encourage your child to take screen time breaks. Participating in other healthy activities like playing outside, reading a book, getting enough sleep, having device-free mealtimes with family, and engaging in creative free play are all effective strategies for maintaining a healthy balance and healthy for childhood development.

Understand Emotions and Feelings

Transitioning from online to offline activities can sometimes be challenging. Talk to your child about how they feel when it's time to put the device away. Help them recognize these emotions. Especially as children get older and spend more time online, by understanding their feelings, they gain valuable insights into self-regulating device use and know when it's time to leave a platform or step away.

Reflect on Media Habits

Guide your child in reflecting on their media habits. Whether it's TV shows, movies, apps, or video games, help them categorize their screen time into passive consumption (mindless watching, scrolling), interactive (co-viewing, video-chatting, playing games with friends), or creative (editing, making videos, coding). Not all screen time is created equal, and the quality of our online experiences is most important. This self-awareness lays the foundation for mindful media consumption.

Health Screenings

Students enrolled in Omaha Public Schools are provided free health screening in accordance with Nebraska State Statute. Screenings are conducted throughout the school year and may begin as early as August. Students in early childhood, kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, seventh, and tenth grades are screened for hearing, vision, dental, height, and weight per the rules and regulations set forth by the state of Nebraska. The screening is conducted to help identify health concerns in as early a stage as possible, in an effort to enhance learning. Screening is not intended to be diagnostic, but to identify students with potential problems. Findings that need further evaluation by a health care provider will be sent home. Per Nebraska State Regulations, a parent/guardian may supersede the mandated school health screening by submitting a statement signed by an authorized health care provider attesting that the required screening has been completed in the previous six months. An updated healthcare provider statement must be submitted each school year. Contact your school nurse for any questions regarding screening.

Exámenes de salud

Los estudiantes inscritos en las Escuelas Públicas de Omaha reciben exámenes de salud gratuitos de acuerdo con el estatuto del estado de Nebraska. Las evaluaciones se llevan a cabo durante todo el año escolar y pueden comenzar en agosto. Los estudiantes de Educación a Temprana Edad, kínder, primero, segundo, tercero, cuarto, séptimo y décimo grado son evaluados en cuanto a audición, visión, dental, altura y peso según las normas y reglamentos establecidos por el estado de Nebraska. La evaluación se lleva a cabo para ayudar a identificar problemas de salud en la etapa más temprana posible, en un esfuerzo por mejorar el aprendizaje. La evaluación no pretende ser un diagnóstico, sino identificar a los estudiantes con problemas potenciales. Los resultados que necesiten una evaluación adicional por parte de un proveedor de atención médica se enviarán a casa. Según las regulaciones del estado de Nebraska, un padre/tutor puede reemplazar el examen de salud escolar obligatorio presentando una declaración firmada por un proveedor de atención médica autorizado que certifique que el examen requerido se completó en los últimos seis meses. Se debe presentar una declaración actualizada del proveedor de atención médica cada año escolar. Comuníquese con la enfermera de su escuela si tiene alguna pregunta sobre la evaluación.