Friday, January 31st - February 16th - Science Olympiad registration (4th/5th students)

Thursday, February 13th - Open House (Norman, 3rd Grade: 5:30-6:30 pm)

Friday, February 14th - NO SCHOOL (Institute Day)

Monday, February 17th - NO SCHOOL (President's Day)

Thursday, February 20th- Uncle Pete's Lunch

Thursday, February 27th - SPRING CONFERENCES (BY INVITE ONLY - info coming)

Thursday, February 27th - Young Authors Submissions Due

Friday, February 28th - NO SCHOOL - RECORDS DAY

Monday, March 10th - REGISTRATION DUE for early bird discount

I'm getting reports about unsafe student drop-offs on Cherry Street. If you are dropping your child off on Cherry, please make sure you pull to the curb and let students off on Carpenter side. I'm hearing of drop-offs in the street. If you drop-off on other side, please direct your child to cross at Hamlin and Cherry. Believe me, in the past, I've requested a stop sign at Broadway and Cherry, similar to how it is at Elm. With cars pulling in and out, it is very unsafe for students to just randomly be crossing Cherry or being dropped off in the middle of the street. Let's keep our kids safe. As a driver, please also be extra cautious as you are pulling in and leaving.

This Thursday is our annual Open House. It is a drop-in event that runs from 6:00-7:00 pm (Mrs. Norman, 3rd grade will be available 5:30-6:30. Please be aware that if you visit her room, the rest of the staff/rooms will not be open until 6:00 pm and you should enter through main door). The front door, 1st/2nd grade door, and 5th door will open at 5:55 pm. For those new to Carpenter, the event is not a planned hour long event. It is drop-in and allows you to go to your child's homeroom/specials etc. It is not a time to conference with your child's teacher and asking for updates. Our teachers are to be available to answer questions about the classroom and work in general, not to comment on specific student progress.

We are in the process of exploring a new mass communication system for our staff and families, and we want your input! We invite you to participate in a brief survey that will help us assess and improve our communication tools and strategies.

Your feedback is invaluable in creating a more effective communication system. The survey will only take about 5-10 minutes to complete. By sharing your thoughts, you can help us enhance the connections within our schools and community. Thank you for your participation!

CLICK ON LINK BELOW

As an fyi, spring conferences work differently than the fall. It is only one night (4-7 pm) and teachers reach out to parents that they'd like to meet with. We are discussing at our building meeting this Wednesday. In next weekend update, I'll give an idea of the window that people may expect to receive a link to sign-up that will be emailed by your child's teacher and any other perintent details.

Holidays To Acknowledge

We have an upcoming holiday that we will acknowledge in a few weeks. Below is some information that is meant to help build a better understanding of our community. This is just a snapshot and does not include everything about the holidays:

• Ramadan (Evening of Friday, February 28 through Sunday, March 30)
• Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection, and prayer for Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. They break their fasts by sharing meals with family and friends. Eid-al-Fitr is at the end of Ramadan, also known as the festival of breaking the fast.
• What should you say to those who celebrate? The traditional Arabic greeting is Ramadan Mubarak, which translates to Blessed Ramadan or Happy Ramadan.
• Click here to learn more.

We know Ramadan will be starting soon and are checking if there are any families that need any accommodations during this time around eating, schedules, PE, recess, or anything else.

Science Olympiad 2025! If you are a fourth or fifth grader, now is the time to make plans to participate in this year’s Science Olympiad which takes place on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Information, along with the ONLINE registration form, are available on the District 64 Science Olympiad Web Page. Registration is from January 31 - February 16.