CES- Principal Message

Parents,

Thank you to everyone who came out to our International Festival on Thursday night. It was a great success, and we look forward to making it even bigger next year! Thank you to the Ibelli, Putz, Guo, Ortiz, Surana, Yandapalli, Foster, Ahn, Kincaid, and Bashir familles for graciously sharing their

cultures with us this evening. A special thank you to Megha and Nihara for dazzling the audience with their dancing skills!

The first Cultural Arts Assembly of the year was a success. We welcomed the musical group "The Beast" to Carpenter to perform their show, Sankofa: The History of African-American Music. The PTA proudly brought "The Beast" to Carpenter, thanks in part to a grant received from United Arts Wake County. The students were dancing, singing, skatting, and having a great time. It was a fabulous end to a great week!

We are already starting to plan for next school year. As we start making these plans, it helps us to know if your family is moving or going to another school next year.

Are you a parent of a student who is currently in Kindergarten-4th grade, but your child will not be returning to Carpenter next year? If so, please fill out this quick form:

https://forms.gle/daXpXvsKYDag8dHK7

5th Grade Parents: We have selected our Moving Up Ceremony Dates

Track 1: Thursday, May 29th at 11:30.

Tracks 2 & 3: Wednesday, June 25th at 9:30

Track 4: Wednesday, June 25th at 12:00

Our primary focus remains on the well-being, safety, and education of every student we serve, regardless of their background. We recognize that recent orders may cause uncertainty for some members of our community. We want to reaffirm our commitment to fostering a safe and welcoming environment where all children can learn and thrive.

The Supreme Court’s Plyler v. Doe decision guarantees all children the right to access a public education, regardless of citizenship status. Our district has always complied with federal and state laws and will continue to do so. We are equally committed to ensuring our schools remain safe and welcoming spaces for all students and families.

Building leaders have been reminded of the procedures that law enforcement agencies must follow when interacting with students on campus. If law enforcement seeks access to a school, we will consult with legal counsel to ensure compliance with applicable laws.

Additionally, our district does not ask for or record information about the immigration status of any family. We will continue to honor all laws protecting the privacy of student records as outlined in board policies. We encourage families to contact their school’s student support services if their child has concerns or social-emotional needs during this time.

Individuals with additional questions can contact the county here.

If you would like to request a track change for the 2025-2026 school year, please provide the information requested below by 8:00 pm EST, March 9, 2025. All forms submitted by the deadline will be given equal consideration.

Completion of this form does not guarantee a track change will be granted.

Track changes are limited by things such as the availability of open seats, number of classes per grade level, staffing, and any year-round middle school siblings. Please keep in mind that there are class size laws we must follow.

Click this link to complete the Track Change Request Form: https://forms.gle/SjYeC5XXGoZCYnCB8

The Cary Chamber of Commerce has been a leader in supporting education in our community through numerous programs and activities. One of the most critical needs of Wake County schools is that of attracting and retaining the best classroom teachers. With the Cary Chamber of Commerce's Honor a Teacher Program we hope to help our school system in meeting that challenge.

We have so many wonderful teachers at Carpenter! Please nominate one today! All nominations must be completed by February 3rd at 5:00 pm.

Nominate at this link: https://forms.gle/q8enkvFfqGwANqUu8

New this year, the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) will be administered to all students in second grade. The CogAT measures general thinking and problem-solving skills and indicates how well the student uses these skills to solve verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal problems. In combination with other relevant information about a student, scores can be used to adapt instruction in ways that enhance the student’s success in learning. Scores are also used to help determine a student's eligibility for Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) services. Please contact Lucy Dioguardi ldioguardi@wcpss.net) with any questions.

Testing Window:

Track 1: February 10-21

Tracks 2, 3, 4: March 10-21

• February 28- Poe Center: Grade 3, Tracks 1, 4
• March 12- First in Fitness: Grades 3-5
• March 14- Laurel Hills Park: Grade 1, Track 2, 4
• March 18- Poe Center: Grade 5, Tracks 2, 4
• March 18- Historic Oak View Park: Grade 4, Tracks 2, 4
• March 21- Poe Center: Grade 3, Tracks 2, 3

Please make sure that you have paid for any fees associated with your field trip by going to this link: https://wcpss.schoolcashonline.com Please ask your child's teacher if you have specific questions about field trips. Thank you

• February 3-13- Apex Remix Fitness Fundraiser (Replaces Boosterthon) Tracks 1 & 2
• February 17-27- Apex Remix Fitness Fundraiser (Replaces Boosterthon) Tracks 3 & 4

2024-2025 Year-Round Calendar

2025-2026 Year-Round Calendar

Carpenter's Breakfast and Lunch Menu

If you would like to contribute any amount to help any Carpenter families with field trip costs, please go to this link: https://bit.ly/47yAOrG

Our Apex Leadership Fundraiser begins this week! This year we are partnering with a new organization "Apex Leadership" and will celebrate our achievements with an exciting high energy fitness event! Note - this effort replaces our historical fundraising partnership with Boosterthon and the Fun Run. Review the FAQs to learn more and connect with your classroom teachers as they will be providing additional messaging about this important initiative and critical opportunity to support our school community!

Our Science Expo will be on February 20th! Click on the flyer below to register your student(s) today! Or click this link: https://forms.gle/WtTBnq553HYFEtyR8

Subscribe to the PTA Calendar to stay informed of all events and updates: Please use the below web address to access the PTA Calendar from other applications. You can copy and paste this into any calendar product that supports the iCal format.

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/1hbrpnfgue1lhpgbd31cf1pbe8%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics