TIGER TOWN NEWSLETTER

November 22, 2024 | Central Avenue School

👉 What's Happening This Week 👈

Alright parents and guardians, we’re on the lookout for a few brave souls to step up as Co-Vice Presidents and Webmaster! Fame, fortune, glory, and maybe just a little bit of chaos await—plus use of the CAS private jet!

Co-Vice Presidents
Starting in January, you’ll jump into action, shadowing our fearless leaders, Dawn and Pat, as they show you the ropes. You’ll be training for your big debut as Co-Presidents in 2025-2026. Think of it as PTA Bootcamp—with fewer push-ups and more snacks!

Webmaster
This role kicks off next school year and is perfect for anyone who prefers to help from a distance (read: from your couch in pajamas). All you need is WiFi, a laptop, and the willingness to keep the PTO website and Square looking sharp and running smoothly.

❗Without new volunteers in these leadership roles, our PTO may not continue next year. Please consider joining to keep our PTO thriving!

If you’re ready to join the PTO dream team, email us at caspto@gmail.com

Mark your calendars 📆

11/26: Walk and Roll Program for Grades K-2
11/27: CAS Traffic Town (4th Grade Only)
11/27: Half day (single session)
11/28-29: CAS closed for Thanksgiving
12/02 & 04: Holiday shop open
12//11: Winter concert

Scroll down to see the full '24/'25 School Calendar. Or Click Here

Step back in Time! Kit's Interactive Theater Brings History to CAS Assembly!

Kit's Interactive Theater provided two engaging assemblies that educated and inspired our students. Pre-K to 2nd graders experienced life in a 19th-century one-room schoolhouse, while 3rd to 5th graders learned about the Women’s Rights suffragist movement from the 1820s to the 1920s. Thank you to the students and teachers who participated onstage!

Get Your Read On! CAS Book Club Open Until Dec 16! 📕📙

This program helps add books to the CAS library through your generous donations. Your donation will buy high-quality, specially bound books in the genre of your choice. When the books arrive, Mr. Paradiso will invite your child to pick one from their chosen genre. A special label honoring your family or child will be placed inside, and your child will be the first to check it out from the library. This will be open from the week of November 11th through the week of December 16th.

’Tis the Season to Shop! CAS Holiday Shop Open Dec 2 & 4! 🎁

The CAS Holiday Shop will soon return for all of your children’s shopping needs! This event was a huge hit last year and will once again provide an opportunity for students to purchase gifts for family members and friends. Mark your calendars for Monday, December 2nd and Wednesday, December 4th (the shop will not be open on Tuesday!). And please note, just because we wanted to welcome you back with a splash, the shop will open immediately on Monday when we return from the Thanksgiving break!! Also NEW THIS YEAR, your student has received a set of adhesive labels along with their shopping flier and budget envelope. Please read the instructions included in your packet for more details. And as always, please reach out with any questions. Happy shopping 🎁

Give the Gift of Giving Initiative

Thanksgiving is next week, and as we reflect on all we are thankful for, we ask you to think of those within our own CAS community and consider giving back through the Give the Gift of Gifting initiative. All donations will support the CAS student body so every student will be able to join in the fun of gift giving at the Holiday Shop! Click here to give the gift of giving.

Thank you, CAS Community for your donations!

A huge thank you to the CAS Community as the Student Council was able to collect over 600 pounds of food for the Interfaith Food Pantry!

Change for Change Fundraiser 💲

Donate your change to benefit the Madison Eagle Christmas Fund!

Encourage your students to do chores at home to earn some CHANGE.
Bring in CHANGE and add to the class jar by Friday, December 13th.
All CHANGE collected will be donated to the MADISON EAGLE CHRISTMAS FUND, which helps brighten the holidays for Madison residents in need.

Avenues in Motion Program Coming Soon

Next week students in K-2 and Grade 4 will take part in Avenues in Motion Programs titled Walk and Roll (K-2) and Traffic Safety Town (Gr. 4). These programs teach students about essential pedestrian, cycling, and traffic safety for them to navigate streets and intersections. In addition, they are meant to reduce accidents and encourage active lifestyles. They will learn about crosswalks, traffic movement, why bike helmets are important, and much more. Stay tuned for details.

Literacy Curriculum at a Glance

Madison families thank you for attending the curriculum open house that was offered at each of the libraries during parent teacher conferences! In case you missed our open house attached is a list of our literacy programs and videos that provide an overview and a sample of how the lesson is taught. If you have any questions please reach out at any time!

Let the Reading Rumble Continue! Blue Tiger Challenge Is Live! 📖

The Blue Tiger Reading Challenge continues for November! Just a reminder how this competition works--the entire school is broken up into 4 teams. Students will keep track on the calendar how much they are reading at home each night. At the end of the month, they will submit their minutes to Mr. Paradiso on the monthly google form. This form can be found here, in their library google classroom, in the PTO newsletter, or on the CAS library website. Whatever team reads the most minutes each month will win a custom 3D printed keychain, courtesy of Mrs. Walch. We are also working together as a school to see if we can beat our score from last year, which was 1,080,788 minutes.

Please try to encourage your students to participate in this fun challenge, and Mr. Paradiso will send reminders near the end of each month to remind students/parents to submit their minutes on the Google form. Please contact Mr. Paradiso with any questions.

Your PTO dues are Appreciated!!

PTO dues support activities including monthly assemblies, enrichment programs, and teacher appreciation and supplies to name a few. The suggested amount is $40 (more or less as your circumstances allow). You can pay online here or via Venmo @CASPTO

Volunteer Opportunities!

📣 We need PTO VICE PRESIDENTS!!

We’re looking for TWO parents to join as this year’s incoming PTO vice presidents. In this role, you’ll shadow current presidents Dawn Ellis and Pat Attenasio, then take over as co-presidents for the 2025-2026 school year. It’s fun, rewarding and your kids will be proud! Please email caspto@gmail.com with any questions.

Congrats & Good Luck, MHS Girls Soccer Team! 🎉⚽

The MHS Girls Soccer team took down defending state champion Ramsey High School in overtime 2-1 earning a berth in the Group II State Final for the first time since 1987! The Dodgers will take on Pt. Pleasant Boro on Saturday, November 23rd at 5:30pm at Franklin High School. Tickets for the game can be purchased in advance by clicking this link. General admission tickets are $8 and student tickets are $5.

Parent Resource: Home Connection

This Week's Skill: Talking to Children about Bias

Many of our students have difficulty deciphering bias. In many cases, elementary students do not understand their own biases and we do our best to educate them on bias.

Click here to view tips to help families talk about bias and to access are complete archive of Home Connections.

Parent Resources: Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program & Project Childsafe

For elementary families please see this link to access important materials on gun safety for younger children.
For all families, please see this link to visit Madison Borough's website on firearm safety and Project Childsafe.

New Outdoor Club in 2025 ~ Register for Morris 4-H Winter Sports Club

CEPA - Cross Ethnic Parent Advocacy Meetings

Check out the helpful links below including School Calendar, Lunch Menus & more.