TIGER TOWN NEWSLETTER

• 12/17: Board of Ed mtg

• 12/18: School Store

• 12/20: Winter Sing Along (students only)

• 12/20: Report cards open

• 12/23 - 01/01: School Closed Winter holiday recess

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

Dec 16th - Wear Holiday Colors

Dec 17th - Festive Hat Day

Dec 18th - Holiday Socks

Dec 19th - Holiday Movie Day

Dec 20th - Winter PJs

Each holiday season, the PTO takes the opportunity to recognize the staff at CAS who are not the primary classroom teacher, but play a very important roles at our school. This includes, crossing guards, classroom aides, specials’ teachers, office staff and custodians to name a few. Classroom coordinators will reach out separately regarding your primary classroom teacher. Collection will continue through 12/17/2024. You can contribute on our website www.caspto.com or VENMO (@CASPTO)

Congratulations to the 4th and 5th Grade Band, Chorus, and Orchestra Students on a wonderful Winter Concert! Also, thank you to Mrs. Adkins, Mrs. Chiarino, and Mrs. Quinlan for all their work!

First trimester report cards will be available for viewing in Genesis beginning on Friday, December 20, at 3pm. Please call the CAS office if you have any problems viewing your child's report card. Be sure to check out this week's Home Connection: Talking to your child about standardized report cards!

The Time Has Arrived for RAFFLE BASKET DONATION! Bingo Night is coming up and we need your help to create the fabulous baskets for the raffle! Whether you're doing a pre-holiday purge or finding amazing deals shopping, we would love gifts to accompany gift cards in the baskets. Suggested items: candles, picture frames, kitchen/home decor, self-care, premium snacks, toys. We are also accepting donated gift cards! Are you a local business owner? This is a great way to show your support for CAS! Email casbingonight@gmail.com to arrange the donation. Keep scrolling for info on volunteering!

At Central Avenue School, our school day begins promptly at 8:35am. Arriving on time helps set students up for a productive day of learning and ensures they don’t miss important classroom routines. To support families, we provide a brief grace period after 8:35am for students to get to their classrooms, but they need to be in the building. One friendly tip is to be out of your home by 8:20am. In the past, families that were unable to get out by 8:20am traditionally were late or came flying into the drop-off zones with the kids flying out of the car and running for the doors.

Please also adhere to the designated drop-off and bus zones to ensure everyone’s safety. While we understand parking can be challenging, leaving home by 8:15 AM allows ample time to find parking without resorting to unsafe practices like double parking or blocking bus zones, which could lead to accidents.

Let’s work together to make every morning a smooth and successful start!

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

The Blue Tiger Reading Challenge has kicked off for December! 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.

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

We’re on the lookout for a few brave souls to step up as Co-Vice Presidents, Webmaster, Bingo Committee, & Lunch Duty! 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

Bingo Committee:

Mark your calendars for Friday, January 31, 2025 - We are seeking volunteers to make Bingo Night amazing! It is time to start gathering donations for the popular raffle and planning one of the most fun nights you’ll have at CAS! Love to arrange fabulous gift baskets? Want to help ensure the success of this family fun night? If you’d like to be part of the fun, please click this Google Form and join our team

Lunch Duty

Calling Parent Volunteers to help with Lunch Duty this Winter. Two volunteers are requested daily to help students with opening lunch items, keeping lunch lines moving and making sure students follow cafeteria rules. This is a fun and easy way of experiencing your child in their school habitat! Please limit signups for the Winter Session to two (2) per family to allow as many families as possible to participate. In addition, it is important to remember that you are there to HELP ALL students

Sign-Up Below

PTO: CAS Lunch Volunteers - Winter 2025

We're excited to share the latest edition of Nutrition News, which highlights Asian Pears: "They're Pearfect." While these pears are typically farmed in Asia, we are fortunate to have an Asian pear farm, Evergreen Farms, right here in the Garden State. These delicious pears will be featured on our menus in January, so keep an eye out for this special treat!

Report Card time can be an exciting time. It is a time to reflect, set goals, and discuss your strengths and weaknesses. If framed correctly, it is an important discussion with your child. Click here for some tips for discussing your child’s report card.

As we approach the end of the year, I would like to share all the wonderful things your child has been learning in Spanish class since September! We have been working hard to build foundational language skills while exploring the rich and diverse cultures of the Spanish speaking world. Throughout the semester, students have learned new vocabulary and engaged in fun and interactive activities to reinforce their learning.

We've also celebrated cultural traditions and holidays, providing students with a deeper understanding of the customs and values in Spanish speaking countries. Each lesson is designed to inspire curiosity and encourage students to use Spanish in meaningful ways.

Thank you for supporting your child's learning journey. I look forward to continuing to grow our language skills in the new year.

Click here for more info and to learn how you can be a part of Madison Reads.