CAES Weekly Updates » CAES Weekly Updates November-December 2023

CAES Weekly Updates November-December 2023

Carrollton Weekly Update • 11/4/2023

                                                                                          

T H E   P R I N C I P A L ’ S   P E R S P E C T I VE

Among other things, November is Men’s Health Month. The concept of men’s health is somewhat oxymoronic when you think of how the stereotypical guy is expected to deal with pain by just walking it off or simply rubbing dirt in it. Now, I realize lots of men are health-conscious – the muscle mass that results from gym memberships attests to that – but we males aren’t always so good about taking care of what’s inside of us. We’ll make time to run or work out or play a favorite sport (pickleball, anyone?) but making an appointment to see a doctor is often not a priority. I get it: we men don’t like to appear weak. Or admit that we need help. Or admit defeat. Maybe we need to think about what that reluctance communicates to our spouses and to our children. My wife has been able to convince me to seek medical help by letting me know that she wants me around for a while longer. With four daughters, I need to be healthy enough to walk each down the aisle for all those weddings! Men, I challenge you to take the focus off of how strong you think you are and to put that focus on how much you are loved and needed by your family and friends. No, the yearly physical isn’t a lot of fun, but think of it as your body’s vehicle inspection. Pay attention to what your body is telling you: the spot that’s getting bigger, the ache that keeps nagging, the cough that won’t go away – these are signals that need attention. And pay attention to what your mind is telling you: as reluctant as guys are to prioritizing physical health, we’re notorious for ignoring our mental wellbeing. Fathers, granddads, uncles, dudes, guys, bros, please man up not only to be good models for the boys and girls looking up to you for examples but also to be there for them when they become men and women. 

Take care,

Mr. B.

Mr. Brennan

 

We’re encouraging all the men and boys in the building to wear blue each Monday in November to recognize Men’s Health Month.

 

 

C A R D I N A L   K U D O S

Thanks to Mr. Whalley, our kids are going to get a kick out of playing soccer – he graciously purchased and installed brand new soccer goals for our students to enjoy during recess!

We appreciate the Chism family for kindly donating lots of squishies and 3D puzzle erasers to be used in the school store!

 

F. Y. I.

Here’s the link to our CAES handbook, the Family FAQ: 23-24 Carrollton Family FAQ

Attention all Caregivers of 2nd Graders: Effective November 1, all IWCS second graders will participate in division-wide screening for the Gifted Education Program through the use of a standardized test, the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). The screening assessment will only be given in person. Once students have completed the assessment, we will reach out to parents of students scoring in the 89th percentile or above with a letter requesting permission for your child to continue in the identification process.  More information on the gifted program for Isle of Wight County Schools can be found on the division’s website under Departments: Instruction.

Here are a few suggestions for ensuring your child’s best performance:

  • Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep each night during testing 
  • Have your child eat a healthy breakfast at home or at school in the morning
  • Encourage them to do their best

Please contact our Gifted Resource Teacher, Mrs. DeLong, ([email protected]) if you have questions about the administration of the test, the identification process, or the gifted program for Isle of Wight County Schools.

Our music teacher, Mrs. Wallace, is organizing a special breakfast event to honor all Veterans of CAES and our local VFW; donuts and coffee will be served at 7:45 a.m. in the cafeteria Wednesday, 11/8.

Lost & Found items will be finding new homes after Thursday, 11/9.

Windsor High School will be hosting a winter bazaar Saturday, Dec. 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If you would like to participate as a crafter or vendor, contact Mrs. Randall at [email protected].

Reminder regarding absences…

Our Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) Rosemary Daniels is available for our military-connected students. If your family is facing a deployment, PCS, reintegration, or other military-related stressors and you would like her to check in with your child and provide free resources, contact Ms. Rosemary at 757-272-6944.

Every U.S. household is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests: https://www.covid.gov/tests  

 

H E L P   W A N T E D 

Mrs. Waibel is collecting clean, empty tin cans for projects she will have your children work on during their engineering class.

We would like to purchase a portable sound system and mic to use at parades, performances, and throughout the school. If you’re interested in helping with this, here is a Donors Choose link: CAES_portable_sound_equipment

Our kindergarten team is looking for all kinds of clothing buttons if you have any you’d like to donate – the more interesting, the better!

Our art teacher, Mrs. Gasparini, is collecting recyclable brown egg cartons for sculpture projects this year and she would appreciate any you can donate. 

We currently have openings for the following positions:

  • Library Media Specialist
  • General Education Instructional Assistant (full-time)

If you’re interested or know someone who is, please check out the listings on the division’s webpage at this link: Join the CAES Staff!

Squishies, erasers, and Goldfish – oh my! Our school store, Casey's Corner, is sold out of these very popular items and it will take a while to order more through our budget approval process; if you would like to donate these items and send them our way, we would greatly appreciate it! Here are links:

Squishies

Erasers 

Goldfish

 

F R O M   O U R   P. T. A.

Our upcoming event will be a family skating night at Smithfield Skate Rink (200 Wimbledon Ln, Smithfield). Your student will be coming home with a flyer. There is a 250-skater cap per night, so there is a designated night per grade. This event will be for only CAES students and immediate family. Attached to the flyer is a QR code and a link to RSVP for the night designated to your student's grade. The cost is $7 per skater AT THE DOOR. This will include skates, a slice of pizza, and a drink. All students must have an adult chaperone and the chaperone must stay on property the entire time. No chaperone, no admission. This is not a fundraiser; all payments will be made at the door to the Skate Rink. You will need to RSVP to attend. Below are the dates and link per grade.

We look forward to a fun night of skating with friends and family. -- CAES PTA

PreK-Kindergarten:

Monday, November 6: 6pm-8pm

https://tinyurl.com/yftt49rw

 

1st Grade:

Wednesday, November 8: 6pm- 8pm

https://tinyurl.com/8zcvn48a

 

2nd Grade:

Monday, November 13: 6pm-8pm

https://tinyurl.com/2exs6xht

 

3rd Grade:

Thursday, November 16: 6pm-8pm

https://tinyurl.com/4md28ea7

 

F R O M   B L U E   D O M I N I O N

Order fall photos! 20% of the net profit from Fall photos will go directly back to support the school.

 

U P C O M I N G   E V E N T S

11/5     Daylight Savings Time ends (Fall back!)

11/6     End of first quarter

11/8     Donuts & Coffee for our Veterans! (7:45 – 8:30 a.m. in the cafeteria)

11/8     Pre-K to Children’s Museum (9:00 – 2:00)

11/9     We ❤️ Our Veterans! Day (Let’s show our support for those who served by dressing in our patriotic gear!)

11/9     School Board meeting (6:00 at WSES)

11/10   No school: Veterans Day observed

11/20   Report cards come home

11/22   Thanksgiving break begins (Nov. 22 – 26) 

12/1     No school: Staff clerical day

12/2     PTA-sponsored Breakfast with Santa!

Carrollton Weekly Update • 11/11/2023

                                                                                          

T H E   P R I N C I P A L ’ S   P E R S P E C T I VE

Our marquee is announcing that Mrs. Michelle Pealo is our ToY and, in case you’re wondering, that stands for Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Pealo is a member of our Encore team, which means she has the opportunity to teach all of our students in kindergarten through third grade – that’s over 500 Cardinals! Mrs. Pealo is a graduate of Cornell University where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and William & Mary where she earned her Master’s degree in Education, Curriculum, and Instruction. Prior to coming to Isle of Wight County Schools, Mrs. Pealo taught in Newport News and York County; her first IWCS gig was at Westside Elementary where she taught coding, and then she joined the Carrollton staff in August of 2019. Mrs. Pealo has been a vital part of our school’s success both as a computer science instructor for our students and as a leader for her peers, and she takes her instructional leadership beyond the walls of CAES by being a frequent and sought-after presenter at conferences around the Commonwealth. I am certainly grateful for Mrs. Pealo’s service as our school’s information officer and webmaster as well as her pleasant voice heard through the PA system at dismissal each afternoon. A school’s Teacher of the Year is meant to serve as an example of an educator who embodies creativity, integrity, passion, and exceptional pedagogy; Mrs. Pealo has been honored by her colleagues to represent them across the division as our 2023-2024 ToY and I couldn’t agree more with their selection!

Sincerely,

Mr. B.

Mr. Brennan

 

 

 

C A R D I N A L   K U D O S

On behalf of the CAES staff, I want to express my gratitude to all of our caregivers who have served or are currently serving in the military. May you feel honored and respected for your sacrifices and commitment this Veterans Day and all year long.

We had several scouts from Pack 36 serve as the color guard for our Veterans Day event Wednesday morning and they did a fantastic job!

We appreciate the Dietz family for kindly donating squishies to be used in the school store – the kids absolutely love redeeming their hard-earned feathers for these things!

Thank you, Ashley Cutler, for taming the beast that is our Lost & Found!

 

F. Y. I.

Here’s the link to our CAES handbook, the Family FAQ: 23-24 Carrollton Family FAQ

We’re encouraging all the men and boys in the building to wear blue each Monday in November to recognize Men’s Health Monday.

Our students had the chance to practice civic duty by voting this past Tuesday. On the ballot were two favored PE games: Parachute (something we all no doubt remember from our elementary school days) and Gladiator (think dodge ball with barricades) and the winner was… ask your kid!

Attention all Caregivers of 2nd Graders: Effective November 1, all IWCS second graders are participating in division-wide screening for the Gifted Education Program through the use of a standardized test, the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). The screening assessment will only be given in person. Once students have completed the assessment, we will reach out to parents of students scoring in the 89th percentile or above with a letter requesting permission for your child to continue in the identification process.  More information on the gifted program for Isle of Wight County Schools can be found on the division’s website under Departments: Instruction. Please contact our Gifted Resource Teacher, Mrs. DeLong, ([email protected]) if you have questions about the administration of the test, the identification process, or the gifted program for Isle of Wight County Schools.

In an attempt to actively identify, locate and evaluate children ages 2 through 21 who are in need of special education services and/or protection under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Isle of Wight County Schools will be holding Child Find screenings on the dates listed below. If you suspect that your child may have delays and/or disabilities, please join us for a brief screening of your child’s fine and gross motor skills, speech language development and cognitive abilities.   

·       November 13 (12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.) at Carrollton Elementary School 

·       November 15 (9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.) at Windsor Elementary School, 20008 Courthouse Highway  Windsor, VA 

Reminder: Windsor High School will be hosting a winter bazaar Saturday, Dec. 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If you would like to participate as a crafter or vendor, contact Mrs. Randall at [email protected].

Reminder regarding absences…

Our Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) Rosemary Daniels is available for our military-connected students. If your family is facing a deployment, PCS, reintegration, or other military-related stressors and you would like her to check in with your child and provide free resources, contact Ms. Rosemary at 757-272-6944.

Every U.S. household is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests: https://www.covid.gov/tests  

 

H E L P   W A N T E D 

Mrs. Waibel is collecting clean, empty tin cans for projects she will have your children work on during their engineering class.

Our art teacher, Mrs. Gasparini, is collecting recyclable brown egg cartons for sculpture projects this year and she would appreciate any you can donate. 

We would like to purchase a portable sound system and mic to use at parades, performances, and throughout the school. If you’re interested in helping with this, here is a Donors Choose link: CAES_portable_sound_equipment

Our kindergarten team is looking for all kinds of clothing buttons if you have any you’d like to donate – the more interesting, the better!

We currently have openings for the following positions:

  • Library Media Specialist
  • General Education Instructional Assistant (full-time)

If you’re interested or know someone who is, please check out the listings on the division’s webpage at this link: Join the CAES Staff!

Squishies, erasers, and Goldfish – oh my! Our school store, Casey's Corner, can always use more of these very popular items; if you would like to donate these items and send them our way, we would greatly appreciate it! Here are links:

Squishies

Erasers 

Goldfish

 

F R O M   O U R   P. T. A.

Our upcoming event will be a family skating night at Smithfield Skate Rink (200 Wimbledon Ln, Smithfield). Your student will be coming home with a flyer. There is a 250-skater cap per night. This event will be for only CAES students and immediate family. The cost is $7 per skater AT THE DOOR. This will include skates, a slice of pizza, and a drink. All students must have an adult chaperone and the chaperone must stay on property the entire time. No chaperone, no admission. This is not a fundraiser; all payments will be made at the door to the Skate Rink. You will need to RSVP to attend. Below are the dates and link per grade.

We look forward to a fun night of skating with friends and family. - CAES PTA

All Grades

Monday, November 13: 6pm-8pm

https://tinyurl.com/2exs6xht

All Grades

Thursday, November 16: 6pm-8pm

 

F R O M   B L U E   D O M I N I O N

Order fall photos! 20% of the net profit from Fall photos will go directly back to support the school.

U P C O M I N G   E V E N T S

11/13   PTA-sponsored Family Skate Night #3

11/16   "Thanksgiving Feast" served by the cafteria staff at lunch

11/16   PTA-sponsored Family Skate Night #4

11/20   Report cards come home

11/22   Thanksgiving break begins (Nov. 22 – 26) 

12/1     No school: Staff clerical day and conferences with caregivers

12/2     PTA-sponsored Breakfast with Santa!

12/7     Hanukkah begins as sunset

12/12   Interims go home

12/15   Last day before winter break!

Carrollton Weekly Update • 11/18/2023

                                                                                          

T H E   P R I N C I P A L ’ S   P E R S P E C T I VE

This week, I’m sharing this space with our wonderful PTA Executive Team:

 

Hello, CAES Families!

 

The PTA Board would like to thank everyone who attended the Family Skate Nights.  We had over 400 people attend -- this is amazing!  It was a nice time seeing students outside the school and with their family and friends.

The next event that the PTA is putting together is our annual Donuts with Santa, which will be Dec. 2 from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the CAES gym and cafeteria. Our goal is to give the students a fun winter festival. For us to make this happen we really need some volunteers.  We are planning several stations of crafts, games, donuts, and even some face painting. This is a free event for all CAES students and immediate family members. If you are interested in volunteering, there is a signup link below with all the stations listed. If you have high school or middle school students in need of volunteer hours, please have their teachers contact us at [email protected]. This event can earn them about five hours of volunteer time.  If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up at: https://tinyurl.com/58pfaffe  

There will also be a flyer coming home for our Donuts with Santa Winter Wonderland. and every family planning to attend will need to sign up and in the comments list how many people in each family will be attending. https://tinyurl.com/3jskuec8

Also, from December 4-8, the PTA will be hosting the Holiday Gift Shop. This is not a fundraiser but an opportunity for students to purchase their own holiday gifts for family and friends.  The students will be coming home with a flyer that explains the event and that provides a cashless voucher option and money-controlled envelope to itemize who the student should shop for, and how much they can spend. All the items are at-cost and prices range from 50¢ - $15.00. 

Lastly, the holidays are just around the corner. Monday we are starting our Staff Holiday Gift Drive. Your student(s) should have brought home a flyer that explains what the PTA plans. The purpose of this gift drive is to help take the pressure and cost off you, the caregivers, to think of holiday gifts for the school staff. We have put together a gift for every staff member in the school. The price is about $22 per staff member. All you have to do is make a donation (any amount you would like) and signify which staff member(s) -- teacher, IA, resource, encore, admin, nurse, bus driver etc. -- you are gifting and we will do the rest. A card with your student's name will be given to the staff member along with the gift. Gifts will be delivered the week of December 11.

We understand this is a lot.  If there are any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected] and know that we are always here to help.  

 

Respectfully,

Your Carrollton Elementary PTA Board

 

C A R D I N A L   K U D O S

 

We are grateful to the kind ladies of Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church for bringing and serving the donuts at our special Veteran event last week! And a huge thanks to the Aston family and Cure Coffee House for providing the coffee!

The portable sound system and mic to use at parades, performances, and throughout the school was fully funded through Donors Choose and our music teacher Mrs. Wallace couldn’t be happier! Thank you if you were part of this special gift.

Coach Rollins and his Paul D. Camp Community College baseball team sure hit a homerun with our 2nd graders when they came to read to them and play outside for a bit! We are grateful anytime visitors come to share a book with our students and especially when the cool athlete status made these guys even more special!

The students can trade in feathers for more squishies in our school store thanks to the generosity of the Cutler family!

 

F. Y. I.

 

Here’s the link to our CAES handbook, the Family FAQ: 23-24 Carrollton Family FAQ

 

We’re encouraging all the men and boys in the building to wear blue each Monday in November to recognize Men’s Health Monday.

 

Due to circumstances beyond our control, ratings for your child's involvement in the library Encore class were unable to be recorded on the report card this quarter. 

 

Reminder regarding absences…

 

Our Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) Rosemary Daniels is available for our military-connected students. If your family is facing a deployment, PCS, reintegration, or other military-related stressors and you would like her to check in with your child and provide free resources, contact Ms. Rosemary at 757-272-6944.

 

H E L P   W A N T E D 

 

Mrs. Waibel is collecting clean, empty tin cans for projects she will have your children work on during their engineering class.

Our art teacher, Mrs. Gasparini, is collecting recyclable brown egg cartons for sculpture projects this year and she would appreciate any you can donate. 

Our kindergarten team is looking for all kinds of clothing buttons if you have any you’d like to donate – the more interesting, the better!

 

We currently have openings for the following positions:

  • Library Media Specialist
  • Special Education Instructional Assistant (full-time)

If you’re interested or know someone who is, please check out the listings on the division’s webpage at this link: Join the CAES Staff!

 

If you would like to donate squishies, erasers, and Goldfish crackers to our school store, the students would greatly appreciate it! Here are links:

Squishies

Erasers 

Goldfish

 

F R O M   B L U E   D O M I N I O N

Fall photos and makeup/retake photos are ready to be viewed! 20% of the net profit from fall photos will go directly back to support the school.

Makeup & Retake Day: If your student participated in makeup and retake picture day, those photos are now available on the ordering link.

 

U P C O M I N G   E V E N T S

11/20   Report cards come home

11/22   Thanksgiving break begins (Nov. 22 – 26) 

12/1     No school: Staff clerical day and conferences with caregivers

12/2     PTA-sponsored Breakfast with Santa!

12/7     Hanukkah begins as sunset

12/12   Interims go home

12/15   Last day before winter break!

Carrollton Weekly Update • 12/2/2023

                                                                                          

T H E   P R I N C I P A L ’ S   P E R S P E C T I VE

Some call me a word nerd: I prefer grammar guru. As a former English teacher, I’m intrigued by our language, so while some are excited about their Spotify Wrapped report at this time of year, I always anticipate the announcement about the Word of the Year. As Merriam-Webster shared this past week, in an age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence became smarter and Twitter became X, the word of the year for 2023 is authentic. Authentic cuisine. Authentic voice. Authentic self. Authenticity as artifice. Lookups for this word are routinely heavy on the dictionary company's site but were boosted to new heights throughout 2023, editor at large Peter Sokolowski told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. “We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity,” he said. “What we realize is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.” ChatGPT and OpenAI made headlines and set off alarms for those fearful that science fiction was becoming scary fact. Just this week a group of well-known authors, including David Baldacci, Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham, George R.R. Martin and Jodi Picoult, sued OpenAI over the alleged misuse of their work to train the popular chatbot ChatGPT. The lawsuit signals a growing concern for artists when it comes to artificial intelligence, and one of the main grievances of this year’s actors strike also centered on the use of AI.

Merriam-Webster’s Sokolowski stated, “Can we trust whether a student wrote this paper? Can we trust whether a politician made this statement? We don't always trust what we see anymore. We sometimes don't believe our own eyes or our own ears. We are now recognizing that authenticity is a performance itself." Personally, I find it telling that two of the other frequently-searched words this year were doppleganger (an old German term for a double, an alter ego, or a ghostly counterpart) and deepfake (a new addition to our lexicon meaning an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said). Even more interesting to a vocab fan like me: 2023’s most-searched word authentic follows 2022’s choice of gaslighting (cue creepy music). It seems people are in a crisis of certainty, and all the curated social media posts, all the rehashed movie remakes, and all the amazing AI special effects just aren’t filling the void. What a timely reminder for us to be real. 

Read More about the 2023 Word of the Year

Authentically,

Mr. B.

Mr. Brennan

 

C A R D I N A L   K U D O S

Mrs. Wallace would like to thank all of the donors who supported her Donor's Choose Project! Our school was able to purchase a portable speaker and wireless microphones and will be putting them to good use in next Saturday's Smithfield Christmas Parade with the 3rd Grade Cardinal Chorale! 

Thanks to you, Mrs. Waibel has received over 400 tin cans and only needs 200 more! Mrs. Waibel is collecting clean, empty tin cans for projects she will have your children work on during their engineering class.

Thank you, PTA officers, parent volunteers, staff volunteers, Jr. BETA, BETA Club members, and everyone who came out for our Donuts with Santa family event. The Reindeer Games were a festive way to kick off December, and it’s always good to have some facetime with St. Nick to show how nice you are! (...and thanks, too, Mr. & Mrs. Claus!)

Friday I was honored to recognize the following staff members for their years of service to IWCS:

  • Five years: Mrs. Odom, Mrs. Stewart, and Mrs. Ward
  • Twenty years: Ms. Booth, Ms. Micciche, and Mrs. C. Smith

The Hurdle family donated 3D erasers and the Kuder family donated Squishies to our school store and lots of Cardinals are going to be very happy because of their generosity!

 

F. Y. I.

Here’s the link to our CAES handbook, the Family FAQ: 23-24 Carrollton Family FAQ

 

From our Computer Science teacher, Mrs. Pealo -- Cardinal Code Night is back for the second year! December 4-10 is Computer Science Education week, and to celebrate, we are teaming up with the PTA to host a new opportunity to code with your kids! We hope to see you Thursday, December 7, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

 

The Smithfield Times is once again carrying on their annual tradition of printing local children's letters to Santa. It's a great opportunity to create a memento for families and spread positive holiday cheer throughout the community. Letters must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 6, and caregivers can email their child’s letters directly to the Smithfield Times at news@smithfieldtimes.com.

Our second grade Cardinal Care Club is sponsoring a community service project for a local animal shelter, and would be grateful for any pet food and/or toys you would provide. Donations will be received until December 14.

Cardinal Care Club 3rd graders are sponsoring our 7th annual Giving Tree to help our others in need. Donated new scarves, hats, and gloves are placed on the big tree in the lobby where folks are able to access items as needed; these cold-weather articles left after Giving Tree season ends will be donated to a local children’s charity.

Our Cardinal of the Month characteristic for November was Empathy. Each homeroom teacher is asked to nominate one student that represents the monthly highlighted character quality, then one student is selected for the whole grade level as the finalist. Help our Cardinals show empathy by explaining how it is important to care about other’s feelings. 

Emotional health is important to us at Carrollton; here’s a link if you would like one of our school counselors to spend time processing a concern with your child. CAES School Counselor Referral

Second Grade’s Winter Music & Art Show will be Tuesday, January 23, from 6:00 to- 7:15 p.m. -- more info coming in 2024!

Reminder regarding absences…

Our Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) Rosemary Daniels is available for our military-connected students. If your family is facing a deployment, PCS, reintegration, or other military-related stressors and you would like her to check in with your child and provide free resources, contact Ms. Rosemary at 757-272-6944.

Per IWCS division-wide procedures, showing photo identification is required to enter any school building. This includes dropping children off in the morning when they are late to school. Please have your photo ID ready to show the camera before pressing the button for entry. And please do not become frustrated by my office personnel when they abide by the expectation; they are following my directive so any complaints should be directed to me, not them. Thank you for understanding and doing your part to maintain student safety.

 

H E L P   W A N T E D 

Our art teacher, Mrs. Gasparini, is collecting recyclable brown egg cartons for sculpture projects this year and she would appreciate any you can donate. 

Our kindergarten team is looking for all kinds of clothing buttons if you have any you’d like to donate – the more interesting, the better!

We currently have openings for the following positions:

  • Library Media Specialist
  • Special Education Instructional Assistant (full-time)

If you’re interested or know someone who is, please check out the listings on the division’s webpage at this link: Join the CAES Staff!

If you would like to donate squishies, erasers, and Goldfish crackers to our school store, the students would greatly appreciate it! Here are links:

Squishies

Erasers 

Goldfish

F R O M   O U R   P T A

The Holiday Gift Store is all set up and ready to start Monday.  Doing it a little differently than bookfair. This time the grades are assigned a day and the teacher will send them down only if they have money.  A flyer was sent home with an envelope for cash or check (payable to CAES PTA) or there is a cash free option that was sent home. If you did not receive this information, please email us at [email protected]. The schedule is as follows:

Kindergarten/ PreK:  Monday December 4, 9:00 – 3:00

1st: Tuesday December 5, 9:00 – 3:00

2nd: Wednesday  December 6, 9:00 – 3:00

3rd: Thursday  December 7, 9:00 – 3:00

Friday December 8 from 9:00 – 11:00 will be for anyone who hasn't had a chance to shop by then.

F R O M   B L U E   D O M I N I O N

The holidays are a great time to share school pictures with loved ones, so don’t forget to access the ordering link provided below. 20% of the net profit from fall photos will go directly back to support the school.

U P C O M I N G   E V E N T S

12/4     Seasonal Sock Day

12/5     Holiday Headgear Day

12/6     Sweats Day

12/7     Festive Sweater Day

12/7     Cardinal Family Coding Night (6:00 – 7:00 p.m.)

12/8     Red & Green Day

12/11   Mittens & Scarves Day – Great chance to donate to our Giving Tree!

12/12   Flannel Tuesday

12/12   Interims go home

12/13   Warm & Cozy Day

12/14   Dress-Like-an-Elf Day

12/14   School Board meeting (6:00 p.m. at WSES)

12/15   Polar Express & Pajama Day

12/15   Last day before winter break!

1/2/24  Student holiday/staff clerical day

1/3/24  Back to school!

Carrollton Weekly Update • 12/9/2023

                                                                                          

T H E   P R I N C I P A L ’ S   P E R S P E C T I VE

I’ve been reminded for at least the past ten days that rejection should not define me. The reason for the reminder: a rejection sticker taunting me from the bottom-left corner of my windshield. Can I just say that state inspections of my vehicles are not on my list of favorite things? They’re time-consuming, never convenient, and I’d rather buy a book with that $20. Being a responsible citizen, I took my car to the shop last month for its October inspection (no, that’s not a typo), and I was told for an extra $150, they would shine my headlights and replace a rear light so I could get my “passed” sticker. With gumption spurred by frugality, I decided to do the work myself, shining up those front light fixtures and replacing the faulty bulb. Then a different light stopped working, so, I replaced it, too. Then a third. (Are you sensing the pattern?)  Now, I’m no mechanic, but it appears that the problem is electrical, not simply a need for new bulbs. I tried; I really did. Maybe you’ve been there: you really tried to succeed but failed; everything seemed to be going well until it didn’t; you weren’t accepted and you’re not sure why. This isn’t just a big problem for little humans who struggle with figuring it out, who struggle with finding their way, who struggle with fitting in; rejection is still a reality for us big people. And while it may become easier to handle the more that we mature, graciously accepting rejection is certainly not the same as gladly inviting it. Whatever rejection sticker is annoyingly flapping in your peripheral vision – literally or figuratively – I encourage you to focus on the way ahead, not on past rejections; keep your eyes on your goals, not that which prevents you from getting there as quickly as you would like. 

Offering headlight cleaning for just $150! 

Mr. B.

Mr. Brennan

 

C A R D I N A L   K U D O S

A big thank you to Mrs. Pealo for organizing our Cardinal Coding Night and to all the many families -- we had a great group of kids and caregivers computing together!

Speaking of, will you please take 5 minutes to answer a quick 6-question survey about Thursday night’s Cardinal Code Night event. Your answers will help Mrs. Pealo improve for an even better experience next time! (If you were not able to attend, that is okay, too -- there is even a question about that!) Link to survey here: https://forms.gle/jxXKYiML1YZWoaLf9 

Tiffany “Green Thumb” Walker faithfully updates the two planters in the front of our building to coincide with the season – the flowers, decorations, flags, ornaments, etc. are all from Mrs. Walker and are always appreciated! 

The PTA Executive Board presented the school with a shiny new shaved ice machine at the meeting Thursday evening and I can’t wait to whip up a batch of snowcones!

Thanks, Cutler family, for the big box of Goldfish crackers that you donated to Casey's Corner!

If you would like to donate squishies, erasers, or Goldfish crackers to our school store, the students would greatly appreciate it! Here are links: Squishies, Erasers , Goldfish

 

F. Y. I.

Here’s the link to our CAES handbook, the Family FAQ: 23-24 Carrollton Family FAQ

The Smithfield Times is carrying on their annual tradition of printing local children's letters to Santa, and the deadline has been extended; letters can be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 12, and caregivers can email their child’s letters directly to the Smithfield Times at news@smithfieldtimes.com.

Our second grade Cardinal Care Club is sponsoring a community service project for a local animal shelter, and would be grateful for any pet food and/or toys you would provide. Donations will be received until December 14.

Cardinal Care Club 3rd graders are sponsoring our 7th annual Giving Tree to help our others in need. Donated new scarves, hats, and gloves are placed on the big tree in the lobby where folks are able to access items as needed; these cold-weather articles left after Giving Tree season ends will be donated to a local children’s charity.

From our Computer Science teacher, Mrs. Pealo:

Thank you so much for helping to make our 2nd annual Cardinal Code Night a success! I saw and heard a lot of great conversation around problem solving, computers, and coding.

  • I have gotten permission to leave the Coding Night classes in CodeSpark open until Sunday evening, so if you used your own device last night, it should stay connected and available for you and your family to keep working through the weekend. The classes will be auto-archived on Sunday night. Happy coding!
  • Celebrate Computer Science Education Week with a family fun event with us at The Oak Avenue Complex. We are celebrating Computer Science Education week with a family fun event at The Oak Avenue Complex (in collaboration with Henrico County Schools Family and Community Engagement). This event is a family-friendly celebration with fun activities celebrating both Computer Science and STEAM. We look forward to seeing our students, supporters, and their families! 

Second Grade’s Winter Music & Art Show will be Tuesday, January 23, from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. -- more info coming in 2024!

Reminder regarding absences…

Our Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) Rosemary Daniels is available for our military-connected students. If your family is facing a deployment, PCS, reintegration, or other military-related stressors and you would like her to check in with your child and provide free resources, contact Ms. Rosemary at 757-272-6944.

Emotional health is important to us at Carrollton; here’s a link if you would like one of our school counselors to spend time processing a concern with your child. CAES School Counselor Referral

H E L P   W A N T E D 

Our art teacher, Mrs. Gasparini, is collecting recyclable brown egg cartons for sculpture projects this year and she would appreciate any you can donate. 

Our kindergarten team is looking for all kinds of clothing buttons if you have any you’d like to donate – the more interesting, the better!

We currently have openings for the following positions:

  • Library Media Specialist
  • Special Education Instructional Assistant (full-time)
  • General Education Instructional Assistant (full-time)

If you’re interested or know someone who is, please check out the listings on the division’s webpage at this link: Join the CAES Staff!

If you would like to donate squishies, erasers, and Goldfish crackers to our school store, the students would greatly appreciate it! Here are links:

Squishies, Erasers , Goldfish

F R O M   B L U E   D O M I N I O N

The holidays are a great time to share school pictures with loved ones, so don’t forget to access the ordering link provided below. 20% of the net profit from fall photos will go directly back to support the school.

 

U P C O M I N G   E V E N T S

12/11   Mittens & Scarves Day – great chance to donate new items to the Giving Tree!

12/12   Flannel Tuesday

12/12   Interims go home

12/13   Warm & Cozy Day

12/14   Dress-Like-an-Elf Day

12/14   School Board meeting (6:00 p.m. at WSES)

12/15   Polar Express & Pajama Day

12/15   Last day before winter break!

1/2/24  Student holiday/staff clerical day

1/3/24  Back to school!

1/11     School Board meeting (6:00 at Westside Elem.)

1/15     No school: MLK, Jr. Day

1/23     2nd Grade Fine Arts Night

Carrollton Weekly Update • 12/16/2023

                                                                                          

T H E   P R I N C I P A L ’ S   P E R S P E C T I VE

I was reminded Thursday evening that people are more important than things when my oldest daughter called and said, “Daddy, I’m okay, but…” Molly was in a four-vehicle accident just miles from our house and when I arrived on the scene, I could tell right away that the car was totaled. This was my favorite car for lots of reasons, not the least of which is because my wife and I bought it brand new when we learned that we were expecting Molly. That was in 2003, so the Honda CR-V turned 20 this fall after we “loaned” it to Molly last year. With the Highway 58 traffic whizzing past and the blue lights flashing, I could tell that Molly was looking at me and I was really struggling to fix my face as I assessed the damage. After processing for a while, it occurred to me: I bought this car in 2003 to protect my firstborn child and that’s exactly what it did Thursday night. (kind of a circle-of-life moment there!) A vehicle is just a thing and while it's going to be super inconvenient to be without it when Molly heads back to college next month, at least Molly is heading back to college next month. And she’s celebrating Christmas with us in nine days. And she’s home safe and sound today. All the stuff that gets bought and wrapped and unwrapped will eventually end up broken, donated, or towed away. My hope for you this holiday season is that you will cherish your children and make time with them a priority while you can. 

Remember, no school Monday – or until January 3, 2024! 

Mr. B.

Mr. Brennan

 

C A R D I N A L   K U D O S

The 3rd Grade Cardinal Chorale under the direction of our music teacher, Mrs. Wallace, earned the distinction of Best in Show at last week’s Smithfield Christmas parade!

Our 2nd Grade Cardinals Care Club did a wonderful job raising awareness and donations for the local animal shelter – much gratitude to all of you who sent in pet toys, food, and supplies.

Thank you to all the families that sent in cans.  All the students that went to Engineering were able to make Gratitude Jars. I hope that you enjoy sharing all the things you are thankful for with your family. I am thankful to be a part of this amazing Carrollton Family. Enjoy your break!  Love- Mrs. Waibel

The staff is grateful to Believers Church for their kindness demonstrated in buying us pizza this week!

On behalf of the staff, thank you very much to those who helped the PTA Executive Team give us the CAES hoodies -- what a thoughtful and warm gift!

 

F. Y. I.

Here’s the link to our CAES handbook, the Family FAQ: 23-24 Carrollton Family FAQ

Cardinal Care Club 3rd graders are sponsoring our 7th annual Giving Tree to help our others in need. Donated new scarves, hats, and gloves are placed on the big tree in the lobby where folks are able to access items as needed; these cold-weather articles left after Giving Tree season ends will be donated to a local children’s charity.

Second Grade’s Winter Music & Art Show will be Tuesday, January 23, from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. -- more info coming in 2024!

 

H E L P   W A N T E D 

The Ecology Club is collected live, undecorated Christmas trees again this year to be fed to the goats at the IWCS Land Lab in Windsor. We will have a trailer on-site Saturday, Jan. 13 from 9:00 a.m. to noon for trees to be dropped off at school.

Our art teacher, Mrs. Gasparini, is collecting recyclable brown egg cartons for sculpture projects this year and she would appreciate any you can donate. If you happen to be going through things in your home to clean out and part with during this season, the Art Classroom would be happy to take a large blender or food grinder off your hands and give it a new purpose!  

Our kindergarten team is looking for all kinds of clothing buttons if you have any you’d like to donate – the more interesting, the better!

We currently have openings for the following positions:

·       Library Media Specialist

·       Special Education Instructional Assistant (full-time)

·       General Education Instructional Assistant (full-time)

·       3rd Grade teacher

If you’re interested or know someone who is, please check out the listings on the division’s webpage at this link: Join the CAES Staff!

If you would like to donate squishies, erasers, and Goldfish crackers to our school store, the students would greatly appreciate it! Here are links:

Squishies

Erasers 

Goldfish

 

F R O M   T H E   P T A 

Many events have happened at Carrollton and the PTA could not have made any of it happen without the amazing volunteers.  We wanted to acknowledge everyone that has supported us by volunteering.

Fall Book Fair:

Elena Woods, Dante Alvarado, Stephanie Privette, Ashley Cutler, Schrese Horsman, Stephanie Prever, Lu Judkins, Ms. DeLong, Ms. Baker, Ms. Artis, Ms. Wallace, Susan Boone, Rykeshia Haywood, Hannah Robinson, Elena Woods, Stephanie Zwick, and Westside Beta Club.

Breakfast With Santa:

Mr. and Mrs. Collick (Santa and Mrs. Claus), Ashley Cutler, Lu Judkins, Ms. DeLong, Ms. Baker, Ms. Kitchen, Hannah Robinson, Ms. Wallace, Ms. R. Nagy, Schrese Horsman, SHS Beta, and WSES Jr. Beta, 

Holiday Gift Shop:

Ashley Cutler, Schrese Horsman, Pei-Ju Hall, Carey Byrd, Barbara Link, Lu Judkins, and Jennifer Felix

Again, thank you to all our wonderful volunteers. These events would never happen without all of your help and support. We hope to start the New Year off with some fun events

The PTA Executive Board would like to wish all the CAES families a safe and Happy Holidays.  We hope that everyone has a nice break and is able to spend time with their family and friends.  

 

F R O M   B L U E   D O M I N I O N

The holidays are a great time to share school pictures with loved ones, so don’t forget to access the ordering link provided below. 20% of the net profit from fall photos will go directly back to support the school.

 

U P C O M I N G   E V E N T S  Be sure to check the dates in the JRB section below…

1/2/24  Student holiday/staff clerical day

1/3/24  Back to school!

1/11     School Board meeting (6:00 at Westside Elem.)

1/15     No school: MLK, Jr. Day

1/23     2nd Grade Fine Arts Night

 

 

R E G A R D I N G   T H E   J. R. B.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has announced primary and backup dates for closing the James River Bridge (JRB) related to cable replacement on the structure. During these dates, traffic heading to or from the peninsula will be rerouted to the Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel (MMBT) or the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry. VDOT is anticipating extreme congestion throughout Hampton Roads during the closures. Many of our employees travel over the JRB or MMBT to work in IWCS and we anticipate significant disruption to employee arrival times on these days.

In response to these concerns, IWCS is proposing the following changes to the school calendar for January and February 2024.

 

January 31:  The School Board approved this as a Regular Student Day. It will be the last day of the 2nd quarter and 1st semester.

January 12 (1st Primary Closure Date):  Asynchronous Day for Students; Virtual Workday for Staff

January 15 (1st Primary Closure Date):  Schools Closed for all Students/Staff (MLK Holiday)

The following dates will be used if the 1st primary closure dates are cancelled:

January 19 (1st Backup Closure Date): Asynchronous Day for Students; Virtual Workday for Staff

January 22 (1st Backup Closure Date): Schools Closed for all Students/Staff

February 1: Student Holiday; Staff Professional Development Day 

February 2 (2nd Primary Closure Date): Student Holiday; Staff Virtual Workday

February 5 (2nd Primary Closure Date): Student Holiday; Staff Virtual Workday OR Regular School Day (if no closure)

These dates will be used if the 2nd primary closure dates are cancelled:

February 8* (2nd Backup Closure Date): Asynchronous Day for Students; Virtual PD Day for Staff

February 9* (2nd Backup Closure Date): Asynchronous Day for Students; Virtual Workday for Staff

*These dates are Thursday & Friday, versus the other options which are Friday & Monday.

The 3rd Quarter/2nd Semester will begin either February 5 (if no bridge closure) or February 6 (if the bridge is closed February 5).

 

Why is IWCS recommending changing the calendar for the bridge closures?

Over 35% of Isle of Wight County Schools’ teachers live on the peninsula or southside. With the forecast for high traffic volumes on these days, it is highly likely there will be employees arriving significantly late for work.  The uncertainty of these situations creates issues for schools with securing classroom coverage for absent or delayed staff and providing students a productive instructional day.

 

I still need to report to work. With the schools closed, I will need to find childcare for those days.  Did IWCS think about the impact on parents before making this decision? 

Absolutely!  We realize closing school creates a need for childcare for working parents. We do not like to close our buildings, but carefully weighed the impact to instruction on the closure days and decided this was the best decision given the circumstances.

 

We don’t have reliable Internet at our house.  How is our child expected to participate in asynchronous learning?

Teachers will provide students with materials for their assignments if they are not able to access the internet on the asynchronous days.  There will be no Zoom sessions or times to check-in with their classes. They will simply be working on assignments from home on the asynchronous days.

 

If the bridge does not close on January 12, will the students go to school as usual?

Perhaps. If VDOT does NOT plan to close on January 12, they could announce as late as 3:00am that morning.  IWCS will finalize a decision to close, or open, by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 11.  At that point, even if the bridge closure is cancelled last minute, IWCS will still be closed.  We don’t want families scrambling the morning of January 12 due to a late schedule change.

 

Is the same true for the February 2 and 5 closures?

The good news with these dates is that February 2 is already a student holiday.  If the bridge does NOT close for the primary dates, we can announce to parents on Friday, February 2, that school will be open February 5.

 

Additional questions or concerns can be shared with IWCS through the web page at https://www.k12insight.com/Lets-Talk/Dialogue.aspx?k=PF9D85F8B9LT@WZ8F2YLT@DY4R4G8LT