CAES Weekly Updates March-April 2024
Carrollton Weekly Update • 3/2/2024
Carrollton Weekly Update • 3/2/2024
T H E P R I N C I P A L ’ S P E R S P E C T I VE
When I was a child, I didn’t quite grasp how banks worked. All I knew is that my mother and I walked into the bank, the adults talked above me at the counter, and we left with money. It was years later that I realized that deposits had to be made before withdrawals could be completed. As I’ve gotten older, the concept of deposits and withdrawals has taken on fresh meaning outside of my finances, and I was reminded recently of the importance of sensory rich activities that create a healthy reserve for regulating my central nervous systems. Often the reason someone is emotionally exhausted, ready to give up, or burned out is because more has been taken out than put in. Some examples of withdrawals that drain the body’s nervous system include hunger, tiredness, changes in routines, unknown expectations, clutter, screens, and experiencing other people’s emotions – sounds like a typical day, doesn’t it?! To offset those withdrawals, there is a list of deposits that one can make to “fill the bank” and those include sleep, eating, quiet, movement, connecting with a loved one, dancing, and breathing deeply – all very simple methods to build your reserve. Moms, dads, grandparents, you need to take care of yourselves in order to be able to properly take care of your kids, and I know (because I’m a caregiver, too) that we often focus on everyone else at the expense of ourselves. Maye it’s a martyr complex, maybe it’s just the reality of adulthood. I encourage you to make some deposits this weekend – the goal is one every two hours – to maintain regulation and to be equipped to invest in the lives of those you love without going bankrupt.
Take care of you,
Mr. B.
Mr. Brennan
C A R D I N A L K U D O S
I don’t know who donated the latest additions to our College Cove display but I want to thank you for the Colorado University and Colorado State pennants.
Mrs. Gasparini would like to congratulate these Cardinals who have artwork being showcased for an entire month at the Art Gallery @ 319 in Downtown Smithfield. This showcase is to commence the celebration of Youth Art Month in our IOW area.
PK: R. Ellis and K. Miller
Kindergarten: M. Futrell and L. Gasparini
1st Grade: K. Sheckells
2nd Grade: E. Bogard and K. Peele
3rd Grade: J. Mann, A. Gaines, A. Custis, E. Wiggins, E. Atkinson, A. Walker, S. McMillian, and A. Burnett
H E L P W A N T E D
Attention all 3rd Grade Caregivers: If you would like to donate snacks for our 3rd graders to eat before the Virginia Symphony Orchestra field trip, please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.co
If you would like to donate any of the items below to our school store, the students would greatly appreciate it!
- Fidget Spinners
- Jibbitz
- Erasers
- Octopus (different versions)
Our big Career Day is April 19 and we would love to have you be a part of it; if you’re interested, here is the volunteer form: CAES Career Day 2024
F. Y. I.
Here’s the link to our CAES handbook, the Family FAQ: 23-24 Carrollton Family FAQ
If you missed the special school board session about the 24-25 budget Wednesday night, last night, here's the link youtube/iwcs/budget_
Board member John Collick sad that our HVAC system has to be the number one priority on next year's budget. If you agree with that sentiment, please reach out to the Board of Supervisors to let them know that we need the $7,336,731 so our students and staff can be in a building that is comfortable and healthful. The fluctuation in temperatures, the temperatures well above or well below established set-points, and the lack of moving air is something that affects everyone in the building -- and something that can be fixed! Please tell your friends and neighbors to speak up for us!
Currently, 13.2% of our student body is considered chronically absent, meaning students with 10 or more absences with or without excuse notes. For your convenience, here’s the link to an “online note” that you can use to report your children’s absences: CAES Absence Note
Registration for the Little Sprouts Pre-K program is open. For additional information, visit the Little Sprouts website at https://sites.google.com/
There are limited quantities of previous CAES yearbooks (1994-2020) available. Your purchase will be ready for pickup in the main CAES office after the transaction is complete. Shipping is not available at this time.
https://osp.osmsinc.com/p/
F R O M B L U E D O M I N I O N
WHOLE CLASS PHOTOS:
· Instructions: Online ordering only. Please read all instructions on the login page.
· Ordering Link: https://AccessMyEvent.
YEARBOOK ORDERING INFO:
· Ordering: Yearbook ordering is online only. Read all instructions on the login page.
· Deadline: The official deadline to order a yearbook is April 15, 2024.
· Delivery: Yearbooks will be delivered to the school in late May or early June and go home with your student.
· Yearbook Ordering Link: https://AccessMyEvent.
SPRING PHOTOS:
· When: March 6, 2024 (Make-up day is March 27.)
· Instructions: Spring
· Ordering: Photos will be ready to order about two weeks after picture day (more info to follow).
· Background: The photo
ORDER FALL PHOTOS:
· Instructions: It's not too late to order Fall photos. Online ordering only. Please read all instructions on the login page.
· Ordering Link: https://AccessMyEvent.
· Delivery: Photo
I N T H E Z O N E
Zones of Regulation allows the entire school as well as families to have a common language when identifying emotions. We identify four zones that anyone can feel and assign each a color: Blue, Green, Yellow, or Red.
This week is sponsored by the GREEN ZONE. The Green Zone is used to represent calmness and leveled energy. In this zone, people are moving, focused, and ready to learn. The coping strategies or "tools" to focus on in the green zone inv
Here is information that you may find helpful about Zones of Regulation.
F R O M Y O U R P. T. A.
We would like to start by thanking all the families that came out to Book Bingo Night last Friday. We had over 250 people attend, which exceeded any exception we, the board, had. As far as we know, no one went home empty handed. We also raffled off six gift cards and a gift basket.
Since PTA and the events we host are 100% volunteer, I would like to extend a very grateful thank you to everyone who volunteered. There is no way we could do it without you! Angie Wallace, Kathleen Burnett, Mrs. Bryant, Amelya Bryant, Mrs. R. Nagy, Mrs. Hardee, Alice Thomsen, and Colin Wallace from Westside Beta Club. I would also like to give a huge shout out to the CAES Hospitality Committee for handling food for the event. This tied the whole family event together. What is a family event without food? They really helped us out and took a lot off our plate (pun Intended).
We would like to announce the available board positions opening for the 2024/2025 school year. We will be having a PTA Zoom meeting March 28 at 6:00 p.m. to take any nominations. Voting will be April 28. If you are interested in a position on the board, contact us at [email protected]. By being on the board, you will be a part of the planning and voting process in the budget and events we have next school year.
Open Positions:
Executive Board Member: Must be nominated and voted in
Treasurer
Committee Chair positions: appointed positions
Hospitality
Spirit wear
Fundraising
Bookfair
Trunk-or-Treat
Family Events
We are excited to announce our next PTA event, Paper Pie Book Fair. The bookfair will be March 11-15 during school hours. We will be hosting a family night March 13, 5:30-7:30. We have invited the Easter Bunny to attend. We hope to see you there.
Respectfully,
The PTA Executive Board
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S
3/4 No school: Division-wide staff professional development
3/6 Optional spring pictures
3/11 PTA-sponsored Paper Pie Book Fair (ends 3/15)
3/12 3rd grade trip to SHS to see the VSO
3/13 Paper Pie Book Fair family night with the Easter Bunny (5:30 – 7:30)
3/15 Go Green! class spirit day
3/27 Spring pictures make-ups/retakes
3/28 PTA Zoom meeting
4/1-5 Spring Break!
Carrollton Weekly Update Attachments • 3/2/2024
Carrollton Weekly Update • 3/9/2024
T H E P R I N C I P A L ’ S P E R S P E C T I VE
Later today we spring forward – unless you’re a strict constructionist and actually wait until 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning to set your clocks ahead an hour. Daylight Savings Time isn’t nearly as much fun when we have to lose an hour and can’t sing like Cher because we aren’t getting to turn back time. Springing ahead an hour reminds me of how often I hear young people wish to be older. • My first daughter tried to convince me that she was a teenager when she was still only twelve; she wouldn’t settle for “pre-teen” or even “tweenager.” Now at 19, she has spent a year trying to convince me that she is an adult. • I’m not sure what magical things my current 17-year-old envisions are going to happen when her 18th birthday rolls around in September, but she sure is hopeful and she’s been excitedly telling my wife and me about her birthday party ideas since January. • When do people quit longing to be older? I’m guessing it’s sometime before 39. I understand the appeal of fast-forwarding time, not because we want to age quicker but because we want the present reality to become a past event. Have you been there? Facing a situation that you’d rather not? In the middle of a conflict that you wish were over? Unhappy with the right-now? Often our kids yearn to be older because older sounds exciting: staying up late! Driving a car! Not having to go to school! We who are more mature, on the other hand, tend to want time to move faster because we want to bypass the present problem or skip the current chaos. • Parents do this as part of child-rearing, don’t they? Things will be better once the kids sleep through the night/are out of diapers/can go to school/can drive themselves. But in springing forward we tend to miss the moment or, worse, we lose the lesson. It’s important for our children to experience all the stages and phases (yes, even adolescence) because it is in those experiences that they can learn what they need for the next step. And as hard as it is to admit, it’s important that we adults hang in there, focused on what is directly in front of us and not always yearning for what’s further down the road. If you’re currently in a moment that you cannot wait to be over, let me remind you that this, too, shall pass – and if nothing else, in November we fall back and can sleep an extra hour.
Take your time,
Mr. B.
Mr. Brennan
C A R D I N A L K U D O S
Now that February is over, I can reveal who our special Black History Month presenters really were: that wasn’t actually George Washington Carver and Madame C.J. Walker; that was Eian Blair from Mr. Sciarrotta’s class and Leah Wicker from Mrs. Lee’s class. It was Mrs. Jefferson’s students Tyler Foreman who portrayed Dr. Lonnie Johnson and none other than Abby Gaines who brought Oprah Winfrey and surprise gifts to the 3rd graders.
Honking, near fender-benders, and colorful language – nope, not the streets of NYC: the CAES parking lot! Pulling into the parking lot and releasing/walking children tends to create confusion and potential incidents as has been observed for the past few weeks. For morning drop-off, it’s the expectation that students be driven through the line where they are greeted by staff or brought to the reserved spots where staff meet them to take them to class. I truly appreciate all of you patiently observe our morning drop-off procedures, and now it comes with a benefit: Introducing our Skip the Line opportunity! Here's your chance to skip it for the rest of the school year! $5 per ticket or 3 tickets for $12, if your ticket is drawn, you will have a VIP spot for the rest of the year. Your student(s) can be dropped off and picked up at the VIP location. No more waiting! The drawing will be held on 3/25 and announced via Remind. Proceeds will support Teacher Appreciation! Tickets can be purchased at our OSP using this link: CAES Skip the Line!
H E L P W A N T E D
Attention all 3rd Grade Caregivers: If you would like to donate snacks for our 3rd graders to eat before the Virginia Symphony Orchestra field trip, please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.
Please bring in all snacks by Monday, March 11, to Mrs. Wallace. Thank you for your generosity!
If you would like to donate any of the items below to our school store, the students would greatly appreciate it!
- Fidget Spinners
- Jibbitz
- Erasers
- Octopus (different versions)
F. Y. I.
Our annual One School, One Book kicks off Monday! If you would like to preview this year’s selection, check out this information on Commonsense Media for Judy Moody Was in a Mood. All families will receive a complimentary copy of the book and participation is optional; if you don’t feel that this is best for your family, simply return the book.
If you missed the initial school board session about the 24-25 budget, here's the link youtube/iwcs/budget_
Here’s the link to our CAES handbook, the Family FAQ: 23-24 Carrollton Family FAQ
Remember COVID? We’ve come a long way since March 13, 2020, when we started our “two-week pause to help flatten the curve” – and then didn’t return to a semblance of normalcy at school until September 2021. On March 1, 2024, the CDC provided the following revised updates for staying healthy:
- Staying up-to-date with vaccinations to protect people against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. This includes flu, COVID-19, and RSV if eligible.
- Practicing good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
- Taking steps for cleaner air, such as bringing in more fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors.
When people get sick with a respiratory virus, the updated guidance recommends that they stay home and away from others. For people with COVID-19 and influenza, treatment is available and can lessen symptoms and lower the risk of severe illness. The recommendations suggest returning to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, symptoms are improving overall, and if a fever was present, it has been gone without use of a fever-reducing medication. Once people resume normal activities, they are encouraged to take additional prevention strategies for the next 5 days to curb disease spread, such as taking more steps for cleaner air, enhancing hygiene practices, wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping a distance from others, and/or getting tested for respiratory viruses.
For your convenience, here’s the link to an “online note” that you can use to report your children’s absences: CAES Absence Note
There are limited quantities of previous CAES yearbooks (1994-2020) available. Your purchase will be ready for pickup in the main CAES office after the transaction is complete. Shipping is not available at this time. https://osp.osmsinc.com/
F R O M B L U E D O M I N I O N
WHOLE CLASS PHOTOS:
· Instructions: Online ordering only. Please read all instructions on the login page.
· Ordering Link: https://AccessMyEvent.
YEARBOOK ORDERING INFO:
· Ordering: Yearbook ordering is online only. Read all instructions on the login page.
· Deadline: The official deadline to order a yearbook is April 15.
· Delivery: Yearbooks will be delivered to the school in late May or early June and go home with your student.
· Yearbook Ordering Link: https://AccessMyEvent.
SPRING PHOTOS:
· When: Taken March 6 and make-up day is March 27.
· Ordering: Photos will be ready to order about two weeks after picture day (more info to follow).
· Background: The photo
ORDER FALL PHOTOS:
· Instructions: It's not too late to order Fall photos. Online ordering only. Please read all instructions on the login page.
· Ordering Link: https://AccessMyEvent.
· Delivery: Photo
I N T H E Z O N E
Zones of Regulation allows the entire school as well as families to have a common language when identifying emotions. We identify four zones that anyone can feel and assign each a color: Blue, Green, Yellow, or Red.
This week is sponsored by the YELLOW ZONE. The Yellow Zone is used to describe heightened levels of alertness and elevated energy. In this zone, people are experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, or nervousness. This zone has the biggest range of emotions. The coping strategies or "tools" to focus on in the Yellow Zone involve regaining control and calming yourself. These tools can include coloring, deep breathing, playing with clay or fidgets, or listening to calming music. There are tons of tools to include for this zone and trying different things can help you find ones that work for you!
Here is information that you may find helpful about Zones of Regulation.
F R O M Y O U R P. T. A.
Just a reminder, next week we will be hosting a Paper Pie Book Fair. The book fair and shopping will take place during school hours. If you would like to come in and help your child shop, please let your student's teacher know in advance. When you arrive at the school, please be sure to check in as a visitor with the office staff. Once checked in, they will notify the teacher that you are there and send the student to meet you.
If you would like to shop online, the store is open and a flyer is attached with a QR code or https://tinyurl.com/CAESBoo
In addition to shopping during school hours, we will be hosting a Book Fair Family Night on Wednesday, March 13, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.. The Easter Bunny will be making an appearance and would love to take pictures with your student(s) and/or family.
Last but not least, we are in need of some additional volunteers to help out during the school day. Volunteers will be helping kids preview the books and write their wishlists, as well as shop for books. Below is a link to our Sign-up Genius if you would like to sign up. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Believe it or not, the end of the 2023-2024 school is right around the corner. With the 2024-2025 school year in mind, we would like to announce an opening on the CAES PTA Board as our Treasurer, Jason Burnett, will be stepping down after this year. That said, according to Virginia State PTA by-laws, it is a requirement that our PTA Board have a Treasurer in order to remain an active PTA. If you would like a description of the Treasurer’s responsibilities and/or or are interested in filling this position, we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible at [email protected]. T
In addition to an opening for Treasurer, we would like to add a second Vice President position to the board. In order to do this, we must vote among the PTA membership.
On Thursday, March 28, at 6:00 p.m., we will hold a General Membership meeting via Zoom. During this meeting, we will be taking nominations for the Treasurer position and voting to add the new VP position. For these changes to be made, we must have at least ten non-board members participate and vote.
After the March 28 meeting, the next step will be to hold an election on April 28, when we will vote for the new Treasurer.
We are looking forward to another great year and hope that we can add some new faces to the CAES PTA Board!
Respectfully,
The PTA Executive Board
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S
3/11 PTA-sponsored Paper Pie Book Fair begins (ends 3/15)
3/12 3rd grade trip to SHS to see the VSO
3/13 Paper Pie Book Fair family night with the Easter Bunny (5:30 – 7:30)
3/15 Go Green! class spirit day
3/27 Spring pictures make-ups/retakes
3/28 PTA Zoom meeting (6:00 p.m. – link to come)
4/1-5 Spring Break!
4/12 End of third quarter / Fancy-Schmancy Day
4/17 Purple Up Day to support our military-connected students
4/19 Career Day
Carrollton Weekly Update Attachments • 3/9/2024