ISAT Reading results show that D62 fifth and eighth grade student performance mirrored State results. Learn more...
Central School’s Got Goat!
Central School is partnering with World Vision, a relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision serves close to 100 million people in nearly 100 countries around the world.
Central’s sponsored child is Amara. He is 7 years old and lives in Sierra Leone, West Africa. In addition to communicating with Amara through letters, Central School students raised $245 toward supporting Amara and his family. With an additional $75 from Central’s PTO, we bought a pair of goats for Amara’s family. A goat nourishes a family with protein-rich milk, cheese, and yogurt, and can offer a much needed income boost by providing offspring and extra dairy products for sale at the market. We also raised enough money to provide 30 fruit trees to a village.
Central School’s sponsorship of Amara will continue throughout this year and we look forward to other global and domestic sponsorships.
Way to go Central School!
Central Reads Across America
Monday, March 2 Central Elementary School students joined millions of students across America in celebrating Read Across America Day. The event was kicked off at Central’s weekly flag-raising, and set the stage for Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) testing, which began this week and runs through March 13.
Aimed at raising awareness about the importance of reading, the school's reading event included special appearances by School Board President Brenda Murphy, Mayor of Des Plaines Anthony Arredia, Superintendent Jane Westerhold and Skates, the Wolves Mascot.
The challenge to get youngsters to read continues to grow, according to a recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts that found teenagers and young adults are reading less often and for shorter amounts of time.
Central Elementary School Listed to 2008 Illinois Honor Roll
As students and teachers prepare to take the 2009 Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), two District 62 schools received news from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Northern Illinois University (NIU) that they made the Illinois Honor Roll for continued academic progress.
“We are very proud of the students and staff of our 2008 Illinois Honor Roll schools,” announced Dr. Jane L. Westerhold, Superintendent of Schools. “We celebrate their success and share this accomplishment with our students, parents and community partners.”
Central Elementary School earned an Academic Excellence School Award. Academic Excellence Awards recognize 388 schools that have sustained very high academic performance over the past three years. Some of these schools often receive national recognitions placing them among the nation's most outstanding. The number of Academic Excellence awards more than doubled in 2008, rising from 166 to 388. Research is not yet available to explain this dramatic increase, especially in middle schools.
In these elementary schools, at least 90% of students met or exceeded state standards both in reading and in mathematics for at least 3 consecutive years. All Academic Excellence schools achieved Adequate Yearly Progress for the past two years.
Central School 3rd – 5th grade students recently enjoyed “Meeting the Lincolns”, a portrayal of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln performed by Michael Krebs and Debra Ann Miller. The Lincolns delighted the students with stories about the people and events that influenced their lives, the issues that troubled our nation during the Civil War, and their experiences in Springfield and Washington, D.C. A lively and engaging question and answer session followed the presentation.
Krebs and Miller will be the presenters for Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum’s Bicentennial Celebration on February 12, 2009. Visit abrahamlincolnperformance.com for more information on their educational programs
Central School Celebrates the Holiday Season
Second and Third grade students presented a musical concert called "December Nights, December Lights" on December 11th. Students learned about different cultures and holiday traditions and performed songs about these
traditions.
All of Central School took part in making earth friendly pine cone ornaments and decorating a Holiday Tree in Metropolitan Square in downtown Des Plaines on December 3rd. Please stop by to view Central School's beautiful holiday tree.
Central School students recently enjoyed Sara McLaughlin’s “Little Red Riding Hood” program. Ms. McLaughlin is the School Liaison for Des Plaines Public Library. She read several versions of Little Red Riding Hood including Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa, The Wolf’s Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood and Petitle Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood.
Central students read folktales, fairy tales and tall tales as their genre for the month of November and enjoyed comparing the different versions of this classic tale.
Central School celebrated Veteran’s Day with special guests, The Silvertones from The Heritage in Des Plaines. The Silvertones treated the students, teachers, and staff to several songs. Before each song a brief history of the war the song represented was shared. As The Silvertones sang I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy and The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy many students tapped along with each tune. As a finale the third grade students joined The Silvertones singing You’re a Grand Ol’ Flag.
