Important Dates 

August 19 -  Kindergarten Playdate at Sunset Park, 10-11am.

August 28 -  Kindergarten Playdate at Sunset Park, 10-11pm.

September 2 - NEW CET Families (Grades 1-4) Playdate at Sunset Park, 10-11am.

September 5 -   Opening Day of School; see modified schedule for Kindergarten.

September 6 - See modified schedule for Kindergarten.

September 7 -  First full day of Kindergarten.

September 8 -  PTA Movie Night in the Upper Field, 7-10pm

September 11 -  Lice Screening.

September 14  - Grades 1 & 2 Back-to-School Night, 7pm .

September 16 -  PTA Annual Fall Festival at the Upper Field, 10:30am-5pm.

September 18 -  Grades 3 & 4 Back-to-School Night, 7pm.

September 21 & 22 - Rosh Hashanah, school closed.

September 25  - Kindergarten Back-to-School Night, 7pm.

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CET Newsletter Summer 2017

http://www.chufsd.org/schools/carrie_e_tompkins_es

Message from the Principal, Mrs. Kelly Maloney

Dear CET Families,    

Welcome to the 2017-18 school year!  I hope that everyone’s summer has been enjoyable so far. I am excited to greet our returning students, and meet our new kindergartners. For those of you who just moved to Croton (and there are a lot of you!), welcome! Please note in the “Important Dates” section of this newsletter, the playdates at Sunset Park that our PTA has set up for our kindergartners and their families as well as a special playdate for families new to Croton who have children entering grades 1-4.  

Placement letters have been mailed!  I know that this mailing is something that you anxiously await, not because you want to hear from me but because you want to know who your child’s teacher will be in September! I want to reiterate as I do each year, that much consideration goes into placing your child in the best learning environment. I encourage you to have a positive attitude about your child’s placement if it is not what you or your child was hoping.  We have outstanding teachers that are committed to providing the best instructional practices in a positive learning environment. 

We have a few new staff that are joining our CET family this year. Janet Cook, special education teacher, will be returning to CET after working at PVC for the past eight years.  We have a new school nurse, Christine Martins and a new school counselor, Robin Woolley.  We are still in the process of hiring a Spanish teacher who will provide Spanish instruction to all students in grades K-4. The plan is to provide students with 20 minutes of instruction twice in a five day cycle.

In an effort to ensure that students are not missing their special classes (Art, Music, PE, Library, Computer) due to school closings, we are scheduling specials and Spanish using an A-E day schedule. For example, instead of Music on Monday and Tuesday, Music would be on A day and B day.  This may sound confusing at first, but we are sure everyone will catch on quickly. We will communicate the “letter day”  via our website, K12 alerts,newsletters, and through morning announcements.

Another change we are making for this school year is our arrival time. In order to gain a few more minutes of instructional time, we will begin our school day promptly at 8:15 a.m.  Buses will arrive at CET between 8:00-8:10 am. All students must be in their classrooms by 8:15 a.m. or they will be marked tardy. Dismissal time remains the same; we dismiss at 2:25 p.m.  Buses depart CET at 2:35 p.m.  Any child being driven to school should be dropped off in the back of the school by the multipurpose room entrance. A staff member will be there to greet children between 8:00-8:10 a.m. Please do not drop your child off before 8:00 a.m. unless they attend Childrenspace or a “before school” program such as strings, band, or chorus. All doors will be locked immediately after arrival time and remain locked until dismissal. All visitors must enter through the front doors of CET to be signed in and badged. Students who arrive after 8:10 a.m. should also enter from the front doors.

As you begin to prepare for September, just a few reminders. The first day of school is Tuesday, September 5. All students except for kindergarteners should bring a snack, lunch, and a drink that day. Milk will be available for purchase the first day of school. The cost of milk is $.45. School supply lists can be found on our CET website.  We do recognize the purchase of school supplies can be an economic burden on some families.  If you need financial assistance, please contact our school counselor, Robin Woolley, at Robin.Woolley@chufsd.org or 271-5184 x3217, and she can help secure funding for school supplies, field trips, and food service.  Students do not need to bring in all of their school supplies on the first day of school; they can be brought  in over the course of the first few days. Please label your child’s lunchbox, water bottle, and outer clothing. I am so excited that our PTA will be selling customized labels this year! I am hopeful that this will reduce the number of items in the Lost and Found!

I encourage you to visit our school and district websites for important information such as district policies, consent forms, and food service forms. The district calendar can also be accessed from our website as well as teacher webpages.

Once you have received your child’s placement letter, I hope that you are able to enjoy the remaining days of August. We look forward to seeing your child on September 5.

Warmly,

News from the Assistant Principal, Mrs. Kerri Bianchi

I hope that you are all enjoying your summer and have had some fun with family and friends.  I can’t wait to hear about all of your summer adventures.  Please feel free to take pictures while on vacation and bring a special one to school so I can see where you have been and ask you questions when you return to school in September. 

I have been in my office most of the summer preparing for the 2017-18 school year and I am very excited for it to begin!  We are looking forward to an amazing school year with many new experiences!  Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer and I cannot wait to welcome you all back in September. 

News from Christine Martins, School Nurse

Hello everyone!  My name is Christine Martins and I am looking forward to joining the CET family! To start, let me tell you a little about myself.  I have worked at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital as a pediatric nurse for the past 10 years.  Prior to that, I was a teacher aide for several years before moving on to nursing school.  I enjoyed working in a school, and I absolutely love being a nurse.  I look at school nursing as my “dream job”, as it combines my two favorite professions into one!

On a less personal note, let’s discuss “germ control”.  Your child will be sharing the school with hundreds of others!  While “sharing is caring”, there are some things that are not to be shared!  I would like to ask you all to please remind, or instruct, your children in basic germ prevention habits. For example, remind your child to cough or sneeze into their elbow, throw used tissues into the trash, when washing hands scrub for 20 seconds.  Simple habits such as these will go a long way in keeping our bodies healthy and strong!

Here's to a happy and healthy school year!!!

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News from Robin Woolley, School Counselor  

Hello CET Families!

My name is Robin Woolley and I am so excited to introduce myself as your new school counselor!  I have two children of my own - a nine year old daughter and 11 year old son - as well as a houseful of pets.  While my family and I have enjoyed a summer of soccer, camping, boating, swimming and spending time with family and friends, I am looking forward to getting to know my new “family” at CET in September.

My role as your school counselor is to provide education, support and assistance for all children and their families.  I have nine years of elementary and middle school counseling experience and I look forward to working closely with all members of the Croton-Harmon community to ensure that our children thrive not only academically, but also socially and emotionally.  

While we, as parents, often look forward to September for a multitude of reasons, it can be a tough transition for our children.  As the summer winds down and you and your child(ren) are getting ready to start/return to school, you may find the article below helpful.  Please feel free to contact me throughout the year with any questions, concerns, or positive experiences that you and/or your child may have.  I look forward to meeting you all and to a great school year!

http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/going-to-school/back-to-school/back-to-school-tips-for-parents/   

CET PTA  

The CET PTA invites incoming kindergartners and their families to come play at Sunset Park! Swing by on Saturday, August 19 (10:00 am-11:00 am) and/or Monday, August 28 (10:00 am-11:00 am). Meet your fellow classmates and let us welcome you to CET!

We’re also having a playdate for new CET students in grades 1-4 and their families. Come to Sunset Park on Saturday, September 2 (10:00 am-11:00 am) for a warm welcome. You’ll meet others who are new in town and those who have been around a while.

You can RSVP for the playdates or send any questions to cetpta@gmail.com. If your plans are uncertain, please feel free to just show up. A selection of Spiritwear (i.e. CET swag) will be on sale at the playdates to get you ready to show your Tiger pride in the new school year.

For all families wanting to keep track of who that orange sweatshirt belongs to – along with kids’ other gear and supplies – consider buying customized labels. If you order through Oliver’s Labels by visiting www.oliverslabels.com/cetpta, the CET PTA will earn 20% of the purchase. Reduced lost-and-found and increased enrichment – win-win!

We’d be thrilled to hear from anyone interested in being a lunch coordinator for the coming school year. We’re in great need of people to organize Monday (chicken fingers) and Wednesday (Mex-to-Go) lunch services. Please let us know if you can help at cetpta@gmail.com.

Message from Rochelle O'Mara, Director of Transportation

Welcome back to school!

Please have your child at the bus stop five minutes before their scheduled time. All belongings should be in their backpack and marked with their name.

In order to ensure your child’s safety there will be  no changes in bus assignments for dismissals on 9/5-9/8/16.  At dismissal, if your child will be going to a different address other than your home (babysitter, Childrenspace), a request must be made in writing. The request can be emailed to Rochelle.OMara@chufsd.org , faxed to (914)271-4512 or mailed to CET Main Office & Transportation 10 Gerstein St.  Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520.

Any questions, please call Transportation at (914) 271-4675.  Thank you for your co-operation.

 Updating You and Your Child’s Information in the K12 Alerts System 

To be sure we have the most up-to-date information for you and your child, you may access K12 Alerts by either logging on to the CET Homepage where you will find “Parent Portal/K12Alerts” or by accessing the Croton-Harmon School District’s Homepage and clicking on “Parent and Resident Portal/K12Alerts”. Once you log in to the K-12 Alert System, you will be able to make any necessary changes to your or your child’s information .

If you have any questions please contact Denise Cuomo, 914-271-4793, ext. 4200.