Dear Craig School Families,
Your children may have mentioned the lovely lady that has been observing in the reading classrooms. That person is Pattie Gordon, our new hire for the Orton-Gillingham department. Pattie is a Reading Specialist with seventeen years of experience. She has been a Certified Dyslexia Practitioner since 2017, and holds the Orton-Gillingham Method for Dyslexia Studies, MSRI-IV from Fairleigh Dickson University. As the number of students grows at Craig, we will continue to look for those highly trained educators to support our program.
Ms. Gordon will be shadowing several of our Orton/reading teachers to help her to understand the target population. She will also be working under the guidance of Jen Schilling and Linda Wallace, the Department Heads. Our plan is to have Ms. Gordon working directly with the students in December. We want Pattie to have an opportunity to understand the “Craig way” of educating the total child, the mission of the school.
We feel fortunate that Pattie Gordon is a part of our team. She comes not only with skill but with a passion for helping students become confident readers. Please welcome our newest addition to our Craig staff, Pattie Gordon.
As Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I want to express how grateful I am to our Craig School community. I feel the nicest part of Thanksgiving is remembering and wishing special people like you the best of everything.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sincerely,
Janet Cozine
November 22, Monday – Picture Retake Day
November 23, Tuesday – 12:00 Dismissal
November 23, Tuesday – Report Cards Emailed to Parents & Districts
November 24-26, Wed.-Fri. – School Closed [Thanksgiving Break]
November 30, Tuesday- GivingTuesday- Wear your Craig Gear
December 3, Friday - 12:00 Dismissal
December 17, Friday - 12:00 Dismissal [Holiday Break Begins]
December 20, Mon.-Frid. - School Closed [Holiday Break]
Clinician’s Corner
This week during Mind Up, students learned about and discussed the many different organizational skills that could be helpful to them throughout their lives. We talked about the many different parts of life that require good organization including binders, backpacks, and bedrooms. With the older students, we also worked on more abstract topics such as organizing thoughts and time. Many students were in agreement that better organization will make their lives much easier to navigate. Students shared things that have and have not worked for them from past experiences. We talked about how to properly clean out our binders when they start to get really heavy. We also explored how using calendars and timers could be helpful when trying to better manage our time. We will revisit this topic frequently throughout the year so that students feel confident about their organizational skills.
PACS LS/MS
December 17th, 2021 Winter Wonderland
PACS- HS Events
PACS EVERYDAY!
Log onto our store, browse our items, order for your student and your family and The Craig School receives 20% of the order! All of the proceeds from this go towards the community events that we have planned throughout the year for you and your students to enjoy!
PACS Executive Committee information along with membership forms are on our website.
It is not too late to join our membership drive, please email Angelina Bright, PACS PRESIDENT at pacs@craigschool.org
ACADEMICS
Mrs. Pompilio’s first period Orton Gillingham Reading class had fun playing “Name That Diphthong” this November. The students listened to words and picked out the diphthong in the words to score points. There was a come-from-behind victory in which a student won when he knew that the diphthong oi was in the word boisterous. Learning can be fun!
Fall Cross-Country- Grades 5th to 8th. Starts Tuesday November 9th. From 3:05 pm to 4:30 pm Every Tuesday weather permitting. Please email Mrs. Calvano at MCalvano@craigschool.org if your child is interested. Please visit the Squadlocker Cross Country Store at SquadLocker
Girls Basketball - Grades 5, 6, 7 & 8
Season starts Wednesday, November 17, 2021 (3:05-4:30)
BADGER HOMEWORK SUPPORT
No BHWS the week of November 22nd. Happy Thanksgiving!
Please remember to follow the same traffic patterns at homework support dismissal that you do at regular dismissal. Thank you!
If your child is leaving early or not coming to Badger Homework Support, please contact Mrs. Butter by email at bbutter@craigschool.org or via call/text message on the homework support hotline 1-862-207-9863. Thanks!
Tuesday, November 30th, is GivingTuesday! In honor of this special day, we are asking all students, faculty and staff to wear their Craig Gear!
DROP IN OPEN OFFICE HOURS with Dr. Loftin, Head of School
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday- LS/MS 2:00pm -3:00pm
Thursday - High School Campus - 2:00pm- 3:00pm
These hours are open for parents to schedule a meeting, drop in and discuss any issues or concerns or to just say hello.
973-334-1234
Birthdays: Please note:
We understand that some children want to share a “birthday treat” with their classmates on their special day. If you are planning to have your child bring food items into school for sharing please abide by the following:
Treats will be shared at snack time or homeroom (at the teacher’s discretion) and not during lunchtime or recess. We have more than one group-and sometimes grade- together at those times and it is difficult to single out only certain children for the treat while others are present.
If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Ellen Meisenbacher at emeisenbacher@craigschool.org
Thank you for understanding.
If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Mary Calvano at mcalvano@craigschool.org.
ATTENDANCE
Drop Off
Please schedule student arrival no earlier than 8:00 am. Classes begin at 8:20 am.
All absences and late arrivals should be reported to our main office. Please send an email to Kimberly McGroarty kmcgroarty@craigschool.org OR call our Main Line (973-334-1234 x 101) before 7:30 a.m.
For more information on ways of giving to Craig, please contact Katie Burke, Director of Development, at 973-334-1234 or make a donation online by clicking here.
