Dear Craig Families,
We have a lot to celebrate on the Lower Campus!! Yesterday, we gathered as Laura Given was awarded an Excellence in Teaching award from the VFW. How lucky are we to have Mrs. Given dedicated to the daily success of Craig students? In particular, Mrs. Given received this award for her continued dedication to our Leadership Council and their efforts to celebrate Veterans in November.
The Leadership Council provides copious opportunities for our middle schoolers to develop and lead various initiatives throughout the school year. In addition, these events afford our students the opportunity to practice authentic and important skills like public speaking, event planning, and speech writing. Our students get practical experience applying lessons, and the community benefits from their efforts. We are so proud of our students who participate in the Leadership Council, and we could not be more proud of Mrs. Given.
If you have not done so already, feel free to write Mrs. Given a note of gratitude. We are collecting these notes and publishing them into a book for her to keep. If you choose to participate, we ask that you complete this by next Friday, February 2nd.
With Gratitude,
Susan Schmitt
Dear Badger Families,
Family STEM Night is coming up very quickly. Mrs. Restieri, Ms. Arena, and Ms. Lancaster have been putting together a fun challenge for the event. The students are used to working on a team made of their classmates to complete one of our creative STEM challenges. This night is a time for the family to work as a team and follow the STEM design process.
The night begins with pizza served family-style in the cafeteria and continues in the gym for the STEM competition. The challenge itself is a closely guarded secret until everyone is situated in the gym. Families will have a set amount of time and a kit of materials to satisfy the challenge. I am always amazed at the truly creative ways families come up with to meet the challenge.
The invitations to the night have been sent home in your child’s VIP folder and through email. If you missed the flier or haven’t responded yet, please use the link in the Community News section of this newsletter. Kindly make sure to RSVP today so we can make sure to accommodate everyone who wants to participate. We hope you will be able to join us on February 8th for Family STEM Night!
Have a great weekend,
Jennifer Guthrie
Director of the Lower & Middle School
February
Wednesday, February 7th: World Read Aloud Day
Thursday, February 8th: Family STEM Night/Pizza Dinner (6:30 pm - 8:30 pm)
Wednesday, February 14th: Coffee with the Head of School (8:30 am - 9:15 am) Head of School Office
Friday, February 16th: 12:00 pm Dismissal - Faculty Forum
Monday-Tuesday, February 19th-20th: School Closed: Mid-Winter Break
March
Friday, March 1st: Read Across America (Peer Leaders & PACS)
Wednesday, March 13th: Trimester 2 Ends
Monday-Friday, March 18th-22nd: 12:00 pm Dismissal: Parent Teacher Conferences/Faculty Forum Friday
Wednesday, March 20th: Coffee with the Head of School (8:30 am - 9:15 am) Head of School Office
Thursday, March 21st: Trimester 2 Goals & Objectives/Report Cards Emailed Home & to Districts
Saturday, March 23rd: ALL School Annual Chili Cook-Off
Friday, March 29th: School Closed: Good Friday
Skiing/Snowboard
Save the dates for these Twilight Events! Mt. Peter in Warwick, NY, is the place to be on February 2, 9, and 23. The events run from 4:00 pm to about 9:00 pm. Parents are responsible for supervision, forms, payment, and transportation.
Registration is available at:
https://shop.mtpeter.com/groups
Group Code (as typed): Craig2024
All group participants should sign up on this site. During the sign-up process, waivers will need to be signed for each item purchased. Once each participant completes the sign-up process, it will then prompt for payment. Our group is set up to pay the Mt. Peter directly. Your order will not be processed without payment. The deadline for group registration is January 29, 2024.
All students are required to wear a helmet while participating in this activity.
If you can not attend all three dates and would still like to participate, Please sign up at https://shop.mtpeter.com The group discount will not apply to this sign-up.
Family STEM Night - We invite you to join us for a fun night of pizza and a STEM challenge. Your family will work as a team to create something wonderful. The project is top secret…all supplies will be provided that night. We hope you can join us!
Thursday, February 8, 2024
6:30 - 8:30 pm
The Craig Lower School Cafe and Gym
Please respond no later than January 25, 2024
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
We are up and running! We had a bit of a winter rest and now it is time to get to work!
Buddy Program- Chairs have been working on the upcoming activities. Next Buddy date is January 29th.
Peer Support- We have a number of Leaders who have signed up to be a Peer Support Tutor . This program begins the first week in February and runs through June. Leaders push into classes to serve as an assistant to a teacher for 30 minutes a week. For our leaders, this program helps develop communication, time management and problem solving skills. For the students, they typically receive additional practice in number fluency, reading practice, editing etc. In addition to the academic and life skill benefits it also builds a sense of community.
Read Across America: The Committee and Chairs will be meeting next Wednesday to plan our week of activities that will run March 4th-8th.
On the horizon:
February - Buddy Program
Peer Support Tutoring (weekly)
Spirit day
March - Read Across America
Buddy program
Spirit week
April - Plant Sale
Buddy program
Spirit Day
May- 7th/8th School Dance
Buddy program
Red Nose Day
Teacher Appreciation
We have several proposals that we are working through currently. They might be added to the calendar.
Girls Basketball- What a great season! The team worked very hard this season. A great Big Badger Thank You to our coaches Mrs. St. Peter and Mrs. Gordon. Go Badgers!
Boys Basketball-
1/25/24-Home game Unity Charter. Start time: at 3:45 pm. Pick-up at 5:00 pm.
2/1/24- Away game Morristown Beard. Start time: 3:45 pm. Pick up at the away site at 5:00 pm. Pick up at The Craig School at 5:30 pm.
Celebrate the New Year with a Gift to Craig School!
A heartfelt thank you to all who have already contributed to the Craig School Annual Giving Campaign – your generosity is truly inspiring!!
Embrace the spirit of giving as we dive into the Craig School Annual Giving Campaign! Your support is a beacon of positivity! As we step into the New Year, we need your help to achieve our goal of 100% participation from the incredible Craig community. Every contribution, big or small, is a key ingredient in the recipe for Craig School's success. You play a crucial role in making Craig not just survive but thrive!
What better time than the New Year to be part of something extraordinary? Click the Donation Button now to make your contribution and kickstart the year with generosity.
Donate Here - Every Gift Matters!
If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mary Calvano, Advancement, at mcalvano@craigschool.org or call 973-334-1234 x229.
Thank you for being a key ingredient to Craig's success!
18th Annual Golf Outing
Save the date! Our 18th Annual Golf Outing, Dinner & Auction is on Tuesday, June 18, 2023. Even in winter, it's never too early to dream about hitting the course. Get ready for a fantastic event – more details are coming soon!
January Dates
Monday, January 29th
Wednesday, January 31st
Thursday, February 1st
Pick-up is at 3:55 pm
Please contact Stephen Vaporis, svaporis@craigschool.org, for more information.
February 13, 2024
Open Parent PACS Meeting to be Held at Craig High: Our Parent Association will be hosting its next PACS meeting at Craig High and all parents are invited to attend.
Whether you would like to be a part of helping to plan some March school events or just to hear about what PACS does and how you can be involved, this is the perfect opportunity. Here is what you need to know:
Questions: Reach out to our PACS President, Mrs. Heather Soufan at PACS@craigschool.org
March 1, 2024
The students will conclude Read Across America week by celebrating Dr. Suess's Birthday. We will need volunteers to help set up and serve a yummy Dr. Suess-themed breakfast to our students. A sign-up genius will be sent soon with all the details.
March 20-22, 2024
You don't want to miss this Craig favorite. The Annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held on March 20-22nd. 8:30-12:00. More details to follow.
March 23, 2024
All School Chili Cook-Off. Dr. Cap and Mr. Furlong will have more information to come on this community event.
If you have any questions, please reach out to pacs@craigschool.org.
PARKING MESSAGE
Mountain Lakes Campus
We are very grateful to have such an involved community! As with any large family, we can overwhelm those around us sometimes. Please help us by doing your best to be considerate of our neighbors whenever you come to campus.
As you come to campus for drop-off, pick-up, and various activities, please continue to be good neighbors to our community. Ideally, when picking up at regular dismissal time, please try to come as close to 3:00 as possible. It is even fine to plan to be here at 3:10. I certainly understand that not all family schedules allow for waiting until 3:00 and just ask that you do what you can. If you must line up before 3:00, please be very mindful of not blocking the road or driveways on either side of Laurel Hill Road and obey idling laws by turning off your car.
When coming onto the Mountain Lakes campus for activities, whether they are during the day or after school, please continue to be considerate of our community. Please only park in lined spots in our lot, in empty spots in the Blue House parking lot, or across the Boulevard at the Masonic Lodge.
We truly appreciate your support of and commitment to your children and The Craig School!
For more information on ways of giving or to make a donation online you can clicking here.
