LS/MS Week of November 13th

THE CRAIG SCHOOL

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Message from the Head Of School

When my son receives a birthday card from his grandmother, he can never read it. He’s 17 years old, and I still need to read his grandmother’s messages to him– because they are in cursive! What a shame! And you should see his signature; it’s a mess. Luckily, Craig has identified the absence of cursive writing as a deficit in our curriculum. Plenty of research supports the power of writing by hand for memory and learning. Our new Handwriting Without Tears program is not only important, but it is very popular amongst our students! Please ask your student which letters they are learning to form and how their signature is coming along, or leave them messages in cursive! Who knows, maybe they will pick up a summer job deciphering for my 17-year-old!! Look at these happy faces– so proud to be writing like a grown-up!

Warmly,

Susan Schmitt

NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear Badger Families,

Our annual Grandfriends’ Day event is right around the corner. Please join us on November 21st for a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory inspired day celebrating literacy. This yearly tradition is held the day before we break for Thanksgiving. It is such a fitting way to spend the day as I know we all leave feeling grateful for our Craig community. An RSVP form with full details has been emailed and is included just below this letter as well.

Another amazing community event hosted was our Veterans Day Lunch hosted by our Leadership Council. A full school assembly was added this year to help all students develop an understanding of the holiday from the point of view of local veterans. It was a moving experience for all who attended. The luncheon, complete with entertainment organized by the Veterans Day Committee of the Leadership Council really showed the veterans how grateful we are for their service and sacrifice. A special thank you to Joel Garcia and John Maciejewski for chairing this event.

Have a great weekend,

Jennifer Guthrie

Director of the Lower & Middle School

Grandfriends RSVP link.

CALENDAR INFO

November

Picture Retakes - 11/14/23 - Tuesday - LSMS

12:00pm Dismissal: GrandFriends Day - 11/21/23 - Tuesday - (9:00am-12:00pm) - LSMS

School CLOSED: Thanksgiving Break - 11/22/23 - 11/24/23 - Wednesday-Friday - All Divisions

December

12:00pm Dismissal: Faculty Forum/Trimester 1 Ends - 12/1/23 - Friday - LSMS

Goals & Objectives/Report Cards Emailed Home & to Districts - 12/15/23 - Friday - LSMS

12:00pm Dismissal: Gingerbread STEM Day - 12/15/23 - Friday - LSMS

School CLOSED: Holiday Break - 12/18/23-1/2/23 - Monday-Tuesday - All Divisions

January

School CLOSED: New Years Day - 1/1/23 - Monday - All Divisions

School CLOSED: Faculty Forum - 1/2/23 - Tuesday - All Divisions

Classes Resume for Students - 1/3/23 - Wednesday - All Divisions

Alumni Reception Grade 8 - 1/5/23 - Friday - (6:00pm - 8:00pm) - LSMS

School CLOSED: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - 1/15/23 - Monday - All Divisions

COMMUNITY NEWS

Leadership Council - This was a tremendous week for the Leadership Council. We hosted the second annual Veteran’s Day event this past Wednesday. The day began with a full school assembly. We hosted four speakers who shared their experiences in the military. It was followed by a question and answer period.

In the afternoon we hosted over 25 veterans for our 2nd Annual Veterans Day luncheon. Students performed skits, sang songs, and read poems as well as thank you cards. The students served lunch to our honored guests and listened to the life stories of veterans. This is one of our favorite events of the year!

Fall Service Project Committee- This group is collecting gifts starting Monday through December 5. The gifts will be donated to Morris County Children and Family Resources. We will take a trip to the facility on December 6th to learn about their important work and drop off our gifts.

Last time we ran an event like this we amassed over 90 gifts! If you have any friends or family who are interested in participating we are looking for gifts for children from infant to sixteen. They can be stocking stuffers or range up to $25.

Gifts do not need to be wrapped. The families will “shop” for their children.

Thank you for your consideration of this worthwhile endeavor.

** All gifts can be dropped off in the Wilson vestibule.