Hello Craig Families,
This past week, Jen Guthrie and I attended the annual LDA (learning disabilities association of America) annual conference. Not only did we learn about new strategies to bring back to our teachers, but we also learned that we are light years ahead of other schools in providing the very latest, most effective, research-based strategies to our students.
The LDA is a nonprofit organization that supports, educates, and advocates for individuals with learning disabilities and their families. The LDA provides information on learning disabilities, practical solutions, and a network of resources to help people with learning disabilities achieve their goals.The LDA directly supports teachers of children with learning disabilities by providing them with various resources and opportunities, such as Access to the latest research and best practices on learning disabilities, through publications, webinars, podcasts, and conferences.
A huge thank you to The Craig School for prioritizing professional development for teachers and administrators in order to ensure we are always providing the very best education for our students!
Warmly,
Susan Schmitt
Hope everyone had a wonderful mid-winter break and is feeling recharged to make our way through the rest of winter which, according to Punxsutawney Phil, should be a short one. 2nd Trimester Progress Reports (HSMT2) are posted to your Veracross Parent Portal Accounts. You will use the same process you used to access last trimester's report cards. You can go to the school website (www.craigschool.org), slide across the top tab to COMMUNITY RESOURCES, then slide down to the bottom of the list under that to PARENT PORTAL. Any questions about any specific progress reports, reach out to that teacher directly.
This week we celebrate one of our 12th graders, Alyssa, and her acceptance to Stockton University which now has a satellite program located in Atlantic City. We also are giving a call out to all of our Chili Chef’s in the Craig Community. It is time to register your chili to take on the best that our community has to offer at our Chili Throwdown in late March. We will be sending out our RSVPs for parents, teachers, and students to just attend but right now, we need our Chili Chefs!
Also this week, we wrap up our hoops season on the road, welcome PACS to CHS to hold their annual winter meeting this Tuesday which you are welcome to attend, and lead into our Read Across America celebration by sharing a wonderful school community service project we completed a couple of weeks back thanks to some of our wonderful CHS parents. This community service project serves as a springboard into our annual cookie request of you, our parents, for our upcoming Read Across America celebration this Friday. Baked or bought, we are taking cookies through this Friday morning. Should be a fun and delicious week at Craig High,
Dr. Cap
OUR UPCOMING WEEK
Monday, February 26th
Afterschool Art Workshop (3-4:15 PM, CHS Art Studio)
Monday, February 26th
CHS Hoops AWAY Game vs Winston Prep High (Whippany, 11 AM, Tip-Off)
Tuesday, February 27th
Open PACS Meetings at Craig High (8:30 AM, Room 103) MORE INFO BELOW
Friday, March 1st
Read Across America at CHS (Pajama Day, Cocoa and Cookie Bar)
THE WEEK AFTER THAT
Mondays, March 4th, 11th, 18th
Afterschool Art Workshop (3-4:15PM, CHS Art Studio)
Wednesday, March 6th
Craig School Speaker Series: Confident and Curious- How to help anxious students reduce worrying and develop the confidence they need with Dr. Sharon Saline (6:45 pm Zoom-REGISTER and ZOOM LINK)
Saturdays, March 9th, 16th, and 23rd
Saturday Basketball: HS Volunteers (9AM-11AM, Mt. Lakes)
Sunday, March 10th
Daylight Savings Time! (Spring Forward)
THE REST OF MARCH
Thursday, March 14th
National Pi Day
Monday-Friday, March 18th-22nd
12PM Close: PT Conferences and 2nd Trimester Exams
Saturday, March 23rd
Craig School Annual Chili Throwdown (11AM-1PM)
Wednesday, March 27th
Craig School Speaker Series: When Nothing Seems to Work- How to help students with ADHD get unstuck and build resilience with Dr. Sharon Saline (6:45 pm Zoom-REGISTER and ZOOM LINK)
Friday, March 29th
School Closed: Good Friday
Craig High READ ACROSS AMERICA Celebration- Community Service Project: This March 2nd is Dr. Suess's Birthday which has become synonymous with READING. To celebrate, schools across America host a series of events that have become known as READ ACROSS AMERICA week.
Thanks to CHS sophomore Ava's mom and dad and the Telephone Pioneers of America (a volunteer organization made up of active and retired employees of Verizon), Craig High was able to get a headstart on the Read Across America celebration and help make it even more special for some Kindergarten classes in Patterson by putting together over 150 Dr. Suess Goodie Bags a couple of weeks back! Here are our student volunteers in action:
Our student assembly line filled small treat bags with pencils, mini-pads, bookmarkers, and erasers and closed them up with some festive bow-tying. The gift bags are on their way to the Patterson Kindergarten classes to be added to their Read Across America celebration.
CALLING ALL CHILI CHEFS-The Craig School Chili Throwdown (Saturday, March 23rd): We have our save-the-date for this year’s Craig School Chili Throwdown (Saturday, March 23rd from 11AM-1PM in our Mt. Lakes cafeteria). Now we need our Chili Chefs!
We have crowned quite a few Chili Champs in the past 20 years and are looking to make this year’s the biggest and best Chili Throwdown ever. In order to make that happen, we need the best Chili that the Craig Community has to offer so we are looking for our Craig Families to break out that family chili recipe and register to put it to the test. Here are the Chili Awards Categories that are awaiting this year’s champs.
RSVP for you to let us know you will be attending and eating are coming soon!
Craig School Chili Awards 2024
OVERALL WINNER-The "Golden Ladle" Award (Best Overall)
We are looking for Mild to Spicy, traditional to one-of-a-kind. We are also looking to crown a student champ in our “Master Chef Junior” category! You can use the following link to register your Chili (Chili Cook-Off 2024) and don't worry if you don't know what kind of Chili you're going to make right now. Just enter TBA in that line. All you need is a Crock Pot, a Ladle, and a great name for your family chili! Any questions, email Mr. Furlong at NFurlong@craigschool.org or Dr. Cap at ecaparulo@craigschool.org
Senior Alyssa Accepted to Stockton University: We are proud to share another college acceptance from our stellar Class of 2024! Senior student Alyssa has been accepted to Stockton University!
Stockton was founded in 1969 and named after Richard Stockton, a Revolutionary Era legislator who signed the Declaration of Independence. Stockton’s main campus is located in Galloway, NJ. They recently completed a brand-new state-of-the-art satellite campus on the boardwalk in downtown Atlantic City. Students who live in the beachfront dorms have access to internship opportunities within the hospitality, tourism, and entertainment sectors. And students have a prime location with beachfront living and beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean! A free and convenient shuttle bus takes students back and forth from each of the campuses which are located about 20 minutes from each other.
Stockton is a public university with approximately 10,000 students between its undergraduate and master's programs and offers over 40 academic programs across the liberal arts and science fields. The university offers a Learning Access Program (LAP) for LD students seeking accommodations and support services. Many of the students on the main campus in Galloway enjoy walking around the trails and taking a boat out on Lake Fred, which is right in the center of campus. Congratulations to Alyssa and let’s go Ospreys!
Craig High Hoops Hit the Road to Take on Winston Prep High: The Craig High Basketball team will be heading down route 10 to Whippany next Monday, February 26th to take on our cross-county rival, Winston Prep High (901 NJ-10, Whippany, NJ 07981). Tip-off is 11AM. And CHS Parents are welcome to come out
Registration for the 2024 Summer Academy is now open! Reserve your spot today!
Summer Academy will be held at our High School Campus: 24 Changebridge Road in Montville, NJ. All summer medical forms are due by June 1st.
Contact Kelly Wiederlight kwiederlight@craigschool.org for more information.
Spring is around the corner, let's celebrate, and spread joy and cheer by supporting Craig School's Annual Giving!!
Thank you to all who've donated! We're working hard to reach our goal and need everyone's support.
Every gift matters. Annual Giving covers essential enhancement programming like photography, script handwriting, social and emotional learning, athletics, and more, beyond tuition. Your support isn't just about today; it's about securing tomorrow's opportunities.
Additionally, achieving 100% participation opens doors to additional grant funding.
Together, let's keep Craig thriving!!
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!
HIGH SCHOOL
February 27th 2024
Join PACS for our community meeting on February 27, 2024 at 8:30am at The Craig Highschool at 8:30am in room 103. We will be discussing our upcoming events and enjoying coffee, a light breakfast and conversation with other Craig parents.
Parking at Craig High: Guests may park in the front lot near the flagpole.
Entrance: You will be using the 1st Floor Middle Doors which are a short walk from where you will park.
Meeting Room: The PACS meeting will be held in Room 103.
Zoom Option: https://us06web.zoom.us/postattendee?mn=GEQHZEqlhZbcKVv_FNWnhYpDl9yU_cEsSxY.ggV0TAZ-57Rx4x9x
March 23rd, 2024
All School Chili Cook-Off will take place March 23rd from 11:00AM-1:00PM in the Mt Lakes Cafeteria. More info to come. We are calling for Chili cookers!
Afterschool Art Studio Starts Up THIS MON, Feb 26th: Our next 4-week Afterschool Art Studio starts up this Monday, February 26th from 3:15-4:15PM. Our open studio series will also meet on Mondays March 4th, 11th, and 18th. Pick-up will be at 4:15 PM. at the first-floor middle doors. There is still time to sign up so interested students should see Mrs. T and parents should send an email to let us know that their teen will be joining us (KTartaglia@craigschool.org)
Ordering CHS Lunch Delivery for March CLOSES TODAY (Feb 23): The ordering window for ordering March Lunch Delivery is closing TODAY, Friday, February 23rd so if you haven’t already, get on this! To re-order, go to www.myfooddays.com If you run into any issues, reach out to our CSHS Lunch Program Chair, Amanda Jahn at amandajahn77@gmail.com
SAVE THE DATE-Wednesday, March 6th-Craig School Speaker Series-Confident and Curious: How to help anxious students reduce worrying and develop the confidence they need with Dr. Sharon Saline (6:45 pm Zoom-REGISTER and ZOOM LINK): Living in a world that’s increasingly unpredictable, today’s children and teens are more anxious than ever before. Dr. Sharon Saline, veteran psychologist and author of “What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life” and “The ADHD Solution Card Deck” discusses the grip of anxiety and what parents and educators can do to help reduce students' worries. After reviewing the physiology, psychology, and types of anxiety, she will show you how to help kids change their relationship to worry and avoid the pitfalls of negative thinking. Instead of reassurance and rationalization, you will learn techniques for separating the person from the anxiety, talking to the worry itself, and creating effective responses to ‘what ifs’. Dr. Saline offers tools for teaching children and teens how to realistically evaluate situations, tolerate uncertainty, and decrease anxiety in a variety of educational and social environments. You'll learn how to transform worry and insecurity into curiosity and confidence. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
CHS Summer Program July-August 2024: Hard to believe that this soon after our first real snowstorm of the year, we are starting the conversation about the Craig High School Summer Program but believe it or not, it is only a few months away.
The CHS Summer Program offers a personal and dynamic academic summer experience that promotes and continues to build organizational, writing, comprehension, and research skills. There are also opportunities for students to work on and in most cases, complete their HS summer reading assignments. It will be held at our Montville campus during the month of July through early August(July 10-August 3, Mon-Thurs 9AM-12PM).
For more information visit our website at https://www.craigschool.org/academics/summer-academy/ and click on the High School tab. To register, click on CHS Summer Registration Forms
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.
Lower/Middle School
15 Tower Hill Rd
Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046
Phone 973-334-1234
Fax 973.334.2861
Craig High School
24 Changebridge Road
Montville, NJ 07045
Phone 973.334.1234
Fax 973.334.1288
Administration
10 Tower Hill Road
Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046
Phone 973-334-1234
Fax 973 334 1299