Dear Families, 

Exciting News from the Craig School! Introducing our NEW Speaker Series dedicated to empowering parents of students with language-based learning differences. Join me for insightful discussions led by education, psychology, and advocacy experts. Explore strategies for effective support, fostering resilience, and enhancing your child's learning journey. Our Speaker Series is designed as dynamic sessions addressing our community's unique challenges and triumphs. Together, let's build a network of knowledge and support. Your child's success is our mission! 

• February 21st  6:45 pm- Strengthen growing brains: How improving executive functioning skills builds competence and confidence at home and at school.
• March 6th 6:45 pm- ADHD - Confident and Curious: How to help anxious students reduce worrying and develop the confidence they need.
• March 27th 6:45 pm- ADHD - When nothing seems to work: How to help students with ADHD get unstuck and build resilience.
• April 10th 7:00 pm- Support for Parents: Navigating Special Education and Understanding Available Supports and Resources.

All workshops will be remote and led by outside experts in their respective fields– Dr. Sharon Saline & Meghann Bierly. Take a look at these outstanding offerings!

VIEW THE SPEAKER SERIES INFORMATION HERE

REGISTER HERE

Warmly,

Susan Schmitt

Thanks to a last-minute soup surge, our “Souper Bowl” soup can drive hit the 80-can mark which we delivered to the the Montville Food Pantry.  Big shout out to Ms. Skerker and our National Honor Society for spearheading this wonderful and thoughtful event.  And a big thanks to the Craig High Community for supporting the cause.

Craig High NHS Members Maleia, Grace, and Peter 

In this week's newsletter, we catch up with and celebrate one of our amazing CHS Alumni, Jess, a member of the Class of 2021, in a new CHS Alumni Spotlight.  Also, this week we are excited to announce our next series of MONDAY AFTERSCHOOL ART WORKSHOPS with Mrs. T starting on Feb. 26th.  In sports news, the Craig High Badgers grabbed a “W” over Winston Prep in their season home opener and we wrap up this newsletter with a few things for March: SAVE THE DATE for our Annual “Craig Community Chili Throwdown” held in late March and a reminder about our March Lunch Delivery window which is now officially open.  Have a wonderful mid-winter break, 

Dr. Cap 

Monday-Tuesday, February 19th-20th  

School Closed: Mid-Winter Break

Wednesday- February 21st

Speaker Series

Thursday, February 22nd  

CHS Afterschool Intramural Bowling League (3-4:30PM, Boonton Lanes)

Friday, February 23rd  

FINAL Friday Night Skiing (4-9PM, Mt. Peters, Warwick, NY)

Monday, February 26th   

CHS Hoops Home Game vs Winston Prep High (12:30PM Tip-Off) 

SNEAK PREVIEW OF MARCH 

Wednesday,  March 6th

Speaker Series

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

Speaker Series

Friday, March 29th 

School Closed: Good Friday

Wednesday, April 10th

Speaker Series

SAVE THE DATE-Craig School Chili Throwdown (Saturday, March 23rd):  We are excited to announce that we will be hosting our annual school-wide Craig School Chili Throwdown on Saturday, March 23rd from 11 AM-1 PM in our Mt. Lakes cafeteria.  If you haven’t marked your calendars yet, get on that!   

Next week, we will be sharing the various CHILI AWARD CATEGORIES and our Chili Chef sign-ups.  More Chili Throwdown info to come! 

Chili Throwdown 2023 and yes, that is the Mayor of Chilitown in the far right bottom corner! 

CHS Alum, Jessica, Back in The Classroom But In a Different Role: Jessica Laguna began her Craig School journey at the start of 7th grade.  In recent years, she has made a name for herself in the field of education since graduating from Craig High.  

Jess has always had a passion for working with younger children.  During her senior year in high school, Jess did a shared time program with Craig High and Morris County School of Technology (MCST) and earned her Child Development Associate Certificate (CDA), a state certification that qualified her to work with children from infants to 4-year olds.    

With the CDA certification under her belt, Jessica began working at ESY programs in her town of Westfield, NJ.   Next, she was hired as a lead teacher at a daycare center.  Fast forward to today, Jessica is working as a para-professional in a local elementary school in her town.  In this position, she works directly with the school’s behaviorist to ensure her students are receiving all their needed accommodations and supports.  Jessica has become well-versed in IEPs and advocating for her students.  To top her day off, Jessica also works as a nanny to a family with two young children.

Looking back on her time at Craig, it is inspirational to see how Jessica discovered her passions, embraced her aptitudes, and built them into the professional career that she has always dreamed of.  Our Craig Community is so proud of you.

Afterschool Art Studio MONDAYS:  Our Afterschool Art Studio is back and open to all students who enjoy making art, being creative, and working in the Craig High Art Studio.  Our student artists will be introduced to some exciting art activities, and will also be given the opportunity to explore and focus their art energy on any art project they choose with the materials they enjoy.  Drawing, painting, sculpting, sewing, printing... Mrs. T’s art shelves are truly the limit! Our open studio series will meet on the following Mondays:  February 26th, March 4th, 11th, and 18th. Pick-up will be at 4:15 PM. at the first-floor middle doors. Interested students should see Mrs. T (KTartaglia@craigschool.org) 

Ordering CHS Lunch Delivery for March:  The ordering window for ordering March Lunch Delivery is now open through Friday, February 23rd.  To register to place orders or to re-order,  go to www.myfooddays.com  If you have any questions, reach out to our CSHS Lunch Program Chair, Amanda Jahn at amandajahn77@gmail.com 

Craig High Hoops Takes its Home Opener:  The Craig High Basketball team welcomed one of our favorite rivals, Winston Prep of Whippany, to our Montville gym in our home opener for the 2024 season this past week.    It was a back-and-forth battle but when the buzzard sounded, the Badgers pulled out the win, 39-34.  

Tr-captain and senior, Nate led the way with 22 points, 3 assists, 9 rounds, and 2 steals including a clutch three-pointer to seal the victory.  Sophomore Sivert (13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals) and freshman sensation, Connor (6 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block) impressed in their high school basketball debuts. Tri captains and seniors, Grace and Peter, led the defensive charge.  Junior, Mary had 1 assist, 2 rebounds, and one key tie-up that kept the Badgers in a position to hold on to the lead. Sophomore, Ava, and freshman, EV helped out with 3 rebounds apiece.  Our next game takes us on the road to Winston Prep. 

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. 

Registration Form 

Celebrate the New Year with a Gift to Craig School! 

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.

Craig School FRIDAY NIGHT Skiing and Snowboarding February 23rd:  Craig School skiing continues this Friday (4 PM-9 PM at Mt. Peter in Warwick, NY), and there is still time to join us. 

A few things to get you on the slopes:

REGISTER/FORMS at https://shop.mtpeter.com  All students are required to wear a helmet while participating in this activity.  Parents are responsible for supervision, forms, payment, and transportation from school to Mt. Peters (Craig School will not be providing transportation).

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!