THE CRAIG SCHOOL

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

CALENDAR INFO

OUR UPCOMING WEEK

Monday, March 11th

Afterschool Art Workshop (3-4:15PM, CHS Art Studio)

Tuesday, March 12th

Afterschool Tailgate League (3-4:30PM, CHS Gym)

Thursday, March 14th

Special St. Patty’s Day HOME COOKED Lunch

THE WEEK AFTER THAT

Monday-Friday, March 18th-22nd

12PM Close: Faculty Forums, PT Conferences and 2nd Trimester Exams*

Saturday, March 23rd

Craig School Annual Chili Throwdown (11AM-1PM)

THE REST OF MARCH

Tuesday, March 26th

Afterschool Tailgate League (3-4:30PM, CHS Gym)

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

COMMUNITY NEWS

CHS March Parent-Teacher Conferences: The week of March 18-22 are ALL 12PM Close Days. During that week, our faculty will be holding forums, our students will be having trimester exams, and we will be hosting our Winter Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences for Parents.

Similar to our December Conferences, you will have a choice of a one-hour block in either the morning or afternoon and the opportunity to Zoom with your teen’s teachers one-on-one. Days and Hour-Blocks to choose from are:

TUES, March 19th

7:45AM-8:45AM

1PM-2PM

2PM-3PM

3PM-4PM

WEDS, March 20th

7:45AM-8:45AM

1PM-2PM

2PM-3PM

THURS, March 21st

7:45AM-8:45AM

To schedule a virtual conference, you can email Mrs. Mershimer at DMershimer@craigschool.org or call CHS at (973) 334-1234. Once we have set our schedule, we will send you the necessary Zoom links and specific times that you will follow during your conference block.

Also, let Mrs. Mershimer know if you would like to touch base with any of our CHS specialists (READING Mrs. Blount, COUNSELING Mrs. Brown, COLLEGE COUNSELING Mrs. Skerker, and SPEECH Mrs. Henry (TUES and THURS 7:45-8:45 AM ONLY)) and we will do our best to schedule them right before or after your one hour PT block.

Craig School Chili Throwdown NEWS-Time to RSVP: We have the date (Saturday, March 23rd on our Lower-Middle School Campus in Mountain Lakes from 11AM-1 PM). We have some of our Chili Chefs but would love to have a couple more. You can still register your family chili at Calling Craig Chili Chefs and no worries if you don't know what category or even what type of chili you are making at this point. Just check the TBD box.

Now it's time to fill that Throwdown room with the Craig Community! Calling all Craig School families and friends of the Craig School, your company is requested for our Annual Craig School Chili Throwdown so RSVP NOW!

RSVP to Attend The Chili Cook-Off 2023

This year, we are going well beyond chili with a NACHO BAR, DESSERT TABLE, and SMASHING PINATAS so it should be a fun couple of hours for every member of the family! And know that it’s not a Craig community event if you aren’t part of it. Hope to See you on the 23rd!

IMPORTANT INFO

Afterschool Art Studio on MONDAYS in March: Afterschool Art Studio is happening on Mondays throughout March and there is still time to join. The next dates are Mondays 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)

Trimester Treats for Trimester Exams: Craig High School students will be taking exams the week of March 18th. PACS is organizing treats and drinks for the students to enjoy between exams and keep them energized and focused! Here is the link to sign up to host a treat and yes, there are fruit options!

Trimester Treats March 2024

We will be collecting treats through Tuesday morning, MARCH 19th. If you have any questions, please contact CHS Parent Rep, Laura Lee Yohanan at pacshs@craigschool.org

CHS Summer Program July-August 2024: The Craig High School Summer Program will be held at our Montville facility during the month of July through early August(July 10-August 3, Mon-Thurs 9AM-12PM) and registration is now open.

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. For more information on our summer program, you can 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!

NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR

Big shout out to all of our Craig High Parents and PACS for making last week’s Read Across America such a fun and tasty celebration.

Next up on our parent request list is trimester treats and yes, there is a fruit option! The link to sign up is in this week's CHIL. These treats will help our students get through our upcoming 2nd-trimester exams during the week of March 18th.

Speaking of trimester exam week, we will also be hosting our Virtual Parent-Teacher Zooms that week so if you haven’t already, check the days and times below and see what works best for you. And as a reminder, all days that week (M-F, March 18-22) will be 12PM Close Days so make sure to remind your transportation companies.

The RSVP link to attend this year's Chili Throwdown on March 23rd at 11AM in Mt. Lakes is now open. We would love to have all of our CHS families come out and join us to celebrate the Craig Community, break a few Pinatas, and taste some of the best Chili that NJ has to offer! RSVP link as well as our Chili Chef request link are in this week's CHIL.

And we wrap up our week with a couple of Program Spotlights. The CHS Art Program has gone mobile and our student's work is on display at the Montville Library (90 Horseneck Road, Montville https://www.montvillelibrary.org/). Also, our 12th grade celebrated the wrap-up of the classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, with an English Tea Party complete with hats! Here is to a great week,

Dr. Cap

NEWSLETTER GALLERY

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

The Craig High School Tiny Art Show is On the Move-Displaying at the Montville Library: This March, the CHS Tiny Art Show is on the move! This Craig High community project gave teachers and faculty the chance to create a tiny work of art on a 3x3 canvas, and proudly show them off in our tiny display case located on the 1st floor of CHS.

The Montville Public Library is currently showcasing our group exhibit, which displays 33 works on canvas using a variety of media and subjects. We hope you swing by and check out our mini-works, and thank you to all at Craig High who participated!

12th Grade British Literature Spotlight-Tea and Big Hats: This current trimester, the 12th graders in British Literature celebrated wrapping up Pride and Prejudice with a tea party. Afternoon tea is a tradition started in the early 19th century as a way for upper-class women to enjoy each other's company.

Pride and Prejudice is a classic text written in 1796 by Jane Austen that explores themes of class, relationships, women's roles, and family. Many of the lessons present in Pride and Prejudice are still prevalent today.

ATHLETICS

Craig High Afterschool Tailgate League Starts Up This TUESDAY, March 12th: Our students have spoken! Based on student interest, we are starting our Afterschool Tailgate League NEXT TUESDAY, March 14. It will run alternating TUES leading into Spring Break (Tues March 14, 26) from 3-4:30 PM in the Craig High Gym.

We will be approaching our Tailgate League like a Decathlon where we will have many events and students will have the opportunity to earn points in each. We will of course be playing all the tailgate favorites from Cornhole to Ladder Toss. We are adding PING PONG and KNOCKOUT to the mix but we are always looking for the latest games to add to our league so bring your ideas with you. We will be crowning our tailgate champs so students should get in this.

ADMISSIONS

Advancement

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!

PACS

HIGH SCHOOL

Craig High School students will be taking exams March 18-22, 2024. PACS is organizing treats and drinks for the students to enjoy between exams. Please sign up below to bring something in. Treats are due by MONDAY, MARCH 18.

Sign Up

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Lee Yohanan at pacshs@craigschool.org

March 23, 2024

All School Chili Cook-Off will take place March 23rd from 11:00AM-1:00PM in the Mt Lakes Cafeteria.