February

Tuesday, February 27: PACS Community Meeting - All Parents Invited! (8:45 am, Craig High, Montville) 

Tuesday, February 27: High School Open House - Craig High School, Montville (9:00 am - 11:00 am)

March

Friday, March 1st: Read Across America (Peer Leaders & PACS)

Wednesday- March 6th- Speaker Series

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 Available

Saturday, March 23rd: ALL School Annual Chili Cook-Off

Wednesday- March 27th - Speaker Series

Friday, March 29th: School Closed: Good Friday

April

Monday-Friday, April 1st-5th: School Closed: Spring Break

Monday, April 8th: Classes Resume

Wednesday- April 10th - Speaker Series

Wednesday, April 17th:  Coffee with the Head of School (8:30-9:15 am) Head of School Office

Friday, April 19th: 12:00 pm Dismissal: Faculty Forum

LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

Upcoming Events: 

Monday February 26th - Buddy Program 

February 29th - Twin Day - grab a friend and dress similarly. 

March 4-8 - Read Across America Week - this committee has been hard at work developing daily spirit days and activities. We will end the week with a school wide pep rally. 

Open House -  March 5th Leadership Ambassadors will welcome prospective families and share a bit about their experiences at The Craig School.

Laura Given

Leadership Advisor

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! RSVP for you to let us know you will be attending and eating are coming soon!

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. 

Craig School Chili Awards 2024

OVERALL WINNER-The "Golden Ladle" Award (Best Overall)

• The "Master Chef Junior" Award (Student Chili)
• The "Where is the Beef" Award (Best Vegetarian Chili)
• The "Disney” Award (Best Mild Chili) 
• The "Off the Scovil Scale" Award (Spicy Award) 
• The "Enigma" Award (Most Unique Chili/Original Ingredient)

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

LIBRARY

I am thrilled we have so many books in circulation!  Graphic novels are the current big hit followed by nonfiction books. We are on the hunt for 50 overdue books. SOme are a few days overdue while others are weeks!  If you have a child that is still enjoying their book simply have them renew it so it is cleared out of the overdue system. Students are emailed an alert three days before a book is due to remind them to bring it in . Reading teachers encourage students to check their emails so they can keep their library privileges. Kindly peek around your house and see if there are any Craig books that can be returned or renewed. 

Laura Given 

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.

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!

SECOND REMINDER TO SECURE YOUR SPOT!

We host a Summer Academy and Enrichment and provide summer packets in Reading, Language Arts, and Math. This year, Summer Academy and Enrichment will be on our high school campus in Montville. 

For those that enroll in the Summer Academy, students will have four classes from 9:00 am to noon: Reading, Language Arts, Math, and Technology. The summer packets assigned by their Language Arts and Math teachers are considered done at the end of the Summer Academy. For Reading, we ask that your child continue their reading by completing a portion of the assignment during August, your child’s reading teacher will let you know what that will be. 

All students who attend the academic morning have the chance to continue their day with us for enrichment activities in the afternoon. Students will bring lunch and then choose between sports, gym, game room, art, movie making, and other rotating activities. On Fridays, when the academy is not in session, the enrichment has a full day of activities, including off-campus field trips. This camp experience is a wonderful opportunity for socialization and building friendships.

For planning purposes, we must have an accurate count of who will be attending our summer programs. We kindly ask that you register your child(ren) as soon as possible. We do understand some families may be waiting for their Annual Review for their IEP to ensure an ESY placement. If that is the case, please just indicate that on the registration form and send it in. This will allow us to hold a spot for your child(ren). 

Registration Link: 2024 Summer Academy Registration

Have a great weekend,

Jennifer Guthrie

Director of the Lower & Middle School

Girls Volleyball Clinic grades 6th, 7th, and 8th

Please use the link below to sign up. Starts February 26, 2024

Girls Volleyball Clinic 2024

Saturday Basketball is Back! This program is for all grades!

Please use the link below to sign up. Starts March 9, 2024

Saturday Basketball 2023

SUMMER ACADEMY

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 at kwiederlight@craigschool.org  for more information. 

Registration Form 

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!

 Dates

Monday, February 26th

Wednesday, February 28th

Thursday, February 29th

Pick-up is at 3:55 pm

Please contact Stephen Vaporis, svaporis@craigschool.org, for more information.

February 27th, 2024

Join PACS for our community meeting on February 27th, 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 1st, 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. Click Here for the sign up genius.

March 20-22nd 2024

You don't want to miss this Craig favorite.  The  Annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held on March 20-22nd. 830-12:00. Please click Here for the sign up and more information on the fair.

March 23, 2024

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