Community Park PTO Newsletter - Issue 20 / El boletín informativo del PTO de Community Park
Mon, Jan 13 7:22pm

Welcome to the CP PTO Newsletter. Please check your Konstella feed for the most recent updates.

Bienvenidos al boletín informativo del PTO de CP. Mire por favor sus actualizaciones de noticias en Konstella para detalles más recientes.

CALENDAR

  • Tuesday, January 14
    • CP Band Concert (6:30 p.m., musicians arrive at 6:20 p.m.)
  • Wednesday, January 15
  • Friday, January 17
  • Monday, January 20
    • No School (MLK Day)

IN THIS ISSUE

Around School

Fundraising

Around the District

Around Town

Community Resources

Winter After-School Clubs

Clubes extracurriculares de invierno

Registration for the Winter PTO After-School Clubs opened yesterday evening on homeroom.com. Click for more information / haga clic para más información.

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 

Help Us Fill our Co-President Vacancy!

Would you or someone you know be interested in serving out the year as a PTO co-president?  Help lead an organization that raises funds and plans events to support our school!

Email cppto@cppto.org for more info, to volunteer, or to recommend a friend.

P.S. MANY THANKS to Chris Santarpio, who resigned before he was sworn in to the Board of Education. Congratulations, Chris!

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Represent CP at SEPAG

Would you like to  serve on the District's special education committee? CP is looking for a SEPAG representative. SEPAG (pronounced sea-pag) is a state-mandated, district-level, parent-driven group charged with providing input to the Princeton school district on system-level challenges in special education and related services.

Please email cppto@cppto.org if you're interested. 

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾  

Plan a Spring POP

Help us meet our 2024-25 fundraising goal by planning a spring POP!

We need parents to host at-school or out-of-school parties from 1-3 p.m. on March 24-28 or out-of-school parties on days off, including Valentine's Day.

Ideas: Board games, bracelet making, Perler bead creations, another CP-only movie at the Garden Theatre, etc. (Click for a list of past POPs!)

Interested? Email cppto@cppto.org.

Did you know? This year, we're spending more to:

  • Supplement teacher supply budgets due to inflation
  • Pay for long-needed playground upgrades (we replaced broken benches and are ordering mats to make the tire swings usable after it rains)
  • Sponsor more teacher-planned, all-school enrichment activities to improve the school climate (such as Recess Runners, author visits, and kindness events)
  • Offer scholarships, extras, and meet other needs of our Parker Bear students (15 percent of CP's student body).

It's imperative that we raise at least $10,000 more to continue offering everyone's favorite programs, including STEAM day, the science fair and cultural events, arts residencies, and the spring picnic--and POPs are a major way we fund this work!

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 

TONIGHT! Winter Band Concert

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

6:30 p.m. (Musicians arrive at 6:20 p.m.)

CP All-Purpose Room 

The CP Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Bands will perform. 

We hope you will join us!

 

PU Basketball Fundraier 

Community Park's discounted tickets--which benefit the school--must be purchased by Friday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m. (or before they sell out)! Students must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets will be sent as a PDF by email prior to the game. 

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Sign Up for Winter POPs

(Click to see the full list ): 

Cookie Decorating Drop-Off Party

PreK & K ($20 per child)  

Sun., Feb. 9,  2-4 pm

Drop your kids off for a Valentine's Cookie Decorating Party.  

3 spots left!

NEW! The Little Gym of West Windsor Party

PreK & K (siblings welcome, $45 per child)

Tues., Feb. 14, 2-3:30 p.m. (No School!)

Relax in the parents' lounge while your kids learn gymnastics from The Little Gym coaches.

 

 

Whodunit? Murder Mystery

Adults ($100 pp)

Feb. 14, 7-9 pm

An actor plays the detective, while guests are suspects. 

5 spots left!

CP vs. JP Trivia

Adults ($25 pp)

Feb. 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

JP & CP parents face off at the second cross-school trivia night! 

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾  

Earn Cash for CP While You Shop

  • Shop at the CP spirit wear store
  • Use code FUNDRAISECOMPARKPTA when you order from minted.com!
  • Save your McCaffrey's receipts and put them in the collection box at school.
  • Scan your Box Tops and select CP as the beneficiary!

As always, you may donate to the Community Park PTO via Zelle (treasurer@cppto.org),  Venmo (@CPPTO), or by credit card. Check if your employer will match your gift!

  

 Living with Teens & Social Media Webinar

Free Webinar

Thursday, 8 pm, January 16
Registration is required
Common Sense presents a free, informative, one-hour live webinar: Living with Teens and Social Media. Common Sense's Sue Thotz will be joined by Dr. Lisa Damour and Christopher Pepper for an insightful conversation on how social media intersects with the teen experience. They'll share practical, time-tested strategies and tips to help you navigate the risks of constant online presence and support your teen in this digital age.

 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾  

Referendum & Voter Info
  • In-person building tours are scheduled at all four schools on select dates through 1/26.
  • Watch the Dec. 9 Virtual Forum or share the link with friends and neighbors!
  • Watch and share this video explaining the referendum.
  • Voters can cast their ballots in person on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Polling locations were consolidated by the Mercer County Board of Elections for this election and your location is listed on the sample ballot that was mailed to you. Polling locations for the Jan. 28 election are:
    • Suzanne Patterson Center, 1 Monument Drive: DISTRICTS 1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 20
    • Hook & Ladder Fire House, 27 North Harrison St.: DISTRICTS 8, 13, 18
    • Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place: DISTRICTS 3, 4
    • Princeton Public Schools Administration Building, 25 Valley Road: DISTRICTS 5, 9, 11, 15, 16, 17,  19
    • You also can enter your address in the state's Polling Place Search Tool to find out where to vote.
 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾  
DLI & PreK Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment Period Begins February 3 for the 2025-2026 School Year for PreK, Kindergarten, and Dual Language Immersion Program

  • Register Online at: www.princetonk12.org/quick-links/registration
  • Questions? Call the central registrar at 609-806-4203 or visit www.princetonk12.org.
  • Child must be three, four, or five years old on or before October 1, 2025.
  • To be eligible to participate in the pre-k lottery and the kindergarten DLI program lottery, residency must be obtained, and registration MUST be completed by April 25.

Link to the PTO's DLI video to share with interested families.

FOPOS Days of Service 

Join the Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) for a seed sowing event on Saturday, January 18th from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Dreaming of spring? Join us at the beautiful Mountain Lakes House for a seed sowing event. Help our stewardship team sow native seeds for the spring 2025 season!

Sign up online.

Join FOPOS for a Day of Service on MLK Day 2025! During this session, volunteers will work with FOPOS's stewardship team to battle invasive plant outbreaks at the Preserve. We will also work to free large established trees from the grip of invasive vines. Participants will gain skills in plant identification and learn about some of the pressures New Jersey's forests face.

We have two session times: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 pm - 3 p.m.

Sign up online.

 

COMMUNITY RESOURCES 

Sign Up for Nixle Alerts

The PTO Walk and Bike safety committee recommends signing up for Nixle alerts to help avoid construction and other dangers to pedestrians and cyclists. Princeton Police use Nixle to alert residents of emergencies, road closures, etc.

If you opt-in using the Princeton zip code, 08540, you may receive alerts from surrounding towns that use that zip code. To streamline your alerts and only receive Princeton Police alerts, create an account and pick what alerts you would like to receive. You can opt-in for text message alerts by texting your zip code to 888777. 

 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

 Free Rabies Clinic

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 

Housing / Emergency Support

Assistance for housing, food, clothing, and other support services:

Assistencia para vivienda, comida, ropa, y otros servicios:

  • Princeton Human Services: (609) 688-2055
  • Mercer County Board of Social Services: (609) 989-4320
  • Catholic Charities: (609) 599-3923
  • Mercer County Hotline: (609) 468-8296 
  • New Jersey State Hotline: 211

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾  

 Princeton Food Calendar

Calendario de Comida de Princeton

 Click for details / Haga  para obtener más detalles

P.S. - We Hear You 

If you have feedback or suggestions regarding the newsletter, please message Christine Minerva on Konstella or email newsletter@cppto.org.  

For general thoughts regarding PTO activities or how parents can further help support CP, please contact Co-Presidents Priya Peyman & Erica Snyder at copresident@cppto.org.

Want to support Community Park School? Donate to the Community Park PTO via Zelle (treasurer@cppto.org),  Venmo (@CPPTO), or by credit card.

PTO volunteers are expected to adhere to our Code of Conduct.

Thanks for reading!