CESD #317 Families,
This is a reminder that there will be no school for students on Friday, October 23, 2026, due to Parent/Teacher Conferences.

School will resume on Monday, October 26.

We appreciate our families partnering with us to support our students!

A special thank you to our two 4th grade announcement helpers today, Mr. Granger Kelly and Miss Emmy Maag!Their teacher recognized them for meeting classroom expectations, earning them a turn to help with announcements. Way to go! 💙

🎤 A special thank you to Miss Lenore Akers, our fourth-grade announcement helper earlier this week! She rocked it! 🌟 Our fourth graders sometimes earn the opportunity to help with announcements when their teacher recognizes great classroom behavior, academic achievements, or reaching a goal. We love seeing our students shine and celebrating their hard work! 💙

We wanted to send out a clarifying message to families regarding our PTO Directory. Communication has started going out this week for Halloween parties on 10/30! Please know that in order for us to be sending text messages to you from your room parent- you must fill out a permission slip. This consent to text is a formality that we must follow to ensure safety and permission from all families. We do really appreciate your understanding and we follow this protocol.  Please use the link below to fill out the directory if you would like to receive these messages. It is also very important to include your name, phone number and child’s name and classroom so we know what group to put your contact with and ensure you get the correct communication. If you could please get this filled out as soon as possible, we would really appreciate it as we would like to have these lists confirmed and done.  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQv3KPcKrW-aOMuqQqRZsom2JajEpVroig07q8n7X7t3NRaQ/viewform?usp=header Again, if you have already filled out the online copy, or sent a paper copy back to school- you should be good to go and we appreciate it so much! If you are questioning if you sent the paper copy back to school- you can go ahead and submit online and we will double check for you!  Thank you for your collaboration and support to help make our classroom parties a success!  Carthage Primary PTO

❤️ Get ready for some fun at CPS! Join us for Red Ribbon Week dress-up days October 26–30 as we celebrate making healthy choices and staying drug free! We’ll also celebrate Día de los Muertos on Monday, November 2 by wearing black or bright colors. 🌼 Check out the flyer for each day’s theme. We can’t wait to see everyone join in!

📣 Join our team at Carthage Primary School! We’re seeking caring, dedicated educators for two openings: • Third Grade Teacher • Early Childhood Special Education Teacher Come make a difference in a supportive school community! For more information about either position and how to apply, please contact Principal Ryanne Jacoby at Carthage Primary School. Please share to help us find our next team members! 💙

Our first PreK Family Night was a success! 🐐💛 Goat yoga, yummy food, and time together made for such a fun evening with our students and families. We loved seeing everyone come together and enjoy a wonderful night at CPS!

Families who would like to apply for our school lunch program may complete the application using the link below:
https://www.cesd317.org/page/school-lunch-program-application
The application is also available on our district website for families to access at any time.
If you believe your family may qualify, we encourage you to complete an application. Please contact the school office if you have any questions or need assistance completing the form.
Thank you!

Another wonderful High Five Friday at CPS! 🎶✋ A big thank-you to the IWHS marching band for welcoming our students into the building with smiles and plenty of high fives. What a fun way to start the day! ❤️

🎙️ Special Guest on the CPS Morning Announcements!

We loved having one of our 4th grade students serve as our guest reader for morning announcements today! She did a wonderful job and was SO excited for the opportunity! 💙

Roughly each week, our 4th grade teachers nominate students who have demonstrated positive growth and choices in areas such as academics, behavior, character, and social-emotional skills.

It’s another small way we can make those First Five minutes of the day count—building connection, celebrating character, and giving our students opportunities to lead! 🌟

Great job to our guest announcer today, Miss Farah!

CESD Families,

Families have the option to make lunch account payments online for added convenience. Please note that online payments are subject to a convenience fee charged by the credit card processing company. Because the district is charged this fee, it is passed along with the online transaction.

If you would like to avoid the convenience fee, you are always welcome to send cash or a check with your child or bring payment directly to the school office.

We appreciate having several payment options available for our families and thank you for your understanding!

We loved starting our morning with another High 5 Friday! A big thank you to the wonderful IWHS student-athletes who came to welcome our CPS students into school with smiles, encouragement, and plenty of high fives.

What a great way to kick off the day! 💙💛

💙 Our First GO BLUE Pod Day at Carthage Primary! 💙

Today, September 18, our students participated in our first GO BLUE Pod meeting of the 2026–2027 school year!

Our GO BLUE Pods bring together students from different grade levels and divide our school into six groups. During Pod time, students have the opportunity to build relationships with staff and peers outside of their regular classrooms, strengthen our school community, and practice important social-emotional skills through EdTomorrow’s First Five and circle discussions.

This year, each GO BLUE Pod also has its own color! Students are encouraged to wear their Pod color on future GO BLUE Pod Days:

💚 G Team – Green
🧡 O Team – Orange
💙 B Team – Blue
💜 L Team – Purple
❤️ U Team – Red
💛 E Team – Yellow

Not sure which Pod your child belongs to? Please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher.

Want to keep the conversation going at home? Ask your child who they met in their Pod, what they talked about during their circle, what their Pod expectations are, and what they enjoyed most about meeting students from other grade levels.

📅 Tentative Upcoming GO BLUE Pod Days:
• October 9, 2026
• November 24, 2026
• December 18, 2026
• January 15, 2027
• February 11, 2027
• April 9, 2027
• April 16, 2027
• April 23, 2027

GO BLUE Pod dates are tentative and subject to change.

We are excited to watch these relationships grow throughout the year as our students connect, care, collaborate, and build character together! 💙

This is to inform CESD #317 families that today, Friday, September 18, 2026, there will be an early dismissal for Kindergarten through 8th grade due to School Improvement.

Dismissal Times:

Shuttle Bus: 12:20 PM
Primary School: 12:30 PM
Middle School: 12:35 PM

Preschool classes are cancelled for today.

Thank you, and have a wonderful weekend!

🥎💙 THE BLUEGIRLS ARE GOING TO STATE! 💙🥎 Congratulations to our Bluegirls softball team on defeating Liberty 11–3 and earning their trip to STATE! 📅 Friday, September 18 ⏰ 11:30 a.m. 📍 Champion Fields in Normal, Illinois Way to go, Bluegirls! We are so proud of you! 💙🤍 #StateBound #GoBluegirls

Please see the attached flyer about our upcoming CPS PreK Night! This event is for our PreK students and their families and will be our first family night of the 2026–2027 school year! 💙

📅 September 29
⏰ 5:30–7:00 p.m.
🐐 Goat yoga in the Pedal Palace area
🍽️ Food in the PreK classroom following goat yoga

**Español:**

¡Consulte el volante adjunto sobre nuestra próxima Noche de PreK de CPS! Este evento es para nuestros estudiantes de PreK y sus familias. ¡Será nuestra primera noche familiar del año escolar 2026–2027! 💙

📅 29 de septiembre
⏰ 5:30–7:00 p. m.
🐐 Yoga con cabras en el área de Pedal Palace
🍽️ Habrá comida en el salón de PreK después del yoga

🍎 Small commitment. BIG impact! Carthage ESD #317 is looking for substitute teachers and paraprofessionals! Help our students learn, support our staff, and make a difference right here in our community. We’d love to have you on our team! 📣 See the attached flyer for details—and share with someone who would be a great fit!

Another high-five Friday in the books!

Please read the attached letter from the Carthage ESD #317 Board of Education. Thank you!

Save the Date!!!! Please join us next Tuesday, September 1st for our first PTO meeting of the school year!! We will meet at 6:30 pm at the Carthage Golf Course Clubhouse!!! I promise we have a fun time and we would LOVE for more members to join us!!! Please know that your attendance doesn't tie you down to hours of volunteer work- many hands make light work and we do our very best to all pitch in to help!! We have some amazing initiatives, projects and events for this school year and can't wait to get started and meet you! Please email pto@cesd317.org with any questions! See you next week! Thank you! Carthage Primary PTO