Submitted by Cathy Hernandez

Monday, August 23^rd & Tuesday, August 24^th -   Teacher In-Service

Wednesday, August 25^th -  First Day for Students

Monday, September 6^th  – Labor Day Holiday

Wednesday, September 22^nd – Staff Development – Early Dismissal

Friday, October 22^nd – End of 1^st Nine Weeks

Wednesday, October 27^th – Staff Development – Early Dismissal

Monday – Friday, November 22^nd – 26^th   – Thanksgiving Holidays

Friday, December 17^th – Early Dismissal for Christmas Holidays

Monday, December 20^th   – Friday, December 31^st    - Christmas Holidays

Monday, January 3^rd  – Teachers & Students return to school

Wednesday, January 12^th – Friday January 14^th – Mid-Term Exams – Early Dismissal

Friday, January 14^th – End of 1^st Semester

Monday, January 17^th  – Martin Luther King Holiday

Monday  – Tuesday, March 7^th and 8th – Mardi Gras Holiday

Wednesday – Friday, March 9^th – 11^th  – Contingency Days (Any days not  needed for make-up will be used to extend the Mardi Gras Holiday).

Friday, March 18^th – End of 3^rd Nine Weeks

Thursday, March 24^th – Staff Development – Early Dismissal

Friday, March 25^th – Parent/Teacher Conferences (6^th – 12^th Grades) Students Do Not Attend

Monday, April 11^th – Friday, April 15^th  – State Testing Week

Friday, April 22^nd – Friday, April 29^th – Easter Break

Monday, May 23^rd  – Thursday, May 26^th – 2^nd Semester Exams

Tuesday, May 24^th – Thursday, May 26^th – Exams – Early Dismissal

Thursday, May 26^th – Last day for students

Friday, May 27^th – Last day for teachers

Submitted by the Central High School PTO

The Central High School PTO now has a presence on Facebook.  Their page can be found on Facebook under "PTO Central."  The page will be regularly updated with PTO news and announcements, so check it out to learn more about the PTO and what they do for the school and its students.  The PTO also has a website: www.chspto.org.

To make it even easier to get daily news updates for Central, CentralSpeaks.com is now on Twitter. Our Twitter username is centralspeaks. If you are a Twitter user, you can follow us on Twitter and receive updates every time an article is posted or updated on the site. These updates are immediate and link back to the full articles on Central Speaks. You can view our Twitter page HERE.

The Census is sent out every 10 years to be filled out and mailed back by everyone in the United States. During the last Census, 72% of the country actually participated. In Central specifically, that number was lower, with only 63-68% participating. This was before Central became its own city. Now that we have our own city, it is even more important that everyone participate in the Census so that the City of Central can get the funding and representation it needs. Remember to put “City of Central” as your city when you fill out the Census.

Many of us have heard about Central’s Master Plan. It is mentioned often in Planning & Zoning meetings, sometimes at City Council meetings, and lately in various campaign speeches. A fair number of Central residents have remained unsure of exactly what the Master Plan contains or where to find it. The latest version of Central’s Master Plan can be found on the Central government website under “City Documents.” You can also go directly to the plan by clicking HERE. As residents of Central, it is our job to stay informed and up to date when it comes to the direction our city is taking so that we can help make Central the best that it can be.

Central now has its own Facebook page. If you have a Facebook account, search for City of Central to check it out. The page is open to the public and has over 1,600 members so far. You can see photos and discussions about Central.

You can see some PHOTOGRAPHS taken at various sites at which the Central Fire Department has fought fires. The Fire Department’s website also has some photos from the February SNOW DAY here in Central.

You can view the City of Central general budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year online. The budget outlines planned income and expenses for the city over this current year. View it HERE.

Central Private School has a Central Private Parents Club that is open to teachers and parents of students in all grade levels at Central Private. The CPPC does fundraisers for school facility and academic improvement. Dues are $20 per year per family. Meetings are the 3rd Monday of every month. Go to www.cpparents.org to check it out.

On Christmas in 1914, in the midst of World War 1 in Europe, a cease fire took place between the British and German troops in honor of the holiday. It began late on Christmas Eve with some soldiers singing Christmas carols across the lines. Everyone soon stopped shooting, and some soldiers even exchanged small gifts with their enemies. Many people took this opportunity to bury their dead friends and pay their respects, something too dangerous to do in battle. The truce lasted through Christmas day, and, in a few places, kept going until close to New Years. A few such cease fires have occurred since then, but none on the scale of this one.