All students have been placed into a tentative classroom organization. All classes and staffing are tentative until at least the second week of September. This means that the class and teacher your child starts out with on the first day of school may not be the same class/teacher in mid September. Should there be reorganization of staff and students, information will be shared with families. Classes and staff changes take place based on actual enrollment, which is sometimes different from the projected enrollment that staffing is based on in the spring. Student and family moves impact how many students are at Centennial. We will do our best to minimize disruption to student learning and will take direction from the LDSB should changes be required. Changes may be needed if classes are too small or too large, based on Ministry of Education class size requirements, which are mandated from the province.

Currently we are experiencing increased enrollment and registration at Centennial. As such, we may start the year with some large classes. Once school starts, these class numbers will be reviewed by a central committee of the LDSB to determine what, if any, changes need to be made. Any reorganization will happen after the second week of school.

Thanks to all Centennial students and families, in advance, for your understanding and flexibility as we determine class sizes and placements.

All students will begin school on Tuesday September 6th, except for JK students who have a staggered entry. All kindergarten families were emailed the staggered entry schedule for kindergarten earlier in the summer. It is also listed below.

JK students with last names A-H will attend Tuesday September 6

JK students with last names I-P will attend Wednesday September 7

JK students with last names Q-Z will attend Thursday September 8

All JK students will attend Friday September 9th. Also, all SK students will be full time starting Tuesday September 6th.

Should the staggered entry be a hardship for any family, please contact the school at 613.546.5517

Kindergarten drop in for all JK and SK students will take place on Thursday September 1st between 10am and 12noon. Please note that this drop in is for Kindergarten students and families only.

Students do not need to purchase school supplies for school, as supplies like pencils, pencil crayons, paper and notebooks are provided. Sometimes students prefer to have their own items and students can bring a pencil case if they wish, but it is not necessary.

Please also bring a reuseable water bottle (labelled with the student's name) as the water fountains are water bottle filling stations only. We do not have water bottles to give out to students.

Labelling all student belongings is very helpful!

The first School Council meeting will take place on Monday September 19th at 6:30pm in the gymnasium at Centennial PS. All parents/guardians are welcome to attend! The School Council is an important partner and provides input and feedback to the school. Please consider attending as this is a great way to meet other parents/guardians, to become better information about Centennial, and to provide ideas and suggestions. All welcome!

Please ensure all of your belongings are labelled. Please bring:

- resuseable water bottle with student's name clearly marked

- healthy lunch and snacks that are nut free please

- outdoor shoes appropriate for running and play (please no flip flops)

- indoor shoes with non-marking sole

- masks - if you wish to wear

- sunhat

- a positive attitude

The school will provide almost everything your child needs for learning.

Please do not bring:

- valueables

- electronics/devices (students who bring a cellphone will place it in the lockbox in the classroom for the day)

- medication, drugs or alcohol

- anything scented (including scented hand sanitizer - please leave that at home)

- toys and stuffies

Thank you for understanding that we are not responsible for lost or broken belongings.

Positive Messaging: Children will be looking to adults to determine how they should react to situations, to provide reassurance and to answer questions/concerns they may have. Do your best to share positive messaging about the challenges ahead and be mindful about what personal worries and concerns you share.

Practicing: Begin or continue to practice mask wearing and/or physical distancing in the community and in social gatherings. Continue to establish and practice hand-washing/sanitizing routines at home before/after transitioning to new places and spaces. We will be washing/sanitizing our hands a lot during the school day!

Seek Support: Reach out to other families to share ideas and strategies for preparing students for school. Access community resources to support your child's mental health and well-being or to access support for yourself. Email or call the school if you have specific questions/concerns related to your child - our whole team is here to help!

Students are to come onto the school yard between 8:50am and 9:05am each morning. Families are reminded that they are not to arrive earlier than 8:50am as there is no supervision on the yard before that time. Parents/guardians who drive students must park on the street as there is no/limited parking in the school parking lot. Please note that there is no entrance on the west side of the school. That is for pedestrians only.

Student pick up happens at the exterior doors of the school at 3:25pm.

Our buses will continue to disembark and load in the designated bus loading zone. (Please remember that parents/caregivers are not permitted to drop off or pick up in the bus loading zone before and after school.)

Arriving on the bus:

• As students are welcomed off the bus by a staff member, they will walk directly to their designated class line up. Staff will be present to support students in finding their line up and to supervise the lines. Kindergarten students and students with special needs will be accompanied by a staff member. Students will wait in their class line until the bell rings at 9:05 and then be met by their first period teacher into the school directly to their classroom.

Departing on the bus:

• Students will be escorted by their teacher to their bus line and supervised by a staff member as they wait to board the bus

We will continue to use a staggered approach for students at Centennial PS so that there is maximum space for children to play. Some classes will have nutrition break followed by recess and others will go outside first followed by nutrition break. Nutrition break and recess are each 20 minutes in length.

A reminder that our school is peanut & tree-nut aware; please ensure that your child's snacks and lunch do not contain any peanut products. Classroom teachers will communicate any additional food allergies that families will need to be aware of. Thank you for your support in keeping all of our students safe!

The Ministry of Education has approved the Limestone District School Board’s 2022-2023 School Year Calendar. Provincial regulations require that the school year shall start on or after September 1 and end on or before June 30. Every school year shall include a minimum of 194 school days.

The following key dates have been approved:

• First Day of School: Tuesday, September 6, 2022
• Winter Break: December 23, 2022, to January 6, 2023
• March Break: March 13, to March 17, 2023
• Last Day of School: Thursday, June 29, 2023

A printable 2022-2023 School Year Calendar is available here

This message is intended for the families of students with prevalent medical conditions where documentation is needed by the school:

Parents/guardians of students with known medical plans of care will receive a package with a medical plan of care to update during the first week of school. These need to be updated and returned as soon as possible.

If you are new to the school, or do not receive the package, to help us gather important medical information about your child, we ask that you select the correct Plan of Care form below, complete it and return it to the school as soon as possible. If you require us to administer daily medication, you will also need to complete the necessary paperwork for us to be able to do this. Completed forms can be faxed to 613.546.9228 or scanned and emailed to cente@limestone.on.ca

Daily medication will need to be dropped off by a parent/caregiver at the school and will be stored at the office. Students can not carry medications in their backpack, at any time. You may drop of labelled medication this week, or on the first day of school.

**Be sure to also include the supplementary forms if medication may need to be administered by school staff.

Health and safety of our kids is our first priority. Thank you for helping us stay informed on your child's medical conditions and Plan of Care.

Click below for necessary supplementary forms needed including:

• Form-314-A1: Authorization and Request for Administration of Prescribed Medication/Medical Procedures

• Form-314-A2: Authorization and Request Form for the Administration of Prescribed Medication
  

• Form-314-A3: Authorization and Request Form for the Administration of an Epi-Pen
  

• Form-314-B1: The Administration of Medication and/or Medical Procedures to Students: Record of Procedures
  

• Form-314-B2: Medical Procedure Form

• Form 314-D3 Emergency Medical Alert Form

Early Childhood Educators

Ghina El Haj

Elaine Locke

Jessica Hollywood

Educational Assistants

Sarah Hogan

Christine Berry

Jackie Ellerbeck

Jessica Hachey

Dylan Davis

Dorothy Evans

Abby Caldwell

Maggie Young

Custodial & Office Staff

Jeanette Williams, Head Caretaker

Evening Caretaker TBD

Janet MacWhirter, Office Administrator

Teachers

Jennifer Lalonde

Shelley Farndon

Brittany East

Tara Murphy

Christine Joanette

Emily Hetherington

Judy Beardall

Bev Hennessy

Catherine Byers

Keith Cahill

Skot Caldwell

Lesley Graham

Zunaira Munir

Lauren Honcoop

Kim Bigelow

Michelle Girard

Dan Blair

Anna Schukei

Deborah Thompson - Principal

Daily Schedule:

8:50-9:05am – Supervision on yard

9:05-10:45am – 100 minute block

10:45-11:25am – Recess & Nutrition Break

11:25-1:05pm – 100 minute block

1:05-1:45pm – Recess & Nutrition Break

1:45-3:25pm – 100 minute block

The school office is open from 8am - 4pm

Phones are answered throughout the day; however, there are times when you may have to leave a message and your call will be returned.

Want to look spiffy and show off your pride in being a Centennial PS Comet? Check out all of the clothing and accessories available at the Centennial Public School e-store at: https://specialtytrophies.ca/centennialps/

A huge thanks to our amazing custodians, Jeanette Williams and Bret Sauve, for their incredible work through incredible heat this summer! The school is sparkling and ready to welcome students next week!

Please use the Safe Arrival system to report your child's absence; do not call the school to report an absence. If you child is going to be absent from learning, please ensure you use the Safe Arrival system to report the absence. If your child will be late, please report a full day absence and then we will sign them in when they arrive. You cannot indicate a half day absence.

How to report your absence:

1. Toll-free telephone

• Call 1-855-257-9349 toll-free to report an absence using the automated phone system.

2. School Messenger App

• Use your mobile device to download and install the free SchoolMessenger blue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, the SchoolMessenger website portal, or from within the LDSB mobile app.
• The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
• Select Attendance, then select Report an Absence and follow the prompts.

3. SchoolMessenger SafeArrival Website Portal

• Visit the SchoolMessenger website portal.
• The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
• Select Attendance, then Report an Absence and follow the prompts.