Centennial Connection Oct 15, 2023
An update for families from Centennial Public School
Thank you Ms Talisse for the beautiful bulletin board!
Dear Centennial Public School Families -
What a super week at Centennial! The Centennial Comets Cross Country Team did a great job at the Regional Cross Country Meet at Fort Henry on Friday. The 25 athletes represented the school so well and everyone had a fantastic run. It was wonderful to watch many team members support each other on the last very steep hill before the finish line. We are so proud of you Comets! Good luck to Will R, Ethan M, and Evander G. who will go on to the District Cross Country Meet next week. They will be representing Centennial at the final cross-country meet of the season. Running Club will start again in the spring for all interested students in grades three to six. Huge thanks to coaches Mrs Beardall and Ms Byers!
This week students brought home the Dieleman's Fundraising Catalogue. All funds raised through this will be used to enhance student experiences at school through learning opportunities and resources. There are more options online as well so feel free to check out additional offerings there. All orders are done online and delivery can be made to your home or to the school. Orders are due by Wednesday November 15th. Thank you for supporting Centennial PS in this way if you are able. Items will arrive the week of December 11th.
This coming week we welcome Brave Education to Centennial PS. All classes Grades 1-6 will have a Brave Education facilitator come in and engage in a workshop around Healthy Boundaries and decision making. More details are below. We are very thankful for the partnership we have with Play! Gaming & Entertainment Centre for the funds to provide this opportunity for students.
Also, a friendly reminder to please return Data Verification Forms and to ensure all forms are complete in School Day.
Centennial PS is one of many schools in LDSB supporting Socks Kingston's annual donation drive for new socks! We have already collected 60 pairs and we are so grateful for the contributions from many families. If you are able to donate, please consider doing so. New, unused socks are in high demand as socks are one of the least donated clothing items to charities and shelters. Socktober aims to collect hundreds of socks for people in need across our community. Thank you for donating if you are able.
We have had some families asking about sending in treats to school for birthdays and Halloween. As we have numerous students with allergies, we cannot accept homemade goodies and do request that any treats sent in are pre-packaged. Please consult with your child's teacher if you have any questions about what might be appropriate. Thank you for your help with this.
We hope all families have a wonderful weekend - enjoy the sun and the fall colours!
- Deborah Thompson, Principal & Centennial PS Staff
Fundraising catalogues went home this week with all students. Orders can be made online! Our School ID number is 7947
Congratulations Centennial Cross Country Team!
Upcoming Dates
October is Women's History Month, Latin-American Heritage Month, Islamic History Month, Learning Disabilities Awareness Month
Upcoming Events:
Week of October 16-20th - Brave Education Workshops for Grades 1-6
Wednesday October 18th - IEPs must go home today for students who have them
Thursday October 19th - District Cross Country meet
Wednesday October 25th - School Council Halloween Family Dance
Friday October 27th - PA Day
November
Indigenous Heritage Month, Hindu Heritage Month
Thursday November 9th - Remembrance Day Assembly
Friday November 10th - PA Day
Friday November 17th - Progress Reports go home
Friday November 17th - Bus Safety Presentations
Friday November 24th - Pink Shirt Day
Co-creating classroom expectations
Brave Education
Next week, Brave Education facilitators will be working with educators in Grade 1-6 classrooms, working with students on Setting Healthy Boundaries. Please see the informatio below of what students will belearning. You are encouraged to speak with your child at home about this. For further support, please visit Brave Education's parent resource page.
Grade 5 Engineer in Residence
Mr Cahill's class is having an "Engineer in Residence" with a professional engineer connected to their class all year long. The Engineer in Residence (EIR) program is an innovative, volunteer-based program dedicated to inspiring young people in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The EIR program is offered free of charge to schools across Canada and Centennial PS is grateful to have been selected for the program.
We are paired with Montreal-based computer engineer Nathalie Olcese for the year. We will have monthly virtual meetings where she will lead STEM activities. The program also provides resources and activities that students will engage with.
Literacy supports in classrooms - showing students how to make sounds and combine sounds to make words
Message from the Director of the LDSB, Krishna Burra
On a daily basis staff across Limestone support student achievement and well-being, and work hard to create inclusive spaces where every student feels valued, seen and included. Our work to support all students is critical. All forms of hatred and terrorism must be denounced.
Limestone District School Board (LDSB) unequivocally condemns any acts of hate and remains committed to ensuring an equitable and inclusive school environment for all students and staff, and as a school board and community we must confront acts of hate in all formats.
Harassment, discrimination, and hate have no place in Limestone. We support all students, staff and the greater community by embracing safe and caring school environments.
Earlier this week, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce said: “As educators and staff, we ask you to be proactive, compassionate, and determined to stop any form of hate impacting students, such as antisemitism or Islamophobia in Ontario classrooms. We ask that you remind your school communities about the ongoing importance of creating safe spaces for the students and staff that enter each day.”
Many events taking place globally increase feelings of distress for students locally. It is not uncommon for students, staff and families to experience a range of emotions and to have questions about challenging world events. Reactions will vary.
With that in mind, we want to provide some resources that may be helpful during this time:
School Mental Health Ontario (SMHO)
Caring for Kids: Helping children and teens cope with stressful public events
KFL&A Public Health: Parenting in KFL&A
Student Mental Health Resources
To report a human rights incident, please use the LDSB Student Human Rights Incident and Complaints tool: https://bit.ly/LDSBHumanRightsReportingTool.
Krishna Burra
Director of Education
Beautiful artwork throughout the school
Halloween Dance
The Council is also looking for donations of baked goods and treats to sell at the Treat Table. If you are able to contribute, please contact councilcentennialps@gmail.com
We hope to see many Centennial PS families there!
School Council Dates
Please mark your calendars for the School Council meeting dates. Meeting begin at 6:30pm and are 90 minutes in length. Child care for school aged children is provided.
All parents and guardians are welcome to attend!
Monday November 13th
Monday January 15th
Monday February 12th
Monday April 8th
Monday May 13th
Monday June 3rd
Kindergarten children hard at work - sorting and counting and learning together!
Attendance Matters
When children miss a day they miss important literacy and math learning, and can fall behind on lessons that build from day to day. Students who are regularly late, even if it is only 10 minutes, often miss critical reading instruction, which often happens first thing in the morning.
We know that children need to stay home when they are sick, and the rules for staying home have changed throughout the pandemic. The most recent guidelines on staying home can be found beneath the chart below. Please contact the school if you need support with attendance issues. Let's work together and get every student here every day!
Science inquiry in Grade 4
Updated Provincial Guidelines for Covid-19
If children are sick, they should stay home to prevent transmission to others, except to seek testing or medical care if required.
They should stay home until all of the following apply:
- symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if they had nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea)
- they do not have a fever
- they do not develop any additional symptoms
When symptoms are improving and students are ready to return to school, wearing a properly-fitting mask for 10 days (from the onset of symptoms) is recommended to reduce the spread of illness.
Hot Lunch
Just a reminder that should buses be cancelled, hot lunches are also cancelled and credit will be provided to account.
LunchBox is looking at more varied choices for hot lunches moving forward, and those will be reflected in the menu options, if it is possible.
To create an account and order hot lunches, use the guide below and linked here: Get The Guide
So grateful for the beautiful forest and outdoor space at Centennial
Human Development & Sexual Health Curriculum
Part of the curriculum includes instruction related to Human Development and Sexual Health. Parents and guardians can choose to have their child or children exempted from this instruction.
In advance of any Human Development and Sexual Health topics being taught, educators will provide information, including dates of instruction and topics of instruction, to families. Teachers will also provide the exemption form should a family with to have their child exempted from topics covered in the curriculum. The deadline for the exemption request will be five school days before the start of instruction.
A full list of those topics can be found by clicking: Human Development & Sexual Health Expectations by Grade
The full Administrative Procedure can be viewed by clicking: Administrative Procedures AP 325
All of the information and forms related to Human Development & Sexual Health are available on the LDSB website.
School Day
Each returning family has a School Day account that you would have used last year. The user name and password you used last year continues to be active for this year.
Families new to Centennial will receive a paper information sheet this week with a unique user name and password (which you can change). Please keep this information handy as we use School Day for various permission forms, school trips, consents and payments.
Returning families who are not sure of their School Day information can contact the school office and a new form can be sent home to you.
Please note that we are not able to accept verbal or written permission generally and that School Day is to be used. Cash and cheques cannot be accepted at the school due to safe money handling procedures and as such, the much more secure method of School Day is used.
This platform may be new to some families (and to us too!) and we are here to work through the process together. Don't hesitate to reach out to the office if you are experiencing any challenges.
Safety in the Parking Lot
Please help to keep all students, staff and families safe by ensuring the parking lot remains for staff only, including at drop off and pick up. Thank you for your help!
Cell Phone Use
Should a student need to make contact with home throughout the day, they are welcome to let their teacher know and the school can either contact home or the student can use the phone in the main office.
We have devices at school such as ipads and chromebooks that are available for student learning, and as such, cell phones are not needed during the school day. At recess students play and have time for social interaction face to face.
What Do I Need To Bring? What Should Stay At Home?
All school supplies that students need for their learning and work will be provided by Centennial Public School. Sometimes students prefer to have their own pencil case with pencils/markers, but it is not a requirement.
Students do need to come to school with:
- Indoor, non-marking athletic type of shoes
- Water bottle with child's name clearly marked (we have bottle filling stations, not fountains)
- Nut-free snacks and lunch
Please label all items!
- items of value (sentimental or monetary)
- any kind of weapon (for example, a Swiss Army knife)
- any kind of toy that could be a replica weapon (for example, a toy gun)
- electronics of any kind
- jewelry
- make-up
- anything scented
- anything with nuts (please ensure all lunches and snacks are nut-free)
- toys and stuffies
Thank you for keeping these items at home. Sometimes a quick check of a backpack can ensure that treasures do not come to school. Thank you for understanding that we are not responsible for lost, broken or stolen personal items.
Indigenous Self-Identification
Please see the link below for more information and to self identify, if you wish.
Oliver's Labels
Do you need a way to label your things that stay labelled? Do you need a way to show what's yours? Need a way to label your child's things so they don't get lost or mixed up? Support Centennial Public School Council by purchasing through the link. The school receives 20% of your purchase! All funds raised go to support School Council initiatives including student activities. Thank you!
E-Store
Safe Arrival - How Do I Report An 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.
- 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.
Stay Up To Date!
Stay Up To Date! Please check the following regularly...
Centennial PS Twitter https://twitter.com/centennial_ldsb?lang=en
Centennial PS Website https://centennial.limestone.on.ca/
LDSB Website https://www.limestone.on.ca/
LDSB Twitter https://twitter.com/LimestoneDSB
LDSB Facebook https://tinyurl.com/wbhjtku
LDSB Instagram https://instagram.com/limestonedsb?igshid=1epyma6c0g5qd
Centennial Public School
"Show Up! Stand Up! Never Give Up!"
Email: cente@limestone.on.ca
Website: https://centennial.limestone.on.ca
Location: 120 Norman Rogers Dr, Kingston, ON K7M 2R2
Phone: 613.546.5517
Twitter: @Centennial_LDSB