This Week:

Monday - Purim

Tuesday - Hot lunch for those who ordered

Wednesday - Hot lunch for those who ordered

Wednesday - International Women's Day

Wednesday - Holi - Festival of Colours

Thursday - Hot lunch for those who ordered

Friday - Last day of school before March Break

Upcoming Dates:

March 11-18 - March Break

- what do you like learning about?

- what do you really like about Centennial school?

- what would make it even better?

There were lots of interesting ideas shared (some classes thought a waterpark on the playground would be terrific!). All of the responses were placed into a "word cloud" and the most common/frequently reported are highlighted in the graphics below.

Staff will use this "Street Data" (information provided directly from those it impacts most) to help inform planning and experiences moving forward. Many thanks to all students for participating!

If you would like to help by being willing to be on a list of possible volunteers, please contact the school at 613.546.5517.

With March Break coming up, the School Council wanted to show support for students and families, while promoting family engagement with opportunities through play.

Through a Parent Reaching Out Grant (ProGrant) received from the Limestone School Board and LDSB Parent Involvement Committee, the council is able to provide each of the 300+ students with a Family Fun Pack to take home for March Break. Shhh…its a Surprise for students! (The aim is for them to go home with students on Tuesday or Wednesday.)

The purpose of the Fun Pack is to promote family engagement, along with math, literacy, science, physical health, environment and sustainability, and good mental health, all through fun activities that can be done at home.

Each Fun Pack contains items that align with numeracy, art, and cultural diversity, as we lean into the celebration and recognition of the multicultural and diverse school community.

Each student will be provided a bag, and each bag will contain some supplies suitable for primary or junior grades, including items to colour, and games to play, promoting mindfulness, kindness, and engagement.

These bags are made possible by the Parent Reaching Out grant, along with generous donations from Montana’s (Kingston location), Wendy’s Restaurants (Kingston), Sustainability Kingston, and School Council volunteers.

The School Council meeting dates for the new year are:

* April 17th

* May 15th

* June 12th

All orders are due by 12noon on Sunday for the week. You can order in advance for future weeks!

*A reminder that when buses are cancelled, hot lunch is also cancelled and accounts are credited.

We are happy to share that Lunchbox by SchoolCash Online will be offered at Centennial for the remainder of the 2022/2023 school year.

Lunchbox is a convenient, online ordering platform featuring local vendors. An ordering calendar has been coordinated for the school community at www.lunchboxorders.net.

How to Order:

1. Go online at www.lunchboxorders.net and click “ORDER LUNCH”.

2. New to Lunchbox Orders? Click “Create an Account” to register your family’s account.

3. Already registered? Please login directly with your current username (e-mail address) and password.

4. Add your child to your account by clicking “add a student” and register your child with their new teacher and grade for the current school year. **Please ensure the correct teacher and grade are selected to prevent errors on delivery days.

5. Click “Order Now” (beside your child’s name) to access the school’s ordering calendar.

6. Proceed with ordering your child’s lunch by clicking on the blue date for the scheduled vendors.

7. All orders are submitted on the website and payment is processed on-line by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Debit MasterCard or Visa Debit. Visa and MasterCard prepaid cards are also accepted.

All orders are done online - they are not done through the school office or classroom teacher.

Important Dates:

• Lunch delivery is scheduled to begin Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

• Orders may be placed weekly or in advance, for the full length of the program.

• Sunday, February 12, 2023 at NOON (12:00 PM) is the ordering deadline for the first scheduled LUNCH delivery.

Things to Remember:

• The ordering deadline is Sunday at 12 PM (NOON) for the upcoming week’s deliveries.

• New orders will not be accepted after the Sunday deadline.

• If buses are cancelled due to inclement weather, lunches will be canceled and credited.

• If there is a school closure, lunches will be cancelled, and a credit will be issued to your Lunchbox account within 3 business days.

- 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.

Many families are signed up for School Day! If you haven't yet, please sign up as soon as possible as moving forward all permissions and payments will be done using this online system.

Each student has received a notice that has a code specific to them, for sign up. Just a reminder that an O with a line through it is actually the number and not the letter.

If you need any help signing up for School Day just let the office know!

Please note that School Day is the only way that permissions and payments will be possible moving forward. We can no longer accept cash payments or paper permission forms.

Back to school means more students and families on our roads. As a community, we can all do our part to help everyone travel safer.

Start by driving with extra caution near schools, obeying parking restrictions, and consider walking, rolling, or taking the school bus or transit where possible. New this year are increased fines for stopping, even briefly, in designated “No Stopping” and “School Bus Loading Zones” in school areas. Parking regulations are designed with safety in mind and ignoring them is illegal and creates safety hazards for everyone. Learn more how everyone can help keep our students safe at: cityofkingston.ca/SchoolAreaSafety

Limestone Tutoring Resources January 9 – March 30

Monday – Thursday 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

As part of the Ministry of Education Tutoring Grant, LDSB is extending an afterschool drop-in Virtual Tutoring Program through the winter months for Limestone students in Grades 1 to 10.

Grade 1 to 6 - Build literacy and/or math skills. 3 tutors per night. (20 min sessions)

Grade 7 to 10 - Math skills and support. 3 tutors per night. (30 min sessions)

Grade 7 to 10 – Homework help. 2 tutors per night. (30 min sessions)

· Student must be logged in to MS Teams using their Limestone account.

· Click on link for age group and subject support. (links below)

· Sessions are on a first-come, first-served model.

· Wait in virtual lobby until tutor invites student into the session.

TEAMS Links

Grade 1-6 Literacy Link 1 Grade 7-10 Math Link 1

Grade 1-6 Literacy Link 2 Grade 7-10 Math Link 2

Grade 1-6 Literacy Link 3 Grade 7-10 Math Link 3

Grade 1-6 Math Link 1 Grade 7-10 HW Link 1

Grade 1-6 Math Link 2 Grade 7-10 HW Link 2

Grade 1-6 Math Link 3

See below for Guidelines.

1. The student must be logged in to MS Teams using their Limestone account. The student’s camera and microphone should be on so that the student and tutor can communicate effectively.

2. The student should have the materials they need with them (e.g., students should have their homework assignment). The student should try to set up in an area in the home with minimal distractions for the tutoring

3. If a tutor is already working with a student, subsequent students will be placed in the lobby of the meeting and then be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis once the tutoring session for the previous student is completed. Tutoring sessions for Grades 1-6 will be about 20 minutes long and may be extended, if no other students are waiting. For Grades 7-10 sessions will start at 30 minutes and may be extended if no students are waiting.

4. No tutoring on PA Days or Holidays.

Online Tutoring and Learning Resources
Several tutoring and learning resources are available online to support students and families, including:

• Ministry of Education Learn at Home
• Ministry of Education Curriculum and Resources for Parents
• TVO Learn at Home Resources (English) - Over 2,100 curriculum-aligned, grade, and subject-specific learning activities from Kindergarten to Grade 8 (including for the new Science and Technology curriculum) and Grade 9 to 12 searchable high school content for over 140 secondary school courses.
• TFO IDÉLLO, apprendre à la maison (French)
• TVO Mathify - Free 1:1 Grade 4 to 11 Math Tutoring with Ontario Certified Teachers. Available Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sundays 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Students/families can sign up, select a tutor, and start immediately.

Technology Support for Virtual School/Remote Learning
If you require technology support, please visit our Virtual School / Remote Learning Technology Support webpage.

Additional resources to support virtual learning options:

• Guidelines for Video Conferencing: Support for Students
• Guidelines for Video Conferencing: Support for Families
• Hybrid Learning: A Guide for Educators, Students & Families

Get started with a temporary card online at https://register.kfpl.ca/ come into any branch for a full membership. Learn more about getting a library card: https://www.kfpl.ca/getting-started/getting-a-library-card

What can teens do with a card?

● Borrow books, comics, graphic novels, video games, music, movies and so much more

● Pick out what you want to borrow online, then have it sent to your nearest branch

● Download or stream eBooks and comics, digital magazines, movies and music

● Research and learn with online databases, courses and newspapers

● Reserve computer time in our branches

● Borrow passes to parks and museums in Kingston and Ottawa

● Enjoy activities and events just for teens

Canada Dental Benefits Information:

The benefit allows families to receive up-front, direct payments up to $650 per year, per child, for two years (totalling up to $1300) for dental care services. Canada Revenue Agency will be processing the applications and payments for the benefit.

Families are eligible if they meet the following criteria:

• Age: child(ren) under 12
• Family income: adjusted net income of less than $90,000. Note: Applicants need to have filed income tax and currently receive the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for their child.
• Dental insurance: do not have access to private dental insurance. Note: Families who are already covered by Healthy Smiles Ontario will still be eligible for the interim Canada Dental Benefit if they incur out of pocket costs for dental care services for their child.
• Dental expenses: have, or will have, out of pocket dental care expenses.

Visit Canada.ca/Dental for more information.

Please see the link below for more information and to self identify, if you wish.

https://ldsb.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9U2iaUl9GIFILb0

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!

http://www.oliverslabels.com/Centennial

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.