CSD Insider
Centennial School District Newsletter 2018-19, Volume 1
In This Edition
Superintendent's Corner
District Updates & Happenings
District Operations
Inside Schools & Programs
From Our Students
Community Connections
Announcements
SUPERINTENDENT'S CORNER
DISTRICT UPDATES & HAPPENINGS
The Planetarium: A Big Night Out, Under the Stars
The Centennial School District proudly presents our Fall 2018 Planetarium Shows. We will offer two shows on Friday, October 12.
First Show: 6:00 PM- 7:00 PM, Back to the Moon for Good
Tickets for Back to the Moon for Good and additional details can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/back-to-the-moon-for-good-tickets-50489962838
Second Show: 7:30 PM-8:30 PM, Supervolcanoes
Tickets for Supervolcanoes and additional details can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/supervolcanoes-tickets-50491029027
Our presenter, Ted Williams, is a 25-year planetarium professional, who brings the stars down to earth. He regularly presents at the Fels Planetarium in the Franklin Institute, where he serves the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society as a lead educator. Ted’s experience as planetarium director also includes the Hayden Planetarium (American Museum of Natural History in New York City for 10 years) and the Mallon Planetarium at the Methacton School District. He has appeared as a guest presenter at The World Science Festival in New York, the Philadelphia Science Festival, and has been on National Public Radio’s Skytour. He heads up education outreach for Muddy Run Observatory in Holtwood, Pennsylvania. We welcome his unique combination of rural and urban star viewing experiences that he has shared with thousands of astronomy enthusiasts across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
All shows will be held at William Tennent High School. Tickets for each show are $8.00 general admission and $5.00 for students and senior citizens. No tickets will be available at the door. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
A Summer Full of Reading and Free Books (Book Mobile)
This summer Centennial School District's Learning and Innovation department teamed up with our Food Service Department’s Summer Lunch Program and spent four days distributing FREE books. We used our Mobile Book lab to share books with kids of all ages. Each participating student was able to walk away with two books free of charge to start reading immediately.
This was a fun community activity, and we saw over 1,000 books given out. We cannot wait to do it again next summer as part of our #CSDreads initiative.
Artist Within: Vanessa Pasqualone
Vanessa Pasqualone, class of 2018, won the annual Congressional High School Art Competition representing Bucks County. The piece was selected by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick and will hang in the Canon Tunnel, Washington, D.C., for a year. Congressman Fitzpatrick attended Centennial School District's Showcase Night last May, and Vanessa had the opportunity to share both her work and that of our K-12 artists with the Congressman.
On June 27, 2018, Vanessa attended the opening of the Washington, D.C., exhibition and celebrated with over 400 other high school artists from across the United States. Fitzpatrick's office toured Vanessa around Congress, she attended a luncheon and ceremony celebrating the work of each gifted artist. Vanessa's oil portrait titled, Gran Dad, pays tribute to the deep love and respect she has for her favorite, and most dear, veteran.
Vanessa is currently a Fine Arts student at Bucks County Community College. Because of her hard work, talent, and dedication, Vanessa is the recipient of the 2018 Bucks County Community College Fine Arts Scholarship.
Appreciation of Convocation
The Centennial School District begins each school year with a convocation. All administrators, faculty, and staff meet in the William Tennent High School auditorium for a program led by the superintendent, Dr. David Baugh. This year, as the faculty and staff ushered into the auditorium, they were greeted by the William Tennent High School Marching Band and General Ulysses S. Grant.
This year's keynote speaker was Ken Serfass. Now a General Grant scholar and historical reenactor, Mr. Serfass is a former teacher and retired from the United State Marine Corps. President/General Grant, as it were, recounted his leadership experiences as the Commanding General of the United States Army during the Civil War and President during the Reconstruction Era. In a time when the country was divided over the question of each individual's right to freedom and civil rights, Presdent Grant told the story of how he, and his comrades turned enemies, and enemies turned allies, worked together to bring the nation back on course. General Grant participated in a panel discussion with Dr. Baugh and Mr. Joseph O'Connor, social studies lead teacher and Centennial Education Association president. The topics ranged from his lessons as a young military commander to his relationships with former classmates from West Point, to trying to carry out the wishes of his Commander and Chief, President Abraham Lincoln, who had directed him to "Let 'em up easy--they are family." The point was made repeatedly that we are more alike than not, and that at the end of the day, we are family. Regardless of which side these men and women fought for, they fought for what they believed was a right and just cause. After the Civil War ended and President Lincoln was assassinated, General Grant was instrumental in bringing the two sides together and laid much of the foundation for our current civil rights work.
For the faculty and staff, as they embarked on the new school year, the two messages were that America is really a conceptual family, and communication is key. Having different ideas, viewpoints, and beliefs is what truly makes America great. What makes it greater still is the responsibility of every citizen to express his or her own thoughts in a productive and respectful manner. While no one, including educators, teach students what to think or value, they should help them think critically about a number of issues. They should, however, teach students the skills of how to communicate ideas, respond to criticism, and collaborate with one another. General Grant's remarks illustrated that we have a great deal to learn from history in a effort to keep from repeating it. General Grant also demonstrated that each and every person can also possess the moral courage to do what is right for the good of society, if they are working for the greater good.
A Message from the Centennial Education Foundation
The Centennial Education Foundation (CEF) is a 501c3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization committed to providing enriching educational opportunities, programs, and projects for students in the Centennial School District. CEF is independent of the School District.
The mission of CEF is to secure resources from individuals, corporations, community organizations, and other foundations to be distributed in support of programs that benefit students in the Centennial School District. Since 1997, their grant programs have impacted the educational needs of thousands of students!
The Foundation relies solely on your donations. Every dollar contributed is fully tax deductible! Every dollar raised and invested will be used locally! Your contribution helps guarantee the future of Centennial students and community.
There are two easy ways to support CEF. Amazonsmile and ShopRite (shop at home).
Help us help students succeed by giving the gift of education! Thank you for your support!
CLOSER LOOK: Rich Clemens - WTHS Football Coach
Staying in Touch with Centennial School District and Your School
It is important for parents and guardians to update their contact information (telephone number, cell phone number, and e-mail address) in Skyward Family Access to ensure that eAlert e-mails, text message alerts, and voice recorded messages reach them.
EAlert e-mail is the main method of communicating pertinent information to students and their families. Text message alerts and voice-recorded messages are used for emergency notifications as well as for school absence notifications. Parents and guardians can opt into receiving text message alerts. For more information about Skyward Family Access, follow this link: http://www.centennialsd.org/Page/8401
To stay up-to-date with various events and news about the schools and the District, the community can follow the District on these social media sites:
To watch School Board meetings, student-developed videos, and other events, tune into the District's cable channel: CSD-TV on Channel 36 (Verizon) and Channel 28 (Comcast).
School Board meetings are live-streamed and can be accessed via the District website the evening of the meetings. Board Meetings live-streaming
DISTRICT OPERATIONS
A New, Multipurpose Use for the Johnsville Administration Building
In May 1953, Centennial School, now better known as the former Johnsville Administration Building, was dedicated to the Warminster Township along with its residents, students, faculty, and staff. Over the next 65 years, this building provided staff and children with a home during the weekday, an education, and most importantly memories to last a lifetime.
Over time, the municipalities of Warminster Township, Upper Southampton, and Ivyland Borough grew as did the educational services provided to these three towns. The towns experienced population growth driven by the surrounding Navy installations, commercial activities supporting Navy personnel, and invariably the migration from Philadelphia. As the area grew, so did the need for additional educational buildings. New residential communities were developed, which required schools throughout the district.
In the mid-1970s, Centennial School became Johnsville Administration Building to accommodate the need for a central office; according, serving a second function and enjoying a new lease on life.
The Johnsville Administration Building has successfully and completely served the Centennial School District well. Thousands of students, staff, and faculty have passed through its halls. Administrators and support staff have managed an ever-growing district, embraced new educational needs, and requirements. This was done with the clear goal of advancing knowledge for generations to come.
As we move into the next chapter, the building will be razed to accommodate a new multipurpose athletic field with the flexibility to host soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse events. With another lease on life with a new function, this site will continue to benefit the community, residents, students, faculty, and staff.
Family Trips Scheduled During the School Year
To view the policy and the request forms, follow these links:
Absence Notes Made Easy - E-mail Your Child's Absence Notes
Parents and guardians are now able to e-mail student absence excuse notes to the school's attendance office. E-mailing an excuse note is a convenient way to ensure that a student's absence can be reconciled as a legal and excused absence. If a parent or guardian has a note from a medical professional, it can also be e-mailed to the attendance office along with the student's name, grade, student ID number, or homeroom teacher. All schools will continue to accept written absence excuse notes.
E-mailed absence excuse notes should include the following information:
· The student's name
· The student's grade
· The student's ID number or homeroom teacher
· The date(s) of the absence
· A reason for the absence
· A contact telephone or cell phone number of parent or guardian submitting the excuse note
Parents and guardians will receive an e-mail from the attendance office secretary confirming that the student's absence note was received by the school.
Each school has a unique e-mail address for accepting student absence excuse notes.
Davis Elementary School
McDonald Elementary School
Willow Dale Elementary School
Klinger Middle School
Log College Middle School
William Tennent High School
INSIDE SCHOOL & PROGRAMS
Dual Language Program
The Centennial School District has launched a Dual Language Program at McDonald Elementary. Dual Language Programs are a successful way for both native Spanish speakers and native English speakers to become fully literate in two languages. In our Dual Language Program, kindergarteners spend 50% of their day learning in Spanish and 50% in English. Mrs. Mills and Miss Brauckmann are doing an amazing job working with our 50 kindergarten students enrolled in the Dual Language Program. It is our goal to produce students who can proficiently speak, read, and write in both languages by the time they leave 5th grade.
Building Language with Legos: ESL Camp 2018
The Centennial ESL (English as a Second Language) camp is a camp designed to teach non-English speaking children the fundamentals of this language in terms of writing and speaking.
It combines outdoor summer fun with ESL learning.
The great advantage to an English as a Second Language camp is that student’s understanding of English will not languish over the summer months but will actually continue to improve. The full immersion in a second language strengthens conversational usage, understandings of subtleties and idioms and encourages deep friendships with other students.
Our campers had the opportunity to be immersed in the English language and culture while engaged in fun activities like Legos, rocket launches, and a trip to Lego Land.
SAT Prep/Khan Academy
Last year, William Tennent High School offered students in 10th and 11th grades the opportunity to enroll in a new course, SAT Preparation. This class offers a unique blend of teacher instruction and the on-line resource, Khan Academy. In collaboration with the College Board, Khan Academy has developed a free SAT training program available on-line. Students log into Khan Academy and link their profile with their College Board account and this allows Khan Academy to read the students’ PSAT scores and individualize the students’ practice pace and training to improve on specific skill areas. WTHS Administration designed the new SAT Prep course by assigning a math and English teacher to give direct instruction through mini-lessons and to coach students individually as they work through the Khan Academy practice.
One hundred and eight WTHS students took the course with the goal of raising their SAT scores from their baseline PSAT score. Throughout the course, students logged at least 45 hours of practice exercises and full-tests on Khan Academy, while also conferencing with teachers about their progress, meeting with school counselors about the the college application process, and reviewing key concepts for math, reading, and writing skills. Of these 108 students, 86 have PSAT and SAT scores available. The average growth of these 86 students is 130 points. Sixty-four percent of the students increased their SAT scores by at least 100 points. Three students can brag that they were able to raise their SAT score by 300 points.
Panther Boards: On the Edge of Innovation
Panther Boards is a ski and snowboard company ran by students from William Tennent High School. Panther Boards gives students the opportunity to use problem-solving skills as a real life entrepreneur. With new challenges everyday, our team continually comes up with ingenious solutions to each problem that approaches us.
Last year, our executives were discovering more efficient ways to complete each stage of building. Due to this, a great deal of growth has been spawned in the original process - to the point where even iPads are used throughout each station, maintaining quality and order. The build process has been polished to give consumers the best prices available with the most customizable product. These ongoing changes in the process has led to production time being cut down to just 8 hours. The trailer that houses this unique process has made its appearance at local conferences and awes all that have seen the truly mobile ski lab.
The next step for Panther Boards is to expand and grow as quickly as possible. We aim to attract the attention of many consumers and create more opportunities for the students involved. Currently, we are structuring a training program to teach new manufacturers how to build without wasting valuable time, material, and money. With the addition of our new website, Panther Boards is able to take on-line orders and communicate with customers quickly, enhancing our ability to reach new markets and to promote Panther Boards and Centennial School District.
Our skis are not like any other; they market themselves by being the first fully customized skis on the market! They are specifically adjusted to your height, weight, skiing ability, turning radius, etc., to make the skiing experience evermore enjoyable. With this custom build comes the ability to place whatever graphics you would like on your ski. Dogs? Flags? The solar system? You name it, we can do it. If graphics are not your thing, then choose our wood veneers that give the skis a classic custom wood-cut look. Either way, you will be turning heads as you slide down the slopes with your fully personalized and fashionable skis.
Bucks County Tour of Honor
On October 1, eighth grade members of the Log College and Klinger Middle School bands will travel to Washington, D.C., as part of Bucks County Tour of Honor. The Bucks County Tour of Honor is a project that takes veterans to Washington to visit the Korean War and World War II Memorials and participate in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Our band members will be performing patriotic selections at the World War II Memorial as veterans of World War II visit the memorial, some for the first time. This opportunity allows our students to support veterans while taking in the sights of Washington, D.C.
McDonald Elementary Carpool Karaoke
Davis 4th Grades receive Pets in the Classroom Grant
FROM OUR STUDENTS
What’s New at Tennent?
As the 2018-19 school year is kicking off, students are readjusting their schedules and beginning to focus in on their studies. With a new wave of incoming students, comes a new type of schedule at Tennent: the block. Block scheduling allows students to focus on four classes a day instead of six. Periods are longer, and students have more one-on-one time with their teachers. The new schedule, although it has taken some time to get used to, has opened up many new opportunities for both teachers and students.
Although the block schedule received slight criticism, it has proven to be very beneficial. Instead of six, 57-minute classes, there are now four, 90-minute classes on alternating days. Students have the ability to take eight courses a year, which gives them the ability to take all the classes that interest them. Many new electives have been added, including Neuroscience and Business Law. For seniors, study hall is an option, which gives them independent time to work on college applications and to prepare for their next steps after graduation. With more courses available, more teachers are able to fill the positions at Tennent. “The whole idea behind it is to give students greater flexibility and choice, and the ability to take more classes of greater interest and vigor,” added Principal Dennis Best. “With the longer classes, teachers can plan more engaging activities that allow kids to collaborate more. The shorter class periods lend themselves less to collaboration.” Not only do students have more class time to complete their assignments, but they also have more time at home. This gives them the flexibility to spread out their homework and studying accordingly, and could prove to have a positive impact on grades. Block schedule also allows students more time to take assessments, especially in Advanced Placement courses that have more rigorous material.
The first month of school is quickly coming to an end, and students are wondering where the time went. Although periods are longer, with block scheduling, school days feel like they are flying by. The new schedule has already brought many positive changes to Tennent. With fewer classes, students do not have as heavy of a course load, and they are able to spend more time deliberately working through and understanding all the material. Students seem to be enjoying the new schedule at Tennent; it may have even caused them to forget that school days are three minutes longer!
Danielle Mishin, Class of 2019
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
There is a saying that is common in some circles: Think globally, act locally. As part of the Centennial Community, we would like to recognize excellence at the local level. This monthly series will recognize an outstanding local business.
We would like to encourage people to shop locally and support businesses within the Centennial School District. Each month, we will recognize a local business, talk about what makes them outstanding in our humble opinion, and we will encourage you to submit nominations for future articles. To be considered for review in our monthly electronic newsletter, the business must be within the boundaries of the Centennial School District, provide superior business services, and be accessible to all citizens in the region. Please submit your recommendations through our District Electronic Suggestion Box!
The Best Kept Secret in Warminster: The Fuge
Are you looking for a unique place to host a corporate event, family reunion, charity fundraiser, holiday event, wedding, mitzvah or other social event? There is nowhere in Bucks County that can offer such a modern, high tech feel, with a completely round, 11,000 square foot room. If you are having a smaller gathering, The Fuge can offer five other dynamic spaces that are perfect for any occasion.
The Fuge has a talented staff of chefs and catering professionals that will work with you to create your perfect menu. The Fuge also proudly has William Tennent High School students working as bussers and servers.
So if you are interested in hosting an event, please contact Sarah Clark, Operations Manager at 215-589-0611 or sarah@rentthefuge.com The Fuge is located at 780 Falcon Circle, Warminster, PA 18974. It is directly behind the Centennial School District Administration Building.
ShopRite's Shop from Home Fundraiser
Announcements
A Night with Ray Didinger
Please join us on Wednesday, October 17, at 6:30 p.m. at William Tennent High School for A Night with Ray Didinger.
Ray Didinger has been a pillar in Philadelphia sports community for decades. As a sports writer, an author and television and radio personality, Ray has been integral part of the Philadelphia sports culture. Enjoy a tailgate dinner, book signing and more.
Tickets are $20.00 and can be purchased at: https://centennialef.networkforgood.com/events/8636-a-night-with-ray-didinger
Internet Essentials from Comcast
Your family may qualify for affordable Internet access and a low-cost computer. Please see the brochure below for details. To learn more or to apply, call 1-855-846-8376 or visit InternetEssentials.com.
Follow Us on all Social Media
Instagram: @Centennialsd
Twitter: @Centennial_SD
Employment Opportunities
Current employment opportunities are posted regularly on the Centennial School District website. Follow this link to learn more about current administrative, teaching, and support staff positions: www.centennialsd.org/jobs
District Calendar
To stay in touch with District events, follow this link to the Centennial School District calendar: http://www.centennialsd.org/Page/2
Centennial School District
District Administration
Dr. David Baugh, Superintendent
Dr. Jennifer Polinchock, Assistant Superintendent
Mr. Christopher Berdnik, Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Hannah Messner, Director of Human Resources
Mr. AJ Juliani, Director Learning and Innovation
Mr. Joe Rutz, Assistant Director of Learning and Innovation
Mr. Robert Whartenby, Director of Facilities/Assistant Business Administrator for Operations
Dr. Percell Whittaker, Director of Pupil Services
Ms. Shawanna Coles, Principal of Practice
Board of School Director
Dr. Andrew Pollock, President
Mr. David Shafter, Vice President
Mr. Charles Kleinschmidt, Assistant Secretary
Mr. Steven Adams
Ms. Mary Alice Brancato
Mr. Andrew Dixon
Mr. Flemming Godiksen
Mr. Mark B. Miller
Ms. Tara Pellegrino
Principals
Dr. Dennis Best, William Tennent High School
Mr. James Ford, Klinger Middle School (Acting)
Mr. Patrick Golderer, Log College Middle School
Mr. Andrew Doster, Davis Elementary School
Mr. Ernesto Ortiz, McDonald Elementary School
Ms. Cathy Perkins, Willow Dale Elementary School
Email: csdpr@centennialsd.org
Website: www.centennialsd.org
Location: 48 Swan Way, Warminster, PA 18974
Phone: 215-441-6000
Facebook: www.facebook.com/csdinfo
Twitter: @Centennial_SD