Jaguar Families!

Hello Jaguars!

We have much to celebrate as we look back on this semester. The committed work of our students and staff reminds me of an excerpt from Atul Gawande’s book, Better: A Surgeon’s Notes On Performance: “People underestimate the importance of diligence as a virtue. No doubt this has something to do with how supremely mundane it seems. It is defined as ‘the constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken.’ There is a flavor of simplistic relentlessness to it. And if it were an individual’s primary goal in life, that life would indeed seem narrow and unambitious. Understood, however, as the prerequisite of great accomplishment, diligence stands as one of the most difficult challenges facing any group of people who take on tasks of risk and consequence. It sets a high, seemingly impossible, expectation for performance and human behavior.”

In August 2020, entering the unknown of our school year seemed overwhelming, and thinking we could do the things we have actually done seemed impossible. And now, looking back, our students and staff have been diligent in wearing masks, cleaning desks, honoring space, and taking care of one another, all while keeping the focus on learning. This diligence - this relentless pursuit of mitigation procedures - has propelled us to be where we are today. Thank you, parents and students, the role you’ve played in keeping our Centennial building as safe and as healthy as possible. Because of your support, our students have continued to strengthen their skills in preparation for their post-secondary futures. Bring on second semester. We’ve got this!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jill Urich

Director of Orbis and Interim Centennial High School Principal

As a reminder, beginning Wednesday, January 20 the late-start schedule will return to its normal time, as reflected in the schedules below.

This schedule continues through January 15th.

They will hold a 9:30 am session and a 10:30 am session for these building tours.

For students that cannot make it to the building, there will be a virtual session starting at 10:00 am. Please click HERE for the link.

Be on the lookout for details on a virtual orientation for second semester. Information will be sent to you via email by the end of the day on Monday, January 11th.

Centennial students, your voice matters! A team of student Innovators in Orbis is engaged in a project in partnership with Mercy One to elevate and communicate information about career opportunities in the medical field and Mercy’s post-secondary programs.

Please click HERE to take this brief survey to inform the team on their next steps.

The Ankeny Centennial High School chapter of the National Honor Society will be accepting applications in January and February of the current calendar school year.

Applicants may be sophomores, juniors, or seniors, and students must have an unweighted cumulative (all grades starting in 9th grade) grade point average of 3.5 or above to apply.

The virtual informational meetings will be held on January 18th at 10 a.m. and January 18th at 7 p.m. Students only need to attend one of these meetings. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the meeting will be held on Google Meet. Please join the National Honor Society classroom using the code 3dl6szq (the letter after the d is a lower case l, not the number 1). The meeting will be recorded, so if neither of those times is convenient, you may watch it at a later date on the NHS Google Classroom site.

Again please join the National Honor Society classroom using the code 3dl6szq.

The application can be found at the Centennial High School website. Click HERE to be directed to the National Honor Society Centennial High School Page and to access the application. Upon completion of the online form, a printed version must be turned into Mr. Garner in room 1409.

The deadline for applications is February 19th. If an extension is needed, contact Mr. Garner.

Any questions should be directed to Mr. Garner, National Honor Society sponsor at Centennial H.S.

tim.garner@ankenyschools.org

515-965-9610

Due to a clarification of policy by ACT, Inc., the Ankeny Community School District is no longer able to disclose a student’s ACT scores to third parties, including colleges (or scholarship committees). This means ACT scores will not be included on student transcripts. Students wishing to provide their scores to a college or any other entity will need to download a copy of their scores from the ACT website and submit this information directly or make a request that ACT, Inc. do so on their behalf.

Second Semester Textbooks - With our second semester courses starting soon, we wanted to let our remote students know that pickup for these materials will begin on January 15th in the main office. Your textbooks will be checked out to you in the library and will be due at the end of the year. An email will be coming with details. If you have any questions, please direct these to our librarian, Tom Honz. He can be reached at tom.honz@ankenyschools.org.

Civil Discourse - Heartland AEA 11 recently included some guidance for civil discourse, both in person and online. See here for more information - Link - https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/we-are-civil-communicators

Counselors are going to work with students in January and February on course requests for the 2021-2022 school year.

Seniors - Don’t forget to look at updated scholarships in Naviance.

The counselors are planning to hold a version of our Future Ready Night this year for parents. Be on the lookout for information regarding How and When we will hold this annual event.

SOS (Supporting our Students): is an after school program for students to get help in their courses, make up tests, quizzes, or just a place for quiet study. SOS will continue on Monday (1/11), Tuesday (1/12), and Wednesday (1/13) next week from 3:50 - 4:50 pm. Beginning on January 19th, SOS will add a night of support. Therefore, 2nd semester SOS support will be held for in-person & remote students on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights from 3:50 - 4:50 pm.

The following attachment is the Senior Calendar for 2021.

Please note, this calendar includes important dates for Seniors and their families. Many items are still “TBD” (to be determined) as details are still being finalized. This document will be updated as that information is available.

Senior Calendar 2021

As we transition to full return, it is imperative that students stay home if having any symptoms of Covid-19. As a reminder, these symptoms include:

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Loss of taste or smell

• Headache

• Congestion

• Runny nose

• Sore throat

• Fatigue

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Fever

As we return to full on-site, distancing in classrooms is more difficult. Mask wearing and sanitizing workspaces is our best defense. If you have any questions regarding when to stay home or symptom questions, please feel free to contact the nurse’s office. The nurse in the building is the point person at the school for all health and Covid related questions as we work alongside Polk County Health Department for individualized guidance.

01/23 - Large Group Speech Contest @ACHS

01/30 - Jazz O Rama Clinic @ACHS

• Please remember to wear your school ID's at all times.
• Please remember to wear a mask at all times. If you forget your mask, one will be provided.

January

01/01: NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

01/04: School Resumes

01/06: Late Start - 10:55 am

01/13: Late Start - 10:55 am

01/15: No SCHOOL for students - student makeup day w/ teachers on unfinished work

01/18: NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Day

01/19: 2nd Semester Begins

01/20: Late Start - 9:25 am

01/21-22: Picture Retake Day

01/27: Late Start - 9:25 am

February

02/01-03/01: Application Window for Senior Graduation Speakers

02/03: Late Start - 9:25 am

02/10: Late Start - 9:25 am

02/15: NO SCHOOL - Professional Development

02/17: Late Start - 9:25 am

02/24: Late Start - 9:25 am

March

03/03: Late Start - 9:25 am

03/04: Parent/Teacher Conferences (Virtual)

03/10: Late Start - 9:25 am

03/12: NO SCHOOL

03/15-19: NO SCHOOL - Spring Break

03/24: Late Start - 9:25 am

03/31: Late Start - 9:25 am