CSD Insider
Centennial School District Newsletter December 2016
In This Edition
District Updates & Happenings
District Operations
Inside Schools & Programs
Letters from Students
Announcements
District Updates & Happenings
Centennial School District Receives Meritorious Budget Award
The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) has awarded Centennial School District its Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) for excellence in budget presentation during the 2016–2017 budget year.
The MBA promotes and recognizes excellence in school budget presentation and enhances school business officials' skills in developing, analyzing, and presenting a school system budget. After a rigorous review by professional auditors, the award is conferred only on school districts that have met or exceeded the program’s stringent criteria.
Centennial School District's Future Ready Team Catapults Beyond the 21st Century
Last school year, Centennial School District signed the national "Future Ready Pledge" and created a district-level team focused around developing a plan to continue moving the District forward.
This team met for the first time this year in October 2016. Here is a brief overview of Future Ready, and what it means for the Centennial School District:
First, let's answer the question of what is Future Ready?
Future Ready is a network of innovative schools committed to reshaping education.
Future Ready schools value personalized learning, the dynamic use of technology, and collaborative leadership. Educators in Future Ready schools are encouraged to challenge the many assumptions behind the current structure of schooling and to reshape learning for our children who born to an ever-changing and increasingly connected global community. Click here for even more information.
What did the Future Ready team meet about and discuss?
Here is the full agenda (including attendees, notes, timeline for the rest of the school year, and action items): https://docs.google.com/a/centennialsd.org/document/d/1ofzod7CLOOtZLJhiEyiRqmCOWRof_uk4P_9p8VCPWik/edit?usp=sharing
What are the next steps?
In November, each building level (elementary school, middle school, and high school) held a Future Ready meeting specific to that level. These building-level teams will continue to meet every other month opposite of the entire district-level Future Ready meeting. Members will be taking a survey to look at our current needs, developing a list of schools to visit that are a bit farther along than our schools, conduct teams to visits to these schools, and develop a three-year plan. The three-year plan will include technology, curriculum and assessment, use of time and space, infrastructure, and personalized professional development as key elements to being Future Ready.
Is this something new?
Yes and no. Future Ready was started last year, but the planning process for this year is new. We are hoping to consolidate the current technology, professional development, and curricular initiatives into one Future Ready Plan that creates a seamless connection between these areas.
Seeking Nominations for the Academic Hall of Fame
The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor those alumni who have gone on to significant success in life as well as other individuals who have made outstanding contributions in academia, athletics, or in the arts during their tenure at, or association with, the Centennial School District. The Centennial School District Hall of Fame comprises of three distinct entities: academic, athletic and artistic. Induction into one of the Halls of Fame will forever recognize the embodiment of our best. The success of the inductees is a reflection of the opportunities provided through the various programs offered by the Centennial School District and a commendation of the District’s mission statement: A Diverse Learning Community Where Students Succeed through Academics, Athletics, and The Arts.
Nominations will be accepted until January 15, 2017.
For more information about the Hall of Fame, visit http://www.centennialsd.org/Page/9269 or contact Mr. Matt Shade at shadma@centennialsd.org
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 E-Alert e-mails, text message alerts, and voice recorded messages reach them.
E-Alert 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 lived-streamed and can be accessed via the District website the evening of the meetings. Board Meetings live-streaming
District Operations
MealViewer as Easy as One, Two, Three
The MealViewer free mobile app is now ready for download. This mobile app has the capacity to display menus, nutritional data, and allergen information for items served at breakfast and lunch. This new feature will also act as a communication piece to display special announcements and events in your school cafeterias.
Here’s how to take advantage of this great feature:
- Go to your mobile app store, search for MealViewer, and download the free application.
- Once the download is complete, you will be prompted to search for your child’s school.
- Once you indicate the school, you can set that as your favorite so it automatically appears every time (you can add as many schools to your favorites as you need).
Once you are in the application you will see all the unique features MealViewer offers: marking favorite items so you are alerted the next time they are offered for breakfast or lunch, a rating systems for meals, and a place to provide direct feedback so we can better service your needs.
The MealViewer app is convenient for parents but it is also a great tool for the students. If your child has a smartphone, please encourage him or her to download the app and stay on top of what is cooking in their school’s cafeteria.
Schools Accepted Emailed Student Absence Notes
Parents and guardians are now able to email student absence excuse notes to the school's attendance office. Emailing 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 emailed 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.
Emailed 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 cellphone number of parent or guardian submitting the excuse note
Parents and guardians will receive an email from the attendance office secretary confirming that the student's absence note was received by the school.
Each school has a unique email 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 Schools & Programs
Those Who Served - Honored at District’s Second Annual Veterans Day Ceremony
Early on the morning of November 11th, while four buses with William Tennent High School seniors were en route to Washington DC, other students back at the high school were dressed a little nicer than usual as they prepared to greet the returning alumni who were to be honored for their service in the military. Like many other schools around the nation, William Tennent High School honored and celebrated veterans in the Centennial community.
Nearly 200 seniors spent the day in the nation’s capital on a trip sponsored by the Bucks County Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America. The students visited the Vietnam, Korean, and World War II Memorials, as well as Arlington National Cemetery. Social studies teachers and parents attended the trip as chaperones and guides.
At William Tennent High School, the administration and William Tennent High School Alumni Association held the annual ceremony commemorating the military service of District alumni, faculty and staff. The ceremony included Keynote Speaker, Susan Gormley Carter, class of 1998 Aircraft Carrier Program Office Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division CVN PRE/PRL Program Manager, followed by the recognition of Frank Fellenz, a World War II veteran. Mr. Fellenz's name was added to the Veteran's Wall, which pays tribute to over 125 members of the Centennial community. Rededicated in 2013, the Veteran's Wall has been the focal point of the Veteran's Day observation. After the ceremony, fourteen veterans visited social studies classrooms to share their experiences from their military service with students.
In addition to the ceremony, a portrait by Michael Kuyper, class of 1986 and inductee in the 2016 William Tennent High School Artistic Hall of Fame, was dedicated to the Veteran's Wall.
The annual Veteran's Day ceremony is made possible by the William Tennent High School Social Studies Department and William Tennent High School Alumni Association.
Centennial School District Schools Honor Veterans
Honoring the nation's veterans has been a longstanding point of pride in the Centennial School District. On November 11th of each year, the schools have programs and events for the observance of Veteran's Day.
Davis Elementary School
On November 11th, Davis Elementary School celebrated Veteran's Day in a very special way with a Davis Family and Friends Bingo Night. Over 200 members of the Davis family including, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends were at Davis Elementary School to play a friendly, yet competitive game of Bingo. Special prizes were given out and acknowledgements were made for the brave men and women who have served and are currently serving in our military. Refreshments were served and a great time was had by all.
Klinger Middle School
On October 26th, Klinger Middle School hosted its 8th annual Veteran's Day assembly. Every student in the school attended the assembly with over 100 veterans and their guests. The veterans' military service ranged from World War II to active duty and represented all branches are the armed services. The Veteran's Day assembly was emceed by members of the Klinger Middle School Student Council. Students boy scouts and girl scout presented and retired the colors for the opening and closing of the assembly. Members of the Klinger Middle School band performed for the student body, veterans, and guests. student trumpeter play "Taps" from the balcony of the auditorium, evoking solemn emotion. During the assembly program, a slideshow with pictures of the veterans, past and present, and student-created commercials for the five branches of military service played on the auditorium screen.
Each year, more community members get involved with this event. This year we had several community businesses sponsor and donate goods for the post-assembly breakfast. Three veterans' charities were highlighted as well. The sixth and seventh grade students wrote "thank you" letters for Operation Gratitude. A Klinger Middle School parent shared her company's Suits for Soldiers charity drive. Donations were made to the Travis Manion Foundation. The assembly program closed with a breakfast in the gymnasium organized by the Klinger Middle School PTO,
Log College Middle School
Log College held their annual Veteran's Day assembly on Thursday, November 10th. Students from the band treated the attendees to a great rendition of the "National Anthem." Many veterans that were related to students were in attendance, as they listened to staff, students, and guest speakers. Heather Sliwinski from the charity Operation Ward 57, described how her organization helps wounded servicemen and women receive much needed care when they return to the United States. The students also handed in photos of family members who were in the service that were compiled by the Log College Middle School staff and put into an inspirational slideshow backed by patriotic music. After the assembly, the veterans were invited to a reception and many even went into classrooms to talk to students sharing their experiences from their time in the military. The school looks forward to continuing this tradition as well as participating in fundraising for Operation Ward 57.
Yes, We Khan!
This year at Willow Dale Elementary School, boys and girls in grades 3 through 5 have taken a liking to an online math program, Khan Academy. Mr. Corey, IST/Math Interventionist, has been working with teachers and students in an effort to increase use of the program. Students can earn tickets for the time outside of the school day that they use Khan. Mr. Corey tracks each class as the students navigate the system and is able to pull small groups for intervention, as well as meet with students for enrichment. The students are excited by the extrinsic motivators, such as a prize wall, special class competitions, and individual recognition when content is mastered. The push for our students to use Khan Academy is to provide an additional resource to practice math skills while, at the same time, having fun!
Girls Who Code Club Exceeds Expectations
“When I first arrived at the meeting, I was surprised with the turnout. I didn’t expect the room to be filled to the max with girls, antsy to get started. This meeting not only made me excited to see what our group can accomplish, but opened my eyes to a much bigger world of girls who code,” noted junior Tanya Wang, about the first meeting for William Tennent High School's newest club, Girls Who Code. The enthusiasm Wang described results from forward-thinking young women, eagerly experimenting with technology and becoming literate in digital languages.
The goals of the Girls Who Code club nationally are to promote sisterhood and teach girls to bravely strive for success using technology. The club’s agenda features interviews with women who use coding in their careers, and an impact project to show these young women the potential contributions they can make on their community. The three phases of this impact project are Design, Build and Test which introduce girls to the terms, language and work of real software designers. Club members are also using Canvas, the high school’s learning management system, to participate virtually if their schedules do not permit them to attend meetings.
William Tennent High School is fortunate to have the experience and expertise of the club’s facilitator, Arta Szathmar, Professor Emeritus from Bucks County Community College, and a member of the STEM Department. Her motto is “Rewirement, not retirement.” Szathmar worked with MIT as “Master Teacher for App Inventor.” She also serves as member of the Curriculum Committee for TechGirlz.org and hosts Stemgirlz at Bucks County Community College for middle school girls.
At the first meeting, 26 girls attended, but there are 40 girls signed up for this newest opportunity offered by the high school. After senior Sarah Richie organized and initiated the club, juniors, Tanya Wang and Victoria Alanis were appointed officers. William Tennent High School faculty members Mrs. Slipp, Mrs. Martin, Ms. DiFilippo, Ms. Konell, and Mrs. Banchi serve as the club’s advisors. Meetings are every other Wednesday in room C205, Ms. Slipp’s room. Tanya Wang encourages others to join because,“coding can be a challenging and daunting skill to learn, but it can be so much fun once you get started.”
William Tennent High School's National Art Honor Society Designs Scenery for Hayride
On October 28th, 29th, and 30th, Upper Southampton Township Parks and Recreation held their annual Fall Family Hayride in Tamanend Park. Members of William Tennent High School's National Art Honor Society designed the scenery and attractions along the hayride route. This year’s theme was the Wizard of Oz, so students planned imagery for the set, drew, and painted Munchkin Land. A three-dimensional replica of the wizard’s head fascinated attendees. Senior Ayanna Pritchett and a group of honor society members used wood, wire, newspaper, tape, paper mache, and paint to create the Oz head. Ayanna commented that the real challenge was to construct something appropriate for a children’s event, “We couldn’t make it too scary, but we couldn’t make it too nice either.” Members volunteered over 20 hours of their time, which led to the hiring of some students to work the actual event. Marian Gilbert, Director of Upper Southampton Township Parks and Recreation, relayed the positive feedback she received from the community, and expressed interest in continuing a working partnership between the William Tennent High School art students and her department. There are approximately 45 students who have been inducted into the National Art Honor Society, contributing their time and talents through community service.
Oz the Wizard
Munchkin Land
Klinger Middle School Launches ParentCamp in January 2017
Klinger Middle School will host the district’s first ParentCamp in 2017. The event will be held on Tuesday, January 17th starting at 5:45 p.m. in the library. The last session will conclude at 8:00 p.m. ParentCamp is a new way to connect the home and school in an "un-conference" approach to learning. A survey was sent home to parents in early November to elicit topics of interest for learning or in-depth discussions.
ParentCamp is very different from the traditional parent conference or parent informational session that parents have experienced in the past. Parents and guardians will arrive at Klinger Middle School and report to the library between 5:45-6:00 p.m. During this time, parents will be given an overview of the different sessions that will be held throughout the evening so they can develop a personalized learning path that they wish to follow for the evening. Sessions will be facilitated by Klinger Middle School teachers and district faculty. Each session will be 30 minutes in length. Parents and guardians will have four sessions to choose from for the evening. Since these are not formal conferences, the sessions are designed to spark conversations between parents, guardians, and school staff. These learning sessions highlight the collective intelligence in the room and spark important conversations geared at doing what is best to help our students succeed.
As we want this to be a huge success so that we can continue to grow each year, we have plans in place to increase our participation. Our high school students have graciously volunteered to help with childcare for anyone attending the event. We will have light refreshments available for all attendees. We hope you will consider attending this informational evening as we want to continue to strengthen the partnership between our school and the community we serve.
We hope to see you all at the 1st Annual Klinger Middle School ParentCamp. Please continue to check out our event flyer using the following weblink- https://www.smore.com/pr9k9
Fall Sports Wrap Up
The Centennial School District launched a new athletics website in partnership with Varsity News Network this fall. With the new website, athletes, parents, and fans can now stay up to date with schedules, scores and game recaps at www.williamtennentpanthers.com and/or via the mobile app VNNSports.
Some highlights from the fall athletic season include the following:
Suburban One All League Selections
http://williamtennentpanthers.com/2016/11/11/fall-sol-all-league-teams-announced/
Evan Hutton and Sean Rahill Qualify for PIAA Championships by Taking 8th and 18th Place
WT Golf Finishes in 1st Place in Panther Invitational
Playing for a Good Cause
http://williamtennentpanthers.com/2016/09/12/playing-for-a-good-cause/
Student Athletes Participate on 610AM ESPN Radio http://williamtennentpanthers.com/2016/11/04/wt-student-athletes-participate-on-610am-espn-radio/
Students also have the ability to sign up as an author on VNN to practice their sports journalism! Click on link below to read the article written by William Tennent High School student David Hunt (class of 2018).
http://williamtennentpanthers.com/2016/10/10/tennent-loses-a-tough-one-to-souderton-38-20/
Log College Middle School Football Team Has an Undefeated Season
Letters from Students
Immigration Makes America Great!
Many states give a big welcome to the contributions of immigrants who come from different countries to have a better life in the United States. Many immigrants come from all over the world for example China, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and more; almost a half a million come each year. Immigrants have made this a great country because they worked really hard. Without immigrants, America would be nothing.
Immigrants help businesses in the United States. Many immigrants are business owners. In fact, immigrants are 30% more likely to have their own business and 18% of all small businesses are owned by immigrants (Furman & Gray, 1). Twenty-five percent of public companies (companies that are on the stock market) are started by immigrants. These include Google, Intel, eBay, and Yahoo! (Furman & Gray, 2).
Immigrants help the United States economy. They do business that connects the United States with other countries. They transport goods and some other products to other countries. Another way that immigrants help the economy is through purchasing power. Purchasing power is money that they spend on products and services. The purchasing power of Latinos is 1.5 trillion, and the purchasing power of Asians is 775 billion. Another way that Latinos help the economy is in taxes. The average of money that families pay in taxes is $80,00 more that they receive.
One immigrant who has made a significant contribution is John Sununu. He was born in Cuba, and his parents emigrated from El Salvador. He worked as Presidential Chief of Staff. He is best known for serving as president of JHS Engineering Company and Thermal Research Inc . He is important to remember because if he didn't emigrate from his country to come to United States, and he got to work as a presidential Chief of Staff. That means that he studied hard and he worked hard so that he would have a good education and be prepared for life.
In conclusion, America not only needs immigrants to survive, but we are better because of our immigrants. President Barak Obama said to one group of immigrants, "You're one of the reasons why, even after two centuries, America is always looking to the future, always confident that our greatest days are still to come" (Furhaman and Grey, 3).
Ingrid Hernandez
Grade 7
Klinger Middle School
Works Cited
Balkaran, Stephen, "Commentary: What would America be Like Without Hispanics?"
Furman, Jason and Gray, Danielle. "Ten Ways Immigrants Help Build and Strengthen Our
Economy."
Griswold, Daniel. "Immigrants Have Enriched American Culture and Enhanced our Influence in
Borton, Petrini & Conran, LLP, "National Governors Association."
Announcements
Centennial Education Foundation Anniversary Gala
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 Facebook
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. Judith Hengst, Director of Special Education
Mr. AJ Juliani, Director of Technology and Innovation
Ms. Hannah Messner, Director of Human Resources
Ms. Catherine Perkins, Director of Teaching and Learning
Board of School Directors
Mr. Charles Kleinschmidt, President
Mr. David Shafter, Vice President
Ms. Kati Driban, Assistant Secretary
Mr. Steven Adams
Mr. Michael Hartline
Mr. Mark B. Miller
Ms. Dana Morgan
Dr. Andrew Pollock
Ms. Jane Schrader Lynch
Principals
Dr. Dennis Best, William Tennent High School
Mr. Travis Bloom, Klinger Middle School
Mr. Andrew Doster, Log College Middle School
Ms. Shawanna Coles, Davis Elementary School
Mr. Michael VanBuren, McDonald Elementary School
Dr. Michael Donnelly, Willow Dale Elementary School
Email: csdpr@centennialsd.org
Website: www.centennialsd.org
Location: 433 Centennial Road, Warminster, PA 18974
Phone: 215-441-6000
Facebook: www.facebook.com/csdinfo
Twitter: @Centennial_SD