Centennial Blue Jays
Back-to-School Newsletter 2025
Greetings, Blue Jay Families!
We hope everyone had a wonderful summer! We are excited to welcome you all back to another great year at Centennial.
We've had a few staffing changes, but for the most part, things will look like they did last year. Our amazing custodians Brian and Billy have been working hard this summer to get the building spiffed up and ready for students and teachers. District maintenance staff have done a great job cleaning up the grounds and courtyards, and even repainting the playground zones.
As always, we expect students to be focused on learning while following the Blue Jay Way – being Safe, Respectful, Responsible and Kind!
Read on for more info. Remember, if you have any questions, you can always call our office and speak with Ms. Deb. Our office is open until 4 p.m. each day.
Don Hakala, Principal
Calli Dean, Assistant Principal
Aug. 18: Office reopens
Aug 20: Popsicles on the Playground (site: Centennial playground)
Aug 23: Project Hope supply giveaway (registration opened on Aug 18)
Aug 29: Grade 1-5 lass lists posted behind the reader board, 4 p.m.
Sep 2: Health aide returns; bring student medications, questions
Sep 2: Meet the Teacher (grades 1–5), 5–5:30 p.m. in the classroom, 5:30–6 p.m. popsicles on the playground with the PTO
Sep 3: Grades 1-5 and kinders A-L start school
Sep 4: Kinders M-Z start
Sep 5: Kinders stay home, kinder class lists posted behind the reader board at 4 p.m.
Sep 8: All students at school!
Sep 9: PTO Meeting, 6 p.m. (Meet & Greet begins at 5:30)
Sep 12: Centennial Celebration, 5:30 p.m. - contact PTO to volunteer
Sep 26: Early Release (all students released at 12:30, after lunch)
Sep. 30: Open House, 4:30–6:00 p.m.
With the retirement of the amazing Nancy Williams, we will have Mrs. Standley taking over in Special Ed (Rm 14). Mr. Mac also retired, and we welcome Sagel Bush as our new PE teacher. Due to changing enrollment, we say goodbye to Ms. Erwin, and Mrs. Ketchum will move to second grade. We will also have three fifth grade teachers this year, with Mr. Mowery moving up a grade. We are also losing a few aides, and their replacements will be announced soon. If you know someone who would like to work at a school, encourage them to check our job listings!
School starts for grades 1–5 on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 8:35 a.m.
Incoming kinders will join us on a staggered start schedule. Your kinder will not be assigned a classroom teacher the first day. Rather, they will have the opportunity to interact with each of the kindergarten teachers, and other staff members, during the day. After meeting the students, teachers will be better able to form class lists that are based on the children’s academic and social needs.
- Kinder students with last names beginning with A–L will come to school ONLY on Wednesday, Sept. 3 that first week.
- Kinder students with M–Z will come ONLY on Thursday, Sept. 4.
- Kinders have Friday off while teachers make class lists and prep for students.
- We will post class lists behind the reader board on Friday at 4.
All families will be welcome to come to our Open House on Sept. 30 to meet students' teachers!
If you still have a kinder to enroll, please enroll as soon as possible using ParentVue!
In case you missed it, there is a new web location for ParentVue, so you'll have to delete anything you might have had bookmarked. If you use the ParentVue app, you'll need to delete it and re-download it.
If you need to get us paperwork, please bring it by the office or take a picture and email it to Ms. Deb at deb.jolda@springfield.k12.or.us. Proof of address is required. If you have special circumstances, just let Ms. Deb know and we can work with you. We also need any custodial paperwork, as well as birth certificates and immunization info for kinders.
Please call with any questions about the registration process! We are happy to help!
And please, if you know your student will not be returning to Centennial and haven't told us yet, please let us know ASAP!
You can find requested school supplies for each grade level here. We appreciate your help
- All students can bring their supplies to the Meet the Teacher event or the first day of school.
- Backpacks and water bottles are essential - please label with your child's name!
- Upper grade students can disregard the item about a change of clothing. However, extra clothes are helpful for K-1 students or any student who struggles with toileting.
- If you need help with supplies, please let us know! Mrs. Gifford in the Family Center begins the new year on Sept. 2. During the school year, Mrs. Gifford is always available for assistance with resources, including clothing and supplies. You can always text her directly with questions at 541-321-0394, but please don't expect a reply outside of normal working hours.
- Please be sure jackets, sweatshirts and lunch boxes are also labeled with your student's name(s)!
Again this year, unregistered visitors will not be allowed during school hours for student safety. However, families and community members are welcome to volunteer!
Please use this link from the district website to access the online form and submit information for a background check. If you were signed up to volunteer last year, you do not need to reapply.
Once approved, please check with your child's teacher and/or the school about volunteer opportunities. The school library is one great suggestion. Ms Hodgin always needs help shelving books! Please also consider volunteering through our very active PTO!
Be sure to download the the 25-26 academic calendar.
Early release days are scheduled 1–2 Fridays per month. They are NOT every other week. Please make a note of these days on your personal calendar.
Please note that parent-teacher conferences will again take place the week of Fall Break this year. There will be no school that week. Parent teacher conferences will be scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 25–26).
- Families who live a mile or more away from school, OR who live on the south side of Centennial Blvd are eligible for the bus.
- You must register each year to be added to the route. Kinder registration has the additional step of adding the names of those authorized to pick them up at the bus stop. Authorized siblings in 3rd grade or higher are eligible. Be aware that the bus driver will NOT drop a kinder if there is no authorized person to pick up.
School hours are 8:35–2:50 daily.
Breakfast doors open by the cafeteria at 8:00 a.m.
Please note we do not have supervision available before 8 a.m. Students who arrive early should wait patiently until the doors open.
Classroom doors open for students at 8:25.
Students not eating breakfast will line up quietly in the gym.
If your child arrives after 8:35, please have them stop by the office window to check in.
Appointments/early dismissal: Please try to schedule appointments outside of school hours or on early release days if possible. If you need to pick up your child early from school, leave yourself plenty of time and give us a call before you arrive.
We take school attendance very seriously. Please try to be sure your student arrives at school before 8:35. Students who arrive late will miss out on valuable learning time and may be disruptive to the class. If your student will be absent, please let us know by calling the office or emailing Deb before 9 a.m. if possible. We will again be making phone calls to check up on students who we haven't heard from.
Please keep students who are sick and exhibiting any serious symptoms home. Please follow these general guidelines. Generally speaking, students with the following symptoms should stay home: fever higher than 100.4, uncontrolled cough, diarrhea or vomiting. If your child develops any of these symptoms while at school, we will contact you and your child will need to be picked up. Please be sure we have up-to-date contact information for you and your emergency contacts.
Student medications at school: If your child needs to take medication at school, please know that ANY medication, including over-the-counter meds, must be checked in with our health aide. The health aide starts back on Sept. 2, and this will be a great day to bring in your student's medications (after lunch preferred).
Healthy breakfast and lunch options are served to all students for free. School menus are posted on the district website each month. You can also download the app – there's a new app this year, called LINQ Connect. Be aware there may be modifications on a given day for a variety of reasons. If your student has food allergies, please be sure to talk with our health aide. And of course, students are always welcome to bring their lunch from home.
Classroom snacks: We ask that families follow the district's guidelines for healthy whole class snacks and treats for birthdays and other special occasions. Also, be sure to check with your child's teacher about their personal preferences or guidelines. Any food brought in to share with the class needs to be store bought. While we will not monitor individual student snacks from home, we do hope that we can have your support by providing healthy snacks and lunches for your children at school. If you want more information visit the Nutrition Services page.
Although we do not have a strict dress code, please make sure your child is dressed ready for school each day. Students need appropriate shoes to run and play in, so high heels and flip flops should be saved for home. Student clothing should be comfortable for daily activities and physical education, and free of any images of drugs, alcohol, or weapons. Recess is held outside rain or shine, so please be sure your student is dressed appropriately for the weather.
All students are issued a device to use for schoolwork. Many of our students have devices at home from last school year. Those who do not will have them checked out to them during the first couple weeks of school. Remember, devices will often be going back and forth from home to school.
- Please help your child set up a routine to take care of their device at home and charge it every night.
- And all school-issued devices are to be used ONLY for schoolwork.
New this year: We ask that all cell phones, smart watches, etc - anything that can connect to the internet - be kept TURNED OFF in students' backpacks during the school day. This is an expansion of our previous policy, and it's now a statewide directive. We will be sending a separate email to reinforce this. Students not following this direction will have their device(s) confiscated until the end of the day.
Centennial Information
Email: deb.jolda@springfield.k12.or.us
Website: centennial.springfield.k12.or.us
Location: 1315 Aspen Street, Springfield, OR, USA
Phone: 541-744-6383
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CentennialBlueJays