Centennial Connection Nov 17, 2024

Dear Centennial PS Families -

We started the week with a beautiful and meaningful Remembrance Day ceremony on Monday. Many classes participated with reading, singing and spoken word. Thank you to the families and community members who were able to attend. While we recognize Remembrance Day on the 11th, there was a lot of continued learning and understanding that took place in classrooms throughout the week.

This week several classes also welcomed their pen pals to Centennial PS. There has been a lot of engagement and learning with peers from other schools. Several classes enjoyed exploring downtown Kingston and learning about many historical sites and monuments. Other classes are just getting to know their pen pals through letter writing, and it is very exciting to get mail back from them! The grade 3 students had their first Swim to Survive program at the YMCA this week also. The big smiles from students as they learned safety around water while also having a lot of fun, was really encouraging. Many thanks to the YMCA for hosting and supporting this Ministry of Education program.

This coming week is a short week for students as Friday November 22nd is a day of professional learning for staff. We will be looking more closely at various math resources for teaching and learning, and will be sharing more with families about how to access and use some of these at home as well. We are grateful for the connection we have with our math learning coach, Mrs Lajoie, who works with Centennial staff in the area of mathematics. This week, Mr Gillespie, our learning partner who supports teachers in various areas especially literacy, was also at Centennial working with staff as we progress monitor student learning and growth in reading and writing. Staff continue to monitor and track student progress and we are so proud of the growth we are seeing already. On Friday, Progress Reports (Grades 1-6) and Initial Observation Reports (Kindergarten) went home with students. We are so pleased to share the great things that students are learning and doing at Centennial PS!

We had expected to have class photos taken last Tuesday. Due to some challenges with the photographer, class photos were not able to be taken. Class photo day will now take place on Tuesday November 19th. If your child missed the original photo day or retake day, those can also be taken on Tuesday. Edge Imaging apologizes for any confusion or problems this change has caused.

On Thursday November 21st the School Council is hosting a Family Movie Night. Parents/Guardians and students are welcome to come to the school and spend some time together. Please check out the details below! A reminder that pizza can be ordered for the movie night, through School Day. All orders are due by Tuesday November 19th. As well, the regular School Council meeting will take place on Monday November 25th. At this meeting, the Intensive Support Teacher (IST) , Mrs Christian, will share about her role and everyone will have a chance to visit the IST room. All parents and guardians are welcome!

As always, should you have questions about your child's learning, please reach out to the classroom educators. Any general questions or wonderings about the school, don't hesitate to reach out! The school email address is cente@limestone.on.ca

A reminder that Hot Lunch orders are due by noon on Sundays for the week ahead. All orders are to be placed through LunchBox (more details below). Also, we are excited for all athletes on the boys and girls volleyball teams who are participating in the volleyball tournaments on Monday. Good luck! Many thanks to the coaches and supporters throughout the season!

Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy the sunny day ahead!

-Deborah Thompson, Principal & the Centennial PS Team

Monday November 18 - Volleyball Tournaments for both teams

Tuesday November 19 - Class photo day

Tuesday November 19 - Swim to Survive - Rosser/Tiffany

Wednesday November 20 - Media Literacy Workshops - Natalizio, Cahill & Girard classes

Thursday November 21 - Movie Night hosted by School Council

Thursday November 21 - Invasive Species Presentation fro Ms Girard's Grade 5/6 class

Friday November 22 - PA Day - no school for students

Monday November 25 - School Council Meeting at 6:30pm in the library

Tuesday November 26 - Dental Screening

Tuesday November 26 - Swim to Survive - Rosser/Tiffany

Wednesday November 27 - Dental Screening

Friday November 29 - Swim to Survive - Travers/Battler

Friday November 29 - Brain Reach Workshop - Natalizio

Thursday December 5 - Conservation of Energy workshops - various classes

Friday December 6 - Swim to Survive - Travers/Battler

Friday December 6 - Natalizio Grade 4/5 to the Library

Holiday Break is December 23 to January 3. Return to school is Monday January 6, 2025

Here is an update from your Centennial School Council!

Upcoming Event - Thursday, November 21

The School Council will be hosting a Centennial Family Movie Night on Thursday, November 21.

Come watch Inside Out 2! Doors will open at 5:30, and the movie will start at 6:00pm. There will be complimentary popcorn and we ask that families bring their own drinks. Pizza will be available for purchase ahead of the event using School Day. Pizza orders are due on School Day by 5pm on Tuesady November 19th.

This event is free. Families are encouraged to bring a donation of non-perishable food items in support of the local food bank.

Please contact councilcentennialps@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer to help with this event or if you have any questions.

The Limestone District School Board's Choices at 7 programs offer opportunities for students entering Grade 7 to participate in a variety of unique learning environments. Depending on the availability of places in the programs, students currently in Grade 7 may also apply to join a program for their Grade 8 year. The Choices at 7 Programs that are offered include:

ATLAS (Applying Technology for Learning, Aptitude and Success)

Challenge (Gifted and Academic Enrichment Program)

LEAP (Limestone Education through the Arts Program)

Extended French Immersion Program

For detailed information about any of the Choices at 7 programs, please go to the Choices at 7 website

Application Process:

The application form for the ATLAS Program, the Challenge Program, LEAP, and Extended French Immersion for September 2025 will be open from December 13, 2024 until January 13, 2025. Application information and links are available on the Choices at 7 website.

Open Houses:

ATLAS, Challenge and LEAP Choices at 7 Program Open House, Calvin Park Public School

December 10, 2024 at 6:00 pm

Ernestown SS Grade 7/8 Challenge Program Open House

December 11, 2024 at 6:00 pm

Loughborough Public School Challenge Program Open House

December 12, 2024 at 6:00 pm

Please continue to check the Choices at 7 website for the Open House dates for the Extended French Immersion Programs at Harrowsmith PS, Module de l’Acadie, and Module Vanier.

Beginning on November 25th, Ashley Nadon, an Anishinaabemowin speaker from Long Lake 58 First Nation, will be offering virtual Anishinaabemowin classes via Microsoft Teams. Classes will be held 3 times per week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

This opportunity is available to self-identified Indigenous students who belong to the Anishinaabek Nation. If there is space after prioritizing Indigenous students whose heritage language is Anishinaabemowin, self-identified Indigenous students from other Nations will be welcomed to participate. Please note this programming is not in lieu of French due to Ashley's limited schedule.

If you are interested in having your student participate, please email us at cente@limestone.on.ca

Registration is open for the next free Girls Inc. PA Day Camp! Girls+ in grades 4 to 6 can join on Friday, November 22, 2024 at the Rideau Heights Community Centre in Kingston from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm for a full day of activities! Themes will include learning to deflect bullying and a related project to help improve their school communities.

Click HERE to register online. Girls Inc will contact all registered participants by email the week of November 18 to confirm attendance. If you have questions about the day or for help with registration, please email Program Coordinator Quinlan Smith at quinlansmith@girlsinclimestone.ca

Families are reminded that items of value (monetary and sentimental) are to be left at home. As well, toys, costumes, masks, anything that could be used as a weapon, make up and anything scented should not be coming to school. Thank you for your help with this!

Click Here for a list of KFL&A exclusions. As a reminder, children should stay home until they have no fever and their symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if they have gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and/or diarrhea). Once symptoms start improving, they are encouraged to return to school, if they are well enough to do so.

Hot Lunch - Orders Due by Sunday Noon

Once again this year we are using LunchBox to provide families with some options for hot lunch, should they wish to participate. Orders are due by NOON on Sunday for orders being delivered the following week.

Just a reminder that should buses be cancelled, hot lunches are also cancelled and credit will be provided to account.

To create an account and order hot lunches, use the guide below and linked here: Get The Guide

Just a reminder that if you are bringing your child to school or picking up, that there is no parking on the north side of Norman Rogers Drive. Last week we were out reminding parents and guardians of this. Cars that are parked on the north side are subject to a ticket and we don't want you to get one! Please park on the south side of Norman Rogers to the east or west of the school. There is no parking in front of the school as that is a bus loading zone.

The parking lot is for staff only. Please do not drive into or through the parking lot. Walkers are encouraged not to walk through the parking lot, for safety reasons.

There are many places to park on neighbouring streets that only take a few moments to walk to the school from. Thank you for your help with this important safety matter.

We will be working hard to promote regular attendance, at Centennial and all across the Limestone District School Board. We will be sharing information about how to set up healthy habits and we will be reaching out to families as attendance concerns arise. We want to work with you to promote regular attendance at school. If there is a way we can help you, please let us know!

We have experienced significant growth in our school population, including staff. As such, we are kindly requesting that parents and guardians do not park in the school parking lot at any time during the hours of 8am and 4pm.. We have some part time staff who arrive at various times throughout the day and they need to be able to park and get into the school to begin teaching on time. Please note that there is one entrance and one exit to the parking lot to ensure safety and flow of traffic.

Please also do not park directly in front of the school as that is a bus loading zone. There are parking spaces available along Norman Rogers drive to the east and west of the school, and along a number of side streets close to the school.

Thank you for helping to ensure that students can arrive safely to school. There are crossing guards on both Johnson Street and Norman Rogers Drive to help families cross these busy road ways. We appreciate their hard work!

Students go outside for 2 recess breaks, and sometimes are outside with their class for various learning activities. Students are encouraged to wear sunscreen during the warmer months, and have a sun hat outdoors.

We go outside for recess rain or shine and as such, students should come to school prepared to go outside even if it is lightly raining. In the event of heavy rain we will remain indoors, but we try to be outside for recess whenever possible.

Students have the opportunity to eat twice during the day at school. Lunches and snacks must be nut free please. This includes no peanut butter or nutella, or any kind of granola bar with nuts in it.

A reminder that Centennial participates in "Boomerang Lunch" which means that everything a child brings to school in their lunch bag, is returned home at the end of the day. In this way, parents/guardians can easily see what a child has or hasn't eaten in a day. Wrappers, containers, etc., will be sent home.

School Board Policy states that participation on school sports teams (both elementary and secondary) is conditional on obtaining at least the basic student accident insurance coverage for the student or proof of external private coverage through your family plan. The cost of basic coverage is approximately $17.00 per year. This covers the student while attending school during the school day. The time spent by students participating in school-sponsored teams is considered part of the school day, even if the games and/or practices are held outside of the regular school hours. It is recommended that all parents consider this program. Visit www.insuremykids.com to get this inexpensive and highly recommended insurance.

Throughout the year, we may ask for parent/guardian volunteers on school trips or for various classroom and school activities. The wait time for obtaining a CPIC (background check with vulnerable sector screening) can be lengthy. As such, if you think you would be willing to assist with a trip or school event in the future, please consider obtaining a CPIC with vulnerable sector screening completed, beforehand.

To get a Vulnerable Sector Check you may be required to provide a letter from the school indicating that you will be volunteering. We can send this to you! Just email us at cente@limestone.on.ca and we are happy to provide you with the letter.

Link to City of Kingston Police Check Request Here

Students will have 2 recesses and 2 nutrition breaks. Recess is outside on a particular yard (we will flip/flop the space each day so students in Grades 1-6 have the opportunity to play on both parts of the yard each day). All staff will be wearing safety vests so they are easily recognizable. Nutrition breaks happen in classrooms.

We have several students with life-threatening allergies. A reminder that our school is nut aware: please ensure that your child's snacks and lunch do not contain any nut products. Classroom teachers will communicate any additional food allergies that families will need to be aware of. Thank you for your support in keeping all of our students safe!

All school supplies that students need for their learning and work will be provided by Centennial Public School. Sometimes students prefer to have their own pencil case with pencils/markers, but it is not a requirement.

Students do need to come to school with:

- Indoor, non-marking athletic type of shoes

- Water bottle with child's name clearly marked (we have bottle filling stations, not fountains)

- Nut-free snacks and lunch

Please label all items!

Sometimes students want to bring items to school to show friends, or have things stored in backpacks that need to remain at home. This is just a reminder that students should not bring the following items to school:

- 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.

Students are to come onto the school yard between 8:50am and 9:05am each morning. Families are reminded that they are not to arrive earlier than 8:50am as there is no supervision on the yard before that time. Parents/guardians who drive students must park on the street as there is no/limited parking in the school parking lot. Please note that there is no entrance on the west side of the school. That is for pedestrians only.

Student pick up happens at the exterior doors of the school at 3:25pm.

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

Want to look spiffy and show off your pride in being a Centennial PS Comet? Check out all of the clothing and accessories available at the Centennial Public School e-store at: https://specialtytrophies.ca/centennialps/

Please use the Safe Arrival system to report your child's absence; do not call the school to report an absence. If you child is going to be absent from learning, please ensure you use the Safe Arrival system to report the absence. If your child will be late, please report a full day absence and then we will sign them in when they arrive. You cannot indicate a half day absence.

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.

3. SchoolMessenger SafeArrival Website Portal

• 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.

Stay Up To Date! Please check the following regularly...

Centennial PS Twitter https://twitter.com/centennial_ldsb?lang=en

Centennial PS Website https://centennial.limestone.on.ca/

LDSB Website https://www.limestone.on.ca/

LDSB Twitter https://twitter.com/LimestoneDSB

LDSB Facebook https://tinyurl.com/wbhjtku

LDSB Instagram https://instagram.com/limestonedsb?igshid=1epyma6c0g5qd

"We treat others the way we want to be treated"

"Show Up! Stand Up! Never Give Up!"

Email: cente@limestone.on.ca
Website: https://centennial.limestone.on.ca
Location: 120 Norman Rogers Dr, Kingston, ON K7M 2R2
Phone: 613.546.5517
Twitter: @Centennial_LDSB