The Charger Channel

Hello Charger Family!!

We are gearing up for another #FULLYCHARGED year at Centennial High School! I am extremely excited to start my third year as Principal at Centennial. I have been a part of the Unit 4 Family for 22 years (much of which was spent at Franklin STEAM Academy) and it has been an honor to serve the Charger community these past couple of years! We continue to learn, grow, and "Charge" together.

For those that are new to "this" High School "thing," have no fear! Your Charger Team is HERE!🤩 Each week, students and families will receive an edition of The Charger Channel. Translations are available in ANY language by using the "translate" tab in the upper right-hand corner of the newsletter. The Charger Channel serves as a way to communicate information on a weekly basis. Some of this communication includes: upcoming dates/events, important information regarding "School Life," pictures & spotlights of what our Chargers have been up to, and much more! Please take the time to read (or at least "scan") these weekly newsletters. I promise, it won't be a waste of time! 😉

I encourage you to follow us on our Social Media platforms to see all of the amazing things that happen in the Charger Family. We have incredible staff and students who continue to make this community - and our world - a better place!

I also encourage families to get engaged and involved. Engagement and involvement "looks" different for everyone! Communication and partnership are key factors to the success of all of our Chargers (regardless if they are incoming Freshman or "outgoing" Seniors!). We hope to see you at Centennial events, family nights, and family conferences. Even speaking with your student(s) about their day/week or reading the weekly Charger Channel newsletter counts as engagement! We are honored to be a part of your student's "Village," and can't wait to see their #FULLYCHARGED futures!!

The Summer edition of The Charger Channel will hopefully answer many of your beginning-of-the-school-year questions. And, if not, please don't hesitate to reach out to me via email at sandersa@u4sd.org.

******Pre-reading warning: this first newsletter is lengthy! Most of them will not be this long. 😉

Please also take some time to go over the '25-'26 STUDENT/FAMILY HANDBOOK. Whatever questions you might have that this newsletter doesn't answer, I can almost guarantee it will be in the handbook‼️

There are only a few weeks left of summer, so please continue to rest, rejuvenate, and "Charge" up for the year ahead! We have a lot of school pride around here, so let's get ready to PAINT THE TOWN BLUE!

Until next time,

Sara Sanders

Principal

Centennial High School

We hope you can stop in at our Back-To-School Prep Night at Centennial on Tuesday, August 5th between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.!

If you have not registered your Charger for the new school year, this would be the time to do it!

We will not be able to register anyone during the first few days of school due to the "busy-ness" of that week.

Hope to see you soon!

Centennial also hosts a Freshman Summer 3-Day Camp to get our new Chargers acclimated to their new school family!

Attend 1 or ALL 3 days! 🌞

One of the ways that we make our "big, beautiful school" feel a little "smaller..." is by assigning our students to certain Assistant Principals/Deans and School Counselors by Student Last Names.

This allows students to have a POINT PERSON for all of their needs!

Meet your "people" below!

All Unit #4 students must be in compliance with the state physical exam and immunization requirements. THE DEADLINE FOR FAMILIES TO COMPLY WITH ALL HEALTH EXAMINATION AND VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS IS SEPTEMBER 2nd!

Unfortunately, ANY STUDENT who is not in compliance before or on this date, will NOT BE ALLOWED to attend school ON SEPTEMBER 2nd until they have provided the appropriate medical documentation.

All incoming ninth graders must have their records in order by this date. Students transferring from out of state are allowed an extra 30 days to be in compliance according to Illinois State Law.

All vaccinations, including two doses of varicella (chickenpox) must be up to date for all students. High School Seniors must also have two doses of meningitis vaccinations. More information regarding Unit 4 Health Policies & School Physicals/Immunizations may be found by accessing THIS LINK.

Student-Athletes MUST have an updated Sports Physical BEFORE trying out for ANY athletic program. Access to the form for School AND Sports Physicals is linked HERE; most clinics also have paper copies of the "Pre-Participation Examination Form" as well.

Here are a couple of links to Health Clinics/Back-To-School Physical Events happening in Champaign:

-Carle Health Clinic Event (August 23rd, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. @ the Martens Center)

-CHP Champaign Health Center (201 W. Kenyon Rd.)

-OSF Offers School & Sports Physical Walk-Ins

We will NOT register ANY students during the FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL. So, there will be NO REGISTRATION ON August 12 - 15th.

If your student has not been registered online or in person yet, please call our Main Office at 217-351-3951 to speak with one of our office team members to make an appointment to register your Charger. There will also be a Registration Kiosk at Back to School Prep Night on Tuesday, August 5th from 4:30-6:30 p.m.!

If your student plans to participate in sports, they must register for that specific sport (or sports) through the "Snap" portal. More information about Fall Sports Registration is on the flyer below!

Freshman & New Charger Orientation Day is Tuesday, August 12th!

Please note - ONLY "TRUE" FRESHMAN OR STUDENTS WHO ARE BRAND-NEW TO CENTENNIAL SHOULD SHOW UP TO SCHOOL ON THIS DAY! If you are an incoming Sophomore, Junior, or Senior AND you are starting at Centennial for the first time this coming year, you are MORE THAN WELCOME TO ATTEND ON THIS DAY!

(Returning Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors should show up to their FIRST DAY on Wednesday, August 13th!)

Freshman Orientation Day is ALL about getting our new Chargers acclimated to High School!

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BRING MANY MATERIALS ON THIS DAY.

Although, we do encourage you to bring a writing utensil, a small bag/backpack to store resources you will gather throughout the day, and a water bottle.

This is a REGULAR school day (8 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.).

MTD and Unit 4 Yellow buses will be operating to get you to/from school. If you need YOUR specific route information to/from Centennial, please visit MTD School Routes.

Breakfast and lunch will be served! Breakfast and lunch are free to ALL Unit 4 students this year.

During Freshman Orientation, your student can expect the following:

• Students will receive their class schedule
• Students will meet their teachers, counselors, support staff, administration, etc.
• Students will receive their brand new Unit 4 Chromebook Devices
• Students will receive their Student ID's & Charger Lanyards (to be worn daily! This is used for LOTS of things in High School!)
• Students will receive information re: their school day, Charger P.R.I.D.E building-wide expectations, a tour of the school, "Tips & Tricks" to be a successful High School student, and much more!

We will end the day with a celebratory Pep Rally and Freshman Carnival (more information on flyer below!)

• THERE WILL BE FREE KONA ICE FOR ALL!!!
• Students can purchase food truck items with their own money if they would like!
• Breakfast and lunch are served on this day - FREE for ALL students!)

Please see the approved Unit 4 School District Calendar below. A link to these documents can also be found HERE.

Note: There are typically TWO early-out days per month at the High School level (different than middle school, which has one). Centennial dismisses students at 1:20 p.m. on all early-out days. Our bell schedule is a little different on these days - see the below bell schedule image for details.

Additional Note: It is critical for our students to be present for High School Exams (December & May). Please schedule family vacations/trips/etc. around these dates.

Please see Centennial's Daily Bell Schedule below.

Freshman will receive their Class Schedule on their first day of school, Tuesday, August 12th. Freshman will learn how to "read" their schedule during Freshman Orientation Day (and they will also go through their schedule on that day as well!)

Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors' Class Schedule information will be posted in the Synergy Student Portal (more on that will be sent in a separate email) a few days before their first day of school on Wednesday, August 13th.

**We encourage students to screenshot their schedules on their devices for easy access!

Please share our Clap-In Event Flyer FAR & WIDE!!

We need our Champaign Community to come out and CLAP-IN our CHARGERS for their '25-'26 School Year!

We hope that you can attend our Charger Family Night (a.k.a "Open House!")

This is a fun event for all AND DINNER IS ON US!!!😋

Our Seniors have a BIG year planned for their "final stop" in High School.

Let's help them make it a memorable one!

Please come out and support them at their student-organized Car Wash (details in flyer below!)

Lunch time at the High School is a time where students can eat (lunch is free for all Unit 4 students), socialize appropriately, and take a "brain break" from their school day.

Freshman and Sophomores are split between "A" and "B" lunches. This will be notated on their Class Schedules. They should ONLY attend their ASSIGNED LUNCH time (no one gets two lunches! 😉). The other half of this hour is their Advisory/Homeroom class. Students receive HS credit for this course! (So, yes! It is a MANDATORY class to attend - don't let your students tell you different! 😉).

Please note: Freshman and Sophomores are not allowed to order from food delivery services during their lunch times because they cannot exit building doors to retrieve the items. IF food is ordered (by either the student OR family) and dropped off in the Main Office, we will hold the food items until the end of the day when your student can pick them up. Thank you for understanding. Food deliveries cause multiple challenges for our staff, so we appreciate your adherence to this request.

Juniors and Seniors have the option of "going out" for lunch during their 6th period "Open Lunch." However, administration does reserve the right to take away this privilege if students are displaying poor attendance/truancy patterns or not following the Student Code of Conduct during their Open Lunch time.

Please see the Charger P.R.I.D.E Cafeteria Expectations posted below.

As we all know, being PRESENT and ON TIME is a life skill! At Centennial, we will continue to focus on student attendance, academic engagement, and will address student tardiness/truancy.

Our Charger Tardiness Protocols are listed below:

At Centennial, we are committed to our Focused 15!

Students should NOT be issued passes for ANY reason (other than an emergency) for the first 10 minutes of class and the last 5 minutes of class.

The physical, emotional, social, and cognitive safety of ALL of our students and staff remains to be a TOP priority of the Charger Family.

There are several ways that we accomplish this:

1. We ask our students AND staff to wear their School ID's at ALL times. This way, we can acknowledge who is in our building.
2. Upon entry into school, students must scan their ID's into "5 Star." 5 Star is a web-based platform that assists us in monitoring student attendance & engagement. We will also be using 5 Star this year to issue "PRIDE Points" to students who are full of Charger P.R.I.D.E.! Students will learn more about this in the first weeks of school - and how to "cash" in their points!
3. When students enter the building, they will go through the metal-detectors with their chromebooks OUT and in front of them (pic below).
4. There are door alarms on each exterior door at Centennial. When the door is opened during the school day, it will set off a "beep," which alerts our school hall monitors & administrators. This allows us to ensure that exterior doors are opened only for permissible reasons. There are also over 100 cameras in the hallways, common areas, outside spaces, and facing parking lots/streets at Centennial.
5. Students who are in the hallways during class time will need to have a 5 Star pass issued to them. Hall monitors may ask to scan student ID's to ensure that students are permitted to be out of class during that time.
6. We conduct 5 Safety Drills per year at Centennial: 1 Shelter-In-Place (Tornado) Drill, 3 Fire Alarm Drills (one with the Fire Department), and 1 Crisis Drill (Lockdown Only Drill - with police department oversight). These drills will be announced to students and families at least 1 week before the drill. They will also be posted to our Centennial Events Calendar on our School Website.
7. We have several spaces for students to go when they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or need someone to talk to. Our Re-Charge Room - informational link HERE, our Wellness Center, and our Counseling team. We also have a Food Pantry that ANY student and family can access at Centennial. Our partnership with the Altrusa is strong and we are grateful that they continue to help our community with those experiencing food insecurity. As we all know, it's hard to learn when you're hungry.
8. Securly. Unit 4 partners with a company called "Securly." You might have received Securly weekly reports before about your students "digital activity." This is a 24-7 service which helps to "flag" certain concerning online items (words, phrases, pictures, etc.) within our students' chromebook devices. When Securly gets a "hit" with one of these items, a team of administrators is alerted and the building principals follow up with families. From there, we "triage" next steps for support.
9. We have two Security Officers (Tierra Johnson and Orlando Rosario-Pagan) and one School Resource Officer (Office Kelly Walton from CPD) at Centennial, every day - all day. The main goal of their presence is to establish healthy and positive relationships with our youth. They will assist in times of need, however, they are not the "first line of defense" for most situations.
10. Centennial has MULTIPLE clubs and extracurricular activities which MANY of our students find their "families" in. Some of these include: Student Voice Club, Student Council, GSA, Black Culture Club, Thespians, Marching Band, Scholastic Bowl, 4-H, Interact, Bright Futures...to name a few! We encourage our students to get connected and find their "family" within the broader Charger Family! A full list of Clubs & Organizations can be found HERE.

As stated above, the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive safety and well-being of ALL of our students and staff is of paramount importance. We also encourage you to voice any concerns (or positive feedback! 😊), to attend our quarterly PTSA meetings (dates are forthcoming!), and to communicate any ideas/thoughts/feelings to myself (sandersa@u4sd.org) or Centennial administration. This is how we partner together to make the Charger community that much stronger!

Cell Phone usage in schools has been a nationwide "hot topic." Everyone from the federal government to the surgeon general is weighing in.

The fact of the matter is this: Cell Phone usage in classrooms/schools is distracting from the learning environment, and can also be harmful to mental/social & academic health.

So, Centennial will be following our Unit 4 School Board Policy regarding Cell Phone usage. Please see the policy below. Please also review this policy and the potential consequences with your student(s).

We encourage you to speak with your student(s) about the "good, bad, and ugly" that cell phone & social media use can cause.

1. Is there a School Supply List for High Schools?

• There is not a general School Supply List for High Schools. We ask students to bring the "basics" for the first week of school (pens, pencils, notebooks, folders). Most courses will present a syllabus at the start of the school year. This might have more specific supplies needed for that class (i.e. notecards, specific calculators, etc.)

2. How do I know if I am eligible to take an MTD bus?

• Unit 4 students who live 1.5 miles away (in perimeter) from their school will automatically receive an MTD bus logo on their Student ID. The address that is used is the one your family used during registration. We will not issue MTD passes to students who are going to a caretakers house or other places after school. The home address is the only address that is honored in order to receive MTD ridership. If you qualify for an MTD pass/logo, you may visit HERE to find out which bus you will take to/from school.

3. How can I track my High School success and College & Career Pathways?

• Unit 4 and building leadership have created a PACE Framework to ensure that ALL students understand where they "are" in their High School journeys and help create a pathway moving forward. A link to the PACE Framework is HERE (pic below as well). ALL students will be presented with their own SchoolLinks/PACE login and portal in the first weeks of school. Freshman and Sophomores will have daily & weekly lessons through PACE to ensure that they stay on track!

4. Where do I go and what do I do on the first day of school?

• ALL students enter through the Student Entrance on their first day of school. School/Check-In opens at 7:30 a.m. The Student Entrance is the large entryway off of the student parking lot. From there, you will go through metal detectors and scan your Student ID. You will then wait in the cafeteria until the 7:55 a.m. bell rings, at which point you can start heading to your first hour class. The last bell rings at 8:05 a.m. At that point, the Tardy Policy (above) is enforced.

5. Will I need a locker? What about a PE locker?

• Many students do not use a general locker and opt to carry their backpacks with them, however, we can absolutely issue one to those who would like one (at any point in the school year!) Please see the Attendance Office if you would like a general locker assigned to you. As far as PE lockers go, everyone who has PE will be issued a PE locker and lock during the second week of school. This is where you will keep you PE uniform/change of clothes, etc. Don't lose your lock (you must pay for it if you do!). More about the PE Expectations can be found HERE.

6. If I drive to school, do I need a parking pass?

• Yes. Students who drive to school will be required to have a Parking Pass. The Parking Passes are $20 per semester, which allows students to park in the Student Parking Lot (North side of building). You can purchase your parking pass during Charger Prep Night (see flyer above) OR by going to the Athletic Department Office.
• Please note - Students who do not have a Parking Pass displayed in their window at all times could be towed!

7. Is there a Family/Student Handbook for Centennial?

• Yes!!! It is linked HERE! This document (although "quite extensive") is a great resource for "all things Centennial!"

• Charger Staff Directory (Unit 4 Email Addresses for staff typically begins with the first 6 letters of their last name, followed by the first 2 letters of their first name - then ending with "u4sd.org." Example: Staff Member Name - Serenity Wilkinson, email address would be wilkinse@u4sd.org.
• Charger P.R.I.D.E. Matrix (building-wide expectations)
• High School Chromebook Care

FACEBOOK: "Centennial High School-I am a Charger"

INSTAGRAM: @IAMACHARGER