Centennial Family Newsletter
November 2026
Dear Centennial Families,
A New School, A Warm Welcome: Your Voice Matters
We recognize that learning your child's school will be closing brings many emotions, questions, and uncertainties for families. As we begin thinking about the transition to a new school community, we want to make sure families and students feel heard, valued, safe, and welcomed.
We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences with us. Your voice will help us better understand what matters most to your family and what schools can do to make this transition a positive and supportive experience for every child.
Together at Coffee and Conversation today, we reflected on three important ideas:
My child will feel safe if…
I will feel welcomed if…
I don’t/didn’t feel welcomed when… (What did someone say or do?)
Now we invite you to do the same. There are no right or wrong answers. We want to listen, learn from your experiences, and understand how we can help create a sense of belonging for every student and family. We invite you to please share your thoughts we us. You can email me at geneanne.m.payne@adams12.org, and I will ensure that your ideas get to our district leadership.
Every family deserves to feel that they belong.
Sincerely grateful,
Geneanne Payne and Susannah Penney
Vision~Inspiring a community of diverse minds to thrive as independent learners.
Honoring our Veterans
In honor of Veterans Day, we would love to recognize and celebrate the veterans in your family who have courageously served our country. We are grateful for their service and the sacrifices they and their families have made.
This week, we sent home two flyers:
1. Honoring Our Veterans: Please complete and return the form so we can recognize your family member who has served in the military. If you did not receive a copy, you can access it here: Please fill out this form. We will proudly display the forms and any photos you share in our front office throughout November. All photos will be returned to you.
2. Veterans Day Lunch: We warmly invite any veteran in your family to join their child or grandchild for a complimentary lunch at school on November 11. Please see the flyer below for additional details.
Thank you to all who have served and to the families who have supported them. It is our privilege to recognize and honor the veterans in our Centennial community. We are truly grateful for you!
Arapahoe Ridge Tours
Did you miss the Arapahoe Ridge Open House? Schedule a tour in English or Spanish with the Arapahoe Ridge Family Liaison, Abbey Scotese at Sco026309@adams12.org
Every Day Counts! Let's Finish the Semester Strong!
Our community has been working hard to support strong student attendance, and we want to thank you for your continued commitment to getting students to school each day! Our first few months of school have brought us the highest attendance rates we've seen in the past three years! Yahoo!
Recently, our school Attendance Team, which includes office staff, administrators, and teachers, met to review attendance data and identify the times of year when student absences have been most impacted. Based on historical data, we identified the following time frames as having some of the highest rates of student absences during the first semester:
November 16–20 – The week leading up to Thanksgiving break
November 30–December 4 – The week immediately following Thanksgiving break
December 14–18 – The four days leading up to winter break
As we approach these dates, we want to be proactive in encouraging strong attendance and continuing to work toward our school-wide goal of 95% attendance. Reaching this goal takes a partnership between our school and our families!
We know this time of year can be busy, with holiday plans, changing schedules, and colder weather. To help make these weeks a little more exciting, we have some fun activities and special events planned for students. We hope these experiences give students something extra to look forward to and make it a little easier to prioritize being at school!
Nov.16-20- Surprise Attendance Wheel
Popcorn for Snack
Drop Everything & Dance
Name that Tune
Photo Prop Day
Extra Recess
Nov. 30-Dec.4-Two Surprise Attendance Days
M, 11/30 Breakfast with our mascot, Rocky the Raptor
Lunch & a Movie
Classroom visits from Rocky the Raptor
Dec. 14-18: Spirit Week
- Specific days to be announced in our December Family Newsletter
Here are a few ways families can help us reach our 95% attendance goal:
Stick to the school calendar! Please avoid extending vacations by pulling students out a day early or adding extra days after a scheduled break. Every instructional day matters!
Plan ahead. Review our school break schedule and plan family travel around designated school holidays whenever possible.
Help students stay excited about school. Talk with your child about upcoming activities, special events, and the fun things happening at school.
Reach out if you need support. As the weather gets colder, please let us know if your family needs assistance with winter coats, warm clothing, or other cold-weather resources. We are here to help!
Communicate with us. If your family is experiencing challenges that make regular attendance difficult, please connect with us. We want to partner with you to find solutions.
Most importantly, we recognize that illness and unexpected circumstances happen, and we always want students to stay home when they have diarrhea, vomiting, or a fever. Our goal isn't perfect attendance; it's making every possible day count!
Thank you for partnering with us and making daily attendance a priority. When students are here, they are learning, growing, connecting with friends, and fully participating in all that our school has to offer.
Together, we can reach our 95% goal! Let's make these final weeks of the semester full of learning, connection, and fun!
Recognize, Report, Refuse: Learning About Bullying
At Centennial, we want every student to feel safe, respected, and included. As part of our work to build a positive school community, students are learning about the difference between everyday conflict and bullying, as well as the important role each of us plays in creating a safe environment.
Students are learning three important skills to help them recognize and respond to bullying:
RECOGNIZE: Bullying is when someone uses their words, their body, or technology to intentionally hurt someone. Bullying is one-sided (there is an imbalance of power) and happens repeatedly. Students are learning how to recognize when a situation may be bullying rather than a disagreement or conflict.
REPORT: Students are learning the importance of telling a trusted adult when they experience or witness bullying. Speaking up is not tattling; it is an important way to help keep everyone safe.
REFUSE: Students are learning how to stand up to bullying in safe and appropriate ways. This might mean using a strong, respectful voice, letting someone know their behavior is not okay, or supporting a peer who is being targeted.
At this month's Community Meeting, students will have the opportunity to practice these important skills and learn how they can help create a school community where everyone feels they belong.
We also know that this work takes a partnership between school and home! At our December Coffee and Conversations, we will continue the conversation with families and share more about bullying, district policy, and practical ways you can support your child at home.
Together, we can help students build the confidence and skills to recognize, report, and refuse bullying while creating a school community rooted in Accountability, Belonging, and Courage!
Rockin Raptors for October
We were excited to celebrate our Rockin Raptors for October with families and donuts. These students were nominated by their teachers for demonstrating one of our Raptor Qualities of Accountability, Belonging, or Courage. Below are the names of the students that were honored and the reason their teacher nominated them.
Kindergarten
Troisi
Blake Gleason - Accountability- Blake does a wonderful job showing accountability in our classroom! She consistently follows directions, shares her ideas, and is always ready to participate in learning. She challenges herself as a reader and a writer and has already grown so much this school year! We are so lucky to have a role model like her in our classroom!
Giles
Genesis Castaneda Nava - Belonging - Genesis shows Belonging each and every day and is such a wonderful example of kindness in our classroom. She is always looking for ways to help others without even being asked. Whether she is helping a friend with their jacket, picking something up that someone has dropped, or offering a helping hand, Genesis makes sure those around her feel cared for and included. She has such a thoughtful heart and helps make our classroom a place where everyone feels like they belong. We are so proud of the kindness and sense of belonging she shares with others each day!
Nazli Rivas - Accountability, Belonging - Nazli consistently shows accountability by trying her best on her work and following directions. She also shows Belonging by being nice with her friends and helping them when they are sad. Thank you for being such an amazing student Nazli!
First Grade
Hurbis
Graycen Nunez Perez - Accountability - Graycen consistently stays focused on his tasks and sets a good example for his classmates. He always listens actively, participates, and gives his best effort. He knows how to have fun and enjoy time with his friends while also recognizing when it's time to refocus and work hard. He demonstrates responsibility for his learning and helps create a positive learning environment for everyone around him!
Heinrich
Marina Patton Estrada - Courage - Marina demonstrates Courage by completing her work and always trying her best in first grade. She is always willing to share her ideas and thinking with her peers. Marina never gives up!
Second Grade
Bernat
Selena Gomez Meza - Accountability- Selena always finishes her work, even when it’s hard! If she’s not done yet, she keeps working a little longer until it’s her very best. She doesn’t give up, and she feels super proud when she turns it in.
Woods and Holliday
Adylene Mayren - Belonging - Adelyne shows belonging every day. She is always kind to everyone and helps everyone be included. She has a positive attitude and she helps anyone in need. She is great partner with everyone she works with. Way to go, Adelyne!
Niko Salazar Hernandez - Belonging - Niko is thoughtful and kind, and he looks for ways to help others feel welcomed, valued, and included. His caring actions make our classroom a place where everyone, including the students or teacher, feel like they belong.
Third Grade
Verucchi and Gomez
Anna Dragon - Accountability - Every day, Anna shows up ready to do her work and try her very best. Anna is a role model to her classmates by doing the right thing, even when no one is watching, and always following our Raptor ABC's. We are so proud of you, Anna!
Scanlon
Jerry Bernat- Belonging - Jerry welcomes everyone everyday. He is kind and often invites others to join his group both in class and on the playground. Thank you for making everyone feel welcome! Keep bringing your smile and joy every day!
Fourth Grade
Vanderbilt
Miles Rodriguez - Accountability, Belonging and Courage - He goes above and beyond to help out every single one of his classmates. He shows courage to challenge himself during independent time or in class discussion and last, but not least he is accountable in all the work and choices he makes on a daily basis. He is a leader in so many ways.
Kinsley Adams - Accountability - She has done an exceptional job engaging in all learning, listening to her partners in collaboration, and accepting and applying feedback to her work. She is an extremely hard working fourth grader.
Gleason and Walton
Ashley Huerta Jurado- Accountability - Ashley works very hard each day to further her learning. Ashley asks questions and engages with her peers to figure out how she can improve. We are so lucky to have her!
Luke Benavidez - Courage - Luke works hard everyday to engage in our school work. He is also a leader in our room. We are so lucky to have him!
Fifth Grade
Le
Luis Montelongo- Belonging- Luis has consistently showed signs of belonging whether it is helping out a classmate who is having a rough time or making sure to include people into his discussions. His kind heart makes him an amazing human being!
Kless
Lucy Seitzinger - Accountability, Belonging, Courage - Lucy demonstrates belonging by helping others and showing kindness to everyone. When she smiles, she lights up the room. She shows accountability by putting in effort into everything she does, and she always takes pride in the quality of her work. Lucy has shown courage by making friends at a new school and running for office at Young AmeriTowne. We are so grateful to have you at Centennial, because you have certainly made our community even brighter! Keep shining your light everywhere you go! Love, Mrs. Kless
Parent and Teacher Organization
Please join us at our next CPTO meeting on Thursday, November 19th at 1:00 pm in the cafeteria. Translation is provided for all members.
A Message from the Broomfield Library
Elementary families, there are free, fun and engaging programs at the library this fall. Try out the weekly Read to a Dog program, monthly Pokemon Fun!, Stay & Play with LEGOs and 4th & 5th Grade Book Club.
Over Thanksgiving break, stop by the library to create a fun optical illusion craft, presented by WOW! Children's Museum on Tuesday, Nov. 24 (K-3).
All Ages: Toy Swap! Saturday, Nov. 7 10-11:30 a.m.
Learn about our library services
The library offers resources for all ages - find out more at broomfieldlibrary.org!
We also post our current program calendars on our Children's Library webpage.
If your community would be interested, the central online calendar shows all events with the Broomfield Library, Arts & History, and inventHQ makerspace across all age groups.