Centennial Connection Nov 10, 2024

An update for families from Centennial Public School

Dear Centennial PS Families -

Learning and growth continue with another packed week at Centennial PS! This week saw many classes participating in out of school experiences, off property adventures, and guest speakers in a variety of classes. Our focus continues to be on the foundational skills in both literacy and numeracy. We are so proud of the progress that students are making!

Next week, students in Grades 1 to 6 will bring home their Progress Report on Friday November 15th. Students in Kindergarten will receive an Initial Observations Report. These reports provide parents/guardians with information about how a student is progressing towards the curriculum expectations in a variety of curriculum subjects, as well as an overview of their learning skills. Learning skills include executive functioning skills such as organization, collaboration, self regulation and responsibility for learning. Please take some when you receive the report to review the comments about your child's progress. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or educator team.

This past week students have been engaged in learning about Remembrance Day as well as Indigenous Veteran's Day which was last Friday. On Monday November 11th, students will gather in the gym for a Remembrance Day assembly that will begin at 10am. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend. There will be some readings, music, laying of wreaths and moment of silence. Please join us if you are able.

The School Council is planning a Family Movie Night on Thursday November 21st. Please see the information below! The School Council is a great way for parents to get involved in understanding more of the school and organizing engaging activities for families. The next School Council meeting is November 25th. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend!

We continue to appreciate the support of families as students work towards goals in learning. Centennial is a great place to be and we are so proud to be part of a wonderful community! Have a wonderful weekend!

-Deborah Thompson, Principal & the Centennial PS Team

Upcoming Dates

Monday November 11 - Remembrance Day assembly in the gym

Tuesday November 12 - Photo Retake Day & Class Photo Day

Tuesday November 12 - Swim to Survive for Rosser & Tiffany Grade 3 students

Tuesday November 12 - Byers and Travers/Battler classes on Penpal field trip

Thursday November 14 - Travers/Battler to Swim to Survive

Friday November 15 - Progress Report Cards go home

Friday November 15 - Farndon/Aylesworth Kinders to Library

Tuesday November 19 - Swim to Survive - Rosser/Tiffany

Thursday November 21 - School Council Movie Night

Thursday November 21 - Movie Night hosted by School Council

Friday November 22nd - YMCA Media Literacy Workshop - Natalizio, Cahill & Girard

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

FREE! School Council Movie Night November 21st for Families!

A reminder that students must be accompanied by an adult.

School Council News

Here is an update from your Centennial School Council!

The School Council met earlier this week to create a plan for fundraising and family events for the school year. We appreciate all of the feedback that has come from Centennial family surveys and the many volunteers participating in school council meetings and discussions. There will be several exciting events and fundraising opportunities in the coming months. Stay tuned for more details later this month!

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.

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.

Anishinaabemowin Programming Expression of Interest

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

Girls Inc PA Day Camp

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

Should I Bring That to School?

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!

When to stay home?

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.

Click Here for Great Math Ideas for Families!

Hot Lunch

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

Parking!

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.

Attendance Matters!

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!

Parking Zones

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!

Recess

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.

Nutrition Break & Lunches

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.

Insure My Kids

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.

School Trips & Volunteers

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

Recess & Nutrition Breaks

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!

What Do I Need To Bring? What Should Stay At Home?

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.

Parent/Guardian Drop Off & Pick Up

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.

Indigenous Self-Identification

Please see the link below for more information and to self identify, if you wish.

https://ldsb.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9U2iaUl9GIFILb0

Oliver's Labels

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

E-Store

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/

Safe Arrival - How Do I Report An Absence?

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.