Dear Centennial School District Community,

I am writing to share important information about our district's procedures regarding outside officials requesting access to our schools, students, or student records. These procedures reflect the District’s commitment to student safety and our legal obligations while upholding our district's core value of being "committed to the health and welfare of all of our students, staff, and families" (Board Resolution, February 14, 2017).

Commitment to Students and Families

The Centennial School District Board of School Directors has affirmed the District’s commitment to providing "a safe and inclusive environment" where all students can learn and thrive (Board Resolution, February 14, 2017). This commitment includes maintaining clear procedures for any situation where outside officials request access to our schools or student information. As outlined in our Board Resolution, we remain dedicated to:

• Maintaining high standards of behavior for adults and students

• Being non-discriminatory

• Creating a safe and inclusive environment

• Treating all constituents with respect, compassion, and tolerance

School Access Procedures

When any law enforcement or government officials request access to our schools, we follow these established procedures to ensure student safety and privacy:

1. All visitors, including officials, must:

• Report to the main office

• Present proper identification

• Sign in and receive a visitor's badge

• State their purpose for visiting

• Board Policy 907 and Administrative Regulation 907-AR-0

2. School administrators will verify credentials and review any documentation presented.

3. Parents/guardians will be notified if their child is the subject of any official request (if possible).

Student Records and Privacy

Federal law provides specific protections for student privacy. Our procedures regarding student records are as follows:

• We maintain student records in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

• Access to student records requires either:

- Written parent/guardian consent, or

- A valid court order or judicial warrant

We do not collect or maintain information about immigration status in student records.

Building Principal Authority

Our building principals, by School Board Policy 907, have the authority to:

• Limit visitors to designated areas

• Restrict the number of visitors

• Modify visiting procedures when necessary to protect student safety

CSD administrators have received guidance and procedures for responding to immigration officials at school sites.

The information and procedures outlined above and to our school district administrators reflect our commitment to protecting student privacy, safety, and legal obligations while maintaining an environment conducive to learning. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation, which will help us maintain a safe and inclusive environment.

Sincerely,

Dana T. Bedden, Ed. D., CAA

Superintendent of Schools

Budget season has once again arrived in CSD. Yesterday, the Board of School Directors held their first budget meeting (presentation attached). Prior to the meeting, I shared the following memorandum with the Board.

As you enter the budget planning season, I want to bring compelling evidence of the direct relationship between strategic funding and positive student outcomes in our district, along with concerns about maintaining our recent progress.

CURRENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Our district has achieved unprecedented success in student growth and achievement:

1. All CSD students met or exceeded 100% of performance targets across all measured areas for the first time in over a decade.

2. Remarkable growth across student subgroups:

• English Learners: 93% of grade-level growth measures met or exceeded standards
• Lowest Performing 33%: 87% of grade-level growth measures showed growth
• Economically Disadvantaged Students: 87% of grade-level growth measures demonstrated growth
• Students with IEPs: Included in overall district achievement of 100% performance targets

STRATEGIC USE OF FUNDING

These achievements were made possible through the strategic allocation of funds, particularly ESSER grants (which no longer exist), across five key areas:

1. Curriculum Implementation

• Evidence-based programs, including Fundations, Heggerty, and Geodes Decodable Readers
• Didax Math Manipulative Kits
• Standards-aligned materials

2. Technology and Instruction

• 1:1 technology environment for K-5
• Centennial Virtual Learning Academy serving approximately 70 students annually

3. Assessment Systems

• Implementation of ESGI, DIBELS, and MAP platforms
• Enhanced ability to monitor student progress and target interventions

4. Professional Development

• Partnerships with the University of Pennsylvania Penn Learning Network
• AIM Institute collaboration focusing on the Science of Reading/Structured Literacy training
• Science of Learning, Leadership, and the Brain

5. Staffing and Systems

• Critical positions, including Digital Learning, SEAL, ELD, and MTSS Coordinators
• Math Specialists
• Implementation of district data warehouse and improved systems CURRENT FUNDING

CHALLENGES

We have made significant reductions that will negatively impact our ability to maintain this progress, such as, but not limited to, the following:

• 13% decrease ($260,000) in Teaching and Learning budget
• 24% reduction ($792,200) in technology budget
• Staffing reductions of 3 FTEs and 1 Coordinator position
• Cuts to professional development programs
• Elimination of summer remediation and literacy programs

RESEARCH-BASED IMPACT

Research consistently shows the relationship between adequate funding and student outcomes. A landmark study by Jackson, Johnson, and Persico demonstrated that a 10% increase in per-pupil spending throughout K-12 led to 7% higher wages and a 3.2% reduction in adult poverty rates.

RECOMMENDATION

As you consider the upcoming budget, I respectfully and strongly recommend:

1. Prioritizing the preservation of programs and positions that have demonstrated a direct impact on student growth and achievement
2. Exploring alternative funding sources to maintain critical initiatives
3. Developing a sustainable funding strategy to protect our investments in student success

Our district's recent achievements demonstrate that strategic funding directly impacts student outcomes. We must carefully consider how budget decisions will affect our ability to maintain this progress and continue serving all students effectively.

Thank you in advance for your willingness to provide the needed resources for the CSD students.

Just to make sure you know, all schools and offices are open on Monday, February 3, 2025. The calendar marking indicates the first day of virtual, asynchronous professional learning for teachers. We look forward to seeing all teachers, staff and students on Monday!

McDonald's third grade students engaged in a presentation from the Johnsville Centrifuge and Science Museum. The presentation focused on the early years of the United States space program up to the landing of the lunar module as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Students learned about the science behind rocket development and space travel and viewed models of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo rockets and capsules. In addition, students learned that the astronauts from those missions trained here in Warminster at the centrifuge at the former Johnsville Naval Air Development Center. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to make connections to their learning from our Wit and Wisdom study of how and why do scientists learn about space.

In sixth-grade ELA classes at Klinger, students are reading the novel Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. While reading this novel, the students are discovering the hardships that people faced during the Dust Bowl. The students recently wrote a "To-SEEC" paragraph to explain what sustained people’s spirits during the Great Depression. "To-SEEC" is an acronym for: "ToS" - topic statement, "E" - evidence, "E" - elaboration, "C" - conclusion. As they continue reading the rest of the novel, the students will be finding evidence that supports the various themes of the novel and they will also be writing a cause-and-effect "To-SEEC" essay describing how hardship can alter a character’s perspective.

On Thursday, January 23, Klinger's 7th-grade Orcas Team celebrated their impressive growth on the Winter i-Ready reading and math assessments. Students earned raffle tickets for each point of growth from the September diagnostic test to the January assessment in both subjects. Teachers entered all the tickets into a drawing and pulled winners in front of the entire team. Students whose names were called selected delicious treats as rewards. The celebration highlighted the students' hard work and determination, with teachers expressing pride in their progress and excitement for continued growth throughout the year.

Twenty one of Log College's students were selected to the BCMEA festival. This is by far, the highest number of students selected in recent history. Congratulations to all of our musicians as well as their dedicated teachers, Mrs. Tyson and Mrs. Lenox!

BCMEA (Bucks County Music Educators Association) is a local music educators organization that sponsors a secondary level music festival and String Day.

Willow Dale participated in the Giving Tree's Sock Roll Challenge service opportunity once again this year and created 585 total socik rolls for those experiencing homelessness. We also collected many more granola bars and crackers to be donated to the Giving Tree. students also made cards for people experiencing homelessness and / or food insecurity. The Giving tree will distribute these items.

* A Sock Roll is a pair of athletic / crew socks that are rolled with a granola bar and a pack of crackers. They are finished off with a a ribbon and a tag from the students.

Log College participated in the annual Martin Luther King Sock Roll Challenge for the 6th year in a row. This challenge is sponsored by The Giving Tree, whose mission is to “teach children about charity”. With our help, the organization was able to collect roughly 25,000 sock rolls for those in need. These sock rolls will be distributed to local shelters and hospitals.

The National Junior Honor Society organized the event by collecting items like mens crew socks, packs of crackers and granola bars in all Social Studies Classrooms. Thanks to the generous donations from faculty, staff and students, NJHS was able to roll and donate 300 sock rolls! Excess crackers and granola bars were donated to the food pantry to be distributed to Centennial families in need. Thank you to everybody who participated in the 2025 Martin Luther King Day Sock Roll Challenge. We look forward to completing this challenge again next year!

Willow Dale participated in the Annual Sock Roll Challenge for our MLK Service Learning Project and provided 585 sock rolls to The Giving Tree. This organization distributes the sock rolls to homeless shelters in the area. Some of our Puma Ambassadors had the opportunity to deliver the sock rolls, additional donated granola bars and crackers, and cards made by some of our students to The Giving Tree. Students also got to meet with the founder of The Giving Tree and learn about other service learning projects.

Thank you to our Willow Dale community for your participation and support in this event.

The Office of Teaching & Learning is inviting you to add your voice and provide feedback regarding our K-12 Mathematics Program Evaluation being conducted by Hanover Research.

Centennial School District (CSD) wants to capture a clear understanding of our current Mathematics programming and identify opportunities for improving and better aligning our Mathematics curriculum for grades Kindergarten through 12.

As we have done for other subjects, the Centennial School District has requested that Hanover Research evaluate the district’s K-12 Mathematics program; Hanover will submit a Capstone Report to us in June. A crucial component of that final report is a Mathematics Program Perception Survey. Centennial wants to know staff members, parents, and students (Grades 6+) perceptions of and experiences with Mathematics teaching and learning. Your responses will help us understand the current state of the Mathematics programs in our K-12 schools.

This study is for research purposes only and is anonymous, so please be candid in your responses and do not use your name or other identifying items in your open-ended responses. The survey can be accessed HERE and will close on February 7, 2025 at midnight:

https://hanover-research.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3KtMfOezDF0kFWS

We are grateful for your participation!

As the school year reaches its midpoint, the Office of Teaching & Learning is sharing an update regarding students' progress in Grade 6 English Language Arts and resources to support learning at home.

Students are concluding Module 1: Resilience in the Great Depression, and Module 3: Narrating the Unknown will begin in early February. This transition allows students to further develop their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills through engaging texts, artwork, videos, and photographs.

To support student learning, the Office of Teaching & Learning would like to provide Family Tip Sheets for each module, providing an overview of key concepts and suggestions for extending learning beyond the classroom. The tip sheets can be accessed through the links below:

Grade 6 English Language Arts

Module 1:

Resilience in the

Great Depression

Module 3:

Narrating the Unknown

Module 4:

Courage in Crisis

We also want to emphasize that regular reading outside of class is an essential component of an effective middle school English program as it prevents students from falling behind or being unprepared for class discussions that deepen comprehension and build knowledge for written text analysis. Your support and encouragement of reading outside of class will positively impact your child’s academic growth and overall development as a lifelong reader.

Additional Wit & Wisdom resources can be accessed through the CSD Secondary Curriculum webpage in the SECONDARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY INSTRUCTION section. The Wit & Wisdom | Curriculum Overview for Families link provides access to a Parent and Family Portal. Please reach out to your child’s English teacher with any questions.

Looking for more information and a free copy of A Parent’s Guide to Phonics: Understanding How to Help Your Child with Reading and Spelling?

Centennial School District is proud to offer:

• follow-up videos on the CSD YouTube Channel

• a free book for each family (contact your child’s school office)

Thank you to the CSD Elementary Reading team members who created these videos: Kim Flounders, Miriam Infanti, Dawn Kremer, Lisa Laatsch, Erin Landy, Danyel Masey, Jennifer McArdle, Rose Miele, Kelley O’Leary, and Susan Stackhouse.

Centennial's Food & Nutrition Department is again partnering with GIANT Food Stores to help support our students facing food insecurity. We encourage the greater community to participate in this effort.

From January 1 through March 31, everyone who shops at GIANT in Warminster or Upper Southampton will be invited to "round-up" at the register and donate the round-up amount of their bill to support Feeding School Kids. Customers can also give by converting their CHOICE Rewards Points to donations in the GIANT app or purchasing a reusable bag.

We ask our school community to help spread the word about the Feeding School Kids 2025 Campaign to ensure its success. Our goal is to support the children in our district who need the most help accessing nutritious meals and snacks. From backpacks with weekend food to clearing lunch debt to building a community pantry in our schools, the funds will be provided directly to our district's food organization for use, at our discretion, to address food insecurity in our school community.

Please join us in supporting and advocating for this initiative to help ensure no child in our district experiences hunger at school or home.

We are excited to announce a new way for families to receive important updates and school communications! Download the free ReachWell app today then tap the plus button to search for the Centennial School District AND your child's individual school name. We’ll share relevant notifications, upcoming events, updates, due dates, and much more! Download today at http://reachwellapp.com/app!

To see instructions on how to Download the ReachWell App in other languages please use this link to find your language.

ReachWell verification codes are being sent out weekly to those who are not yet verified! Please check your email inbox or SMS text messages for your unique verification code. If you did not receive your code, we encourage you to submit a ticket through IncidentIQ as soon as possible. Our dedicated tech support team is ready to assist and ensure you are properly connected. Please understand that this is a slow rollout, and faculty/staff who choose to incorporate ReachWell will utilize it at their convenience. In order to get access to the new ReachWell App, you need to update a cell phone number in the second space for each guardian in Skyward. For directions, see the Skyward section below.

The Centennial School District uses Raptor Volunteer Management System to provide a more efficient and effective process to verify and track volunteer clearances. Please visit our website (scroll down to see "How Do I Submit My Paperwork?" to learn more about our volunteer guidelines and/or to upload your clearances to Raptor Volunteer Management System.

Student Registration

Employment at CSD

District eFolder (Community Flyers)
Student and Staff Wellness
Free & Reduced Lunch Information
Lunch Menus
2024-2025 Bus Schedules

February

February 11: CSD School Board Meeting, 7:00 pm

February 14: Early Dismissal Grs. K-12; Grs. K-12 Inservice - Professional Learning

February 17: All Schools & Offices Closed (President's Day)

February 25: CSD School Board Meeting, 7:00 pm

February 27: CSD Budget Work Session Meeting, 7:00 pm

(Back row from left to right): Mr. Flemming Godiksen (Vice President), Mr. Mark Gindhart (Assistant Secretary), Dr. Kathleen Maguire, Mr. Michael Hartline (Front row from left to right): Mrs. Jane Schrader Lynch; Mrs. Patti Crossan; Dr. Dana T. Bedden (Superintendent), Mr. Tony Sadowski, Mrs. Mary Alice Brancato (President), Mr. Charles H. Martin not pictured.

Spread the word that Centennial School District is hiring!

Check out our employment webpage for a complete list of vacancies. https://www.centennialsd.org/employment

If you know anyone who might be interested in these positions, please have them apply. We offer competitive rates, excellent perks, and benefits, including a pension. For questions, please call 215-441-6000, Ext. 11034.

It may be cold outside now but we are dreaming of warmer weather!

Don't miss our 5th Annual Bruce Beaton Memorial Golf Outing on Monday, June 16th, 2025!

Registration includes:
*18 holes of Golf
*Golf Cart
*Breakfast & Lunch
*Hit it to Win it Green
*Prizes, 50/50 and Silent Auction

REGISTER as a golfer or as a Foundation Sponsor Team by February 28th and take 10% off with code: EARLYBIRD

All proceeds benefit Centennial Education Foundation and our mission to provide educational opportunities and programs for the students of the Centennial School District.

Link to register: https://centennialef.networkforgood.com/events/79109-5th-annual-bruce-beaton-golf-outing

A Child's Place 2024-2025 School Year

Each year, more and more people and organizations are turning to our District to help get the message out about various activities, events, fundraisers, etc. The intent of this process is to support student achievement and to provide mutual assistance and benefit through shared information. Our district spends a great deal of time collecting, reviewing, and posting flyers to the District eFolder. The District no longer is posting eFlyers to any social media outlets or the District cable channel. You may refer to Policy 913 for additional information.

Please click on this link to connect with all the community eFlyers of the month

Website: www.centennialsd.org
Location: 48 Swan Way, Warminster, PA, USA
Phone: (215) 441-6000
Facebook: facebook.com/centennialsd
Twitter: @Centennial_SD