Centennial Connection Oct 13, 2024

Dear Centennial Families -

In this season of Thanksgiving there are so many things that we are thankful for at Centennial PS! We are thankful for the large yard and forest on the school property to learn and play, we are grateful for the students who are working diligently and for families for supporting student learning. There is much to be thankful for at Centennial and in our community!

This week Centennial PS hosted Bus Patrollers from 8 different schools. Trainers from TriBoard and from various bus companies came to work with students. There are 8 bus patrollers at Centennial PS and they support the drivers on the bus with safety. We also had Buster the Bus arrive on Wednesday afternoon and share bus safety tips with all of the students. While not all students take a bus to and from school, at some point it is likely that students will take a school bus or city bus for a field trip and so we welcome the learning from Buster this week.

We are really excited to have an information session all about reading and Universal Screeners, with Mrs Brooke MacKinnon, on of the Student Support Teachers at Centennial PS, on Tuesday October 15th. This will be part of the regular School Council meeting and all parents and guardians are welcome to attend! Please come for 6:30pm in the library.

Congratulations to the Cross Country team for an excellent showing at the regional race at Fort Henry. There were many personal bests! 5 athletes will move on to the district cross country finals on Wednesday this week. The whole Centennial community wishes them all the best for a fantastic race! Huge thanks to all of the volunteer coaches!

Families may notice some new concrete work at the front of the school. On Friday, crews came to install a concrete pad for a new bike rack at the front of the school, as well as an improved ramp and entry way. Many thanks to Facility Services of the LDSB for making this happen! The bike rack will be installed when it arrives, but it may not be until the spring.

As the weather is starting to change, we want to remind all families that we do go outside for 2 recess breaks during the day, rain or shine. Unless it is raining heavily, we go outside to get some fresh air and play. Having layers, rain boots and a rain jacket help to keep students comfortable while outdoors.

We hope all families are enjoying the long weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!

-Deborah Thompson, Principal & the Centennial PS Team

Monday October 14th - Thanksgiving Day (no school for students)

Tuesday October 15th - Energy Conservation workshops in various classes

Wednesday October 16th - Farndon/Aylesworth & Rosser classes to Pumpkin Patch

Thursday October 17th - IEPs go home

Tuesday October 22nd - Grade 2 (Beardall) to Market Square and Wolfe Island

Wednesday October 23rd - Museum of Healthcare workshops in various classes

Wednesday October 30th - Kinder classes (Farndon/Aylesworth & Mennie/ElHaj) to Little Cataraqui Creek

Thursday October 31st - Black & Orange Day

Friday November 1 - Diwali

Monday November 4 - Grade 5/6 (Girard) Trip to Grand Theatre

Monday November 11 - Remembrance Day ceremony in the gym - time TBD

Tuesday November 12 - Photo Retake Day & Class Photo Day

Friday November 15 - Progress Report Cards go home

Friday November 22 - PA Day - no school for students

November 26 & 27 - Dental Screening for JK, SK and Grade 2 students

Congratulations to all Centennial runners who took part in the Fort Henry Cross Country race on Wednesday, October 9, 2024! Our students all ran well and showed great citizenship and wonderful team spirit!

Congratulations to five runners who qualified for the District Finals at Fort Henry on Oct. 17th: Will, Ayomi, Kash, Esther, and Abby P.. These five runners will have after school practices on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and Wednesday, Oct. 16. We look forward to seeing everyone else in the Spring when Running Club starts up again!

The School Council will meet on Tuesday October 15th at 6:30pm.

The agenda for the meeting is linked below.

All parents & guardians welcome!

Promoting the healthy development of all students, as well as enabling all students to reach their full potential, is a priority for educators across Ontario. Students’ health and well-being contribute to their ability to learn in all disciplines, including health and physical education, and that learning in turn contributes to their overall well-being.

The updated Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Health and Physical Education, 2019 is designed to help all students reach their full potential through a program of learning that is coherent, relevant, and age appropriate.

Exemption policy: For students in Grades 1 - 8, the government has issued a Policy/Program Memorandum that requires school boards to develop a policy/procedure allowing caregivers to exempt their child from instruction of the Human Development and Sexual Health Education component of the elementary Health and Physical Education curriculum.

Caregivers are invited to learn more about the Human Development and Sexual Health Expectations by Grade. Should caregivers wish to exempt their student from this instruction, they are required to complete an exemption form for each elementary student for each school year as per Administrative Policy 325: Exemption Form Human Development and Sexual Health Instruction, Grades 1 to 8

Educators will be sending information directly to families in advance of teaching health topics.

October is International Walk to School Month!

Encourage your students to join the global movement by walking or wheeling to school. It’s a great way to promote health and reduce traffic around the school.

Join the fun this October with the free Hop! App. Track walking trips, distance travelled, steps taken, and greenhouse gases averted. The Hop! App does not actively track students or require a smartphone. Students simply log in on the Hop! App website and enter their distance travelled.

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