Bulldog Broadcast

Dear Families,

We encourage ONLY sending plastic water bottles to school with your child. Metal water bottles are heavy and can cause accidental injuries to students. Thank you for helping us keep our students safe.

Best regards,

Dr. Diana Garaitonandia

As we are settling into our learning routines at school, we are moving quickly towards the midpoint of the school year. Over the next few weeks, our students will be taking a variety of important assessments to benchmark their learning and provide important feedback to our teachers regarding the progress and how we can best plan for their continued growth.

Please review the information below regarding iReady Benchmarking (ELA and math), Dibels (reading assessments primarily for grades K to 3), and WIDA testing (for English Language Learners).

If you have any questions regarding specific assessments, please reach out to your child's teacher.

Together with our families, we are excited to support our students’ continued growth and mastery of core skills while developing well-rounded learners who Be Kind, Be Ready, Be Safe, Be Their Best, and Are Proud to Be McDonald Bulldogs. We are also including a few upcoming events/drives taking place at McDonald and around the district as reminders for your families.

Thank you for your continued partnership. Have a wonderful Sunday!

iReady Benchmarking will take place at McDonald between January 5th and 23rd.

These assessments are digital on the iReady platform and help our teachers track growth and mastery of core content skills and standards in ELA and mathematics.

Dibels assessments are short one on one reading assessments performed by our reading specialists.

Dibel assessments will take place between January 5 and 23rd.

Beginning on January 5, 2026, the Centennial School District will begin the annual WIDA ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) testing window for our English Learners (ELs). The WIDA ACCESS is a PDE mandated and federally reported assessment of English Language Proficiency (ELP). The families of our English learners will receive an email communication regarding the assessment from our Supervisor of Student Services, Althea Tomlinson.

Our school testing dates are: January 15th to 26th

The WIDA ACCESS assessment is an important tool that guides the individualized instruction of our English learners. If you have any questions about the assessment, you can reach out directly to your child’s English Language Development (ELD) teacher.

Here are some things you can do to help your child prepare for the WIDA ACCESS:

• Be sure your child/children are receiving an adequate amount of sleep during the testing dates

• Be sure your child/children eat breakfast each morning before testing

• Be sure your child/children bring their school issued electronic device to school every day fully charged

• Encourage your child to do their very best on the assessment

Centennial School District utilizes a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to provide multiple pathways for students to work toward their academic, behavioral, and social emotional success. Within this framework, all students are assessed three times a year to determine educational strengths and needs and twice a year to determine PA Career Ready SEL strengths and needs. Through the various assessments administered and teacher input, each school based MTSS Team identifies students who would benefit from additional support and intervention.

MTSS functions as a three tiered system.

• In Tier 1, all students receive a universal, standards-aligned curriculum in Reading, Math, and Behavior/SEAL (through PBIS and our SEAL curriculum).

If the utilized assessments indicate need for support and intervention, students will receive that support in the following ways:

• Tier 2 support is provided for students in need of targeted, skill based intervention from their classroom teacher and grade level team

• Tier 3 is provided for students in need of more intensive intervention to close skill gaps from lower grade levels through our content area intervention specialists

If your child is identified as being in need of Tier 2 or Tier 3 support at any time throughout the school year, you will be notified by your child’s teacher with more details on how that is being provided to support continued growth and success.

Thank you for your support and generosity as we come together for this meaningful service project. This opportunity allows our students to learn the importance of service to others while proudly representing the caring spirit of our McDonald school community.

Students will be creating and inserting heartfelt Get Well notes into bags they have designed for cancer patients. They will also help pack the bags for patients this week on January 15, 2026.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Ms. Escaleira for sharing this beautiful idea in loving memory of her mother. Her thoughtfulness has helped create a powerful learning experience rooted in compassion, kindness, and service.

Thank you again for your continued partnership and support.

School Links:

McDonald Elementary Website

District Links:

Student Registration

Employment at CSD

CSD Weekly Update Archive

Food & Nutrition (Menus)

District eFolder (Community Flyers)
Student and Staff Wellness

Although the scheduling of family trips during the instructional year is not encouraged, the Centennial School Board recognizes that students may benefit educationally by accompanying their parent(s)/guardian(s) on trips. The revision to the policy will allow the schools to approve up to five (5) days instead of three (3). Any trip beyond five (5) days will need the approval of the Superintendent.

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) who are requesting approval for a family trip need to complete and submit the family trip request form to the attendance office for approval at least three (3) before the trip. The completed form may be submitted to mcattendance@centennialsd.org.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding a family trip, please contact the main office.