December 12, 2025

Good morning, Giants! We have an exciting update about the Kalamazoo Central Food Drive , the deadline has been extended! That means even more time to support our community and help stock up for loaves and fishes.

Monday is Meaty Monday!

Bring in canned meats like tuna, chicken, beef stew, chili, or any protein-packed items.

Tuesday is 4 Cans Per Person!

We’re challenging every student and staff member to bring in four cans. If everyone participates, we can make a huge impact.

Wednesday is Kid Snack Wednesday!

Bring in snacks that are kid-friendly and easy to eat, things like granola bars, fruit cups, crackers, pudding cups, and snack packs.

And we’re not stopping there!

This Saturday, NHS members will be going door-to-door in our community collecting donations, and we’ll also have volunteers stationed at Harding’s to gather even more support. If you’d like to help out, check in with your NHS Leaders

Let’s keep the momentum going, Giants! Every can counts, every donation matters, and together we can make a huge difference. Thank you for your generosity, and let’s finish this food drive strong!”

All attendees must pass through a weapon detector for entry to games.

Bags AND Backpacks are banned, Though exceptions are made for certain items like diaper bags after inspection.

Students in kindergarten through 8th grade must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to enter.

Students in grades 9-12 must show a student ID or have a parent/guardian present.

Students who violate rules or fail to behave appropriately will be removed from the venue and may face further disciplinary action from the administration.

Students that are not picked up after events in a timely fashion will be uninvited to the next event.

Your Men’s Swim Team kicked off the dual meet portion of this season against Coldwater. Though a very inexperienced team, your Giants gave the host team a big surprise! It goes in the books as a loss 108 to 70 but it was everything but a loss. Last year the score was 126 to 36 with our full roster, this year we doubled our score with 3 swimmers on the bench due to an injury, sickness, and only having 2 days of practice! What a difference an increase in size and quality makes! Highlights from last night: Winning the 4x 50-yard Medley Relay was Paddy Roth, Blake Welss, Pablo Pena, and Mark Skuratowicz. Pablo won the 200-yard Individual Medley with a 6.7-second Personal Record smashing performance! Mark won the 500-yard Freestyle with Nick Pollard right behind him for the 1-2 finish. Paddy won the 100-yard Backstroke. Blake won the 100-yard Breaststroke. Setting Personal Records were returning swimmers Tom Olagbemi (50- & 100-yard freestyles) and Lars Lagoni (50-yard Freestyle). Establishing their Personal Records were Nico Fernandez Gomez (100-yard Freestyle and 100-yard Backstroke, Ezra Lange and Zane Marino (50- & 100-yard Freestyles), and Keaton St. John (100-yard Butterfly & 100-yard Backstroke). This was a great start to the season! A clear demonstration of earning great results by combining dedication, motivation, and improvement goals with putting in the work! Your Giants will be back racing at 6 pm, Thursday 12/18/2025 when they host the Bridgman Co-Op team.

Reminder if your student is going to be out sick to please send in an email to the attendance email line. We understand that things are forgotten or missed but we do need that information within a 3 day window to maintain accurate attendance for both the district and the state.

The email address is chsattendance@kalamazoopublicschools.net

"Womans lacrosse conditionings start when we come back from Winter break. Conditionings are at Maple St Middle School on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9pm in the gym. We are welcoming all athletes, even those who are new to the sport!"

What is your favorite winter activity? Let your vote for your favorite fun be the winning vote! Come see Mrs. Colvin in the library to cast your vote!

Attendance Policy

Parent(s)’/Guardian(s)’ Responsibility:

• It is the responsibility of the parent(s) and/or guardian(s) to notify the student’s school as early as possible on the day of an absence and explain the reasons for the absence.

• Written or email verification of a student’s absence by a parent/guardian is required (unless otherwise indicated by the appropriate administrator) and should be provided to the school the day after an absence.

• Student absences are considered unexcused if documentation supporting an excused absence is not provided.

• After 3 consecutive absences, a medical note from a physician may be required.

• It is the responsibility of the parent(s) and/or guardian(s) to make arrangements with the teacher to obtain missed assignments due to absences.

What is an excused absence?

• Student illness and/or appointment verified by the parent/guardian or medical professional

• Medically verified extended illness or hospitalization

• Attending a funeral

• Religious holiday

• Absence due to a subpoenaed court appearance

• Any time missed due to KPS school transportation issues

Please send email absence excuses to chsattendance@kalamazoopublicschools.net

If you missed the Nov. 13th deadline but would still like to join the KC Ski and Snowboard Club late sign-ups are welcome and the process is simple. Pick up a Late Sign-Up Form from Mrs. Bannigan (room 242) or Mr. Grabill (room 240) and fill it out. You will bring the completed form with you to Timber Ridge when you purchase punch cards. You can purchase punch cards directly from the Timber Ridge office under our KC club until Jan 31st. If you have any questions please reach out to Mrs. Bannigan or Mr. Grabill via email.

As the weather gets colder and we are inside more illness is bound to spread. The Family Health Center Mobile Health Clinic is offering services at Kalamazoo Central! The services offered through the clinic are well-child visits, sick visits, sports physicals, and immunizations. The also offer dental services such as dental screening, dental cleanings, fluoride application, and sealants

Save yourself a trip to the doctors office and sign your student up using this link! https://form.jotform.com/231327122384146

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The KC Apparel Store is NOW open and will be the duration of the school year. All items ordered will be shipped directly to your home. A percentage of your order comes back to the Athletic Dept. Thank you for your order.

https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/michigan/kalamazoo/kalamazoo-central-high-school

Welcome to the second week of school. Your footprints truly resonate with excellence, and we can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

A few important reminders for entering the building each morning:

• School ID: You must have your school ID visible around your neck at all times.

  • If you forget your ID, you must report to the Student Entrance and purchase a replacement ID for $5.00.

  • Only students with IDs are permitted to enter the building.

• Main Entrance & Weapons Detector: All students must enter through the main entrance and walk through the weapons detector.

  • This is a reminder that students may not enter through any door other than the main entrance or the student entrance.

  • Students may not open doors for any visitor or exit out of any side doors not staffed by KC staff.

  • Opening doors for other students or adults will result in an out-of-school suspension for creating a safety risk.

• Chromebooks: Please remove your Chromebook from your backpack before entering. No other items need to be removed from your backpack or your pockets.

  • If you are using the right-hand entrance, hold your Chromebook in your right hand.

  • If you are using the left-hand entrance, hold your Chromebook in your left hand.

  • As you walk through, you will pass your Chromebook to Campus Safety. They will hand it back to you immediately after you go through the detector.

• Passing Time & Restrooms: Students have five minutes of passing time to use the restroom, stop at their locker, and still arrive to class on time. All students are expected to be in class promptly when the bell rings.

  • No passes will be given in the first fifteen or last fifteen minutes of class in order to establish consistency, safety, and smooth procedures.

• Breakfast: After entry, head directly upstairs for breakfast before class.

Thank you for helping us keep the day running smoothly, safely, and with Giant Pride.

We want to make sure everyone has a smooth and safe school day, so here’s a quick reminder about our food procedures:

No DoorDash, Grubhub, or Fast-Food Deliveries – Managing food deliveries during the school day is a safety issue and disrupts the routine. We also cannot call students out of class to pick up food.

Packed Lunches from Home Are Allowed – Students are welcome to bring lunch from home, but outside food purchased during the school day cannot be brought into the building.

Food Brought in Will Be Discarded – To keep things running smoothly, any outside food arriving during school hours must be thrown away.

Thank you for understanding and helping us keep our school safe and focused on learning!

Arrival

• Please drop off students in the front of the building, not the back.
• Buses have a limited time for picking up, dropping off, and transporting students to the elementary schools allow them to exit and do not cut them off.
• If you are dropping off your student at the curb please drop off and pull away from the curb. If you are planning on waiting until the doors open please pull into a parking spot. It creates a traffic jam and is unsafe for our students walking into the building.

Dismissal

• To ensure a safe and efficient pick-up process, please adhere to the following guidelines:
  1. Pick up students in the front of the building.
  2. Do not cut in front of buses.
  3. If picking up after 2:45 PM, you may pick up in the back.

Safety Matters
Students darting between buses can create an unsafe environment. Let's work together to maintain a safe and orderly dismissal process.

Parent(s)’/Guardian(s)’ Responsibility:

• It is the responsibility of the parent(s) and/or guardian(s) to notify the student’s school as early as possible on the day of an absence and explain the reasons for the absence.

• Written or email verification of a student’s absence by a parent/guardian is required (unless otherwise indicated by the appropriate administrator) and should be provided to the school the day after an absence.

• Student absences are considered unexcused if documentation supporting an excused absence is not provided.

• After 3 consecutive absences, a medical note from a physician may be required.

• It is the responsibility of the parent(s) and/or guardian(s) to make arrangements with the teacher to obtain missed assignments due to absences.

What is an excused absence?

• Student illness and/or appointment verified by the parent/guardian or medical professional

• Medically verified extended illness or hospitalization

• Attending a funeral

• Religious holiday

• Absence due to a subpoenaed court appearance

• Any time missed due to KPS school transportation issues

Please send email absence excuses to chsattendance@kalamazoopublicschools.net

We ask for your support in reinforcing the following school expectations with your children:

• Chromebooks: Students must bring a fully charged Chromebook to class daily. All Chromebook issues will be handled in the Chromebook Room during lunch

• ID Visibility: Students are required to wear their ID visible around their neck at all times. Pulling them out of pockets or backpacks is unacceptable. IDs are required to gain entrance into the building. They must be worn at all times around your neck and displayed. You may purchase an extra ID from Mrs. Garza for five dollars.

• Lunch Procedure: Each student is allowed to take only one lunch. Students who violate will serve dention and/or suspension

• Timeliness: Students must arrive to classes on time. Pattern of behavior will result in student loss of privileges up to and including suspension.

• Respectful Behavior: Students should keep their hands to themselves. Any physical aggression will be treated as an individual fight and students will be suspended.

• Detentions: Students must serve assigned detentions; failure to do so may result in suspension.

• Clean Environment: Students must throw away their trash after breakfast and lunch. They must also respect the bathrooms by putting paper towels in the trash can, flushing the toilet, and reporting vandalism. Students may receive lunch duty and other consequences.

• Safety and Welfare: Students can be suspended for behaviors that interfere with the safety and welfare of others, including walking the halls, vaping, attending more than one lunch, opening doors, entering unauthorized doors, and any form of physical or verbal aggression.

• Hats, Hoods of Hoodies, or Bonnets: are not allowed to be worn in the building at any time.

• Cell Phones may not be used during class time or while on bathroom breaks. Students may use cell phones before school, passing time, lunch, and after school.

• Attendance: To send in all student absences to CHSattendance@kalamazoopublicschools.net. If the absence is for a doctor's visit please remember to send in the doctor's office note with your email.

We appreciate your help in encouraging students to adhere to these expectations.

For years, I have thought about how to honor our parents and guardians with a title that truly fits the role you play in the life of Kalamazoo Central. Our students are World Changers: bold, brilliant, and determined to make an impact. Our staff are Life Changers: pouring knowledge, guidance, and care into each day. Our community is Giant Nation: a strong and united force that rallies behind our school.

And at the heart of it all are our parents and guardians our Legacy Builders.

You are the foundation upon which greatness stands. You instill values, nurture dreams, and remind our World Changers of who they are and whose they are. Your sacrifices, your encouragement, and your unwavering presence are what allow seeds of excellence to grow.

Legacy Builders: You are the steady roots that allow our Giants to rise tall and strong. Thank you for the love you give, the guidance you provide, and the legacy you are building with us every day.

Together World Changers, Life Changers, Giant Nation, and Legacy Builders we are writing a story of excellence that will echo for generations.

Aunt Flows Lockers are officially stocked! If you need any period products look for the lockers next to Women's restrooms marked with pink tape. If you need a more consistent supply of products don't hesitate to get in touch with kcwomensadvocacy@gmail.com.