Superintendent's Update
August 2, 2024
Centennial School District | August 2, 2024
Dear Centennial Colleagues, Students, Families and Community,
I hope you are spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying our wonderful Oregon summertime weather! This season provides the opportunity for new adventures and discoveries.
While school is out this summer, work continues across our District. Facilities projects, summer learning, summer meals programs, the hiring of new leaders, our Report to the Community, and much more.
I am pleased to provide you this special edition Superintendent’s Summer Update.
Welcome New Administrators to the District!
We are pleased to welcome the following new administrators to our District for the upcoming school year!
Vanessa Crawley
Assistant Principal, Oliver Middle School
Vanessa Crawley has served in education for 10 years, most recently as an elementary Assistant Principal in the David Douglas School District. Her experience in education also includes seven years as a 5th grade classroom teacher and one year as an equity specialist. Mrs. Crawley is passionate about growing and implementing equitable practices for staff, students, and community members through a restorative framework in order to promote social, emotional, and academic successes for all students.
“I have always loved middle school aged students and look forward to being a part of their everyday life,” shared Mrs. Crawley.
Aarti Ramkrishna
Assistant Principal, Centennial Middle School
Aarti Ramkrishna (pronounced AarThy - “like Kathy” - Raam-krish-naa) joins our District with over 17 years of experience in education, most recently serving as Interim Assistant Principal at Banks Middle School. She has worn many hats over the course of her career, including advertising executive, preschool teacher, kindergarten teacher, TOSA/Instructional Coach/Curriculum Lead, and Equity Facilitator.
Born and raised in India, Mrs. Ramkrishna is fluent in 7 languages – and is just starting to learn Spanish as the 8th! She also is a huge book lover and speed reader, among many other hobbies. Mrs. Ramkrishna is excited to be joining the CMS team and looks forward to getting to know students and staff in the year ahead.
Christine Andregg
Chief Communications Officer
Christine Andregg has joined our District this summer as our new Chief Communications Officer. Over the prior six years, Ms. Andregg served as the Communications Specialist and Executive Assistant to the Superintendent in the Sherwood School District. In this role, she was responsible for both internal and external communications, including community engagement, media relations, crisis communications, branding, and website and social media management.
With many years of experience in education, Ms. Andregg has also served as a school office manager, a special education instructional assistant, and an afterschool program supervisor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in independent studies with a concentration in social and community service from Humboldt State University and a Master of Science in psychology with a specialization in crisis management and response from Walden University.
Joining our District on July 1 of this year, Ms. Andregg has jumped right in and looks forward to collaborating with staff, students, and families in the coming school year.
Summer 2024 Report to Our Community
Our summer 2024 edition of the Report to Our Community is on its way to mailboxes throughout our entire Centennial community, and we can’t wait for you to see what we have been up to over the last several months.
This edition will focus on a year in review for the 2023-2024 school year and provides various highlights connected to Roadmap ‘27. There are also QR codes that will give readers access to additional online information so you can see all of the great things going on in our District. We hope you enjoy this special summer edition!
Please watch your mailbox for your print Report, or visit our website at https://www.csd28j.org/communityreport to view the report online.
Summer Learning Program Recap
This year, our District received $1.25 million in summer learning funds from the Oregon legislature, providing us with the opportunity to provide three weeks of programming for grades PreK-12 during the month of July.
Elementary
At our elementary level, programming for our PreK-4 students focused on literacy, hands-on STEM, social-emotional learning, and enrichment through our partnership with SUN. PreK students participated in a full-day program to help their transition as incoming kindergartners. Services such as compensatory education, supported mainstreaming, and specially designed instruction were provided for targeted students. Approximately 425 students participated at our three elementary summer locations (Parklane, Meadows, and Butler Creek).
Photo: Elementary students engaging in a classroom reading circle as part of the summer literacy focus
Middle School
Similar to the elementary, our middle level summer program for grades 5-7 focused on literacy, hands-on STEM, social-emotional learning, and enrichment through our partnership with SUN. Held at Centennial Middle School, this program served approximately 120 students. While serving all middle school grades, this program also provided our 5th grade students with the specific opportunity to become familiar with middle school routines as they prepare for their transition to 6th grade next year.
Photo: Students participating in a whole-class discussion at Centennial Middle School
High School
Centennial High School offered a credit recovery program, serving approximately 300 students in their pursuit of progress towards graduation. Additionally, the 9th Grade Counts program served approximately 49 incoming freshman students, providing integrated learning experiences as they prepare for their transition to high school in the coming year.
Photo: Incoming freshman students attending the 9th Grade Counts program
Virtual Academy
In addition to our in-person programming, the Centennial Virtual Academy hosted initial credit courses for approximately 200 students, allowing those students better served remotely the ability to participate in summer learning.
A middle school student and staff member collaborating on the "Wall of Art"
Recess periods provide recreation and playtime for elementary students
Students engaging in enrichment activities hosted by the SUN program
Summer Construction Updates
With students and staff mostly away from our buildings this time of year, the summer months always provide an opportunity to complete capital construction projects with minimal - or no - impacts on our school learning environments. Even though bond projects have largely sunset, there are several capital construction projects in full force. This summer’s projects have included:
Classroom Improvement Fund work, including painting classrooms at all schools and remodeling of four classrooms and the music room at Patrick Lynch elementary
Grant-funded seismic improvement work at Powell Butte
New windows at Centennial Middle School, Patrick Lynch, Parklane, Powell Butte, and Meadows funded by ESSER dollars
Ceiling and lighting replacement in the Centennial High School main kitchen
A covered play area at Oliver Middle School
Repaving and striping at Parklane and Oliver Middle School
Targeted cooling projects to support summer learning
Taking full advantage of the summer months to complete improvement projects such as these allows us to maintain our schools in a way that supports, instead of interrupts, student learning.
Centennial’s New Electric Buses
In June 2024 our District received our first electric school bus, paid for by grant funding we have received from PGE and Multnomah County.
Adding an electric school bus to our District’s fleet brings numerous benefits compared to its diesel-powered counterparts. First, electric buses significantly reduce harmful emissions, contributing to cleaner air and a healthier environment for our students and the community at large. This is especially important given the bus's large capacity of 78-students, which means a considerable reduction in pollution.
Additionally, electric buses offer a quieter operation, creating a less noisy and more pleasant ride for students. With fewer moving parts, electric buses also typically require less maintenance, resulting in lower long-term operational costs. The shift to electric buses aligns with broader sustainability goals, demonstrating the District’s commitment to innovative and eco-friendly transportation solutions.
We are excited for this great addition to our Transportation Department, and look forward to seeing our students in the new electric bus this coming school year.
Portland City Council Candidates Tour Depave Project at Oliver Middle School
On the morning of August 2, Oliver Middle School hosted Portland City Council candidates and other various guests during a tour of the school's nature play area, a project that is a result of the ongoing partnership between our district and the Depave program. This project involved the removal of 3,900 square feet of asphalt, reducing annual stormwater runoff by 39,000 gallons annually while bringing to the Oliver Middle School campus native plants, rain gardens, future shade trees, benches, and a small outdoor stage.
Depave has completed additional projects in our District at Patrick Lynch and Powell Butte elementaries. During the City Council candidates' tour, Depave Co-Director Katya Reyna and Oliver Middle School Principal Jeb Hubbs shared with the City Council candidates and other tour participants about the intentions and benefits of bringing such projects to our District, demonstrating the importance of community partnerships and city/school district collaboration to help beautify our campuses and adapt to climate change through urban re-greening. For more information about Depave and their projects at our Centennial schools, please visit https://www.depave.org/projects/tag/centennial