Superintendent's Update

Dear Centennial Colleagues, Students, Families and Community,

The month of March begins with a celebration of our classified colleagues. Classified Staff Appreciation Week, March 4-8, provides an opportunity to extend our gratitude for the contributions of the individuals who help ensure the smooth functioning of our school district.

Whether ensuring our facilities are safe and clean, providing nutritious meals, offering administrative support, or assisting in classrooms, the contributions of our classified colleagues are invaluable and deeply appreciated.

Throughout this week, let’s take the time to celebrate and recognize the incredible work of our classified staff. If there is a classified employee you appreciate, please let them know!

Last Tuesday, February 20, Centennial held its second Data Summit. This new routine, part of Roadmap ‘27, is conducted each trimester to monitor the impact of our learning and adjust and improve instructional practices and systems.

During the Data Summit, representative school leadership teams engaged in a structured, reflective process that involved the review and analysis of student data and professional practices aligned to School Improvement Plans and Roadmap ‘27.

School teams worked together to identify strengths and areas of need and develop an action plan. Teams will meet again to review the impact of that plan during the next Data Summit in May. Meanwhile, school teams will engage their respective staff in a school-based data review process in the coming weeks.

Topics in this month’s Superintendent’s Update Newsletter include:

• Classified Staff Appreciation Week
• Women's History Month
• Nation School Breakfast Week
• National School Social Work Week
• Spring Break
• Bond Oversight Committee | Final Annual Report
• 2020 Bond: Report to Our Community
  
• Equitable Language Access Equips Staff for Communication Success
  
• CHS Welcomes New Assistant Principal

We have outstanding employees at Centennial School District! Our schools and offices operate thanks to the arduous work they perform at every level in every department! Our school days start early in the morning - from getting buildings and offices prepared, to paying bills, cleaning our buildings, and providing our students the support they need. Centennial Classified employees make all the difference!

We look forward to connecting with our team members throughout the week to celebrate your work!

Women's History Month (WHM) is an annual observance to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. March is an excellent opportunity to celebrate WHM across the country, especially at Centennial School District, to highlight influential contributions to Centennial's history, culture, and community.

Celebrating the lives of all the influential women who work and have worked at our District inspires future generations of students due to their dedication to our students and community.

Since 1978, Women's History Month has been observed annually during March, and a timeline of women's history milestones stretches back years!

National School Breakfast Week celebrates the importance of a nutritious school breakfast in fueling students for success. This special observance during the first week of March celebrates the national School Breakfast Program and the many ways it gives kids a great start every day.

Be on the lookout as we share student photos enjoying their favorite breakfasts throughout the week!

#NSBW24 will take place March 4-8, 2024.

The School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) is proud to promote National School Social Work Week, held the first full calendar week of March (Sunday - Saturday).

We thank and acknowledge their exceptional contributions to enhance the well-being of our students, families and communities. Join us as Centennial School District celebrates each of our School Social Workers across our schools!

The theme for National School Social Work Week 2024 is “Pearls of Wisdom.” They rise to support all students. Enjoy and hope you have a Happy School Social Work Week!

We hope your students have had a good trimester so far and are looking forward to an enjoyable spring break in the coming weeks. If you take time to get away, wherever you are traveling we hope you have a great time and get recharged before returning to school for the final trimester.

During spring break, there will be no school for students and some offices may have limited operating hours. Please contact the department directly for additional details and hours.

Best wishes for a relaxing and safe spring break!

The community-based Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) prepared and presented its final BOC Report to the Centennial School District's Board of Education during Centennial's Virtual Work Session on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

The BOC report reviewed Centennial's fiscal and facilities decisions and expenditures over the past three years. BOC members play a vital role in gathering information on bond progress.

This year, BOC chair Rod Boettcher was pleased to offer a final analysis of Centennial's successful 2020 Bond of $65 million. The report gave viewers an overview of the 2020 Bond background, challenges, and successes.

The BOC was created in the fall of 2020. Since its inception, its members have served as volunteers who have dedicated many hours to actively monitor the CSD 2020 Bond program and report to the Centennial community on its progress. The BOC members provided an extra layer of transparency and unbiased review of the 2020 Bond projects on behalf of the Centennial community to whom they would be accountable. I want to recognize each of the BOC members for their commitment.

To view the full digital BOC Final Report, click on image below.

Believe it or not, our 2020 Bond projects are wrapping up! To inform the community of all the work that was accomplished, we have produced a special report entitled 2020 Bond: Report to our Community.

Residents of the Centennial School District can anticipate receiving this special report in their mail boxes sometime in the month of March.

In the meantime, it is available now electronically in English, Spanish, and Russian and can be accessed by clicking on the image below.

When Centennial families access our schools and offices, we want to ensure they all have equitable access to the information, tools, and resources for success and communication. When it comes to language access, we are all too aware of the hardships this may place on our families who speak a language other than English as they try to navigate the language complexities of a new school in a new language.

Therefore, Centennial now has language access iPads in place across all schools and offices that offer electronic translation and interpretation in print and audio form that is used by trained staff for better communication. These same iPads can be used to contact a live interpreter for support with multilingual families and students so that they, too, are offered access and information.

According to Sonia Nelson Carranza, Centennial School District English Language and Federal Programs Administrator, “As school leaders, we do not want access to school and district information to become a burden for our families.”

Centennial is intentionally attempting to minimize the communication barriers, no matter the language, and offer welcoming and friendly experiences across our schools and offices.

“Front office staff members are the first people our families meet, and we want to ensure they can communicate back and forth,” according to Carranza Nelson. “The language access iPads are the best tool to start with as families ask their questions and receive information.”

We are excited about the service these iPads will provide for our parents and families who speak a language other than English, and who may be refugees or recent immigrants, and unfamiliar with the U.S. education system.

I am pleased to share the selection of Tara Rethwill as the new assistant principal of Centennial High School. Tara started in her new role as assistant principal on February 26, 2024, on a temporary basis through the end of the 2023-2024 school year.

A special thank you to the interview committees, including students and staff, who provided valuable input to the selection process.

Tara started her teaching career in 2005 and most recently served as a 6-12 Language Arts and Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Specialist/Coach in the North Clackamas School District.

She has also served as a middle school social studies teacher, administrative intern at Gresham-Barlow School District, and high school social studies teacher at Hudson’s Bay High School in Vancouver Public Schools in Vancouver, Washington, where she earned her National Board Teaching Certification in 2011.

Tara provided coaching, teacher leadership, monthly professional development, and co-facilitated workshops to build administrator capacity to support principals and staff across North Clackamas Schools.

Her primary focus is building solid relationships with students and staff, and she is dedicated to quality instruction, respect, and care.

Tara earned a baccalaureate in history from Western Oregon University, a master of arts in education from Concordia University, and her administrator license from George Fox University.

She and her husband, Oscar, live in Boring with their three children. Tara and her family enjoy snow skiing, water sports, camping, traveling, and reading.

Tara is excited to work with Principal Miller, Centennial High School staff, and the school community.

Tara will bring the skills, experience, and leadership necessary to Centennial High School in partnership with students, staff, families, and the community.

Please join me in congratulating Tara on her new leadership role in Centennial!