Superintendent's Update

What a great way to welcome Spring at Centennial School District! The sunny weather has allowed outdoor sports and activities to proceed without rescheduling (as opposed to last year’s wet weather at this time) and has also been helpful for bond project construction. End-of-year activities and celebrations, such as graduations, promotions, and field days are just around the corner. Believe it or not, the end of the 2022-2023 school year is under a month away. Let's keep the momentum going and finish strong!

And while the school year is coming to a close, I want to share an exciting update about the Centennial High School Stadium Complex improvements that have just kicked off. On Friday, May 12, 2023, a small groundbreaking ceremony was held for facilities improvements to the Centennial High School Stadium Complex, which will receive the following upgrades:

• Seismic and Safety Improvements to the Stadium

• Parking and Sidewalk Improvements

• Upgrades to the Public Restrooms and Team Rooms

• Bus Parking Relocation

• Complete Resurfacing of Track and Field Event Spaces, and

• Replacement of the Grass Surface with an All-Weather Turf Field.

With the exception of the track resurfacing, these projects will not use bond dollars. These projects will be completed through the Board Reserve Fund, dedicated to one-time expenses such as facility improvements.

These upgrades are long overdue. The stadium, which is over 60 years old, has drainage and structural concerns. In addition, the stadium’s grass field has drainage issues, requires extensive maintenance, and has severe crowning which is at or exceeds OSAA regulation limits. Plus, the extensive wear on the grass field during high peak sports seasons decreases the opportunity for other field use purposes, such as physical education classes, after-school youth athletics, or other community use needs.

It is exciting that this initial phase has been approved and is moving forward. The improvements will greatly enhance Centennial’s athletic programming and increase access and opportunities for our youth and the greater community.

We are visually tracking the progress of the Stadium Complex project thanks in part to the TrueLook Camera installed by the Emerick Construction Company who is leading the project. Images are captured every 10 minutes at a high-resolution quality which allows for a greater quality output and can be seen here. Additional project information and photos can be found by visiting the Facility Updates page on our website linked here.

On Wednesday, May 17, 2023, the Centennial School District Budget Committee approved the draft 2023-2024 budget. The budget proposal maintains the basis of our instructional and operations structures and investments in support of our Destination 2023 goals and its successor four-year strategic plan.

As you may know, the majority of the funding the District receives is set by the State School Fund (SSF), which is currently being determined by the Oregon legislature. You should know that Centennial’s portion of the current legislative proposal for the SSF is approximately $3.5 million short of providing our current level of services in the coming year. Since the legislature is still in session, it’s possible the SSF will ultimately yield a higher amount. That said, you should also know that, over the past few years, the District has made thoughtful strategic decisions that have resulted in a more robust ending fund balance, allowing the District to better withstand the impacts of funding shortfalls and fluctuations, while maintaining strong academic programming and support for our students.

One difference that will be noticeable in the coming year is the sunsetting of pandemic relief funds, better known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER). Amongst other strategies, this funding has supported expenses such as Playworks recess support and Building-Based Teaching positions. Centennial is fortunate to have some remaining ESSER funds to carry into the final allowable spending year for 2023-2024. This is about a third of the funding from this school year. Therefore, we are only able to carry forward a limited number of strategies. To learn more about Centennial’s ESSER fund allocation, please visit the following link.

The Centennial School Board is scheduled to consider approval of the 2023-2024 proposed budget at their June 7, 2023 meeting. The proposed budget, including my Budget Message, which provides more information about the current financial state of the District, can be found at the following link.

Let’s hear it for the Class of 2023! We’re excited to honor this year’s Centennial High School and Centennial Virtual Academy graduates.

Graduation will be held Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. For more details, contact Centennial High School.

• Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Memorial Day Holiday - No School
• Centennial School District Math Curriculum Adoption
• Custodial Listening Session
• Updated ODE/OHA COVID-19 Guidance
  

The month of May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! Join us in Centennial as we celebrate and honor the historical and cultural contributions and achievements of Asian American and Pacific Islander Americans. Now and throughout the year is a great time to show our support for members of the AAPI community.

Centennial School District will observe Memorial day on Monday, May 29, 2023. All schools and offices will be closed. Classes will resume and office reopen Tuesday, May 30.

After a long and extensive process of reviewing math curriculum work, Centennial School District has adopted the 2023-2024 math programs for grades kinder to fifth grades, sixth to eight grades, and ninth to twelfth.

enVision Mathematics K-5 by Savvas Learning Company will support kindergarten through fifth grade at Centennial elementary schools. Meanwhile, Math Solutions by Carnegie Learning, Inc., will support students in grades sixth to eighth across our two middle schools, and grades ninth to twelfth at the high school level.

Reviewing the material from Savvas Learning Company and Carnegie Learning, Inc., called for the development of a Math Cadre of more than 30 Centennial educators to create a shared understanding and implications of current research and instructional practices, including the Oregon Math Project shift in standards and practices.

According to Maureen Callahan, Director of Curriculum and Student Learning, the cadre selected the material with the end goal of enhancing the possibility that all students attain mathematics proficiency by having access to high-quality instruction that included challenging and coherent content allowing each student to receive the support they need to succeed in math.

“We intentionally focused on student belonging and engagement,” said Callahan. “We narrowed our curriculum material interest down to two publishers per grade band. This allowed teachers, parents and students to view and or test out the material so we could collect feedback. The cadre then analyzed the feedback to make their recommendation.”

An excellent mathematics program requires effective teaching that engages students in meaningful learning through individual, collaborative and real-world experiences that promotes perseverance and making sense of mathematical ideas and reasoning.

The adoption of both programs will streamline the learning transition from the elementary to secondary grades for students at Centennial School District.

On Friday, April 28, 2023, Director of Business and Operations, Paul Southerton, Facilities Assistant Director of Environmental Safety & Sanitation, Joe Brown, and Superintendent Owens met with a group of 19 custodians from throughout the District for one of the twice yearly collaborative work sessions.

This is an evolution from listening sessions that have been held over the past year to collaborative problem solving sessions where employees from District operations departments work with District leadership to co-construct solutions to some of the problems of practice they, as a group, have previously identified.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) recently updated and released their COVID-19 guidance (full report linked here). In summary:

• COVID-19 is still considered a communicable disease and continues to be reportable. If your student tests positive, please contact the school.

• The five-day period of isolation for those infected with COVID-19 is no longer recommended. Individuals infected with COVID-19 will still be excluded from school if they present with excludable symptoms per the Communicable Disease Guidance for Schools, and it is still recommended that these individuals mask for 10 days. Students and staff can return to school when fever-free for 24 hours and symptoms are improving.

• Students and staff do not need to be isolated for five days and instead can return to school when fever-free for 24 hours and symptoms are improving.

• Additional information related to vaccination requirements and the retirement of the COVID-19 Community Levels will guide our planning for the 2023-2024 school year.

We encourage everyone to continue taking preventative health measures such as washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when symptomatic. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

Parents, guardians, and community members: Learn about what makes Centennial School District a great place to work! We offer rewarding career opportunities such as a Teacher, Education Assistant, School Secretary, School Bus Driver, Dining Services Technician, and more!

Visit our careers page to see our position openings: www.csd28j.org/careers!