Centennial Connection Dec 17, 2023

Dear Centennial PS Families -

We continue to learn and grow at Centennial PS! This week we enjoyed warm temperatures especially on Friday and many classes took advantage of the nearby parks and open spaces for learning. Last week we built with snow and this week it felt like spring! Welcome to Canada where the weather changes so rapidly! We appreciate that students are coming to school prepared to be outside regularly throughout the day.

We had lots of activity at Centennial this week with classes collecting and organizing food from the food drive. Thank you Centennial community for your generous support! We also had classes engage with community members - guest speakers and volunteers, and the Grade 5s spent time at Kingsdale Chateau singing with residents there. What a privilege to spread joy especially at this time of year.

The coming week is really exciting! On Tuesday, students in JK-Grade 2 will be presenting a Holiday Concert for families in the gym at 2pm. The doors will open at 1:50pm and parents/guardians will remain outside until that time. The gym will be used before the performance and the foyer is small so families wishing to attend will be welcomed at 1:50pm to avoid congestion in the foyer. Thank you for your understanding.

If you would like to pick up your child at the end of the concert, you must let the classroom teaching team know in advance that you will pick up your child. Please send your child's teacher an email to let them know if you will be picking up your child immediately after the concert. Once the concert has concluded, educators will bring children to the gym to meet their parents/guardians. Families will not be able to go classrooms after the performance but can wait in the gym. Please be sure to contact your child's teacher if you are picking up early as it will not be possible for the office to call into classrooms for all of the children who will be picked up after the concert. Thank you so much for your help with this - we really appreciate it.

In the new year we will be returning to a long-standing practice at Centennial PS of "boomerang lunches". This means that everything your child brings to school in their lunch will be returned home. This is meant to be informative for parents/guardians for you to know what your child has eaten at school and what is being returned home. Further, the recycling program at Centennial has had a lot of cross-contamination with wrappers/containers and we want to ensure we are being good stewards of resources and programs. Centennial PS staff will be working with students and developing routines around these renewed lunch and nutrition break routines.

The School Council reminds families who ordered through the CocoaBistro fundraiser that all orders will be delivered to the school on Monday December 18th - just in time for the holidays! Pick up is at the school from 3-5pm unless you would like your order sent home with your child. Please contact the School Council at emma.barken@gmail.com if you would like to have your order sent home with your child, otherwise please pick up from the front foyer of the school tomorrow afternoon.

We welcome all students to engage in Cozy Day on Friday! Wear pajamas or sweats or a comfy holiday sweater as classes celebrate the learning they have done together so far this year. It will be a wonderful day of community building and celebration as we close out 2023 and set goals for 2024.

This will be the last Centennial Connection for 2023. The next edition will be sent out on Sunday January 7th. We wish all families a wonderful week ahead and a special couple of weeks of holidays from school. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Winter, or any other special family tradition, we wish you all a wonderful break ahead!

-Deborah Thompson, Principal & Centennial PS Staff

Monday December 18 - CocoaBistro pick up 3-5pm in the foyer unless you contact the School Council to have your order go home with your student (Email the council at CouncilCentennialPS@gmail.com)

Tuesday December 19 - Primary Celebration for Parents/Guardians in the gym at 2pm. Doors will open at 1:50pm

Wednesday December 20

- Library field trip today for various classes

- Gary Rasberry visits

- Coding workshop in Grade 6

- Puppet Show at LCVI for various classes

- Popcorn orders due

Thursday December 21

- Puppet Show at LCVI for various classes

- Solstice & Yule

Friday December 22

- Cozy Day - dress up in cozy stuff!

- Popcorn day!

December 25-January 5th: Winter Holidays!

December 24th: Christmas Eve

December 25th: Christmas Day

December 26th: Kwanzaa

December 31st: New Year's Eve

January

January 1st: New Year's Day

January 8th - Back to School

January 15th - School Council meeting

February 2nd - PA Day

February 12th - School Council

February 21st - Gould Lake Trip - Byers & Rosser

Please help us spread the word! The parking lot is for staff only. Parents/guardians are welcome to park in designated locations on Norman Rogers and on neighbouring streets. Please help to keep all students, staff and families safe by ensuring the parking lot remains for staff only, including at drop off and pick up. Thank you for your help!

We have had some "near misses" in the last week. Please DO NOT enter the bus lane or the staff parking lot, and please do not use the exit as an entrance. Parking is available on neighbouring streets. Thank you for your help!

Dear Families

The Pop Pop Pop Corn Company is returning to Centennial this December. This student run small business was originally established in 2013 and ran each year until COVID-19.

Ms. Byers’ class will be sales reps for each of the classes in the school, design order forms, make flyers, posters, make announcements and learn about expenses and profits.

Popcorn orders will not be posted to School Days. The students instead will have a chance to handle cash, tabulate orders, deliver orders, and problem solve. Order forms will go home on Wednesday December 13th and are due back at school by Wednesday December 20th.

Popcorn orders will be delivered on Friday December 22, the last day before the Winter Break.

Check out the student-created videos below!

Municipal Fee Assistance Program (MFAP)

For working people who qualify for the Municipal Fee Assistance Program (MFAP), there is also an option for health benefits.

Low Income Health Benefits - City of Kingston

Once again this year we are using LunchBox to provide families with some options for hot lunch, should they wish to participate. Orders are due by NOON on Sunday for orders being delivered the following week. We are trying out pasta from Boston Pizza on Thursdays - please log in to see dates, costs and ordering information.

Just a reminder that should buses be cancelled, hot lunches are also cancelled and credit will be provided to account.

LunchBox is looking at more varied choices for hot lunches moving forward, and those will be reflected in the menu options, if it is possible.

To create an account and order hot lunches, use the guide below and linked here: Get The Guide

Please mark your calendars for the School Council meeting dates. Meeting begin at 6:30pm and are 90 minutes in length. Child care for school aged children is provided for those who register by the Sunday before. If you require childcare, please notify the council of your need by emailing councilcentennialps@gmail.com

All parents and guardians are welcome to attend!

Monday January 15th

Monday February 12th

Monday April 8th

Monday May 13th

Monday June 3rd

Due to the prevalence of peanut and tree nut allergies, we do ask that all parents refrain from sending products that may contain nuts to school, even if there is not a specific nut allergy in your child's classroom. We appreciate your efforts and support to ensure that all of our students are safe at school. If your child has any allergies or medical conditions of which the school is not aware, please inform your child's teacher immediately, so that we can ensure that we have all of the information required to keep children safe at school. If in doubt about ingredients, please do not send to school. Thank you for your help to keep all students safe!

All school supplies that students need for their learning and work will be provided by Centennial Public School. Sometimes students prefer to have their own pencil case with pencils/markers, but it is not a requirement.

Students do need to come to school with:

- Indoor, non-marking athletic type of shoes

- Water bottle with child's name clearly marked (we have bottle filling stations, not fountains)

- Nut-free snacks and lunch

Please label all items!

Sometimes students want to bring items to school to show friends, or have things stored in backpacks that need to remain at home. This is just a reminder that students should not bring the following items to school:

- items of value (sentimental or monetary)

- any kind of weapon (for example, a Swiss Army knife)

- any kind of toy that could be a replica weapon (for example, a toy gun)

- electronics of any kind

- jewelry

- make-up

- anything scented

- anything with nuts (please ensure all lunches and snacks are nut-free)

- toys, stuffies, Pokemon cards

Thank you for keeping these items at home. Sometimes a quick check of a backpack can ensure that treasures do not come to school. Thank you for understanding that we are not responsible for lost, broken or stolen personal items.

Since the start of the pandemic, we have noticed a marked increase in the number of student absences.

When children miss a day they miss important literacy and math learning, and can fall behind on lessons that build from day to day. Students who are regularly late, even if it is only 10 minutes, often miss critical reading instruction, which often happens first thing in the morning.

We know that children need to stay home when they are sick, and the rules for staying home have changed throughout the pandemic. The most recent guidelines on staying home can be found beneath the chart below. Please contact the school if you need support with attendance issues. Let's work together and get every student here every day!

School Day is an online platform that families can use for providing permission and payment for school events.

Each returning family has a School Day account that you would have used last year. The user name and password you used last year continues to be active for this year.

Families new to Centennial will receive a paper information sheet this week with a unique user name and password (which you can change). Please keep this information handy as we use School Day for various permission forms, school trips, consents and payments.

Returning families who are not sure of their School Day information can contact the school office and a new form can be sent home to you.

Please note that we are not able to accept verbal or written permission generally and that School Day is to be used. Cash and cheques cannot be accepted at the school due to safe money handling procedures and as such, the much more secure method of School Day is used.

This platform may be new to some families (and to us too!) and we are here to work through the process together. Don't hesitate to reach out to the office if you are experiencing any challenges.

Some students may bring a cell phone to school as a way to communicate with parents before the school day begins and after the school day ends. When students bring a cell phone to school they place it in the lockbox that each teacher (grade 3/4 to 6) has in their classroom and it remains locked for the day.

Should a student need to make contact with home throughout the day, they are welcome to let their teacher know and the school can either contact home or the student can use the phone in the main office.

We have devices at school such as ipads and chromebooks that are available for student learning, and as such, cell phones are not needed during the school day. At recess students play and have time for social interaction face to face.

Please see the link below for more information and to self identify, if you wish.

https://ldsb.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9U2iaUl9GIFILb0

Do you need a way to label your things that stay labelled? Do you need a way to show what's yours? Need a way to label your child's things so they don't get lost or mixed up? Support Centennial Public School Council by purchasing through the link. The school receives 20% of your purchase! All funds raised go to support School Council initiatives including student activities. Thank you!

http://www.oliverslabels.com/Centennial

Want to look spiffy and show off your pride in being a Centennial PS Comet? Check out all of the clothing and accessories available at the Centennial Public School e-store at: https://specialtytrophies.ca/centennialps/

Please use the Safe Arrival system to report your child's absence; do not call the school to report an absence. If you child is going to be absent from learning, please ensure you use the Safe Arrival system to report the absence. There is a new function in Safe Arrival if your child is going to be late.

How to report your absence:

1. Toll-free telephone

• Call 1-855-257-9349 toll-free to report an absence using the automated phone system.

2. School Messenger App

• Use your mobile device to download and install the free SchoolMessenger blue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, the SchoolMessenger website portal, or from within the LDSB mobile app.
• The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
• Select Attendance, then select Report an Absence and follow the prompts.

3. SchoolMessenger SafeArrival Website Portal

• Visit the SchoolMessenger website portal.
• The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
• Select Attendance, then Report an Absence and follow the prompts.

Stay Up To Date! Please check the following regularly...

Centennial PS Twitter https://twitter.com/centennial_ldsb?lang=en

Centennial PS Website https://centennial.limestone.on.ca/

LDSB Website https://www.limestone.on.ca/

LDSB Twitter https://twitter.com/LimestoneDSB

LDSB Facebook https://tinyurl.com/wbhjtku

LDSB Instagram https://instagram.com/limestonedsb?igshid=1epyma6c0g5qd

"We treat others the way we want to be treated"

"Show Up! Stand Up! Never Give Up!"

Email: cente@limestone.on.ca
Website: https://centennial.limestone.on.ca
Location: 120 Norman Rogers Dr, Kingston, ON K7M 2R2
Phone: 613.546.5517
Twitter: @Centennial_LDSB