January 2020

January 2020
Centennial Elementary School
Shannon Ritter, Principal
January 2020

Dear Families ~
Welcome back! It was sure great to see all of our kiddos back after the long break!

We are mixing it up a bit this year and holding a STEAM Fair during the school day. The STEAM Fair (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) is meant to showcase all the integrated work we do at Centennial, alongside the individual science fair projects students can choose to do at home as well.

Science fair projects will be displayed in the small gym and classroom projects will be on display in the hallways and pods. Each class will have a designated time to rotate through the entire fair to look at projects, listen to students share their learning and even participate in some hands-on demos from a few parent volunteers.

Here are some events to look forward to:
 9:15 - 10:45 Student Science Fair Presentations with Community Scientists Feedback
 9:30 - 1:30 View dozens of classroom and hands-on projects throughout the building
 9:15 - 1:30 4th & 5th graders will participate in experiments with air-powered rockets
 12:00 - 2:00 Kindergarten - 3rd grade will watch exciting liquid nitrogen demonstrations

I feel certain many students will “Discover their passions, be curious and love learning” as they participate in this fair, which also happens to directly aligned to Student Outcome #5. Come for a short time, or stay all day. Either way, I hope you join us for this exciting day showcasing our students’ work in STEAM!

Shannon Ritter, Principal

Security Doors at Centennial – Smile you are on camera
The new security system for Centennial has been installed and should be operational by the end of the month. Please note there is a camera and door-bell unit to the right of the front doors. The front doors will be locked and to gain entrance to the school (for volunteering, picking up or dropping off your child) you will need to ring the bell at the front of the school and wait for the office to identify who you are and then you will be buzzed in.

All visitors and students will enter the school through the office. Please use the door to the left of the handicap door to enter the school (this is the second door on the right-see the sign on the door) You will have 10 seconds to open the door. If you are in need of the handicap door after you have been buzzed in, you may push the handicap door access button.

Students in the Intermediate Building will continue to come through the main building and once checked into the office (if late to school) they will go through the building and use an electronic key card to enter the Intermediate Building. Staff, volunteers and students with an electronic key card checked out to them, can touch the key card to the black key pad box by any of the exterior door then enter the building, when the door unlocks.

January is School Board Appreciation Month
We would like to thank the Olympia School District Board of Directors for their service to our district!

Reading Month & Battle of the Books

Battle of the Books 
will start practice on January 27th running through February 28th, during 3rd, 4th and 5th grades’ library class time.

Reading month will begin February 3rd – February 28th. More information to be sent home. The theme this year is “Reading is my Super Power!”

 Used Book Sale – February 27th
 Character Day - February 28th - Dress up as your favorite book character
 Battle of the Books Championship - March 12th

Wanted Used Books
The library is now accepting gently used books for the ASB Used Book Sale. Drop off at the school office.

Battle of the Books
Battle of the Books is another reading incentive program offered to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students at Centennial Elementary during February’s Reading Month.

The goals of this program are to encourage students to broaden their reading interest, increase reading comprehension and promote academic achievement. Battle of the Books is a team effort.

Each student is part of a team. Students choose to read books from a list of selected titles. They discuss the books, quiz each other on the contents, and then compete in teams to correctly answer questions based on the books in the list. Students can check out the books at the CES library or the public library.

Practices take place in the library during the student’s regularly scheduled library visits starting end of January. The final championship will be on March 12. Parents are welcome to attend.

Snow Day Plan

Make sure you have a plan in place for weather-related school closings and delays. You might ask a coworker to swap shifts or see if you could telework when school is canceled. If you can’t get home in time for an early closing, find a relative or neighbor to pick up your child from school or meet him at the bus stop. Home & Connection, January 2020

Snow Day Notifications to Families at Centennial
If we have a late start or school is canceled, a robo call (School Messenger) will go out to all our families. You can also check the Olympia School District website at osd.wednet.edu, check the local TV news station announcement regarding school closures or late starts, or listen to the radio.

Please do not call the school office. Check the district website because it is difficult answering all the phone calls on these mornings.

Screen-Free Play
Studies show that kids who spend less time in front of screens tend to be healthier and earn higher test scores. Encourage your youngster to enjoy “unplugged” play with these ideas.

Nature time.
Electronics don’t grow on trees—so going outside to play is one of the easiest ways to avoid screen time. You and your child can bundle up and go for a walk or throw a football around. You’ll both enjoy being outdoors and spending special time together.

A screen-free corner.
Create a spot for your youngster to store his favorite non-electronic items like jigsaw puzzles, board games, and play dough. He could put them on shelves or in bins and hang up a sign that says “Screen-free zone.” He’ll have an inviting place to exercise his brain without technology. Home & School Connection, January 2020

What’s That Sound?
Play this game to sharpen your youngster’s listening skills. Have her close her eyes while you make a noise. Can she identify the jingle of the dog’s leash or the “pop” of the toaster? Trade roles, and let her create a sound for you to figure out. Home & Connection, January 2020

Olympia Junior Programs 2020 Field Trips for grades 1-5

All students in grades 1-5 will be assessed an OJP 2020 fee of $10.00 for the cost of attending the two performances ($5.00 for each performance).

Families will need to sign the permission envelope that is attached to the field trip information that will be coming home. We will be processing all field trip money collected through the school’s InTouch cash register. This will allow families to go through their SkywardFamily Access account to pay online if you choose this as an option or send a check or cash in the permission envelope. All checks need to be made payable to Centennial Elementary School.

Rocky & Erin Ricarte will again be the Booster Club Coordinators who will be representing Centennial at the OJP meetings and helping with assigning chaperones and the logistic at the Washington Center. Booster Club will be covering the transportation cost of the buses this year.

For all 10:00 a.m. performance students will be boarding the school buses at 9:20 a.m. and returning back to school by 11:30 a.m. for lunch.

Please note for the performance on Monday, February 10th the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be attending the 12:30 p.m. performance. Students will be boarding the school buses at 11:40 a.m. and will return to the school by 2:00 p.m.

If you are interested in chaperoning for one of these field trips, make sure that you have completed your OSD Volunteer Application online. There will be a form attached to the field trip information regarding chaperone needs.

Mark your calendar for the dates that your children will be attending.

Monday, 2/10 12:30 p.m. gr 3-4-5 “Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park”

Tuesday, 3/10 10:00 a.m. gr 1-2 “Miss Nelson Has a Field Day”

Friday, 3/20 10:00 a.m. gr 3-4-5 “Showtime with Shakespeare”

Monday, 4/20 10:00 a.m. gr 1-2 “The Boy Who Grew Flowers”

Mark your Calendars for Fifth Grade Outdoor School

Our fifth grade students will be attending Outdoor School at the CISPUS Environmental Center in Randle, Washington, April 29 – May 1.

This will be a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday trip. Cost is $150.00 per student. You are welcome to start making payments on your child’s Outdoor School tuition. More information to follow.

Goal setting: A Recipe for Success
Reaching a goal involves more than just hoping and dreaming. Here’s how your child can practice setting, tracking, and achieving goals—skills that will serve her well now and in the future.

Be specific
What would your youngster like to accomplish? Maybe she wants to earn higher grades or become a better gymnast. Suggest that she narrow down the goal so it’s more targeted. Her goal might be “I will turn in all of my assignments on time” or “I will move up one level in gymnastics this year.”

Map it out
Breaking a goal into small steps makes it feel more manageable. Your child could draw a winding road on paper, add lines to divide it into segments, and write a step in each one. Examples: “Put my planner in my backpack when school ends” or “Do my beam routine five times in a row with-out falling off.” She can color each step as she completes it.

Check in
Support your child in sticking to her plan. Say she falls behind on a long-term project. Together, look at her planner and find slots of time where she can catch up. Or if she has to miss gymnastics class one day, offer ways to practice at home like using a strip of duct tape as a balance beam. Home & School Connection, January 2020

Walk ‘n’ Roll to School!

Hey Centennial Stars, it’s time to Walk N Roll! Intercity Transit’s Walk N Roll program invites all students and their families to walk to school on January 8th! What a great way to burn off those holiday desserts! Students who walk or roll to school get a prize! Centennial is Walking N Rolling to school all year long!

Save the dates.
Jan. 8
Feb. 12
March 11
April 1
May 13 National Bike to School Day
June 10

Reminder to call the Attendance Line at 596-8303 to report any absences or late arrivals. The office needs to know as soon as possible. This is a 24-hour recording phone line. Please feel free to call this number at any time that you are aware that your child will be absent.

Upcoming Events:  

1/8 Walk ‘n’ Roll to school
1/9-10 Science on Wheels at Centennial
1/14 Booster Club Meeting at 7:00 p.m. – Speaker- Superintendent Patrick Murphy
1/16 Martin Luther King Assembly at 9:15 a.m. at CES Gym – Guest: CES Choirs & WMS Band
1/20 MLK Jr. Holiday – No School
1/22 CES – STEAM Science Fair 9:30-a.m. – 2:30 p.m. 1/31 Half Day – Dismissed at 12:05 p.m. – Grading for First Semester
2/7 All School Sing at 2:30 p.m.
2/10 OJP gr 3-5 Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park 11:40-2:00 P.M. (12:30 performance)
2/12 Walk ‘n’ Roll to school
2/14 Report Cards Go Home
2/17-18 No School Mid-Winter Break

In Case of Emergency
Keeping your contact information up to date is vital in an emergency. When your child has been injured at school or is sick, the office needs to have accurate contact information. It is also necessary for teachers to have up to date contact information to keep you informed regarding your child’s progress. Please send a note in with your child if you have a change to your phone number(s), address, or email information.

OSD 2019-20 Notice of Nondiscrimination

The Olympia School District will provide equal educational opportunity and treatment for all students in all aspects of the academic and activities program without discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. The district will provide equal access to school facilities to the Boy Scouts of America and all other designated youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society. District programs will be free from sexual harassment. Auxiliary aids and services will be provided upon request to individuals with disabilities.

The following people have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies, reports of alleged sexual harassment, concerns about compliance, and/or grievance procedures:
 Autumn Lara, Executive Director of Elementary Education, [email protected] (360)596-8534

 Ken Turcotte, Section 504 and ADA Coordinator, [email protected], (360) 596-7530

 Pat Cusack, Director of College and Career Readiness, [email protected], (360) 596-6102

 Scott Niemann, Title IX Officer and Affirmative Action Officer and Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator, [email protected], (360) 596-6185.

All four individuals may also be contacted at 111 Bethel Street N.E., Olympia, WA, 98506.

Centennial Phone Numbers 2019-2020
Attendance Line 360-596-8303
24-hour Voice Mail-call anytime
School Office 360-596-8300 End of the Day Transportation Changes call prior to 3:00 p.m.
Transportation Department 360-596-7700 Bus Issues