February 2023
Message from the Principal:
Hello Centennial Families ~
It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the school year already! As we head into the second semester, I am excited to share with you a little about a school wide project that we will kick off in February.
This year, the OSD Instructional Technology department has partnered with author/librarian Jennifer LaGarde (@librarygirl) in a year-long professional learning opportunity for collaborative school-based teams to integrate concepts of media literacy and digital rights and responsibilities into daily practice in the school community. One of the project outcomes is for all schools to update, develop, implement, and share units and projects embedded with digital citizenship and media literacy concepts and skills across grade levels, content areas, and schools.
Our team has been working on this project for several months and are excited to launch it in February. Over the next several months, each classroom will be reading beautiful books that focus on building social and emotional skills through literature. These pre-selected books will travel from classroom to classroom each month and will help students build empathy and understanding of how their emotions are affected by what they read. Each month beginning in February and running through June, traveling book bags will visit each classroom. Teachers will read these pre-selected books, ask common guiding questions helping students to build empathy and understanding of how their emotions are affected by what they read.
Each month, a different word will be incorporated into lessons and reinforced through literature and conversations in the classroom. Here is a sneak peak of what is to come:
February: Courage ~ Black History Month & Black Lives Matter at school week
o Let the Children March
o More Than Peach
o School sharing of student museums: Tuesday, Feb. 28th
Student collage sharing with buddy classes
Whole school assembly and sing @ 9:00
March: Empathy ~ Women’s History Month/National Disability Awareness Month
o Lubna and Pebble
o I Talk Like a River
April: Perseverance ~ Diversity Month and Earth Day
o Abdul’s Story
o John’s Turn
May & June: Kindness ~ May is Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month & June is Pride Month
o Watercress
o Stella Brings the Family
~Principal Ritter
Message from the Librarian
Our Third, Fourth and Fifth grade students have been participating in a reading competition called Battle of the Books (aka BoB). This reading competition encourages students to read genres that they might not select on their own, increases reading comprehension and provides a great opportunity for them to work as a team.
Students will spend the month of February completing practice rounds which will help them prepare them for the final rounds of the BoB competition. The BoB Finals will take place in the gym on Friday, March 3rd. Here is the timeline for the rest of our competition.
• February 27th - March 2nd: Semi-Finals ~ students will answer another set of 20 questions. Top scoring teams will move on to the Finals
• Friday, March 3rd: FINALS ~ Top scoring 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade teams will battle for the finals. We will have a winner at each grade level. The winning teams will receive a medal and will win a “traveling trophy” that stays in their classroom for the rest of the school year.
All participants will receive a ribbon for participating in the competition. I am so proud of how hard students have worked on reading and it’s been exciting to watch them grow as a team!
~Heather Slater
Family Liaison News
Greetings Centennial Families!
Don't forget that Sara Foppiano, Family Liaison, is available to help families with a range of needs. Whether you need help completing a Free & Reduced Lunch Application, assistance purchasing school supplies, or have questions about other resources available in the community, please reach out! You can also complete a confidential survey to request support by clicking on this link: https://forms.gle/mX8Si1RLrm5wphc67
A Message from the School Nurse
Hello from the health room! As is common at this time of the year, we have students and families experiencing illness. Here are some friendly reminders when to keep your student home:
• Fever greater than 100.4 (student may return if they’re fever free for 24 hours without meds)
• Vomiting/diarrhea (student may return to school if no symptoms within the last 24 hours)
• Cough or runny nose that is not normal for your student
Snow Day Notifications to Families
If we have a late start, or school is canceled, a robo call (School Messenger) will go out to all our families. If you’re not getting them, go to Skyward Family Access and then ‘Sky Alert’. Be sure your cell is entered under ‘Text Message Numbers.’ Or you can check the Olympia School District website at osd.wednet.edu, or their social media pages (Facebook/Instagram/Twitter).
Cell phones at School
A gentle reminder about cell phones: We understand that some families choose to allow their students to have a cell phone, however the expectation is that students will not use their phones at school. Please talk to your student about this expectation and help us create a positive learning environment for all students. Thank you!
Lunch Accounts
Thank you for your help with keeping your student’s lunch account up to date. Cash, check or credit card are all accepted (please know we do NOT have change at the school). If the online payment portal does not work for you, you can always call the school and we can take payment over the phone. Or just stop by the school! Checks can be split between accounts if that’s easier; just specify the amount going to each student’s account.
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 February 8th. Students who walk or roll to school get a prize. Centennial is Walking N Rolling to school all year long!
Save the dates:
Feb. 8
March 8
April 12
May 10 National Bike to School Day
June 14
Upcoming Events
2/3 Half Day – Dismissed at 11:05 a.m. – Grading for First Semester
2/6 Second Semester Begins
2/8 Cispus packets due (5th grade)
2/8 Walk ‘n’ Roll to school
2/20-21 Mid-Winter Break -- No School
2/22 Report Cards available on Skyward Family Access @ 3:00
2/28 Friday Sing on Tuesday! 9:00
2/28 General Booster Club Meeting @ 7:00
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. Please update any changes in Skyward Family Access, or call the office and we’re happy to help you!
Centennial Phone Numbers 2022 - 2023
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 1:45 p.m.)
Transportation Department: 360-596-7700 (Bus Issues)
**Please note that any unexcused absences need to be cleared up within 48 hours of the absence, or they will remain unexcused. Thank you!**