CENTENNIAL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL HOME OF THE EAGLES NEWSBRIEF JUNE, 2007 Summer Is Here! Summer has arrived!  Enjoy the time with your family and friends.  This summer will be a very short one; the first day of school for students is August 20, 2007.  Make all the time that you can for fun in the sun!  Please plan to schedule your child's school physical soon so that everything is on file before the beginning of the fall sports season.  You will find a blank physical form attached.  Physical forms are available throughout the summer in the school office.  Summer School for Centennial Incoming 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Graders! If your child is entering 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th grade at Centennial next year and failed one or more of their classes, summer session is a very important expectation.  A dynamic group of teachers have planned meaningful learning opportunities and enrichment trips for students.  There is no cost for summer session; bussing, breakfast, and lunch are also provided.  Summer session will be held for Centennial students at Centennial beginning on July 16, 2007, through August 3, 2007.  If you would like your child to be included, please contact the school office.  The program is filling fast!  Students can expect to work on reading, writing, and math skills in very different ways!  They will be on Casper Mountain, the river walk, at museums, and other exciting locations. Students will read the book, The Giver, during summer session.   Dates to Remember! Mark your calendars for the following important dates.  Refrigerator magnets with school calendar dates will be available in August. July 1 - 7 - Centennial is proud to partner with the community and World Changers as the host site for this summer's team of young people who will donate their time to help others in our community. July 10 - School holiday.  Offices closed. July 16 - August 3 - Summer school for Centennial students!  Sign up today!  Summer session runs from 8:30 - 1:30, leaving lots of afternoon summer for students. August 2 - Sixth/Seventh Orientation and Roundup (SOAR) for all incoming 6th and 7th graders in the school gym at 10:00 A.M.  Students will receive their schedules, welcome folders, planners, and will benefit from an orientation prior to the start of school. August 6 - Schedule pickup day for 8th and 9th graders and any 6th and 7th graders who missed SOAR! August 13 - 17 - Teachers report to school for professional development days. August 20 - First day for students! August 21 - School picture day! August 30 - Back to School Night is scheduled for 6:30 P.M.  Walk your child's schedule, meet teachers, see the classrooms, learn about goals for the year, visit the school store, learn about activities and parent involvement opportunities. September is Walking for Fitness Month at Centennial.  Join us in celebrating our first school wide wellness program!  New Faces, New Places Please welcome the following new staff members : Heather Malody, 9th Math Danielle Obray, 7th Math Angie Hall, 7th Math Kerin McMullen, Math Strategist (working with all math teachers to improve math instruction) Cheri Grutkowski, P.E. Chris Metzger, P.E. Ken Christianson, P.E. Shawn Watts, P.E. Linda Mar, Functional Life Skills Roxanne Watson, Registrar Kristen Atkinson, Tutor Sharon Schulte, Special Education Inclusion  New This Fall Centennial 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students will benefit from Connections Block at the end of each school day next year. On   Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, students will connect with reading.  We will kick off One School - One Book in the fall and all students and staff will read the same book, The Westing Game!   Book study, discussions, and activities will be coordinated around the highly inventive mystery during first quarter.  Students will connect with reading each day and spend SSR (sustained silent reading) time and guided discussion time during Connections Block.  On Tuesdays, students will connect with staff during Connections Block.  The Tuesday focus will ensure that each student has an opportunity to connect with an adult and discuss planned topics each week.  Topics include being a good citizen, getting and staying organized, staying on top of grades, interacting with others, prioritizing responsibilities, peer pressure, wellness, importance of activities, nutrition and sleep needs, and more!  Thanks to the Centennial staff for connecting with students and recognizing the need to create even smaller communities within the larger school community. Thanks, Parents! Thanks to all Centennial parents who donated time and talents this year!  We appreciate all involvement with teams, committees, activities, and special events.   One to One Computing Centennial 9th graders will receive their own laptops as part of the eastside one to one implementation.  The laptops will accompany the students who select Kelly Walsh as their 10th grade school of choice.  There will be a required training and responsible use meeting for students and parents prior to the first day of school.  All 9th graders and their parents need to attend the training.  Letters with more information will be mailed home to all 9th graders during the month of July.   Guidance/Main Office Merge Centennial will have a new registrar and a new guidance counselor next year.  In order to better meet students‚Äô needs and to provide more needed space, the registrar and counselor will move to the main office.  The former Guidance Office will become the Student Services Office and will be home for the psychologist, social worker, speech pathologist, CWCC staff, and other traveling support staff.  Scheduling needs, course changes, and counseling needs will be met in the main office and should be directed to the new registrar, Roxanne Watson, or the new school counselor.    Medication Policy Please remember that students will need to have a new medication form filled out by a doctor in order to take medication at school.  All medications must be kept in the nurse's office.  Students are permitted to keep inhalers with them, but must have a medication form on file.  Just a reminder that over the counter medication should not be in students' possession.  Parents are free to come to the school to administer medication if the need arises.    Planning Ahead for Next Year Please check the attached updated supply lists.  Students are also required to have special P.E. clothing  - plain white t-shirts with no logo, black or gold elastic waist shorts, athletic shoes and socks.  T-shirts and shorts are available in the school store.    Goal Setting Goal setting will be an important focus next year.  The fall Parent Teacher Conferences will involve setting goals for student growth.  Principals and instructional facilitators will again conference with students to discuss progress toward goals and to prepare for the testing windows.  Teachers will have students track their own growth in specific areas.  You will see data dashboards in classrooms enabling students to watch their personal progress and class progress with regard to particular goal areas.    Pyramid of Interventions As you review your child's report card, refer to the attached Pyramid of Interventions.  Are there interventions that might be helpful next year?  Centennial will again offer extended school day for students who need extra help with math or language arts goal areas.  There is also daily organizational help for students who need assistance getting work completed and turned in on time.  Check out the interventions and keep them in mind for next school year.   Grading Scale Centennial, Dean Morgan, and C.Y. will transition to a 10 point grading scale next year. 100 - 90        A 89 - 80         B 79 - 70         C 69 - 60        D 59-             F Pinnacle Grade Books will be set up for the 10 point grading scale.  Instructional facilitators will continue working with teachers on authentic assessment and what goes into a student's grade so that grades are an accurate reflection of student learning.   Summer Learning Summer is a great time to extend learning time.  Taking a road trip?  Have students read maps and track mileage!  Stop at historic sites and read the information together.  Track miles per gallon of gas, estimate expenses,  make  travel arrangements, total the bill at restaurants and estimate the tip, and play license plate games in the car.  Read together or enjoy a book on tape that you can discuss along the way.  Stop at museums, learn about different states and what they are known for.  Discuss rock formations, indigenous plant and animal life, and the impact of different climates.  Walk a nature trail together, fish from a river bank, ride bikes, study the night sky, learn about the phases of the moon, explore internet  resources related to your trips! ELCOME MR. DEVER Brian Dever is Centennial’s new campus supervisor.  He comes to us from Frontier Middle School.  Mr. Dever enjoys middle school students and he is working hard to supervise students.  Student and staff safety are at the top of the list when it comes to Mr. Dever’s responsibilities.  If you have questions regarding safety or student behavior, contact Mr. Dever, campus supervisor, or Mr. Schulte, administrative manager. ADMINISTRATIVE INTERN Evansville academic interventionist, Chris Carruth, is working on her administrative internship at Centennial through the end of March.  She has been working closely with the principals, the administrative manager, the campus supervisor, and office staff to learn about administration and school leadership.  She is visiting classrooms, working with students, attending staffing meetings, academic goal conferencing with 9th graders, attending CJHS Committee and Team meetings, and learning all she can during her three weeks with middle level students! MATH MATTERS Students who are struggling with math often need skill remediation in the area of number operations and concepts.  Practice in this area strengthens a student’s ability to handle higher level math.  Have your child practice the following: •fractions •decimals         -compute, simplify,                     convert, round •place value         -read and write decimals                to the thousandths in                   word and standard form • measurement         inches         mils •adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing - including decimals •factors, multiples, powers •working with money •justifying/explaining (in writing) how to arrive at an answer Help by asking the following math questions about how to complete a specific math task.  Ask how to complete the task: •Find the area of a square. (Multiply the length of a side by itself and express in square units.) •Convert minutes to seconds. (Multiply by 60.) •Find the perimeter of a figure. (Add all the sides.) •Find the circumference of a cylinder when the diameter is known.   (Multiply the diameter by 3.14.) •Find an equivalent fraction for a given fraction. (Multiply the denominator and the numerator by the same number.) •Convert feet to inches.   (Multiply by 12.)