The Colonial Times

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. As the summer days slowly yield to the promise of autumn, it is with great enthusiasm that I welcome you all back to another exciting academic year in Centennial School District. Our journey together continues, and it is my privilege as the Superintendent of Schools to share my appreciation for the remarkable progress we have achieved over the past three years.

Looking back, it fills me with immense pride to see how far we have come since 2020. The dedication and unwavering commitment of our educators, staff, students, parents, and guardians have transformed challenges into opportunities, and aspirations into achievements. Some of what has been achieved was highlighted in our 2022 Year In Review video.

Our academic progress made, based on local-level assessments (ex: IXL, I-Ready, etc.), has shown significant increases as we continue our work to recover from the impact of the pandemic. This is a testament to the collaborative efforts which must continue as we work to show continuous improvement. Our success extends beyond the classroom walls. Over the past three years, we have also continued and progressed in creating a strong sense of community within our schools. Our commitment to fostering well-rounded individuals is becoming more evident as our students grow in their confidence to become capable young adults preparing to leave for their next chapter.

We have embraced technology as a powerful tool to enhance learning experiences by introducing interactive digital resources and equipping our classrooms with cutting-edge tools. This forward-thinking approach has empowered our students to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

None of these achievements would have been possible without the invaluable support of our board, parents, guardians, and community members. Your unwavering encouragement, involvement, and partnership have played an integral role in shaping the success of our students. Your dedication to their growth is truly commendable.

As we embark on this new academic year, let us continue to build upon the strong foundation we have established. Let us foster an environment of curiosity, resilience, and empathy, where every student feels valued, empowered, and inspired to reach for their dreams.

I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and the potential for even greater accomplishments. It was a busy summer for the CSD staff as we continued our commitment to making changes to support improved outcomes and experiences for all our students. As we look forward to receiving our outstanding students on Thursday, August 24, 2023 (first day of school), please note some, but not all, of what has occurred or what you can expect next school year:

Teaching and Learning

With the update we have made to align our curriculum to state standards which had not occurred in some areas for twelve years, our families should expect continued growth and development in our students.

Communications/Engagement

With the recent launch of our new website, which is more mobile-device focused and has its own newsfeed that looks and feels like a Facebook or Twitter feed within our system (not external), our families should expect improved engagement.

Additionally, we are looking at some additional resources that may provide families with 24/7 access to answers to questions they may have about CSD.

Food and Nutrition

This past June, we launched the SchoolCafe portal, which will improve our families' experience when paying for school lunches, monitoring their student's meal program, and viewing school menus.

Transportation

We will be rolling out a Global Positioning System (GPS) on all buses, along with a family mobile app.

Safety and Security

We have increased the number of school security personnel versus the old school monitor model. School security staff are required to complete the PA ACT 67 training (School Security Basic Training Course). In addition to safety, the course provides a knowledge base for school security staff to build a rapport with students and staff.

Facilities (not an all-inclusive list, just a sample)

Several schools are having additional school cameras added in strategic locations to improve facility security measures.

All schools have undergone summer cleaning in preparation for the return of our students and staff.

Willow Dales ES: The back playground fence was installed.

Log College MS: The building of the outdoor classroom project has started and should be completed this month.

Klinger MS: The mural wall was built in preparation for the upcoming painting by an artist and students.

McDonald ES: Tested a new gym floor product that provides a quicker preparation and dry time in order to prepare it quickly for student use.

Davis ES: Hallway security gates were purchased and installed.

WTHS: The WTHS Student Parking Lot Repair Project, which began July 26th, is expected to be completed no later than August 9th.

Thank you for entrusting us with the education and growth of your children. We look forward to seeing our students on August 24th and having an outstanding 2023/2024 school year!

Warm regards,

Dana T. Bedden, Ed.D., CAA

Superintendent of Schools

Hello everyone and welcome back...well almost! August has arrived and we are just a few weeks away from the start of the 2023-2024 school year! Everyone has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming school year, and we are very excited to see what this year will bring!

For those of you new to Log College, The Colonial Times is our bi-weekly newsletter and shared via an eAlert. You will typically find information about upcoming events, athletic updates, and school highlights. Information that is more time-sensitive is shared directly through eAlert, which appears in your email account.

We are looking forward to this year, and hope that you enjoy the remaining weeks of summer! As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at Log College.

I want to thank you for entrusting us with your children. Our goal is to make the 2023-2024 school year a wonderful experience for our entire school community and to make Log College a welcoming place for all students.

Mr. Patrick Golderer, M.Ed.

Principal

The Centennial School District is thrilled with our new website and mobile app! These resources will help students, parents, and community members know what is happening in our buildings from anywhere they go. Stay up-to-date with access to events, documents, news from administrators, student stories, and even emergency alerts. It's everything Centennial, in your pocket!

Please watch the video below to learn more:

AUGUST

August 16 and August 21 (On August 16th and 21st, LCMS will be open for building tours. Additionally, the school store will be open *Cash only). Click HERE for details.

August 24 - First Day of School

SEPTEMBER

September 1- School Closed

September 4- Schools and Offices Closed: Labor Day Holiday

September 11 - Back to School Night- 6:30 PM

School Links:

Log College Website
Log College Calendar
New Bell Schedule
2023 LCMS Supply List

District Links:

Student Registration

Employment at CSD

CSD Weekly Update Archive

Food & Nutrition (Menus)

District eFolder (Community Flyers)
Student and Staff Wellness

Registration for the 2023-24 school year is still open to all incoming students. Students must be five years of age on or before August 31 to register for Kindergarten. The following documents are required to register a student:

• A birth certificate

• Immunization records

• Four proofs of residency
  
  

Parents/guardians can register a student online. Should you have any questions, please call the CSD Registrar at 215-441-6000, Ext. 11046.

First, be sure to check out our website. It is filled with useful information and will serve as the hub of communication. Our website features information about upcoming building tours, athletics, our outdoor classroom project, and a general welcome with everything you need to know about the start of the school year (which is linked here).

In addition to emails and calls you may receive from individual faculty and staff members, Log College will communicate in a few additional forums:

Weekly “Good Morning LCMS” (eAlert from the principal)

• Forecast of events for the upcoming week

Bi-weekly Newsletter “The Colonial Times”

• Highlights events, important information, and includes student contributions
• The latest edition of The Colonial Times

Home and School Association:

• Monthly (2nd Monday of each month at 7:15 p.m. at LCMS, occasionally online)

• Log College Home and School is seeking volunteers for the 2023-2024 school year. If you are interested in joining any of our committees, please check off the appropriate committee and submit the following form: Home and School Volunteer Form

Social Media

• Typically reserved for athletics and social events like dances

Every August, students anxiously wait for their schedules to go live in Skyward. Throughout the summer, Mr. Drago, Log's Assistant Principal works on creating schedules for all of the students. While the summer is "scheduling season," that's not when the scheduling process starts!

If we were to ask you how long you think the actual scheduling process takes, what would your answer be? Two months? Three? Would you believe that it actually takes place over a span of eight months, and begins not long after the school year gets underway?!

Counselors and administration start the planning process for the next year in early December by creating timelines for the 8th graders going to the high school, our own students in the building, and the fifth graders that are coming to Log College the following year. From there, we review and get our Program of Studies approved by Central Administration and the School Board. After that, our eighth graders meet with high school counselors, and begin their course selection process. In February, we hold our course selection night for 6th and 7th grade parents, and then students begin the process of selecting classes for next year and teachers make course recommendations for core classes. While that is occurring, the 5th grade teachers and elementary administrators are in contact with Mr. Drago to work on selecting classes for 5th grade students. In March, we process the numbers for all of the courses and then plan out staffing for the following year. From there we work on cleaning up selections in Skyward and making sure that students have all of the classes requested that they need. Finally, in June Mr. Drago starts the process of building the Master Schedule for the school and then getting students scheduled into classes.

It is a huge and very important process that involves many people, and could best be compared to a giant jigsaw puzzle. There is always a sense of accomplishment when the schedule is completed in early to mid-August, but there's no rest for the weary, as the next schedule will start up in just a few months!

Athletics:

Though school begins on August 24, you can begin planning for the athletic season in advance.

PIAA sports physical -

• All participating 7th/8th grade students must have a completed PIAA physical (dated after June 1, 2023) before stepping onto the court/field.

• Sections 1 to 5 within the PIAA sports physical packet must be completed and signed by a parent or guardian. Section 6 must be completed by an authorized medical examiner (family doctor, urgent care, minute clinic). The physical forms can be downloaded from the link - PIAA Physical Form - Updated 3/22/23

• A district contracted doctor will be available during the school day to perform physicals for one day only at Log College for $20 (Time and date TBD, but likely during the first week of school). You may also visit any of the Liberty Urgent Care Locations between now and the start of the Fall season, and they will honor our district’s price of $20.

Concussion Test completion

• Concussion tests are a baseline assessment that helps our coaches ensure the concussion safety of our students as they participate in sports throughout the season.

• Within the first few school days, each team will host an information session after school (from 3:00-4:15 p.m.). Concussion testing will be completed during these sessions.

• Following the session, late buses will also be available to return students home, or you may pick up your child.

Additional Notes:

• As the first week of school nears, we will share specific dates and meeting room numbers.

• Additional information can be found by visiting our website: LCMS Athletics

The picture above illustrates the three different bell schedules that students will follow next year. The schedule your child will follow is dependent on which team they are assigned to. Once your child's schedule is available in Skyward on August 15th, please check to see which team they are on, then you can compare that to the schedule above so that they can see when their classes fall. Please know that your child's teachers will be working with all students to make sure that they understand and are able to follow the bell schedule, as it is different than previous years.

As student schedules become available for viewing in Skyward, there are a few questions that commonly arise. The two that are the most common are, “when do I eat lunch?” and “what team am I on?” Unfortunately, Skyward does not clearly delineate the answers to those questions. That being said, there are a few ways to figure them out!

Log College has two school counselors, Mr. Sayre and Mrs. Brooks (listed as advisors in Skyward). If students have Mr. Sayre listed as their advisor, they are on the ‘A’ team. If they have Mrs. Brooks listed, they are on the ‘B’ team.

We run three lunches daily at Log College. The times for lunches are as follows:

Lunch 1: 10:38 AM - 11:08 AM

Lunch 2: 11:37 AM - 12:07 PM

Lunch 3: 12:10 PM - 12:40 PM

To figure out which lunch your child has, look at their schedule and see when their WIN period is listed. If students have WIN period 3A, they have first lunch. Students with WIN period 5B have second lunch. Finally, students that have WIN period 5C have third lunch.

We hope you found this information helpful! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office!

Attendance letters are automatically generated by the Skyward student management system on a weekly basis, based on student attendance reports. As we move through the year, the number of attendance letters generated increases a good deal. There are currently four types of letters generated weekly:

• 3-days of Illegal Absences
• 4-day SAIP letters
• 6-days of Illegal Absences
• 10 days of Cumulative Absences
  
  

Illegal absences simply mean that there is no accompanying parent note or doctor's note to excuse the absence. All absences default to illegal in Skyward until a note is received by our attendance office.

The three-day letter is considered a "warning" letter. After the four-day threshold is met, our school social worker will contact families to set up a SAIP (Student Attendance Improvement Plan) Meeting, where the absences are discussed and a plan to improve attendance is created. Once the six-day threshold is reached, other measures can be taken, as a student is considered "habitually truant" under the law. These COULD include fines in district magisterial court, Children and Youth involvement, or attendance diversion programs.

The 10-day letter is a cumulative letter meaning it counts both legal and illegal absences are counted. Once a 10-day letter has been generated, a 'licensed practitioner of the healing arts' must provide a note. That can include a doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, etc.

Absence notes must be turned in within three (3) days of your child's return to school. Absences will remain unexcused until notes or turned in or if the three day window is exceeded. Absence excuse notes can also be emailed to Log College at the following address: lcattendance@centennialsd.org

For family trips during the school year, a Family Trip Request Form must be submitted to the Principal at least three (3) days prior to your trip. All requests submitted less than three (3) days prior will be denied.

PHYSICAL FORM:
Physical Form - All incoming 6th grade students are required to provide the school nurse with a physical examination record.

DENTAL FORM:
Dental Form - All incoming 7th grade students are required to provide the school nurse with a dental examination record.

Click here to check out LCMS’s nursing services page.

The Transportation Department would like to thank you in advance for your patience during the start of the new school year. All pickup times will become more consistent after the first two weeks of the school year.

Centennial 2023-2024 Bus Schedule Information
Please click on the below link. Type in your address to access your child's busing information. Addresses with east, west, north, or south use the abbreviation E, W, N, or S with no punctuation. If that does not work, omit using it in your address.

CLICK HERE to access Infofinder i

As a reminder, please have your child/children be at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to the scheduled pickup. If you have any questions, please contact us at 215-441-6000.

Childcare and Shared Joint Custody Forms
Childcare and shared joint custody forms need to be completed yearly and approved by the school administration prior to the start of school. Please click HERE to access the form.

Dear Centennial Families,

We hope this email finds you healthy, safe, enjoying what is left of the summer, AND looking forward to the start of school!

Please visit the District website, Departments < Technology & Online Learning < 1:1 Initiative Resource webpage, for updates related to Beginning-of-Year Device Information. These include but not limited to: device return and pick up, technology device agreements, care and responsibility agreements, optional accidental damage insurance*, student/family tech support videos, the Community Help Desk Support Portal, and other technology-related items.

*Please note - as outlined on the CSD 1:1 Student/Family Device Agreement (found on the 1:1 Initiative Resource webpage), the payment window will be open from Tuesday, August 15, 2023 to Friday, September 15, 2023. Please see the Accidental Damage Insurance (Optional) webpage for more information.

As a reminder, the Skyward Parent Portal will be open for completing the Beginning of the Year Information on Tuesday, August 15 after 4:00 PM.

After you complete the Beginning of the Year Information you will be able to see your child's teacher/schedule.

Should you have any issues with logging into the Skyward Parent Portal please contact the Skyward Help Desk at x11150.

Should you have any questions regarding your child's elementary or middle school schedule, please contact the school's assistant principal during the week of August 15. For questions regarding your child’s high school schedule, please contact their grade-level house principal during the week of August 15.

Family Access

In Canvas, the Observer role can be used to enroll parents, mentors, and guests who would like to participate in a Canvas course but do not need to earn course credit. Observers have limited permissions that allow them to see what is going on in a course without interrupting the flow of daily course communication. Like students, Observers cannot view a course until it is published and the course has started.

Observers can view course data but cannot participate in all Canvas areas. Observers cannot submit work on behalf of the students they observe, but they can see student grades, assignments and events, and course interactions. A side-by-side comparison of what observers can view versus do in each Canvas course has been created.

Please view the following video about how to create a free Observer account (2:05) in Canvas. Your student must generate a pairing code unique to their Canvas account.

Student Access

Student Access allows students to access online and digital resources they need to be successful in their courses, including course syllabus, announcements, calendar and learning materials. Student Access to Canvas takes place via Classlink.

Questions?
Please contact the Canvas Family Access Help Desk.
Send us an Email
Telephone: 215-441-6000, x11150

Centennial School District is proud to once again be able to offer a 100% asynchronous virtual learning pathway for all students in Grades K-12 who may need flexibility that the traditional school day schedule does afford. Registration for Centennial Virtual Learning Academy (CVLA) for Fall 2023 is open until August 20, 2023.

Current CVLA students will have access to virtual schedules via the process described above for in-person learners: parents will be able to complete the Beginning of the Year Information in Skyward starting Monday, August 15 after 4:00pm. Virtual coursework for students in Grades K-10 will be available in Accelerate beginning on August 24, 2023. Virtual coursework for students in Grades 11-12 will be available in Canvas beginning on August 24, 2023. Orientation materials for each platform will be shared, via email, prior to the start of classes.

Materials for virtual learning can be picked up from the Central Admin Building starting on Monday August 21 at 7am. New CSD students will be issued a device; current CSD students will continue to use their current devices. All students Grades K-12 will have workbooks and novels (and may have additional elective supplies) to pick up.

For any questions or clarifications regarding CVLA, please contact our Online and Digital Learning Coordinator, Kristin Herman, at hermkr@centennialsd.org

The pricing for meals for the 2023-2024 school year will be as follows:

Middle School Breakfast is FREE for all students; Lunch cost is $3.15

Students who qualify for Free or Reduced Priced Meals will not be charged for Breakfast or Lunch.

Please be sure to check your child(ren)’s Food Service Account at schoolcafe.com for the current balance. Payments can be made online at schoolcafe.com or by paying at the register with cash or check. The District is encouraging families to fill out the Free and Reduced Applications as there are many other benefits that come along with it. You can apply online at schoolcafe.com or contact us to receive a paper application.

Please check out the website for more information.

Also, if you are looking for a job that works with your child(ren)’s schedule, please consider a position in the Food and Nutrition Department. Apply here.

If we can be of any further assistance, please contact the Manager of Food and Nutrition, Lori Deni, at denilo@centennialsd.org or the Food and Nutrition Assistant, Colleen Paris, at parico@centennialsd.org

There are FREE Family Literacy classes for English as a Second Language (ESL) families in the Centennial School District. Registration for these classes will be open in September 2023. The Free Family Literacy classes are held 3 days a week in the Centennial Administration Building located at 48 Swan Way, Warminster, PA 18974. Parents with at least one child from birth to 8 years old, qualify for these classes.

Please call (215)441-6000 Ext. 11085 to leave a message in English, Spanish, Russian, or Ukrainian with your name and phone number.

Click below to download flyers:

English/Spanish
English/Ukrainian

English/Russian

Over the past few years, we have been experiencing increasingly severe and unpredictable weather, and as such, the need to close school or modify schedules in response to weather conditions often arises. We ask that you please stay tuned to local news outlets, Centennial SD's social media accounts, and Log College's social media accounts for updates on delays, early dismissals, and cancellations. Alerts will be sent out via phone and text messages from the district, and eAlerts from Dr. Bedden. In the event of a two hour delay, or virtual day, those schedules will be communicated out by Mr. Golderer for Log College.

Principal: Mr. Patrick Golderer
Assistant Principal: Mr. Andrew Drago

Email: info@centennialsd.org
Website: https://lcms.centennialsd.org
Location: 730 N. Norristown Road Warminster PA, 18974
Phone: 215-441-6075
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Log-College-Middle-School
Twitter: @LogCollege_MS