Superintendent's Update

I hope the Winter Break allowed you to relax, recharge, and connect with those you care about. School is back in session, and we're excited to have you with us again. Let's make 2024 a year of growth and success in Centennial!

As we welcome 2024, let's remember that we have several months left in the school year and will maintain our academic focus in alignment with the priorities of our four-year Strategic Plan: Roadmap '27. The four pillars of our plan are:

• Culturally-Responsive, Student-Centered Teaching & Learning
• Collaboration with Families & Community
• Professional Learning, Growth & Wellness
• Comprehensive Systems of Excellence

I welcome you back to school in the new year and invite you to stay connected with our schools and community with this issue of our Centennial Superintendent's Update. In this edition you'll find several important updates, including:

• National School Board Appreciation Month
  
• Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | Monday, Jan. 15
  
• Fly U at Oliver Middle School
• Inclement Weather Plan and Communication Methods
• Centennial Awarded Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting
  
• Keeping Students and Staff Safe - Bond Dollars Fund Exterior Lighting
  

January is National School Board Appreciation Month, and Centennial School District is joining the celebration along with Oregon’s other 196 local school boards, 19 education services district boards, and 17 community college boards. Centennial Board of Directors are dedicated and strategic decision-makers who give their time as unpaid elected volunteers to oversee Oregon’s public education structure. We are proud to have a unified group of leaders invested in the education of students.

Want to learn more about what a School Board member does? Click here to watch a short information video.

MLK, Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the US observed on the third Monday of every January.

Centennial Schools and Offices will be closed. Classes resume Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

On December 11, District leaders had the opportunity to join Multnomah Education Service District (MESD) Superintendent Dr. Paul Coakley in visiting Oliver Middle School (OMS) for Fly U - an offshoot of The Fly Academy out of Tigard.

The Fly Academy began as a competitive basketball program in Portland a decade ago and has earned a strong reputation as a top-tier program, helping over 50 players advance to play in college.

Former Centennial teacher and current MESD Student Engagement Specialist Esther Harris was familiar with the program and connected with representatives from Fly Academy to pilot Fly U at Oliver Middle.

The Fly U program teaches students basketball fundamentals while mixing in character development through motivational speakers and journaling. It functions as an attendance incentive and through high engagement and cultural relevance.

District leaders in attendance joined students after their skills practice as they welcomed a guest speaker from Nike, who designs shoes for the Jordan brand. The conversation was directed at the relevance of their background and work, which led to helping students work towards developing their own ‘brand.’ In this case, brand pertains to their work ethic, who they spend time with, and how they conduct themselves.

Currently, 42 OMS students are enrolled in the program and are nominated to participate by school staff. Kudos to OMS staff for pursuing unique and creative partnerships to help engage students!

Now that we are in winter and the weather is colder, it’s a good time to revisit our plans to address inclement weather and communication methods. Centennial School District has a plan to monitor inclement weather and its potential impacts on school operations that may result in a school closure, a delayed start to the school day, or early dismissal. We notify our staff and families using multiple methods:

• Automated messaging (voice, email, and text)

• Centennial School District website: www.csd28j.org

• Centennial School District Facebook @CentennialSD28j

• District voicemail: 503-760-7990

• Flash Alert notifies local news stations. Individuals can subscribe to receive FlashAlert updates for Centennial School District here: http://www.flashalert.net/id/centennialsd

Centennial School District was recently awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.

The report was judged by an impartial panel to meet the program's high standards, which include demonstrating a constructive "spirit of full disclosure" to communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

Please join me in congratulating our Business Services team, led by Paul Southerton. Of course, we could not have done this without the work of the entire team, including our Budget Analyst - Betty LaGrow; Accountant - Kalden Delek; Accounts Payable - Margaret Thran; Administrative Assistant - Regina Castro; Payroll and Benefits Director - Tina Caverhill; Payroll Clerk - Jazmin Inostros; and Accounts Receivable - Nathaly Martin-Perez. Congratulations!

Centennial School District strives to create safe, secure, and aesthetically pleasing facilities for our students, staff, and visitors. Most recently, Centennial schools received updates to their exterior lighting across the buildings and parking areas to ensure that these areas are well-illuminated.

Centennial High School welcomes 36 new dual-purpose LED illuminated safety bollards as part of the recent safety and security exterior lighting improvement components to the school.

The fixtures were funded as part of the voter-approved 2020 Bond below-the-line projects. The new bollards replaced the previous failing and broken exterior fixtures in front of the main entrance, auditorium, pool, and gymnasium.

The District mounted exterior lighting fixtures across the schools and offices to illuminate the walking paths and parking lots across the front and rear of buildings. As you know, reliable exterior lighting is essential to school safety for our facilities. When done correctly, exterior lighting provides students, staff, and guests peace of mind during the evening hours. Critical variables were considered with the selection and installation of the lighting, including square footage, ground coverage, and locations.

To learn more about the voter-approved 2020 Bond projects, click here.