EAGLE NEWS

September 14, 2023

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

Changes to School Hours!

The HCPSS 2023-2-24 School Start Times have been changed to better support the on-time arrival of school buses. Effective Wednesday, September 20, the new hours for CHS are:

7:50 AM to 2:35 PM

The doors and breakfast open to students at 7:30 AM. If you arrive at school before 7:30 AM please report to the cafeteria.

 

Date Changes for PSAT

The dates for the PSAT have been changed. Please take note of the new dates:

October 11 - 10th grade

October 18 - 11th grade

 

Homecoming Dance Ticket Sales Begin on Friday, September 15

Homecoming tickets will be available for purchase starting Friday, September 15th at 12:01 AM until 11:59 PM on Friday, October 6th. The tickets for the dance are $20. Payment for tickets will be made through the HCPSS Online School Payments system.

Students bringing a guest to the Homecoming Dance must complete a guest form. Guest forms are available in the front office, student Canvas community, and CHS website. All guest forms must be completed and returned to the front office by 3:00 PM on Friday, October 6. No guests 21 or older and no guests from middle school are permitted.

 

Plan to Join Us for Homecoming!

Saturday, October 14, will be an exciting day at CHS! Start your day with the PTSA Pancake Breakfast (7:00 AM -10:00 AM), followed by the Homecoming Parade (10:15-11:00 AM), and then the Varsity Football Game vs. Mt. Hebron at noon.

The Homecoming Dance for students is from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM in the CHS gym. Read more

 

Only Two Weeks Left!!  

Please consider donating to the class of 2027!  Incentive prizes will be awarded.  Donations will be accepted until September 30.   Read more

 

Calling all Sophomores in the Class of 2026! 

Our annual donation campaign is up and running. Families received a letter home in the mail last week. This year we will be in charge of securing a Prom location and beginning the early planning process for next year's Prom. We can't do this without your support! Read more

 

Attention Seniors – Fall Discretionary Day!

October 11, 2023, will be a discretionary day for all seniors. Seniors should use this time to conduct college visits, complete college applications, participate in job shadowing and/or schedule doctor's appointments, etc.  English teachers will be holding a College Essay Writing Workshop in the cafeteria. Seniors are highly encouraged to attend.  Please contact Ms. Somerville (jeri_somerville@hcpss.org) if you have questions.  

 

BSAP College and Career Opportunities Night – October 12

The HCPSS Black Student Achievement Program invites you to attend the upcoming  BSAP College and Career Opportunities Night  on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at Long Reach High School. This College and Career Opportunities Night invites scholars in grades 8 - 12 countywide to network with working professionals, colleges, and universities, explore post-secondary opportunities, and learn more about HCPSS pathways. The evening will highlight a variety of colleges and universities as well as local businesses and organizations. To register, please complete the Registration Form linked here. 

 

2nd Annual Emily Scott Memorial Walk

Please join us for the 2nd Annual Emily Scott Memorial Walk on Saturday, September 30th at 10 AM right here at CHS! Bring your friends and family to help honor the legacy of 2018 graduate, Emily Scott, who tragically passed away in May of 2022. For more information on registration please visit here. Registration will close on Thursday, September 7th at midnight. Last year, we were able to award two Centennial Seniors a scholarship in the amount of $2,500. If you have any questions, please reach out to emilyscottmemorialscholarship@gmail.com. We look forward to walking with you in September!

 

Centennial Class Shirts—Order yours today!

Show your school spirit and rep your class--CHS Class Shirts & Sweatshirts have been part of the CHS tradition for almost 20 years! Get yours in time for Homecoming 2023!

Use the link below to order your Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior shirt/sweatshirt--hurry because our online store closes on Sunday, September 17th at 11:59pm. All shirts will be delivered to CHS during spirit week.

Link to order: CHS ONLINE STORE

Questions: rebecca_clark@hcpss.org

NOTE: This is not the same shirt that is given out when you make a donation to your graduating class! This item can only be purchased using the link above.

 

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Update Your Family File

All families must update their emergency contact information annually. We’d like Centennial to be the first high school to have 100% of the Family File information to be fully updated, so visit HCPSS Connect today and click submit on the final screen! Read more.

 

Apply for Financial Aide

The HCPSS participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.

Parents/guardians must submit a new application every school year to maintain their student’s eligibility.

 

Student Technology Supports

Students, please remember to bring your chromebook fully charged to school every day.  We have a limited number of loaner chromebooks reserved only for students with broken chromebooks.  If your chromebook is not working, please bring it to the media center.

 

Student Meal Payments

New this year, HCPSS will use LINQ Connect, a secure, online portal that allows families to make payments to their child’s meal account, monitor their child’s account, schedule automatic recurring payments, set up low balance alerts, submit a Free and Reduced Meals program application, and more. More information, including how to set up your account, is available online.

Lockers

Lockers are available to all students throughout the school year. Students may come to the front office before the school day begins, during their lunch shifts, or during Eagle Time to request a locker assignment.

 

Parking Permits

Permission for students to drive and park vehicles on school system property is a privilege. Parking spaces for students at Centennial High School are limited. Accordingly, in order to be granted this privilege, applications for parking permits will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis in priority order: 1) Seniors; 2) Students enrolled in Work Study/Intern Mentor Programs; and, 3) Juniors.

Permits will be issued in this order through the end of the third week of school. Beginning September 18th, remaining permits will be issued in the order applications are received. Permits will not be reserved for students who do not yet have a valid Maryland Driver's License. Students ARE NOT required by the school system to attend a ‘Safe Driving’ presentation this school year.

To apply for your permit:

• Login to HCPSS.me.

• Complete the application packet and save as a pdf.

• Take a photo of your driver’s license.

• Follow this link to submit the online application. The information collected through the online application is required by HCPSS.

• Your submission will be reviewed, and you will be notified via email once it is accepted.

For questions about applying for a parking permit at CHS please contact Kristen Forman at Kristen_forman@hcpss.org.

 

Attendance

Please follow these procedures to report an absence:

Absence notes and tardy notes for excused absences are to be emailed to CHSabsence@hcpss.org. Students who bring in physical notes may drop them off in the front office before the start of the school day. 

Discretionary absence requests must be completed and attached through email in advance of the absence. The last possible day of school for the 23/24 SY is June 18th. If there are any make-up days added to the end of the year, we need you to be available to take exams on any day from June 7-18. Any requests for Discretionary Absences during that window of time will not be approved. Likewise, Discretionary Absences will not be granted during the week of January 16th, mid-term exam week. For questions about attendance, please reach out to our Attendance Secretary, Diane Howse at diane_howse@hcpss.org.

 

Support the Groups Who Support Us

The CHS PTSA offers programs, services, and supports to enhance the high school experience for all students, teachers, and parents. Join the PTSA now by logging into the  CHS PTSA website. 

The CHS Boosters serve all student extracurricular activities, including sports teams, school clubs, and student organizations. Join the Boosters now by logging into the CHS Boosters website.

Friends of Music supports vocal and instrumental music at CHS to guarantee the sustainability of these programs and to provide vital support to our music directors. Help our talented musicians thrive by joining us today through the FOM website: http://www.centennialmusic.org/.

It is important to support organizations that do so much for us and our students. We are a community! 

 

Stay Connected

•  Centennial High School’s website is a great source of information at https://chs.hcpss.org.

• On Twitter @hcpss_CHS and Instagram @CentennialHS.

•  CHS PTSA https://www.chs-ptsa.org/and  CHS Boosters https://www.centennialboostersonline.com/.

• CHS Friends of Music http://www.centennialmusic.org/

•   Register to receive school system updates and alerts at https://www.hcpss.org/hcpss-news/, click on Subscribe and select Centennial High School.

  

 UPCOMING EVENTS

Date	Time	Event
September 15		Schools closed for Rosh Hashanah
September 23		Eagle Classic Golf Tournament - registration is open now!
September 25		Schools closed for Yom Kippur
September 30		Emily Scott Memorial Walk at 10:00 AM
October 4		Band Concert at 7 PM
October 9		Schools closed for students
October 11		Choir Concert at 7 PM
October 11 **This is a date change		PSAT - Grade 10
October 12		Orchestra Concert @ 7 PM
October 13- 14		Homecoming Weekend (Pancake breakfast, parade, game, and dance)
October 18 **This is a date change		PSAT - Grade 11
October 18		Senior Tropical Night
October 20		Schools closed for students
October 25		Flu Vaccination Clinic
October 26 - 29		CHS Theatre presents Lost Girl  Performances at 7 PM on October 26, 27, and 28 Performances at 2 PM on October 28 and 29
October 31		3-hour early dismissal; end of first marking period ASVAB Fall administration
June 11		Last scheduled day of school  Last inclement weather day weather day June 18

 

CELEBRATIONS

Congratulations to the following students who are semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Competition: 

Atara Berzon

James Bombick

Timothy Cai

Joel Chemmanur

Anlan Lin

Nicole Luo

Neil Murphy

Caleb Shim

Anurag Sodhi

Justin Zhou

Ryan Zou

 

So proud of our semi-finalists!

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

SAT Prep

The Answer Book is teaching a two-day SAT prep class in the CHS Media Center on Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st from 9:00AM to 1:00PM.

 

Howard Lions' Pride Third Annual Craft Fair

Saturday, October 21ST,  from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Howard High School. Our 100+ vendors will be selling crafts, books, candles, kitchen goods, jewelry, home decor, clothing, accessories, and much more! General Info link: https://tinyurl.com/3tzxuhme.