Eagles Nest 11/30/18
Fri, 11/30/2018 - 3:11pmEAGLES NEST
Greetings Centennial Community:
Recently, a parent stopped by the front office and reminded me of some suggestions I’d made during our annual New Student Orientation in August. The topic of that advice was about helping students develop self-advocacy and independence. There is a list of eight life skills all 18-year olds need in order to be successful as they enter adulthood that has been circulating the web for a while and the time to start working on shaping and honing these skills was yesterday. This list, compiled by the author of How to Raise an Adult by former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford University, Julie Lythcott-Haims, contends our students will need to: know how to talk to strangers; find their way around independently; earn and manage money; contribute to a household; manage academic tasks and assignments independently; resolve interpersonal issues; utilize coping skills that help deal with the ups and downs of life; and take appropriate risks. To read about the importance of being equipped with each of these skills upon graduation from high school, and the manner in which we may be hindering our children’s ability to become self-reliant adults, follow this link.
I’ve noticed in the past few weeks an increase in requests for controllable absences from school. We certainly understand that family is a strong value in our community and we appreciate the desire to be nearer to those we love and care for during the holiday season. This is part of the reason why we enjoy winter break. Please be aware that parents may hold students out from school for a total of three days per year: these are called ‘Discretionary Absences’. We do not encourage or support the idea of extended trips during the school year. The state expects each school to maintain an attendance rate of 96% or better. We can not hope to meet that standard if students are absent for controllable reasons. Missed instruction can never be fully recovered no matter how many pages a child reads in a textbook.Please be reminded that in high school, accumulated absences may result in loss of credit. We suggest you keep this in mind as you prepare for your summer holiday. The last possible day of the school year is June 21st, so we advise you do not plan trips until after that date.
Next, I mentioned previously that we will be making adjustments to our email communication. Beginning Monday, you may start to notice a change in the frequency of the emails you receive from us. We will begin a schedule of sending out a regular message on Monday listing upcoming school-wide events in addition to any ‘new’ pieces of information we have for you. You will also receive a regular email on Friday which will contain alerts, opportunities, and community news. Occasionally, we will send a message to you during the week if we become aware of any time sensitive items you need to know about. During the week, we will also post news items on the website under the news tab. You can keep track of these items using the HCPSS app that can be downloaded for free to your smart device. We hope this streamlined method of communication will be helpful to you. As we make this transition, we may make some adjustments to this plan and will let you know when and if that happens.
Finally, I’ve noticed there are many things to celebrate at Centennial. Often, we post these items on our Twitter feed, but we have been asked to include them in our weekly communication with you and I’m happy to do that. Starting with this week:
Congratulations to our very own David Matchim on being named the 2018 Howard County Arts Council Outstanding Educator of the Year. Earning a HOWIE is top praise indeed and in this case it is much deserved.
Joyce Zhang, Jessica Wu, Kyu-Tae Sim, Thomas Luo and Steppan Konoplev recently participated in the Princeton University Math competition (PUMaC) as the "Chesapeake A" team. Steppan earned 10th place in the individual Number Theory category and the team got 22nd place in the Power Round category competing against highly ranked schools across the nation and Europe.
Last night, our collection of Centennials finest performance groups delighted the audience at our annual Winter Spectacular. If you missed it, don’t worry: you can see it again tonight!
In the future, look for our ‘Celebrations’ to be included below. Please do not hesitate to send us a message when we have something to celebrate as a community.
Stay dry this weekend!
All the best,
Cindy Dillon, Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, November 30th
7:00PM - CHS Winter Spectacular, Auditorium
Saturday, December 1st
TBA - Boys & Girls Indoor Track Scrimmage @ Howard HS, Bus Departs @ TBD
9:00AM/11:00AM – Varsity & JV Girls Basketball Scrimmage @ Oakdale HS, Bus Departs @ 7:30AM
10:00AM/11:30AM - JV & Varsity Boys Basketball Scrimmage HOST Annapolis HS
EAGLE NEWS
CHS Booster Annual Christmas Fundraiser
Christmas Trees for the holidays.
NEW CHS SPIRITWEAR
In stock just in time for the HOLIDAYS including our popular quarter zip sweatshirts in light gray and a new darker heather gray. Check out our current inventory on the Centennial Boosters website at www.centennialboostersonline.com. From there you can view (but not purchase) items from the website and then shoot an email to Michelle Berry at shelberry@verizon.net with your order. All orders are first come, first serve and final sales.
CHS Boosters Adult Trivia Night
Join us for our second annual CHS Boosters Adult Trivia Night! We will be having trivia night on Sat. January 5th at Kiwanis Wallis Hall in Ellicott City. Doors open at 6pm, trivia starts at 7pm. Your $40 ticket includes professionally run trivia and dinner. This adult only event is BYOB. This great event is the perfect way to both support our teams and clubs while having fun with all the adults in our amazing community! Registration is now open and we are limited to the first 200 participants! So send in your registration asap! Return the attached flyer and payment to the CHS front office. Questions contact Meg Roth megroth@comcast.net
Student Services
Check out the revamped Student Services’ website at https://sites.google.com/hcpss.org/chs-student-services! We’ve posted recaps of our annual presentations, news announcements, and links to HCPSS/community resources. We’ve consolidated information on post-secondary options, included SAT and ACT information and much more! Also, follow us on Twitter @CHS_StudServ for our latest updates and announcements!
Winter Spectacular
CHS Fine Arts Program's upcoming Winter Spectacular! The show features Musical Theatre, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Concert Choir, Dance Companies, Drill Team, Colorguard, and Counterpoint. It will be held on Thursday, 11/29 and Friday, 11/30 at 7pm. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased online at chs.hcpss.org or at the door. Contact rebecca_clark@hcpss.org for more information.
It's Holiday Cookie Time!
The PTSA Staff Appreciation Committee would like to spread some holiday cheer by giving a delicious box of homemade cookies to all staff members and bus drivers to celebrate the holidays. We ask volunteers to bake and donate 4 dozen homemade cookies. We also welcome special items like homemade candy and fudge (need 4 dozen pieces, please). Sign up here.
Homemade only! Please, no store bought or "slice and bake" cookies.
Drop off your donations from Friday, December 14th through 2 pm Sunday, December 16th at 3710 Takoya Drive
We will also need help packing the cookie boxes on December 16th, 3:30 to 5:30. You can sign up for this too.
For questions, please contact Eileen Singleton (eileenmgs@gmail.com) or Pauline Chan (chan052596@yahoo.com).
Ellicott City Rotary Club
The Ellicott City Rotary Club is looking for CHS sophomores and juniors interested in developing leadership skills. We are offering a $360 scholarship to participate in RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership Award Weekend. This event is held in Chevy Chase, February 16-18, 2019. Visit RYLA to learn more: www.ryla7620.com.
Interested 10th and 11th graders should contact Temrah Okonski: okonskitg@verizon.net. There will be a brief application and/or interview process. This is a great opportunity to enhance leadership skills while having fun and meeting new friends. Students will grow, discover, practice communication, team building, all while learning about community and worldwide service.
Screenagers - Screen time and the impact on our children
In collaboration across schools, CLES, BMMS and CHS are presenting a screening of the movie SCREENAGERS on December 13, 2018 at 6:30 p.m at Centennial High School. Our goal is to engage our community (parents, students, and teachers) in conversations around the technology topics highlighted in SCREENAGERS that are meaningful for our families. We are here to process the information in the documentary by asking questions, sharing ideas, and sharing stories with one another in order to help navigate the ever complex world of raising and educating teenagers.
CHS Wind Ensemble performs at Peabody on Thursday, December 13, 2018
The Centennial High School Wind Ensemble will be performing Tutti: Prelude to the Midwest Clinic, a spectacular send-off concert celebrating their trip to Chicago for The Midwest Clinic International Band, Orchestra and Music Conference. These amazing student musicians will be performing in Peabody’s historic Friedberg Concert Hall on Thursday, December 13th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $10 and available from the Peabody Ticket office. https://peabody.jhu.edu/event/tutti-prelude/
Centennial Community,
As you may have heard, the Board of Education has recently approved adding and expanding program options to our students as a measure to help alleviate our overcrowding. Centennial HCPSS Staff will be hosting a series of parent information sessions on these programmatic options available to reduce enrollment at Centennial and Howard High Schools. These family sessions will share information on the opportunity to participate in Project Lead The Way Biomedical Science, Computer Science, or Aerospace Engineering at Marriotts Ridge; student reassignment; shuttles to HCC for dual enrollment; and, career development options through Centennial’s Intern/Mentor program and expanded programs at ARL. Each information night will cover the same content, and parents of rising 9th - 12th graders are encouraged to attend whichever event best fits their schedule.
Family Night Schedule (7-8:30pm) Tuesday, December 4th at Marriotts Ridge High School
Please note, all opportunities to participate in these programmatic options are contingent on interest and capacity.
Gift Cards Fundraiser Supporting CHS-PTSA
Do you know “Gift Cards” are a top choice for the Holiday Shopping Season? Plan ahead and prepare early by purchasing Gift Cards from Centennial High School PTSA. When you purchase Gift Cards at face value, the CHS-PTSA will earn an instant rebate. Send in your Gift Cards order by 11/14 for delivery on 11/21, or place order by 12/7 for delivery on 12/14.
See Gift Cards selection CHS Gift Card Selections.pdf . Place your Gift Cards order CHS-PTSA GiftCard Order Form 2018.pdf or via www.chs-ptsa.org
Please visit the Community News and Programs page (http://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/) on the HCPSS website for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.