August 2021
Dear Centennial High School Community,
Friends, I must share with you the prospect of starting this school year is nothing less than overwhelming. What words are best used to describe the complexity of this re-boot? Friends among us are filled with great anticipation, joy, and excitement; eager to once again teach and learn in a traditional learning environment. But for some that feeling is laced with trepidation. Many remain concerned about the pandemic that has not yet found its way out of our daily lives. Nevertheless, we long for our Eagles to find their way back to our nest - those who are flying in for the first time and those who have traveled our halls before. We want them back so we can continue to work together and to simply live.
As we prepare to return to an educational environment that is normalized, there is a collection of routine information to share and remind you of. Much of those details remain as they were pre-pandemic while some details and procedures have changed. The pandemic has challenged us to reimagine how we do things. To reexamine and innovate. We haven’t finished evolving; we are continuing to grow because we are committed to doing all we can to ensure a future generation that is healthy, hearty, and whole.
This week, I shared a quote with the staff at Centennial, and I’d like to share it with you, too:
“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friends.” -Sonya Renee Taylor
We want to affirm our commitment to continue our work on cultivating a community where uniqueness is embraced, differences are celebrated, and collaboration is cultivated. We want CHS to be a home away from home for our students, our staff, and our families. That’s where we want to go and we hope you will come with us.
Looking forward to welcoming each of you home,
Cindy Dillon, Principal
August 24 Fall Parent Athletic Orientation
August 26 Orientation: 9th, 10th, New Students & New Parent Meeting, 8:00am
August 26 Gallery Walk – Parent Groups, Clubs and more!!! 11:00 am
August 26 Back to School Night, 6:00pm
August 30 School Begins
September 6 Labor Day – Schools and Offices Closed
September 7 Rosh Hashanah – Schools and Offices Closed
September 20 Testing Window
October 14-15 Carnival, Homecoming Football Game, and Dance
UPDATE YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT INFO ASAP
All families must update their emergency contact information annually. While we recognize many of you may not have any changes to make, you must click through all of the screens and click submit in order to have this task completed. Some decisions require annual permission, such as permission to photograph your student, for example (this one is pretty important if you want your student to appear in the yearbook or in team/activity postings). 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!
Common Roadblocks to Successfully Updating the Family File:
You can now reset your password with or without a security Q&A. So, if you've tried to update and hit a roadblock, please try again.
If you are having trouble remembering your username (which is the full email address for an adult responsible for the student account), call or email us and we'll let you know what you should be using to access the initial time. Please note: You can not complete this task using the student login/account. It can only be completed via a guardian account.
Families new to HCPSS should receive an authorization key in your email. Follow those instructions.
If you've requested a reset, and haven't received an email, we need you to check your junk or SPAM folders. That seems to be where a bunch of those things are ending up. If you still don't have it, give us a call.
STUDENT SCHEDULES
Students have access to see the list of their scheduled courses in Synergy. You are strongly encouraged to review the list for accuracy. All students should be scheduled for seven (7) credits. Total credit count also includes college courses, work release time, and seniors who are aiding.
After reviewing your course list, if you determine there is a need for an adjustment, submit the Schedule Change Request (Links to an external site.) form. Students must access this form using their HCPSS login. All requests for schedule changes must be made by August 23, 2021, to ensure review and adjustments prior to the first day of school.
All students have had the opportunity to review course selections with their counselors on several occasions since January, so there should be very few requests for adjustments. Students with the following issues will have their requests considered: course list has fewer than 7 credits; course list includes a class that has already been taken; or, seniors who are missing a graduation requirement.
Bear in mind that staffing and scheduling decisions were made in February based on students initial requests. Therefore, it may not be possible to honor all requests as schedule and class size limitations may be prohibitive. So, be prepared to take the courses that have been scheduled if your request does not fit one of the reasons outlined in the paragraph above.
To discuss scheduling questions or concerns, you must reach out to your school counselor. If you have already contacted your counselor, you do not need to submit this form. Questions about schedules should be directed to Student Services: 410-313-2857.
STUDENT TECHNOLOGY DEVICES
To help remove technology barriers and advance equitable student learning outcomes, HCPSS has moved to a 1:1 student-to-device ratio. All students have or will be provided with a Chromebook. These devices are required for all county and state testing and assessments. HCPSS Technology and Devices information (Links to an external site.).
If you currently do not have a HCPSS device, we will be distributing devices on Thursday, August 26, at the conclusion of the Student Orientation OR during Back to School Night. Click on this form (Links to an external site.) to schedule a time to pick up your device. Chromebooks may be picked up in the Media Center. Arrive promptly during your designated pick-up window.
If you are unable to attend the Student Orientation and/or Back to School night, students should report to the Media Center to be issued a device on Monday, August 30.
STUDENT ORIENTATION FOR FRESHMAN AND NEW STUDENTS – Thursday, August 26th, 8:00 a.m.
We look forward to welcoming all 9th, 10th, and transfer students and parents at our Orientation Event on Thursday, August 26th starting at 8am. Parents will spend their time in the auditorium, and students will go to brief orientation presentations, school tours, and a club fair.
Orientation for 9th graders will start at 8am in the cafeteria, and 10th graders and transfer students will start with building tours that will meet in front of the gym. These groups will then switch, and everyone will have an opportunity to visit their classrooms before going to the stadium at 10am for our class panoramic photos. You are invited afterwards to purchase a snack from the Booster Indoor Concession stand on your way to learn more about our various clubs at the club fair and mini-interest meetings.
GETTING TO SCHOOL
The official school hours for Centennial High School for the 2020-2021 school year, as set by the HCPSS Board of Education, will be 7:25 am to 2:10 pm. Bus schedules will be available next week online.
We believe that the safest way for students who do not drive themselves to get to school is by accessing the transportation provided. However, we do understand that there may be occasions when it is necessary to drive your student to school. When that happens, please follow the procedures listed below to help ensure the safety of all students during school arrival time:
Students who must be driven to school are to be dropped off either on the sidewalk next to Burleigh Manor or at the auditorium entrance at the side of the building following the established traffic pattern.
Students may NOT be dropped off along Centennial Lane.
Parents are to refrain from making U-turns on Centennial Lane as it impedes traffic and contributes to unsafe conditions for students and drivers.
Students who are driving themselves to school are encouraged to arrive early to avoid being tardy. Traffic jams occur daily during the morning rush along Centennial Lane. We very much appreciate your partnership to ensure our commitment to student safety.
PARKING PERMITS AND SAFE DRIVER PRESENTATIONS
Permission for students to drive and park vehicles on school system property is a privilege. Parking spaces for students at Centennial High School are very 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 20th 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 marie_dow@hcpss.org.
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/.
Register to receive school system updates and alerts at https://www.hcpss.org/hcpss-news/, click on Subscribe and select Centennial High School.
GOT BOOKS? IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO TURN THEM IN! - Outstanding Financial Obligations:
If you spent part of your summer vacation cleaning your room and you found some CHS Textbooks or Media materials, you should bring them into school as soon as you get a chance. Any fines that were previously paid will be refunded in full. Because textbooks may be withheld from all students with outstanding obligations, those students should contact the Front Office as soon as possible to clear their obligations.
MEDICATION FORMS
Students who require medication to be administered during the school day need to have new forms (dated on or after July 1st) completed for this fall. For your convenience, you can find these forms on-line at the HCPSS website by clicking on the link for Physician’s Orders https://www.hcpss.org/about-us/forms/.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT - Thursday, August 26th, 6:00 – 8:00 PM.
Our annual Back-to-School event will be held in person on Thursday, August 26th. Parents will begin by reporting directly to the students period 1 class. Prior to the event, we request that parents watch this informational video - created for you in lieu of a large gathering in the auditorium - and ask their students to assist in locating classrooms using the CHS Interactive Map. To use the map, enter the room number you will be starting in and then the room number you want to travel to and click ‘Directions’. The map will draw a line for you indicating the best path to follow to get to your destination. You can use the map while you are at the building but you will need to login to our network as a guest - there are a lot of ‘dead’ spots in our building.
It is suggested parents and guardians who will be driving to BTSN arrange carpools and plan to arrive early. We ask that you support our efforts to reduce the impact of our event on our school neighborhood by following these suggestions. Please do not park on the road or in our neighbors driveways.
A complete schedule can be found in the CHS Student Community in the Student Handbook under ‘Back to School Night.’
WELCOME VISITORS
In order to ensure the safety of all students and staff, all visitors must press the buzzer located to the right of the main entry doors to be admitted to our building. When we greet you, please provide us with your name and the reason for your visit. For example: 'I'm Mrs. Cayo and I'm picking up my daughter, Tracy, for early dismissal.' -or- 'I'm Mrs. Dillon and my son, Cameron, forgot his lunch - again.' ...you get the idea. We will buzz you right in and direct you to report to either the main office, student services, or the health room, as indicated.
As a gentle reminder, please remember to bring in a valid form of identification (e.g. Drivers License) if you are picking up one of our students. It's also a good idea to double check your Emergency Procedure information to ensure the list of individuals authorized to pick up your student during the school day is up to date.
MASKING
Any individual who enters an HCPSS facility, regardless of vaccination status, must be wearing a mask. Masks must also be worn on school buses. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided to you. Students who need a mask should report directly to the front office upon arrival at school.
LOCKERS
Lockers are available to all students throughout the school year.
Students in all grades may stop by the table outside of the cafeteria to request a locker during lunch shifts throughout the first week of school: Monday, August 30 – Friday, September 3. After September 3, 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.
ATTENDANCE
Please follow these procedures to report an absence:
Absence notes for excused absences are to be emailed to CHSabsence@hcpss.org.
Discretionary absence requests must be completed and attached through email in advance of the absence.
For questions about attendance, please reach out to our Attendance Secretary, Diane Howse at diane_howse@hcpss.org