FAMILY INFORMATION September 8, 2020
NO CHANGE–The numbers of COVID cases throughout the county have not allowed any changes from the DOH that permits Centerville School to change our learning model at this time. Therefore, we will remain with our A, B, X schedule until October 2nd at the earliest. Please contact Kristin with any questions.
Free Meal Opportunity – Last week the US Department of Agriculture allowed school districts to start serving free nutritious meals to students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This allows Centerville School students to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost beginning Wednesday, September 9 through the end of December 2020. Meals for home-learning days may be requested and either picked up at the school or sent home with students on their in-school days. If you are interested, or need more information about this opportunity, please contact 509-773-4893.
Connectivity – Washington’s OSPI has provided the possibility for students who do not have reliable internet to receive hot-spots for at home learning. If you are having connectivity issues, please contact Kristin to learn more about this limited opportunity.
Health of students – As always, Safety Is #1! We are concerned about keeping students safe and healthy. We are hearing a lot about the weight of backpacks when students are transitioning from gym learning spaces to upstairs learning spaces. We understand the issue; textbooks, binders, supplies, and computers are heavy. Please work with your child on a healthy way to carry both their backpacks and crates when transitioning between learning spaces. One of the best ways, it is reported, to stay safe and healthy during the pandemic is correct washing of hands. Please work with your child on the correct way to wash hands to stay healthy. Social distancing is difficult for students. They want to be near and dear to their friends. Most kids are great about understanding the rules; it seems the older the student, the harder they are pushing back. Please reiterate the need for social distancing when walking through hallways, playing at recess, and around the school. Thank you for your help in this very important safety matter.
Community Supporters – We would like to thank some very special community members that have provided supplies to our school this year. We would like to thank Angie Fields and her employer, Staples, for many various school supplies. We would also like to thank Jos Weeks for some laptop covers that allows students to transport devices to and from school safely. Denise Stearns has also provided some supplies to assist with teachers’ needs. She provided some tripods to help with the Swivl devices that provide video capabilities when needed. Our friend, and neighbor Kacie Bane has made some traffic safety signs to help keep students and families safe when entering and exiting our parking lot. Thank you to all of these wonderful community partners.
Returns – If you have not completely returned items from last spring’s distant learning, please do so as soon as possible. The missing textbooks and library books are important to our school and replacement is costly. Please find any lost school items and return them at your earliest convenience. We are also missing multiple power cords from computers and Chromebooks. If you happen to have power cords sitting around the house that belong to school, please send them back with your child. Replacing power cords is an extremely expensive endeavor.
Next Week – Monday, A Schedule 7:45 – 2:30
Tuesday, B Schedule. 7:45 – 2:30
Wednesday, X Schedule – Extra Support 7:45 – 11:45
Thursday, A Schedule. 7:45 – 2:30
Friday, B Schedule. 7:45 – 2:30
March 3, 2020
Dear Centerville Families,
By now, I think we’ve all heard of a previously unknown illness, COVID-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus. It has affected people around the world, and several new cases were reported in Washington and Oregon over the weekend.
To date, there have been no reports of the illness in the Columbia River Gorge area or eastern Washington. With that said, this situation is evolving every day and I want to be sure you know where to find factual resources about the coronavirus. I also want to share what we’re doing here in Centerville to protect students, staff and the larger community.
What we’re doing here at school:
Our first priority is protecting the health and well-being of our students, staff, families and community, and all of our decisions are based on it.
Over the past few days, I’ve reviewed our infection control practices and looked for ways to further decrease the chance of viruses being passed around here at school. One action is that our evening custodial staff will disinfect hard surfaces throughout the school every night for the foreseeable future. Bus drivers are also being directed to wipe down seats and hand railings in the buses.
It’s standard practice to ask staff and students to stay home if they are sick. This will be emphasized even more in the coming days and weeks. If your child doesn’t feel well the day before or the morning of school, please do a couple of things:
- Take their temperature. If it’s over 99 degrees, they shouldn’t be in school.
- If they are sneezing, coughing, have a runny nose or generally don’t feel well – keep them home. Attendance is important, but so is the health of our students. We’ll work with them to catch up on their schoolwork later.
If your child shows symptoms of illness at school, we will keep them in the office and call you to pick them up. Because our ability to isolate and care for sick children is limited, it’s important you pick them up as soon as possible.
How to protect yourself – and what to teach your kids:
Start by practicing and teaching good hygiene:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Don’t touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash/sanitize your hands. Use soap and water or hand sanitizer, if soap and water are not readily available.
- If no tissue is handy, cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow instead of your hand.
- Wash your hands frequently, especially after going to the bathroom or before eating.
- Teach good handwashing techniques to your children, soaping up both the front and back of their hands, and in between fingers. Wash for at least 20 seconds. Singing Happy Birthday while washing is a good way to time themselves. Or sing the ABC song twice, all the way through.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
By taking these steps, we can reduce the risk of getting and spreading viral respiratory infections, including the flu and the common cold, in addition to preventing COVID-19.
Please remember too that COVID-19 is not connected to race, ethnicity, or nationality. Blaming others will not help to fight the illness. Sharing accurate information at this time will be far more effective.
Here are two more places to look for good information. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has created a Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 website has information and resources for the community and specifically schools. The site also includes workplace recommendations and links to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) resources and information. Both the DOH and CDC websites are updated regularly.
Let’s acknowledge that this situation can be scary for all of us – students, parents, staff and community. I understand the deep concerns that arise when we are faced with new, previously unknown health risk to our students and our families. It’s important to stay calm and follow the instructions of our health officials.
If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Principal Cameron or me directly.
Sincerely,
Ann Varkados, Ed.D.
Superintendent
CENTERVILLE SCHOOL CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
May 1, 2020
Parade begins at 10:00 from Simcoe Mtn. Rd, east on Centerville Hwy to the school.
Presentations; Speakers; Skits; Educational Displays
Lunch at 11:45 for everyone in attendance
Followed by tour of the school and grounds
May 2, 2020
Pastries and coffee at 10:00
Followed by sharing of pictures (please bring), stories, memorabilia
Skits, educational displays, reading, and friendship
Lunch at 12:30
More news and stories follow lunch
RSVP/Lunch Order form attached
Centennial Celebration T-shirt order attached