March 20, 2017 at 5:00 PM - Work Session

Centennial Principal Jackie Herink gave a snapshot of the school. There is currently around 450 students. The highest enrollment was in 2008-09 when there were 502 students and up until 2011-12, the enrollment has hovered around 500. For the past several years, it has been stable at about 430-450 students. There are 63 percent of the students on free and reduced lunch last year. Mobility had been steady around 15 percent, but last year it jumped to 32 percent. The ELL population has been stable at 15-20 percent. The parents give the school a 90 percent satisfaction rating. In NeSA reading and math 3, 4, and 5 grades have stayed above 80 percent the last several years. Dibels has been consistent at about 70 percent. The majority of the certified staff have been at Centennial between 0-5 and 5-10 years. AQUESTT Report graded Centennial as great.

The teachers went over their interventions for Tier 2. In kindergarten the priority are the standards and EIR is the purpose. In first grade, there is a much stronger focus on phonics and each student works on his or her correct level of difficulty.  Intervention is done during WIN time, and every elementary has 40 minutes built in.

Phonics for reading – At level I, the students identify short vowel sounds, and the paras listen for mistakes students make. In Level 2, instruction is on long vowels and vowel combinations. The goal is to have the 7 syllable types and mastered sounds, but students often struggle to read multi-level sounds. Teachers try to help students to chunk longer words and read more accurately.

In WIN time fluency, students work on oral reading fluency. They read a passage four times a day and do whisper and choral reading. In WIN time IXL, there are lots of students who are reading at or above grade level. IXL is web-based, and students can work on different skills at the same time. They also can work at home on the app or website. WIN time text in time is when students read a book at grade level and find certain things at a certain time. The students read both fiction and nonfiction books. They put their answers on a notecard. Teachers and paras go around and listen to what the students read.

Herink showed the video that was created at the beginning of the year. The video is played at every assembly. This year the theme was “Better When I'm Dancing.”

Candy Becher said she hopes the Centennial staff is proud of what they are doing. She said the kids seem to love it. Herink said the Centennial staff is the most dedicated group she has had ever worked with. They are truly wonderful and deserve all the credit.